I want to be like my Mom when I grow up!!!

Well, I officially fail at blogging. I have been a Sophomore at ECU for a month now and I haven't posted anything about. However, this is all going to have to wait.

I am posting today about someone that is very important to me. My mom turned 40 years old today!!! My mom is my role model, my confidant, and my best friend.

In honor of my mom's 40th birthday, I am going to make a list of 40 things that I like most about her:

1. She thinks of others before herself. My mom is one of the selfless people I know. When someone needs her she drops everything and goes.
2. She tolerates my 15 million calls a day. I will call home 3 times in a row, with only 10 minutes in between each call (I forget to tell her things) and she still answers and listens to what I have say (and most of the time she listens with a happy heart! ).
3. I can tell her anything. My mom most often always has good advice and gives it whether I want to here it or not.
4. She makes me tatortot casserole on my birthday every year even though she doesn't like it.
5. She loves Jesus with all her heart. I can go to my mom with any spiritual topic and she helps me understand. If she doesn't understand, she looks for the answer and then explains it to me.
6. She loves Dr. Pepper and passed the Dr. Pepper gene down to all her children.
7. She wants her family to be healthy. She prepares, cooks, and researches new healthy recipes for us to eat (even if we don't like them sometimes).
8. She drives all of us everywhere we need to go. 
9. My mom is an amazing role model. I want to be just like her when I grow up.
10. She cannot stand my dog, but my dog loves her.
11. She comes to everything her kids do: gym meets, concerts, plays, inductions into the honor society, piano recitals, football games, basketball games, goat shows, and even prom!!
12. She gets really excited when my dad gives her flowers!
13. She doesn't like surprises and does everything she can to avoid them.
14. She loves organization and cried when her label maker broke!
15. She loves my daddy and respects him.
16. Her most famous saying is "If it was easy, everyone would do it!"
17. She doesn't like to cook or do laundry!!
18. She is the most AMAZING birthday party planner ever. 
19. She has a heart for orphans and Africa.
20. She encourages us to do our very best no matter what!
21. She always wears shoes. I am pretty sure she sleeps with shoes on!!!
22. She loves to admire our house.
23. Her favorite Disney movie is "The Rescuers".
24. She loves to have family time.
25. She isn't afraid to state her opinion.
26. She always knows just what to say, exactly when I need to hear it.
27. She didn't want to have any kids when she was growing up and now she has 4 of them!! :-)
28. She loves to read. She always tells me the latest books she has read and if I would like them or not.
29. She takes me to movie midnight premiers!!!
30. When she puts her mind on something, she gets it done.
31. She will always be our biggest cheerleader.
32. She is very protective of us.
33. She likes to include me during family time even though I am at school.
34. She shares my love for Hot and Spicy Cheeze-Itz with Chocolate Milk!!! :-)
35. She is the best teacher anyone could ask for.
36. She is a trooper when it comes to my meltdowns. When I call upset on the phone, she knows just what to say to calm me down.
37. She is close with her siblings. I hope that my siblings and I will be as close as she is with her siblings.
38. She loves her daddy. Her dad lives beside us and it is one of the best things in the world.
39. She lets us be ourselves (to some extent). She lets us express our own individual styles in the sports we play, in the (modest) clothes we wear, and the activities we do.
40. She is the best mom ever. No one could ask for a better mom. I am so thankful she is mine!!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!! I am so thankful that God chose you to be my mother. 

My Daddy, My Hero!!!

             My daddy is my hero, best friend, protector, and everything else that a daddy should be. I know this post is late, but better late than never I always say!!! :-) My dad turned 40 years old last Friday. So, I decided I am going to post a list of 40 things that I love about my daddy.

1. He has an awesome laugh. Everytime he laughs it makes me want to laugh.
2. He will do, go, and be anything for me. I can always count on my dad to be there for me whenever I need him.
3. He supports me in all that I do, no matter how crazy it is.
4. He goes out of his way to make sure that my siblings and I are as happy and content as possible.
5. He is always there when I need to talk. Whether it is about life, or Spiritual things, or I just need to be heard, I know I can always go and talk to him.
6. He wants to be with me. When I suggest that we do something or go somewhere together, he jumps at the chance and decides to do it right then and there.
7. He has always been a HUGE part of my life, from being my Basketball coach, to being in plays with me at church, to taking me on movie dates. He is there and he is a big part of everything I do, big or small.
8. He is an awesome role model. I want my future husband to be just like my daddy someday. Since my father has been such the example, I know what I want to look for in a future husband.
9. He is very competetive. There is no easy game of dodgeball or small slip and slide. You go all out or nothing with him!!! :-)
10. He truly loves my mom and treats her with the utmost respect.
11. He loves the Lord with all his heart. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don't see him reading and studying his bible.
12. He can do my taxes. I would be so lost trying to do my own taxes, but I just hand them to him and he takes care of it.
13. During tax season, he always makes sure that he sets aside a time for each one of us individually.
14. He gets excited when I am excited, even when he doesn't know why I am excited.
15. He more often than not, gets sick when I get sick. At first, I just thought it was coincidence because we live in the same house, but last semester I got a cold while I was at school and he got a cold during that same time and I hadn't seen him for 2 weeks!!!
16. He spoils my dog just as much as I do.
17. He snores REALLY loud and has finally stopped denying it!!! :-)
18. Every Friday night, he either pulls out the bed or bakes cookies for our family night, even though sometimes that is the last thing he wants to do.
19. His favorite movie is "The Greatest Game Ever Played" and he could watch it over and over.
20. He laughs at the same thing in the same movie every single time.
21. He never hesitates to bring home flowers for me, my mom, and my sister just because.
22. He knows he can't sing and he sings extra loud just to annoy me.
23. He makes fun of me because I like to listen to Disney music with my car windows roll down.
24. He is mostly patient with me while trying to teach me how to drive stick shift!!! :-)
25. He knows what he believes and sticks by it whole-heartedly.
26. He loves to eat anything covered in gravy.
27. I have his green eyes, his sense of humor, and his mathematical brain.
28. He can eat a whole crumb cake in 2 bites!!! :-) (not really, it just seems like that sometimes)
29. He gets really excited about giving people gifts.
30. He sometimes waits until the last minute to go shopping and then comes to seek counsel from me about what he should get!!! :-P
31. He is a miserable sick person, even when it is just a cold.
32. He always makes sure we have everything we need when we are sick.
33. He fusses when I call to talk to my mom instead of him when I am at school.
34. He loves football and becomes extremely animated during every game, win or lose.
35. He loves his new truck!!!
36. He is the awesomest CPA I know!!!
37. He is mostly laid back and goes with the flow.
38. He loves his kids with all his heart and would do anything for them.
39. He goes swimming in the ocean (or anywhere for that matter) when he doesn't want to just because we beg for him to.
40. He is the BEST dad in the whole world and I wouldn't trade him for anything!!!!

                Happy late Birthday Daddy!!! I hope you had a great birthday celebration. I am always thankful that you were chosen to be my daddy and that I was chosen to be your daughter. I will always love you!!! I always know that I will have a place to call home!!!

Big Sister Pride

In this post, I am going to brag about my little sister.

I have the most AMAZING sister anyone could ask for. She is smart, talented, loving, kind hearted, enthusiastic, entertaining, flamboyant, and so much more. 

One of the things that triggered my desire to write this post was going to see Alexa in her play "The Wizard of Oz" last Friday night. She was the Wicked Witch of the West (by choice, she asked to play that role). She was the most AMAZING Wicked Witch I have ever seen. She was funny, her acting was superb, and you could just tell that she loved playing that role. I was so proud of her. I AM so proud of her. I just wanted to watch the play over and over. She truly is the most AMAZING person on the planet. You could tell she had watched the movie 90 gazillion times so that she could play the part just right. 

Another reason I wanted to write this post is because Alexa isn't here this week. She is at summer camp for a week and I miss her like crazy. She has only been gone for 2 days, but her missing presense is felt by everyone in the house. I miss her so much and I would really like this week to go by quickly so she can be back here with me!!! 

My sister and I are polar opposites in almost every way possible. In the way we act, in the way we dress, in the way we talk and some of that is because we are 7 years apart and some of it is just because of who we are. We could not be more different. We can go into the same closet (we share a room) and I will come out in something simple, nice, and matching, but Alexa will come out in a sparkly, unmatching (a good majority of the time), and extreme outfit that no one would think went together, but that everyone can see that she can pull it off with grace and beauty!!! 

However, three things that we will always have as similarities are 1) Our love for Christ, 2) Our love for our family, and 3) Our love for each other. I think those things are more important than all of our differences combined.

I love my sister with all my heart. Don't get me wrong, we fight, argue, everything that normal sisters do; however, she will always be my sister and I will always love her with everything I have. I will always be proud to call her my sister!!!!

I love the way she snores so loud I can't here myself think, the way she can't sleep without a kiss goodnight or her blanket, the way she cries no matter what emotion she is feeling (happy, sad, excited, etc.), the way her face lights up when our mom walks through the door, her sense of style, her love of Christ, her frustration when she can't walk in our room because of all of my stuff, the way she comforts me when she doesn't even know what is wrong, and so much more.

I will always have special bond with Alexa because she is my one and only sister. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us!!!!

Worst Blogger Ever

I know I am the worst blogger ever. In my defense, I was extremely busy trying to make good grades in school, so it wasn't entirely my fault. I have some things that I have been planning on posting, but before I do that I wanted to update everyone on my life happenings!!! 


 ~ I am going back to ECU in the Fall as a Chemistry and Science Education double major. I am looking forward to seeing all the doors that God is going to open for me in the coming school year. 


 ~ I am working as a Summer Camp Counselor at the YMCA this summer. I am extremely excited for the opportunities that will open up for me. I can't wait to get to know all of the kids and watch them grow over the summer. 


 ~ I made the honor roll this semester in school. I was a little disappointed, but I had to take a 5 credit math class that I was lucky enough to get a B in so the disappointment evaporated quickly. ~ I am so glad to be home for the summer. I love being with my family and being able to sleep in my bed. 


 ~ I am really excited because one of my really good friends, Amanda, is coming to ECU in the fall.  


I can't think of anything else at the moment. Watch for my up coming posts. I promise I will TRY to do better at blogging. We shall see how it goes!!!

50 Fun Facts

On this cold rainy day, I am going to write 50 fun facts about myself. I got this off of my mom's blog.

1. I was borne in Boone, NC. I weighed 9lbs. 13 oz.
2. I am the oldest child in my family.
3. I accepted Jesus Christ when I was 5 years old.
4. I am IN LOVE with Chemistry. It is my passion.
5. I hope to adopt many children one day.
6. I attend East Carolina University and I am a Chemistry and Science Education major.
7. I am a 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.
8. I took piano lessons for 3 1/2 years.
9. I think Psych is the funniest T.V. show in the whole world.
10. I love A.1 Steak Sauce on anything.
11. I have an AMAZING roommate who handles all of my craziness and frequent emotional outbursts.
12. I do not like to say I am 18 years old. I would rather be 17 years and 365+ days.
13. I spelled my dog's name Lillie instead of Lily because I felt the IE looked prissier.
14. I am deathly afraid of frogs, I have been for as long as I can remember.
15. I love learning and studying about Greek mythology.
16. I remember where I was when 9/11 happened. I was I had just turned 8 and I was in our living room. My mom was trying to get my sister to take a nap. She had the T.V. on to drown out any background noise and started yelling and screaming for us to come to her when she saw the explosion on T.V.
17. I have been homeschooled from Kindergarten to graduation. I went to public school for 3 days.
18. I don't like goats, birds, or reptiles.
19. Fall is my favorite season.
20. Listening to music is my most used stress reliever.
21. Strawberry ice cream is my weakness.
22. I cannot stand the smell of coffee or cigarette smoke.
23. I don't like peanut butter or milk.
24. My favorite colors are blue, purple, and orange.
25. I am extremely clumsy.
26. My favorite movie is Pride and Prejudice.
27. Africa is constantly on my mind, in my heart, and in my prayers.
28. I have always loved Pirates, so it is very fitting that I am an ECU pirate.
29. I love organization, but my room is always a mess.
30. I really like cutting the grass (on the riding lawn mower). I find it very relaxing.
31. I love my parents. They are the best in the world.
32. I am 3 1/2 years older than my 14 year old brother, 7 years old than my 11 year old sister, and 9 years older than my 9 year old brother.
33. I have played basketball, soccer, piano, guitar, took Ice Skating lessons and Tae Kwon Do.
34. I think chess is really boring.
35. I have had perfect vision up until college. During Christmas break I had to get reading glasses.
36. I am a Sweet Tea-aholic.
37. I have always had a fear of being locked into places. Two years ago, I got locked into a shower trailer for almost 30 minutes and I thought I was going to die.
38. I have had the same friends for as long as I can remember. I came to college thinking that I wasn't going to be able to easily make new friends, but I was wrong. I have easily made many new friends.
39. I have a very active imagination and have to be very careful about what I read.
40. I have vocal cord dysfunction and so I constantly have to remind my vocal cords how to work properly.
41. I am very close to all of my parents siblings and their children.
42. I have very active grandparents. They are always a part of everything I do.
43. I love the idea of doing craft projects, but never actually get around to doing them.
44. Toms are one of my all time favorite shoes.
45. I want to go to Seattle, Washington someday.
46. I love watching musicals.
47. I love action movies (Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Green Lantern, etc.)
48. I have watched the show "Walker, Texas Ranger" since I was 3 years old. It is one of the only shows that I have watched for as long as I can remember.
49. I enjoy wrapping any kind of present with duct tape.
50. I love being at home and spending time with my family.

It's Not Easy

My mom has always said, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” In other words, anything that is worth accomplishing in life will not be easy to obtain. I have made this saying my motto in life. I have done my best to do everything to the best of my ability and be content with the outcome. Through my first semester at East Carolina University, this motto has been put to the test. Some days, some assignments, and some classes have pushed me to my limits. I was in the middle of my first semester of college and all I wanted to do was give up and go home; however, in the back of my mind I had to remind myself that if getting a college degree were easy, then everyone would have one.

I was homeschooled from Kindergarten to graduation. I was used to always being with my family, knowing exactly what was expected of me, and was completely comfortable in my surroundings. As the aspect of college continued to come closer, I started to worry. I didn’t want to leave my family, my house, my friends, and my familiarity. I knew that going to college had to be my decision and that it wasn’t going to be easy; however, I remembered my life motto.

I got on campus and came to the realization that college was a good fit for me. I still didn’t like being away from my home and family, but I was becoming content with where I was in life. I enjoyed my classes, my professors, and the things I was learning. As the semester progressed, classes got harder, tests got longer, and my stress level got higher. To put it simply, I was tired. I called home already knowing what I would be told, “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”

I made it through the semester and was looking forward to getting a break. The only thing standing between me and my much-anticipated break were finals. If I thought the middle of the semester was stressful, I was in for a big surprise. Finals were the most stressful things I had ever been through in my entire life. I studied as hard as I could. I took each test to the best of my ability. Some grades were not as satisfactory as I had hoped and some grades were more than satisfactory. Throughout the entire week, I had to remind myself, “If college were easy, everyone would be here.”

I had my ups and downs last semester; however, I learned many important things. I learned that college is not as scary has it seems. It is definitely different and takes time and effort to get used to. I learned that finals are a part of getting a college degree. They are not easy, they are not fun, and they are very stressful, but with the proper mental, physical, and emotional preparation finals can be successfully accomplished. Of all the things I learned, the most important things are that gaining a college degree isn’t easy, it can be very stressful, and it can be a challenge; however, if it were easy, everyone would have one.

I am soooo glad I am not an only child!!!!

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. It is exam time and the semester is finally wrapping up.



This weekend, I have been at ECU by myself. My roommate left Thursday afternoon and will be back Sunday afternoon. This is the first time that I have ever been COMPLETELY alone in my whole life, and I have come to this conclusion, I DON'T LIKE IT!!!! I don't like it AT ALL. Sure, everyone loves to have some peace and quiet every once in a while, but a weekend is too long for me.

I am so thankful for my siblings. I may complain about them or argue with them, but at the end of the day I love them with all my heart. I wouldn't trade any of them for anything!!!! Maybe if I had been an only child I would think differently; however, I am not an only child. I don't think I fully realized how TRUELY grateful I am for the siblings that I have, until Thursday night when I was laying in bed starring into the darkness.

Owen - I know you probably don't read my blog, but I want you to know how much I love you. You are my rock and my shield. I know you will defend me in any situation. I love the way you are embarassed by your buffness and how you shy away when any girl tries to come and talk to you. I can't believe that you are taking driver's ed. If I don't think I should be old enough to go to college, then I definitly don't think you are old enough to be driving a car!!! We may fight and get angry with each other every once in a while, but I want you to know that I will ALWAYS love you and I will ALWAYS be there for you!!!

Alexa - I always know I can go to you when I need a good laugh, sometimes I laugh at the joke itself and sometimes I laugh at you because you think you are so funny! :-) I am so thankful that you are my sister. Even though we are completely opposite in our fashion sense, we are similiar in so many other ways. I am so proud of you for stepping out and making friends. I know how hard it is to make new friends. I am so sorry that I missed your first show, I know you did AMAZING!!!! Thank you for being you, and not changing for anyone!!! We will be sisters forever, no matter where we live, no matter how famous you get, no matter what we do in life. I will ALWAYS love you and do anything for you!!!!

Ian - You will always and forever will be my baby. I know that sounds funny, because I am not your mom, but from the moment you were born, I knew we had a bond that no one could break. We are so similar in SO many ways, and I hadn't noticed it until I left for college. You are a very gentle and kind hearted boy. When others are upset or hurting, you are upset and hurting for them also. You are growing up to be an AMAZING young man. I will ALWAYS be there to snuggle with you whenever you want, no matter how big you get. No matter what happens in the future, I will ALWAYS be there and come to you whenever you need me!!!

Baby I don't know - I don't know you yet, but I already love you. You have had a special place in my heart for a long time. I long for the day when I can hold you. I even long for the day when I just know your name. Wherever you are, please know that I love you, I pray for you, and I can't wait until you come home to us.

I wouldn't trade my siblings for anything. They have made me the person I am today and I will be forever grateful!!!