Hello Bloggers! How is everyone?? I am getting so excited about Thanksgiving as I'm sure you all are too. This year I will be bringing the boyfriend to meet the whole Stafford family! WOO! I know his head is going to spin once he walks into my Grandmomma's house and sees everyone! We are quite a large family on my Dad's side. :) Anyways, so today I was in a bit of a funk...so I had some therapy...RETAIL THERAPY that is. I hit up Old Navy...I wanted some cute sweaters and I found one. I'm still in search of the perfect boyfriend sweater in VIBRANT colors. Here are some of my purchases! I also got some cute scoop-neck tees, scarves, and a PURSE! :)

Unfortunately, I couldn't find my scarves online, but they're super cute! and match with the scoop-necks I purchased. I'm in love with this new color: "earthly." :) Hope y'all have a wonderful rest of the week and great weekend!! 

xoxo

H

Here I am back again...surprised?

So I'm back again folks. Crazy, huh? I've managed to blog again in quite the timely manner. Today has been quite a productive day or should I say productive afternoon. I have worked on my resume, emailed potential jobs, and did homework. And later off to the GYM! Woo Hoo! I am bound and determined to get back in shape. Spain must have really done a number on me. I'm quite sick with myself and absolutely refuse to let myself have the love handles and the arms that wave back at you when you wave to other people. Ladies, you know what I mean. Thankfully I have a boyfriend who is very set on going to the gym. I have even started doing weight work...yes, WEIGHTS. And I'm getting quite good at it. It's amazing in such a short period of time how your arms start to feel tighter and just a liiiitle bit more sculpted. And of course, I do my cardio. I run. Each day it's different. Sometimes I run just a mile and others 2.5 miles. It depends on how I feel that way. My boyfriend says be consistent with your runs, meaning milage. But hey, I'm running everyday and that's consistent enough! Getting one's self to the gym can be a task if you aren't already into it. But I'm getting there. 

Moving on shall we? Each day is getting closer and closer to graduation. I am very excited yet PETRIFIED! The real world? Who ever thought when we were little that we would actually arrive to the "real world" or "I can't wait to be a grown up." I thought it would never come; it just seemed forever away. Well hey everybody, it's HERE! It is another milestone in life that must be taken full force. Today I have sent out some emails to potential jobs. I really want to get a job working in a SLP (in lame man's terms: speech language pathologist) office. I think it would give me a better grasp on what I want to focus on when I get to grad school. And while working, I plan on studying for the GRE (ew.) and trying to get into grad school. More school? Yes! Two more years of it. But hey, these days sometimes it takes a little more than 4 years just to get a job. And for those who only need the 4 years and no grad school to get a good job-- I envy you with all my being. 

I suppose I'll wrap this up. I hope everyone has a good rest of the week and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! 

xoxo

*H

M.I.A.

Well hello world! I have been missing in action for quite some time. I have been busy getting back in the game with school and such. And having a boyfriend on top of that...I am one busy girl! I am excited to say that I will be graduating December 14, 2009 at 3:30 pm. WOO HOO! I will be a Carolina Alumni!

I am pretty excited to graduate. Although, I still have the GRE ahead of me. [Side note: I need to sign up to take it. YIKES!] I think I have decided to work and save money to put towards graduate school. You know, ease the monetary pain that my parents go through to put me through school. I feel it is the only right thing to do. 

Anyways, this fall weather is AWESOME! I'm loving the cool weather and sunny days. There is nothing like crisp mornings and changing leaves and chili...oh YUM! And lest us not forget, cute FALL clothes!! Here are a few of my favorites!

These are just a few wants that I have. I think they are all quite cute! What do y'all think?

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Or do as the Spanish do??

Hello to all of my readers! Last time I filled you in on my trip TO Spain and getting adjusted. Needless to say, I have adjusted very well. ;)

The last 2 weeks have flown by. Classes are going well and I like both of my teachers. It is full immersion in the language which is AWESOME! It's just what I was looking for. We have a little homework each day. Nothing major. It leaves us time to explore the city and participate the culture. And there is SO much culture here in Spain; from the people to the food to manners to siestas... the list goes on. Ah, siestas -- I fully partake in that aspect of the culture here. Everything closes down about 2 pm and you go home and eat la comida (lunch)... and then you take a NAP! Seriously-- it's amazing. My "mom" here in Spain is awesome. She is a complete hoot. She makes sure we eat plenty and if she knows we are "going out" -- she makes us eat a ton more food because she knows we will be partaking in a few beverages. She is very sweet and makes sure everything is taken care of. She tries to speak English sometimes -- very rarely & it cracks me up every time. She tries SO hard. I know I'm going to miss her a lot when we leave.

We have exactly 2 weeks left of school (Monday-Friday). It is just FLYING by. The other night we went out on a Thursday...nothing any different that at home right? WRONG! Let's just say, we didn't get back home until 4:30 am OUR time. [Side note: We are 6 hours ahead of you guys on the east coast.] We went to 3 different bars and danced until our feet felt like they were about to fall off. Friday morning was a bit rough but I wouldn't change it for anything. Some might think "Oh you are partying too much." "You shouldn't do that." ... but it is the CULTURE over here. The kids go out and drink and its customary to not come home until about that time or even LATER. Also, the Spanish LOVE techno music. I have found myself shaking it a bit as well when any techno music comes on. These people love it and it just makes the parties here even more incredible b/c the whole bar is going nuts DANCING! I'm sure you will take a peek at my FB pictures ... you'll know what I'm talking about when you see them. When in Rome... Here is just a sample of my FAVORITE techno song that you can hear EVERY night at any of the clubs.



This past Saturday we went to Madrid. We walked the streets and took in all the sights. Talk about ARCHITECTURE! It is amazing!! We then went to the Museo del Prado which houses some of the most extraordinary paintings in the WORLD. We saw 2 Spanish artists: Goya and Velazquez. The art was incredible. After visiting there, we had free time and just took in more of the city by foot. SO much to see and not enough time... Madrid is significantly larger than Valladolid where I'm studying.

I will write more as I experience. :) ¡Ciao!

¡Hola de España!

Hi friends! I have made it through my first week in Spain! What a week it has been. Let's start from the very beginning shall we? I got to all my flights on time and what not. I slept a good bit on the way to Madrid; the flight was smooth so I was very thankful for that. We got to Madrid and picked up our luggage, exchanged money, and found the rest of our group. We ate a little something and then proceeded to wait for atleast 6 hours in the airport until we got on the bus to take us to Valladolid. Of course we were missing someone. What trip goes completely well right? We waited for another hour on the bus and ended up leaving because the last person had yet to arrive. We drove 2 hours to Valladolid--which I proceeded to sleep the whole time. I don't think I had ever been so tired in my entire life. I felt disgusting from traveling all day!

We arrived in Valladolid and met our host families. Sussane (my roommate here in Spain) and I have a "soletera" which is just a single woman. She is 45 years old and has a dog and a little bird. She lives in a small apartment with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. It is quite interesting. She smokes all the time like everyone else here. It's not bad because she respects that we don't smoke and don't particularly like the smoke. Her dog's name is Gabby. And she is very sweet. She loves attention. Our meals are good. Nothing really out of the ordinary. OH! I completely forgot to tell you our mom's name is Belén. Anyways, she makes sure that we eat well and that we do not go without. There are never any leftovers. She insists that we eat. However, it's all for the most part (95%) healthy. I think I have actually lost weight. I could stand to lose a few.

Classes. We have two classes a day for 2 hours a piece: grammar and culture. Both are very fun and make me want to learn more. It's very different than in the United States. I am learning new vocabulary every day which I thoroughly enjoy. I can tell that my spanish has improved a lot since I have arrived Sunday. Thank the Lord. We can carry on a conversation and understand Belén the majority of the time. All I think about is Spanish! That's to be expected, right?

We have done some shopping while we are here. I have bought some super cute shoes (wedges, if you will) and I bough a cute little white skirt today with a black tank to go with it. I'm super proud of them only because I bought them here in Spain! :) They have lots of stores and boutiques which I am still exploring. Let's hope my money holds up! ;)

We are going to Salamanca tomorrow to do some exploring and see the city. It should be a lot of fun!

Well it's about time to head out for dinner. We are meeting our whole travel group for dinner and it takes a bit to walk there. Everyone here walks or takes the bus...I'm not too keen on the bus but I am getting used to it. I hope you have gotten a bit of a taste of my new life here in Spain. I will write more as I experience this country.

¡Cíao!

So this is my last post until I arrive in S-P-A-I-N! Wow, I'm so excited! I will be writing here and filling y'all in on all the many adventures and experiences that I will experience in Spain. I hope y'all follow and enjoy. I'm sure there will be some very embarrassing moments as we take the language barrier by force! :) I'll be writing to y'all from Spain very shortly! ¡Hasta luego!

Busy life...

Hello all!! It has been a while since I have blogged. I have been horrible at keeping up with this thing. Oops! So much has been going on since I posted last. I finished with school and finals; which I was thoroughly pleased with my grades. After taking my last exam, I went to Mississippi/Louisiana! What a trip!! I traveled with 2 of my guy friends, Zach and Chris. We drove down on a Thursday and arrived early Friday morning... 3:30 in the morning early! But, it was a blast getting down there. These two boys have great senses of humor and kept me laughing so much. We stayed with Zach's mom in Gulfport, Mississippi right on the beach. It was beautiful. We ate at GREAT places, went to the Beau Rivage (a casino) and did a little gambling, went to New Orleans for Jazz Fest and got to see Cowboy Mouth, Kings of Leon, and lots of good jazz bands. It was very hot but the atmosphere and company made it so fun!! Since New Orleans is only 40 minutes from Gulfport, we went back to downtown New Orleans and played tourist on Bourbon Street and Jackson Square! It was so much fun. I loved the area, the art, all the people, and the food ... AMAZING! Here are a few pictures just to show you how much fun we had!







Well, I am now home for a week before I travel to Spain. SPAIN! Can you believe it?! I'm going to Spain. It still hasn't hit me yet and probably won't until I hop onto that plane. Geez. I'm super excited yet nervous! I will be there for a month. I'm definitely stepping out of my comfort zone because I'm usually too afraid of what I will miss out on back here to try anything new. But, I'm going through with it! And I just know I'm going to have a blast. I will definitely be using this blog to inform you guys of what's going on while I'm over there. I hope you guys will keep up with the stories, rants and raves that I choose to blog about! This week leading up to me leaving is going to be crazy and hectic! Pray that I pack everything I need and don't forget the important things and that my flight goes safely. I'm not keen on the idea of flying over the ocean. Eek!! Until then, ¡ciao!

Patience.

I have found myself to be very impatient lately. A lot more than usual. I'm not sure what it is, but something has just not been right. This weekend was not a good weekend for me on the account of I was snappy and just in an angry mood. I feel like this weekend was just a bit of a disaster. I need to regroup and focus on what's most important with life. I have found some Bible verses to be helpful in my time of impatience that I'll share with you.

Psalm 37:7-9
Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper—it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land.

Romans 8:24-25
We were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don’t yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
—Ephesians 4:26-27, 31-32

And men think women are bad...

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

It's that time of year again. Spring has sprung! Well, maybe... only the days where it isn't 50 degrees. Anyhow, we all know it's here. Our cars are covered in a yellow dusting: POLLEN! Ugh. I have already washed my car I don't know how many times already. And the BUGS! Oh the bugs. I can't drive anywhere without bug guts splattered across the windshield of Blue Beauty. Anyways, Easter weekend is upon us. And I am so very excited. It is so wonderful to be home in Charleston to enjoy this beautiful weather and spring time beauty. Sunday we will be going to my Grandmomma's [paternal side]. Most of my cousins and aunts/uncles will be there with plenty of food of course. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I just want to stay outside...all day.

As many of you know, I am quite the animal lover. I have ALWAYS been this way. We have always had pets--dogs...with the exception of one cat, Mikey. My mom has recently taken on another lab. Her name is BG, and she is a chocolate babe. We got her from Lowcountry Lab Rescue. [it's under my favorites! check it out!] She was a backyard breeding dog; and kept in a crate the majority of her life. She is the sweetest thing. She loves attention and likes to be with "her people." She is more well-behaved than our other 2 yahoos. But we love them all just the same. BG is bigger than our other 2, but they all fit together PERFECTLY. We couldn't be happier.

Another weekend filled to the BRIM!

This weekend was chock full of events. Friday could not get here fast enough. I patiently awaited it. And when it finally arrived, how glorious! Friday night was slow but Kath, David, and I went out to get a drink at Flying Saucer--one of my all time favorites! :) Saturday morning, I woke up to find that my car was DEAD as a door nail. Ugh. I have had more problems with that car than Carter's got little pills. I JUST put in a new battery, but Lord only knows what it could be. Anyways, the day started off rough, but gradually got better. Saturday, we had a cookout for Kath's 22nd birthday. We started at about 12 and just had a blast. We had a good number of people to the house, and we all cooked out. It was a lot of fun. That night we had a bon-fire and ended with a trip downtown. Needless to say, I ended my night early purely because I was slap wore out. It was definitely a good time. Here's a room-mate picture from the cookout.



This morning I headed to Charleston for my friend Samantha's baby shower. She is due March 6th. We had an awesome time eating, laughing and watching her open up all of her many gifts.



The trip was way too short. I am anxiously anticipating Friday already....the week hasn't even started YET! Agh. I am so very ready for a full weekend in Charleston. I have spring fever like no other. This weekend's weather was absolutely beautiful. It was 70 and above the whole time and bright and sunny. I could not have asked for a better weekend. Let's hope it continues through the week and into the weekend! Cross my fingers.

I am not looking forward to this week what so ever! It doesn't seem so full with school work, but then again who knows?

Another work filled week...

It's only Monday, and I am forever awaiting Friday afternoon. This week is filled with lots of work, quizzes, and tests. The only good thing about this week: I got to flip to the next month of my Studs and Spurs calendar that I received for Christmas. HA! My best friend knows me so well. Anyways, I'm officially starting to hate my major, Spanish. Yet, I love it? My thoughts are helter skelter. Anyways, the weekend was good. We celebrated Rachel's birthday on Friday by going out to eat and then heading downtown for drinks with friends. It was fun. Saturday, I worked. What a day! I was there from 12-5, (not long hours I know) but it was just a drag. Oh well. Such is life. My posts are short now because I am so busy with everything. I am trying to be ahead in all my homework that way I won't have to worry so much the day before. This is probably the reason I am so stressed lately. It's college, right??

I am also awaiting the weekend because I'm traveling home to CHARLESTON for a baby shower on Sunday. My friend Samantha will be having her baby girl in March. How exciting?! I can't wait. Sadly, it will only be a day trip. I have other plans this weekend to celebrate my other roommate's birthday! It's one event after the other I swear but oh so fun. This weekend will be much needed. I can feel it. :)

If you like to laugh...

Long time, no write!

Hey y'all! It has been quite a while since I have written here. I guess I forgot about it. Oops! Anyways, since the last time I wrote, exams have come and gone along with Christmas break! I had such a good time over break from trips to Beaufort to go hunting with my good friend Peter, DeeWee's weekend with Peter and friends, fishing in Greeleyville with Lindsey, and of course Christmas day. New Years was also fun. It was small with a few people and good laughs! After returning from break, I went to Snowshoe, West Virginia with one of my room-mates, Rachel, over MLK weekend. We had a wonderful time in the snow and two great days full of skiing. We had good food, good drink, and MANY good laughs! :) Now, it's back to the grind of work work and more work. I am counting down the days until Spring Break! I am not exactly sure what I'm doing yet, but all I am looking forward to is a week long break from school. Hooray!! Well, I hope to keep up with this blog. Maybe my New Year's resolution... that I am just now deciding. HA! The following pictures are those taken from right before break up to Snowshoe.

Vista Lights 2008 with my room-mates.

[Me, Katherine, and Rachel]

Stafford Christmas 2008

Packing shed @ "Seabrook" in Beaufort.

Fishing in Greeleyville, SC

Taking a break from skiing with Rachel and her dad.

Beautiful Snowshoe, West Virginia