d-now 2011.

This past weekend Caroline and I were small group leaders for Shades Mountain's DNOW. We had an awesome group of 10th grade girls and it was so fun getting to know them, although it made me feel really old...
The theme of the weekend was pure religion from James 1:27 so Saturday consisted of hanging out at the Lovelady Center in downtown Birmingham and packing meals for Feed My Starving Children.

 I'm definitely going to invest in a hair net now. They are just so attractive. 

Overall, I got to meet some great people, play with precious children, eat lots of food, see old friends, and learned about the importance of serving EVERYONE for Christ. 

These are a few of my favorite things

1. Pop-tarts. If you know me, you know my love for pop-tarts. They come in a variety of flavors and require no preparation. Seriously, what is not to love??

2. Getting mail. There's just something about opening a letter that makes me happy. Too bad I never set up  my mailbox for my dorm, so I get mail via Caroline.
3. Elderly couples. Random I know, but there are few things more precious than old people in love.
4. Photography. One click of a button and you can capture a moment forever.
5. Flowers. Fake or real, flowers brighten my day.

 6. Pretzel M&Ms. Ohmygosh. If you have never tried these, go buy some NOW. Pretzel+M&M= pure deliciousness.

7. Opening a new book. Getting lost in a book beats homework any day of the week.
8. Naps. Napping is not only my new favorite hobby, but also extremely necessary as a college student.
9. Auburn. I did, I do, and always will believe in Auburn and LOVE IT.

Caffeinated

I've liked coffee my whole life.  Some people say that it's an acquired taste, but I either acquired it REALLY fast or was born liking coffee. 

Anywho, I got a Keurig for Christmas.  And it's awesome.  I've had a little Mr. Coffee coffee pot ever since I've been at Auburn, and while the Keurig isn't Starbucks, I might as well have been drinking petroleum every morning for the last year and a half.  Hello renewed love of coffee.

I saw this sign at a little street vendor in New York City.  I couldn't help but chuckle and snap a quick photograph.  So true.

Let's get crafty

Craft night= SUCCESS.

By: Alex
Made out of: scrapbook paper, twine, mini clothespins, and love

The artist at work

You will see that most of my crafts consist of cutting and pasting

Our guardian angels
By: Caroline

Also made this to hang above my desk

Just wait til after our next Hobby Lobby trip.

Just call me Paula

Moleskines are awesome. I have one that I use for church, one that I write random things in, and I just started one for RECIPES. Oh yes. Now that I have inspiration, I'm basically the next Paula Deen. If only I had a kitchen.

Feels So Right

So... one of my favs, Matt Wertz, came out with a new single today.  It's called "Feels So Right" and it's awesome.  I wish I could put into words how much I love his music.  Here's a short video with a preview of the song.

His full album, "Weights and Wings" comes out March 15th, and he'll be touring this spring.  I'm just crossing my fingers he decides to come to Auburn or Birmingham.  A big thanks to Matt for more music!

Live your heart out

Be yourself. Use your common sense. Roll the windows down and turn the music up. Follow your heart. Write down every idea. Pray without ceasing. Eat dessert before dinner. Dream BIG. Never forget your favorite pillow. Lay under the stars. Turn your cell phone off. Write someone a letter. Show love to everyone. Don't waste a minute. Read every book that interests you. Live like there's no tomorrow. Never give up on God.
♥ Alex

Highlights of Christmas, Week 4 (Part 2 of 2)

Part 2 (the unusual part)
Arizona.

Day 1, travel-
Watched the sun rise from the plane, hung out at Houston airport, got told "war eagles," discovered "Real Simple" magazine, drove through Phoenix (it's really flat with random mountains), saw lots of cacti, ate at Cracker Barrel, drove 4 hours.

Day 2, Grand Canyon-
Saw the sun rise at the Grand Canyon, left the hotel in 10-degree weather, wore 6 layers of shirts/jackets, tried not to slip while walking on ice, took lots of pictures, saw lots of deer, ate really good chili, walked about 5 miles, froze my tail off, saw lots people in orange and blue, drove 2 hours.

Day 3, Sedona-
Saw lots of big red rocks, took more pictures, enjoyed the warmer weather, went jeeping (awesome), saw nothing but blue sky through the windshield, conquered the staircase, almost got lost jeeping, picked up tickets, drove by stadium, drove 2 hours.

Day 4, Glendale-
Slept in, went to stadium, circled stadium too many times (not intentional), hung out with friends, saw more people in orange and blue, screamed a lot, said "war eagle," watched a football game, stayed up all night.

Day 5, travel-
Arrived at airport at 2:00 am, slept on airplane, successful layover in Chicago, drove 2 hours to Auburn.

And that's the end of Christmas break.  I couldn't have asked for more.

"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord."  Psalm 150:6 

Highlights of Christmas, Week 4 (Part 1 of 2)

So week 4 was kinda crazy.  The first part was pretty normal.  Just hanging out, watching movies, etc.  But then... boom... excitement.  Oh hey, Arizona.


Part 1 (the normal part).
Movies.  I said before Christmas break I wanted to watch some movies.  Oh did I watch some movies.  Assuming I didn't forget any, I watched 16.  Woah.  Here's my Christmas movie list, my own Reader's Digest version of reviews, and how many stars I gave it.  (note: I had to add a few .5 levels to make the scale a more accurate reflection of my opinion)

1.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas-  A classic (1966 version).  Hardly a movie at 26 minutes long, but it has the heart of a movie.  4 stars.  

2.  Inception-  Brilliant.  Yet confusing.  I think I've seen it 3 or 4 times now and I finally get it.  It takes a lot of energy to watch this movie.  4 stars.

3.  White Christmas-  Saw it for the first time.  NOT carried away.  Maybe I just wasn't in the zone or something, but it wasn't everything it'd been hyped to be.  1 star.

4.  Christmas Vacation-  I LOVE this movie.  I could watch it over and over and over again.  And, by gosh, I have.  5 stars.

5.  Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader-  There was a lot that I liked, a lot that was lacking (::cough:: bad acting).  3 stars.  (barely)

6.  Robin Hood-  So much potential.  Good action.  Unnecessarily confusing.  Good thing I already knew the basic characters and such.  2.5 stars.

7.  The Other Guys-  Funny but we didn't really click.  Thought it was kinda stupid.  Maybe I should give it another chance.  2 stars.  (Probably a little harsh.)

8.  Good Will Hunting-  The epitome of a good movie.  Too vulgar for my taste but it's intentional so I put up with it.  I watch this one over and over, too.  If you haven't seen it, see it.  5 stars.

9.  Date Night-  Great acting.  Actually brilliant acting.  Tina Fey and Steve Carell are such a dynamic duo.  The storyline was stupid.  Too stupid.  3.5 stars.

10.  Heavyweights-  The fact that there is a movie about fat camp makes me laugh.  Watch this one with friends.  2 stars.

11.  How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days-  A good movie, considering it's a chick-flick.  I'm just not crazy about Matthew McConaughey or that chick in the movie (see I can't even remember her name...).  3 stars.

12.  Dumb and Dumber-  If dumb is the goal, then A+.  You have to be in the mood, but it's very funny.    3.5 stars.

13.  How to Train Your Dragon-  Granted I didn't go in with super high expectations, THIS MOVIE ROCKED MY SOCKS OFF.  As in, I'm barefoot.  For real, go watch this movie right now.  5 stars.

14.  Back to the Future (#1)-  A classic.  Glad I finally watched it.  4 stars.  (barely)

15.  Elf-  Another classic.  Worth watching every Christmas.  4 stars.

16.  True Grit (2010)-  Granted I haven't seen John Wayne's version, this movie was amazing.  I was particularly impressed with the cinematography, score (primarily piano, a unique touch), and acting.  It was a simple yet deep movie.  5 stars.

playing angry birds

Other things to note:

17.  Angry Birds-  Alarmingly addicting.  Don't start it or you won't stop.  Charles and I played this on the iPad instead of watching a movie one night by accident.  We didn't mean to play for 2 hours, it just happened.

18.  Safe Haven (by Nicholas Sparks)-  I'm a big fan of Nicky.  He's a charming author.  Not very deep but he knows how to write a poignant book.  Props.


Part 2 coming soon.

Auburn vs. the World: Part 14

We are back and exhausted from our awesome father-daughter trip! Our journey consisted of:
Lots of quality time in the car/ airport. Seeing the Grand Canyon. God is artistic.  Walking 5 miles around the southern rim in the snow and ice. I'm still shocked not one of us wiped out. Experiencing the cute little town of Sedona and the famous red rocks. Jeeping in the mountains. Caroline's dad was our fearless driver. Seeing hundreds of Auburn fans everywhere we went. War Eagle to that. Going to the National Championship game and witnessing history. Sleepless nights. Sitting next to Buzz Aldrin on the plane ride home.

Quotes:
The car rental guy talking to Caroline and my dad:
  CAR RENTAL MAN: "Is it just the two of you?"
  MR. EVERS and DAD: "And our daughters. Err.. I mean our individual daughters...From women. We      are married to women.."
An elderly couple walking in the Grand Canyon (the man is walking with an oxygen tank):
  HIM: "Honey, do you want some oxygen?"  So. darn. precious.
And the ducks went Quack, Quack, Quack all the way home.

I took over 400 pictures so there's no way I could post them all. Go to my Flickr and facebook to see more. WAR EAGLE.