Hm.

...Something to Think About...

1. I'm going to grow up and open an Asian restaurant. I'll name it "Wok This Way."*

2. Then I'll open a clock store next to it. I'll name it "Tok This Way."*

3. Is it okay to not use your blinker if you are in the turn-only lane?

4. I compulsively smell the inside of books. There's something about the ways they smell that I just love! So you can imagine the fun I had at Barnes & Noble today...

5. Does anyone else think that McDonald's smells like childhood? I walked into a McD's for the first time in a long time, & the smell of it instantly took me back to Central Mall in Texarkana... specifically to the corner by Sears where there used to be a McD's.

6. It's okay to secretly pretend that being at the front of the line when the light turns green is really being at the front of the line when they wave the flag at the Daytona 500. On your mark...

7. I hardly ever eat the very last bite of a burger or a sandwich, or anything that is in any form similar to a burger or sandwich. Don't ask me why, because Idk. I just dk.

8. I thought of a quote today & it made me laugh:
"Apparently she hit some lady that stopped on the interstate."
"What was an old lady doing walking down the interstate?!"
~Courtesy of Lindsey McD. Thank you, Lindsey McD.

9. If numbers 1 & 2 didn't make you think of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," then I apologize for being too witty for ya. ;)*

10. It's Monday. Which means one thing: Gossip Girl (I actually just typed #GG... #toomuchtwitter?) It's calling my name.

"You know you love me, xoxo"


*I wish I could take credit for that idea, but unfortunately I can't. I read it on twitter a long time ago: @davebarnesmusic. However, I think it's brilliant & funny all the same :)

it's AUTUMN!!

I came across a blog the other day via Rachel's blog {which you should all read- it's amazing!}. One post in particular caught my eye. It compares football in the north to football in the south... & it's definitely worth a read! Check it ouuuut:

Football in the South.

I just spent an hour looking at old pictures from college and laughed my butt off the whole entire time!! It really made me realize how much I miss college and how much I miss the people I became close to. Needless to say it got me really pumped up to see everyone this weekend and several more times within the next month! I was going to post some of those pictures, but then I realized picking "only a few" pictures was beyond impossible for me to do. Oh well!

And finally, happy FALL everyone!!! {Does anyone call it "autumn" anymore??}
I love fall for lots of reasons: Halloween, pretty trees, cooler weather, BOOTS, football, leather jackets, the list could go on & on & on & on... Not to mention my shows are finally back on!! Another good thing about fall? Fall back babyyyy! Love gaining that extra hour :)

Forgetful Friday

So I didn't necessarily forget about blogging yesterday... I simply didn't feel like it. But I had to use "forgetful" in the title of this post because I feel super cool using an alliteration, duh! I really don't have too much to say... probably because I just woke up from a nap :).

Jimmy posted a link on Twitter earlier this week that I just have to share! Random Thoughts of People Our Age. I found it funny how I've had so many of these thoughts, & I'm sure most of you have, too! I'll share a few (like, er, 10) of my favorites with you:

5. Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.
-I don't know how many times I have done this!! At Wal-Mart, the mall, UAMS, UALR campus looking for the HR office... Pretending to talk on my phone is my go-to cover, until it rings while I'm "talking" on it.

9. There is a great need for sarcasm font.
-Amen! Especially when texting!

11. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.
-Yep. The Other Sister, Finding Nemo, Ice Age, Tommy Boy...

12. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
-Now THAT is a good Q... I just roll mine up like a sleeping bag.

15. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
-I agreed with this one before I finished reading it.

22. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?
-Sometimes I'll nod and smile... then 10 seconds later ask "What?" one more time.

27. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
-Morbid, yet true.

35. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....
-"And one interesting fact about yourself!"

42. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
-Vain, but you know we all do it.

53. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.
-And also that no one wants to pass them on the interstate...

I'm glad I woke up when I did... because the UPS guy banging on my door while I was asleep may have caused a heart attack...

TGIThursday

TGIThursday, because that means tomorrow is Friday!! :) I've got a few interesting stories for you from this past week:

1. My phone bill last month was a little more than I had expected, and that's an understatement. So I went in to Verizon on Tuesday to check that out & look for mistakes. Records show that I did indeed go over my minutes by a WHOLE LOT. Sweet. (Tori Tedford, I need to add you to my "Friends & Family 5" because your number was all over that call history like white on rice!) Anyway... to the interesting part... There was a couple in there who was checking out next to me (they looked about 18-20 years old). All of a sudden, the boy runs out of the store to get in his girlfriend's car and chase after whoever had just stolen his truck right out of the Verizon parking lot! Right there! Idiot. Makes me wonder if the boy had left it unlocked &/or with the keys in it... that's just asking for someone to take your car!

2. I forgot to mention in my last post that 2 of my best friends have recently gotten engaged!!! This is huuuge news! I am beyond happy for them, & I can't wait for the festivities to begin-- showers, parties, etc. I'm also really excited to be a bridesmaid for both girls! I went from never being a bridesmaid to having 2 gigs within 2 or 3 weeks! I can't wait!! If I had any talent at it, I would be a wedding planner. That's gotta be such a fun job!

3. A few things you [probably] do not know about me:

i. I love the Progressive & Geico commercials. I especially love the Geico commercial where the boss wants to do the little exercise called "I fall and you catch me." It's hilarious! Click here to see it.
ii. I like a good cry every now & then... it makes me feel refreshed!
iii. I love picture messages! I like to send them & I like to receive them. So it only makes sense that I like when people post twitpics.
iv. I haven't read Cosmo magazine in over a year... possibly a year and a half, two.
v. I do this weird thing where I don't eat the last bite of burgers or sandwiches. I don't know why, but I just don't eat it. Unless it's a #1. Original from Schlotzsky's...

Salutations! (Does that word make anyone else think of Charlotte's Web?)

Off-the-Wall Thursday

So in lieu of having long posts every 2 or 3 months, I'm going to try to keep it light and update more often. Granted I just blogged 2 days ago, there's no better time to start "Off-the-Wall Thursday" than on this rainy Thursday. I'm not sure yet what I'll do every Thursday, but I'm going to post something random... outside the ordinary... weird... off-the-wall (hence the name). So for today, I'll leave you with a list of 5 random things about me that you otherwise may not know.

1. I don't normally buy sugary candy. If I'm in need for a little pick-me-up, chocolate is my go-to. Now this doesn't mean I don't like sugary candy-- I wouldn't go that far! Skittles... I like Skittles... I'm somewhat OCD when I eat them, though. I eat the green & the yellow first, because they're my least favorite. Then I eat the purple and the red ones simultaneously, because they just taste good that way. I save the orange ones for last, because I think they taste like orange Tic-Tacs. And I love orange Tic-Tacs.

2. Facebook annoys me sometimes. I hide people from my news feed all the time. I don't necessarily want to de-friend that person, I'm just not interested in keeping up with people on facebook that I don't know very well.

3. That being said, it only makes sense that I ignore a lot of friend requests. If our mutual friends consist of ever sorority girl at the UofA, there's a good chance I won't accept the request. It's not because I'm trying to be mean, but if I don't know you, I don't know you.

4. If I had to pick any beverage (other than water) to drink for the rest of my life, I think I would pick sweet tea. No lemon, please. :)

5. I like to do a little wardrobe cleansing every now & then. I like to go through my drawers and my closet and get rid of the things I don't wear. Out with the old, in with the new!

"Ramblings" is perfect for this post...

Wow... no blogging for 3 months? I swear I'm still alive, for those of you that read my blog but don't really keep up with me (I really do enjoy your fb messages, though!). I don't even know how to begin any sort of "intro," so we'll dive right in and play catch-up.

First of all, I can't believe summer is over & I've already started my very last year of school... ever (hopefully). It's really weird to think that a year from today, I'll be scribbling "MS, CF-SLP" (then 9 months later changing it to "MS, CCC-SLP") behind the chicken-scratch I like to call my signature. Oh, but not only that, I'll be WORKING... making a salary... and living in [insert city not in Arkansas here]. This time last year I was settling into Little Rock -- getting to know my classmates, using my Garmin to get me everywhere, hoping school wouldn't be too hard and trying to figure myself out a little bit better all while sporting long brown hair. Five hairstyles later, my classmates are some of my closest friends, I only use my Garmin occasionally (ok, more often than not), I still hope school stress doesn't get the best of me and I still don't know who I am for the most part (although I hope it's safe to say I'm not the same person I was 365 days ago).

But let's be honest, no one really completely knows who they are and what they want in life at 23 years old. Thank goodness that God has a plan and a purpose for me, and all I have to do is sit back, trust Him, & jump when He says, "Jump." But let's get real for a second, it's so hard to do that. We as humans are control freaks. In "Having A Mary Spirit," it's put this way:

Fear in its purest form is really unbelief, the false conviction that "God can't, God won't... so I must." Faith, on the other hand, chooses to believe that "God can, God wants to, and God will... so I choose to trust Him with my life."

All life challenges present us with a basic choice: fear or faith. I can only pray that as this school year winds down, God gives me the patience and the courage to be faithful. That being said, I hope God's plan for me includes living in some really cool city for a few years. And if He wants to throw in an amazing but affordable place to live, awesome co-workers, and perhaps a desirable salary, I definitely wouldn't be opposed to it :).

This semester I have a graduate assistantship with Tri-District. I'll be at elementary schools on Tuesday & Thursday mornings, and I'll be at Arkansas Children's Hospital on Monday and Wednesday mornings. I am beyond excited for this :). So it's a safe bet that my next post will blab on and on about that! Seeee yaaaa.

To pack? Or to unpack?

I've always had the desire to move somewhere new... where all I have is myself, a job and the Lord, & then see where He takes me from there. The thought of moving is scary, but it's one of those fears that excites me! I feel like after being stuck in Arkansas for 23 years, I need a little change of scenery. However, it scares the beegies out of me thinking about being in a new city with people I don't know, perhaps no one at all! Since high school, I've made such stable friends in Fayetteville and in Little Rock. I've established friendships that are so strong I can hardly bare the thought of being away from them for a few years, much less permanently! What if I can't build new ones that give me the same sense of security? What if I lose touch with those that I'm close to now, & then those friendships dwindle? Now THAT'S a scary thought! What if I hate the city? What if I can't afford it? What if I get blown away by a tornado or a hurricane? What if, what if, what if...

These worries only remind me that I'm not trusting God with all that I am. I need that friendly reminder: "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." -Jeremiah 29:11-13.

There's a specific city that has been popping up in my mind, & I'm not sure when or why I started thinking about it, but it's there. "Hurricane" by Jimmy Needham (I've included a link at the bottom) has been on repeat since I first heard it. There's a line in it that says, "I am Yours and You are mine. You know far better than I. And if destruction's what I need, then I'll receive it, Lord, from thee." I have no doubt in my mind that I would probably cry myself to sleep for a few weeks if I followed through with this whole moving thing. But, if that "destruction" is going to be the challenge I'm craving that tears my walls down so that God can reveal Himself to me more than ever, then so be it.

Of course, I'll be static in LR until next May, so I've got a lot of time to think about this. I prayed about this for the first time tonight, and I would appreciate nothing more than for you to pray for me, too! It's never too early to ask God for something :). You never know what could happen in a year!! I've been pretty emotional about this thought today, & if it's any indication as to how I'll feel about moving when it's really time to job hunt, I'm going to need all the praying I can get!

"Hurricane" by Jimmy Needham