You know you're a college student when...

1. It's 12:38 a.m and your bedside drink of choice is Diet Coke. Caffeinated. Duh.
2. You just misspelled "caffeinated" three times before authorizing autocorrect to do its thang.
3. You just said "thang."
4. Your iPhone looks like this...I use it too much, I tell you! (No, not really. Freak accident.)

About that upgrade...?

1. You feel like coloring. Except you have no crayons at your disposal. Homework = 1; Procrastination = 0.
2. There are 2 (not 1, but 2) Justin Timberlake songs on your iPod. Don't judge! He's popular again. Either that, or the world is ending. Lol. 
3. You notice yourself adding cute, short, text-message lingo to the endings of all your sentences. 
Whether they need it or not. Which they don't. You also know that in the career-world this lingo is discouraged and you should probably stop. ASAP. (Or not.)

1. Even though you're currently taking an online editing class, you still don't completely grasp HTML and are befuddled by how to get that 1 over there at the start of this sentence to go back to a 4. 
2. You try and participate in school-related group activities, but find yourself bulking at the last minute before you've entered the no-return world of full-on commitment and commencement.  
3. Yes, I did just clutter that sentence with a bunch of compound verbs and alliterations. Thanks for noticing!
4. You go grocery shopping at 10:16 p.m. Because you can. 
5. One of your teachers has a severe axe to grind with students not coming to class (8 a.m. that it is), and starts accusing people of "playing at home." Whatever that means. Unless playing means sleeping. Then, yeah...accusation upheld.  (Did I mention it's a media law class?)
6. Another one of your teachers answers a student's question with a shrug and an "I don't know." You shrug and sigh and roll your eyes and start wondering what's wrong with our education system?? Where a professor at a nationally-recognized geology school cannot answer a simple question on the Coriolis effect?! Then you see that the girl in front of you is perusing her Pinterest account. Q & A session fail? Say whaattt?? 
7. You're all caught up on your 3 favorite TV shows, but still have homework for 3 of your classes. Funny how that figures. 
8. You miss your family. And your house. And the washer and dryer that complete the domestic trinity. 

You would give anything to be here...

But then you see this... every. single. day. 

And you remember why you're here in the first place...

Because this is your start. This is you tiptoeing to the edge of the diving board and looking into the deep end of the pool. You're anxious about making the jump. Your equal parts nervous and excited.  

To quote Taylor Swift, this is the moment where you get to be "happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time." 

"It's miserable and magical," she sympathizes in the proceeding lyric. And I couldn't agree more. Although, being the optimist that I am, I try to maintain focus on the latter. The magical-ness. 

Lastly, you know you're a college student when you're listening to a Taylor Swift song titled "22" and you just turned 22. 

I feel in some unofficially-official way like I've made it in this life. Like, totally.

What I've Been Up To...

I turned in my last final paper on Tuesday. 
The same day that I managed to accidentally injure myself and get directionally disoriented on campus for the first time all semester. 
It was awesome. 


Wednesday was a blur. 
But I think it involved sleeping in, spending some much-needed time with my mom, and trying to stay as far away as possible from the slaying Texas sun. 


It may or may not have also involved me watching a marathon of this show while consuming sugary cereal and sipping on sweet tea. 
Yeah...being done with finals feels good.
Who wants to know?


Thursday I went zip lining at my new POW (Place of Work). 
Wait, does that acronym normally stand for something else?
Don't answer that. 


Anyways...zip lining. In the rain. With a burnt orange poncho and a burnt orange helmet. 
(Had to represent...Hook 'em!)
It was the closest I've ever come to feeling like a superhero (poncho+zip lining = cape+flying). 
You shoulda seen it.


Then I returned home, rested and read this book. It made me laugh out loud. Like...a lot. 
Read the book people! And if you don't, at least promise me you'll take a look at her blog. K? 
Good. Glad we got that settled. *Air handshake*


*BTW, if you're in the market for...


...a start-of-summer, feel-good country song, I recommend this one. 
(Eric Church - "Springsteen")


Click it or ticket, baby. 


...a scripture verse, I suggest 2 Corinthians 5:7.


...a simple, worth-baking-just-to-smell kind of recipe, this one's 100% smile-certified.
(Pecan Pie Muffins)


They're good. Like pecan-pie-haters-will-soon-have-a-paradigm-shift kind of good. 
Says my 4 year old nephew, that's who. 
Granted, in less lofty vocabulary. But still. 

As far as what all tomorrow will bring, I'm not entirely sure. 

As far as what all Summer will bring, well...I'm not entirely sure on that front either. 


One thing I do know though is that when it comes to a close, when people ask me what I've been up to (which you know they totally will...busybodies!), I hope to be able to say that I've been spending a lot more time right here. With you. 


Thanks for reading. You rock!  


May you be inspired. Always.


~April~


*BTW = By The Way. Stick with me kid, and I'll make you a star. 
(Bonus points if you can name that movie! Haha.) 

It's Been a Long Time...

Hi y'all!

Let's not get into the mushy details as to why I haven't posted in awhile, ok?

Do we have a deal?
Are you sure?
Really?

Ok then.

Now that that's been taken care of, let me just say...wow! It's been a long time. Seven months to be exact. But who's counting?

I won't get into everything that's happened in that time. A deal is a deal, man.

Gosh! Who's idea was that anyways?

I will tell you this, though: If there's one thing, one experience, that stands out above all else, it would be this:

Which all started with this:

Then transitioned into this:

And included a little bit of this:

And a lot of this:

I once said that you know you've had a good summer when you realize you've taken 200 pictures over the course of 3 months.

During our trip to the Grand Canyon, I took 253 pictures...over the course of 3 days.

As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
So...let's see...253 X 1000 = 253,000.

Yep...that's about as many times as I've expressed my desire/need/desperation to go back.

Just ask my mom and dad...I'm sure they'll vouch for me.

I have a feeling that they've already bought me another plane ticket...out of a certain desire/need/desperation of their own.

Haha. :-)

Until next time,

~April~

"Dream it, plan it, do it." ~National Geographic Traveler~

Country Comfort

Since as far back as I can remember, I've been receiving anonymous calls. It happens daily. Sometimes twice a day. Sometimes three. It's a constant conundrum in my life. Weird, right? But, you want to know something? I kinda like it. Ok...for those of you freaking out right now, fearful of what kind of stalker has skillfully, stealthily secured my cell phone number, have no fear. I am here! I've already tracked the number down. The caller and I have discussed the matter for quite some time now, and we continue to come to the same solution. The calls will continue to come...only if I encourage them. In the meantime, I plan to learn about the caller's background by conducting research in some of the following fine pieces of literature: Again, only if I encourage it. I will dream about what our future will be like together. I will even listen to songs about the caller and sing along with them, piquing the curiosity of other drivers, as they blare from my car radio. I will even, dare I say it, look at pictures of this anonymous caller...even taking a few of the pictures myself. Ok, ok, I relent...the pressure to reveal the truth is too intense. But...but I'm afraid... You can't handle the truth! (Name that movie!) *Sorry...blogger moment.* Wait. What was I getting at? Oh...right! The anonymous caller. It's the country. The country is my anonymous caller. The country...it calls me...and it is... anonymous. WHAT??!! I know...I'm good. You thought it was a person, right? And here I was, thinking you knew me better than that. Just kidding! I know that you know that I know that you would never not know about my love for the country. The way it's whispering wind sounds in my ear. The way it's scenery is set in my head like a computer's screen saver...it's my brain's default setting. The way the trees, the grass, and the horses feel beneath my bare hands. The way where all it takes is one breath, and you yourself are taken away. I'm ready to be handed the marriage papers. Let me know when and where I need to sign. I'll be waiting. And researching. And dreaming. And singing. And photographing. And blogging. And, most importantly, praying. All about the country. And the future we have together.

All my love, ~April~

Life, Love, and Window Seats

This is my new plane. What do you think? Is it too big...too flashy...too "airline-y" perhaps?

Yeah, I thought as much. I need something more personalized, more attuned to my sense of style - something more inexpensive and idealistic maybe. Like a ticket for a flight on a plane. Yeah!

And while we're on the topic, let's make that a window seat. Window seats are like the hot tubs of the airline world. When sitting in one, you can't help but smile and be happy.

In fact, there's a lot of things in life that are like that.

Things like family and friends, good music, movies, and home and garden magazines...scenic country roads, wide open skies, and horses picturesquely standing in their pastures...long walks to nowhere with the wind blowing in your hair...the smell of rain and the sight of thunderclouds on the horizon, the scent of honeydew and black cherry scented candles...hot showers and sleeping in on Sundays.

I could go on, but I'll stop there. My heart can't take it!

Over the past couple of months, many things have happened. Out of these, the two things that stick out the most are: I've started classes and I've celebrated my 20th birthday. Yay!

Oh, and I've seen snow. So, that's three.

Oh, and I've seen the beginning beauty of Spring. So, that's four.

Oh, and by the end of this year, I will have been to more concerts than you can count on one hand. So, yeah...take that fun police! Haha.

While time moves at at unpredictably fast pace, I believe it's important to try to stay in the present. It's easy to get carried away thinking about the future, or talking about the past...to plan for the coming seasons, or long for those that have come and gone...to dream of all the places you want to go, and remember all those where you have been.

But right now I am here, at home...and there's nowhere else I'd rather be. So, until I write again, I'll be here...in my window seat, on my plane, looking out on and living life.

Trying ardently not to think about the handsome cowboy in the isle seat. Maybe I'll let him share the view. We'll see. :-)

All my love, ~April~

"Life takes us places...Love brings us home." ~Unknown~

"And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)" ~Dr. Seuss~

Back in the Saddle

Today is the day. Tonight is the night. I am officially back! To blogging, that is. To thinking and reflecting, to photographing and posting, to citing and writing. Ok...I hear ya'! I'll stop there.

It's been a long time, and in that time, much has happened: Summer, school, even a little bit of summer school (no, just kidding!), holidays as well as the occasional not-so-"holly" days (cheesy...sorry), times of smiles and laughter, times of success and error, relishing in comfortable pleasures, as well as experiencing new adventures. There have even been times that I will only be able to fully understand in time.

And while all those times are in the past, they make up a part of who I am in the present, and who I see myself as in the future. And while it may seem as though I've been far, far away, I've always been right here. Living and learning. Loving and...uh, umm, hmmm...yearning?

Maybe. It could happen. Sometimes I yearn. Haha.

Anyhow, I'm back. In the saddle. To the blog. Or, as my cute, charming, and chanting nephew demonstrates in the video below...on the bike.

Look out y'all. Ya' ain't seen nothin' yet!

Love, ~April~

Signs of Summer

You know that your summer must be going pretty well when you look back at the photos you've taken in the past 2 weeks and realize there's approximately 200 you'd like copies of. Just one of the many signs of summer! While I can't possibly post all 200 photos here, I do hope to share some of them with y'all, along with the stories that accompany them. Ahhh...stories: best served outside on someone's (preferably a loved one's) porch, hidden away form the oppressive heat, accompanied by the creaking sounds that only old, white, wooden chairs seem to make, the clinking sounds of ice against perspiring glasses of iced tea the only sound keeping your mind awake aside from the lulling voice of the storyteller. Zzzzzzz.

Whoa, almost put myself to sleep there for a second! Alright, so while not all of us may have access to the porch of a loved one this summer, I have a feeling that, by the end of summer, we all will come away with one thing in common: stories. And if you're like me, you'll come away with some (okay, so it's more like a ton) of pictures. Here's to summer!

To sunsets at the lake:


And feet raised high in the sky:

To beautiful mountain vistas. (Guadalupe Mountains NP):

And feeling like you're about to fry. (No, not really...I was fine...I think!):


To sublime, cool caves (56 degrees year-round) out in the middle of no-man's land where you can escape the world above and the heat that recently married it. (Carlsbad Caverns NP):

To a tree-lined creek that leads to aquifer-fed springs in the middle of desert-like West Texas...a welcome sight and swimming spot, indeed! (Balmorhea Springs State Park):




From hittin' the big city, the "Big D," if you will. (Dallas, Tx.):

(The Reunion Tower...it's main job is to rotate, be pretty, and, while we were there, be renovated. No elevator ride for us this time...but a good excuse to come back!):

To seeing all the animals at the Fort Worth Zoo. (The flowers/landscaping were reason enough to visit):

From playing on the playground with my niece and nephews to taking a swim in the pool. (In order of appearance: Emily, Jason, and Levi with his Papi...aka my brother, Michael):

To sleeping like rocks...or, as we say here in Texas, "hittin' the hay." (Just kidding...I know we're not the only ones who use that expression...it's all about the pride, though...the pride!)

And, if there is one thing for certain I have been getting a good dose of lately...it's pride. Pure, pleasant, plentiful, personal, perfect, personifical....wait, what? Huh? Uhhh...sometimes I just lose myself! I think you get my drift. (By the way, did you know that the word "drift" originated from the name of the cargo boats that used to pass through the small Texas town of Driftwood, via the Wood river. People never knew what to call these cargo boats, having been bigger than canoes yet smaller than steamboats, so the residents...often called "Driftwoodians"...held a town meeting one night, and unanimously decided to call them "drifts.") Isn't that fascinating?

Yeah...fascinating, but false! Oh, what pride can do to a person. If there is a second thing for certain, it's that I will never forget these past few weeks of summer. Not because I have approximately 200 pictures to remember them by, although that helps, but because through it all, I was with family, my family, which fosters a love and sense of pride within me all it's own!

And, last but not least, if there's is a third thing I know for certain, it's that summer isn't over yet, and plenty of trips and times with my family await! For now though, I think I'll just admire summer, and all it's signs and symptoms, from my front porch. Being swept up by the silence, with the exception of the rhythmic buzzing of the cicadas in the background. Awash in a mixture of peace, pride, and thankful prayer. Letting summer embrace me, and embracing summer back!