Finished!!

The first semester is over!! I am so excited I am done with the first semester!! WOOHOOO!

The final stretch was a rough one for me. I have pretty much been sick with some form of a cold or sinus infection since Thanksgiving and it decided to go full force on me the week of finals. For about 2 days I was laid up on the couch being pretty pathetic using up a whole box of Kleenex.

I was able to pull it together long enough one night to go out and see 1o out of Tenn a group of artists out of the Nashville area. I went with Brian and Rebecca and had a fabulous time! Matthew Perryman Jones and Will Sayles were part of the group. I haven't seen either of them play since high school, but oh how it brings back memories!

So many AMAZINGLY talented artists are a part of that TOT. I highly recommend checking all of them out! Looking forward to some R&R in Huntsville! Can't wait to see everyone.

I'm heading home in the AM!

Christmas party!

This weekend was the Seminary Christmas Banquet. The banquet was at a local glass factory so during the heavy hourdeurves they had some guys creating different pieces (heating and blowing the glass).

Michelle, (below) my roommate and Sally from our program all rode to The Loop together. Thanks Caylen for a great dress. I got lots of compliments.

The only problem with winter parties here is it REALLY is COLD! The night of the party was in the upper 20's. Yes, that's right. So I took my sweater off once to dance. Otherwise I lived in it! Definitely a new experience partying in the cold.

Katie Traylor and I are still doing school together after 4 years in the same program at Auburn. We apparently couldn't get enough! I love having her here though!Happy early anniversary to Brian and Rebecca! So thankful for their sweet family!

Finals start today! I take my first one this afternoon then start studying for my second/last final. I also have to formulate a 10-page theories paper. So much fun! I'll be in Alabama soon!

Thanksgiving Break

This Thanksgiving while Nana and the family were celebrating an Iron Bowl Thanksgiving I was here in STL celebrating with friends. I came out from under my pile of books to enjoy more food and drink that was humanly possible to consume. Me and 9 of my new friends I made this year got together for a meal on Thursday night. Frank, one of our classmates was even kind enough to donate 2 bottles of champagne for the celebration!Jonathan and Christina were sweet to host it in their apartment in order to make good use of their new dining room table! Christina made her first turkey for Thanksgiving and did a fantastic job!My contributions were a pumpkin pecan pie (got the recipe from a roomie even though I didn't follow it). It was really tasty! Good taste and texture combination!The other dessert I made was a Gingerbread Apple Upside-Down Cake. It was a complete hit! I really loved it. Definitely a different taste than what I am normally eating (gingerbread that is) but totally worth it! Also, it does require a little bit more work than the pumpkin pie.Overall it was a great Thanksgiving with wonderful new friends. I was able to accomplish a lot for school and it will be extremely helpful as I head in to the last week of school and finals!

Happy December!

Costco!!

Super excited Costco opened tonight!! I've been waiting now for a few months. When I say waiting, I mean I emailed Costco to find out the official date that they were opening. Tonight was the grand opening and I needed milk so what better reason to go! Tons of people and TONS of samples!

Why I love Costco...

$1.50 Hotdog & a coke

Free samples (helps make for a bigger lunch or dinner)

Like tonight...I really wasn't hungry after shopping because there was SO much food to eat.

Cheap milk! Between Costco and Sam's I can get the cheapest milk in town!

Costco brand liquor and beer. A bottle of vodka bigger than Grey Goose and way cheaper.

Winter clothes anyone? They have real and fake Uggs. NorthFace jackets, smart wool socks and just about any other winter gear you might need!

Good books for good prices...not that I have time for extracurricular reading at this point. Maybe in another 2-3 years.

And yes, I felt like a creeper taking pictures in Costco. But, I am SUPER excited it is finally open! Now I have a new place to shop/wander because I can't eat all that food.

The City??

Who says I live in the city? Because really it is much closer to the 'burbs. I am at a major highway interchange but still not quite what I would call "the city". Still, living here isn't the country. So I don't expect to see all kinds of wildlife running around. Boy was I mistaken! The surrounding towns aren't kidding when they say "deer next 2 miles". One night driving home I'm pretty sure I saw about 20 deer in a 2.5 mile stretch.

What I wasn't expecting to see today was a deer on the side of the road in the middle of town. Right next to an upscale neighborhood grocery store and shopping center. The funniest part was when the school bus stopped next to me and the kids in the bus peered out the window at the deer. One comment was, "Yup, it sure is dead".

Thanks for joining random thoughts with Mary Martha.

Scavenger Hunt

Friday night I participated in a photo scavenger hunt with a bunch of folks from school. I was SUPER impressed by the organization of the party!

We all showed up Friday night on campus, received instructions and all went out to dinner. We had 1 hour to strategize and eat, then 2 hours to complete as many pictures as possible. It was so much fun running around town taking pictures. These are just a few from our group.

On the slide top-bottom: Me, Chris, Brady, Jennilynn
After all of the hunting we came back to a house to hang out and vote on pictures and winners. Such a fun night making new friends.
I am officially done house sitting and back at the APT. So happy to be back with my roomies!

Celebrations!

This weekend we celebrated Jenilynn's birthday and Halloween! What a great weekend. It was a group effort for a great party, but really Susan should get all the credit. Thanks Mrs. Doni for the sausage-potato-corn chowder recipe! It got LOTS of rave reviews from people. A great, cheap recipe that is super tasty!

So here is my red velvet cake I made. Not in love with the icing but the cake itself turned out pretty good. The first icing recipe called for 3 sticks of butter. I couldn't handle that so I found another one. But apparently it wasn't as good as 3 sticks of butter and a block of cream cheese. The cake though was a really good red velvet cake!Happy Wednesday! Halfway through the week and already NOVEMBER! Man how time flies!