Dia del Oso

I wonder...
when I became such a grandmother!

Yesterday, was one of Baylor's greatest holidays, Dia del Oso! While this was a great day for good breakfast, bright colored clothing, KOT basketball, 10th street, and NO SCHOOL, I was not prepared to live it up like my younger counterparts. Yes, I went to the annual washers tournament and had a glorious time, but this body can't stay up past midnight without a big nap the next day. See part of my old ladyness is tied to me waking up at 7 a.m. EVERYDAY. This will be great when I have to be bright eyed and bushy tailed for a group of first, second, third, or fourth graders in a few months, but right now its seriously cramping my style.

So after waking up at 7, enjoying some neighborly brunch, donning my best mexican dress, and heading down to 10th street, my allergies started to act up. Normally, I would pop a claritin, drink a cup of coffee, and get back to the party. Not for this grandma, I walked home, popped a benadryl, and napped the rest of the day! WHOO HOOO CRAZY!

Now, I promise all of my loyal blog stalkers that I will not be this boring for the rest of my college experience (which by the way is growing shorter every second)! Wild tales to come.... starting today with laundry, hw, and some mac-n-cheese! Hold me back!

Yours truly,
Whit

Reason #6

As the countdown continues, let me just tell you that the end of college rocks! Yep rocks! Tomorrow is Dia del Oso, a holiday which is near and dear to my heart. I mean what is better than a random day off at the end of the school year, dedicated to having a good time with all of your friends. I plan to take full advantage this year, look forward to a post on Friday detailing the week's events.

In honor of this love for school holidays, I thought you should know about how much I love Spring Break! I love it even more now because I know it will stay with me forever, as long as I am a teacher! Therefore, as I drink my diet coke and think about the beach a few things come to mind.

• Lots of attempts at getting a tan
• Sunburns as a result
• Seafood by the actual ocean
• Cute boys
• Fun friends who leave notes on said cute boys cars
• Breaking out the spring clothes even if its 50 degrees
• Reading a book (multiple in my case)
• Not having to go to school

When I was growing up, my family used to go to this thing called the Family Get Away. It was a great opportunity with our church to get away for a few days, spend time in nature, and more importantly with each other. I went through many get away phases. A. elementary--ride my bike as much as I possibly could B. middle school-- wondering what cute boys were coming, then obsessing over them the entire trip (shocker huh?) C. high school-- referring to this trip as the Family "Gay" Away because I finally realized I was in a cabin in Oklahoma while my friends were in the Bahamas. College has, however, brought many more beach trips and is why Spring Break is Reason #6 on my countdown!

Senior Year: Destin, FL
(Wish I had some FGA pics but I don't think you are ready for that incredible style)

The past few weekends have been a blast! Here is just a little bit of the fun we have had!

Bachelorette #1 Melissa: on the way to Gruene for the weekend
River floating, junk food eating, and dirty game playing....good time had by all

(Hunter and I at the Ranch party being goofy)
Wedding Showers in Longview: lake time, dancing the night away, and fun friends

Happy Dia to all of my loyal readers!

TGIF

Bachelorette Round 2: Hope you're ready!

Courtney and Jeremy

Today's featured couple

I could easily say that the theme of my life right now is weddings! I have been awaiting this god-forsaken (I mean glorious) time in my life with a mixture of anticipation and dread. First of all, I love weddings and I ain't scared to say it. My grandmother made Mallory and I bridesmaids dresses and bouquets to play in when we were kids. Mallory, my sweet loving younger sister, was usually the flower girl, usher, groom, officiant or pretty much any other lame role while I switched from bride to bridesmaid depending on my mood. I'm so glad I got all of that practice inbecause I am on a quest to beat Katherine Heigl out of her bridesmaid title! Secondly, I am happy to be the bridesmaid (not the bride) for a long time, hence the dread. (don't take me serious, I'm full of jokes today)

I have told you a little about my roommates Megan and Melissa who are both engaged and getting married in like a half second, but today is about Courtney. Court is probably my oldest friend at Baylor, seeing that she was the girl everyone knew when we got here due to her commitment to facebook messaging. Love that about you Court! Courtney and Jeremy are getting married on June 12th and tonight is a night of serious celebration. We are having her Bachelorette and Lingerie Shower in Ft. Worth/ Flower Mound tonight and I can't wait to get dressed up, eat lots of mexican food, giggle over panties, eat junk, and spend lots of time in the hottub with my best friends. Life is good I tell ya!

I am also going to Longview for a fun weekend of wedding showers for Melissa and hopefully some lake time! I will fill you all in with the weekend's happenings, pics, and my next reason on Monday!

Peace and Sic Em!

Reason #5

Yep. I'm rebelling. Let me just catalog this past weeks events that kept me from being the super blogger I was made to be.

Thursay--drove to Salado with roomies to visit Carla and Byron Weathersbee. Carla discipled us last year and we are all her biggest fans. Great dinner, lots of laughs, and such sweet encouragement.

Friday- Bachelorette party #1 begins. We went to the Los Lonely Boys Concert, made Mel wear a ridiculous headband, and laughed with new friends until late into the night.

Saturday- We floated the Guadalupe. Yes, it was cold...really really cold, but we had so much fun! That night we hung out at the wonderful cabins we stayed in and played some of the funniest games I have ever played.

Sunday- We drove back for Mel's lingerie shower, celebrated Macy's birthday, and avoided thinking about going to school on Monday.

Monday- I have no good reason for not posting other than spending my evening with Jordan Givens, Blake, and Twad which is clearly more fun than anything else. And of course, I updated myself on GG at midnight. Little J is making me very angry.

Tuesday- Lots of fun distractions. I made dinner at Abbie's with Jenny and hung out with some of my favorite people, walked with Hailey, walked the hood with Madi, helped pick out fashions for this weekend, and downed a Blizzard with Mads.

Now you already know Reason #5: I love college because no matter how big of a planner I am, there are always fun and unexpected moments around the corner.

I love a good spontaneous walk around the BT, random trips to Sonic Happy Hour, laying out on the back slab, cooking dinner, watching 16 and pregnant (well any show for that matter) with my roomies, and all of the other things that make being in college so great!

I am sad that these spontaneous joys will soon not be so available, but I have been encouraged this week that the real world is full of "responsible" fun. I can do responsible I guess.

Hear is a little hint of Reason # 6 I love Baylor

Pics from Bachelorette #1 coming soon

XOXO,
yours truly

Reason #4

Driving back to Waco was such a weird feeling. The next time I come home I will have a COLLEGE DEGREE! How did this happen? This point is exactly what I have been trying to avoid for the past 4 years! Although, I am more than ready for the next adventure in my life, it is such a bittersweet feeling to be moving on.

This morning in the moving on mindset, I spent a few hours deleting all the junk on my computer that I don’t need anymore. This included a long awaited organizing of my picture folders. Yep, I’m a folder freak. Get over it. Anyways, this made me really sentimental to look back on all of the wonderful memories of college and of course some outfits where I am unsure what in the world I was thinking. This may be a little deviant from my previous countdown blog plan, but I am overwhelmed with thankfulness today for the avenues God has used to shape me throughout my college experience. I will only mention the big life changers so that you won’t leave this session hating me.

Sidenote: Please take note that I am not in any way trying to brag on myself or make the rest of you aware of how spiritual I am. Trust me, all of my friends and family would testify that I am a big work in progress!

Reason #4: Summers where God has grown me in so many ways that I will forever be changed.

Pine Cove (Summer #1 & #2)

After my freshman and sophomore years I worked as a counselor at the Bluffs Family Camp which is a part of Pine Cove Christian Camps. I absolutely loved it because of the great staff and leadership I got to spend time with, the wide range of campers I was responsible for (infants one week high school seniors the next), and the fact that I responded to the name Fake-A-Date ONLY for 2 whole summers (a story for another day). At camp I learned that sometimes God calls us to be burnt out and tired so that we will seek his face. More Jesus more sweat right? I learned that investing in the framework for a godly family makes all the difference. I also learned that God has called me to serve-- whether it was cleaning my cabin, carrying 10 bibles all day, or cleaning up after every meal, I fully grasped the concept that it is not about me! Pine Cove taught me so much and I would do a million dishes, make a trillion beds, and sing all the silly songs I could think of to do it again!

Second Half Staff 2008

Favorite Family Ever: The Hornoks

Williams Trace Baptist Church (Summer #3)

This past summer I worked at Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land, TX as a student ministry intern. Talk about a learning experience! I absolutely loved the students I worked with and for the most part my co-workers (just kidding me and Cole are friends again). This time was so much more about me learning to be myself apart from any of the things that made me comfortable. I lived with the most loving family, the Turners, and got to love on sweet baby Blake while getting away from it all with Griff and Abby. God taught me that I'm not that great. I needed to be humbled in my walk and face trials head on. I also learned that there is something so sweet in loneliness. I became so comfortable in my own skin. Most importantly God gave me great direction in what ministry will look like in my life. This summer was hard, hot, ridiculously fun, challenging, and exactly what I needed.

One of my besties for the summer: Natalie

Brenna, Kristin, and me at Camp


The sweet Turner Family

Precious Baby Blake

Hope you survived this post! See ya Friday!

Reason #3

I am so sorry to have kept you in such suspense over the weekend! I know Caroline Hughes, who this blog is dedicated to (more on that later) will appreciate this.

This past weekend was truly one of the best. I love love love going home! Who would have ever thought that this independent spirit would crave home so badly. I love the home cooked meals, shopping trips, late nights talking with mom, learning about high school from Mallory, watching Baylor sports with my dad, reminding ourselves that it wouldn't be us if it wasn't a little bit ghetto, and most importantly soaking it all in.

Reason #3: I love Baylor because I love my family!

When you were growing up did you learn to do the sic em before you learned to say it? Did your mother break out in "that good ole Baylor line"? What about attending every Homecoming for the past 21 years? Was your Homecoming parade dress often a bigger deal to your mother than what you wore to church?

Welcome to the Sims family! My parents have loved Baylor since they fell in love here and taught us that it is the best place to grow, learn, make friends, and have the best times of our lives! Can't wait for Mallory to join us in our obsession!

They taught me school spirit


They brought me to Homecoming through all hairstyle phases of life


They supported me in everything I have loved here

Mom, Dad, Mal...Thanks and SIC EM!

Sidenote: My best friend from home, Caroline, started a blog(www.sweetcarolinebumbumbum.blogspot.com) this weekend which you should all read. She is quite the DIY girl! I will be posting tid-bits of our life together this week. Not just because I lost a bet, but also because I love seeing her every time I come home.


Until next time...

Reason #2

Before I begin today's countdown, I thought I would share my obsessive compulsive nature with you, my faithful readers. I am very organized but also a little bit of a freak. For example, I can't go to school without my bed made, can't go into our kitchen if it looks like a tornado (most of the time...my roommates are somewhat "free-spirited" and yes I know its my fault sometimes too), or can't start the day or homework without a list. This being said, I have created a blog schedule (feel free to stop reading now if you think I'm nuts) which means I post on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday which are conveniently the days I spend four hours at work doing things like blog stalking. Well, this week I have not fulfilled all of my blogging goals, therefore I am writing this before I go to bed on a Wednesday in order to pretend that I am not late. Makes me tired just thinking about this.

On to Reason #2 (in no particular order, in case you were wondering)


Hint: it includes these weirdos!

I love, love, love the best friends I have made in Chi Omega. Yes, I am feeling particularly inspired by the national consultants visit to Waco this week, but this is not for the cheesy reasons you are thinking. I love these girls because almost every memory in college could be linked to them. College has been different for me than for most of my friends, because I live with girls who are all in a different sorority. Of course there have been big disadvantages on both sides, but I wouldn't change it for a minute. This is because I know I am friends with these people because I 100% want to be. It has been such a blessing to have to be proactive in pursuing friendships with these girls.

Let me just share a little bit about them. They are funny (Larkin Branstetter especially), loyal, creative, an excellent time, fashionable, loving, goofy, popular (haha jk), and most importantly women of character that I look up to. I could not describe them without telling you about my favorite memories.

1. Senior Tacky Prom

(Yep, that's a limo)

2. Spring Breaks we will never tell our children about

South Padre Island: 2007

3. Spring Break theme days

Mumu Miercoles clearly

3. Spain, Spain, Spain

Sevilla

Barcelona: one of the best weekends ever!

Madrid

4. Functions

Casual: 2009

5. E team every sport

Thanks (to some of you) for actually being good at sports

6. Pigskin/ SING

Pigskin: 2009

7. 21st Birthdays

Hailey's 21st

8. Bashing boys/George's

Professional Eugoogalizers

9. Loving Chi O

Bid Day 2008

Pledge Dance: 2009

10. Senior Trip: Ft. Worth

Joe T Garcia's

Hailey, Larkin, Kim, Cassie, Courtney, Heather, Christine (I mean Judy), Abbey, Molly, Amber, Jordan, Smith...I love you! I will miss the fun we have together more than anything, but I look forward to many trips, weddings, Homecomings, and long weekends with all of you! Stay cool girl scouts!

Love always,
Whi Whi the cookie theif
Shark Farts
Whit