little letters, v.2

Hiya, Friday, lovely to see you!

Oh, I don't think I have been this glad to see Friday's pretty little face in quite some time. 

Friday = fun link ups! 

I'm joining in with Ashley today for a round of Friday's Letters!

Dear Friday,

I'm so glad you're here. It has been one heck of a week and I am so grateful to see your face.

Your Admirer,

Livin' for the weekend

Dear Mr. Keurig,

Marry me? Seriously. You make me a happy, sane woman with that smooth cup of coffee that you brew me each morning, noon, and night. You have a way with those coffee beans like none other. I think I'd be quite happy to spend the rest of my life with you.

With Love,

A caffeine addict

Dear Mr. Diet Coke, 

I hope you're not the jealous type. Mr. Keurig has been meeting my caffeine needs, but you will always be my favorite, my first love. There's nothing like your cold, sweet taste while walking through the oh-so hot campus in the morning.

Always,

Your number one fan

Dear Finals Week,

You can kiss my booty. For reals. I am not looking forward to meeting you on Monday. Take your time getting here because I still have 10 pages to finish.

Dear Dr. Montgomery, 

You warned me against procrastination, but your scare tactics didn't work. Try harder next time. But I will say you were right. And I'm stressed to the max. Be kind to me. 

Sincerely, 

The procrastinator that needs at least a B

Dear Pandora,

Thank you for making these all-nighters bearable. If it weren't for you, I would probably poke my eye out with a spoon from boredom and/or fall asleep on top of my textbooks.

You're the best.

Dear Friend,

I haven't seen you since January. JANUARY. England is a long way away and four months is much too long. Expect a giant hug when I see your face tomorrow! I can't hardly contain my excitement right now (the caffeine might be partly to blame)! Can. Not. Wait. Hurry home, dear!

Waiting (not so) Patiently,

bff

May the 4th be with you! 

(Did you know it was Star Wars day?? I'm a total nerd at heart.)

Hope you ladies have a lovely weekend!

give life a kiss.

It seems that I find the urge to write at the strangest and most inconvenient times... like when it's 12 am the week before finals and I have a 10 page paper that I should be working on instead. Such is my life.
I've had words streaming around my mind for days now and I've pushed them aside. But they won't stay away. Maybe it's time to write again... and May 1st, the start of my birthday month, seems fitting.

I'm not sure about you ladies, but there are a handful of certain scents that can, without fail, bring about a wave of nostalgia for me. Last week, I was hurrying through campus, my backpack heavy with books and the ever present Diet Coke in hand, when I noticed a certain smell in the air. I slowed down just a bit, knowing that the scantron I was in such a hurry to find wasn't going anywhere. I looked around and noticed that the little short cut I had taken from my building to the library was lined with magnolia trees, big, beautiful magnolia trees that were in bloom. Being the good Mississippi girl that I am, I took a deep breath and savored that sweet smell.
Oh, those magnolias get me every single time. In an instant I was taken back to younger years. You see, I spent many an afternoon under the shade of two big magnolia trees. My grandparents' yard held two massive trees that had grown so closely together that they appeared to be one. As a child, this was the ideal playground, a fort built by nature. My cousin and I would spend hours playing outside, usually underneath the shade of those beloved trees. She would climb high to the top and swing from branch to branch, and I would stand at the bottom, maybe climbing a branch or two if I was feeling exceptionally brave one day. Call it fear, sensibility, or laziness... whatever it was, it kept me on the ground.
And as I continued my walk to the library with the sweet scent of magnolias lingering around me, I couldn't help but think that not much has changed. Of course, my afternoons are spent with my nose books and my rear end in desks, instead of under the shady canopy of nature, but I'm still that same timid girl.
I have been so content to stand around while watching others climb and swing around those top branches. Why? Why be so comfortable with mediocrity? I think I've been in a state of waiting mixed with a heavy dose of fear... "I'll have fun when these classes are over with"... "I'll travel when I don't have these student loans hanging over my head" ... "I'll think about graduate school after I've been teaching for a few years" ... "I'll tackle that bucket list when I have more time on my hands"... and the list goes on and on and on.
But what the hell am I waiting on?
This is it. This right here, right now. And I am just plain tired of standing around at the bottom, I want to swing myself to the top and find the sunlight breaking through the branches. This life is beautiful and it's the only one I've been given. I don't want to look back one day and regret not making the most of each and every day. That just sounds sad, right?

I found that beauty while wasting some time on pinterest and thought it was just perfect. After all, I want to love life. And so for the next 21 days until my birthday, I'm purposefully going to give life a big, fat french kiss every day (and hopefully do my very best to document it along the way). This 21st year of mine is going to start off in a new and beautiful way.

bake away

It's no secret that I like to eat. And I especially love to bake and eat.
I'm no Betty Crocker, yet, but I do like to throw a little flour and sugar around in the kitchen every now and then.
Baking has become therapeutic, much like blogging once was, for me.
My waist line might look a little different if writing still brought me this feeling. Blame the copious English and writing classes on my plate this semester. But I digress.
Cakes, pies, cookies, breads... I'll try anything once. And if it's really yummy I'll bake it again and again. And then share the recipe with you.

I've raved about the girlfriend cookie before, but last week I decided to mix it up a little. The girlfriend cookie got a cookies 'n cream spin. And let me tell you, it was delicious. Really delicious.

Ingredients 

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

1 box Oreo cookies 'n cream instant pudding*

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 cookies 'n cream candy bars, chopped**

1 cup chocolate chips***

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F)

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars

Mix in the box of pudding, eggs, and vanilla

Combine flour & baking soda in a separate bowl. Slowly add to sugar/butter mixture.

Fold in the chopped candy bars & chocolate chips.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets & bake 9 - 12 minutes

Cool on cooling rack 

Try not to eat every single cookie by yourself.

*my grocery store only sold the Oreo pudding in the large (4.something oz) box and I think the larger box of pudding made the cookies even more chewy and delicious than usual!

**the recipe I found called for 2 candy bars, I used 3 and will probably use 4 next time. personal opinion.

***how chocolatey do you like your cookies? adjust the chocolate chip measurement to your liking!

Recipe 2 = the solution to bananas gone bad. I had a few bananas sitting around that I didn't quite get around to eating the other week and decided to do more than walk them to the nearest garbage can. Banana bread to the rescue! Chocolate chip banana bread at that!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup sugar

1 stick butter

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

3-4 mashed very ripe bananas

1 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips*

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream together sugar and butter.

Add eggs one at a time. 

Mix in milk, bananas, and vanilla.

Stir in dry ingredients. (DON'T over mix. It should NOT be smooth.)

Pour into a greased loaf pan.**

Bake until bread is golden brown, about 60 minutes for a regular loaf pan.

*Again, chocolate chip measurement to your liking. I'm pretty sure I used more than 1/2 a cup.

**use BAKING spray. I always thought any old Pam spray would do, but it is so not the same. My can of baking spray is my new best friend. 

Ok, ladies, it's almost the weekend and I've provided you with two yummy recipes. Do tell me, do you bake? If so, we can be friends. You can even share with me your recipes. I would like that. 

little letters

Because it's 3 am and I should be reading/studying, I'm going to write instead...
And I don't think there could be a better time to link up with the fabulous Ashley!

Dear self, you're going to regret this whole I-don't-need-any-sleep-I'm-superwoman attitude come the end of the week. A girl can only survive on Diet Coke and Starbucks' blonde roast for so long. Give yourself a break.

Dear sweet, sweet Literary Criticism professor, do be kind to me. I don't think you quite understand that my mind is already on Spring Break. And has been for, oh, a week now. 

Dear Easter candy,  stop being so delicious.

Dear Girl Scouts, why must your cookies be so fabulous? And so small? And why do they seem to disappear as soon as I open the box?

Dear society, please stop telling me that my major is a joke/easy/unimportant. How do you think that you are able to become the doctors/lawyers/accountants of this world? Oh, yeah, I bet you came into contact with a teacher or two along the way. Funny how that works.

Dear weather, please do not insist on ruining my Spring Break. Rain everyday? That will not do. There's only so much that my hair spray can handle.

Dear BB cream, thank you for being the most fabulous makeup product I've ever used. No really. I'm in love with you. 

Dear readers, are you still there? Sorry I'm so boring/the worst blogger ever. I'd like to say that it will get better, but let's be real... two and a half semesters of college left... it's all downhill from here. Maybe one day.

Dear weekend, hurry your hiney up. Please and thank you.

almost there

It's Wednesday; it's Wednesday; gotta get down on Wednesday!
Wait, what do you mean that's not how the song goes?!
I don't know about y'all, but I'm pretty happy that it's Wednesday!
Wednesday means we're almost to the weekend... which means we're a bit closer to next week... which is a little closer to Spring Break... Hey, just trying to look at things in a positive light...
Anyway, it's been a while since I've posted and even longer since I've linked up for What I'm Loving Wednesday, but there's no time like the present...

{one}

I'm LOVING my classroom experience this semester. Three days in this classroom and I'm in love. Ole Miss was oh so kind to place me at a high school that is an hour away from campus (if I'm driving like it's a Nascar super speedway and not MS HWY 7) but these kids are making the drive worth it! I'm in an 11th and 12th grade English classroom in a very small school and I am already quite sure that this is the type of environment I want teach within in the future! Yay for education!

{two}

I am LOVING some caramel cake right now. Diet, say what?? So yeah, it might not be all that nice to my waistline, but man is Paula Deen's homemade caramel icing delicious. I made some on Monday and I had to force myself not to sit down on the couch with a spoon and eat it all before it even hit the cake. Seriously, so good.

{three}

I'm LOVING that I had the genius idea to treat myself to an entire 5 days off work during Spring Break. As long as my boss agrees to this grand plan (which I'm sure he will, he's nice like that) I will be beach bound! Woo hoo! You're probably envisioning a crazy college Spring Break trip, right?! WRONG! This girl will be spending her vacation at the beach watching her little stud muffin of a brother play baseball!

{four}

Random one, but I'm LOVING that today is Leap Day. It only happens once every four years, so that makes it special, right? Any of you ladies planning on proposing to your man a la Amy Adams in Leap Year?! If I had a man, I'd totally do it. Just saying.

{five}

I am LOVING this adorable tumblr site I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. If you are a teacher/future teacher you should certainly check this out! It never fails to make me laugh. Sexy Ryan Gosling pictures + funny education references = my kind of site.

{six}

I'm LOVING my new computer. I took the leap and purchased a MacBook Pro right before the semester started, and I'm absolutely loving it. Do I completely understand it? Heck no! Lessons/tips anyone?

{seven}

I am LOVING my two hours on the road three days a week. (Not particularly loving the spent gas money, but whatever.) On Highway 7 about 20 minutes from the school, there are a few gorgeous abandoned buildings. I nearly ran off the road the first time I saw them. I have been so intrigued by these buildings and stumbled across Sarah B. Gilliam's photography blog that had some stunning pictures of them. I think I will be planning an afternoon of exploration soon. Anyone care to join?? 

Ok, I think I'll stop there. What are you loving this Wednesday? Do share.

singled out.

Pinks and reds seem to be everywhere I look. Hearts and roses too. It is "the month of love," after all.
Posts all about love have filled my dashboard for days.
Pictures of thoughtful gifts, flowers, and romantic dinners have crowded my timeline on twitter.
Exclamations from couple after couple about recent engagements have dominated my Facebook feed.

But what about the rest of us?
What about the just as large group of people without a significant other to speak of?
What can be said about us during this so-called "month of love"?

Have we been overlooked? Forgotten?
Not hardly.

I've recently been blessed to meet a few single, college-aged girls who can relate to some of my fears and frustrations. Let's be honest, being a twenty-something, single girl in the South can be less than easy. Just a few days ago, one of these girls handed me a few sheets of paper with black, double-spaced print filling the space. I was curious. At the bottom she had simply written, "God is so good." My curiosity was only heightened.

The title at the top of the page simply read, "Singled Out for Good." I began to feel a little nervous. Was this going to be yet another instance of someone telling me that my singleness is good? That my singleness enables me to do so much more than girls with boyfriends, husbands, or any sort of significant other in their life. Because really, who doesn't get sick of those bits of false encouragement?

I read through the five pages once, then twice, then a third time with a highlighter in hand. It's good stuff.

And here's the simple, but powerful lesson that I learned... God is GOOD to me. God is not less good to me than he is to my friends who are currently sporting a rock on the fourth finger of their left hands. He is not less good to me than he is to the ladies out there with a loving boyfriend of 3+ years. God will not be less good to me because he cannot be less good to me. My God doesn't shortchange his followers.

Right now, I am single because God is so good to me, because right now, this is his best for me.

This is such a simple concept, and yet, it has taken me over a year to grasp.

I don't claim to be a genius, people.

Instead of wondering why, oh why I am the unlucky, alone one, I am clinging to the truth that God will not withhold a single beautiful thing from me. This time, this singleness, is his best for me.

I've been singled out.
And maybe you have too.... if you have, take heart, because God is so good.
(and because I have more posts on this topic coming your way.)


*Singled Out for Good was written by Paige Benton, long-time single RUF intern (now married)

too long

It has been too long. Nearly three months have passed since I last clicked on that little "create post" button. Too long.

The desire has been there, but the words have not.

It was as if something in me knew that a step back was necessary.

There were many days when I contemplated deleting this space. Erasing the words, erasing the memories. But it wasn't quite that easy. And so it stayed, and yet, I stayed away.

I could apologize; I could provide lame and meaningless excuses for my hiatus. But I will not.

This is a new year, a new chance.

There is much to say, much to tell. Posts will follow, I can promise you that. Although, I won't blame you one bit if you don't believe me. This will be a comeback of sorts for this blog of mine. After all, when your mother bugs you about when you're going to write again, you know it's been too long. And so it begins, a new year, a new chapter, new words.