I'd go back to December, all the time

As my girl Taylor says, "I'd go back to December, all the time." How crazy is it that it's already 12/10 and in one month we will be marking our dates to the year 2011. Since my last blog I have been back to Texas to celebrate Thanksgiving and watch the Saints win over the Dallas Cowboys!After a few months of talk we officially had our Thanksgiving Day tickets in hand, thanks to Chad! Along with the Saints we welcomed Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman and the 30 degree weather. As they say in Texas, if you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes and it will change!

Our View!

We WON 30-27! Happy Saintsgiving!

A highlight of the holiday weekend for many is BLACK FRIDAY! A day women prepare for and anticipate for weeks. Because I am the only shopahalic in my immediate family I have never experienced this day before the correct way! However, this year it changed! As I set my alarm for 3:30am I hit the Dallas Wal-mart, Khole's, Best Buy, Old Navy, Office Depot, Ulta, etc...with Chad's aunt, her daughter and friend! I purchased a stylish new TV and some fancy leggins and I am hooked! I love bargains and I am okay with waiting and fighting my way to get it!! So Black Friday 2011......im already anticipating your arrival and saving my money!

While in Dallas I had a long list of people to see, but with such a limited time schedule I was not able to drive all over the great state to see people...however I was able to see my goddaughter Jaq!! Yay!! Godmother loves you :)

We ended the long weekend in Vicksburg where Chad and I got to hangout with the family and relax. We spent time Friday night and early Saturday at my moms with my mom, step dad, sister, brother-in-law and niece, then went to visit my dad along with sisters in-laws for the Egg Bowl.

Now that December is here let me tell you what I am anticipating!!

December 3 - Ballet Magnificat A Christmas Dream at the Saenger Theater @7pm

December 10 - My Graduate School Graduation Ceremony @10am

December 11 - Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, AL

December 18 - Whitney & Stephen's Wedding in Gulfport, MS

December 20 - Work Christmas Party (good food!!)

December 25 - The Reason for the Season CHRISTmas!

Blogging is new to me, however I have always had a love and passion for writing and I plan to become more frequent and thorough on here, so hold me to it. The seasons have changed and I love it! I always enjoy the one day a year when I have 25 hours to complete all my to-do-lists. My dad and I argued when he said the days are shorter in the fall. I assured him he was wrong and that the day is the same, yet the sunlight shines less.

Over the past few weeks I have officially registered for Graduate School Graduation, ordered my cap and gown, reserved my ceremony seat.........i hope that completes all the graduation ceremony to-do's which will take place December 10 at 10:00am. As I told my family this will be my third and final graduation, unless in the future I walk across as a professor!

This is my graduation picture from bachelors May 2009!

This past weekend I fulfilled a promise I have been making to friends over the past months and made a trip to the beloved Austin, Texas! Many gasped when I said I would be making this trip alone, but I do believe this was my third solo trip. I drove from Hattiesburg, Miss across the swamps of Louisiana and into the city of Houston and into the Austin City Limits. I made a promise to myself that I would go buy new windshield wipers before my trip back (I will get to that later). I made it into Austin around 8:30pm and met up with a camp friend Joe for some deli pizza (Whole Food to be exact)! It was great to see a friend and catch up after nearly two years!

This picture is Joe, Tina and me from 2008!!

After our outing, my friend Maureen and her Oklahoma girls made it into town so I met up with them to hit the big city for an epic weekend.

Shae, Christen, Maureen and Monica!!

Christen and Maureen in the bed jumping competition!! EPIC!!

Maureen and I were camp friends in 2007 and co-counselors in 2008! We credit ourself with inventing the infamous game of bed-jumping for Ladybird cabin! (possibly against camp rules, but shhhhhh!)

Saturday was filled with one giant cheeseburger and a-million fries from Five Guys Burgers and Fries.http://gofiveguys.com/ My recommendation is don't be selfish and share your fries! Like we hadn't had enough we 'had' to stop next door at Amy's Ice creamhttp://www.amysicecreams.com/2.0/ I said noooo I am too full, only to change my mind for some sweet cream ice cream and chunks of heath bar........ahh i think i just drooled thinking about it! Amy's also has a very social media savvy web site for all my social media and pr guru's!

After our nice shower rotations in the hotel it was game time. I did a few practice rounds as aOklahoma State Cowboy and I was ready to go. We learned the in's and out's of parking in a big city and off we went. After a good laugh at the boy skateboarding and busting it trying to look professional we arrived to find Gate 25 where I picked up my Player Guest Ticket thanks to my long lost friend Andrew McGeehttp://www.okstate.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/mcgee_andrew00.html Drew got lots of yells and cheering especially when he made his (i believe 6th) of the season! I learned how to wave like wheat, a few cheers and how to trash talk UT fans and after the 33-16 victory I learned what a real Cowboy victory feels like. Great game Cowboys and especially great game to you Drew! It is always encouraging to read Drew's facebook status updates before/after games when he declares all his teams success and accomplishments have come from above, such a great testimony! Drew I am holding out for my NFL ticket now...you are going far! But in all honesty I give hands up to the UT fans, the banter was fun, but always classy and in good spirits! Also, thank you to the nice girl in the dorm who let us in to use your restroom! The only let down of the game was not actually visiting with Drew, but I guess that is what you get for being the away team. After the game we checked out some more of the big city well into the night!

GO COWBOYS!! GO DREW #6!!

Sunday came too quickly, but we finished the trip at Chuy's!! http://www.chuys.com/ This was my third trip and always an Austin highlight, especially with camp friends. We met up with Joe and Todd (two of my favoritessssssss) for a little pre-nine hour drive lunch. We rocked up (camp prayer style) and had some great conversation, reminiscing and long laughs! We departed, but not before the infamous Silver Spur/Rough Rider photo-op!

Joe, Christen, Maureen and Todd.....Silver Spurs and Rough Riders

This is from my FIRST Chuy's experience...back in the summer of 2007!

I began the trip home thinking how...oh....how will i make it these 9 hours without an after-noon nap, but I did it! I wrangled my way around Houston to find a truck stop to fulfill my self-made promise of new wiper blades. I questioned how I would know what size and how would I install them, but God brought the nicest man across my path that took them off, picked out the size I needed (19 inch for the record) and installed them! A task which took him about 2 minutes that could have taken me half the night. He said he would want to know someone was looking out for his wife and it made me thankful that we still have good hearted people in the world today. So to him, THANK YOU AGAIN!

SOUTHERN MISS TRAGEDY...One last item of business is a tragedy that hit home in Hattiesburg to the Southern Miss Football Community. On Saturday night a shooting took place seriously injuring three of our teammates, senior linebacker Martez Smith, junior linebacker Tim Green and defensive lineman Deddrick Jones. Reports place Martez Smith being paralized from the waist down, Tim Green being unable to speak and other injuries not reported to Deddrick Jones.

In an article by the Hattiesburg American, Jefferson Davis County Sheriff Henry McCullum said Brown is currently out on felony bond, and is on state parole for a possession of cocaine charge for which he was sentenced in 2007. "We've sent him to the (penitentiary) before," McCullum said Tuesday. The tragedy lies in the fact that we will send him back, but only after he has changed the lives of three men forever. Is it really justice after one will never again walk and one will never again speak.

...with time comes change.

"If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything!"

It seems like only yesterday I was starting elementary school at South Park in Vicksburg, playing with my sister and neighbors in the woods behind the house and seeing who could hold their breath longest in the pool. The days, months and years have flown. I started high school then finished graduate school in what seemed nothing more than a blink! But in it all I have learned to reach for your wildest dream and never settle for anything! Nothing is impossible if it is in God's will.

I always dreamed of what my kids would look like, be named, but I am not there yet...whoaaa!! But in 2008 God blessed me with my first nephew Caleb and one year ago my sweet niece Caitlyn! I go by "Tia" which is spanish for aunt! Words can't really do justice for just how much I love them!!

Caitlyn just had her first birthday this past weekend (September 18). It is a testament to just how quickly life is moving and how each day is a blessing and a treasure to us!
Last, but never least is Chad! We have been together about a year and he definitely completes me! Between work, finishing grad school, his work schedule and classes we do cherish the time we have to spend together!