Reality.

This is Reality.

Below is what happens when you give into those daily marketing e-mails mentioned here.

You buy a 50+ pound mirror, open the box with incredible excitement, and find out that there isn't enough Styrofoam, bubble wrap, and masking tape in the world to heal your shattered dreams.

Dang it guys.

 

Maybe the broken glass adds to the aging....? Meh.

 

 

 

Champagne Taste/Beer Budget.

I would like to start off by saying, props to Ann Taylor Loft, Groupon, JCrew, and Free People for annoyingly e-mailing me every single day with huge sales, new shipments, and pretty graphics, but enticing me just enough to where I never follow through with checking the unsubscribe box. You are the only stores that have stood the test of time in my inbox, and unfortunately (for me), I don't see us parting ways anytime soon.

I wake up every morning at 7:00AM with 15+ unread e-mails all from places I didn't even know I subscribed to in the first place, and it never fails that from 7:00AM-7:29AM I lie in bed casually browsing each store's email until I realize that it is now 7:30 and I am going to be late for work unless I skip drying my hair with a hairdryer and just leave the windows rolled down in my car on my way to work and hope that does the trick.
Does this happen to anyone else?

Well gosh darn it, somehow I stumbled upon a home furnishing and décor blog that has flipped my life upside down . As it turns out, furniture it a lot more expensive than clothes (who knew?), so little does this company know that e-mailing me every.single.day with their chic sofas and patterned rugs, is causing the same sensation as dangling an apple in front of a donkey.

Joss & Main- I love you, but I can't have you. I want you, but you're so bad for me. You are a quick fix that feels so good at the time, but tomorrow I will wake up with a spending hangover. You show me things I never even knew existed. And in the morning, they'll be gone.

(But really, the items for sale are only available for 2-3 days and then they disappear.)

 Joss & Main even let you know when an item is in another member's shopping cart which brings out the wild animal instinct inside of you and turns this window-shopping experience into a full-blown competition. Only the rich and fashionable can survive.

To get Joss & Main off my chest, I would like to show you how cute my home would be if I wasn't recent college graduate, with a pay check that proves I haven't been in the real-world long enough, and living in a tiny apartment that wouldn't even allow half of this furniture to fit inside the doorway.

Can everyone please feel what I want you to feel: Can you all just please be envious of my make-believe home? I spent hours decorating and making every room nothing short of perfect. Thanks.

Okay, so I caved and bought this one for my room. ^^ You can only hold the apple infront of the donkey for so long.

Flight Attendants, Please Prepare for Misery.

I had to let a week pass by before I could let my mind wander back to the day I spread some Christmas cheer tears.

It was Saturday, December 21st, and I left for the airport at 8:00AM in hopes to land in Louisville, Kentucky later that afternoon. I was so excited to have a few days off of work, and relax with my mom, dad, sister, and the kiddos before Santa arrived. I packed up all their toys in a large suitcase and made it through security without a hitch. BUT, let me just list all the things that went downhill from there. When I say things went downhill- I mean rock-bottom, fifty feet of crap, then me.

1. It was pouring rain in Dallas that morning. While trying to find the airport on my GPS and steering my jeep through flooding highways, I almost hydroplaned into an 18-wheeler.
2. My near accident scarred me. I was afraid to take my eyes off the road for too long, which in turn led me to miss the exit for extended parking. I was now stuck paying for $20 per day parking at DFW... for 9 days.
3. My flight out of Dallas was delayed, which made my turnaround in Houston a little nerve-racking. Now, I only had 30 minutes to switch planes.
4. The flight to Houston was a teeny tiny plane. Two seats on the right, one seat on the left. Because of the storm and the size of the plane, the entire 45 minutes flight resulted in awful turbulence. The kid next to me threw up three times.
5. At one point, the plane dipped so fast and so far that every passenger screamed. I don't think I have ever prayed so long in my life, or needed a sports bra so badly.
6. As we prepared for landing, I was thanking the Lord that I could see the ground 100 feet below me. All of a sudden, the plane lifted off the runway and back up into the air. The flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "Well, looks like we missed our landing. I think we are circling around and trying again." The pilot had lost all communication with the runway.
7. Another 15 minutes of turbulence.
8. We tried to land again but by that time, the weather in Houston had made it impossible. The flight attendant came on the intercom again and said, "Well, I don't know where we are going. I think we are going to try and land in Austin."
9. 30 minutes later, we are on a cement block in Beaumont, Texas.
10. We stayed on our cement block in Beaumont, Texas in our teeny tiny airplane for almost 4 hours.
11. Mind you- our plane was not prepared for this. For 4 hours we had no food and no water.
12. The kid in front of me pulled out a violin from his carry on because there was nothing else to do but play music for the miserable. I was literally on the Titanic.
13. We finally made it back in Houston, and I have long since missed my connecting flight to Louisville. I run to my gate, cry to the airline representative explaining how I thought I was going to die 4 hours ago, and he put me on the flight to Louisville leaving at 8PM. For the first time that day, I was able to stand in line at Whataburger for food. Finally- a silver lining!
14. I ordered a Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich. Whataburger completely left off the Honey BBQ sauce. My sandwich was only chicken and cheese.
15. At 7:30 PM I was standing in line to board my plane and end this terrible traveling experience when I looked up at the flight screen. LOUISVILLE FLIGHT CANCELED.
16. I immediately ran to customer service whose line looked like this:
    
17. Two hours later, I was still in line. The next flight out of Houston to Louisville wouldn't happen until December 23rd. Yeah, NO THANKS!
18. Fortunately, my dad could rearrange my flight on the phone while I stood in line. Unfortunately, I had to be put on a different airline entirely- flying from Houston, to Charlotte, North Carolina, then Louisville.
19. My parents also called in a hotel room via phone and said a shuttle would be there to pick me up in 10 minutes.
20. 1 hour later.... no shuttle.
21. I called a taxi. Three strange men jumped inside the taxi with me.
22. It was 11 o'clock at night, in Houston, and I was by myself with 3 strange men in the back of a taxi. I started crying. I had hit my low point.
23. I finally got to my hotel, crawled in bed, and set my alarm to go back to the airport to start this whole thing over again.
24. On top of all this- I missed my chance to see the kids for a few days. I wouldn't see them until the night of the 24th. Steph told me that Cassidy cried when she found out she wouldn't be seeing me until 3 days later.
25. The next day, my first flight was delayed.
26. According to my flight itinerary, I now had 5 minutes to make my connecting flight.
27. Once we landed in Charlotte, I ran through three different terminals to find the one heading to Louisville.
28. They called my boarding group number. I am standing in line. I scan my boarding pass.
29. A warning sign pops up and a beeping goes off.
30. The representative informs me that I am not on this flight.
31. I think I am experiencing my first panic attack.
32. The representative said that when there is less than 30 minutes between flights, American Airlines immediately bumps you to the next flight, assuming you will miss your connection.
33. I tell the lady, "Listen, I will sit in the bathroom. I'm here. I am making this flight!"
34. I get on the flight and I wait. And I wait some more. The pilot is in no hurry to take off.
35. And finally, by 8:00 in the evening on December 22nd, I land in Louisville, Kentucky.

But really y'all, who forgets the Honey BBQ from a Honey BBQ Chicken Sandwich?!

Holiday Traffic.

Man, nothing will turn you into a scrooge faster than sitting in two hours worth of traffic...

Traffic that has nothing to do with accidents or construction. No reason. Just cars. Lots and lots of cars.

On Thursday night, I left straight from my office at 5 o'clock to head to Prestonwood Baptist Church for their annual Christmas Festival and to meet up with Tanner's family. They were going to have dinner an hour before the show, which started at 7PM. The plan was to leave work on time in order to meet the Cobbs for dinner. Ten minutes into crawling on the highway, I jokingly told Tanner, "Hope I make it in time for the show!" This was a very sarcastic comment because the church was less than 20 miles away from my place of work. Surely I did not need 120 minutes to travel 20 miles.

Low and behold, at 6:58PM, I was sprinting in my work heels through Prestonwood's parking lot to make it inside before they shut the doors to start the show. I had completely missed dinner.

Thankfully, Tanner saved me a roll that I stuffed into my purse to hide from the Prestonwood ushers. Bah Humbug! Nothing like an empty stomach to accompany the side effects of highway congestion.

Luckily, the Christmas show was absolutely amazing. Prestonwood had brought in live camels, donkeys, acrobats, and flying things: like angels, drummer boys, Rudolf, and Santa's sleigh. It was a huge production that put me back in the Christmas spirit.

Fast-forward to Saturday at Northpark Mall. Tanner and I had not accomplished any Christmas shopping for our families, and we chose to shop on Saturday afternoon in the middle of December in Dallas, Texas. Ho Ho Hopeless. On our way to the Macy's parking lot, we witnessed people leaving their cars in the grass in order to make it inside the mall. We circled. And we circled. We stalked families walking to their cars, but every single time a different car had beat us to a spot. After thirty minutes and a few prayers, we finally got a parking spot! We spent a combined total of six hours at Northpark, Toys R Us, and Best Buy, but we marked off every name on our list. Strategically, Total Wine & Spirits is located next door to Toys R Us so Tanner and I purchased some spiked eggnog and drive-tru In-N-Out Burger to end the night. Both were well deserved.


Tanner and I had carried over the amount of fun we had on Friday night in order to survive our Saturday afternoon. On Friday, we drove to the Gaylord Texan Resort to look at the ICE sculpture exhibit they put on every year. Two years ago, we had visited the ice sculptures on our very first Kappa Sig Take-A-Date together. It was fun to revisit the resort and even the same restaurant we ate at as juniors in college. The memories made me miss our friends, especially when we needed our picture taken (ha!), but it was fun to go back just the two of us. How people have the patience to sculpt ice until it's silky smooth is beyond me. I'm  positive it took them longer than my drive to Prestonwood. But a little word to the wise if you plan on visiting ICE!: Walk slow and bring warm gloves for your hands!

Blame Scandal.

The real reason for my lack of blogging is not my incredible work ethic, my dedication to working-out 5 days a week, nor my out-of-control social life. The majority of my absence can be explained by Suzy introducing me to Scandal. I have canceled Pure Barre classes, skipped out on social outings, and spent my brain cells at work thinking about how perfect Oliva "Liv" Pope is. Her wardrobe is perfect. Her wine glasses are perfect. The fact that she only eats popcorn for dinner and never sleeps is perfect.

In record time, I watched the first two seasons of Scandal on Netflix. I quickly caught up to the third season, which is currently airing on Thursday nights on ABC, and had to suffer from withdrawals Friday-Wednesday. Since tonight is the season finale, maybe I can be re-initiated into the blogging world. Or maybe I'll be too depressed to write.

So much has happened since my last post that I'm not quite sure where to begin. I'll start by saying seasons fly by much faster at work than they ever did at school. And I mean FLY. I can't believe I am already entering my 7th month in the real-world. It feels like yesterday I was sweating on my way to the office and now I'm slipping on ice. Actually, both of those extremes happened just last week. On Tuesday, the high was above 80 degrees and by Friday, downtown was closed due to hazardous road conditions caused by freezing rain. Dallas is finally reaching temperatures above freezing, but the parking garage at my apartment still has enough ice to build a snowman. And cause me to slip on an ice patch, coffee in hand, as I'm running late to work. That sight, this morning, was not a pretty one.

 

 

Thanksgiving had already come and gone. Now I only have one full week of work left before I hop on a plane back to Lousiville for Christmas. I can't wait to be back with my favorite little people! I have sent Carly and Cassidy "emjois" to read on their iTouches everyday so they don't forget about me. I love that Christmas still means staying up late for Santa, and  half-eaten cookies, and wish-lists by the fireplace in Louisville. Over Thanksgiving I helped Cassidy write two letters to Santa asking for a Mega Lego Block Barbie House from Costco. I hope Santa reads her letters! ;)

 

 

 

Last weekend will forever be a memorable one for us Baylor grads. It will go down in history as the best football win in Floyd Casey Stadium and the coldest/ most miserable win for the fans. Tanner and I braved the icy bridges down I-35 and 27 degree temperatures  to warm our souls with a Big O from George's before entering Floyd Casey Stadium for the very last time. Never, in the history of Baylor's football program, have the bears won the Big 12 Championship... or had weather cold enough to cause this girl to wear five layers of clothing. (I don't even wear that many layers to go skiing). I will tell my children and grandchildren that I witnessed the great Art Briles turn off the very last light in Floyd Casey Stadium. Ah, that sentence almost brought tears to my eyes. It only cost me a couple of toes to frost bite.

 

Baylor fans have an exciting year ahead for them with a Hercules of a coach, a returning starting QB , and a brand-spanking-new stadium on campus. I have a feeling I will be down in Waco for 2014 just as much as I was in 2013.

 

 



 

 

Tanner and I will be getting in the Christmas spirit starting tonight at Prestonwood Babtist Church's Christmas Festival. Tomorrow we are driving down to Garland to enjoy the ICE! sculptures at The Gaylord Texan.

 

 

It really is the most wonderful time of year! But more importantly, thank you Lord-for your little boy. He is the reason for the season and I am blessed by Him more and more each year.

 

 

And Lord, please be with me as I try to venture to Northpark Mall for Christmas shopping on Saturday. Amen.

 



Fall.

The busyness of fall has officially begun.

I always thought the fall semester was the more hectic of semesters in college. When I wasn't in class, I was needed at float, pigskin practice, Kappa meetings, Kappa Sig meetings, Chapter Council, intramural games, football games, tailgates, etc. So many fun things happen all at once in the fall. Post grad life has proven to be no different.

Football is still going on, but more games are seen through a television now. Saturday mornings are occupied with your typical "Dallas brunch" instead of tailgating. Working extra hours during "fall busy season" at work has shortened my evenings, no longer making it possible to workout after work. If I want to squeeze a workout in, my alarm must go off at 5:45AM. Luckily, moments like this are captured at stoplights when you are chasing the sun.

Fall recruitment is picking up, and so will the mileage on my car. I will be attending career fairs at Texas A&M, Baylor, Trinity, Mary Hardin-Baylor, UT-Dallas, and University of North Texas. A few of those events require a 1 to 2 nights stay in a hotel, which I'm really excited about! I can't wait to spread out in a King-sized bed, watch late-night TV, use the community treadmill, and get ice down the hall!

From now on, every Monday after work will be spent hanging out with freshman girls in high school. Tanner and I decided to be YoungLife leaders this year, and we will get the chance to see these fourteen year olds grow up to be graduates, all the while pursuing the Lord. Being a leader for YoungLife has already proven to be challenging, but I can't wait to see what will unfold before me through a group of teenage girls. Signing up to be a leader was a complete leap of faith. I have never done anything like this before. I have already learned to depend on prayer, and the first club hasn't even started yet. Not only will I attend club on Mondays, I'll be back under the Friday night lights for JJ Pearce's home football games, and hanging out with the girls outside of school activities. I'm feeling nervous, excited, anxious, and... twenty-two.

I am hoping that one thing in my schedule stays the same from this summer. Every Tuesday starting at 7PM, a group of my friends and I would attend The Porch at Watermark church. "The Porch is a community of young adults in their 20s and 30s who come together each Tuesday evening to praise God, study His Word, and go out to impact the world around us throughout the week." I have truly looked forward to Tuesday nights since I moved to Dallas. What JP and the rest of the young adults team discuss in that hour and a half is so applicable to my life, every single week. Your 20s and 30s are filled with huge life changes, and The Porch does such a great job of tying work, dating, marriage, church membership, and everything else you face as a young adult back to Jesus and His word.

One huge thing I am looking forward to this fall is Baylor Homecoming as an alumni. Gosh, if you have never been to a Baylor Homecoming then I just feel sorry for you. It's the same caliber to me as Disney Land. I can't wait to see my friends performing on stage at PigSkin, drink out of red solo cups at the tailgate, and actually enjoy the Homecoming parade without having to pull all-nighters out at a very scary and abandoned float site.


In college, I couldn't believe I let myself think I was actually busy in high school. Now, I can't believe I actually let myself think I was busy in college. In ten years from now... I really hope I'm a mom that drops her kid off at school then goes shopping all day, but the truth is, I'll probably be telling my self, "How did I ever let myself think I was busy at 22?!"

Showers. Scroggins. Steaks.

WOW I'M BEHIND.

Can I give a super sonic speed edition post to fill in the past 3 weeks of my life? Let's try!

A reunion with my group of girlfriends hasn't truly started until someone pops the champagne and mixes the bubbly with a little orange juice.

Three weekend ago, Leigh and I headed southbound towards Houston for Alliare's "Monograms and Mimosas" wedding shower. Like usual, I brought home all my laundry. Thanks Mom! :)
The shower was hosted by some of my favorite Baylor mommas in the Garden Room at Brennan's of Houston.
There are something about wedding showers that make me truly enjoy being a girl.

Zoom to the next weekend: Labor Day weekend! Not only does Labor Day  mean a 3 day weekend, it also means Tanner's birthday! Just like last year, Tanner and I, and a bunch of our friends, hinted at Austin to invite us to his lake house for the holiday. Of course we wanted to see Austin, but secretly we all craved a weekend full of Mrs. Wight's home cooking. I can never leave Austin's house without my pants fitting a little tighter. However, every bite was worth it.

Tanner's birthdays are always fun for me because I have to get creative. The boy is hard to shop for since he is more stylish than I am. I usually have to think long and hard about his birthday present. Naturally, I started thinking about what to get him back in June. This year, I went with a green golf polo and a slim-fit polo by Original Penguin, and made him a picture album with twenty-three of my favorite pictures of us from the past 2 years. I also made an early morning Starbucks run and brought him a caramel macchiato and cinnamon rolls with homemade birthday cake icing before we packed the car for Scroggins, Texas.

My parents instructed that, for their birthday gift to Tanner, I take him to a restaurant that does not have a drive-thru attached. Tanner and I have never been to Nick & Sam's steakhouse so I figured a twenty-third birthday would be the perfect occasion. Let me start off by saying there isn't enough Pure Barre  in all of Dallas that could work off the amount of food I ate that night. Our waiter brought us complimentary caviar to start. Then, complimentary champagne and lobster man n' cheese for an appetizer. I ordered a filet and Tanner ordered some massive 16oz cow as our main dish. Mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus accompanied our steaks. Finally, we topped everything off with crème Brule. My stomach hurts even talking about this. The worst part, and the best part, was the fact that we were having another 80 course meal the very next night with the Cobbs at Chamberlain Steak and Chop House. I'm talking bread, salad, wine, almond crusted fish, lobster on top, and vanilla ice cream covered in strawberries and Kahlua.

There was no point in sucking in for this picture. It just wasn't physically possible.


 I just realized this post involved a lot of food. Be right back... I'm starving.