WASHINGTON

Okay, so the trip that Mom and I took to Washington to see Tony, Kristen, and Madison went great. While we were there, we celebrated Madison's 1st birthday. Kristen posted pictures of her "wearing" her birthday cake (thedearmonds.blogspot.com).

However, the crowning glory of our trip was Mt. Baker. We went snowboarding to celebrate my birthday early and it was amazing. Kristen and I were the only girls that went, but Tony and a few of his buddies (Dawson, Thor, and Flournoy) went which made it incredibly intertaining. Mom stayed home with Madison so they could have a day to themselves and also so that Madison would have some freedom instead of being cooped up in the lodge all day.

I have always wanted to go snowboarding, it's always been on that list of "Things To Do Before I Die." Well - now it's done. It was so much fun. I used more muscles than I even knew I had (which made the plane ride home a little stiff). I was able to stand up and get going on the board, my only problem was the stopping part. The only way I knew how to stop was to . . . fall. Well, apparently whenever I fall on hard-packed snow I don't just land . . . I bounce - and flip - and tumble. I don't regret it thought. All the pain is gone and I have great memories - I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Those boots are not only hard to walk in but also difficult to get off the board.

That's the tow rope that took us up the "bunny hill." Looks easy, right? No - it's not.

That's me in the middle (the horizontal black line) - flat on my face.

I finally got the hang of staying upright.

But, this is the only way I could stop.

RASCAL FLATTS!

This past weekend I was able to go to the Rascal Flatts concert. I went with Becca because her parents got tickets to surprise her as an early birthday present.

The concert was incredible. Kellie Pickler opened up and sang a few of her songs. I didn't know all of her songs, but needless to say I've already bought a few on iTunes. She was really funny on stage talking to the audience.

Rascal Flatts of course was amazing. They sang a lot of their older songs along with a few from their newest album. It was great because I knew almost all of their songs. I got some pretty good pictures. I was clever enough to figure out how to take a picture with my digital camera through the binocular lens to get an even better shot.

The entire night was great. I already loved Rascal Flatts but now I love them even more, and now I love Kellie Pickler just as much.

Puppies

Here are some pictures of the puppies, Angel and Rusty.

Rusty is technically Madison's puppy - but we still love him like our own.

Daddy likes to get down in the floor and get them both running around like crazy.

Rusty LOVES Angel - she could definitely live without him.

He just looks sad, he's not though. He's really a happy, HAPPY puppy. He LOVES it here.

Modest is Hottest?

Okay, I consider myself to be a very modest person. I'm not comfortable wearing revealing clothes at home, much less in public. Obviously I know that most girls my age don't exactly have my same idea about modesty. Being the people-watcher that I am on a daily basis it is becoming ever more clear how many girls have a distorted body image. Now, when I say "distorted body image" you may be thinking that I'm referring to attractive girls that think of themselves as ugly. However, that is not who I am referring to. I really admire some girls for their boldness to wear outrageous outfits - bright colors, bold designs. But, then there are the girls that take it to the extreme. The Size 6 that's wearing a SMALL top and SIZE 2 jeans. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with size 6 - that's healthy. But when a girl tries to squeeze herself into something that is not right for her body type she ends up doing more damage to her image than good. I'm a firm believer in wearing clothes that make you feel good as a person and as a female - but I also believe in modesty. This may not mean much coming from "jeans and t-shirt," but I think it's important, not only for the sake of a disgraceful reputation, but also self-image, to wear appropriate clothing for body type and venue. Okay, I'm done.

"Your clothes should be tight enough to show that you are a woman, but loose enough to prove that you are a lady."

Excitement Awaits

Following the events of the last few days, it's incredibly refreshing to be excited about upcoming adventures.

One of which I cannot discuss openly but it's going to be INCREDIBLE!! I'll just say that in due time not only will there be full disclosure but pictures as well. (I'm getting giddy just thinking about it.)

Okay, I know it's not fair to talk about being excited about something that I officially can't talk about (not confusing at all) so how about I delve into something that I can discuss freely. In exactly one (1) week, Mom and I will be on our way to Washington. I'm not sure if we'll still be in the air or waiting on the shuttle or what, but we'll be almost there.

The 6-hour nonstop flight may prove to be taxing but I fully intend to use that time to be productive. If I try really hard, I think I can watch three (3) movies in that time.

I can't wait to see Madison again. We saw her on the webcam last night and she's so talkative and she's trying to stand up. It's all very exciting.

I'm also really "stoked" to go snowboarding for the first time!! I'm fully aware of the fact that I will be on the "bunny hill" and that I will fall down a lot. Who am I kidding? I'm the klutz that falls UP the stairs. I just hope that I don't break anything (knock on wood). I think the University of Memphis campus is a little too big for me to have to hobble around on crutches.

Anyway, that's all the exciting news that I have.

Until another time . . .

FIRST BLOG

Well, I just made my own blogging page which makes this my first blog. I'm not much of a "blogger" but I've always wanted to keep a journal. I don't really care for writing (pen and paper type) but I love words and I love typing so we'll see how this goes.

School's going really good (University of Memphis - GO TIGERS!). I'm really enjoying all of my classes. It's great now that I get to take classes that I'm interested in instead of all the general education classes that no one really cares about. I'm loving my Abnormal Psychology and Introduction to Criminal Justice classes. That's a good thing considering when the two are intertwined you have my career path. So far, all my grades are looking really good. That's also good since this semester is paid for via scholarship.

I'm really excited for the near future. Mom and I have plans to go to Washington to see Tony, Kristen, and Madison while I'm on spring break. It's going to be so great to see them again. It will only have been a couple of months but it seems like forever - especially with Madison growing up so fast. It's also exciting because we're going to celebrate my 21st birthday while we're there. I think some of Tony's Navy buddies are looking for a reason to party.

Well, I think that's all that's going on right now - just school and the impending spring break trip. I doubt that I will be "blogging" every single day, but I will try to remain consistent.

By the way, did you know:

The shell of an ostrich egg is so strong that you can stand on it without it breaking, neat huh?