Officially an Outdoors Woman

Well, I can officially say that I have experienced the outdoors.  It all began with a long weekend in Mountain Home.  Will and I spent the long weekend at his parents' house.  On Saturday, we went canoeing (a first for me-I'm sure that will shock you).  I survived, and we didn't tip over even once.  However, seeing that waterproof cameras have yet to make the switch to digital, you'll have to image the scenery for yourselves.  Maybe Bekah will have more details to add.  

Anyways, our camping trip was cut short due to rain and a slight lack of enthusiasm (probably on my part).  We had fun seeing friends and eating good food though!

On Monday, we celebrated with a birthday party for Dear Old Dallas during the Memorial Day festivities.  These kids (Will's nieces and nephew) certainly lack attention-I almost feel sorry for them...

The ninja was in his element during the birthday festivities.  Please pardon the foot in the corner.  A lot was going on at the moment...

These silly girls were still going strong after a LOOOONG weekend of camping and the great outdoors.

Maybe the other two will make an appearance soon.  They wouldn't slow down long enough for me to snap a picture!

On another note, Cassius Lane is certainly quiet.  We are anxiously awaiting Kate's return from the other side of the Atlantic.  I'm sure she has quite a few stories to tell.  Annie is living it up on a short vacay in Texas.   Mel will be meeting her new roommate and fellow KKG sister in Springfield this weekend.  So for now, Rachel and I are holding down the fort and watching out for those pesky Norwegian rats our friendly neighbor Erick believes to be in the area...

Ta-Da!

My mother can now rest easily knowing that I will not drown the next time I walk into my closet.  You've seen the before picture; therefore, I had no other choice but to get down and dirty and clean up the mess I'd made.  (This whole blogging thing sure provides a sense of accountability-even if only to the two people [including family members] who read it.)  

I think the after will redeem me a bit.  

The piece de resistance (I'm sure there is a fancy French way of saying/spelling that, but I'm from Arkansas...) of the closet is my new system of organizing jewelry.  I buy necklaces only to throw them in a purse or drawer and forget about them.  My new corkboard system should do the trick and help me put these beauties to use! 

Like I said yesterday, I'm a messy organized type of girl.  However, I love to have a place for everything and everything in its place.   Hopefully, this is one project that won't have to be redone for quite some time...

I'm off to finish up making some White Trash Trail Mix (aptly named since I'm heading out for my first camping/canoeing trip EVER in a short bit).  Be back soon with loads of stories and pictures!

The Latest in Pictures

After a year of putting my life on hold (thank you MAT…), I am starting to get myself back together. I would describe myself as organized yet messy, so this process includes several not fun chores as well as a few long-awaited days of fun. Lately, I can be found in the trenches of my closet or laying out by the pool (thank you Sean and Mik) with friends.

Will and I spent last Saturday in Branson celebrating my return to real-life in the post-MAT world and our one-year anniversary. Let's just say that the year has flown by, and we had a wonderful day trip. We shopped a lot (Will got more than I did) and ate at one of my favorite restaurants Cantina Laredo. Absolutely delicious!

(We're looking a little rough here, but it had been a busy day.)

On Sunday, Katelyn left for her voyage across the Atlantic to Europe. She'll be playing in London and then traveling around to see various sites and scenes that I can't seem to remember at the moment. I wanted to snap a quick pic to remember her by before she headed out…

Today, I am working on tackling a few chores around the house. I went to Target to stock up for my upcoming camping/canoeing trip this weekend (a first for me). I think I have everything seeing that I brought every item in the store that was even remotely related to the outdoors. After a quick lunch at Stonemill, I came home to tackle this…

I'm almost too embarrassed to post this, but it is true. My closet is a DISASTER. This was after I had already begun the cleaning/sorting process, so it looks worse than it really was. However, it is pretty bad. I must give a shout-out to Rachel's cute bag in the far upper left! I'll post the after tomorrow in order to redeem myself.

Last but not least, I took the advice of my dear friend Darby and baked a cake. While I've never actually met Darby, I feel like we are friends and know that if I ever met her or her sister Erika, we would quickly become BFFs (much to the surprise of my doubting boyfriend and brother-in-law). It is called the Texas Sheet Cake and is quite delicious. I saw the pictures on Darby's blog and went out and bought a new pan in order to bake it properly. I was hoping the cake would remain untouched until my Bible study tonight, but someone seems to have tested it. Let's just say my the thief's tummy is quite happy at the moment!

I'm off to finish tackling that disastrous closet. Wish me luck!

I’m BACK!

Well, I am not a successful blogger. It's hard to admit, but I must be truthful. Life has been hectic, and this old thing has been neglected during the last nine months. However, I just graduated (hopefully for the last time ever) and will have a summer to redeem myself.

Starting today, I am free. I am looking for future employment (educating the world's best and brightest students in a yet to be named classroom), but in the meantime, I will fill my days with much errand-running and pool-side lounging.

A little tag in a blog post of a friend got my wheels turning. Here goes nothing…

8 Things I Look Forward To:
Summer vacation-school being OUT (I copied this from Allyson)
Family beach vacation to Seacrest, Florida
Running a few errands this summer
My new classroom full of fun kiddos
Decorating said classroom
Weekend trips during the summer
Organizing my life
Rest and relaxation in the near future!

 8 Things I did Yesterday
Slept in through church (don't tell)
Lunch at Bonefish for Mother's Day
Visited with Will's extended family in the Dixie Café parking lot
Target trip with my mom and grandma
Ate dinner at Loafin' Joes with Will
Watched Lifetime movies
Caught up with Roomie Rachel
Read a good book in bed

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
Say "no" more often
Be a wedding planner
Speak another language
Not worry
Get a job
Sleep in really late and not feel guilty
Play a sport (any kind really)
Not overthink my answers on quizzes like this

8 Shows I Watch:
Ace of Cakes
Desperate Housewives (0nly during the marathons)
HGTV
Food TV
I never watch TV, so I can't think of any more