Post Thanksgiving Post

Well.... it's a Monday...

I am really glad to be back in Arizona in the sunshine and heat but also sad to be back and not close to my family. I really enjoyed my mini-vacation over the two day break I had for Thanksgiving. Even though my flight was delayed for 5 hours on Thanksgiving day and kept me from making to my own families lunch plans - I was able to visit with them, David's family and my brother a lot over the break and I have to say it was much needed.

Some of my family at Thanksgiving

On another note - I have been amazed at all of the deals going on online today for Christmas shopping. I am already done with my shopping since I started buying gifts in September. Sad, I know but I wanted to get done and have them all shipped home way before the holiday season started so they wouldn't get lost in transit and I could have them wrapped and delivered on time.

 Maven-Julep

I joined Julep-Maven today and I am really excited. I have noticed it on one of the blogs I follow and wanted to see what it was all about - Ricci @ A Beautiful Mess posted something about her intro box and I loved the color selections and products she showcased. I ordered mine today so I guess I will be able to write a product review really soon! If you want a blog to follow please check her out! She has an adorable puppy, a really awesome job, and always has something crafty going on. Ricci is one of my sorority sisters and one of my favorite blogs to read!!

http://www.riccialexis.com/

I have officially started my countdown to my Christmas break....

-- 25 days -- and counting...

So ready to spend the holidays with my family and it also means that it is almost time for David to move to Arizona! I absolutely cannot wait!

My final thanks...

I have so many things to be thankful for and three days does not even begin to do it justice, nor does the 30 days of November. I have been truly blessed throughout my life and am continually blessed more and more each and every day. After this post - I will be taking a short vacation from my blog in order to spend time with my family. So here they are - my final thoughts of thanks...

10. I am thankful for my health and the fact that I can afford health insurance. I know that may sound silly but I know plenty of people who do not have health insurance and can't even afford to go to the doctor when they are truly ill. This month alone I have gotten my teeth cleaned, went for wellness check up and got new glasses. I am so thankful to be healthy and able to afford the care I can be given through my local doctors.

11. I am thankful for my iPhone. This is crazy but I have had so many cell phones in the past and I am so content with my iPhone 4s. I can check my email, call/text my family, browse the web, update my blog, and browse social media sites all from this one device. I love that I can look up concert and game tickets on my phone as well so if I ever got a whim to go somewhere to a game I would access to the tickets available instantly. There are so many other things that I could say (technology wise) that I am thankful for, but having this phone has been such a blessing.

12. As my final thanks, I am going to repeat one that I wrote earlier in the week because it is so important to me. My family. I can not even begin to describe how blessed I am by my brother, Dianna, Bec, Pappaw, Poppa and Kathy, Dad, Mom and David. Plus all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides. These people make each and every day of my life more worthwhile and I miss them so much. With each passing day I get a little more homesick and then when it is almost unbearable, it's the week I have planned a visit so it never gets  that bad. I am so grateful for them and they have truly blessed and enriched my life. I love you all so much and you hold a place near and dear to my heart.

I hope that you all take a moment to think of what you are thankful for over this holiday season and just take a few minutes to say thanks to those who have made you who you are today.

What are you thankful for?


Happy Thanksgiving!

New specs :) I love them!

Some of my cousins on my Dad's side of the family

David and I at a wedding-- seems to be our place to go :)

Loads of Thanks...

Continuing my thanks for today...

7. I am thankful for my mentors while I attended SAU. Sandra Smith is the first because of her willingness to give me some leadership opportunities and stick me in Greek Life first so I could test the Student Activities waters out. Dean J Courson would be my next mentor in housing and I could not have asked for a better supervisor, mentor, or role model. He truly gave me the experience and internship of a lifetime and helped me see what my future would be like.

8. I am thankful for my 100% paid for car. I know it may sound silly but I am so grateful to not have that bill to pay and that I have a way to go. So many students and staff here don't drive and have to rely on others or share a vehicle with another family member or even take public transportation (which none of those are bad). I love being able to hop in the car and go and not have to wait on a other way. Almost gives me a sense of freedom.

9. I am also very thankful for my job. I have met amazing people, have awesome supervisors, got to see so many new things, and have learned so much and I've only been here a short time. I know working at ASU I will have more independent experience over any other person who has done the same job at another institution. I love housing work!

More thanks to come....

Still thankful....

Today I will be continuing my blog from yesterday. I am giving the next few days a dedication to things/people/etc. that I am thankful for. I will be posting two more of these after today then taking a break from blogging to enjoy my family while I am at home for a few short days.

5. I am so thankful for my education. I was blessed with a dad and grandfather that contributed heavily to my education financially. If it wasn't for their support in that manner, I don't know that I would have ever finished graduate school. I am also thankful for SAU - the university I attended for my bachelors degree and my master's program. I gained a lot of experience there as well as constructive feedback for my future careers. Without these things I would not have landed an amazing job after graduation.

6. I am also very thankful for modern technology. It keeps me in touch with my family, friends, and colleagues across the nation. I am also thankful to be blogging. It really helps me de-stress somedays and I am very proud of myself for not going off on a tangent yet!

7. Finally for today, I am thankful for my 2nd families. I had one through high school and another through college and I know that they may not be my blood relatives but they sure do treat me like one of their own. The Troquille's and the Herron's are some of my closest friends and make a point to include me in their families at every turn. I am so blessed to have some amazing people, like them, in my life.

One of my first 2nd family members...Abby

More thanks tomorrow...

Thankfulness

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I should do a little post about the things that I am most thankful for. To keep my readers from getting bored - I will do these in a series for the next three days so that I don't write one super long post but a couple of shorter ones.

So here we go...

1. I am truly thankful that I have a Savior. I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was 8 years old and have never once doubted his plan for my life, his love for me, or his ability to show me grace and mercy and forgive me for my sins. I know He is my one true love and that I will praise and worship him everyday for the rest of my life.

2. My family is a huge part of my life and I am so ready to be home with them for the holidays (that even includes all of my other family members - our dogs). I know Thanksgiving day my grandmother will have her restaurant open and we will be busy bees preparing so many other families thanksgiving dinners until after lunch-- then it will be our turn to eat and visit with each other. This year, I won't get to see my dad or his family on Thanksgiving day but I will be able to see them before I leave to head back to Arizona. I'll be spending one night with my family, one night with David's family, and one night at my brothers. I look forward to the night at Brock's house just because we always have a great time visiting and catching up while I'm in town. I am so grateful for each and every one of them and can always count on them for love and support.

3. I am so thankful that I have been blessed with an amazing boyfriend. David and I have been together almost 7 months now and I couldn't be any happier. Recent news ( a few blog posts ago)-- he will be moving here to Arizona to live with me and go to school here right after Christmas. I am so excited to have him here with me. Not only will it release the strain of distance on our relationship, it will also help me out and keep me from being lonely here in Arizona. He is such a blessing to and when you know- you know...December can't come fast enough!

4. Finally, for today's post - I am thankful for my sorority sisters. Young and old, new and experienced - I appreciate each and everyone of them. Tri Sigma is a huge part of my life. It was the reason, in college, that I broke out of my shell, got to know more people, and really developed the leadership skills that I would need for my future. As an alumnae, I joined the chapter in Phoenix and am so excited about all of the events and sister time I get to have with them. There are only a few members that are close to my age in the alumnae chapter, but I feel extremely confident being one of the younger members. The women in the chapter have taken me in and under their wing as one of their own immediately upon me joining. I love our outings, they keep me laughing and are always willing to help me out with new things around the area. Tri Sigma develops women with strong character, friendships that last a lifetime and strong ethical conduct and values. I am so proud to be one of those women and extremely excited to see those women in my home collegiate chapter grow in the same manner.

More thanks to come ...




#TBT Thanksgiving a few years ago- Brock and I visiting our Great Grandmother

My Collegiate Tri Sigma Chapter at the Annual Homecoming Mulegate

The love of my life -- David and I being goofy during my last visit home

In my next life...

Tonight, I browsed on Pinterest for over 2 hours looking at cute puppies, home decor items, DIY crafts/decor, and other randomness. TWO hours...2 hours... I can't believe how long I can sit and look through things that I would love to see in my home or love to try out but probably never will. I now have like 12 pin boards - one for each holiday, one for DIY, one for my house, one on saving money, and so on.

It's amazing how I can spend 2 hours browsing and can barely pay attention during a staff meeting for more than a couple of minutes. Oh well! I have to say though my favorite part of my browsing session tonight was the food and drink recipes that I found. Each month I have events with the Phoenix Alumnae chapter of Tri Sigma and we have a housing staff potluck (themed differently each month) on our campus. I like trying new things and seeing if I can create some of the really creative artistic looking cakes and cupcakes I find.

I think that in my next life I want to go to culinary school and become a pastry chef. I LOVE BAKING! It's actually pretty ridiculous the amount of cupcake and cake deocrating, icing utensils, etc. that I own and keep in a tote in my dish closet. Even though I am no expert currently, I would love to learn and have been considering taking those classes at one of the local craft stores close to my house.

My grandparents are in the resturaunt business. My grandmother is an AMAZING cook and she is even more creative recipe creator. She comes up with additions to recipes she finds to make things even tastier and anyone who has ever eaten any of her food knows how awesome she really is at cooking. I give her all the credit for everything that I have ever learned about cooking. She learned from her mom and I learned from her. I always joke with her about opening my own bakery one day and she swears to me that even though it would be fun, it is not the kind of work I want to sign myself up for.

Who knows - maybe one day - a girl can dream right?? I hope that my recipes I picked out for the potluck next week go over well. I have included the pictures of them here... check them out on Pinterest and taste them for yourself!



My grandmother and my aunt working at Country Vittles - Old Location

Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Marshmellow Frosting-- I've made these before and they are excellent!

You can search these on Pinterest as "Crack Potatoes"-- I hope they are good!

It's Official

Just a quick note for the blog today...

This afternoon it became official - David is moving to Arizona to live here with me and go to school here. I cannot even begin to describe how happy, excited, anxious, etc. that I am. There are so many things I need to do before he comes; I started last weekend cleaning out my drawers and making some space just in case he was able to move here.

Like I mentioned in the "love story" previously, the distance has been our biggest obstacle to overcome and I know that we haven't been together all that long but when it's right, it's right and you just have to keep on going and moving forward.

David's parents were the deciding factor. I had my doubts because I know he is so precious to them and I was afraid they were going to disagree with him transferring here but they were very open minded to the idea and took time to think it over before they let him know their final decision. I appreciate their optimism because we, as a couple, didn't want to make this huge transition without their input and support.

That's really all I have time for today but I was so excited I just couldn't hold it in any longer!! Yay for big changes and new adventures!

David and I at the 2012 Homecoming Mulegate

It's a love story...

Throughout my undergraduate college career - I didn't date - not because I didn't want to but I really enjoyed the freedom of having a million friends and being able to come and go as I pleased. My family was always asking me why I didn't have a boyfriend and I always had the same answer...I didn't have time for one. After I graduated, I thought it may be a good idea to start trying to casually date and just see how it went. I had a few boyfriends through graduate school but I never felt like they were in any way going to be long term. My last year of graduate school I started working in University Housing as a hall director. I didn't date that year until the end....and this is my love story.....

Over the year I worked as a hall director I was extremely busy. I met David when he moved in but only knew him in casual passing when he and some of the other guys were hanging out in the lobby. Over the next 8 months our friendship developed slowly. At a housing event, he agreed to attend this absolutely boring induction ceremony I had to be at as my "stand-in family" for the night since mine was unable to attend. When he showed up I was really shocked to say the least. It sparked my interest and I decided that maybe I should consider getting to know him better before the end of the year.

David and I before the induction ceremony

The induction ceremony turned into 2 nights of hanging out and my date to the RHA banquet. Those 2 nights became a sweet note left for me. I had harrassed him for leaving to go home for the weekend since I was on duty and knew I would be extremely bored being in Magnolia. That note became an entire weekend of texts and confessions. I was completely overwhelmed by the feelings I had for him within the first few days. It was strange only because it felt so right and I had never felt like that before.

At the RHA Banquet



The note he left me when he went home...

I had so much fun hanging out with David. We would laugh, talk, and joke about things which is something I never really had in any othe relationship.






Statics I have heard of say that a person will know within the first 3 weeks of a relationship if it is going to be long term and that they will be able to tell within the first 2 months if this is the last relationship they will be in because that person is the one and only for them. I have to admit I knew within 5 days that we would be together longer than a fling and I knew by the end of the first month that we were each others soul mates. The feeling of assuredness is crazy and can be overwhelming almost.
Since I worked for the university when we first started to get to know each other and David was an undergraduate student, we made sure that things were more private. The day after I graduated he attended a wedding with me as my date and two days later I was his girl friend. We have been together ever since and the past 6 months have flown by. I fall more and more in love with him each and every day.

At Laura and Jerred's Wedding

Being 22 hours away from each other has been extremely difficult and proven not positive sometimes over these past 6 months. We have made it work and I have been able to travel home 2 times and David has visited Arizona about 4-5 times now. When I go home at Thanksgiving this month, it will be almost exactly a month since we have seen each other and I know that it is going to be bittersweet reunion. David is trying to transfer to Arizona to finish school and I am absolutely estatic about that. It will be so nice for him to be here with me and will definitely be a positive change for our relationship. I am so happy to have him as a part of my life and I know that our life together is going to be amazing. December 28th can't get here fast enough...two days of driving later we will be in the same house, same city, and able to be together.

Love is not something that I take lightly, nor do I claim to know everything there is about being in relationships. I love hearing about how people met and how they ended up in their lives where they are. So, that is why I decided to share my story. A glimpse of my love story...one that I pray grows stronger and stronger and lasts a lifetime.

On Duty Weekend...Ugh..:)

This Veteran's Day weekend I am spending at home doing some much needed work since I am on call for Housing. I love my job and have learned to appreciate being "on duty" on weekend days 1) so I can truly be lazy unless I get a call 2)I can catch up on all of my many TV shows that I DVR throughout the week and 3) I get to do laundry and clean my house. I love weekends like these!

This weekend is extra special because I started getting my Christmas decorations out and put them up. I have one tree up so far and feel that for my tiny living room it is the perfect size. I love the color purple, not only because my sorority's colors are royal purple and white, but also because I have been in love with the color since I was a child. So in light of that tidbit of information about myself, my living room Christmas tree is non-traditional and colored in peacock colors (purples, teals, silvers, and lime greens). I have been working on this tree for a few years now and have picked up a few pieces for it here and there (Pier One, Wal-Mart, Target, World Market, etc.) to use on it. I want to collect enough to have to buy a larger and fuller tree to use it all on. I do not think I will ever get tired of these decorations for my main Christmas tree.

My other tree is going to be in my kitchen/dining area. It will be more traditional with reds, greens, silvers, etc. colors as the decorative pieces for it. I'm not sure why I have two Christmas trees, let alone why I want to decorate two, but I love Christmas time and love for my home to be overly festive. Most people say it is way too early to start putting up decorations but working in Housing, I am not home enough to truly enjoy it and plus I will only be present in my home for about 2 1/2 weeks of December and want to have time to enjoy all the beauty of my trees and the decorative items I have around my home.

So there is my rant about decorating. Hopefully it was a little insight to my decorating habits for this time of year. I love to learn how to make new things so if you have any creative ideas for Christmas decor...please share!!

AIMHO+Housing Friends = Success

This weekend I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend the AIMHO conference in Billings, Montana with the ASU Housing staff across the 4 campuses. I was not sure what to expect since this would be my first professional conference to attend and I was no where near ready for the overload of information, but I have to say that I had an absolute blast meeting new people, reconnecting with others I may have met before briefly, and really getting to spend time with some of my own staff members.

The funny thing about working at ASU is that just because you may be on the same housing team, we don't get to see the other employees on the other campuses enough. We know each other, especially if we entered at the same time and went through new employee training together, but we really don't get to see all of our colleagues nearly enough. I hope over the next few weeks to really connect with some of the other ASU Housing team members and get to know them all better.

AIMHO was comprised of banquet, key note speakers, lots of program sessions, and some fun activities. My early morning flight on Sunday did not make me the most attentive person on the planet during that nights events but I really enjoyed the connections session where we were able to meet and talk to other new professionals attending their first conference as well as a seasoned vet to the conference and housing world. We exchanged business cards and used our networking skills to give us some new "connections" across the nation, especially in our region.

One of my favorite sessions that I was able to attend was a budgeting session. I will be the first to admit that I am not so great at saving money but have made a commitment to myself to become a better steward of my finances. The presenter was from the University of Oregon and she gave me a lot of useful information and tips. If you want to find out more about this info. just leave a comment and I'll post it later on.

We truly got to experience the Billings area with a night out on the town that included dinner at a local restaurant. We enjoyed Hooligan's Pub and Brewery. They had amazing fish and chips and the atmosphere was centered around sports. Of course, they were playing the New Orleans Saints vs. the Philadelphia Eagles game so I was watching for one of my former undergraduate classmates to appear on the screen.

All in all, I had a wonderful conference experience and am ready to visit Las Vegas, Nevada again for the conference next year at UNLV!

Thanks for reading!

The Weekend is Here!

I have been so busy since I started this that I haven't had the opportunity to write until today. Since I last posted, I have successfully co-ran a Haunted House for two nights of operation as well as a full fledge Halloween Carnival with food, games, and inflatable bounce houses. Now I am currently preparing to travel with some of my co-workers to a conference in Billings, Montana. I am really excited about the conference since I haven't ever been to one like this before but I am nervous as well since our requirements are for us to branch out and not sit with our own housing staff the entire time.

After the conference I will be able to return to my normal routine of work and work-outs hopefully. I am ready to get back in the gym and back into a set schedule. I will only be on "schedule" until November 21st since I will be flying home for the Thanksgiving break then. I am so ready to go see my family and my boyfriend. Since it is November, a lot of people are posting about things they are thankful for and I have a million and one things to be thankful for and want to share them with you all throughout the month.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my heavenly Father and all that He has given me and done for me. I am no where near perfect and never will ever claim to be. It is because of His love, grace and mercy that I am where I am today.

Since today is only the 2nd, I will share one more offer of thanks. My family is my rock. I know that I am able to call my brother, mom, dad, or grandmother to talk, vent, complain, or share joy with at any given moment and they will be just as supportive and just as engaged in the conversation as if they were the one sharing. I love them with all of my heart and miss them so much each and every day.

I need to start packing so that is all for today. I am excited to get some time away from home but ready to get some much needed rest for the next day or so before I take flight to Montana. Talk to you all again soon!