Hello, 2012!

1-What did you do in 2011 that you've never done before?
Hmm. I became a junior in college, I was on a live newscast, and yesterday I got contacts! I'm sure there have been others, but I can't think of them! 

2-Did anyone close to you give birth? 
Ashley did!  She had David Walker Scott, my first cutest most favorite nephew ever, on February 22nd 2011! He has brought so much joy and happiness to my family. He is so chubby, cheerful and precious. He has the sweetest little cheeks and cutest laugh and smile. I didn't realize how much I could love a baby until I met him! He makes me excited for having my own!



3-Did anyone close to you die?
Unfortunately, my Grandaddy died in March from Pancreatic cancer. His death was the hardest thing I've ever had to go through. He was such a happy man and his death was so unexpected. He didn't even live for 2 months after his diagnosis. Though it was difficult, I think it brought my family closer. We all experienced it together and learned to find joy despite our circumstances.


4-What date from 2011 will remain etched in your memory and why?
I would say March 30th because of Grandaddy and Feb. 22 because of David. 11:11 on 11/11/11 was cool too just because everyone "makes a wish at 11:11"

5-What was your biggest acheivement this year?
My biggest achievement this year would definitely be getting the position of President and EIC of Her Campus Appalachian State! I have loved having this position! It has been time consuming, but it has been so worth it. I've met so many awesome girls and it has stretched me and pushed me toward my full potential. HCxo!

6-Did you suffer any illness or injury?
Healthy and happy! 

7-What was the best thing you bought?

Me or my parents? Haha! Well my parents have continued to bless me with more than I could imagine! They bought me an iPhone over thanksgiving and I have LOVED it. It is so convenient and addictive. As far as my money goes, I don't really have much of it that I call my own and when I do, it's normally just on clothes and food! 
8-Where did most of your money go?
Food Food Food, Coffee Coffee, and the occasional movie or item of clothing. 

9-What song will always remind you of 2011?
There have been a lot of good songs from 2011! I have bought a few CD's that I've loved including Hands All Over by Maroon 5, and Science & Faith by The Script. Lady Antebellum has probably been my favorite country artist this year and I always like radio hits! But if I had to chose, the one song that will remind me of 2011 is Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw. I still can't believe that he held my hand and sang to me!  How cool is that? It's something I will never forget from 2011!

10-What do you wish you'd done more of/less of?
I wish I had done less procrastinating, overeating and I wish I had been involved in less drama. There has been A LOT of pointless, excessive drama this year and I am not going to let it happen again in 20121!  I wish I had spent more time reading my bible, exercising, updating my blog and reading books.

11-What was your favorite TV program?
My favorite TV show would definitely be Pretty Little Liars! That show is AWESOME. I love how it's suspenseful and dark but it has drama and love stories just like I enjoy! Not to mention the cutest wardrobe ever. The cast always looks so cute! Great show, I LOVE it. 

12-What's the best book you read this year?
No brainer, it was definitely the Hunger Games! I sped through the first one in about a day and a half! I love reading book series because I feel like I become friends with the characters. It had suspense, action, death, family, love, deception, fighting, everything that makes up a good novel! I can't wait for the movie to come out this year!!

13-What was your favorite movie this year?
That's a tough one because I love movies. I got Water For Elephants for Christmas, that one is definitely at the top! I had read that book and that was probably the best book to movie adaptation I've ever seen. I saw We Bought a Zoo like 2 nights ago and it was awesome! I would say that it was the best feel good movie I've seen in years. Go see it!

14-What did you do on your birthday? How old were you?
On August 24th 2011, I turned 20! Woohoo, a whole new decade! I went to P.F. Changs with my family and then when I got to school my friends came over for mexican food and we just hang out!

15-Did you travel anywhere this year?
Yes, I went on multiple trips with my family that were all really fun! We went to a family reunion and the beach and had a great time! My favorite trip by far was going to NYC with Lindy and my Mom! We shopped til we dropped, drank lots of Starbucks and had a FANTASTIC time. Those trips will always be so special to me!

16-Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.
Don't take your family or friends for granted. Thank God for everything you have. Learn from your mistakes. Keep old friends but make new ones too. Don't sweat the small stuff. And most of all, remember to find joy despite your circumstances! 

sorry I've been MIA

Sorry I've been so MIA lately.

But this is my LAST WEEK OF THE FALL SEMESTER!!!

Can I get an amen, hallelujah, praise the Lord?!?

I don't think I've ever wanted a year to end more. Not just the semester, but 2011 as a whole. Least favorite year of my life to date.

Anyway, sorry for the depressing comment! I just wanted to stop by and say that I apologize for my absence.

It's exam week, so I probably won't be back until those are over.

Hope you're enjoying the holiday festivities!

I can't wait until I can finally start having some fun!

1974

Preface: This is my last prose assignment. Weird! Anywho, the assignment was to write a "flash fiction story" between 500 - 750 words from the first person plural. So, that's what I attempted. 

1974 

That summer was extra hot. We had become limp at the ends, humidity getting the best of us. We’d wander into the kitchen on Sunday mornings, complaining of Mama and Daddy’s Christian habits. We’d skip out, stay home, make it a habit.

About mid-July, we got antsy. We’d drive Daddy’s Doge Dart around town all night. We’d howl at boys, our faces like wolves, lips pursed toward the moon. We’d smoke Marlboros in the evening; push our painted toes against the windshield and leave a mark.

We’d take Mama’s change, buy ourselves chocolate malts, and make fun of anyone that got strawberry.

One night we decided to go skinny-dipping in our pool.  We wished we were rebels. Our skin showed pale in the moonlight and our chests no longer resembled girls, but women. One of us ahead of the other, one of us a little less ashamed.

  It was above ground, the pool, and the Bradford pear trees between the yard and Old Mr. Schubert’s created little privacy.

We waded in deep, threw our bikinis over the edge, laid on our backs with our eyes toward the stars. We let it melt the day’s heat off our skin, copied each other’s movements, and somersaulted in the blue. We let our hair fan out behind our heads, taking our worries with it. We bobbed in the water, keeping beat with David Bowie on our Mama’s boom box.

We got bored after an hour and slipped back into our swimsuits that were strewn in the grass. We got devious, rowdy, and the idea to find our ping-pong ball and paddles and to hit Old Mr. Schubert’s window until he came lookin’. We could see the lights on in his house, the flashin’ colors of The Price is Right glaring on his TV.

We took swings, heard it hit the window with a hollow bounce and ran to retrieve it. We kept this up for nearly an hour, crossing our fingers that he’d turn his TV off in order to hear our racket.

We kept watch every 5 minutes, peering behind trees like criminals, but it was all for the thrill and nothin’ for the protection. Our figures were slim, juvenile. We swayed our hips and flung our hair. We swung, we crouched, and we ran and whispered, forgetting our parents who played cards inside.

We laughed carelessly. We snuck our Daddy’s liquor from the cabinet near the garage. We would each take a swig, fighting the impulse to gag. We’d spin in circles, fall dizzy. We kept hittin’ that ping-pong ball, making bets on who could hit it the hardest.

We were young, drunk, and dumb, unprepared for what happened.

We were screaming.

And then we were silent.

Our daddy found him in his living room that night, sitting in his burnt orange chair, glass shards a few feet away from him, near the window. The TV was still blinking in the background, but we heard no nothin’.  We watched him get rolled out. We saw the white sheet, the landscape of a man cast upon a midnight backdrop. We got woozy, threw up until our stomachs were empty.

Our Daddy said it was a good thing; Old Man Schubert had been gone for hours, according to doctors.  We hugged our parents, hard. We gave back their empty liquor bottles. We ate toast at our kitchen table and ignored their stares; the punishments we knew would come eventually.

“If that hadn’t happened,” our Mama had said, “who knows how long he could’ve sat in there.”

          We cried ourselves to sleep. We choked on guilt. We slept as close as possible. We saw the shadow of his house cast upon our floor.  We went back to church to that next Sunday. And we prayed.

And we prayed.

And oh, did we pray. 

Expectation

I’m not going to lie, when I’m asked what my biggest weakness is, I have no idea what to say. I’ve been in multiple job interviews where I’ve been asked that question and I’ve had to scramble around for my response.

“Hmmm, what is my biggest weakness? Uh… my biggest weakness is that I can’t think of my biggest weakness?”  

As cocky as it sounds, I can easily point out my strong suits. Or at least, what I believe them to be.

I’m a good listener. I’m passionate about what I do. I’m hard working and determined. I’m bold. I’m my own worst critic (that could be a bad thing.)  I’m devoted. In the words of Dumbledore, I believe myself to be a “fierce friend.”

But recently, I’ve discovered my biggest weakness. I think my biggest weakness is that I expect too much out of people.

It’s not too far-fetched of me to expect from others what I give, but I do and it lets me down.

I find myself to be a really giving person. I spend money on my friends, I spend time texting them and asking them about their day. I’m constantly planning something with them, or at least trying to.

I want them to know that I care. I want my friends to get a text from me and think “I really like the fact that Laura always wishes me good luck on a test or wishes that I have a good day.”

But what’s happening is that I’m being let down on the flipside. It’s honestly not fair to hold people to the standard that I have for myself.

Just because I prioritize letting people know that I care doesn’t mean that that’s one of their priorities. They may be caring just as much for me as I for them, they just don’t feel the need to show it like I do. I expect them to think the same way I do, which obviously will never happen.

I don’t want anyone to think that I’m calling them out, I’m not. I’m trying to apologize for the fact that I’ve been hurt and upset by giving and not getting what I wanted in return. It’s not fair to my friends for me to get upset at them when I’m comparing them to what I’d do in that situation.

My biggest weakness is expectations. I expect a lot. I expect too much from myself and from others. I let myself down because I hold myself to unusually high standards and I let myself down because I hold my friends there too.

Starting now, and especially when 2012 rolls around, I want to stop expecting. I want to appreciate what I’m getting and find joy in what I’m giving.

better late than never...

I know Thanksgiving was a week ago, but I have so many things to be thankful for that I just need to share them with the world!

1. Life in general!

I recently learned of a kid that passed away from ASU. He was in my journalism class last year. I didn't know him, but I had heard him read what he had written and it was fantastic. I can't imagine having my life taken from me so soon. Thankful that I've been given 20 years and hopefully many more to come!

2. My amazing family!

I love my family. Seriously more than anything else in the world. I have been blessed with two, awesome godly and loyal parents. 3 siblings that I consider my best friends and wonderful extended family. We love traveling together, going out to eat, having political and theological debates and just enjoying each other's company. I love them more than life!

3. My friends!

I have been blessed with a lot of friends here at ASU and at home. My neighbors, my high school friends, the friends from my floor freshman year, the church friends that I grew up with! I've met a lot of new people through Her Campus that I get along with really well, yay new friends! Thankful, thankful, thankful!


4. Contentment with Singledom

I feel so blessed by my independence and introverted tendencies, haha! I know that sounds crazy, but I feel like those are two things that really help with being single! If I thrived off being around people all the time, I'd probably feel pretty lonely. Good thing I love to be by myself! I really value my alone time and I believe myself to be extremely independent. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me. I'm ready to move to a big city and conquer the world!

5. Being a Christian.

I find so much comfort, peace, and purpose in my Christian life. God has blessed me in all aspects. I am so thankful for my family, future and every opportunity that I've been given. I'm thankful for Carmel at home and Elevation at school. Through ups and downs, broken friendships, and my Grandaddy's death, he's held me through it all. I can't imagine a life without God to comfort me. So thankful for his death and resurrection and the promise of a future in heaven!

And the little things...

6. Addicting TV shows
7. chocolate
8. fuzzy socks
9. candles
10. coffee (starbucks)
11. boots
12. New York City
13. sunshine
14. good music
15. car rides with the windows down
16. apples and peanut butter
17. perfect fitting jeans
18. naps
19. swimming pools
20. colors
21. hugs
22. pets that curl up in your knees
23. good books
24. fresh snow
25. makeup

THANKFUL!

best weekend ever.

So, I know it's Tuesday, but this weekend was awesome. So, I wanted to give you a recap to fill you in on the magic.


Thursday night, Kelly invited two new friends over for dinner, Tasha and Amanda, and we had a lot of fun! They were really sweet and I'm so glad I got to meet them. We made a yummy autumn dinner- sausage corn chowder and homemade cheese biscuits! The soup is amaze and the cheese biscuits are SO EASY and delicious. I seriously probably ate 7 of them. Here are the recipes!

Sausage Corn Chowder

1 lb. spicy Italian sausage
7-8 small red potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans chicken broth
1 can creamed corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can evaporated milk

Brown sausage and onion together adding garlic when it is almost done. Add chicken stock and potatoes. Boil for about 15 minutes with lid on until potatoes are tender.

Add corn and evaporated milk along with salt and pepper to taste. 

Super Easy Cheese Biscuits

2 Cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup butter, melted

1 cup soup cream

2 cups self-rising flour

Preheat oven to 350

Mix together cheese and butter

Cool for 2 minutes

Add sour cream and mix well. Stir in flour.

Spoon batter in greased miniature muffin cups.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Note: Batter can be stored overnight in the fridge for more flavor!

Then Friday came along. Aka, the night I met my husband... just listen.Friday morning I slept in, cleaned a little, and worked out, winning. Then I went over to Lori & Caroline's apartment and made Oreo truffles! 

(This weekend consisted of a lot of delicious food.) Lori's little sister, Jessie, was in town so it was fun to see her! We didn't hang out long but I was glad that I stopped by.

Here's the Oreo Truffle Recipe:


1 package of Oreos 
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1 package of chocolate bark


Ground up Oreos in the food processor until fine. Mix poor in a bowl on top of room temperature cream cheese. Using a mixer, mix until a dark creamy batter forms. Taking spoonfuls, roll oreo mixture into balls. Cool in the freezer.


Melt the almond bark until smooth. Take cooled oreo balls and roll in chocolate. Top with sprinkles or crushed up peppermints. Put back in freezer, and enjoy! SO good.


Anyway, so after hanging out at L&C's, I came back to my apartment to get ready to meet my HC AppState writers for dinner! We met at Proper where I got a side plate. Can you say Mac & Cheese, collards, cornbread, green beans, and mash potatoes? Feed me. It was so good.

I'm so glad I got to do that with them! I love those girls so much! We have a lot in common and always have great conversation.


After dinner, we were off to the Carolina Liar, David Cook and Gavin DeGraw concert! We had been planning on going for quite sometime and I was SO excited because we had front row seats! I had never had front row seats before, I normally sit on the lawn, so I was really pumped! 


As far as the concert goes, epic would be an understatement. See, the concert was amazing for a lot of people...but for me, it was magical. 

It started with Carolina Liar opening and they rocked the house! They played Show Me What I'm Looking For and I'm Not Over, their two biggest hits. I really enjoyed them! David Cook was good too! He has a naturally amazing voice. At one point he made the crowd go quiet while he sang by himself and it was awesome! I guess that's why he was an American Idol!

Both of them were great, but no one compares to Gavin DeGraw. Okay, maybe John Mayer, but the point is, Gavin DeGraw sang to me.

You're probably thinking, "yeah, you and every other girl in the audience." Well, you're actually wrong. Being in the front row was the best decision ever. I knew all the words to all of his songs and by the end of the concert, I was melting over him. After the lights went black, the crowd cheered for an encore, and that's when Gavin DeGraw came out to sing Not Over You, his latest single off of his new album.

Look how close I was! This isn't zoomed in! Anyway, he was pouring his heart out to the crowd when he started nearing our section. That's when he crouched down and reached his hand out right in my direction (at least it felt that way). I froze and turned to my friends thinking "what do I do, what do I do?" and naturally, they urged me to go forward and grab his hand.


So I held hands and looked into the eyes of Gavin DeGraw and sang Not Over You to him as he sang it to me. I will never forget how awesome that moment was. It consisted of wedding bells chiming, birds singing and finding my future husband. No really...


I kid, I kid. But I do have a major crush. I mean, we held hands people! That's only the second guy I've held hands with. It's kind of a big deal. He's only 14 years older than me. That's not too much, right? 

Anyway, it was magic. Unforgettable. Awesome. And I'm dramatic. But it was all those things and afterward I felt like a giddy school girl. Shows you how much boy action I have going on in my life...


But really, I'll never forget it! 


The next day, after that amazingness, I got to go home for my friend Michele's wedding! She was  BEAUTIFUL bride. I went with Lindy, Ashley and John. I was glad I could hang out with them! We had a good time catching up and dancing the night away. Michele's wedding was very unique and pretty! The bridesmaid dresses were a deep plum and they walked down the aisle to Coldplay's Fix You on the organ, which was really cool. I'm so happy for her! She is so sweet and I know her and Joe will be very happy together. 

Then, on Sunday, I got to hang with my Mom and Lindy at Southpark! Ashley ended up meeting us for a little bit too! When I come home, Southpark is a necessity. I was feeling all festive and into the holidays, and I wanted to see the Christmas decorations, so after church, we hit the mall. We ate lunch at Arthur's, window shopped and got seasonal Starbucks drinks. I love doing that!

Anyway, this weekend was awesome. I had a GREAT, GRAND, BEYOND GREAT time.

It was a weekend I'll never forget!

And Gavin won't either! 

wanting...

a new hair color or style... but I'm not brave enough

new CLOTHES

A boyfriend

a teeny tiny puppy that I can keep at school

A starbucks in Boone

To be in a big city

To be caught up in a good book. (suggestions?)

To be home

But, you can't always get what you want! And right now, I'm happy with what I have!