a little bit of happiness

Ok, a whole lotta happiness.

I've been one happy girl lately.  Being married is pretty awesome.

My best friend, who I miss something fierce, inspired me to write a little happy list this morning.

+ (Very) early morning kisses and hugs.

+ Big dog love.

+ Our reality-tv-worthy-living-situation and group of friends, who are more like family than anything.

+  Going to the river and seeing family.

+  Little cousins and their sense of humor.

+  The weather's decision to send the humidity away.

+  Rainy, fall weather.

+ Cotton sheets.

+ My husband.

+The following pictures...

 

Birthday!

Needed to stop by to wish the best friend a "Happy Birthday!"

As you can tell by the photo I kinda like her.

I'm so excited that I'm actually home for her 23rd birthday and we can celebrate together before I move.

I'm gonna miss the &#$! outta her.

Happy Birthday Corinne Elizabeth! I love you!

awkward and awesome thursday

Awesome:

Being sore in the morning from your workout the day before.

Still being able to run despite the soreness.

Having Corinne come home for the weekend.

Playing pool and having a beer with her.

CMT Awards.

A weekend spent at the lake with some of my favorite kiddos.

Mailing out our invitations and getting RSVPs.

Awkward:

My car being in the shop...again.

Hot Chelle Rae on the CMT awards.

Blurting something out and then getting the look telling you that was the wrong thing to say.

These last two shots of our game...

Oh hey!

Sorry for the lack of blogging this past week.

I went to LA and didn't bring my computer. Oops!

I went to see three of my favorite women graduate from Cal State Northridge and Long Beach.

I loved being there for them and I loved being back in Long Beach.

Here's some photos I love!

 

Days 9 & 10

Sorry about missing yesterday's post! I had a good reason, I swear!

It perfectly ties into what I was thankful for anyways!

Day 9: I'm thankful for my little car and a safe trip down to SoCal.

I love my little Neon.  Sometimes it gets made fun of...mainly by the future hubby, but he needs to shush cause at the moment I'm the only one in this relationship with a car, ha!...but I really like it.

I used to have my fair share of car trouble with my former lemon of a Volvo, but this car hasn't given me any trouble, for which I am veryyyyy thankful for!

It also got me safely to Northridge yesterday to see the best friend and then later to go to Long Beach to see Hannah and all my lovely Long Beach ladies!

Day 10: Today I am thankful for the time I spend down in southern California.

While I was driving here yesterday, and while I was hanging out around the Ridge today, I sort of felt like I was home. Wait, what? That's what I thought too! I used to not enjoy being down here. I like Salinas for the clean air it has and that I can see mountains on either side of me and green hills in the distance.  It's more like a country town than LA is, obviously, and the big city and I did not mix.

But I'm thankful that I did get out of my comfort zone and I made the best of it.

I'm beyond thankful that Hannah and Kacey asked me to be their roomate.

Roomates make all the difference in the world when it comes to your college experience!

We had a lot of good times together.

What are you thankful for today??

Day 4: The best friend

I've talked about Corinne on here a lot.

While I was living down south, at least for my first year, she was literally my saving grace.

I'm super thankful that even if we didn't end up at the same school, we were still fairly close and could be there for each other while we adjusted to living on our own and dealing with difficult roommate situations.

Today I'm a little jealous of her, because she's on her way to Vegas for the weekend.

So I thought I would share some pictures from our trip to the city that never sleeps.

I'm thankful that we are not the same exact person.

We provide a nice balance in our friendship.

For example: I make her clean and she could convince me to go out and have fun.

I'm thankful that even though we're living six hours away from each other, 

we pretty much talk all the time. 

I'm thankful that she's super happy for me and James and is daily asking me about the wedding and throwing out wedding ideas.

I'm super thankful that our friendship became what it is today.

We've known each other forever and probably would have been good friends a long time ago.

Guess God knew what timing was right and what wasn't!

I'm thankful that I got to go to Vegas with her and her wonderful parents last summer.

It was a blast and I'll never forget it!

30 Days of Thankfulness

Hey ya'll!

Can you believe that we start another month tomorrow? Crazy!

November is probably one of my favorite months out of the year, just because it kicks off the holiday season and my birthday is on the 25th.

It's been awhile since the last 30 day challenge that I did on here and today Corinne mentioned she was looking for a new one to do for November.  Luckily, I had already planned on doing some sort of Thankfulness Challenge and she willingly joined in!

So here's the deal.

For the next 30 days (starting tomorrow, Nov. 1) blog about one thing that you're thankful for.

Don't be afraid to get creative! 

Post pictures or write a poem, instead of just writing one or two sentences.

Grab the button below for each post and link up with us!

For those of you who don't blog, but keep up by just reading, leave a comment and let us know what you're thankful for each day!

<br /> <a href="http://anm-sywaf.blogspot.com/"><img src="http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f22/manderspanders18/197852073_WL4UGwJU_c-1-1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a><br />

Lake trip!

I was MIA this weekend because I was hanging out at the lake with these two crazies!

Corinne and I haven't been able to hang out very much at all this summer, so this weekend was great!

Lots of  skiing and tubing and fun.

Now I have one day to pack and get ready to leave for NC.  

Tomorrow I will be here...

So excited! 

Have a good week darlins!

Maybe...

Maybe I've blogged three times today...but A. it's summer and B. I like blogging.

Maybe I read older posts from Naomi over at rockstar diaries today and it made me want to get married.

Maybe I've worn a dress twice in one week...normally unheard of!

Maybe I cleaned my room for the first time in weeks tonight, as soon as it cooled off.

Maybe I watched "Secretariat" this afternoon and maybe I teared up/ got goosebumps when he won the Belmont.

(Maybe I had to watch the real footage of the race and teared up again)

Maybe I'm more than halfway through with getting my boating license.

Maybe I'm nervous about moving back home after being on my own for the past two years.

Maybe I miss my love so much it makes my stomach hurt sometimes.

Maybe I cried on my living room floor tonight because I miss him.

Maybe my best friend is my best friend for a reason, when I all I have to do is say, "Hi," on the phone 

and her immediate response is, "What's wrong?"

Maybe I'm counting down the days until my family and I are in NC.

Maybe I'm really excited to hang out with my sisters and my brother there.

Maybe I should go to bed now...maybe.

Reunited

When I think about last school year it makes me laugh that Corinne and I basically lived with each other, even though we live in two different cities an hour apart from each other.

Multiple times a week she was coming to LB or I was going to Northridge.  We would escape our issues and "home" troubles and some of those days we spent in my tiny bedroom on my bed, doing nothing are what kept me sane.

This year is different though and it makes me sad. We've barely seen each other because of our crazy schedules.  I think I can count the amount of times I've seen her this semester alone on just one hand.

Tonight though she's coming to LB and we're gonna go get a celebratory, back-together drink with Hannah and tomorrow morning we're gonna take advantage of my pool and have some much needed catch-up/best friend time. Hurray!

Have an amazing Friday loves.

Days 25 and 26

Day 25- what I would find in your bag  

  Books: Mass Media Law, 100 Best Loved Poems, and 101 Great American Poems

Notebook

Nutri-Grain bar

Two hershey's kisses

One bobby pin
Cell phone

Water bottle

Sunglasses

Gum

Two pens and three pencils

Wallet

Cosmetics bag with mostly chapstick, lipgloss, and lotion in it.

Clear up barcodes for work

Powder

Little notepad

Random change

(There was also random bits of paper in there too)

I love my big purple bag! (Target)

Day 26- list 10 things that you are thankful for

 1. My apartment in Long Beach...literally saved my last year of college and made it amazing.

2.  Hannah and Kacey, who live in my amazing apartment with me.

3.  My crazy family, who I know is going to always be there for me no matter what.

4.  James, my awesome boyfriend, who accepts me for who I am and who I've grown to love with all my heart.

5.  Corinne Elizabeth, my best friend, who is my other sister, my partner in crime, and another reason why I've survived the last few years.

6.  Jesus Christ.

7.  Coffee....or just caffeine in general.

8.  Country music.

9.  Airplanes.

10.  That even though I struggle with liking my job, I'm super thankful that I have one.

My Third Home

"Feels like coming home" is Delta Zeta's catchphrase in Northridge and it really does feel like my third home.  I have my home home in Salinas, my Long Beach home with my loves, Kacey and Hannah, and I have my home in Northridge with Corinne Elizabeth and all my DZ ladies.

This weekend I spent time here at the house and have been having a ton of fun.  I loved meeting my "niece" Amanda and seeing my "big" Nicole and sharing a mattress with Rachel (oh yeah and seeing my best friend, no big deal ha!).  We watched wayyy too much Law and Order, laughed a ton, and ate gross food alll weekend.

Anyways, it's late and I'm tired but happy so I think I'm gonna go to bed now.  Hope ya'll had a wonderful weekend like I did. 

Happy Halloween From My House to Yours

Hope your day was filled with as much fun as mine was!

The Pike and Other Shenanigans

Last night Corinne, Kacey, Hannah, and I decided that we were going to go get some dinner out since we were all starving.  Chilis is having that amazing 2 for $20 dollars deal so we totally took advantage of it.  It was the first time we had all been out to an actual sit down dinner together and it was a lot of fun.  The Pike is a really cool place to eat and walk around, if you're in the LB area you should check it out.

Walking across the bridge.

The rest of our evening was spent at our house.  We swam in the pool, did homework, watched part of "The Swan Princesses" and then switched to "Anastasia", took pictures with fake mustaches we got at Ralph's, and laughed a lot.  I think the following picture is going to be one of my favorites. We were tired and giggly and it was awesome.

Most Magical Place on Earth...Turned Torture

Today at Rock Harbor, we heard about Chad Coltman's, one of the teaching pastors, obsession with the most magical place on earth.  He was so convincing of its awesomeness that Corinne and I just had to go there, even if it was to only get the tiniest taste of it.  So after lunch we headed over to Downtown Disney to walk around. Let me tell you, it was torture not being able to go in.  I think I'm gonna get a pass, which is actually very reasonable if you do a payment plan.  Anyways, here's some pictures from the afternoon. I love how everything is decorated for fall!

The rest of my day was spent studying for my first midterm of the semester. Yikes! Let's hope I nail it.  Have a good night everyone!

Finally

Corinne Elizabeth Walker is coming to see me in Long Beach today and we're gonna spend the weekend together. This woman has been so busy for the first month of school that we haven't really had time to hang out. I'm beyond excited to get in some best friend time!

Blogging Besties

Corinne Elizabeth Walker was inspired to blog by yours truly!  Check it out. 

Her free therapy.

The Greek World

Recently I've been slowly introduced to the Greek world of sororities and fraternities at CSU Northridge.  This semester Corinne rushed DZ and was given a bid, which means that she's in, and she really likes it.  It's been cool to hear about her experience and sometimes it even makes me a little jealous at all the friends that she's made so far.  Luckily I've been included in a few events and gatherings and I've come to realize some things.

Just like you have your typical high school stereotypes, there's a lot of stereotypes that go along with being Greek.  Not all of these girls are blond, dumb, and tramps just looking for their next victim to hook up with.  Not all of these guys are completely egotistical, jocks, pretty boys, and again just looking for the first girl that will jump into bed with them.  I mean I'm sure that there are some girls and boys in the system that are like that, but the ones that I've met through Corinne so far have been pretty cool.

Yes, there are those who love to party and have a good time, but I've haven't seen it get out of hand (yet).  There's normally a fair bit of alcohol flowing, but I've haven't seen anyone be irresponsible and rarely completely belligerent (yet).  Honestly I'm speaking as someone who has been to two events but it was refreshing to see.  I have heard of the sororities and frats that have their bad reputations but Corinne and I are smart enough just to stay clear of them.

Anyways, it's been fun to be learning about these groups that have been around for a long time and I'm hoping that turns out to be a good experience for Corinne and sometimes maybe me too.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Weekend Nothings

 

I didn't do a whole lot this weekend.  Corinne came over and we spend most of the time, when I wasn't working, sitting on my bed watching Laguna Beach.  Let me tell you, this show makes me super grateful that my high school years were relatively drama free compared to this.  

We did get off of our lazy butts and worked out at the gym after my shift on Saturday.  I can't really lift my arms and my abs hurt when I move but I keep telling myself that it's a good pain.  I found out that only 12 pounds of my 106 pound self is fat and that I'm in the risky body fat percentile.  That was fun....not.  I need to gain some weight.  Any suggestions?

The weekend is just hours from coming to a close and I'm already dreading waking up tomorrow.  Actually I'm just dreading tomorrow in general.  I've got school, then work at Hollister, and the right after that I'm closing at La Fitness til midnight.  I have no idea what I was thinking when I said I would work both jobs in one day...oh that's right, I was thinking rent money. 

Has anyone else been keeping up with the Olympics?  I love them.  Team USA is killing it this year.  Can you believe we beat Canada at hockey!?! The home country's most treasured sport and we beat them.  I think it's pretty cool.  Right now I'm watching the men's skiing events and I'm pretty sure Bode Miller is going to get a gold.  Keeping that medal count high!

Alright well I'm gonna go clean up my room and probably head off to bed.  Hope you guys have a good week.