Photographs and Memories: Part Deux

And... we're back.  Let's pick back up at my year between college and grad school.  I usually refer to this one as my...

Sabbatical Year

Alex and me, Old Venice Pizza Company, August 2007.  Everything about this picture is pretty much the epitome of our relationship.

Megan, Katie, and me, Bin 612, September 2007.

Alex and me, Old Venice Pizza Company, November 2007.

Josh and me, Phi Delta Theta Riverboat, November 2007.

Becca, Ben, and me, New York City, December 2007.  I can't really explain why exactly I'm dressed like a German school marm...

Katie and me, Liberty Bowl, Memphis, Tennessee, December 2007.

Katie, Amanda, and me, Memphis, Tennessee, December 2007.

Summer and me, Zachary's, April 2008.

Tori, Kate, Bailey, and me, Lindsey's wedding, Destin, Florida, April 2008.

Ben, Katie, and me, Mughots, June 2008.

Alicia, Florence, Emily, Becca, and me, Washington, D.C., June 2008.

Alicia, Becca, and me, Washington, D.C., June 2008.

Alicia, Becca, and me, Washington, D.C., June 2008. 

Grad School I

Megan, Brandon, and me, Barrister's, August 2008.

Becca and me, New Orleans, Louisiana, December 2008.

Hope and me, Hope's wedding, January 2009.

Phillip, Amanda, and me, Barrister's, spring 2009.

Megan, Katie, and me, Megan's engagement party, March 2009.

Maggie and me, Megan's bachelorette party in Destin, Florida, March 2009.

Tori and me, Barrister's, spring 2009.

Collin and me, Megan's Sip and Sing, May 2009.

Megan and me, Megan's wedding, May 2009.

Katie, Lindsey, Adair, Alison, Caroline, Bailey, Mary, and me, Bailey's wedding, June 2009.

Summer and me, Gulf Shores, Alabama, July 2009.

Becca and me, Gulf Shores, Alabama, July 2009.

And that brings us up to now... Grad School II.  If you've been reading, you've seen all of my recent adventures, and if not, well, help yourself to my archives.  The last six years (really?  six years?) have been more fun, more meaningful, and more amazing than I could ever imagine.  Many of the people who matter most to me have shown up in these pictures, and I can't imagine my life without them.  I do miss college (and, let's be honest, grad school isn't really college... who was I kidding?), but these people and these memories will keep college alive forever.

Photographs and Memories

So, today I was looking for a certain picture in my scores of photo albums, and I couldn't help but get lost in a reverie, taking a rather long stroll down memory lane.  And, as per usual, it seems, I felt drawn to share that walk with all of you.
So, go for a walk with me.  You don't even have to wear your tennis shoes.

Freshman Year

Me and Lindsey, December 2003.  Yes, that is a hint of blonde hair you see.  Fasten your seatbelts, for it only gets worse.

Disney World, May 2004.  My first Rock 'n' Roller Coaster experience.  (Too bad you can't see the awesome, excessive black-and-white jewelry I'm bathed in...)

Freshman year ends here, unfortunately.  As many of you know, my freshman year was a bit of a debacle.  If you haven't heard my tale, well, you should probably consider yourself lucky, honestly.  It's a bit of a snooze, really.

Sophomore Year

Me and Julia, Phi Mu Bid Day, August 2004.

Julia, Lindsey, and me, September 2004.  I believe this marked the debut of my Alumni Delegate maroon blazer.

Day and me, Hunt Club, spring 2005.  We were oh-so-cool, obviously.

Caroline and me, Dave's Dark Horse Tavern, spring 2005.  Grease pieces and blonde hair abounded, apparently.

Lindsey and me, Bin 612, spring 2005.  For those of you who are raising your eyebrows in wonder, yes, it's true.  I was, in fact, here when they built Up Your Alley.  (I was even here before that... horror of horrors, I know.)

Day and me, All Sig Day, April 2005.

Day, me, and Joe, Courtney Henry's wedding, August 2005.

Junior Year

Lindsay and me, Phi Mu GI Joe/GI Jane swap, September 2005.

Amy, Amanda, and me, Old Venice Pizza Company, fall 2005.

Nick and me, Fall for Phi Mu, fall 2005.

Amy, Julia, and me, Phi Mu Back in Black swap, November 2005.  There was nothing in the world like a Pickled Pig from the Pub...

Claire and me, fall 2005.  This picture is so wrong on so many levels, but clearly the most hideous obvious is that garrish green eyeshadow.  Who did I think that was going to impress??

Lexie, Ben, and me, Tacky Christmas, December 2005.

Becca and me, December 2005.

Amy, Julia, and me, Spring Break in Destin, Florida, March 2006.

Julia, Lexie, and me, Phi Mu Crawfish, April 2006.

Becca, Nick, and me, Mugshots, May 2006.  (Nicko, I know you hate this picture, but you know I love it.  Sorry, dude.)

Alan and me, Washington, D.C., June 2006.

Bailey and me, Washington, D.C., June 2006.

Senior Year

(This is apparently the time in my life when I developed all pictures in black and white. So... yeah.)

Becca, Tori, and me, August 2006.

Erica, Luco, Hunter, Lindsay and me, Boys Bid Day, September 2006.

Wex and me, LeBonheur Children's Hospital, fall 2006.

Nick and me, Homecoming Pep Rally, October 2006.

Kylie and me, Homecoming Court, October 2006.

Alan, Ben, and me, Old Venice Pizza Company, fall 2006.

Katie and me, Mugshots, November 2006.

Walker, Ben, Hunter, Alan, Parker, Carl, Emily, Day, Taneka, and me, Alumni Delegate trip to Disney World, December 2006.

Hunter, Tim, and me, Phi Mu Graffiti superswap, February 2007.

Julia, Ben, and me, MSU baseball game, spring 2007.

Lindsay, Kristin, Hunter, and me, Spring Break in New York City, March 2007.

Tim and me, Phi Mu Rolling on the River, March 2007.

Alex, Amanda, Wex, and me, Super Bulldog Weekend, April 2007.

Becca, Ben, and me, Mugshots, April 2007.

I loved college, and I miss it a lot.  However, maybe I'm still in college?  Yeah, I'm going to go with that line of thought.  So, tune in tomorrow for pics from the rest of my college road.  The worst haircuts and the most heinous make-up is behind us (I promise), but there's still fun to be had...

Time Out for Fun

First off, let me just say that I adore PostSecret.  Do y'all love it as much as I do and look forward to checking the new posts on Sunday?  I really want to go to the event in Birmingham in two weeks, but I really doubt if I'm able to get a ticket.  Anybody in Birmingham (or, even better, a student at UAB) and want to help me out with a ticket?  Anyway, if y'all don't read PostSecret, you should definitely check it out.  I had to show y'all this one because of, well, the obvious.  Mississippi State on PostSecret... very very cool:

This weekend was all kinds of fun.  Not really utterly inappropriate ridiculous fun like last weekend, but fun, fun, fun all the same.  Alex, Amanda, and Wex came to stay with me for the MSU vs. GA Tech game, and we had the most laid back game weekend.  I was so excited to see and get to visit with each of them, especially Alex who I hadn't seen since he moved to the Windy City.  (No offense to you two ladies... I loved seeing y'all, too!)  Here's a few pics from the weekend:

Today, feeling so much better than I did this time last week, still found me laying around and watching movies all day on a rainy Sunday.  I did manage to pull myself together to actually go out of the house and watch a movie, and I thoroughly enjoyed Whip It, starring the cuts-like-a-knife funny Ellen Page.  It was a good time, with a few good laughs.  You may think it looks a little silly ( I mean, roller derby?  really?), but it really is a good time.  Unlike Adventureland, which I watched this afternoon and by which I was wholly underwhelmed.  (I think a large part of that may, I'm not too proud to admit, have a large bit to do with my utter hatred unfailing distaste for Kristen Stewart...so sue me.)

Finally, I wanted to share something dear to my heart with y'all.  I don't know why I haven't shared it before now, for it is truly one of my most prized possessions:  a quilt made out of most of my sorority t-shirts from college.  I wanted a quilt for a long time, but I had a vision in my mind of what I wanted it to look like, and I couldn't find the right person to bring that vision to life.  Until I stumbled upon Andrea (in Michigan, no less) that is.  So, in the middle of July, I boxed up my t-shirts and took a leap of faith, shipping them to Michigan with my mother's nagging helpful words ringing in my ears all the way, telling me that, more than likely, I would never see those shirts again.  Well, Andrea proved her wrong, I daresay.  This little beauty arrived back in my life in mid-August, and to say that I'm obsessed with it would be a gross understatement.  I show it to everyone (even boys... like they care), and I blabber about it constantly.  So, like I said, why in the world have I waited so long to show it to y'all??  Pardon my tardiness, but here it is:

Anyway, tomorrow and Tuesday are fall break for us, but I have to work, so it's only partially fall break for me.  Oh, well, mini breaks are better than no breaks at all, eh?  I'm already getting excited about another crew flocking into my humble abode beginning on Thursday.  The Springer Bed & Breakfast has been quite busy this football season, and I, for one, am loving it.  Hope everyone has a great week!

PS:  I decided one final thing today.  I treated myself to a Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider today (it's the weekend, and smelling them all week nearly made me crazy... don't judge me), and I'm pretty sure that they will be exclusively served in Heaven.  You can drink as many as you want to and never gain a pound because, well, it's Heaven.  Until then, I'm having to severely limit myself, but it's hard to resist them; I swear they're fall in a cup!

Seasons Change

It's been a totally bizarre bit of an odd week.  Not particularly bad, not particularly good.  Just odd.
I was all poised and ready to make this big confession/revelation via blog, but I totally wussed out feel led in another direction.  It's coming, I promise; it just may come a little later than I had originally intended...
It sort of feels like the winds of change blew in more than cooler temperatures this week.  What's old is new, and what used to be desirable is repulsive just doesn't cut it anymore.  People have emerged from the shadows and changed the way I look at things, and others who were formerly central characters in my so-called life have been seemingly written off the page.
I know I'm not making a bit of sense, but I just don't really know how to explain what's going on in my life at the moment.  I don't mean to be purposely evasive and scramble your brains talk in code; it appears that this is the only way it can manifest at the moment.
I think everything that's happening is good.  Honestly, I think even the bad stuff is good.  I feel like things are changing, and, although that's something that often scares the hell out of me not something I am always psyched about, I feel positive as this week draws to a close.  
I mean, with weather like this and fall everywhere you look, who can possibly stay in a bad mood?

In other news, I wanted to give ya'll a beginning of the month weight-loss update.  To date, I'm up to 19 lbs, which I can't help but be proud of.  It's still coming off at a snail's pace slow, but at least it's coming off, eh?  Thanks so much for all of your thoughts, prayers, and encouraging words; they've meant to much.  I've been thinking about and praying for all of you who expressed to me that you're fighting this battle, too, and I hope you've seen some success these last two weeks, as well.  Keep up the good work, and I'll keep it up on my end!

Finally, Happy October!  I love this month, and it seems like everybody is happier when the pumpkins and the mums start popping up all over the place.  I know it certainly puts a spring in my step, and a Starbucks caramel apple spice or hot chocolate doesn't hurt anything either certainly sweetens up a cool morning. (I know, I know... they have like a hundred million thousand calories; I've only smelled them while I walk through the union or bookstore gulping my water like it's an apple martini chocolate milk, I promise.  Pinky swear.)  Anyway, I hope your fall and your October are off to a great start, and I hope you all have a great weekend!

Oh, and I got the most fabulous manicure today and, because I'm a total goob in honor of the game Saturday, Lara painted my nails with the most perfect maroon; it was like it was made for Mississippi State.  Can't wait to cheer for those Bulldogs!