Happy 4th of July!

Because I always need to remind myself of the specifics behind the 4th of July (embarrassing, I know), I thought that I would sum it up for you. Perhaps you needed clarification, too. 

On July 4, 1776 the United States declared its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Thus, we have Independence Day. 

I love America for many reasons; freedom being #1. Further on down the list is the fact that Americans celebrate any holiday with food (tons of it), family, friends, and festivities.

4th of July is no exception. 

With friends as good company I spent the day stuffing my face, kicking back and laying low..and lighting some a lot of fireworks. 

Video below: Check out the fireworks we lit in the street. Take a peak at the ground for an estimation of about half of the fireworks that we had that night. Fun times were had. 

A big THANKS goes out to our troops for protecting us and fighting on the front lines each and every day!

Happy (Almost) Black History Month!!!

I sure do love the month of February!

It's technically the beginning of the year so I still feel "fresh". 

It's the "month of love" where I get chocolates in the mail from my Grandpa. 

And.... it's Black History Month. 

This year,  Black History Month is extra special for a couple of reasons. 

1. It's the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation

2. It's the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

3. We are celebrating the 2nd term of President Barack Obama

How cool is that, people?!

To ring in Black History Month, I went to a local Worship and Celebration event sponsored by Visions of Hope. My favorite parts were the choir that sang a medley of church songs, a dialogue (mini play)  between President Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas, the teenager who played Amazing Grace on his trumpet!, and an up and coming artist, Troy Anthony, who sang a couple songs about Victory. 

It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, that's for sure. 

It's coming...

Black History Month will be here in 5 days y'all :)

Finally...

I'm back blogging. I have been thinking about this post for a couple weeks now but just haven't had the time to write. You see, I have been busy with school (which kicked my butt this quarter) but now I am done and can breathe again.

In the midst of it all, I managed a weekend away with my friend Christina to go to Joshua Tree National Park and visit friends in Palm Springs!

Canon Powershot self timer at work..works like a charm & never fails!

Christina and I went on a couple "hikes"

Peace Sign! The universal, "Hi Mom" pose

And we got to spend some time with our friends Susan and Renee in the desert! We experienced a little bit of their Desert Princess life, not a bad way of living :)

At the Clubhouse after lunch at Leon's

Group Shot: Downtown Palm Springs

We saw Marilyn Monroe's underwear ;)

Christmas:
I have purchased zero Christmas gifts thus far BUT I received one today!! Thanks to my favorite sister thinking oh-so cleverly about what to get me for Christmas, I found a little package at my doorstep this evening. And it couldn't be more perfect for me. Included in my box: Sample perfume, nail polish, face mask, super cute travel ziplock,  eye shadow and gift card to rent the runway . 

My First Birch Box. 

FABULOUS!!

Work/School:
This combo gave me a run for my money this past quarter but I survived and couldn't more happy about it. My first quarter is officially done. I am 1/3 of the way through grad school. I have a three week break, which I will soak up and savor each and every lazy day, early night in and pressing of my snooze button. 

Oh yeah, I'm praying all of my hard work pays off with straight A's. I already have one on the record (which I called my mom about with pure excitement!). 

Labor Day Weekend!

I love holidays. Any holiday. 

I love having an extra day off of work to do whatever I want. 

I love spending time with my sister and doing things that we love. 

Like...working out, eating, doing our hair, going to church, having lunch with friends, sleeping in (and taking naps) and laughing until we cry because our stories are that funny!

All of the above is what I did this past weekend and I loved every single moment of it all! I flew out to Arizona on Sat morning on a steal-of-a-deal nonstop flight from SBA to PHX!! I had a voucher that I used towards an already low fare so my out of pocket expenses weren't bad at all. Man oh man, I love a good deal!

So Kristen, who is working out in Orange County for a couple months, met me out in Phoenix on Saturday morning and we went rock climbing. A while back I bought a groupon (who would have guessed haha) for a day pass of rock climbing and Cold Stone Ice Cream!! I'm alllll about working out and eating..as stated above..so obviously we enjoyed ourselves.

After rock climbing and ice cream it was nap time. I haven't taken a good long nap like that in a while so you can only imagine how refreshed I felt after that one :)

Then we went out for a late happy hour with one of Kristen's friends and dancing at Sandbar. We called it a night before the crazies were let out {aka when the bar announces last call then closes for the night}, got home and passed out. Phew I was tired!

Me, Annett and Kristen: fun night out!!

Sunday morning was hair time and church. I absolutely LOVE this church that Kristen belongs to! Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church is fabulous. I'll say it again...I just Love going to church there (yes, capital "L"). After church was lunch with friends and a trip to Apache Junction!!!!!!!

Apache Junction is a town that's...well, out of town. We toured the trailer parks and called on a couple that were for sale to see how much it would cost for one of those beauty's. $28,000. Yep, that's it. Best part? It had a new solar roof, double pane windows, double wide trailer, 24x52 (I asked about square footage and was given dimensions), 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, close proximity to community center (who knew that there would be a community center) and...the best part...it was fully furnished!!!!!

As it turns out, this establishment is in a 55+ community. I'll have to get a golf cart and grow some grey hairs before making the move. 

After our trip to AJ we had dinner and wine with Sarah then girl talk. A lot of it. We drove back to Kristen's and, once again, were out like lights when our heads hit those pillows. 

Monday came and we slept in. That is a common theme that I reallllyyyy enjoyed. We got up and went to lunch at a fun cafe in town then I got a pedicure. A much needed pedicure. Then errands and frozen yogurt followed by some window shopping/browsing. We finished the night with dinner and catch up with friends. 

My time in Arizona was just what I needed to finish the summer. A nice 3-day weekend with a vacation where I actually relaxed. Sometimes I go away and don't really rest. I'm busy planning, organizing, worrying and doing as much as possible in the couple days allotted. So, this trip was heavenly. And the best part, my flight landed in Santa Barbara this morning at 9:10am and I went right to work. Made it in by 9:20am. 

Thank you, Kristen and AZ friends, for such a fun-filled weekend. I needed that :)