southern roots

i never imagined i'd end up in arkansas. ever. but obviously God has a sense of humor and loves to humble us by completely changing our own plans for our lives. and that's what he did with mine. i transferred from LSU to University of Arkansas in august of 2004, and have been in arkansas since. and i can sincerely say that i truly love it. sometimes i think that there's no where else i'd rather live. however, with that said, i still am so tightly bound to my louisiana roots.
the night before i left to move to arkansas, my best friend, sage, said to me, "roots, family, and friends, weez; roots, family, and friends. dont ever forget that!" although she was somewhat joking, it has completely stuck with me! and she often reminds me of this pretty much every time we are together. this past weekend i have spent a few days back home in louisiana around family and good friends, and just came to the realization that being from louisiana will always be part of my identity. and i love it. it's such a unique place and culture. i mean, for example, tonight me and katie when to get a daquiri and 8:00 on a SUNDAY night. seriously, where else can you do that?! and i know louisiana's landscape isn't impressive as a national park, mountains, beaches, etc., but i love that we find beauty in bayous, huge oak trees, plantations, mossy trees, and insanely loud nights in tiger stadium...you may think this is an exaggeration, but it IS a beautiful thing.
for the past 2 mornings i have sat outside on the porch overlooking the lake drinking coffee and just sitting there. pure bliss. no thoughts about chores, to-do lists, work, exercise, blah blah blah. not a worry in the world. love love love these simple pleasures.
and last night was molly and jeb's engagement party, so what'd we do? get all of our crazy friends and family together to celebrate! and of course in typical louisiana fashion, this pretty much involved good food, good friends, drinks, and....yep...lsu football. (granted, this was not a very impressive win at all, but all that matters is they won, right?) and today we had molly's shower out at a childhood friend's house. i hadn't been out there in YEARS, but it was just the way i remembered it: an old plantation house, huge oaks lining the street, 'skeeters biting the minute you step out the door, and a huge porch complete with a swing and rocking chairs. ohh how i didn't seem to appreciate these small things when i was growing up here. but what kid is like "oh my, what a gorgeous sunset!", or "these oaks are timeless." it's only after the fact that these things seems to matter and mean something.
so, yeah, i admit it, i love louisiana. i also love arkansas and that is my home. i also love the hogs and cheer for them. but regardless, my southern roots run pretty deep, and i'll be takin 'em wherever i go.

ice storm...again?

ice storm AGAIN? really? it was this same exact time last year that NWA experienced a level 5 ice storm. i didn't think it was possible to happen again only a year later! all the bad stuff is supposed to move in sometime tomorrow around noon. boo. normally i would love a day or two off of work, but if it's anything like last year, count me out! i'd rather go to work than lose electricity and see half the trees in fayetteville snapped in half, and the whole region be a complete mess. it took a solid 4-5 months to clean up from last year! crazy how powerful and unrelenting these storms can be! regardless, we've stocked up on batteries, bottled water, and gave the pups a bath since they'll be confined to the kitchen until this passes. we may have to start getting creative on ways to keep ourselves entertained just in case we lose power. only until you've lost power do you realize how dependent you've become on TVs, computers, and cell phones! i guess we'll have to find a deck a cards, a book, and the scrabble board...FUN.

spring, are you there?

this week i have had a bad case of spring fever. after the arctic assault we had 2 weeks ago, pretty safe to say i am completely ready for warmer weather. never have i ever been in such freezing cold temps. i dont know how to deal with cold weather, and i think we're definitley ill-equipped for it. who knew that you had to keep your faucets dripping to keep them from freezing? not me!

although, i must confess, our recent ski trip to colorado was incredible. maybe it was the scenery. the one day the sun was actually out, you could see what looked like tiny crystals floating everywhere. it was like every drop of moisture in the air was frozen. and skiing down a mountain when it's snowing so hard you can barely see is amazing. so i guess i just talked myself into liking cold weather again. shoot.

regardless, i am ALWAYS excited when it starts getting warm again outside. although i think this past week was an exception and not necessarily an accurate predictor of an early spring. but i just cant wait to get back outside!! i dont know if my seasonal affective disorder can take it much longer! running on the treadmill will only last so long, and indoor heat and lighting just aren't cutting it anymore. i need a good sunburn, and i cant wait to roll the windowns down in the car. funny how each season makes you appreciate and anticipate the next. i am always in awe at creation and how the Lord made everything with such timing and individuality. nature truly continues to amaze me. i think one of the best experiences/memories i have was last spring at the buffalo river. ben and i had gone canoeing on the buffalo one day, and with about 15 minutes left on our float, it starting POURING. everything seemed to be silent and still, and all you could hear was the rain. and even the river was calm. we were surrounded by huge bluffs one on side and trees on the other. we just quit paddling and sat in our canoe getting soaked. it was awesome.

oh, hello 2010

so, after a little year-long hiatus, im attempting this yet again. i think it's probably some combination of denouncing my secret passion for trashy TV, the beginning of a new year, and the attempt to change up my monotonous routines that is driving me toward something more productive and engaging of my time, thoughts, and energy. so, instead of summarzing the entire year of 2009, i think i'll just resume from present day.

ok, so i tend to get bored easily; with hobbies, jobs, location, myself, etc. Not sure if this is dangerous or not, but as long as i dont act too impulsively, i actually think it can be productive. why stay stagnant doing the same things in life? when there are so many places to be seen, so many things to do, people to meet, and things to try, it seems like such a waste to continue on with the same exact routine for years and years. i just hope i can always change things up and keep life exciting. granted, im not saying im quitting my job and throwing all responsibility to the wind (i actually love my job, for the record). just desire to always be open to new things. seems like a luxury, but i think with creativity and some intentional effort it's possible. with that said, a couple of new things i desire to do/learn: (in no particular order): greece, missions, learning to play the guitar, photography, run a full marathon, and just learn that there is more to life than what goes on in my comfortable and content life.

these have no particular time frame; i tend to set myself up for failure if i put a time limit on anything. hopefully i can actually be proactive in the transition from turning an idea into reality and something tangible. historically not my greatest quality, but we'll see how this year unravels.