Oh yeah!!! I'm going to see Eclipse with the bests, Lindsanity and Merica tonight!!

Has anyone else seen it yet?

Okay…this is more for me, than you blog readers out there, but I’ve got to get the next two or three months down in an organized list. If not, I’ll go crazy thinking that I’m too busy to ever get anything accomplished!! So, here goes:


JUNE 29-JULY4

Tuesday-Work, swimming lessons until 7 pm, going to hang and have dinner with Gran and Kellye

Wednesday-Work, swimming lessons until 7 pm, rushing home to get ready, going to see Eclipse with Linds and Merica

Thursday-Work, swimming lessons until 7 pm, hanging with the gals, Heath, and Chad

Friday-Work, Jacob comes home : )

Saturday-Spending the day in Huntsville with Jacob’s fam (Granny and Dumpy specifically), possibly watching Mockingbird Lane at the City Downtown Celebration at 9:30pm

Sunday- FOURTH OF JULY!!!! : ) Okay, so the Fourth is my ALL TIME favorite holiday. There’s just something about fireworks that gets me pumped up!! We’ll go to church, and then spend the day with the friends. There’s a HUGE slip and slide in the works. Oh, and there will also be some bottle rocket wars and LOTS of food! (I promise pictures will follow.)

JULY 5-JULY11

Monday-OFF DAY : )

Tuesday-Thursday-Work, swimming lessons until 7 pm (Thursday is my last day of teaching swimming lessons!!! And while I will miss the kiddos, I’ll be glad to have my evenings back.)

Friday-Work, heading to Auburn, celebrating Erica’s birthday with everyone in Auburn

Saturday-Going to Atlanta to see Phantom of the Opera with Jacob’s parents and his sister Haley : ) I can’t even tell you how excited I am about this!! I mean, I already have my outfit planned!!

Sunday-Driving back to Auburn, and then driving back to Guntersville

JULY12-JULY18

Monday-Thursday-Work until 4:30, and hopefully making up for some lost time and having some dinner with people I NEVER get to see!!

Friday-Work, driving to Auburn to have a last hurrah before Jacob moves to Huntsville

Saturday-Hurrahing, making the most out of Auburn

Sunday-Driving home from Auburn

JULY19-JULY25

Monday-Thursday-working until 4:30, continuing those dinners, getting in some good exercise (walking, swimming, and possibly some tennis!), and preparing for the weekend

Friday-OFF DAY : ) Aimee and Katherine should be here and we, along with Merica, are going to start our journey to Batesville, MS for BEN AND HANNAH OH 10!!! May I add, this is also Merica’s birthday, so I’m sure there will be celebratory activities on the road! We’ll have the rehearsal dinner that night, and then all go out.

Saturday-BEN AND HANNAH OH 10!!!! Wedding time

Sunday-driving home from Batesville, MS

In the last weekend of July I have my 5 year high school reunion. I’m actually pretty excited about it. It will be great to see people I haven’t in so long. It should be a really good time. Jacob’s also moving home this weekend.

The first weekend in August is the last weekend Jacob will actually be spending in Auburn. I’m hoping we can take my Gran to see them retire Tom Glavine’s jersey at Turner Field in Atlanta that Saturday, the 7th.

See? There’s a LOT going on. Add on top of that the fact that Haley will be home September 3rd. Well, not really home, but in New York City. I’m flying up to meet her!! So, I’ve got a LOT going on. It will be a busy few months.

These are just some photos I've come across and loved...

And here's a picture of me and Jacob from the weekend :)

4 Kind of Related Things

1. I’ve gotten to talk to Haley a lot lately. You have no idea how this makes my heart SOAR. She’s been in Romania this month. Ya know…the land of gypsies and the birthplace of Dracula? While ministering to the people there, she’s gotten to do a lot of exploring. I can’t wait to see all of her pictures when she gets home.

2. Speaking of Haley’s return…she’s flying into NYC the week of September 5th. That’s also the week of my birthday. You better believe I’m gonna fly up there to meet her. We’re gonna stay a few days with our friend, Frances, who dances in NYC. I seriously can’t wait!!

3. Jacob will be home tomorrow : ) I honestly haven’t seen him in 2 weeks!! That seems like absolutely FOREVER! I can’t wait to spend the weekend with him. We have a tool & gadget shower in Birmingham for Ben and Hannah Saturday night, and we’re spending Sunday with my brother, Noah.

4. Noah will be SEVENTEEN!!! Gosh, where has the time flown? I mean, it seems like only yesterday that I was dressing him up in all the jewelry from the ‘Pretty Pretty Princess’ board game. He’s now driving and kissing girls!! EEEW!!!

Say I've reached that point in my life where I weigh more than I ever have. Anyone else feeling that same way? Because that's exactly where I'm at. While my heaviest weight still isn't incredibly large by any standards (except maybe by model standards), I have gotten considerably modest in my old age. Haha...

At the ripe old age of almost 24 (in September), I have become pretty self conscious. I feel that the best swimsuit for me is a one piece. Here are four suits I LOVE, and well, I'll just say it...NEED.

I promise...

...you all a quality blog post soon. PROMISE!!

You see, I've just been sooooo crazy busy lately. I barely even have time to READ. And that's what I had decided to devote my summer to. I currently have 16 books on the shelf and 3 in the car that I'm dying to get into. Oh, and I would LOVE some time to read my favorite book of all time, 'Gone With the Wind,' again.

Songs that Speak Volumes

Mat Kearney's 'Girl America'

My girl America is just a youth in this world

Her smile is more precious than the sparkle of pearls

And though her age reads shes just a young girl

Age behind her eyes show the pain that she's swirled

Through the hand that's been dealt though it's quiet as kept

The weight was all felt last night when she slept

And as she crept into the dreams of the things of her past

seems to have grown so fast, way beyond her own class

though they're right there with her, hers brothers and her sisters

A natural born leader even when her peers diss her

My girl, she's at a crossroads, people praying for her

Some are preying on her magazine ads, sex, drama, smoking marajuana

Longing for a father to call her 'daughter'

She's part of a generation longing for reconciliation

And this future that they're facing and this poison that they're tasting

My girl, I know this love that you're chasing

[chorus]

My girl America's crying when she's lying on her bed at night

I can see that she's screaming when she's dreaming for her freedom

My girl America's dying while she's trying just to stop this fight

Don't stop believing, girl America

Boys with hungry eyes have been beating her door

Telling her that's whats she's for, trying to rob her at her core

Then leave calling her a whore, but still she knows there's more

I know she knows there's more because there's a voice she can adore

Cause it was founded in the foundations, from the day of her creation

"In God we trust" engraved in the treasures of her nation

And the void the boys can't fill

With the tippin' of the bottle or the poppin' of the pill

But still most of her friends don't care as they glare

Ready to drown the funnel as they frown down the tunnel

They stumble and they tumble, breaking down into rubble

My girl America, stop, can't you see

It's not the circumstances that determine who you're gonna be

But how you deal with these problems and pains that come your way

It's for you that I pray with hope for a brighter day

So I say, your deliverance is comin'

[chorus]

Faith like a child from your first birth

You left it in the dirt on your worst hurt

And I see each tear and every scar

The hands that have held you where you are

And I can see we've strayed so far

A king born under that morning star

As a crown of thorns was placed to erase

Each tear that's touched your face

His palms and sides were pierced with speares

He hung in love just to draw you near

My girl, out of this whole world

Can't you see this is where we started

[chorus 2x]

His palms and sides were pierced with speares

He hung in love just to draw you near

My girl, out of this whole world

Can't you see this is where we started

Where we started, where we started, my girl America

Okay, Okay...this is the last one I'll leave you with!! Enjoy!!

The THNGVB Train Ride from Kelsi Dawe on Vimeo.

Yep...looks like it might be a World Race Video kind of day :)

Welcome To Cape Coast from Jamie Neumann on Vimeo.

Here they are in Cape Coast, Ghana!!

Parable of the Lost Coin

You guessed it, starting off the day with a video from Haley and her friends on The World Race!! : )

The Parable of the Lost Coin from Jamie Neumann on Vimeo.

The World Race-Romania

If you're a regular blog reader of mine, you know that my cousin (and practical sister), Haley is currently on The World Race. She's in Romania this month. Here's a video our friend, Mike Sanders, made...

be OK from Mike Sanders on Vimeo.

Just a few...

...things I would buy right now IF I could shop (I'm saving up for a trip to NYC, ya know...but more about that in another post.):

AE denim cutoffs-$29.95

AE boyfriend denim cutoffs-$39.95

Don't you just love this dress from AE ?-$49.95

Anthropologie-$128

Anthropologie-$168

Anthropologie-$180

Banana Republic-$150

Forever21-$16.50

Forever21-$19.80

Forever21-$22.80

Forever21-$22.80

I love this clutch from Feyhandmade.com!!-$22.95

Toms wedges-$69

Six blessed months...

Okay, so I've been really REALLY behind on blogging. My most sincere apologies, blog world. You see, I started teaching swimming lessons last week. You know what that means? That means I have to get up at 5:45 in the AM to get ready for work. I work for the city from 7 until 3:30. I then teach swimming lessons from 4 until 7 pm. Now, I absolutely LOVE teaching swimming lessons. (I swam competitively for 10 years.) This new time schedule is still killing me though. I thank the good Lord every day that it stays daylight until 8 at night, so I don't feel as though I've worked my entire day away!

I still haven't gotten around to telling you all how the 6 month anniversary day went with Jacob.

IT WAS SPECTACULAR!!!

Seriously. haha Jacob is absolutely wonderful! And in the six months we've been together, he's gotten to know me well enough to know exactly what will make me happy and keep me entertained. And lately, those have seemed to be the same things that make his heart smile as well. To me, that's a sure sign of a keeper :)

We started off the day with a short hour and a half drive to Chattanooga. (Isn't he handsome?!)

Once we got into Chattanooga, we had some lunch and then headed downtown to the aquarium. I hadn't been to the aquarium in almost 12 years, and Jacob let me act like a little kid. :) He didn't act embarrassed even once! I took at least 400 photos of all the animals. I could have stood at those glass windows and stared for hours and hours. Here are a couple of my favorite shots:

After we left the aquarium, we went to a matinee showing of Robin Hood. It was absolutely spectacular!! I loved every second of it. My favorite kinds of movies are historic ones. Period pieces just get me really excited. When the movie was over, we walked across the street to Big River Grille and Brewery. Jacob tried their Summer Wheat home brewed beer (and loved it!), and then we dined on a mushroom and pepperoni pizza and enchiladas with black beans and rice! It was YUMMY!

We drove back to Guntersville and ended the night with a Memorial Day party with some friends.

That's Caitlin, Merica, Linds, and Me

All in all, it was the best six month celebration I've ever had!! I got to be with the man I love, enjoying a fun day trip and activities, and then I got to hang with my bests!!

I know...I know.

It's been quite a few days since I've blogged. I can't wait to tell you ALL about my Memorial Day weekend!! I started teaching 3 classes of swimming lessons in the afternoons this week, which makes for a 12-hour day. As soon as I've gotten used to this new schedule, I promise to blog back : )