Andiamo! (Let's go!)

 Let's be real people.  Who really travels with out food.  No one cool does.  #fatgirlprobzz

Hmmm.  For the record, both my bags are under 50lbs.  Guess who is bringing home lots of souvenirs?!  This girls is!

You know you have those moments sometimes where you just feel like the world is completely at your feet?  Literally, the world is completely at my feet at this very moment.  Literally.  My bags are packed.  My carry on is full of food (as it always should be).  Good-byes have been said.  Mom has cried.  And believe it or not, the time has finally come people.  I AM GOING TO ITALY!  Never thought I would finally get to hear those beautiful words.  It is happening.  And I could not be more ready.  I need some serious fresh air!  And well deserved fresh air after packing up everything I own in AUburn and hauling it back to the B.ham crib.  Whew.  I'm way over packing and unpacking.

 Pre packing up the beloved Apt. #1102...it had so much spunk.  I kinda liked it being my home.

I would compare this room to an empty jar of peanut butter.  Kinda makes you want to cry a little.

The past week has been one full of so many emotions.  I moved out of  my apartment and moved out of being roommates with quite possiblely the two most incredible human being on the planet.  Packed to leave the country for 3 months.  Said good-bye to my YoungLife girls.  Walked around Auburn's breathtakingly beautiful campus at night for the last time. Took my last college exams.  And said good-bye to some of the most stunning, loving, caring, fun group of friends any girl could ask for.  Needless to say, emotions were running high.  And we all know how I deal with emotions…like a champ.  Same kind of emotions I am sure a lot of you have experienced at least once in your lifetime.  That feeling of complete and utter heartbreak.  The feeling of knowing that the moments and time just spent and are having to part with may very well be some of the sweetest times, laughs, and memories ever to look back on.  College.  Man, seriously did that just happen?

 Our last pot-luck dinner all together.  And what kind of get together would it be with out some booty -twirkin' and girl dance circles?  It would be pretty lame.

 I was home alone one night getting nostalgic and made this sad little piece of work.  Freshman formal and Senior formal. (If you guess which one was senior formal wrong, I will drop kick you.)  Love that we literally have 4 years of wonderful memories together ladies.  Let the good times keep on rollin'!  

You know something?  I was thinking the other day about graduation and the whole saying good-bye thing.  Sometimes I feel jealous of the people who only have like one friend.  They are very content with that one friend and you know why?   Because they never have to say good-bye because they never leave.  They never have to experience the heartbreak that comes from saying good-bye to the people to shaped you to be the one you are at this very moment.  But…then it hit me, or well was reminded by a friend.  How great is it that we have been given wonderful people in our lives that make saying good-bye so stinkin’ hard.  How great is it that we can look through the seasons of  our lives and see all the different people who flavored it.  I guess it is pretty great if you ask me.

College could not have been any better.  And saying good-bye to all my friends on Samford lawn dressed in cap and gown could not have been any more of a memorable way to part with the people who are truly the characters in my testimony.  I think the saddest part about everyone going their separate ways is moving on knowing we no longer have the luxury and promises of another year.  High school to college transition was hard, but so full of exciting anticipations.  New friends, sorority (or in my case, getting my booty kicked in swim practice by someone new), football games, dorm life, roommates, independence…the list goes on.  College to real world is a lot less fun and a lot more lonely.  Yes, adventures await each of us, but it is frightening knowing I wont have as many hands to hold while we run.

Acting like freshman since 2008!  I mean WHAAAAAAAT? Are those caps a gowns I see ladies?  eww.  Get those off.  But if there is a way to make those hats and gowns look good, we are doing a fine job I must say!

So.  With that whole world at my feet thing…yeah I really do.  I will be boarding the plane to Rome, Italy at 3:30 eastern time May 6^th and will arrive at my destination at 7:30am Italy time on May 7th.  Weird.  Bon voyage to me! Had some good ol’ American BBQ for dinner tonight.  Gulped down my last sweet tea for a while and said ‘Ciao America! See you in 3 months!’

This is my last post state-side for a while.  Ill be seein’ yah around hommies!  Don’t forget about me.  Yell at me if I don’t update this a lot…I will want it for myself later on so make me just do it.  Nike would be so proud.

Later gators.   

WARNING: This blog has not had a posting in well over a year (my deepest apologies).  Some contents may be shockingly full of bad grammar, bad jokes, and pointless information, but just go with it.  My life is picking up speed and I know some of you would like to keep up with my wild journeys.

As you 'walk with me', lets just take baby steps for a bit.  Let me warm back up to you all.  You see, I am about to embark on what may possibly be one of the greatest adventures of a lifetime.  I will be moving to Ariccia, Italy for the next three months starting May 7th.  I will be studying abroad for the entire summer to finish up my undergrad degree in Human Development and Family Studies at Auburn University.  I will write about details of the trip in later posts, so just stay tuned folks!

The daunting task of graduation awaits me upon my arrival to the states come August, so you may have to bare through some cheesy 'my life is over' and 'I miss my friends' kind of posts.  But like I said.  Just walk with me as a travel the world this sumer.    Share with me the funny stories, knowledge gained, and memories made as I venture to step foot into a very unfamiliar but exciting part of the world.  Hmm.  This should be interesting.  Let's do it!

Just to give you an idea of where exactly I will be.  Ariccia is about 45 south of Rome.  Just a short train ride away from one of  the richest cities in the world ripe with history and just all around coolness.

 A picture of the city of Ariccia, Italy.  Small, quaint, and very friendly.  I think I shall like living in this sleepy little town all summer!

Oh you know.  Just my humble abode for the summer.  Life will be tough living in the Chigis Palace, but someone just has to bite the bullet and do it, you know?

So.  That is about all for know.  I will hopefully update every other day so if you are one of those family members itching for news or a serious fan of mine, keep up with me here!  What a grad adventure we are about to have!

I'm out.
 
leigh

run for roses with a side of cramp.

this weekend was a fun filled weekend full of friends, family and lots of sunshine!

saturday morning was AOIIs annual run for roses to support arthritis research.  i did not run because i would not only have had a side of cramp, i would have had a huge heaping helping of pass out.  (its my goal to run in my senir year run…lets see if that happens)  this day always proves itself to be surprisingly fun.  i don’t know if it’s the free food, the poodles, or panda costume, but i just love it! all the girls wore their new philanthropy shirts for rush and i was so proud!  they looked so sporty!  they even finished the look with the rolled up jean and keds.  we gunna rock rush in those outfits girls! we had over 200 runners and raised over $12,000.  can i get an amen?

and by over i mean we could have raised well over that…so yay for people with arthritis!  Gmo would be proud!  i posted a few pictures of the run.  i just love my friends beautiful smiles.  it shows their beautiful hearts.

tis true.  we do.

we just looked so friendly!

yes, everybody looks so great in their new baseball t's

stella the poodle.

umm.  stop being so cute.

my super intense runners.

stunning.

she just loves life and i love it

supporters near the finish line

katie loves arthritis!

just look at those beautiful smiles as they cross the finish line!

sweet friends

blue eyes beauty

saturday night proved to be not nearly as eventful.  when you find yourself in your bed chatting with the auburn librarian, you know you have hit an altime low.  but sue was nice, so at least i made a friend.  and to all who care, i kicked that research papers sorry behind! 

college.  it’s a funny thing.  i mean think about it.  there are over 24,000 people the same age, living together, with no parents, and no real responsibility.  its such a great concept it should be illegal.  college should be illegal.  i mean literally.  you live with your best friends, study with your best friends, eat with your best friends, clean your house (or dont clean your house) with your best friends, make burgers with your friends (thats for you abby), the list goes on people!

just food for thought though.  marinate in it.  strange concept.

tonight we celebrated on of my dearest friends acceptance to the most ballin internship in the world!  we are so proud of you alex!  he will be working with warner music company in nashville, tn for the summer, so all ive got to say is i smell lots of fun summer roadtrips in my future!  we threw him a surprise congradulatory party and toasted in his successes with a bottle of champaign and a bite or a few bites) of very nicely iced cupcakes.  so proud of him!

on that note.  my friends rock.  you should be jealous because they are pretty sweet.

out. 

why are you cast down, o my soul?

hey long lost bloggers.  leigh here.  no, i did not fall of the face of the earth, but rather what i would like to call, a mini sabbatical, at least from myself.


many things have sparked this post tonight.  the events leading up to this epic night have no been anything out of the ordinary, but rather just life.  life has, well i guess just been life, but i feel like my friends and i are just really getting a big dose of it this year.


so long to the days where we stayed up until 3am roller blading in the quad and watching friends on the dorm room bunk beds.  good riddance to the nights where waffle house at 2am tasted way better than the normal eating hours around 7, and peace out to the social nights spent at the library.  if we are going to make the effort to go, in goes the headphones!


life hit hard this year for a lot of people, and it has been hard to watch and listen to.  but it has been so encouraging to see how these godly women, who i like to call my best friends, have done nothing but bring God the glory in their trials.  their trials are things that only haunt my worst nightmares, yet they have handles it with as much poise and respect than should be expected from any 20 year old.  props to you my friends.


a lot has changed this semester.  my time has been doled out a little differently, for the best i might add.  i started a bible study on tuesdays nights and it has been one of the best things i have done.  we are going through a book called "A Perfect Mess" by Lisa Harper and it is a study of the Psalms.  check it out!  what we studied this week i found particularly applicable.

psalms 42 isnt usually regarded as one of the more happy psalms, but i would argue that it is the most raw and real.  the psalmist is crying out in anger towards god, wondering where he is.  in other words, he is ticked off at god and he doesnt even care.  what is so beautiful about this psalm, is that in the end, even though they feel bitter turmoil in their soul, they are able to look up, and say with confidence, "hope in God; for i shall again praise him, my salvation and my God!"  wow!


even in the middle of his trials, he is able to see the eternal value of his life.  So may time i think we start to think our lives are about good days and bad days.  when we lay our heads down to sleep at night, we go through our good day/ bad day check list.  if it doesnt measure up, the day was a waste!  how selfish is that attitude!


everyday is a beautifully wrapped gift from our heavenly father.  the issue is do we chose to unwrap that gift or not.  are we going to chose to step out of bed that morning with an eternal perspective for the day.  that way, when we lay our heads down at night to sleep, we can ask ourselves, did we do the best with what the lord gave us today.  did we give him all the glory back.  it isnt about good days and bad, its about our savior and praising him for our salvation.


i dont know about you, but any day is a good day when i have that truth to sleep on!


so, to all three of you who follow me, hopefully i will do a better job in the future of updating and keepin gyou posted about little things in my life i find sweet.  and on that note...today was a sweet day!  

war eagle.

i had the awesome opportunity presented to me so unexpectedly this weekend...and you better believe i jumped on it!  my boss at work asked me if i wanted a pass to be on the field for the football game saturday...DUH!  saturday came and i was nervous/excited.  i walked onto the field for the first time and i felt so small, not to mention my camera was a fourth the size of everyone else's.  todd game me the pass and the wrist band, also complete with a bright yellow arm band and i was off...off to who knows where!  i was so over-welmed and i felt as if i was in a dream.  i looked up into the stands and i hear all my friends screaming my name and waving.  i was so serial and so SWEET!  i was major cam creepin the whole time, and im pretty sure he saw me too, dont care.  :)  it was truly an unforgettable experience and  i am so blessed to have great opportunities.  i even got to meet jay jacobs and tim hudson.  mrs. chizek wasnt bad herself, and i kept to myself how obsessed i am with her husband.  so, bucket list item #1 comes falling down as i took pictures of auburn.  was an incredible day.  those pictures will make my day every time i look at them!

check, check, and check.

i feel as if someone just shared the gospel with me.  i have discovered stumbleupon.com. and it is rocking my world...slash demolishing my school career.  today, i have learned how to make roses out of maple leaves and how to make chicken soup for under 5 dollars.  it is changing my life as we speak.  and you as a fellow blogger should be excited too, ill post my new findings because they are SWEET!  since being introduced to this new and exciting world in the internet, it has inspired me to be adventurous!  i have a few goals, bear with me here.  i have a few goals i WANT accomplish before the end of the semester, but lets be for real here, it wont happen.  im going to make a list of my top 10 things i want/ need to accomplish and ill blog about each one as it is checked off.  some of these things will be highly aspired, others just need to happen and will be lame.  but lets be real, even the most lame and easy things i can make difficult.  its kinda like my mini bucket list...for the semester.  this should make for some interesting adventures as well as some interesting posts.  drum roll please...


1. make a full course meal and serve it to people who have been in constant prayer  
   about actually eating this dinner.
2. read 2 books not for school (laugh all you want but this is a big deal for me)
3. drive to atlanta and study a whole day by myself and make a new friend.  to 
   prove this happened, but a hot dog at the varsity and post the picture you took 
   with it by yourself in the blog.  (look forward to this) 
4. i really wan to bake our mailman some cookies.  i dont know why, but its been 
   on my bucket list since i was 10.
5. one week go to all my classes. (highly unlikely, but it could happen)
6. hang out with at least one of my younglife girls each day for a week, no 
   excuses from either side.  (this shouldnt be on a list, but if its not, it just 
   wont happen.)
7. take pictures all around campus...documenting the changing seasons and spirit 
   thats alive on the plains.
8. stop at Tuttie Frutti and get something on the way home from class one day.
9. hang the windows in the den
10.write a letter and mail to all my kampers


So, here i go.  i have written this list down and im going to do every single thing on it if it kills me.  i know these are all really lame things to some people, but they are important to me.  i feel like putting this list on my blog gives me some sort of accountability.  and before the and of the year i will do every one.  none of these things are necessities, but all of them are important and im trying this new thing to stop and take advantage of the sweeter moments in life and appreciate everything i have been given, big and small.  this is gunna be a sweet ride!

Jen-Jen

    There are so many great things that are going on in my life...i feel right now like God is just vomiting blessings on me.  (hows that for a mental picture).  Blessings come in such small packages, and i have learned recently if you dont take the time to actually sit down and open it, and look for the goodie, you wont find it.  This is just a pic of me and my roomie at the auburn/lsu game which pushed up to #1 on the polls!  WAR EAGLE!!!  im so proud to be an auburn tiger!  lets just say...that game was sweet!!!
     Ok, story time.  Last week, i think it was Tuesday, i was debating wether i should walk home from class or drive.  I landed on walking, it was a beautiful day and im just a sucker for those.  So i walk through Samford lawn and an standing at the corner of College and Magnolia right under the Toomers tree.  I see this girl standing beside me, and she just kept staring at me...and thats when i got awkward and started playing with some dried up toilet paper with my foot left over form the game that weekend.  Well, it didnt work because home-girl decided to actually walk over to me and start a conversation.  As she started talking to me, one, i noticed she was Asian, and two she looked like she was 12.  She had really broken english and she was asking me a question about what something was, but between her not even knowing what she was talking about herslef, and me not being able to understand Asianish, we were both very confused.  She started pointing to this sign on the lamp post and it has a picture of some animal that she didnt know what it was.  As we were waiting on the light to change so we could cross the cross-walk, i tried to explain to her that the animal was called a farrett.  (side note- im not really sure why someone would even post a 'Lost Farrett' sign up any way...its just weird to me).  so long story short, we established what the animal was, and i decided the toilet paper on the ground needed more attention.  The light changed, and me and my 8 foot long legs decided they needed to move really fast, because to be frank i did not feel like explaining to this girl everything we passed any more.  As im walking at the pace of a soccer mom in the grocery store, (you all know what im talking about), i hear running behind me.  (Also, from now on, imagine everything this girl says with a very heavy asian accent).  she caught up to me and says, "you walk very fast!  it hard to keep up with you!"  i looked at her, smiled politely and said, "blame my mother."  she gave me a confused smile, but kept talking to me.  at this point in the story, i decided to embrace the fact that i had made a new friend.  we talked the rest of the way home which was probably 5  minutes.  But in that 5 minutes, i learned she had just come over from china.  and i only learned taht after she made me guess 10 times where she was from.  i also learned she was 28, after she made me guess another 10 times.  i made a comment that she looked a lot younger than 28.  she seemed offended, but i told her that here in america, that is a good thing.  she got excited.  and i was relieved.  she is bio-medical sciences and she literally came here straight from china in march.  she did not know a lick of english when she came.  her name is Jen-Jen and she told me we were friends.  i have prayed every day since that i would pass her on the way home again.
     its the little things like that in my life that i am so thankful for.  its the little things like getting an email form my youngest sister from her auburn email address that she is accepted to auburn.  its the little things like singing the fight song and rolling toomers when we are announced #1 on the BCS poll and chanting "Its great to be an Auburn Tiger" until your throat is dry.  Its just knowing that your best friend is always ready to hear you babble about absolutely nothing important, but she listens because its important to you.  Its having friends that just come hang out at your house because you are there.  Its the text you get in your class telling you they are so thankful for your friendship.  and its knowing that you have friends in almost all 50 states that love you and are praying for you.  God is so good, and he is constantly reminding us of it, but are we taking the time to slow down, talk, and get to know him?  Jen-Jen was such a good reminder of that for me.  My prayer is that we can all be humbled enough to just sit at his feet and listen.  Listen to what his will is for our lives, our future, our present, and the forgiveness of our past.  When we do stop and listen, we will be so blessed.  So my piece of advice is to you, dont be so narrow-minded that you dont stop and look for the Jen-Jens in your life that are crossing the street with you, who are sitting next to you in class, who check you out at the grocery store, and who serve you each day in the student center.  Look for your Jen-Jen each day in your life and you would be surprised what God will show you.  I promise it will be sweet.