Procrastination Is My Second Favorite Nation

It's only slightly under my number one favorite, the Nole Nation. 

All joking aside, this is going to be an exceptionally long post, and I apologize for that in advance. I've been meaning to get back to this for weeks now, but life has just been crazy! School has been insanely busy, I'm considering some changes in the job department, I lost my car keys and spent 4 days stranded in Tallahassee at Jordan's, and I've been having way too much fun! 

Halloween:
So anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore Halloween, but I am sad to say that I didn't participate in a single Halloween activity... not even the Unveiled group's Halloween party! I did get to see some of my favorite kids dressed up in their adorable costumes in pictures on facebook, and got some awesome snapchats of some of the costumes from the IBC party. I have BIG plans for next Halloween, so y'all better believe I'm going to be bringing it! 

My Big Weekend in Tallahassee That Resulted in Lost Keys:
The 9-12 was a big weekend for me! My friends and I had our monthly poker night at Jonathan's, and then Jordan, Sarah, Tracy, and I went back to Jordan and Sarah's place to have a sleepover and a late (and I do mean late!) night rehearsal session. Jordan, Tracy, and I sang "Jesus, Friend of Sinners" at church on that Sunday. We killed it! I think we should never sing apart again ☺ For anyone that hasn't seen the video, but would like to, click here. Even after all the times we practiced and all the times I've watched the video, I still get chills and tears in my eyes when Jordan hits that second "and I was the outcast." She is amazing. Seriously. Huge shout-out to Tracy, without whom this project would not have been possible! Just wait til y'all see what we're cooking up next ☺ Sunday night, we had a bunch of the IBC Unveiled group come over for Disney movie night, and we watched and sang along to Tangled, Hercules, The Lion King, and The Emperor's New Groove. Not a bad night! Monday morning, Jonathan, Kenny, Jordan, Sarah, and myself celebrated Veteran's Day by brunching it up at IHOP. It was then that I noticed my keys were missing, and they've yet to turn up. Sad face. 

So Jordan and I hung out after brunch, and I caught up on Once Upon a Time while the boys and Sarah went to work out before we were all set to meet up with several other friends at the fair. We had a blast at the fairgrounds! We had a big group, and it's always so great to get together with good people. Tuesday I bailed out of work because I literally had no clean clothes (I was only supposed to stay at Jordan's for one night!) so she took me to school Tuesday and then we hung out til my brother got off work and came to get me. He brought my Krista girl, and she was so excited to see me! I really missed her and Kala, but I hope I never have to ride 45 minutes in a car with Krista again haha. She has no car riding etiquette! Michael dropped me off at my cousin's house, because I was having my first tutoring session with her. I've been really excited about tutoring her, not just because I'm so happy to be able to help such a sweet girl, but also because I really need the practice for when teaching is my career. She's been doing great! Needless to say, it was amazing to be in my own bed. Wednesday, my brother had to take me back to Tallahassee to the DCJ dealership to get my key codes, and I had to get a few spares made. $200+ later, Landon and I are back in action! ☺

Tampa Trip!
Saturday morning, Justin, William, Tori, and I took off for a whirlwind adventure in Tampa for mine and Justin's first NFL game! We went to see our Falcons take on William's Bucs, and sadly, the Falcs decided they didn't really need to impress anybody, so they got stomped for most of the game. They made a valiant comeback effort in the 4th, but by then it was too far gone. It was a great weekend, though! We enjoyed lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and watched the Gator game at The Press Box. If you're ever in Tampa and need a place to watch the game, check them out! they're great! We went to church at Christ Fellowship Church, and really enjoyed the service! After a little adventure trying to find William and Tori some Bucs gear, a feat you wouldn't think too difficult in Tampa but surprisingly was, we were off to the stadium! We had a great time; it was a little warm, but our seats were in the shade, and we enjoyed the bird's eye view (which is another way of saying we had nosebleed seats haha). We decided to make the Bucs-Falcons game an annual trip, and we could alternate venues. I love having a group of friends that like to travel! We wrapped up our trip with dinner at the amazing Burger 21, and headed back home. What a weekend! 

So, the pirate ship in the end zone is pretty cool ☺

Returning to Life as I Typically Know It:

It's been tough. I always have a difficult time recuperating from a trip, mostly because I don't want it to end. Mom and I went to my orientation at FSU on Monday at 8 am, which was a drag, because I got up at 5:40 am after being on the phone with J until about 2:30, and only sleeping about 6 hours in the hotel the night before. Horrible idea. I seriously can't stress that enough! Orientation was very informative, though, as it always is, and I met some very nice people. I was able to register for my classes, and I'm ready to get into the classroom and start the next chapter of my life! Tuesday night I tutored my sweet cousin again, and Wednesday, went to the doctor and took the day off work cause I absolutely felt awful. I let myself get too run down with lack of sleep, and then I end up really sick. Thankfully, I was feeling better yesterday, and even better today. Last night, Jordan, Sarah, John, Jonathan, Kenny, and I went to see Catching Fire. It was AMAZING. I laughed. I cried. I made Jordan hold my hand for like 20 minutes because I was so emotionally distraught at what Katniss witnessed as she was being beamed up into the games. It was absolutely well done. Brava, Catching Fire! Brava! 

Today, after class, I had a nice, quick cupcake date with Kara and Jordan. We enjoyed Lucy and Leo's Catching Fire themed cupcakes! 

Capitol Cupcake (vanilla cupcake with vanilla icing and over-the-top gold sprinkles), The Arena Cupcake (red velvet with water blue cream cheese icing and a Swedish fish candy), and the Cupcake on Fire (vanilla cupcake with fire colored buttercream). YUM! Much to Jordan's disappointment, they were out of the Drunken Haymitch (chocolate cupcake with Bailey's Irish Cream icing) by the time we got there. 

after another night of only about 4 hours of sleep, I am ready for my bed and the DVR. I have to catch up on Top Chef, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Parenthood, and Grey's Anatomy. I really have too much on my plate to be involved in so many shows! Ridiculous. I'm really looking forward to a relaxing couple of days, though. On Sunday, IBC is having their Thanksgiving lunch after the noon worship service for the college group. If you live here, personally know me, and would like to attend, you know how to get ahold of me, and we'd love to have you! 

On a completely random note, have y'all seen the AcaBelle's from FSU's viral video? They cover Lorde's "Royals," a song I'd never heard until 2 days ago, and now can't get out of my head! Click here to check them out. I really want to be a part of them when I start FSU! 

Thanks for sticking with me, this is a learning process for both of us, I assure you! I wanted to post some of the things I've been writing in my writing class, but I want to get them published, and in order to do that, they can't be posted online until they've been published in the literary magazines. I know y'all are as disappointed as I am haha. Until next time!

xoxo,
Mal

Sorry I Suck

Since this blogging thing is pretty new to me, I pretty much suck at it. I have had an incredibly busy week, the icing on the cake being a test at 8:30 this morning that I thought was on Halloween. Fortunately, I was made aware on Tuesday, so I was able to successfully study, and I feel like I aced it. I guess we'll find out next week.

I got my new iPhone! I opted for the green 5c, and I have the cutest little yellow case from Apple. I'm still waiting for Otter Box to get their act together and get the new Defender cases out so that I can feel better about the safety of my new phone. 

This is what I have now. I really like it, but I just don't feel safe if 

I were to drop the phone. I have problems, y'all, but the thought of 

shattering my phone is devastating.

I'm having a hard time deciding on color. Green and violet (above) 

or green and navy (below)?

So, I thought I had all of the apartment stuff figured out, but since my dad has deemed the area I want to live "unsafe," I am back to the drawing board. After spending a few hours yesterday afternoon dejectedly searching for a place that I loved as much as Silverleaf for the same price and literally finding nothing, William presents me with the question, "Hey, what if we got a place together?" The thought had crossed my mind, but I never really fully explored it. We're good friends, and we get along wonderfully, not to mention that this would save us both quite a bit of money. We haven't made any concrete decisions, and we're taking it into prayerful consideration.

After spending an hour or so looking for 2/2's last night, I found the beautiful Banyon Bay Apartments. William and I are in love with this place. It's on the right side of town for his commute back to Monticello, it's right around the corner from church, and the best part? We're literally just across the street from our friends Jordan and Sarah! It's inexpensive, a great location, a beautiful floorplan, and big. I'm going after work today before Unveiled to check it out. 

I love the built in laundry room. It will make life so much easier!

I have about 3 weeks worth of homework to do on Saturday before I take Sarah to see Insidious 2. I'm really not looking forward to it, but I have a major World History test on Halloween that I will fail if I don't do get it done. Procrastination is not my friend, and yet I spend so much time participating! 

On Sunday after church, Jordan is having a PartyLite party, and then afterward, IBC has their annual Fall Festival and their Men's Chili Cookoff. I have to say I am quite excited for all of the festivities, so I need to take care to get my stuff accomplished on Saturday. I have gotten out of the habit of writing everything down in my planner, and part of my organization revolution is to pick that up again. My to-do list is daunting, but I'm ready to tackle it! 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday! 

xoxo,

Mal

The Future Can't Get Here Soon Enough

Today I spent a lot of time planning for things that won't happen for a few more months while procrastinating on things I need to have done tomorrow. However, I did end up making the most beautiful mock-up of my soon-to-be apartment with all the furniture I have for it. 

I can't wait to get in there and decorate!

I found the website that allowed me to do this on Pinterest, and I absolutely love it. I was able to play around with many different pieces of furniture, and could even add doors and windows to where they need to be. My only complaint is that I couldn't do the kitchen or the bathroom because they didn't have the option for it. You can redesign your own home using this link.

I got my stuff back from Jen Jones over at iheart organizing! and I am absolutely enamored. Here are a couple of sample pictures of her printables. She has plenty of free ones on her website!

I am very excited to move out and put all my newly learned organization plans into action. I want my apartment to stay as clean as it looks on the mock-up ☺ Anyone who knows me knows what a feat that will be! 

In other exciting news, my friend Jordan and I will be singing a duet for offertory on Sunday, November 10, so come support us if you'd like! Also, I'm hoping to get my iPhone 5c tomorrow. My new Atlanta Falcons shirt arrived last night, and I'm hoping my new jeans are there tonight when I get home. 

Excuse the terrible backwards picture, y'all, but isn't it just fabulous?

Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time at dinner last night, and I'm looking forward to Unveiled tomorrow. I really love having a Bible study to attend midweek since regular Wednesday night church is too early for me to attend since I work so late. I look forward to Thursdays so much! 

I hope that everyone is having an amazing week!

xoxo,

Mal

PS: I bought some ahhhhh-mazing cupcakes from Lucy and Leo's today---- be very, very jealous! 

Never Mind Me

Hi. If you're looking for inspiration, humor, and witticism, come back tomorrow, or go visit The Bloggess, because this isn't a real post. These are the ramblings of an over-tired girl who has too much time time at work left to kill. Still with me? Ok, good. I was hoping you would be. 

I don't think I got a single decent hour of sleep this weekend, and I packed a lot of stuff into my waking hours. I did successfully work on my puzzle with my puzzle-loving mama on Friday night for a few hours before heading out to the little watering hole in my town with a good buddy. 

It may not look like much, but trust me, y'all--- it's a BIG deal! Mom has done more of it since I took this picture Friday night, but this is all I was able to help with. 

Since I dragged myself home about about 2:30 am, and didn't go to bed until almost 4, I slept until 1:30 pm Saturday afternoon. I folded an insane amount of laundry that I had piled up on my little love seat in my bedroom, watched Thursday night's Grey's, and started the season premiere of Parenthood before the Gators kicked off at 3:30. Hate it for J that his team lost, but I didn't mind watching LSU take the victory. It's been awhile since FSU could say they were undefeated while the Gators nurse two losses going into Week 8. ☺ I managed to make a dent in de-cluttering my closet before heading off to watch my cousin's precious baby boy, K, for a few hours. I sure do love that kid. I got home about midnight, and for some reason, was unable to sleep til about 2 or so. Someone did not want me sleeping this weekend!

Sunday morning, I missed my first official Sunday as an Immanuel member in order to celebrate homecoming at my home church. What a wonderful celebration it was! I missed Sunday school because I was so tired, but I thoroughly enjoyed the service and the message that our guest speaker brought, and we had a very special guest leading the music: our old youth pastor! It was really great to see them. As is always the case at a Baptist church function, I overindulged on the food and good company. I rushed home just long enough to change clothes and drive to Tallahassee, so I could spend the evening/night babysitting M and T, two of the sweetest and most handsome boys you'll ever meet in your life. It was a rambunctious night filled with sock baseball, ice cream, and Duck Dynasty. I did manage to get enough peace and quiet before bedtime to watch Once Upon a Time (SPOILER: Does anyone else think that Mulan was trying to tell Aurora that she loves her, and not Phillip, because I totally do) before the kids went to bed, and Grease once they were soundly tucked in. Their parents got home excruciatingly late, though, so it was nearly 3 am when I got home... on a school night. Needless to say, I didn't make it to class today. 

Conversation between me and J this evening about this very subject:
J: How was class?
Me: I wouldn't know. 
J: You wouldn't... know?
Me: No. I got less than 4 hours of sleep, of course I didn't go.
J: Well, at least this time you had a reason, not like those two days last week you didn't go because you "just didn't feel like it."
Me: ...I feel like that's a perfectly acceptable reason to miss class!
J: You would. 

I would have loved to have been able to sleep in this morning since the rest of my family didn't have to work or go to class on 4 hours of sleep, but no, the Dish Network guy coming to install our Hopper system got to our house before 8 am. No rest for the weary on the Rockin' K Ranch this morning! However, all in all, the weekend was pretty much worth it. I ordered my Falcons shirt for my impending trip to Tampa with J, William, and Tori, along with a new pair of jeans and some Falcons jewelry. Today I ordered an Apple case for the iPhone 5c, which I hope to be getting tomorrow. I am pretty excited! Tomorrow, I am looking forward to being well-rested, and a late dinner at BJ's Brewhouse, one of my favorite restaurant's that just opened in Tallahassee, with Jordan, William, and Tori. I am very much looking forward to it! 

I'm also looking forward to the matchup this weekend between FSU and Clemson. I think we have the talent to defeat them, as long as we don't let our ever-present egos get in the way. GO NOLES! 

I bought a few printables for organization from Jen Jones' Etsy shop this afternoon, and I cannot wait to get them back personalized with my monogram! I just love her. I wish I could pay her to come move me into my apartment in January and get me organized! 

A few people have asked where the name of my blog came from. It comes from a Brad Paisley song of the same title, and it's pretty awesome. I do love me some Brad Paisley!!! Here's a link to the song so you can check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NeawYqxX2c

I think that about ends my rambles for today. Sorry this post was so disjointed; if not for having J on the phone, I seriously think I'd be drooling on my keyboard, fast asleep. Check back with me tomorrow or the next day, and maybe I'll have something legitimate to post about. ☺ Until then, be safe! 

xoxo,
Mal

Friday, Payday

What a week this has been! I've been staving off the urge to stay in bed every day this week. Since my Monday/Wednesday/Friday creative writing class at TCC has been cancelled all week, I had a hard time making myself get out of bed for my history classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I didn't. I get a huge thumbs down on the school chart this week. :(

My mom and I went to FSU's campus bright and early this morning to pay for orientation registration (can you believe they charged $35 apiece? And lunch isn't included!) and to get my FSUCard made. I look quite lovely, if I do say so myself. ☺ When that endeavor was complete, we went to visit two of the apartments we'd found. I had my heart set on Silverleaf, and actually received word earlier this week that my application was accepted, so Mom wanted to see the place for herself, and we also wanted to look at Campus Walk. When I looked at the pictures online, I hated it instantly. I am a big-time decorator, and the there are cinder block walls at CW. That's a major turn off to this girl! However, the apartment was much nicer and much more spacious than the pictures online indicated. After having a hard time getting in and out of the complex, $35/month extra for "pet rent," and a questionable parking situation, Silverleaf is the winner! I am so excited to go sign a lease. Hopefully that will happen next week. Time to get myself into gear and going through my stuff  and getting ready for my newly adopted minimalist lifestyle! I don't want to bring clutter or my old clutter-y habits to the new place with me. I plan to start preparing tonight whenever I decide to not be lazy. I have a lot of tv to catch up on! 

I watched the season premier of American Horror Story: Coven, and I have to say, I wasn't overly impressed with the premier. I'm hoping for some uber-creepy things next week. Taissa Farmiga still leaves a lot to be desired as a lead actress, and I'm pretty sick of seeing Jessica Lange play the same b-word character. It is exhausting! 

I'm looking forward to watching this week's Grey's Anatomy, and I do hope that Catherine Avery is gone and that Richard has gotten over himself. He has spent 5 years trying to make Meredith his family, and now that she's on board, he acts like a total jerk? I won't stand for it! I'm so sad this is Sandra Oh's last season; I will miss her. 

I have a lot of work I hope to get done on my puzzle tonight and tomorrow, although I haven't touched it in about 3 weeks because it's so stinking difficult. I haven't done a puzzle in years, so naturally, I picked the hardest one I could find, a 1000 piece Thomas Kinkade work of art. 

Beautiful, but hard as all get out! I've only managed to successfully put the boarder together, along with Ashley and Miss Melly, and the top parts of Scarlet and Rhett. My work is cut out for me, but when I frame it and hang it in my new place, it will be so worth it!

My Noles are off this weekend, my Braves are done for the season, and my high school Warriors are also off this weekend, so the only game I'll get to watch is the LSU-UF game, and I hope it's a good one! 

I'm looking forward to a quietly awesome weekend. I'm babysitting the sweetest little boy around tomorrow afternoon/evening, and then babysitting some pretty awesome boys on Sunday after enjoying Homecoming at my home church. I'm sad that I'm missing the Fall Retreat with my college group from Immanuel, but I know they'll have a great time without me, and hopefully will bring back some Godly wisdom that's been dropped on them by Luke and the guest speaker. I can't wait to hear all about how God moved! 

I'm kissing work goodbye for two days, and going to pick up dinner from Chicken Salad Chick. If you haven't been there and there's one in your area, don't walk, run, and chow down! My prayer is for a safe and happy weekend for everyone. Laissez les bons temps rouler, y'all! 

xoxo,
Mal

PS: Here's what J had to say when I told him about CW charging pet rent ☺ 

I sure do love his quick wit! 

Welcome, Y'all!

Welcome aboard the hot mess express! This life sure is a crazy one, isn't it? This upcoming year is bringing a lot of firsts for me. I'm starting as a junior at Florida State University as a double major in English with Literature and history, I'm moving out of my parent's home (for the second time), and I'll be living by myself for the first time ever (with my cat, Kala, of course!), meaning that I (a classic over-spender) will be making and sticking to a Dave Ramsey budget.   At 25, I'm older than most "traditional" students, and I also have a 40-hour a week job with an agency contracted by the Florida Department of Children and Families. 

My desk sure is a mess, y'all. 

As you can see in the picture, I am a super messy person. Not like, garbage everywhere and bugs and grossness, but clutter. I'm clutterful! I'm going to be embarking on a journey when I get into my new apartment on January first to de-clutter my life and to get into a lifestyle of organization that will become first nature. I'm a "leave it and forget it" girl, leaving to me to always wonder where my keys, my left shoe, and often, my mind are. I just discovered Jen Jones' blog, and she is the epitome of what I want to be. 

Like I said... a lot of changes for 2014, and the best time to start is tomorrow NOW. I have a little less than 3 months to start getting my life on track. I hope my readers will be faithful supporters of me in this endeavor. 

What I want to accomplish with this blog:

1. Create a community of shared ideas and experiences.

2. Be an encouragement and Christlike example to someone facing the same or similar struggles as myself.

3. Depict my journey, not only for my readers, but for my future self, husband, and children, as a virtual memory book of how God and I changed my life. 

4.This blog will be all over the place, kind of like me, so if you prefer one theme with a solid structure, this will most likely drive you insane, but I appreciate you popping by or staying anyway. 

Some things to know about me:

I'm a Christian, and in the last few months, have been much better at it than I've been in awhile. I'm getting my bearings back, and this past Sunday, I left my home church and joined Immanuel Baptist Church, which I've been attending since May.  I'm a southern girl to my very core, meaning that I run around barefoot often, say "bless your heart," believe pearls are a staple (no matter how tomboyish you are), and monogram everything. I am, plain and simple, fanatical about my sports teams. I am a die-hard Atlanta Braves and Florida State Seminoles fan, and I am wickedly disappointed in my Braves for letting me down, not advancing in the playoffs, and most importantly, not bringing the World Series pennant home to Atlanta. The only thing I'm more obsessed with than Braves baseball and Nole football is monograms, and I am, quite literally, obsessed in every sense of the word. My best friend, J, is my biggest supporter, and I'd be totally lost without him. I love Starbucks. Music is my life; I don't know what I'd do if I wasn't blessed with the ability to sing. I prefer Christian music, country, and 60's, 70's, and 80's rock with some 90's thrown in. I'm addicted to facebook, my iPhone, Pinterest, and Words with Friends. I spend way too much time laughing at the hilarious Jenny Lawson's blog.  I'm a grammar nazi, which comes in handy, because my dream is to teach high school English and history. I love creative writing and photography, and will post a lot of my work on here. I absolutely adore dressing up, whether it's fancy or costumey. I also love to make up words (STOP JUDGING ME, J!) I spend too much of my time dreaming of my future, and not enough time actively preparing for it. I'm a kind, compassionate person who loves to spend time with her friends and solve their problems. I'm exceptionally nosy, and having a guy as a best friend isn't conducive to my nosiness, because he will purposefully leave out juicy details just to make me suffer (all in good fun, of course!). I have a younger brother, and my parents have been married for over 30 years. I have an 18 year old cat, Kala, and an 8 month old lab puppy, Krista.  The TV shows I can't live without are Once Upon a Time, Grey's Anatomy, and American Horror Story. I'm learning to craft, thanks to my Pinterest addiction, and I love to bake and cook. I still love Disney movies, and my Netflix cue is full of them. I think abandoned theme parks are amazing, and I wish I wasn't so scared of jail, because I'd love to explore one. I love kids, and spend as much time as I can with them. I love to laugh, and I will laugh at just about anything. J tells the best jokes, and he's got the best sarcastic one-liners. He keeps me in stitches! I will post things from my list of "Shit J Says" often. I love my family and friends more than anything in this world. I also tend to ramble, which I will try to temper. ☺

I think that about sums it up for now! Again, welcome, and thanks for embarking on this journey with me! For your entertainment, here are some fun photos of my life. Enjoy! 

xoxo,

Mal

J and I at a Braves game in 2012

Victoria and I on a midnight trip to St. George Island

Virginia and I as Janis Joplin and Marilyn Monroe at my birthday party in 2012

Kala

Krista

Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fl

Turner Field, Atlanta, Ga

Thomas Kinkade's Cinderella's Castle, a tribute to my 

favorite painter and love of Disney