ak got me!

so i'm great at checking for updates on my "regular blogs," however i seem to casually forget i have my own! i'm really bad about blogging if anything else is going on in the evenings- which is pretty much every night now that i'm student teaching! i know, i know, poor excuse. as i read ak's blog, i decided that since i was "tagged," i had no excuse but to respond! so here goes...

six things that make me happy...

1. babies! i am absolutely in love with children, particularly those under the age of one. my new nephew, wyatt, is my absolute favorite. i am known to stop everything i'm doing and swoon at the sight of a beautiful baby- just ask john! he has deemed it "baby fever," and rolls his eyes in amusement at my fascination everytime this happens. get used to it babe! :)
2. tan lines. my mom has native american blood in her that has allowed me the good fortune of olive-toned skin that tans very easily. i was often teased for it as a child, being called the "oreo" because my skin would turn so dark. after a few tears and years of maturity, i now take pride in those so-called "hideous" lines and skin. i'm so proud of the blood that runs through my veins and feel blessed to be a part of such culture.
3. emmy. if you know me, you know that i love dogs almost as much as i love babies. emmy is my 110 pound bundle of unconditional love. as irritated as i get with her 5am wake-up calls, 2am potty runs and incessant tugging on walks, i wouldn't trade her for the world. she is the definition of a life lived "nothing without joy."
4. family. i know everyone says this about their family, but i'm going to say it and MEAN it about my own. my family is incredible. when one falls, we all fall; however, we're the best support system in the world to pull each other back up. my mom is the one i call to when i'm crying over a bad day, knowing she'll lift my spirits and set my mood. the lucky lady i call my mom is filled with grace, so compassionate it is almost immaginable. my dad is the person i call when i need a good laugh or a prayer to get through the day. he is such a man of God, and his calling to pastor a church was never a doubt in my mind. this man's love for the Lord transcends all else and is an inspiration for me daily.
   
5. john pollock. amazing. this guy makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. john is the boyfriend of every girl's dreams. when i have a bad day, he's waiting for me with a pint of ice cream and a listening ear. when i'm overjoyed, he picks me up and wants to hear all about it. when my kidney stones hit, he's next to me day and night, letting me squeeze his poor hands to death. he even does church nursery with me, all while smiling and saying, "i love you."
6. life. today john and i were driving home from visiting my family in raleigh, nc. i was all smiles driving back, just thinking about how fortunate i am to be a child of God, born into such a loving family, surrounded by incredible people, living a life filled with joy. this life is good. so good, and i refuse to acknowledge it enough. :)
   

six oddities of mine...

1. i'm a grammar nazi. i can't stand people that end sentences in "at" (or other prepositions). i love punctuation, yet i hate capital letters, as evidenced by all online writing that i do!
2. i sleep in a ball at night. i've had a double-bed since i was out of the crib, yet still manage to use about a quarter of it every night, regardless of the weather.
   
3. i love string cheese. and i eat it daily for lunch.
   
4. my sweet tooth is the size of texas. i don't think i've met anyone who loves sugary foods as much as i do. while in raleigh, john and i drank insane amounts of sweet tea (thanks matt & ali!). we drank so much in fact, that it gave john a headache! me, i just kept drinking like it was water. i think i have sugar in my veins.
5. i wear old man slippers. yep, the kind that look like moccasins and come from wal-mart-- those are the best!
6. i love to write. you wouldn't know it by my lack of writing online, but i love to write. i never journaled/kept a diary as a child, but i love to write now that i'm an adult. whether it's a reflection for class, fiction for creative writing or personal notes in a devotional, i love to spill it all with a pilot g-2 pen and some handmade paper.

there ya go! i'll try to post pics from our weekend in raleigh very soon! :)