Tops of 2012

This is inspired by a post my bestie posted on her blog and I decided to do the same. Also I haven't blogged in awhile which I hope to change in this new year.

Well here it is! The end of a year and the start of another. Glad to see we all made it through the "End of the World." I for one did not buy into that but it's funny to joke about. A lot has happened this year, in general and personally, and it's nice to look back on it all. This is some of my top tens of the year, not in any particular order.

Personally:
1. Moving back home in May.
2. Figuring out just how tough job hunting is.
3. Becoming completely enraptured into the Hunger Games. (I'm a Tribute!)
4. Getting our new puppy Sammy in July.
5. Doing a mini overhaul of our house while trying to figure out where to put all my stuff after moving home.
6. Becoming a 100% Directioner! (Fan of One Direction)
7. Derek graduating high school.
8. Getting to go to Waco to see Sam Houston play Baylor and Derek march in the Baylor band.
9. Being the maid of honor in Shannon's wedding in August.
10. Having a whole year to relax without any obligations.

I know there are many other things I'm missing but it's been a long year I honestly can't remember everything that happened but it was great. Now I'm gonna talk about some others top tens of mine this year. You may not agree but I also don't always think like everyone else lol.

Movies:
10. Pitch Perfect
9. The Lorax
8. Brave
7. The Vow
6. The Lucky One
5. Katy Perry: Part of Me
4. The Avengers
3. The Dark Knight Rises
2. Breaking Dawn Part 2
1. The Hunger Games
I would include The Hobbit and Les Miserables but I haven't seen them. I know I'm going to like them though.





TV:
10. Scrubs (I know it's off the air but I started buying the DVDs lol)
9. Glee
8. The Office
7. Doctor Who
6. How I Met Your Mother
5. The X-Factor
4. CSI
3. Big Bang Theory
2. Criminal Minds
1. Once Upon a Time





Music:
10. Nicki Minaj
9. The Wanted
8. Justin Bieber
7. Demi Lovato
6. Kelly Clarkson
5. Katy Perry
4. Taylor Swift
3. P!nk
2. Ed Sheeran
1. One Direction
I won't do my top songs cause they would pretty much be all One Direction but these artists had some of my favorite songs of the year.


So those are a few of the things that kept me entertained this year while I didn't do a darn thing. I guess that's what happens when you finish school and can't find a job.

In 2013 I hope to:

1. Find a Job!
2. Lose weight, or rather start myself on a healthy path to losing weight.
3. Spend more time with the friends who I have close and stay in contact with those who aren't. (geographically close)
4. Stop procrastinating on things and do them when I think about them. 
5. Do at least one productive thing a day.
6. Blog more frequently.
7. Be less negative. (I don't want to say be more positive because that makes me sound like I'm not very positive to begin with lol)
8. Read more! (I have so many books to read sitting on my shelves!)
9. Continue helping my parents get our house under control. (I swear we are on the verge of being on hoarders. Ok, maybe not that bad but if we don't stop it now we will be)
10. Continue to be me but perfect the areas that need a little polishing.

I guess that's kinda my new years resolution right there, but it's more so things I've already started on and just want to continue to improve on. Well Happy New Year and lets all keep making ourselves better and better and help others be better too.

Better Late Than Never

I know this is way past due, but I wanted to make sure I did it. Better late than never, right? I just wanted to talk about what I'm truly thankful for.

First I'm thankful that my basic needs in life are met. I have a home where, for the most part I'm safe. I  have food and drink to satisfy my hunger and thirst and, other than my weight, I have my health. I have a bed to sleep in and clothes to wear. I have two parents who take care of my needs while I can't.

I'm also blessed to be done with school (at the moment) and although I really need a job, I'm grateful for the time to relax and do my own thing. As much as I desperately want my own car I realize how blessed I am to have access to a car that I can use when I need to. I'm also extremely appreciative of the things my parents provide for me that I think I need but don't necessarily, like a cell phone, computer, movies, nail polish, etc. :)

Cassi and I in 2005 at Disney World! The first year of our friendship!

I also have wonderful friends who are like family and are always there for me even though most of them are many miles away. I'm grateful for the one really true friend I have here in Cove with me, Cassi. Without her I would spend all of my time in my room alone or driving my parents around. She has become even more important to me since I've moved home which I didn't even think was possible. She gets me through and through and doesn't judge the things I say or do especially when they come out wrong. I can tell her absolutely anything and she gives me an honest opinion whether it hurts or not and I'm grateful for that. She's my sister from a different mister!

Tim and I at Midnight Yell for the last
Texas A&M vs. UT game Thanksgiving 2011!

Tim is also really special to me but he is in College Station at school most of the time so I'm grateful for the time I do get to spend with him or talk to him. He is definitely someone I can be myself around and who respects me and my beliefs. Cassi and Tim have always been dear friends and I'm grateful for their very special friendships with me.

One very special group of friends from my time in college.
Becca, me, Kaitlin, and Rochelle waiting to see Breaking Dawn Part 1
at midnight Nov. 2011!

The majority of my friends are in Huntsville or scattered throughout the states and this is where I become very grateful for social media and phones. No matter the distance I'm grateful for the wonderful friendships I've made over the years and the many different things they have done for me. 

Lastly, but certainly not least, I'm blessed to have a heavenly father who loves me and is constantly watching over me and a Savior who died for my chance to have a relationship with that father. I know even through the hardest of times, there is always a purpose and a plan. I always have faith in him whether or not things are going well.

I could go on and on about all of these things and could list so many more things I'm grateful for but it would take until next Thanksgiving to write and another year to read so I'm going to leave it at these major points.

Closer Than We Think

At this moment I'm sitting here in my little small town of Copperas Cove, Texas watching a live broadcast of Children in Need on the BBC in England on my computer. The main reason I am watching this is because of One Direction performing but I can't help but realize the amazing reaches of technology.

I mean honestly 10 years ago we would never have imagined we could stream live TV from halfway around the world and we would have to settle with hoping that someone would put the clips of our favorite celebs performing overseas on YouTube or something so you could see them. Everyday the world gets a little smaller. We have access to news and media outlets across the globe and we don't have to wait days to find out about events happening in other countries.

Social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter increased our access to individual people around the world. Now we can find and talk with people who share our interests without having to be geographically close. I follow people from as far away as Australia on my Twitter and friends who have spent the last year or so living in Greece. It's amazing how we can stay connected when we are so vastly apart.

We don't realize how huge of an accomplishment some of the everyday things in our lives are. This generation is the most widely connected generation in history and I am just amazed at the amount of influence and outreach we are capable of. I think sometimes we don't realized just how influential an individual can be just because of the technology of our world. It's crazy and kind blows my mind that if I so choose I can have a conversation with someone on the other side of the world. The responsibility of our generation is to use the technology at our disposal to make the world a better place and not waste the opportunity to be a positive influence on our world.

Spirit Tutus

Cassi and I at the Sam Houston vs Baylor game.

So it's been awhile since I've been on here. I wanted to share one of my most recent and fun to make craft projects.

In September my alma mater, Sam Houston State University, played my "little brother" Derek's current school, Baylor University, in Waco and we made sure to get tickets so I could cheer on my school and see Derek perform at the game. I was looking for a unique way to show my school spirit but I was also torn between who to cheer for (the school that got all my money or the school I have grown up sort of supporting). It seems like everywhere you look girls are wearing tutus. (I absolutely adore Sophia Grace and Rosie on the Ellen show and they always wear a different tutu each time they are on the show).

I decided I was going to tie-dye green and orange shirts and wear tutus. Originally I was going to sew tulle on the bottom of the shirts in layers of orange and green but that just became too much work (and I've never really sewn before). I found this awesome post on pinterest for no-sew tutus (link is at the bottom). After looking at the details it seemed simple enough. Let me tell you it was much easier than it looks and turned out so much better than my idea would have been. I made myself and my BFF Cassi orange and green tutus so we would represent both teams.

The split decision tutu as I'll call it.

My Copperas Cove themed tutu. I used glittery white tulle as a nice accent and filler. 

Seeing as I waited until the last minute I had to rush to Hobby Lobby for the rolls of tulle used on the blog and was therefore left with a problem when they did not have orange tulle on the roll. I decided to use a wide non-wired mesh ribbon which ended up working great. The only problem in using ribbon is the ends need to be sealed or else the ribbon will fray (as anyone who has ever worked with ribbon will know) especially the mesh ribbon. I sealed mine by burning the edges. I had to run the lighter back and forth a couple times to completely seal it but make sure not to linger too long on one place or it will catch fire and you have the pinch it out quickly. Each tutu only took me about an hour and a half to make. Cassi loved it and I loved it, so much so that I made myself another to wear for my local high school football games (and to band competitions). I call them my spirit tutus.

The first time I wore it was to support the Pride of Cove Band at their first contest.

Treasures for Tots

Movie Stubs Everywhere! a.k.a. I Did A Project Off Pinterest!

I love going to movies! I mean who doesn't? There is nothing like getting a group of people together to go to the theater buy some popcorn and sit in front of a large screen in the dark to see the latest blockbuster. I'm a huge fan of midnight premiers. Being among the first people to see a movie is so fun. I'm one of those people who keeps all the stubs from movies, sports events, concerts, and so on, but this ends up with stubs everywhere. Some on my desk, others in my scrapbook box, and still more on my memo board. I first thought I could put them in my scrapbooks but then I had the issue of which one to put them in. Do I put them all in my general album or split them and put the ones from school in my college album and the rest in the general?

So one day I was perusing Pinterest (if you don't know what this is you should. It's an amazing website where people can share anything basically by pinning it. Many people share craft ideas which I love), and I found the cleverest and neatest idea for saving ticket stubs. Someone had posted an idea using a shadow box as a drop box for tickets. They decorated the background to their liking and somehow had a slit in the top to drop tickets in almost like a piggy bank.

I had no idea how they got a hole in the top and I wanted it to look good but I decided to tackle that when I got there. So one time I went to Hobby Lobby I searched through the shadow boxes and found one that wasn't too big and was only about $20 plus they were on sale. After thinking about it I decided that instead of trying to put a hole in the top I would cut down the back so I could slide stubs in the back. That was another factor in picking a frame. I wanted one that didn't have any vital parts in the top inch and a half of the back (such as the pieces that hold the back on.) The one I picked was perfect.

...and with tickets.

The finished product without tickets...

My box had a burlap covered foam padding in it so I pulled that off since I knew I wouldn't need it. To cut the back down I scored where I wanted to cut and ran a box cutter over it continuously until it came off. It was much simpler than I thought it would be. I decorated the background using black and red scrapbook paper to create a stage setting. I put the black down first and freehand cut the red to look like curtains. I found theater themed scrapbook stickers on sale at Walmart and used those to add details to my shadow box background. I put the back on the shadow box and filled it with my stubs and viola! It now sits on my movie shelf and looks great

Friday (Saturday, and Sunday) Night Lights

Woohoo! Football season is upon us! Well for some it started last weekend but for me it really began this weekend since it was the first time I was really immersed in the football atmosphere.

I have always loved football and just competition in general, but football is my absolute fav. My favorite part of games is halftime. Now before all you die-hard fans start ranting and raving about how thats-not-part-of-the-game and I'm-not-a-real-fan, let me explain. In high school I was in the color guard, which is part of the marching band, which performs at most football games so therefore is "part" of the game, and halftime reminds me of one of my greatest memories from that time of my life and I'm also a sucker for a good marching show. In marching band we went to every game (away, home, and playoffs) which was a dream for me because I was a fan even before high school. You see I grew up and still live in a small town in Texas where high school football is a religion. I remember learning to growl in elementary school and barking in middle school preparing to be a Bulldawg, but I didn't get to go to a game until junior high. My first game was homecoming and I loved every minute of it. That was also the first time I saw a marching band and when I decided I wanted to be a part of that. Now all of that is not to say I don't enjoy a football game without a halftime show, I just enjoy it much more if there is an exciting halftime.

Pre-game with the Pride of Cove Band.

Pride of Cove at Halftime.

So like I said this past weekend was the start of my season. First on Friday night was my high school's first home game. After loosing in the season opener to A&M Consolidated, the Bulldawgs came home and beat Waco High 43-7. The Pride of Cove also put on an amazing performance of the first and second movements of their show this year Les Miserables. I can't wait to see it completed. Saturday we move to college football where Texas A&M and my alma mater Sam Houston State had their first games of the season. A&M unfortunately lost but SHSU pulled out a 54-7 win against Incarnate Word. I'm so proud of my Bearkats after coming off a second place finish nationally last year we are off to a great start this season.

RGIII after his first throw for a touchdown of the game on Sunday.

Finally on Sunday was NFL day. My team is the Packers but before watching them play I was able to watch fellow Cove graduate and Heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III (RGIII to the media) play with his new team, the Washington Redskins. He played an amazing game and lead his team to a victory against the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately my Packers lost to the 49ers but thats ok because tonight they beat the Chicago Bears 23-10. Go Pack Go!












Coming up this weekend on Friday is Cove's homecoming against a high school from Mexico and on Saturday we are going to Waco to see Sam Houston play the Baylor Bears. This may be the only game I get to see live this season so I'm really excited. We may have a shot this time since my friend RGIII isn't playing for them this time. I don't keep up with the NFL schedule honestly, but I have an amazing app from ESPN called Score Center that keeps me up to date on games and scores. You just select the teams you want and it gives you push alerts for when they start and score updates throughout the game. It's pretty awesome. Go DAWGS! EAT 'EM UP KATS!

More Glittering Gold

I know I'm extremely late on this but I really haven't felt like writing, lol, so here goes.

While I was out of town for the wedding, I really wasn't able to watch the Olympics as much as I wished I could have, although I did catch as many glimpses as possible. I would like to just talk about a couple events that stood out to me.

One sport I really enjoy watching and playing is volleyball, beach or otherwise. I am no where near as good as any of the players in the Olympics but it is one of the few sports where I really understand the game and can follow mostly without the commentators. Of course I was cheering for the USA but my favorite is Misty May Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings in beach volleyball. I was so surprised when I say Misty was back since she said she was retiring after Bejing but I am so glad she came back. They are so exciting to watch and I love the charisma between them. I was so happy to find out they won gold although I was disappointed I wasn't able to watch the final match. It was a win-win situation for the USA since Misty and Kerri had to play the other USA team to win the gold.

Gabby Douglas winning gold in the Individual All-Around.

In more exciting gymnastics competition, the USA was once again well represented by the members of the Fab Five. First up the Individual All-Around Final. Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman competed hard and Gabby won the gold while Aly tied with Allya Mustafina from Russia for bronze and, for a reason I am still unaware of, the bronze was awarded to the Russians. In the Vault finals, McKayla Maroney won silver for the USA. In the Uneven Bars finals, Gabby Douglas finished 8th while in the Beam finals she placed 7th. Aly Raisman brought home the bronze in the Beam finals and the gold in the Floor finals where Jordyn Wieber placed 7th. Overall I think the ladies did great and represented the USA well.

McKayla Maroney after winning the silver. Her face has spurred a wave of memes with the phrase "McKayla is not impressed." 

Mitchell handing off the baton after finishing his leg of the relay with a broken leg.

One story I really couldn't believe until I looked it up was Manteo Mitchell, the relay sprinter who broke, YES BROKE, his leg halfway through his leg of the race and still finished. Mitchell was on the 400x4 meter relay team for the USA. He got off the block slow and at about 200 meters to go he heard his leg pop. At that point I don't think anyone would have blamed him if he had stopped but did he? NO! He kept running with no visible problems. The USA Team ended up finishing 2nd behind the Bahamas in the qualifier and again in the final, winning the silver.

The closing ceremony was, as everyone said it would be, basically a huge concert of British music. It wasn't as showy for me as the opening ceremony but still very entertaining to watch. I enjoyed seeing One Direction but what I was looking forward to the most was the reunion of the Spice Girls. I enjoyed the peek at Rio 2016 and can't wait for that opening ceremony because I know Rio can throw a party. I'm sad they are over but in 2014 are the winter games and I can't wait to watch Aplolo Ohno, Shaun White, and figure skating. All the athletes fought hard and it was fun to watch. Way to go Team USA!