Some Randon Thoughts/Worries

I am literally soaking up every bit of summer I have left- exactly 5 more days. I can't believe that I will be starting my Master's in 5 days... it seems like just yesterday I was counting down the days until college orientation. Where has the time gone? In 5 days I will be hitting the books hardcore until May 6th, 2010 and then I will officially done with school. Starting Monday I will be in school from 8-4 with a teeny tiny lunch break- this means I need to hit up Wally World ASAP to get some goodies to fill up my cute new lunch box!=)

{my super cute lunch box}That is one thing that excites me about my master's. Having to pack a healthy lunch and being on a schedule (the kid's schedule) as to when I eat lunch everyday will be AWESOME. No more snacking all day long. Another thing that excites me is my new planner I just purchased with two of my teacher friends (yes, we realize we are dorks). Ah.. my planner, a good pen, and my multicolor sticky notes will in fact get me through the next year.

{ahh academic planners...bliss}

{this is what my stickys will look like next week- except bright teal}If you know me what-so-ever, you know I am stressing right now about the unknown- this is the main reason of this post- to vent my anxiety about next week/ next year. Our professors have given us absolutely NO insight into our Master's program... the only thing we know are the horror stories we have been hearing from the Master's students who were in summer session 1. Paper after paper, multicultural philosophies, and endless case study analysis... to me, this sounds like a stomach ulcer waiting to happen. Ugh- I'm going to start taking my "anti-ulcer" meds TODAY! Haa.. I'm such a worry wart. Why couldn't I be like Steven, AKA the MOST laid back person on this earth? He worries about little to nothing on a daily basis- me on the other hand, I'm already worrying about May 6, 2010. I'm worrying about not being able to find a job.. AH- that is just ONE of my worries! =) Well I hope I didn't stress anyone out by this post...I sure do feel better! Ha.. I'm going to transfer my birthdays and important dates from my old planner to my new..YAHOO!!

Mr. and Mrs. Pierce

This weekend was our last wedding of the month! Whew.. it has been a crazy month for our friends and family getting hitched. Last weekend was our friends Jordan and Tyler's wedding. Steven went to high school with Justin (Tyler's) younger brother, but freshman year all the way to senior year in college you could find us hanging out at Tyler's house in Fayetteville. I met Tyler and Jordan my freshman year and have been in love with them since. They are one of the most fun couples we know. We always have a great time when we are with them. We have been anticipating this wedding for quite sometime now and we had an real life blast. The short and sweet church service was held at Pulaski Heights Methodist in Little Rock (the prettiest church in LR) and the PARR-TAY was at the Clinton Library downtown. The sole word I have is

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! The decorations were spectacular and the food was delicious and the drinks were refreshing. The band played all of our favorites, we even called the hog- WoOo Pig! To put a end to a perfect night- I caught Jordan's bouquet... and honestly I didn't even try. It pretty much hit me straight on my flat chest! We all know I will NOT be getting engaged or married ANYTIME soon... so it was just bad aiming on Jordan's part :) !! Here are a few pictures to give you a little peek into Jordan and Tyler's fantastic wedding. *Disclaimer- Please forgive me for the sweaty/ wet dog look...had to curl my hair due to the TERRIBLE humidity in Little Rock and plus the 100 degree weather didn't help my case much. ALSO, we had an engagement party at 6 to hit up before we went to the wedding at 7...geeze we are non-stop!

Enjoy...but disregard my looks.

{before the wedding}{right after the bouquet incident}

{steven and eric}

{xoxo}

{mr. and mrs. pierce's last dance}{they are SO fun}

{gettin' down}{sooo happy}{awesome old car}

Congratulations to Jordan and Tyler, we couldn't be more happy for the two of you!!! I'm off to meet Steven and Deek for a run/walk at Mudd Creek!! Woo Whoo!!

A Very Proud Girlfriend

Let me tell you, I am one proud girlfriend these days! Steven took an 8 hour long test back in April. Literally, the boy was at the testing center at the U of A from 730-5 with a little break for lunch. This test is called the "FE" or Fundamentals of Engineering. This is similar to lawyers taking the LSAT or wanna-be pharmacists taking the PCAT (except those only last 4 hours). Anywho...As I picked my handsome boyfriend up that Saturday afternoon at 5...his look was not promising. He told me he'd probably be taking it again in October (meaning the poor thing didn't think he did that well). So we have been anticipating the news- he knew if he got a big packet in the mail= no bueno and a little letter meant he passed. Well Steven found out online on Friday that he passed with flying colors! I couldn't be more happy or relieved for him. WOO WHOO! Go Steven! This is the first step to becoming a Civil Engineer!! A few of his peers weren't as lucky...so we are tickled to death that he passed the first time. I DID NOT want him to have to take it again in October. Knowing our luck he'd be taking on Hailey's wedding or something- and that would have gone over like a lead balloon! I just wanted to brag on my favorite person because not only is he the smartest person I know, he is also a hottie!! :) Well Congrats Steven!! I am SOO proud of you and I love you!

{2005}

{2006}

{D-Mac...he's such a good sport}

{Delta Disco Divas}

{Valentines Day 2009}

{Ultimate 80's}

{2009}

Cheers to you Steven!! I love you!

I was on the phone with Brad the Apple guy

I just turned to Steven and said “Do you think this will be like when Elvis died? Do you think Neverland will be like Graceland one day?” its something to think about. As I did when I was a child- I asked my mom “Where were you when Elvis died” and she knew. If and when my child asks me “Do you remember where you were when Michael Jackson died?” “Well sweetheart…” I would have to tell my child that I spend 2 ½ hours (literally…not exaggerating) on the phone with the Apple guy trying to figure out my phone- needless to say we had to restore my settings on my phone..ugh. ANYWAY… He was telling me step by step what to do next and then I hear “Uh..Uh.. OH NO.. this can’t be true..Im checking CNN!!!” and since we’ve been talking for quite some time now I said “Brad..what is wrong?” “I just found out Michael Jackson is dead, he died of cardiac arrest.” So, I will never forget how I found out about this tragic event. My prayers are with the families and friends of both Michael Jackson and the beautiful Farrah Fawcett. What a tragic day for Americans. After watching CNN for about an hour- we decided we needed to get out of the house and stop thinking about this weird day. Steven, Deek, and I went on the most relaxing walk around the neighborhood and down this new nature path that winded around two ponds and in and out of wild flowers- just gorgeous. We talked about the day and what we remembered about both Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett- Of course Steven knew so many more facts about both of them than I could shake a stick at…that’s typical! Then we were hot and sweaty so we jumped in the car and went straight to IceManCometh. For those of you that aren’t familiar with this amazing place- it is THE best snow cone joint in Fayetteville. It’s located next to the hobby lobby parking lot- pure bliss. We got two medium tiger’s blood with cream and then headed home happy as clams. We then got our swimsuits on, grabbed Deekers, and headed straight for the pool. The lights weren’t working for some reason, so we swam in the dark under the stars. It was AMAZING…the sky is so bright and beautiful. We also saw two shooting stars- which OF COURSE I thought was ironic due to the events of the day…and OF COURSE Steven laughed at me. And now we find ourselves sitting on the couch starring at the CNN Special “Remembering Michael Jackson”. These two will be in our thoughts and prayers for the days to come.
I give a Shout Out to my big sister Hailey- One of my greatest memories of MJ would be Hailey and a friend practicing some sort of dance routine in our front yard every morning before school. They were performing to “Black and White” by Michael Jackson in our elementary school talent show- I don’t think they took home any medals.
I will also give a Shout Out to my BFF Hannah- we use to JAM out to Jackson Five cassette tape in the blue stallion for seriously years…great memories!
Peace

No words can describe this firecracker

She's the love of my life

Bad Little Blogger

Let me explain my absence.. I have good reasons. Steven is finishing up a summer class and his computer has since bit the dust and he has been occupying mine pretty much every minute since we arrived home from our big wedding weekend. And this my friends is why you have been missing me so.. just kidding. Ah… on to the fairytale wedding. As I mentioned in my last post- Megan and Clark have been dating since THIRD GRADE people.. third grade , so this wedding as been in the making for a while and boy was it something. All of the luncheons, dinners, and parties we attended were marvelous and it was great to see old friends. The reception at the Clinton Library was absolutely breath taking and the 30 minute slideshow was fun. I was great to see the pictures of the two of them together as small kids as well as my handsome Steven as a little boy! Megan’s younger sisters even read some old love letters that were PRICELESS. The wedding was beautiful and the reception aka party lasted until the wee hours of the night. Here are a few pictures of Clark and Megan and a few pictures of the reception (A LOT of them were out of control and didn’t need to be posted..needless to say we had a BLAST). They will get back from their honeymoon Friday and go straight to Oxford, MS as Clark is on Houston Nutt’s coaching staff… We don’t like that much…but we LOVE Mr. and Mrs. Clark Irwin, so I guess its ok.

{mr. and mrs. clark irwin just glowing}

{the beautiful cake}

{priceless}

{she's literally been dreaming of this their entire lives}

{ellis, groom, and steven}

{best friends with the bride} {throwing rose petals...really excited for the new Mr. and Mrs.}
Hope everyone is having a great week!

Dinner Date and let the Wedding Festivities Begin…

I had dinner and a few margaritas with my very best friend in the whole entire world last night… Boy have I missed her. It was so good to catch up on the happenings of our busy lives. She is one heck of a busy girl with finishing up her degree, apply to physical therapy school, her job, and internships! Woo.. it’s pretty hard to keep up with Hannah. Of course I didn’t take any pictures, but I’ll leave you with a few pictures that describes our friendship!

{toga freshman year}

{sweaty after a pep rally}

{love}

{toga}
{my 21st}

{senior year}

Han I love you SO much!!

Steven and I are packed and I’m sitting on ready- waiting for him to stop doing important engineering stuff in order for us to hit the road. Steven is a groomsmen in one of his very best childhood friend Clark Irwin’s wedding this weekend. Clark and Megan have been dating since they were like in elementary school- so this wedding is really something special. And MAN, do we have the events to prepare for this amazing day. Tonight- Mexican Fiesta Party honoring the sweet couple (I think the theme was just a great reason to have a marg machine.. IM IN). Friday night- rehearsal dinner at the Clinton Library- Should be beautiful. Saturday day- wedding party luncheon and then off to the wedding with the reception promptly following at Littler Rock Country Club! WHEW.. another whirlwind weekend. I honestly can’t wait to spend some much needed time with one of my favorite teacher friends Alyson- she is a bridesmaid, so will be at everything too!! Woo can’t wait!
Hope everyone has a great weekend…Hopefully I’ll be sober enough to remember to take pictures. =)
In the famous words of Blakely Swope “Peace Out Dog”

The easiest and best chicken salad EVER

As I ate my lunch today, I decided I needed to share the good news with the rest of the world…
The best chicken salad I’ve ever had! Not only is it tasty, it is SO easy.
A little disclaimer- I don’t measure much…so here goes

Chicken Salad Recipe
2 cans of Tyson chicken (the container looks kind of like tuna, but mucho better)
1 GRILLED chicken breast (chopped)
Toasted almond slices
Some light sour cream
Some light mayo
Some chopped celery
Salt and pepper to taste

The grilled chicken and toasted almonds are the key ingredients to this whole mixture. So if you’re ever grilling chicken just throw an extra breast on the grill- super easy. First, I preheat the oven to 325. I throw about 4 oz of sliced almonds on a cookie sheet and pop ‘em in the over. I let them bake for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (the smell is A-MAZING). Next, I chop up the grilled chicken and the canned chicken until it is pretty fine. It just depends on how you like your chicken salad- my momma likes it with big chunks- me, not so much. I then chop some celery- again it depends on how you like it. Dump the chopped chick in a bowl, and celery- salt and pepper to taste. Next, I dump some sour cream and mayo in the bowl and mix it around. Some people like it really wet and others dry, so just put as much as you like. And Waa-Laaa… you have a delicious lunch or afternoon snack.

I like to eat it on Oroweat “Heath Nut” bread its scrumptious. Steven adds cheese and tomato and I have seen others put it on top of some romaine lettuce… also pretty appetizing and healthy to boot! =)
On tonight’s menu- Chicken Parmesan, a light Caesar salad, a glass of white wine, and a nice run at Mudd Creek with our four legged friend! I can HARDLY wait!

Hope everyone had a productive and great Tuesday!

Shopping, Shopping, and MORE Shopping

Most ladies out there are thinking to themselves “Ah… sounds like the ideal weekend” me on the other hand, not so much. I like to shop if I know EXACTLY what I want and where I’m going to find it. Mom and I went to Dallas Thursday night with full intentions of buying the “essentials” for my blossoming teacher wardrobe. Hailey, mom, and I shopped till I literally dropped. I got so much stuff and most of it was on sale (which means more bang for my buck). I got a ton of dress pants, capris, very cute sun dresses with matching cardigans, and a bunch of other staples for work! We had such a fun weekend full of shopping, eating, drinking, and little laying out by hailey and matt’s pool. Gee Whiz- it was so hot in dallas I couldn’t hardly stand myself. I also got to spend some quality time with my only nephew- Tico the Freak-o. He’s the weirdest dog ive ever met, but I love him to death. We had such a great time in Dallas, thanks to hailey and matt for having us!

{having a beer on their patio thing}

{only pictures from the weekend}
Then on the way home I got the MOST amazing news I’ve gotten in quite some time: I got my placements for my Master’s year. This probably means absolutely nothing to most of you, but to me the BIGGEST weight has been lifted off my shoulders. This means I know what grades I will be working in and who my mentor teachers will be. I will be in 2nd grade for 9 weeks, KINDERGARTEN for 18 weeks (woop woop), and 3rd grade for the last 9 weeks. According to friends of mine that have already completed their master’s it can be a breeze or it can be a year of living hell. All dependent of who your mentor teachers are. When I found out I had goose bumps for most of the drive home from Dallas. The reason I am SO ESTACTIC is because 2 out of the 3 teachers I know personally and I know they are A-MAZING teachers. My mom knows the teacher I don’t know and says she a blast…so I couldn’t be happier. I wish I could just bypass summer school and pick out my first day of school outfit and meet those little Kiddos! Yippie… I can’t wait.
Well my timer just went off…I’m toasting almonds for some chicken salad. Yummy!
Hope you had a great weekend.
Peace

Sweet Sweet Lindley Beth

(*a little disclaimer- Lindley is not near as weird or crazy as Bone- hence the lack of ridiculous pictures. Plus, a lot of my pictures with this sweet lady are on my parents computer.)

Tomorrow is one of my very best friend’s birthday, so I want to dedicate this post to her! Lindley and I became best friends our sophomore year of high school, as we cheered on the same squad. I honestly wish everyone got the opportunity to know her as well as I do…she is such a great friend. Lin is the sweetest, most compassionate, giving, hard working, goal oriented, driven, loyal, funny, and such a godly woman- I am beyond blessed to have her in my life. And this blogging friends, is why I love her so dearly. Lindley is the type of friend that understands everything that I go through. Whether it be boy problems, girl drama, school issues, or just plain life at its best. I could call her at any time and I know she would be there willing to drop everything to be by my side. Lin is also the type of friend that we could not talk for a month, but as soon as we do it’s like we never missed a beat- those are the best. It makes me so happy knowing I have her by my side at all times. We have so great memories together, many were made during our 4 years of cheering together. There was so much “drama” we faced as teens that we thought was THE END of the world…and now we reminisce on how petty and simple our lives were at the time. I will NEVER EVER in my entire life forget when we got a new cheer coach and we HAD to give her a run for her money (because we weren’t too fond of this idea of a new coach, our old one was perfectly fine with us). So we came up with the CRAZY idea that we would convince her I was Jewish? Oh all things…Me being Jewish.. HA! We were pretty ludicrous. We played this for at least two years and one cheer Christmas party Lin gave me Hanukah dress socks. Fully equip with dradles and glittered manoras, I still have these socks. =)
My very favorite memory of Lindley was disposing of memories of her ex boyfriend in a pretty funny way- she will know exactly what I’m talking about.
On a more serious note- Lin, I know you’ll read this and I want to thank you for being such a great friend to me over the years. You have been with me through a lot and I truly cherish our friendship. It is unlike any other I have ever seen. I am so proud of all you have accomplished and how you have remained the Lindley I met however many years ago! Thanks for being my best friend and I love you so much!

{Senior trip, Mexico}

{Was this before or after I flipped my kayak?}

{pretty pier}{ah.. gotta love math}

{Homecoming}{smile}

{i love my friends}

Have a great birthday and I wish I could be in Memphis celebrating with you. Please call me and let me how much fun you’re having.
Be safe, I love you, and Happy Happy 22nd birthday young one!