11 things

I was tagged by one of my favorite blogger turned IRL friends (well I guess we haven't actually met but we text & stuff so that counts for something) Amanda from Chasing Twins at Louboutins to play this little game, "11 things". 

So first of all, here are the rules:  

1. post these rules.

2. post a photo of yourself & 11 random facts about you.

3. answer the questions given to you in the tagger's post.

4. create 11 new questions & tag new people to answer them.

5. go to their blog/twitter & let them know they've been tagged.

I don't promise to know a lot about photography, but I do know where I look best in the light. And I had just finished getting ready. And I'm making a posey face. I don't look like this all the time.

and now ... 11 facts ...

1. I really don't like birds. I don't know when this fear started or where it came from but I just don't like them. They're gross and scary and no. just no.


2. Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day. Banana pancakes for the win!


3. I weighed 175 lbs. in 6th grade and finally got fed up with being "the fat girl" and took matters into my own hands. By 8th grade I weighed 130 lbs. and had the hottest kid in the school for a boyfriend ... Drew. Now, I'm on the heavier end of things but I will always be proud of that 45 lb weight loss from 12-14 which I did very healthily. 


4. My nana was my favorite person in my life second to my mom. She passed away 5 years ago last August and I still miss her every single day. I think I always will.


5. I've never met a cookie I didn't like


6. Or a stranger I wouldn't talk to. Kind of scary, actually.


7. I'm happier when I'm busy. When I get too much downtime that leaves too much time to think & for a girl like me, that's a bad thing.


8. If I could live on the beach, I definitely would. I think I'm solar powered. My body thrives off sunshine.


9. I have two holes in one of my ears. Like, an extra one. No one can see it until I tell them & then they're enthralled. Obviously, I've never seen it, but I wish I could! 


10. I was born over a month early and weighed in at a measly four pounds. Doctors told my mom I'd always be slow and small. I can just hear the lyrics in my head, "look at me now ... look at me now".


11. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I worry about everything. It's good sometimes - because I'm pretty nice to most people but it screws me over a lot like when I care too much.

& now for my answers to Amanda's questions ... 

1. Why did you start blogging: I was reading a couple blogs all the time & I thought it would be fun to start my own. I used to love scrapbooking but blogging has taken the place of that now. A digital scrapbook, I guess.

2. Salty or Sweet? And what is your favorite: Every once in a while I'll crave salty things and start sucking the salt right off nacho chips but mostly, I'm a sugar kind of girl.

3. Do you read other blogs?: Of course!! It's why I started blogging, anyway. 

4. What is the best thing about your significant other/husband? I'll answer this question for Drew & say the best thing about him is that he's never too serious & pretty much always happy. (unless he doesn't get his way. Sorry Drew! It's true!!)
5.What is your weakness when it comes to shopping?: Uhhhh can I say anything shiny and out of my price range? Besides that ... I'd say my new weakness is shoes. I'm loving shoes right now.

6. Favorite song right now: The Motto. I know. It's pretty disgusting. But right now I'm liking it.

7. Favorite childhood memory: We went to my Nan's house for breakfast every morning before school when I was little. I loved seeing her and the food was always delicious. It was whatever I wanted every morning! 

8. Where did you grow up. If you are far from it now, do you miss it?: I go to Butler which is exactly one hour from my driveway. I do miss it when I'm not home and feel so happy when I pull onto my street but we've never moved so it's just what I know.

9. Are you where you thought/hoped you would be in your life right now?: Honestly, I would probably be in a sorority. I don't mention it often but I do feel like I'm kind of missing out.

10. Do you miss your college experience. Were you into lots of activities there?: Well I'm still here and it's hard to say how I'll feel when I'm not but if I had to guess I think I will probably miss the freedom and free time but I will like having my own place and not feeling like people think I'm a loser if I'm not always doing something fun or if I want to go to bed before 11. I'm going to Jamaica on spring break with the YMCA and Butler, I work on The Butler Collegian & I also volunteer. I'd say I'm moderately involved compared to most.

11. Would you change your wedding dress choice now?: Haven't picked on yet or had the need to but I can't wait for the day I do!

& my questions ...

1. Flats or heels? Which do you prefer?

2. What's your favorite accessory to jazz up an outfit?

3. What has been your all time favorite vacation?

4. What's your favorite way to de-stress?

5. If you had a Saturday to do anything & a limitless budget to do those things, what would you do?

6. What's your favorite drink? Virgin & Alcoholic.

7. What's your biggest fear?

8. If you could have one re-do in life, what would it be?

9. Sweet or Sour?

10. If you could have one plastic surgery procedure done, what would it be?

I tag Chelsea, Erin & Ashley Paige

Let me know if you decide to answer, girls!

Apparently he forgot ...

Reggie Bush, that is ...

So I guess maybe you've heard Reg has been seen with Kim K. again.

Like seriously? Baby girl gets to run off an marry some big weirdo and then when it doesn't work out come back to one of the sexiest men alive?

Obviously he forgot about our date.

Because I'm pretty sure given the choice of Kim or me, he would definitely choose me.

Wouldn't you agree?

So anyway, next time you hear something about those two being out together, just take it with a grain of salt because the truth is ... he just hasn't met me yet. 

Never a Dull Moment ... Even For My Birthday Dinner.

If you've seen my tweets you know that I'm late everywhere. I really have tried to combat the problem but I think it's maybe something I should just accept. I hate being early places so instead, I'm late. It's pretty annoying, even for me, but what can ya do?

Anyway, my birthday dinner was no exception.

I had planned this birthday dinner at The Cheesecake factory & sent out a facebook message about it a couple weeks ago inviting all the people I'd love to see for my birthday, even people who I hadn't seen in a while.

Some people decided to meet us there & some wanted to ride along.

So, after I rounded everyone up, we were off to the birthday dinner about 7:20 when the dinner was at 7:30 and about 20 minutes away.

One of my good friends and her little girl were coming to the dinner and she texted me around 7:30 saying, "I'm here with your momma (my mom had gone early to get a table since Cheesecake doesn't take reservations) by the bathrooms". And then about 7:40, "You would be late to your own birthday party, silly girl!"

I went running in with the three girls I took and the two who rode separately about 7:45 and started looking for my friend who was there with my mom. 

She was texting me, "we're by the bathrooms!"

I was looking around, asking if maybe there was another bathroom ... nope. Only one. 

Then it dawned on me! They were at another Cheesecake Factory about 20 minutes south of Butler and we were at the one 20 minutes north.

My jaw dropped.

I called my mom and asked if she was at Greenwood which she confirmed and told her we were at Keystone and were leaving right away.

I felt so terrible not only for my friends who were with me but my friend who had come to the Greenwood one with her little girl. I knew she'd be getting tired by that point.

Well, all of my friends packed up and went to Greenwood no problem and it ended up being a really great dinner even though we didn't arrive to my 7:30 birthday dinner until 8:30 and we had to sit in two back-to-back booths.

I'm so thankful for my rock-star friends who didn't miss a beat when they had to drive 40 minutes the opposite way to go to my birthday dinner and then some didn't even get to sit by me.

It's the thought that counts, really.

And I'm thankful.

This sweet baby was born my junior year in High School and was the first baby I ever saw right after it was born. I love her and her momma so much & I'm beyond happy they could come to my birthday dinner. It really was the cherry on top.

Star Gazing

Butler hosted a celebrity basketball game to benefit neglected children in foster care Saturday night. 

I didn't really know much about the game but I knew Hank Baskett was going to be playing in it so naturally, I saw it as my chance to let Kendra meet her long lost best friend ... me!

An added bonus was that apparently the tickets weren't selling very well so they went %50 off  for students mid-week. 

Ashley's in a broadcasting class & her section is entertainment so she decided she was going to cover the game. When she asked if I would want to go with her, even though she didn't know if I'd be allowed, I jumped at the idea. All while tweeting Kendra, of course.

So, Ashley got an email saying she, as the media, had to be at the gym at 5:30 in order to get her media pass so we rushed over there and at 5:32, we arrived.

Well thank God for un-organized events .... & this one was.

Eventually, we walked right up to the media table & they gave both of us a pass without asking even one question.

Amazing.


I was on a mission to meet Hank and hopefully Kendra.

Since the game didn't start until 7:00, Hinkle was kind of dead but slowly but surely things picked up.

Ashley sat in the background while I pushed through the crowd when Hank came out & yelled, "Hey Hank! Can we get an interview with you for Butler's news show?"

He asked if I could come on the court to do the interview because if he came out it would be pretty crazy.

He was SO cute.

So the next challenge was getting on the court when we had already been told no but I wasn't about to let my snow-cone carrying self be told no again so I went to work.

I ran over to the side, asked a random guy to hold my snow cone so the police officer would take me seriously (which he happily did ... thanks random guy!)  & then I just went right up to the officer & asked him if he could get Hank because he said he would do an interview with us. Luckily, he was super nice & told me to just go ask him myself.

Hank saw me coming & walked over to me .... seriously, so nice.

He gave us a great little interview (which Ashley's camera was dead for .... yeah .... she nearly cried on the spot) and told me Kendra was downtown for her "leather & laces" party.

So basically, Kendra doesn't know we're best friends yet but now we're in love with the same person so we're even closer to being BFF's.

The Great Weight Update

If you're a dedicated reader you might remember the post I wrote about all the exciting things I'm planning on doing this year & also, where I said I was going to try really hard to lose weight because I wanted to look and feel better.

So here I am, almost a month later, updating you on my progress. Aren't you stoked? Knew it.

Well for nearly four weeks now, I've been tracking everything I eat on my Weight Watchers mobile app & I love it.

The first week was really hard & I thought there was no way I'd ever not be hungry again but now it's routine & while I'm never like stuffed full like I used to be, I'm rarely starving.

I love tracking what I eat because it's so easy to just put stuff in my mouth without thinking about it but with the app, I don't do that.

 For instance, I went to get fro-yo with Ashley last night but when we got there they were closed so we went to Kroger for ice cream instead. I picked up a package of Dibbs & ate about 10 of them before looking at the nutritional information. When I finally tracked it, I found that a serving size, 26 dibbs, would be nine points .... one third of my daily value.

So see, using the app just helps me control stupid splurges like Dibbs without even thinking about them.

I've also been really good so far this week & last week about going to classes at our health center at Butler. I'm lucky that our gym is amazing & offers great classes & I've found that group-fit classes are my thing for sure. I used to be really good at running & lifting on my own but for now, I need motivation. When I'm in a class, I have a teacher telling me what to do and I work harder than I would if I didn't. Plus, I meet my good friend there who just left our dorm to move into a sorority. Getting to see her there is great motivation too.

All this is to say, I don't think I've actually lost much weight, despite my best efforts. It's hard to say because I don't have a scale here at school, I can only weigh myself when I'm at home on the weekends sometimes.

And weekends? Are the death of me. I mean, it's not the food that ruins my diet ever its the uh ..... drinks. 

I wish I had measured myself though because I'm pretty sure I've probably lost some inches & I know I feel so much better when I'm working out and not gorging myself every night. 

And really? That's what it's all about. I know that I'm not obese or really even super over weight. I know I can run a mile if I want to on any given day & can do an advanced fitness class no problem so I'm not so worried about my number per se, but more how I feel about it.

& I feel so much better.

Not to say I'm not hoping to see my number go down, but I'm just going to keep on chugging & I'm sure it will. 

What do you think? Do you see a change?

I didn't think I looked "that bad" before I took this picture, but this is not me pushing my belly out ... just not sucking in. I was pretty embarrassed when this realization hit me.

Obviously, my justoutofbed look hasn't gotten any better so don't judge me on that one.

Also, I'm pretty sure my arms will always be huge. They're pretty muscley.

A Revelation

I posted on Young & Restless' Facebook page last night saying I had, had a serious revelation and I was going to talk about it on the blog today.

It may not be as earth shattering to you as it is to me. Because to me, it's a big deal, people. 

Last night, as I turned on my car I heard "Friends in Low Places" on the radio. It's a song that brings back memories of one helluva' wedding reception where everyone was singing and dancing & I can't help myself but sing along every time it comes on.

And as I was listening it hit me, the man I marry is going to be one who can sing at the top of his lungs with me (so he has to know the words to all the good old country stuff & 70's & 80's rock) and dance along too.

I'm seriously never as happy as I am when a good song comes on and makes me belt out the words and dance like a crazy woman, so the person I marry is going to have to be able to do it too. And love it.

With that said, I'm leaving you with a playlist of a few of the songs that never fail to get me singin' and dancin'

I'm Showin You My Christmas!

Alright ya'll, I'm linking up to Show You My Christmas! 

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! 

It was um, strange, around here. That's usually what happens when your dad decides to just not show up. You know. No big. Not like it was Christmas and he chose to spend it with his stupid girlfriend instead of his kids.

So, I spent a little of my Christmas backed up against the shower wall sobbing because yet again, things couldn't just be normal.

But then? Then? I soaked it up and decided that Christmas was what I made it. And I was going to make it a good one.

Okay, that's only half true ... I felt a lot better yesterday when it wasn't Christmas and it wasn't as big of a deal if people were assholes. 

And you know what else is awesome about Christmas?? The real meaning, Jesus' birth, can never be taken away from me. It's always there, it's always the same and it's always perfect. So, I kind of held on to that little thought all day.

Also, I got some pretty awesome gifts. And gifts always do a good job of cheering a girl up. 

I got a lot of really great things, most of which I picked out with a few surprises thrown in, but I'm just going to show you my two favorites. We still haven't opened with our dad so that could change things but I'm not quite sure when I'm going to want to do that, so it could be awhile. 

DRUMROLL .......

From Drew

From Momma

And of course a Christmas post wouldn't be complete without pictures from our day so here are just a few ... 

Another Favorite. I wanna be her.

My Loot.

I'm going to be sad to take down our Christmas decorations. I love the light. But I can't say I'll be sad to see Christmas go. I'm always excited to have it come and happy to scoot it out the door.

Now on to a fabulous 2012!!

My Top 5.

I was talking to one of my friends the other day and asked him what her 5 favorite little things were. You know, the little things that make him really happy but don't cost any money?

Because I think about those things a lot. I think photography has really made me look at things more than I ever did before. I see things differently than ever before. And the little things make me happy.

At a time like this, Christmas, it's good to remember that not everything good costs money.

Sometimes, free things are better than anything I could buy. 

 

So I thought I'd share my top 5 favorite free, little things:

 

1. Driving with the windows down in the summer ... especially with good, loud music playing.

 

Source: google.com via maritza on Pinterest

 

2. Planting flowers outside our house in the spring.

 

3. Rocking a sleeping baby.

 

Source: flickr.com via littlebeemama on Pinterest

 

4. Reading a book under a tree in the summer.

 

5. Laying in my driveway talking to friends on summer nights.

 

 

Okay so, it looks like it's obvious that summer makes me happiest of all but there are even times in the winter that my heart just bursts with happiness for the little things ... like a hot bath on a cold night. There ya go, you got an extra one.

What are your favorite little things?? I'd love to know. I think the happiest people are ones who take time to appreciate the little things.

Blogging: A Little Like Trying to Join a Sorority

I don't think I've talked about the whole greek-life thing much here, but it's high time I do because I'll be rushing as soon as I get back to Butler in January!!

When I visited Butler the first time the guide was all, "We're like 90% greek but it's really not a big deal if you don't decide to rush".  Well okay, they didn't really say 90%. I don't remember exactly what they said actually, but it had to be pretty high because Butler really is so greek. And being such a small school, there's not a lot to do if you aren't greek. Plus, you go to parties and people are all, "what house are you in again?" and when you say, "oh, I'm not in a house yet" they look at like you have 10 eyeballs and 4 noses. because obviously, you're hella weird.

So yes, I will be rushing in January. Not so that I have something to say when I get asked what house I'm in a parties or because everyone else does it but because I don't want to miss out on the awesome connection so many girls experience with their sorority sisters.

That being said, I've been doing a lot of rush activities. Well, not a lot, but some. I've been going to meals every now and then at houses, meeting the girls and answering the same old questions like, What's your major? How are classes going? You know. And most of the time, since I've been at Butler for awhile & know a lot of people it's pretty laid back. Usually, I know the girl and we can talk about normal things but every once in awhile I see a girl from one of my classes who I don't really know but is like, "hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii! how are you?" in the highest pitched voice possible and I'm thinkin oh honey, can't you please talk to me in your normal voice?

But the fact of the matter is that since I've been thinking about rush lately, I've kind of realized that blogging is a lot like rushing into a sorority.

First of all, yes, we all blog for ourselves, just like we join a sorority for ourselves. But we also? want people to like us. So we're kind of walking the tight rope between being ourselves and being who we think others want to see ... or writing what others want to read. Maybe I shouldn't speak for everyone but I think if I did, I'd still be spot on.

Secondly, you know those emails you send and receive when you visit a blog you love for the first time (and you kind of hope they'll come check out yours too)? They are so rush. After I leave a house for dinner, I can always expect a letter in my mailbox a few days later saying something like, "thank you so much for coming to eat with me last week Ali, I really enjoyed having you. If you have any questions about rush or even school, feel free to contact me!" And when I get that I'm one of two things: hoping they really liked me as much as they said they did or thinking no way this is true, sista! we did not click! Kind of what happens when I get those emails.

Okay so, I guess there are only two things about blogging that are so rush, but I found the resemblance uncanny and couldn't stay mum about it.

Do you see the resemblance, or do you have a different idea of it?? 

Ps. I love, love, love blogging so don't think I don't, but there are definitely times when it's hard or disheartening.

What I love about me.

In case you were wondering, yes, I realize how conceited the title of this post sounds but we all find things we don't like about ourselves all the time ... too heavy, too thin, hips are too big, hips are too small, boobs are huge, boobs are tiny ... You know what I'm talking about. 

It's so easy to find things we don't like about ourselves but I think finding the things we love about ourselves is really important. After all, confidence is the prettiest trait one can have, I think.

Glamour has a section in the magazine every issue about what people like most about themselves. It's one of my favorite parts, actually. 

An african american girl says her favorite trait is her hair and she has a head full of tightly curled locks, or a chinese girl says her favorite trait is the almond shape of her eyes. 

I mean really, it's important to take those traits that could be seen as weird or different and embrace their uniqueness. It's important to love yourself for the things you have instead of the things you don't.

So, I often think of my favorite part of me ... my hands.

Hands are something I look at on everyone ... I even find big, strong hands really attractive on men. 

& I really like mine.

When I was little, I had really chunky hands and I hated them & dreamed of the day they'd be skinny & yes, veiny, like my mom's. They're finally getting there! How weird is it that I love the veins in my hands? I do. 

The other thing I love about my hands? They hold my Nana's 2 rings, I never take them off. This mirror messes my look up a little but the diamond one sits on my right hand & the silver one sits on my left. The silver one, is one Nan wore every day & I asked her for when I was little. I would've never done that when I got older so I'm glad I asked when I did. The diamond one was Nan's great-grandmother's. I never saw her wear it & didn't even know she had it, but a few days before she died, she gave it to me. It was such a surprise. 

My hands get calloused and veiny when I've had a really good workout, they're what pat little baby bottoms to sleep & hold the hands of people I love. My hands do so much for me & they're beautiful & they're mine.

What do you love about you? I'd love to know! 

Like Mother Like Daughter

I stumbled across these pictures of my momma in college & couldn't help but think we look exactly alike. Granted, I drink a lot less wine and eat a lot less bread than she did during this time she was living in England (sorry mom, it's true) But even still, I think it's crazy how much we look alike at the same time in our lives. Which is great, because I think she's gorgeous now so there's hope for my future! 

What do you think??

A really helpful technique VLOG style

Yes, I know it's not Wednesday. I filmed this awhile ago and it wouldn't upload so I decided to give it a try again today. It worked! and it's still helpful! :)

Makeup Monday

Happy Monday, Ladies! (and gents if there are any reading) 

I'm a zombie kind of tired today. My roommate & I had the opportunity to sit on the court for the Butler vs. IU game last night & you know I wasn't passing that up. But, leaving the game late & still having homework to do afterwards made for a very late night and a zombie girl today. 

Luckily, my momma picked up an adorable little Christmas tree for our room and that has added a little sunshine when there literally is none today & also, I'm talking about makeup ... one of my favorite things in zeee world.

I love makeup because I can change it up, add something new & get a little crazy and if I don't like it? It washes right off.

The thing is though, makeup can get really, really expensive. Especially if you're a bit of a label whore like me. I got it from my momma. 

However, in times of desperation, when I haven't had the money for apples let alone Diorshow mascara, I've found that sometimes generic brands work just as well. 

Here's where I skimp and where I splurge (& some of my new favs):

1. Maybelline Turbo Mascara: I already hinted at it, but I love Diorshow mascara. I don't however, love the $30 price tag. So, I switched to this & if offers all the volume at a fraction of the price.

2. Rimmel London bronzer: I had been using some Smashbox bronzer that looked identical to this one. It ran out & I was short on funds so I turned to CVS. So glad I did because this works just as well & is a fraction of the price.

3. I only use concealer sometimes so I may not be the best critique of it, but this Loreal seems to work well for me and is super inexpensive.

4. The most inexpensive of all! This lip liner was one I found at a beauty supply store & I love it.

1. When my mom spent eight million dollars on Lancome lotions, she got a big gift with her purchase. This eye liner came with it & while I had been using liquid liner for quite some time, I love this pencil and it stays on forever.

2. I've blogged about this Benefit tinted moisturizer before, but really? if I had to wear only one product it would be this one. It gives me a little color, a little cover and a lot of moisture. 

3. An eyebrow pencil is something I only use in the winter when I need a little extra color, but the Benefit eyebrow pencil works great.

1. I was having trouble keeping my eyeshadow on for long periods of time and I also like a little brightener under my brow. An under-eye brightener is great for the in between wax/pluck/thread times too. This Laura Mercier product is both an under-brow brightener and an eyeshadow primer. I love one product that works 2 ways!

2. I love my tinted moisturizer but it was leaving my skin so moisturized that I couldn't put mascara on my bottom lashes because it would wipe off & sometimes I would even have black mascara residue under my eyes from the top lashes. It's not a good look. This Laura Mercier secret brightening powder has been a godsend. My makeup hasn't been under my eyes one time & it brightens too! 

3. I know a hair product isn't really makeup but I got it at Sephora so I thought I'd add it in here. I have a lot of hair but it's thin, so when I saw this Bumble & Bumble thickening spray, I thought it could be a great answer. Since my hair is so thin though, I was worried this might gunk up my hair so I bought a small travel size to try. I haven't been using it long enough to say if it really works yet, but it doesn't make my hair gross & I'm happy about that. I'll have to update you on its effectiveness later.

Whew! So there you go, all of the things I save money on & the ones I spend it on. Do you use all name brand products or do you have some short cuts too? I'd love to know what you use! 

When life gives you Lemonade ... drink it!

For some reason, I woke up feeling just freakin' fabulous this morning. 

Personally, I think it's because Ashley & I rented Shrek last night & that movie is so freakin funny. I mean really, if you need some good, clean laughs Shrek is your movie.

I had another post planned for today, but it's a little harsh so I decided that when life gives ya Lemonade, you should drink it. 

I'm drinking it. 

In the spirit of all this happiness over no thing in particular, I'm remembering Kelle Hampton's recent post about Thanksgiving & being thankful.

She said that being thankful isn't saying thank you for gifts or sending thank you cards, although those things are important. Being thankful is realizing the little gifts that are present in every single day, the ones that just come naturally. 

I truly believe being thankful makes me a happier person. Actually, focusing on what we have instead of what we don't makes us all happier people. 

So just because, I'm going to make a list of the little things I'm happy for today:

- A really fabulous roommate. I haven't written much about her because I don't want to jinx it but seriously? She is perfect.

- The opportunity to meet a lady in Starbucks yesterday who could have some really awesome internship possibilities for me.

- Putting on my down North Face coat which I had pretty much thrown the towel in on because it had a huge stain on it only to realize that stain is gone. I had taken it to the dry cleaner and it was still there. It's weird, but I searched for it & I promise, it's gone.

- A hard, hard workout last night. I'm talking the Stairmaster, baby.

- A good, long night of sleep

- Babysitting a new family tonight. I'm pretty sure it's 4 girls under 4. I love chaos!

- The sun & warm temperatures we're having in Indy today

- All my great friends like you :)

So there's my list of things I'm thankful for today, the little things. Of course, I could make a list of things that upset me yesterday or things that I want but I'm choosing to focus on what I do have today instead of what I don't.

Spread the love, be a source of cheer today.

Happy Tuesday! 

A blurby Monday

- I'm writing in Blurbs because that seems appropriate for a Monday.

- I finally got my werewolf eyebrows done on Friday & I'm telling you, waxed eyebrows make me feel like a new person. Don't they make you feel better?

- Friday night was for hometown football & sitting by the fire & going to bed early. Just the way I like it.

- Saturday was filled with running errands and doing a 1st birthday party shoot. I'm telling you, hiring a photographer for events is the way to go if you can afford it. It's especially helpful at a 1st birthday party when it's hard to keep the kid under control let alone get pictures of everything!

- Saturday night was Butler's second Men's basketball exhibition of the season. Thankfully, the guys were playing much better this time around. We won 91-53. Boo-yah!

- And then we celebrated the win. Enough said.

- Sunday was for recovering & doing homework. Ugh. It's unfortunate that the weekend has to end with homework, isn't it?

- In two short weeks, I'll be home for an entire week for Thanksgiving!!! and my mom took of the entire week to spend with me!!! SO excited!

That's all I've got, folks! 

Hope your Monday goes quickly & beautifully!