I wonder...

What would happen if I cooked my way through the Pioneer Woman cookbook?

First of all, let me not get too ahead of myself. Thanksgiving home with my family was full of fun, gallbladder drama, long chats with wonderful friends, beautiful days at the lake, quality time with my family, and some of the best food I have ever eaten. Seriously, the time with my family was great, but the mashed potatoes my mom made are what I am dreaming about. Second source of inspiration is my beautiful roommate, Lindley, the talented artistic and gorgeous filmmaker who happens to be turning 23 on Wednesday and desperately needs a birthday cake!

The girls at the lake

My serious table decorating skills

The spread (ignore the brussel sprouts, my mom was the only one who ate them...you might also want to take note that everyone could have had their own pie. RIDICULOUS!)

I got inspired to begin this challenge when I was sitting on our couch telling Lindley about how I spent most of my Thanksgiving break eating the pioneer woman's recipe for mashed potatoes as if they were the only food on planet earth. Then I busted out my cookbook, read the ingredients, and drooled. Then I giggled to myself because Ree had just tweeted that Jillian Michael's was kicking her butt. (Jillian kicks my butt all the time) Then I decided to bake Lindley her chocolate sheet cake for her birthday. Then I decided to watch her Thanksgiving throwdown with Bobby Flay for the 500000th time. I am a stalker. That is just the way it is. Yes, I realize I just started 15 sentences with the word then and as a 4th grade teacher that is entirely inappropriate, but I just wanted you to understand to fluidity of my obsession with all things Ree Drummond.

With this said, I will begin my quest to becoming a wonderful cook by baking, chopping, frying, sauteing, grilling, but most especially eating everything in The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook. I am a planner type, but also a busy woman so the rules are as follows:
1. I must cook everything in the book (its small, it all tastes good, this is a no brainer)
2. I must take pictures and blog about it
3. I must be a good friend/neighbor/teacher/or girlfriend and share these goodies with others

Those are the only rules...no time limit!!!! I wonder what will be my favorite...

I wonder....

When I will stop making excuses?

Excuse #1 for not blogging: It was summer, I was student teaching, I had no idea what I was doing/where I was living/ where I was teaching, basically didn't want to write the most depressing blog known to mankind

Excuse #2: I got a job teaching 4th grade and OMG it was so overwhelming. Oh boo hoo you are fine.

Excuse #3: Things settled, but I had nothing to say. Where in the world was this blog going? This is where the time crunch began. I don't know how many times I made excuses and said that I would start blogging on "Monday" while I simply refused to accept any blog I followed that didn't update every other day. Simply ridiculous.

So with that said, I may not have anything interesting to say, but I refuse to be a quitter! Like my mother has always taught me, "sometimes you just need to put your big girl panties on."

I'm sure this blog will be filled with stories of 4th grade boys fighting in reading class, excerpts from the lovely writing my students do (I'm not lame, come on, just the funny stuff), cooking disasters and triumphs, romantic weekends with Brian, and of course the many adventures of my fun Nashville crew. I hope you stay tuned...

Make new friends, but keep the old...

...One is silver and the others gold!

This is the theme of my life right now. I love making new friends. Just love it. I will admit I have had many moments in the month of June where this was going on in my head. Hopefully not out loud. That would just be crazy.

"Is my outfit cute?"
"You're outfit doesn't matter. You're not a kappa."
"Did I really just say that?"
"Not out loud dumbo. Get it together."
"Is he cute?"
"Whitney, you think they are all cute."
"Am I breathing too loud?"
"Oh remember that time when your boyfriend called you Darth. Oh the humiliation!"
"Why are you thinking about this spaz?"
"Is there something in my teeth?"
"Just chew like a human. You weren't raised in a cave for crying out loud."
"What are we talking about again?"
"Crap. What's her name?"

Now that you are aware of my lunatic status. I will tell you that I have never been more thankful for new friends in my life. Growing up in East Texas, I had the same friends until I went to college. Then I lived with Beth Ann Wommack, who knew every incoming Baylor freshman. What a relief. All this said, when I decided to move to Nashville, TN where I thought I would have about 2 friends (only if they didn't desert me) I was a little nervous.

If anyone besides people who already know me read this blog, now would be the time when I explain that I am actually quite social and am being a tad dramatic by acting like I have the social capabilities of a stump, but lucky for me the 3 people who read this blog know that is not true.

It has been hard starting fresh because I am obsessed with my friends from college. Yes, I have only not been in college for 2 months, but who is counting. God is good. I have made, grown, and discovered such sweet friendships here that I know this was part of the plan all along. The overwhelming feeling that I can be myself is something that I have been praying for for a long time. What a sweet feeling to feel at home here, and with so many new friends.

This all to say, I am thankful. God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good.

Until Miercoles...

Its about time...

10 things I have learned about myself this week:

1. I pride myself on being a highly organized individual. I'm not THAT organized and my lack of blogging is an excellent example of that.

2. I love teaching! I may not be good at it yet, as evidenced by the epic Thursday I experienced last week. Lets just say the peak was hearing one of my 6 year olds sing "Rude Boy" with some serious accurateness and it went way downhill from there. Good thing they couldn't be cuter. But on a positive note, I am learning something new everyday that I think will help me be a better teacher.

3. Next to being organized, I pride myself on my balls to the wall/no excuses/ I ain't scared of nothing attitude. This attitude has failed me every day this week as I imagined a bad guy jumping out of every crevice in our (I say that as if I am more than a mere house guest) house. Bad idea to go see "The Killers" right before bed huh? (For those of you who don't think that's scary. Try it. Dare you.)

4. 6 am is not really that early. I have been fooling myself thinking I cannot wake up before 9 without a huge cup of coffee. I am actually much more pleasant (in my own opinion of course) than I ever could have imagined myself being. Look at that, maybe I will brighten the lives of young children after all. I secretly kind of like this new early bird lifestyle of mine.

5. New friends are fun to make. I had so much fun hanging out in downtown Franklin last weekend with a new group of girls. How faithful God is to provide the right kind of people to encourage me in this journey.

6. I miss my friends. I know this is a contradictory statement to the previous one, but I LOVE my friends from college and I am big girl enough to admit that I cried saying goodbye to every last one of them after the wedding extravaganza! (more next time)

7. I am a grown up. I have responsibilities. I have to go to work EVERYDAY. They make me. Its weird.

8. I love the Bachelorette. Yes, I already knew this, but I think I love it even more now that I have seen how ridiculous human beings can be over a reality tv show and a rose. Kasey and point. hahaha. I knew you guys missed those one liners. Who am I kidding?

9. I don't know why it has taken me so long, but I am finally beginning to understand the leap of faith I am taking and how much things are going to change. Good change, but change none the less. I am excited to see what God has in store for this season of my life, because it is evident that it is going to be big.

10. Last but not least, I have learned that I spend to much time on the computer. On that note,

Adios amigos.

Welcome to Tennessee!

Three days ago, I packed up my car and got on the open road ready for my big adventure. 10 hours, 2 diet cokes, a pack of starbursts, half a book on tape, and 4 sister-made cds later...I got to Nashville! I love it here! I start my teaching program in the morning and I could not be more excited about getting to really dive into teaching. I love the family I am living with and they have already been such a blessing. More on that later.

I really do plan to become a great photographer (meaning I take at least one picture a month) in the next year, it has just taken longer than I expected. So more pictures soon. This weekend has been so fun! Friday, I spent the day getting things together for Monday (fingerprinting, turning in paper work, boring stuff) but got to have lunch with one of my favorite people, and only male friend at the point, Greiner. Friday night, the Smiths with some friends and I loved getting to be with the Cates family, another family from camp, and meeting a new friend Jordan who has been so sweet to help me figure things out here. I can already tell I am going to love it here.

Anna and Elizabeth

Saturday, I got to babysit the two youngest Smith girls, Anna and Elizabeth who are as cute as they are funny! Elizabeth is me 19 years ago. She loves boys, dress up, princesses, and model walking. Anna is so sweet and loves all things princesses too. I can already tell that I am going to love spending so much time with these fun sisters. Last night I babysat again with Mary Grace, their soon to be 8th grade daughter, who is so fun and sweet! I love hearing about middle school all over again and thanking God that I don't have to go back. haha. After that I met some friends to watch a movie. Little did I know that it would keep me from falling asleep last night.

Smith Family in Disney World

I am so thankful for the Smith family. I know that they will be just the encouragement and support that I need throughout this summer. I admire their families compassion for others and commitment to Jesus Christ and I am looking forward to spending more time with them.

Tomorrow I start orientation for Nashville Teaching Fellows and to top it off I have an interview right after. Wish me luck! It has just hit me recently that I have moved somewhere I have never really been, with very few people I know, to do a job that terrifies me. Should be a fun journey with lots to share. Stay tuned.

22 things for my 22nd year!

Yes its true. The days of anticipated birthdays have come and gone. Now that I am an adult or at least officially out of college and "in my 20's", I thought it was about time I started making some goals for myself. Here goes nothing. The 22 things I am going to try to do this year:

1. Meet someone famous (you knew that was coming)

2. Talk to Hailey Ann Laguarta every Monday

3. Blog faithfully (3 times a week)

4. Travel to a state I have never been to (I'm really hoping New York and South Carolina)

5. Cook/Bake for friends often

6. Date someone I never would expect myself to (even if its just once)

7. Find a community

8. Run without exaggerating (as in actually running more than 5 minutes)

9. Learn yoga

10. Read 22 books and find new favorites

11. Don't drink any Diet Coke!!!! (hardest one by far, oh and I start tomorrow)

12. Save and plan for a trip to Europe

13. Learn things about myself that I never knew before

14. Spend time alone

15. Keep up with my best friends from college (list serve babay!)

16. Send people packages

17. Love on elementary school kids everyday!

18. Get involved in a church

19. Be "responsible" fun

20. Talk to my sister all the time and plan a fun trip together

21. Visit all of the places that everyone says you "have to" in Nashville

22. Make perfect grades at Belmont

Some of these may sound nerdy to you, and if thats the case....you must not know me! For real though, I hope my 22nd year is as fun for you as its going to be for me! Nashville countdown....8 days!

See ya college!

This Friday I graduate from college. Yep I'm done. At the request of my friends, who just don't understand if I don't post on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday...here goes nothing. The past few weeks have been full of many lasts as my friend Carol commented on her blog this week, which is strange and exciting.

If you know me at all I have a flair for the dramatic/ tend to over-exaggerate a bit. The change that I am about to make is finally setting in and I find myself thinking that the world is quite possibly coming to an end. I will miss my roommates, my friends, George's, spontaneous everything, late night talks with my best friends, getting away with doing ridiculous things, being close to my family, and many other things that I have most definitely taken for granted over the past four years. This week is one of many lasts, but let me assure you that I am PUMPED for what comes next.

Word on the street is that after college is still fun. Who knew? In all honesty, through all of my whining about leaving and moving on, I feel like I am so ready and in exactly the place God has for me in this stage of my life. Instead of spending my time brainstorming what might possibly the best sing act of all time, or scheduling my life based on who I was walking the bear trail with that day, I will be reading silly books to cuties and brainstorming bulletin board ideas.

So, even though I am sad (might even cry sad) to leave my friends and family, I am beginning to understand how God reveals his plans to us. If you had asked me 4 years ago if I would be doing what I am doing, I would have thought that you were really funny and must not know me, but I love seeing how a passion can ignite that I didn't know I had and drive me to something totally new and out of my comfort zone.

With that said, I look forward to many new firsts. First day of school, first apartment, first new friend, first country music star citing... the list goes on. I plan to take advantage of the next few weeks and I can't wait until my lasts turn into firsts.

Over and out.

P.S. Tonight is Bachelorette party #3. I will fill you in tomorrow on all of its greatness.