I take quite a few pictures with my phone... and I edit most of them with Instagram, which is one of the most entertaining and addicting iPhone apps I've ever found.  Here are a few more I've taken in the last week or two.

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I have an interesting math professor.  She seems like a nice lady, but when it comes to teaching, perhaps her style simply clashes with mine.

Something she did recently was give us a packet of about twenty or thirty pages, filled to the brim with complicated math problems.  (Math is my most difficult subject.  I'm definitely an English person.)  My professor told us on Wednesday that the packet was due on Monday and a test would be over the entire packet.

But would she teach us how to do any of the problems?  No, because they were supposedly pretty easy to figure out and she had more important things to discuss in class... things that weren't going to be on the test.  Arrghhhghghgh.... but enough complaining.  I did okay.  I spent about nine hours in tutoring and about twelve more hours working on the packet on my own and I finally managed to do most of the homework.  Luckily for me, she didn't check whether or not it was correct.

And while the test was difficult, I passed it and will be able to make some corrections to achieve an A, so I'm currently surviving math class.

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Remember the beanbag I've mentioned in previous posts?  After ten days of owning the thing, it ripped... badly.  The problem was that there was no inner lining and the stitching on the outside fabric of the bag was very weak.  The bag was already becoming squashed. 

After the ripping incident, I took that beanbag back to the store for a refund and got a similar-looking beanbag from PBTeen's website.  It was slightly more expensive than the one from Pier 1, but it's much fuller, has an inside lining and an outside lining, other colors were available, and it's much softer than the other one.

Anyway, here's my new beanbag.  It's a charcoal brown color (although this particular picture makes it look a lighter shade of brown than it is) and it's very, very, very soft.  (I'm sitting in it right now as I type these words). 

The little decorative blue pillow came from Pier 1 for about twenty dollars.  It's a nice asset to the beanbag, both to blend it into the colors of my room and to provide a place to rest my head when I curl up on the beanbag.

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To your right is a picture that I took during my first Breakaway last Tuesday.  Breakaway is a big Christian worship session that occurs once a week on the Texas A&M campus.  At times, up to ten thousand students come to worship the Lord.  It's really neat.  Ben Stuart speaks each week and he's great.  He's funny, convicting, and at times, brutally honest.  Jeff Johnson leads worship, and he's always amazing.

One of the coolest things about Breakaway is the sheer amount of people who attend.  I stood on the top balcony when I was there.  Beneath me, I could see thousands of students who had come to worship God and fellowship with other believers.  It's such an awe-inspiring experience.  Every single chair on the first two levels was filled by the time Rebecca and I arrived (and we got there about five minutes early).  It's great.  It's really great.

Although I don't have the opportunity to go to Breakaway very often, it's a great thing going on at Texas A&M and I'm so glad it's there.  I'm so glad it's popular.  And if I ever have the chance, I'll invite people who aren't Christians to go and see the body of Christ worshipping at A&M.

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And finally, here's a quick snapshot of the box I bought from Michael's.  It was very inexpensive, probably because seems to only made from black cardboard, but it was exactly what I needed.

These days, getting mail has been the highlight of my week.  I love it.  My family realizes this, so I've received quite a bit of mail lately, from my mom, Amy, Ali, Nawnie, Naana, Grandma Marcia... and each time I get a new letter or little gift, I get so excited.  Mail!  It's like a taste of home.  A taste of family.

I was getting so many letters and didn't really have anywhere to put them.  They were in my paper shelf, but that's supposed to be reserved for my blog papers only (otherwise they're scattered all over my desk).  I suggested Ali to make Mom a letter box to hold all of the letters Ali writes her for Mom's birthday... and soon after, I realized I could do something similar for myself.  I'm not an incredibly creative person when it comes to making things like arts and crafts.  Besides, black is my favorite color.  I went to Michael's, looked around, and found a "Memory Box" for about a dollar.  Easy buy... and it holds every letter I've received while I've been at college. 

Thanks for writing me, family. :)

A few weeks ago, Ali and I spent three days at my Grandma Rhonda's house.  One of the best parts of living at College Station is being able to see Grandma Rhonda more often, since we're so far apart when I'm back home.  It was wonderful to spend the weekend with Grandma Rhonda and Ali.  We entertained ourselves with cows and food and plants and especially dogs.

All three of us love dogs... which came in handy, since my grandma has three dogs of her own. 

Three crazy dogs with their own hilarious personalities.

Two of the dogs were Giant Schnauzers named Kenya and Kika.  They were black, fluffy, and huge.  At first glance, they can seem a little frightening.

Kenya was older and a little more laid-back.  She preferred to sleep around, but never hesitated to come and sit on our laps when we happened to be on the ground.  Kika was excitable and eager to play.  She carried around a slobbery rubber ball and often "threw" it towards us, hoping we'd catch the ball and throw it back.  Both dogs are super sweet and will try to love on you until you almost feel smothered.

Ali quickly fell in love with the Giant Schnauzers.  In fact, about a minute and a half after she first saw them, she said, "What kind of dog is this?"

"A Giant Schnauzer," Grandma Rhonda explained.

Ali grinned.  "This is the kind of dog I want someday."

And that's how true love starts.

It's true though.  The dogs are pretty precious.

They're huggable...

They're kissable...

And they even matched Ali's long, curly, black hair!

My favorite of the dogs was a little hairy hairless Chinese Crested named Snickers.  He was super sweet, super cuddly, and couldn't stand to not be in someone's lap, cuddled against their neck.  I'm not kidding... this dog would let you literally hang him upside down, so long as you were touching him somehow.  He seems like the perfect dog.  So, so sweet.

I'd always thought of Chinese Cresteds as being similar to the evil dog from 101 Dalmatians... or perhaps prissy and strange like the Poodle stereotype has become.  But surprisingly, Chinese Crested dogs are very friendly and very sweet.  I met Snickers' girlfriend, Chemo, while I was at Grandma Rhonda's, and even while about to burst from being pregnant, Chemo was just as sweet.

Now Ali and I joke that in the future, she'll have a bunch of rowdy Giant Schnauzers... and I'll have a Yorkie and a little hairless Chinese Crested like Snickers.

I did really like the cute guy.  After all, I like quirks... and there isn't much that's more quirky than a Chinese Crested like Snickers.  Maybe someday... :)

What's your favorite breed of dog?

Here are a few of the photos I've taken during the last couple of weeks with my iPhone.

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Ali and I spent the weekend with Grandma Rhonda a few weeks ago.  Ali and I met in Temple, Texas before Grandma Rhonda arrived to pick us up and we decided to browse the mall to spend some time.  We visited the food court, had some smoothies, and then we began to look in some department stores.  

For some reason, Ali loves maternity clothes.  No worries: it's not like she actually buys and wears them.  She simply likes to look at them, admires them, and imagines wearing them a few years in the future when she gets married and starts her own family.

At the particular department store we visited, they seemed to be lacking some decent mannequins for their maternity department.  In fact, all of the "pregnant" models looked as if someone had simply stuffed a round pillow beneath their shirts.  Actually, for all I know, they could have stuffed a couple of sweaters under there.  The "baby bumps" weren't even a little round. 

I wonder what these ladies' babies will look like after they're born.  I mean, imagine how misshapen they must be now to create such deformed stomachs.

Okay, okay, I know this isn't real... but Ali and I got a good laugh out of the "pregnant" mannequins.  I mean, look at them.

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Here is a new friend I made while visiting my grandma's house.  His name is Snickers and he is a Chinese Crested.  He's also the daddy of a brand new litter of puppies, but that's another story.

Snickers may be ugly, but he's also one of the sweetest dogs you'll ever meet.  He isn't happy unless he's snuggled in your lap or leaning against your shoulder.  His very attached to his mamma, Grandma Rhonda, but he quickly bonded with me and Ali as well.  By the end of the weekend, I could hardly bring myself to put Snickers down.  He was just too sweet and cuddly.  I could have carried him around forever.

Sweet dogs like Snickers sure make me miss Jack back home.

The way Snickers looked was extremely entertaining.  He's hairless other than his "mohawk" on the top of his head, a tuft of hair on his tail, and fuzzy socks on all four of his feet.  How fun is that?  Most of his skin is smooth like a baby's... in the winter, he'll need to wear thick sweaters to keep him warm, just like we have to do.  Snickers also has big green eyes, which look extremely unusual on a hairless dog.  Of course, everything looks unusual on a hairless dog.

However strange or ugly Snickers might have looked, his personality outshined it all.  By the end of the weekend, Ali and I both ended up kissing his little hairless face and saying, "You're just so cute!  You're just so cute!" 

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The next two pictures are from the Japanese garden I wrote about yesterday. 

These are some of the trees that have been affected by the drought.  While much of the garden still looked life-filled and green, occasionally we'd pass some trees that had lost most of their trees... or a big patch of flowers that were wilted and browned by the sun.  The drought in Texas has been so bad lately.  It's amazing that any plants have survived at all.

However sickly some of these plants might have been, they still contained beauty.  God sure knew what He was doing when He created them.

In the middle of the Japanese section of the garden was a little sanctuary of sorts.  Its walls were made of bamboo sticks and its ceiling was made of thatched grass.  The one-roomed building was peaceful and filled with beauty.  It also provided shade from a hot sun.  The picture you see below is of the bamboo walls, overlooking part of the garden outside. 

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with my Grandma Rhonda and Ali.  We had all sorts of adventures together, like going to a French restaurant and ordering nearly all of the desserts on the menu, and staying up half the night talking.

One afternoon, Grandma Rhonda brought us to a Japanese garden near her home.  Despite the terrible drought that has affected Texas the last year, most of the garden was still beautiful and filled with life.  There were a few differently themed sections, but the most beautiful one was the Japanese garden, which featured a bridge, a beautiful waterfall, and a little creek that flowed through the garden. 

One area even had a place where you had to cross the creek on little stepping stones.  The water was covered with lilypads and filled with colorful fish.  Trees hung above us, shading our eyes from the bright afternoon sun and leaving small squares of light on our faces.

After you followed the stepping stone path, you came across a stone arch, surrounded by low-hanging trees.  Moss cloaked the gray stones.  Everything around us seemed to be so beautiful and filled with life.  Even the stones carried life.

Beyond us was a beautiful waterfall that sprayed the air with a cool mist.  After all, it was nearly a hundred degrees outside.

Another area of the garden was an American theme.  Little cottages that were hundreds of years old sat tucked amidst the trees and bushes.  In the middle of the stone path was an old-fashioned well.  There was no water in the well, sadly, but it looked so quaint and beautiful that Ali and I had to capture a picture.

Wouldn't it be lovely to have a little well like this behind your house, even if it wasn't real?

It would be wonderful to live in a cabin out in the woods, surrounded by shady trees and beautiful flowers and the scent of the earth.  It would be wonderful to live in such a quiet, secluded place, far apart from busy schedules and stress and time.

The garden was beautiful.  In a place of drought and wind and sun like Texas, a place like that was a sanctuary.

Day 7: 4 Photographs that You Love

1.) Puppet

I actually didn't take this picture (obviously), but it brings a smile to my face every time I see it.  I actually have it hanging up in my room.  The location is Kenya, Africa. 

There was a soccer (or futbol) tournament at the Ring Road school.  I was watching the tournament with a big group of children.  After a while, I could tell the kids were beginning to get restless.  As a child, you can only watch soccer games for so long.  We sang some songs, played some games, and then I pulled my journal out of my bag. 

We began to play Hangman, although I renamed it "Puppet," because I wasn't sure if "hangman" would be a very good title for a children's game.  Even though the kids said they had never played before, they were great at that game.  They caught onto the words very quickly and would have played for hours if I had let them.

What I love about this picture is how many kids are swarmed around and totally focused on the game.  You can see it in their faces that they want to guess the answer.  They are so innocent and intelligent.  And I have my "teacher" face on too.  :)

2.) The Lion

This next picture was also taken in Kenya, although I was the photographer of this one.  I took it when I was at a wildlife park in Nairobi, I believe.  There were so many beautiful animals.  The lion happened to be asleep right up next to the wire fence.  I managed to poke my camera lens through the fence and capture the lion close up.  It was such a neat experience.

I love lions.  I think they're so beautiful and majestic... and of course they remind me of my experience in Africa.  Look at how wonderfully the Lord made this great cat.  She's so big.  You can tell by her giant paws and the muscles in her shoulders.  She was so big and strong and golden.  I just wanted to run up and throw my arms around her neck and hug her forever.  Her big nose is just so sweet.

I will always love this picture because when I was in Kenya, taking close up shots of the zebras and monkeys and rhinos and lions, I felt like a wildlife photographer.  Animals are so beautiful.  This was such a peaceful and gorgeous lion.

3.) My Tall, Tall Friend

This might seem like a silly picture to choose.  It's a bit blurry and taken from far away.  At first glance, there might not seem like anything remarkable about this picture, but if you look closely, you'll notice something odd... perhaps you'll notice someone doing something amazing!  This is a photograph I love, so I had to share.  The two people in this picture are two of my best guy friends, Zeek and Caleb/Muber.  This was during a service project at our school where we had to clean up a camp ground.  After we finished cleaning, we had a bit of free time to be silly and take some pictures and videos.

Now Zeek is an amazing, amazing dancer.  Because of that, he's extremely flexible... (and it helps that he's 6'6!)  He can kick very high and his legs are crazy-long, so we challenged him to touch the ceiling with one foot while keeping the other foot on the floor.  To our shock and amazement, he could do it!  Zeek loves pictures (like we all do), so he yelled, "Take a picture of me, Emily!" and tried it again.

About the same time, Muber decided he would try.  Since he's shorter than Zeek, he stood up on a ledge... and you can see how far he still had to go before his foot hit the ceiling. 

Man, Zeek is just so TALL!

4.) The Cutest Puppy in the World

I am proud to say that I am the photographer of this image.  To my eyes, this seems slightly out of focus, but that doesn't even matter because of the sheer cuteness surrounding this picture.  Although I've shared it many times on this blog, I had to share it again and include it on the list of four photographs I love.

This would be Jack, my precious Yorkie, at about seven weeks old.  Wasn't he the cutest puppy ever?  It's like a cute explosion.  Don't look for too long or your eyes might fall out of your head.  His stubby little legs, his huge eyes, his ears, his round little nose, the blue blanket... everything just worked together in the moment to create one of the cutest pictures of Jack ever.  Some of my friends called him a Pokemon dog when I posted a few pictures with his giant puppy eyes. 

I'm so proud of this picture.  Jack was the cutest ever.  I mean, come on.  How could anyone resist that fuzzy little face?

This was my reaction when my family arrived at my dorm yesterday night.  I love my family.  Poor Lukie.

I've taken a few people-shots using instagram and they've actually turned out pretty well.

Ali and I were at J.C. Penney's a few weeks back, the day before we left to take Ali to college.  The feathers you put in your hair are trending like crazy now and at J.C. Penney, they had similar hair pieces that you could clip in and out a little easier than you can with the feathers.  We found this beaded leather clip that hung down about ten inches.  Shimmery peacock feathers dangled from the bottom of the leather strands.

When I wore the clip, I looked tacky.  When Ali wore the clip, she looked... Native American!  Or so we joked, anyways.  You can see for yourself.

I enjoy taking pictures of Ali because she is so photogenic.  She doesn't believe me, but it's true.  Ali is the most photogenic person I know.  All I have to do is take out a camera and she practically starts to glow. 

Maybe it's the big hair.  Maybe it's the pretty color of her skin.  Maybe it's the lines of her face.  Maybe it's just the fact that she's very naturally pretty and very photogenic.  But I have to say, I'm a little jealous. ;)  Ali's photos always seem to turn out great.

The same day that Ali tried on the Indian clip, I purchased a hot pink flower clip to wear on neon day at Impact camp.  It's not quite neon, but it's bright enough to go with a neon shirt.  I'm not usually big on wearing flowers in my hair, although I admire the look a lot, so it was fun to try it out for a day.  I'll definitely be keeping the flower clip for special occasions.

Are you photogenic like Ali or are you do you have to work a little to take a good picture, like me?

By the way, I'm having a college Q&A day for those of you who have been asking what college is like.  Feel free to ask your questions about the experience, emotions involved, and etc. in the comments below or email them to me at jacksfavoriteowner@yahoo.com.  If you have a specific question for Ali, mention that in the comments and I'm sure I could convince her to answer.  ;)

Someone asked me a week or two ago upon walking into my dorm room, "So you like Ted Dekker?"

I have a spine bookshelf, which basically makes my books look like they're stacked on top of each other when it's really holding them in place.  But more than half of the entire bookshelf is covered in Ted Dekker books.  I have old Ted Dekker books, new Ted Dekker books, a soon to be published Ted Dekker book, his nonfiction book, two never-to-be-published Ted Dekker books... I'm a pretty big Ted Dekker fan, if you haven't noticed.

So when the guy asked, "So you like Ted Dekker?" I almost burst out laughing.

Do I like Ted Dekker?

Yes, yes, I do.

Who is your favorite author?

I'm having a college Q&A day on September 10, which is coming up fast.  If you have any specific questions about what it's like to move away from home and go to college, ask them in the comments below or email them to me at jacksfavoriteowner@yahoo.com.

I have not been extremely active in picture-taking this week.  Classes started, homework and studying have begun, and since I don't know a lot of people here yet, taking a lot of pictures like I do normally can sometimes seem a little awkward.  But I've taken a few. 

Several nights ago, I went with my Impact group to Whataburger.  It was my first taste of that particular fast food restaurant, as I'd always preferred Sonic or Braum's back at home.  It wasn't bad, although it definitely wasn't my favorite.  What really gave me a laugh was the inside of the restaurant.  You can always tell when you're in Aggieland.  There is no questioning it.  Even the Whataburgers have A&M decorations all throughout the building. 

You know how Whataburgers have a sloped roof with broad orange stripes?  Down here, one of the stripes is maroon.

This is a glimpse of what I see every single day in the library.  I'm very relieved for signs such as this, but they are also becoming an expression of my newfound (and despised) studying habits. 

Actually, I say these things, but I haven't really studied much at all, so pay no attention to my complaints.  So far in the library, I've read a book that I must read for ASL class, I've written a letter to Ali, and I've written an outline for a new story I've been tossing around in my head.  Hard work, right?

The other day, I parked behind a car that had Converse shoes hanging from the mirror, just like mine.  The only difference was that mine are legitimately Converse shoes made for six or seven year olds and given to me by a friend.  The shoe hanging from this other car's mirror was pretend.  Just a keychain.  But still.  This was the first time I saw someone with a similar decoration on their car, so I had to snap a picture.

It's a little far away because I wasn't too keen on the idea of peering into someone's windshield to take a picture.  I figured that might look a little suspicious.

And finally, here is my favorite picture of the week.  I was leaving my very last class on Thursday and since I don't have any classes on Friday, that meant I was free for the weekend.  Despite the hot sun that was literally draining me of all remaining energy with each step I took, a huge smile was sprawled across my face.

Free, free, free!

When I looked up at the sky, I noticed giant fluffy clouds, the kind I remember from back in the days before the drought.  (Yes, there is even a drought here too.)  They were beautiful and white and resembled giant cotton balls.

I just love clouds so much.

I "edited" all of these with instagram and took all of the pictures with my iPhone.  If you want to follow me on instagram, I'm emilytheperson, but I'm not striving to gain hundreds of followers (I'm not even sure how many I have), so only follow me if you legitimately want to see my pictures.

Are you a student? Has school begun for you? Are you in middle school, high school, college, grad school...?

Ever since I knew fish were allowed in my dorm, I was determined to get a betta fish. 

The day after I moved into my dorm, we went to Petco and began to look over the many bettas available.  They looked pitiful in their tiny cups, but one fish caught my eye.  He seemed like he was nearly every color of the rainbow: purple, blue, green, red... and he was very active, swimming all about in his little cup.  I fell in love with him at once.

I named my new charge Charlie after the character from the TV show "Lost."  Charlie from Lost was made to be a WONDERFUL friend.  He would have done anything for his best friend Claire and he ultimately did make the greatest sacrifice of all.  I figured that Charlie was to be my first friend in college (and my only roomie), so I would name him after the best fictional friend I ever saw.

Now, I'm no fish expert, but according to what I read, Charlie is a male multi-colored veiltale, for those of you who are interested whatsoever.  He's a very active little guy.  He chases my finger when I wave it around his mini-aquarium, he flares his fins at the red light on my camera, and he covers the top of his cage with bubble nests.

Charlie is gorgeous, isn't he?

I'll admit...  Sometimes when I'm feeling lonely or homesick, I'll pretend in a way that Charlie is actually my roommate.  I'll walk through the door, throw my bags on the ground, and say, "Sorry I got home so late, buddy.  This guy stopped me in the hall and we started talking.  Homework will be a killer and..."  I think I might be going somewhat crazy.

Charlie is a good listener though.  He's so pretty.  I love it when he swims beneath his light, because his fins ripple with color.

Funny story.  I was eating lunch with Ali a few weeks ago and I told her, "I'm so excited to go to college and get my new betta BFF."  Well, Ali had apparently never heard of a betta before, so she thought I was talking about joining a sorority of some sort and finding a new BFF there. 

Ali and I definitely want each other to make a bunch of college best friends.  We are sisters, so our relationship will never diminish simply because we grow close to others as well.  My uncle told me once that love isn't like water in a bucket.  You don't pour some here and some there until the bucket is empty.  Love is a cup that never runs empty.  In this way, Ali and I can have many wonderful friends and we will still love each other just as much.  However, if you can imagine, having your best friend excitedly talk about running to college and making a BFF right away, it can seem a little... sad, in a way. 

Ali smiled and said, "Great!" but her reaction was a little less exuberant than I expected.

The next day when my mom and Ali and I were eating out, I mentioned again, "I wonder where I'll go to get my betta BFF." 

Ali said something like, "Why Beta?"  She still thought I was planning to join some sorority named Beta and find a best friend there.  (I don't even think there IS a sorority called Beta.)

I chuckled.  "Because they're small, pretty, and easy to maintain.  I'm so excited."

At this point, we both began to realize we weren't talking about the same thing.  I proceeded to explain to Ali that a betta is a fish and we both had a good laugh afterwards.

There isn't much more I miss right now

than being able to hold my daddy's hand.

I miss him.

I miss my family.

I miss my home.

Today I'll share with you my dorm room.  I'm pretty excited about it.  I worked hard to add new touches and bring things from home to create the perfect environment for my writing and relaxation.  Black and white, Elvis, Ted Dekker books, Africa... and my room is complete. 

When I left, my mom's van was packed full of my stuff... and I even had a few more things in the back of my own car!  I've been asked to elaborate a little on what I used for storage.  Honestly, my ways probably weren't very conventional.  We used paper sacks, random duffle bags and suitcases, and a few Wal-Mart boxes (you can get them for free if you ask at night).  We also got two large tubs and filled them with a school year's worth of toiletries so I wouldn't have to worry about buying them as a poor college student. ;)  Basically, if something I owned could hold some of my belongings (like a trashcan), then that's what we used for storage.  No big plastic tubs for us, although that might have been nice!

It's a strange feeling to see everything you own stuffed into the back of a car.  A little bittersweet.

Moving in was pretty easy.  At first when I caught a glimpse of my dorm room, it seemed small and cramped, but after we moved the furniture around a bit and put the cabinet under my bed instead of up against the wall, I was amazed at how much the little room opened up.

Obviously, the most important part of my bedroom is my bed.  I got my comforter and pillow case from Bed Bath and Beyond.  I brought two normal pillows and a body pillow.  I also have a decorative pillow, but I usually keep that on my beanbag.  The fuzzy blue throw also comes from Target.  It's very soft and comes in several different colors.  I got my curtains from Target.  Since my room faces the east, I need dark curtains to keep from being forced awake by the bright morning sun!

As you can see, I did some Elvis decorating over my bed as well.  Thanks, Ali, for the Elvis records.  The poster is from Universal Studios in Florida.  At the end of my bed, I keep my guitar case, my laundry basket, and a trashcan, where nobody can see!

Next to my bed is a really neat nightstand.  It's circular, so it doesn't have to sit against a wall.  It's from Bed Bath and Beyond and I believe it was about twenty dollars.  It's small, but big enough to hold a lamp (from Bed Bath and Beyond), an alarm clock, and an iPod dock.  On the bottom stand, I keep a journal, a Bible, and a couple of devotional books.  Above my nightstand, I keep my Elvis calendar! 

My personal favorite item in my room is my beanbag.  I'd been searching for beanbags online and in my hometown for the past three or four months.  Everything I found was either too big, too small, uncomfortable, or wayyyy too expensive.  While we were shopping at Bed Bath and Beyond for some last minute room supplies, we stopped at a store called Pier 1, which had some furniture and house decorations.  Plopped on the floor was a big, squishy, fluffy BEANBAG!  It was a hundred dollars, which is a pretty good price for a beanbag of that size.  The only downer was the fact that it didn't come in black, only brown.

However, the color difference was worth it.  I had a beanbag!  We purchased the beanbag, carried it out in a giant box and then had to end up cutting the box away because it wouldn't fit in my car!  I was happy as a clam.  I purchased a small decorative torquoise blue pillow to blend the big brown beanbag into the rest of my room.

The rug is from Target.  It's extremely soft and comes in two or three different colors, so be sure to check it out.  It definitely brightened up my room and makes sitting on my beanbag especially comfortable whenever I decide to put my feet on the floor.

The awesome black wall decoration is from The Container Store, which has a lot of great dorm room accessories.  The "faith, hope, and love" wire words were from my mom.  To the far left of the picture is a black and white bulletin board of sorts which holds pictures of my friends, family, and from Africa.

My desk area is pretty hectic, so I took a few close-up shots so I could highlight a few items.  But here's the entire area.  Pretty crazy, I know.  This was taken the day I was still moving in, so my desktop wasn't completely sorted through yet.

The bookshelf is another one of my favorite things in my room.  We ordered it off of Overstock.com.  It's called a spine bookshelf and it's made to look like the books are in a giant stack rather than placed in actual shelves.  I love the look and this is my new favorite bookshelf of all times.  I'm still waiting for a few more books I ordered to come in and after that, my stack will be complete!

Actually, someone came into my room the other day and said, "Girl, I need to get you a bookshelf so you won't have this big stack!"  And then she realized that it was a bookshelf.  Perhaps I'm too easily entertained. :)

Above my desk are my typical decorations.  The giant wire letters that say "EMILY" from Pottery Barn, the Elvis Presley Blvd road sign that used to hang above my bedroom door at home, some more Elvis and Beatles records...  And you can also see the "film strip" picture holder hanging from the wall.  I had that back at home too and I love it.  The cute little TV is from my Nawnie. 

What's nice is that the back of my desk is magnetic.  I had already gotten several little magnets, so I was able to hang some Elvis postcards and pictures of friends on the back of my desk.  The little containers are from... where else?  The Container Store.  Since this picture was taken, I also got a wire magnetic cup holder from Target.

The fan is from Target.  It was inexpensive, easy to work, and lightweight.  I love it so far.  If you're living in a dorm room, I definitely recommend a small fan like the one I have.  It's helped out a lot, whether blocking noise or cooling off a stuffy room.  As you can see, I've gotten myself a little friend from Petco (I'll write a separate blog post about him on Sunday), so he sits on the corner of my desk.  We chat frequently.  I also keep pictures of all of my siblings on my desk.  The neat pictures/picture frames are from Shutterfly.

Okay, the other side of my desk looks incredibly messy, but it isn't that way anymore.  I didn't currently have a jewelry holder, so it all sat on my paper holder, which now contains all of my blog calendars and notes.  The black strip is actually magnetic and very handy for holding keys and pictures and notes.  I got it at the Container Store.  I made the calendars at Shutterfly.  The lamp is from Target.  Yes, I do have a Bobble and I've quite enjoyed it.  And I think that's just about all on that side of the desk. 

Finally, here is a glimpse of my room in all its entirety (well, minus the bed).  From this angle, you can see the mirrored closet, the map of Africa, my acoustic guitar, and my other laundry bag hanging from the door.  I now have my necklaces hanging from a hook on that wall, along with my fuzzy robe.  When winter comes, I'll probably hang a coat on that wall as well.  In this picture, I'm posing with my grandma, who came to visit me on move in day.  (Not the most flattering picture of me, but oh well!  Keep your eyes on the room!) ;)

On the August 16, Mom, Ali, and I woke up early and began the six hour drive to take Ali to college.  It was very bittersweet since we all knew that we'd have to say goodbye in only a few days.  Ali's car was packed.  Her belongings were piled up to the ceiling.  In fact, we had to move some of her things into my car so I'd have enough room to fit into her passenger seat.  I wish I would have taken a picture of Ali's. 

It's a strange feeling to see all of your belongings--the material expression of "you"--fit into the back of a small car.

Ali and I sang and made up dances to fun songs almost the entire way to her new city, even during rush hour traffic... which wasn't as crazy as we had heard it would be.  At times, it was hard to keep from being emotional. This was it.  After being inseparable, seeing each other every single day (often for most of every day) for over a year, we were about to be separated until possibly Thanksgiving.

Needless to say, a few tears were shed.

Now don't worry.  Ali and I will definitely still keep in touch.  We already text/Skype/Facebook/write letters/or talk on the phone to each other every single day.  And since we're sisters, we'll get to spend every holiday together.

It's just for now, without each other, life is going to be very, very different.  I know that can be a good thing... but... it's also a sad and scary thing. 

We had one evening together before we had to move Ali in and leave her to her orientation at her school.  We went to Texas Roadhouse and had a yummy meal.  We bought snacks (almonds and raisins, Ali's favorites) from Wal-Mart, and then we went to Bed Bath and Beyond to pick out pillows.

Ali tends to be a little... forgetful, so she ended up forgetting BOTH of her pillows, her straightener, and most of her shampoos and such back at home.  The most immediate problem was a pillow, since she didn't have one.  I had brought one pillow to school, but I needed another (I love pillows), so we decided to begin our search together.

We're both very picky when it comes to pillows.

Cotton pillows don't do.  They're too plain.  Most feather pillows either flatten too easily or make us sneeze.  We don't like memory foam (it's too hard).  We like soft, squishy pillows.  Some down pillows work.  Some don't.

After quite a while of searching, wandering away from each other at times to try out certain pillows, we met up together... with the same pillow!  So now at night whenever we're feeling lonely and sad, we can hug our pillows and think of each other.  (Am I feeling sentimental or what?)

When it came time to leave to take Ali to school the next morning, dread seemed to hang in the air.  The "Big Goodbye" was about to happen.  We were about to be separated for two months.  We listened to "I Miss You" by Shane & Shane in the car together, over and over again.

Ali was a little... upset that the moment had finally come.  She hugged her new pillow the whole way.

The next morning, we had to move Ali into her dorm room at school.  She's actually sharing a room with two other girls, which I find crazy!  Ali has to sleep on a top bunk that is so close to the ceiling, I in all of my shortness can't even sit up straight.  However, the room is very cute and cozy and all three girls chose black and white patterns for their beds. 

I'll now share some much-requested photographs of Ali's dorm room.  I didn't take pictures of the ENTIRE thing because I wasn't sure if her roommates would appreciate pictures of their living quarters posted all over the internet.

Funny story... Ali called me a week or two ago saying that there was nobody at her new school to blog about her.  I replied, "Oh, Ali, I'll ALWAYS blog about you!"  My mom just sat on her bed in the hotel room, shaking her head and laughing silently.

First of all is Ali's bed.  It may be high-up, but it's super cute.  Ali was given the bedspread, which I actually LOVE, possibly even more than my (and it's perfect for her!).  Black, white, and yellow were her colors.  The fuzzy throw is way soft.  You can get the same one from Target.  I got a teal-colored throw for my own dorm room.  You can also see Ali's new pillow in a yellow pillowcase, a small decorative pillow (she realllly likes yellow), and a zebra-print decorative arm pillow.  Way cozy!

Ali got her own desk, which is great.  She decorated a bulletin board with ribbon, fabric, and a flower or two.  It's way cute, right?  Ali actually brought THREE teddy bears, which I couldn't stop teasing her about.  She also was sure to cover her desk with pictures of her families.  :)

The calendar you see on the top shelf is something I made at www.shutterfly.com.  I have one as well.

(The girl on the bottom bunk actually has the same comforter as I do!)

It was very difficult to say goodbye to Ali.  We were hoping to be able to go out to dinner one more time and talk and laugh... or even have a thirty or forty minute goodbye period, but we didn't.  When Ali went to the front desk to check into her dorm, she asked what time we were supposed to say goodbye and they said, "Uh, right now."

Mom, Ali, and I went to the bathroom for a few minutes.  We all cried and embraced and clung to each other.  Then we walked Ali to the auditorium and waved goodbye. 

It's been a couple of weeks now and I miss Ali like CRAZY.  I wish I could see my sissy every day again.

A few more weeks, Emily.  Just a few more weeks.

Well, do you like what you saw of Ali's dorm room?  Do you have any space-saving tips?

By the way, for those of you who have been asking what college is like, I'm having a special college Q&A day on September 10.  Leave your questions in the comments or email them to me at jacksfavoriteowner@yahoo.com by September 9.  And if you have a specific question for Ali, say so and I'm sure she'd be willing to give an answer as well. ;)

A few weeks ago, I got an iPhone.  I used to be one of those people who didn't "get" the iPhone.  "Sure, it's neat," I would say, shrugging my shoulders carelessly.  "A lot of cool apps.  It's pretty fun to have... but it's probably a waste of money."  Now that I actually have one, I'm basically addicted.  The iPhone helps with everything.  My Kindle books, the Bible, games, websites, music, GPS, maps, restaurants, school information, email, Skype, EVERYTHING is on this phone.  It's amazing compared to the rinky-dink "refurbished" phone I had for a long time.

Something that I've fallen in love with as a new iPhone user is "instagram."  If you don't know what that is, it's a picture-taking program that lets you take a photo with your iPhone (or upload one you've already taken), edit it however you like, and then post it to all of the social media sites you enjoy to share with your friends. 

Some people dislike instagram because it can make any basic photograph look artistic, but that's exactly why I love it.  It's a creative way to document your life through photographs.  Right up my alley!  I decided to go ahead and post my instagram pictures on this blog as well.  I'll post once a week (Mondays) with the latest pictures I've taken (although I may make a few extra posts to catch you up on some of the pictures I've taken before now).

You may or may not be interested whatsoever in the little pictures I take, but I love them.  :)

So here are the first few pictures I've taken with instagram:

My very first picture was a test shot of the item nearest to me: a can of Dr. Pepper resting on one of the Boston Terrier coasters my cousin Jonathan painted for my mom.

My second picture was a little more creative... well, somewhat.  This fairly soon after my car was hit while I was eating lunch.  I had to take my car to the shop, which was a bit scary since I was leaving home in two weeks.  I got a rental car for the time my car was under repair.  Even in my rental car, I hung my "famous" pair of Converse shoes from the mirror.

I was given those shoes for my sixteeth birthday from a friend.  Ever since then, I've hung them from the mirror of every car I've owned (or rented, now).  They are how I even recognize my car in the parking lot these days since they're so unusual. 

I figured these shoes would be a perfect "instagram" picture.  They're definitely a little piece of my life. 

After these first basic shots, I was pretty hooked on instagram.  Some are better than others, but I've definitely enjoyed taking little snapshots of my life over the last few weeks.  I've gotten my mom hooked as well. 

Do you have an instagram?  Do you love it or hate it?

If you want to follow me, I'm emilytheperson.  Shocker, right?

Also, for those of you who have been saying, "Tell me what college is like," I'm having a Q&A about it on September 10, so if you have a specific question, be sure to ask it before September 9.

Y: Young at Heart

(Before I start today's post, I'd like to let y'all know that I'm writing this in advance.  Right now, my mother, Ali, and I are traveling.  We'll be moving Ali into her dorm room at her school and then moving me into my dorm.  This is a big and emotional step in both of our lives.  It's going to be so hard to leave our family and each other.  Please pray for this process and for traveling safety.  Thanks, guys.)

There are so many ways I'm still young at heart.  In fact, sometimes I feel like there's no way I should be eighteen and moving out of my house right now.  I'm too little!

One way I've kept my youth is by somehow making friends with childlike people.  I don't mean this in an insulting way whatsoever.  None of my best girl friends have ever kissed a guy (and most of my guy friends have never kissed a girl!).  We all love Winnie the Pooh, Veggie Tales, and Disney animated movies.  We listen to Disney princess songs like normal music.  We have very innocent fun, like playing in the park or playing board games in my living room.  I love how innocent and childlike my friends are.

While I don't think it's good to be so sheltered that you have no idea about the real world, I do think it's fantastic to be "like a child."  That is how many of my friends are.  That's also what I strive daily to become.

Here are ten ways I've been "young" with my friends this year:

1.) We always manage to throw interesting birthday parties.  For my friend Zeek's, we threw a big party at a Japanese fast food restaurant (yummy!).  We all wore little birthday hats (he had to wear his big one all day) and took group hug and "Zeek huge smile" shots.  It was so much fun.

2.) We don't mind embarrassing ourselves sometimes for the sake of fun.  For Rebekah's birthday last year, we dressed up in tie-dye party hats and bandanas over our faces.  We sneaked into Old Navy where she was shopping, got a LOT of funny looks, and kidnapped her from behind.  After kidnapping Rebekah, we went to my house, literally had a dance party in the rain, took silly pictures in our party hats, and played "Clue" in the living room with about twelve people.  :)

3.) I prank people quite often.  Occasionally Lukie (my little brother) and I will lock Ali out of the house.

Or Rebekah, Lukie, and I will duct tape her to a column in my house.

4.) I get excited over the smallest of things, like finding a giant baby carrot in our vegetable tray.  At this particular moment, I was so excited that I made my entire family stop dinner, find the camera, and take a picture of me holding the carrot next to a normal-sized baby carrot.  This was all very delightful to my younger siblings.

5.) I dress my dogs up in cute outfits and pose them for pictures.  You've seen a lot of pictures of Jack in his sweaters and A&M jerseys, but here's a picture of my dog Boo in a fluffy winter coat.  Doesn't she look like she loves it?

6.) I play pattycake with Rebekah.

7.) I love to have picnics with my friends.  We even use a picnic basket!  We'll bring handmade sandwiches or kids' Lunchables.  I've never grown out of Lunchables.  One of my friends from work said he always thinks of me when he sees a Lunchable at the store because that's what I would bring every day for lunch!

8.) My friends and I will literally play for hours on a playground meant for little kids.  We swing, play "Lava Monster", tag, and we'll even ride the little horse see-saws.  One of the best park games is this tilting thing that kind of sways back and forth.  It doesn't go very fast, but when we're in the moment, you'd think we were on a roller coaster.

9.) Sometimes my friends and I dress up.  I try hard to look like a gangster, but I always end up looking like a little kid.  I am terrible at being tough!  However, when we went to a deli, my friend Zeek scared everyone inside.  He can totally pull off gangsta, even though he's the opposite!  You can see how he ACTUALLY dresses in the picture above.

10.) And finally, we love to play with makeup, even if we look CRAZY after we're finished.  I remember caking on a ton of makeup when I was a little girl and running up to my mom.  She started laughing and said I looked like a clown.  I was devastated, thinking I looked like a princess, when I probably DID look like a clown with bright red lipstick, blue eyeshadow, and red spots on each cheek.  I remember looking at my reflection in the mirror, thinking, "I don't see how I look so funny!"

So those are ten ways I'm youthful.  I hope I stay youthful forever!  It's so fun to be young.

How are you like a child?

I've loved watching the relationship between my three dogs increase as the months have passed.  When we first brought Jack home, Buddy was terrified of him and hid out upstairs for weeks.  Boo was more irritable than ever and snapped at poor Jack if he even crept by.

Now they're all best friends and will even defend each other from wicked cats and grasshoppers. 

Buddy is the perfect older brother.  He's always patient with the young and eager Jack.  When Jack wants to play, Buddy will collapse onto his back on the floor and wrestle with Jack for over an hour at times, growling gently and letting Jack win nearly every match. 

When Jack finally settles down, Buddy will cuddle with him.  This in itself is an amazing feat, since Boo and Buddy will NEVER sleep close to each other.  But Jack likes to snuggle and Buddy doesn't seem to mind.

Boo will usually ignore Jack, choosing to spend more of her time with the humans in our family, but once or twice a day Jack will convince her to play with him.  They'll play tug of war and tag and chase and murder in the dark and checkers... and okay, not all of those are true.  But they'll chase each other all over the living room with their white stuffed toys until Boo gets tired and goes back to ignoring Jack.

One nice thing about their relationship is how protective Boo is of Jack.  Since Jack isn't FULLY potty trained yet, we keep him in a playpen when we're out of the house.  As soon as we get home, Boo will run from us to the playpen until we let Jack out.  If another dog or cat acts threateningly towards Jack, Boo will growl and step between them.

What a good sister.

I'll miss my dogs so much while I'm gone.

W: Wearing

I generally prefer comfort over style.  My favorite outfit would be a pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt, like what you see below.  (In this picture, I'm actually standing in the closet of my future dorm room... but the outfit worked with this post, so there you go.)

I feel very comfortable with myself in shorts and a t-shirt, usually even more so than in a cute outfit.  This is probably because when I am wearing a cute outfit, I am more self-conscious about the way I look.  When I'm wearing a t-shirt, I'm supposed to look casual, so my hair and makeup just don't matter.

In fact, I'm wearing a t-shirt and a pair of Old Navy running shorts at this very moment. 

When it comes to an actual cute outfit, I do have one that is most recently my favorite.  Yes, I'm wearing skinny jeans.  I'm normally not a fan of skinny jeans, but my mom asked me to try them on in the store, and with certain long blouses, I'm actually okay with how they look.  Both the jeans and the blouse are from Forever 21.  The blouse is white and navy blue with a neat tribal print.  It's very comfortable.  What I like most about it, I think, is that it's out of my ordinary style.  Most days I'll wear shorts and a t-shirt, but when I branch out and wear something new and different, I'll get a lot of hugs and compliments from my friends.

This probably won't be my favorite outfit for much longer because I recently purchased several "ahem... special occasion" outfits with my grandma (her term for "date" outfits). 

What do you like to wear?

V: Vacations

I've been given the opportunity to travel a lot in my short lifetime.  I've visited several different countries.  One of the most memorable was when I toured Europe as a twelve-year-old without any parents along.  Fun, fun.  My favorite traveling experience ever was when I went to Kenya, Africa, but I wouldn't call that a vacation.  My best relaxation vacation was probably this summer when I went on the cruise, but I already journaled that on this blog.  I considered sharing some pictures and memories from when I went to London, England with my family, but decided against it because I wasn't really the photographer of that trip like I am now.

I thought I'd share a few pictures from when I went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico with my family the summer before I started high school. 

This was the first time in my life I was starting to gain confidence in my appearance.  I had just grown out my bangs and was wearing makeup (a tiny bit of mascara) for the first time in my life.  So in the June, 2007 album on my computer, there are a lot of strange pictures of myself with statues and paintings in Mexico.

Some were kind of neat.

Others were... odd.  Let's just leave it at that.

I also took some strange pictures with my siblings.  We enjoyed the many weird statues placed all over our resort.

When we were exploring the little village near our resort, a lady braided my hair, as you can see in the picture above.  At first, I was so excited.  Once she started braiding, my excitement faded.  It HURT.  She pulled my hair back so tightly that I was squeezing the life out of the armrests of the chair to keep from smacking her hands away.  And my head was sore for days.  I actually had to take Advil that night because it hurt to lay my head on my pillow!  Ugh, I will never do that again. 

But if I could get the chance to have another of those woven things around a lock of my hair, I would do that again.  I kept that thing in for weeks.  The picture below is strange (I used to think it was so cool), but you can get a better glimpse of what was in my hair.

I did some pretty neat things during the trip, one of which I'll share on the sixteenth (X-Treme Day).  I went swimming with dolphins, which was actually quite a brave thing for me to do, considering the fact that I'm terrified of being in the water with any sort of fish.  Yes, dolphins scare me.  Badly.  Sad, I know, but it's true.

The dolphins were very cute and sweet, but they scared me, especially when one pushed me up by my feet and lunged me into the air.  Swimming with dolphins was one experience I got to check off my "dunnit" list, but that I won't be doing again anytime soon.

I went scuba diving... in a pool, but hey, I still did it.  A funny Australian guy taught me and my grandpa how to scuba.  It was fun to swim all around the lazy river in my big goggles and heavy air tank.  I loved sharing that moment with my grandpa.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the beauty of everything around me.  The resort was stunningly beautiful.  I loved the flowers and palm trees and even the architecture.  The staff was very friendly.  In the main pool, there was an underwater bar.  You had to swim through the pool in order to get there and even the bar stools were underwater.  For the non-drinkers and youngsters, there were plenty of virgin drinks to choose from. 

It was a great vacation.  I would most definitely do something like that again.

It's hard to believe that this was more than four years ago.  Wow.  Time goes by so fast. 

We made some great memories on our Mexico vacation.  I loved Xel Ha and the pool and the Cliff of Courage.  I loved taking family pictures on the beach.  I loved eating nice dinners and spending time with my family.  Sometimes it's so nice to be pampered.

What's one of your favorite vacations?

(Warning: pictures of a two-headed baby doll and a somewhat disturbing-looking zombie are featured in this post.)

I've gotten a few requests to actually give an explanation for letter "N" of the alphabet blogging challenge.  For "nothing" day, I posted three odd pictures and offered no explanation.  Today I'll give a little backstory for each one.

First is a picture of me and three of my friends.  (I'm the one on the far right.)  While my friends are each wearing a cute dress, I happen to be dressed like a guy.

This is one of my proudest moments.

Actually, we were in costume.  No, I'm not in theatre.  Every New Year's Eve for the last few years, my friends and I have gotten together and made a "movie" to celebrate the new year.  The movies are always very cheesy, very overdramatic, and very... entertaining to our families.  Check out the movie we made from last year called "The Beauty of Friendship."

I believe this was from junior year (or was it sophomore year?) of high school.  The movie was about three young women who were attending a tea party together.  When the girl on the far left, Whitney, is kidnapped after rejecting the "Bad Man" (notice the t-shirt), her two best friends/detectives step in to save the day.  The video ends with me tied to a chair while the girls rejoice all around me.

It was a great, great work of art.  You know, the fact that we start filming around one or two in the morning probably never helps the quality of our movies.  I hope this tradition never ends.

So yes, that's how my friends happen to be dressed in adorable outfits while I'm wearing a beanie (to hide my hair), giant basketball shorts, and Rebekah's dad's t-shirt.  I make the perfect-looking tough guy.  Actually, my gangster antics were the most pitiful moments of the entire video.  Oh, man.

This photograph is a bit tougher to explain.  It was mid-March of my sophomore year in high school.  A friend of mine had come over for the weekend from out of town, so I invited a few other friends to have a cookout at my house.  Towards the end of the night, we decided to take one of those cheesy holding hands and jumping at the same time pictures.  (High School Musical 1 or 2 had just come out and those pictures were everywhere.) 

At first we took a group shot, which took about 300,000,000,000 attempts to get everyone in the air at the same time.  And because of the darkened lighting in the barn, the picture ended up being a bit creepy rather than adorable.  Perhaps disturbingly cute.  How's that?

And then we took some individual shots, where each person would try to get a neat jumping picture all on their own, like this:

Unfortunately, I am usually the photographer in my group of friends.  I'm the one who always remembers to bring the camera and I enjoy finding fun shots.  When it came time for me to jump, they took the picture a moment too late and snapped it just as I was landing back on the ground.  I just so happened to look like a deranged pyschopath.

Isn't it scary?

On this particular day, my friend Connor had come to my city to visit for a day.  While we were trying to think of interesting things to do, we went to Hobby Lobby and saw some doll body parts, Earth Bound Co. and played with hermit crabs, and then we entered a toy store.  Now, I wasn't allowed into many toy stores as a kid because my entire focus in life would suddenly become, "I need this toy.  I need this toy.  Please, I beg of you, good mother.  GIVE ME THIS TOY!"  But you know, the toy stores I did visit never contained Halloween decorations.

There was an entire aisle of Halloween things.  I found myself a zombie boyfriend.  Connor found a head that hung from a chain (and a tiny violin). 

Then we came across something... interesting.  At first, I noticed the somewhat ugly doll with cute blue eyes and a pudgy face.  And then my eyes immediately fell on the demonic-looking twin baby right beside it.  The bulging veins in its arms, the red eyes, the fangs, the horrifying curve of its little baby eyebrows.  And finally, the last thing I noticed was that the two babies were attached.  A two-headed Jekyll/Hyde baby.  That had to be the most interesting thing we saw all day.

So that's the explanation for the wonderful "Nothing" post.  Now you'll finally be able to sleep at night, haha. ;)

N: Nothing (Random)

I may have been the one to make up this blogging challenge, but unfortunately for myself, when I was trying to think of good topics for each letter of the alphabet, I wasn't thinking about what I would write for them.  This means that I don't even have the slightest idea of what to write for today.  Nothing?  Really? 

After much contemplation, I finally decided to leave you with three photographs.  I won't give backstory for any of these three pictures and I'll leave it to you to figure them out.  Sound good?  Good. :)

Saturday is Q&A day.  Do you have any questions you'd like me to answer?  If so, leave them in the comments below. :)