The Best Valentine's Day Ever

Yesterday I got to spend the day with my girlfriend celebrating Valentine’s Day. I know that yesterday was not Valentine’s Day but for both of us, we believe that we should serve and love one another every day as if it were Valentines each day. Yea we may buy some presents for each other to celebrate a fun day but that is all it really means to us. Here is a recap of all we got to do.

I went and picked Beth up at 9 in the morning from her place and we headed to Round Rock Texas. On the way, we listened to her favorite songs and were dancing the whole way there. The first place we stopped at was Round Rock Donuts. If you ever get the chance to stop by there, it is a must! The line was out the door and wrapped around the inside of the store 3 times. But it was totally worth the wait. The most unique thing about Round Rock Donuts is the massive Texas Donut that they have. Beth and I got one to split and it took us all day of munching to finally finish it. 

After that we headed to the Round Rock Outlet Malls and spent the day just looking around and finding fun little things to get each other. The highlight of that part was stopping in the Disney store for 30 minutes and reliving our childhood. We ended up getting 4 coffee mugs and small toys of the 100 acre woods. It was so fun to remember that you are never too old to be a kid even if it is for just 30 minutes.

After the mall, we had some time to kill before heading to dinner so we stopped by a random coffee shop in Round Rock. While we were there, Beth and I played spades and it was nice just to relax for a bit. After a while we decided to walk around downtown Round Rock and see what all it had to offer. While walking, we randomly decided to go into the Round Rock Library and see what it had. This turned out to be my favorite part of the day. After walking in, we saw that they were selling hardback books for a dollar, paperback books for 50 cents, and CDs/DVD/Computer games for a dollar. We ended up buying 14 items for just 12 bucks. It was one of those random, spontaneous things that I have always wanted to do but never ended up doing. 

After our time in downtown Round Rock, we headed to Salt Lick BBQ. We had heard about it on Man v Food and even though we went to a different one than he actually was at, it was still some of the best BBQ I have ever eaten. We shared a combo plate of ribs, brisket, and sausage and got a few more ribs on the side (now you know one of Beth and my favorite foods). It was so amazing. The flavor of the meat was spectacular and the BBQ sauce was incredible. We were so full by the end of the meal but it was totally worth it. After the meal, we headed back home and watched some Big Bang Theory before finally calling it a night.

One of the best things about this day was the fact that nothing was forced. We wanted to spend time together and we wanted to serve each other by buying each other gifts at the mall so that is what we did. To many times Valentine’s day can be something that is forced upon each other and you go out to dinner or do something nice just because it’s February 14^th. But not this day. On February 12, 2011, Beth and I spent time learning more about one another, drawing closer to each other, and finding new ways to love and serve one another. I cannot wait to see what is to come in the future with this amazing woman. 

So to everyone out there reading this, remember that each day is Valentine’s day for you and the one you love. That doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy presents for them. It means you need to spend quality time getting to know them and loving on them in the way that most blesses them. My prayer is that all of you take this to heart and make it happen this year. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Carpe Diem

My last week of studying and baking

In honor of Today’s Letter posting a link to this blog, I am going to put a new post. Over the past week, I have been studying my butt off for my Finance test. I am not oriented to think that way and it was a challenge. After making a 90 on the practice test, I did less than stellar on the actual test. But I know that I tried my hardest and that is all I could ask for.

One of the best things that came out of studying was it allowed me to spend some time baking. One of my dream jobs is opening my own coffee shop/bakery. I would love to have a place like that I could call my own and spend time every day talking to people and baking tasty treats that everyone will love. To help me start pursuing that dream, I have worked in a coffee shop for the past 3 years during the summer and winter breaks. But now I need to start learning how to bake. Whenever I needed to take a break from studying, I would find an hour or so to whip something up. So here is the first thing I have made and maybe you can try it yourself. (I found both of the recipes online but tweeked them to make them my own. Not big changes but enough. The original recipe was found at allrecipes.com)

CHOCOLATE CHIP SCONES

 

1 ¾ cups of all-purpose flower

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 stick of butter (let it melt for a bit before putting it in)

½ cup of chocolate chips (I used a swirl chocolate chip of white chocolate and semi sweet chocolate)

4 tablespoons water

Directions

            1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. 

                                  2.  In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Put the butter in and mix with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Put the chocolate chips in and continue to mix. Put the water in. It is going to seem that there is not near enough water but this makes the scones taste like scones and not just big cookies. It gives it more of a biscuit texture. 

            3.  Turn out the dough on a floured surface. Pat or roll into a 9 inch circle about 1/2 inch thick. The hardest part is getting the “dough” to look like scones. I just continued to pat it together until it looked like scones and it finally worked. It takes a bunch of patience but it is totally worth it. 

            4.  Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes. Move to a plate to let them cool.

This is one of my favorite things that I have ever cooked. They are amazing with a good cup of coffee (I recommend Texas Pecan if you can find it) or a big glass of milk.

Later I will post my recipe for Blueberry Banana Muffins. They are absolutely delicious and I hope you can enjoy them too. 

Carpe Diem

I'm Back!

I am finally back after a Christmas break. Over the break, I took a break from writing anything because I did not want to take any time away from hanging out with the family and I honestly just got so busy. Once I got the freedom from school to do whatever I wanted, I dropped all of the good habits that I had gained. But now I'm back and we shall see what happens.

I have this blog not to write for anyone else but to have a place to post my thoughts and that's truly it. I know that writing is a lot easier for me when it's on the computer so it allows me to put my thoughts down easier. It also allows me to put down moments and things in my life that I do not want to forget. So here comes some memories from my past month.

This Christmas had to be on of the best that I can remember. Christmas Eve my parents drove my brother, sister, and I to the AT&T store where my grandparents were waiting for us. The grandparents got us all iPhones for Christmas and I was so surprised. I am so grateful for grandparents who are so willing to get things like that for us grand kids. Christmas morning, I woke up and received from my parents a new coffee maker and a coffee grinder. Exactly what I wanted and I am so blessed that I have such wonderful parents. But the best part about Christmas was being able to spend it with the whole family. The picture below is taken from my new phone of my new toys.

One of my favorite expereinces over the break was a run with my brother. Austin and I started the run by going and putting 20 lbs of rocks in his backpack and I have a backpack with waters, wallets, keys, and phones. We were planning on going a short distance but we ended up talking which helped us not realize how far we had gone. Over 2 hours later, my brother and I finished running over 13 miles. It was awesome just getting the chance to catch up with him and hear about how everything at the Naval Academy was going. It's crazy to see my brother grow up. Here is a picture after finishing all our run.

All in all it was a wonderful break and I am going to miss the relaxation that happened. But now I am entering my finally semester of college. I have no clue what is in store for me after this but I cannot wait to see what happens.

Carpe Diem

Sky Sailing - Brielle

I absolutely love this song especially right before bed. It can put me to sleep at almost any point. It came up on my iPod while driving home today and I instantly felt sleepy. Also, I love the artwork of this video. My roommate is a visualization major so he can do things like this but the artwork in this video is just wonderful. I hope you enjoy.

Carpe Diem

Study Study School's Your Buddy

Being a college student the past week has been so difficult. It's that time of year when finals are here and all we can do is study till our brains can't take it anymore. And, if you're like me, even that doesn't do enough to get you the grades you want. Thankfully, grades are not the end all, be all in this world. We have been put here on this earth to love and serve others and while we need to make the most out of every opportunity (such as doing as well as we possibly can in school), we also need to realize that school is not all that we have to focus on. It breaks my heart to hear of people who have committed suicide because of grades. Grades are not what our lives are ultimately about. Do you need good grades to get into certain schools? Yea, but if you work your hardest and don't get those grades, then that's not where you were supposed to be in the first place. So sit back tonight and think how great your life really is. Yea you may have bombed that final but you still have friends around you and a place to call home.

Thanks for listening to me in that last paragraph. I needed to remind myself of that and hopefully remind you of that as well. So after that nice little pick me up, here are a few pictures from this past week. To keep me awake while studying I drank somewhere around 13 cups of coffee at Mugwalls. If you don't know, Mugwalls is the best coffee shop in College Station Texas especially if you are looking for a good drip coffee. Get a bottomless mug because you will definately want a refill and to try all the different flavors of coffee they have. I wish I could say I have a favorite but I truly love them all. The reason it is called Mugwalls is because they have mugs hanging from walls all around the store and you get to pick out which mug you want to drink out of. I feel I picked two of the best mugs in the store and I hope you agree.

Well everyone, as this semester heads to a close, I will be heading back home tomorrow and get to see my family and my friends up at Watermark. I am so thankful to have family and friends excited to see me when I get back and I am so pumped to see them too. Have a very Merry Christmas!

Carpe Diem

Coldplay - Christmas Lights

For all of you studying for finals, here is a little song so you can be distracted for just a few minutes. I find that music is such a wonderful distraction because you can listen to it while studying. Have a wonderful day studying.

Carpe Diem

Half Marathon Numero Uno

I finally have a second to sit down and write another post. Thank goodness! This past weekend I got the opportunity to run in my first half marathon. For a while now I have been training and getting ready for this race. When December 4th hit, I was beyond excited to go pick up my packet and have a huge dinner with friends for the race the next day. The half that I ran was the White Rock half and I totally recommend it to anyone. It is great for beginners because there are so many people along the course cheering you on and it is just really well put together. So on the morning of the 5th, I woke up at 5:15 to meet with friends at 6 to drive to the race together. It took us literally an hour and a half to get there because so many people were running which was stressful but once we parked my nerves calmed down. Running that race may be on the of the hardest things I have every done. I did not want to walk away from this race thinking I could have gone faster so I pushed myself the whole race. I was able to finish in 1 hour and 54 minutes. One of the greatest blessings about this race was having friends and family there to greet me at the end. Seeing them so excited for me and being able to be excited with my friends who ran with me just made the experience that much more amazing. I cannot wait to do another one.

I hope all of you readers had a great week and for all of us college students, get ready for finals! Study, study, schools your buddy! Have a blessed day!

Carpe Diem

Goldfish even tell you too!

Saw this and just had to put it up here. Even goldfish, the snack make with the ingredient smiles, tells you to seize the day. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Carpe Diem

Amos Story - Music Video - Aaron Ivey

Sorry I have taken so long to post anything. I just have not been able to focus long enough to actually write something and it make any sense. It's a miracle that I made it through my 20 page research paper finished up horticulture. So I thought I would post this video. I love the story behind it and I wish I was creative enough to come up with the idea. Hope you all enjoy.

Carpe Diem

The Unwelcomed Guest of the Cold

For the past month, I have been waiting for the cold to get here. I know it's Texas and I should expect it to always be hot outside but last year the cold weather was here for a while and I loved it. But I forgot about the one thing that makes me hate the cold weather: Wind.

I hop on my bike to head to campus and the wind is blowing right in my face. At first it's not to bad and I am able to go for a few minutes before the wind just makes it bitter cold. I just hope and pray that the wind stops while I am biking. Of course, once I get to campus, the wind starts to die down and the weather is absolutely perfect.

So cold weather, I am so glad that you have arrived and I hope you decide to stay for a while. But can you tell your friend the wind to go back from where he came?

Why Carpe Diem?

I love the phrase Carpe Diem because it reminds me to spend every day pursuing what I love. I don't wanna look back and think that I missed out on an opportunity. In my past, especially high school, I just tried to make it through the day without looking like an idiot or someone thinking less of me. Because of this, I never pursued some friendships and I ended up being a loner. When I finally started taking advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves, life just got so much better. I realized that no matter how weird/crazy I am, I will still have friends and people there who love me. I say this not to be talking about me and my life. I say this to remind everyone to step up and do what you love. Sure you will make mistakes along the way but you will find out what you love and what you hate. Once you find what you love, pursue that whole heartedly. Don't let anything get in your way. So, to wrap this up....

CARPE DIEM!!!

Warrior Dash Pictures

So it has taken me a week to get these pictures up but I finally have some of them. When I get the ones of Beth and I jumping over fire, I will put those up as well.

If you ever get the opportunity to participate in the Warrior Dash, you have to take advantage of it! Beth went into it very nervous and didn't really want to do it to be honest. But she had a great time and really enjoyed it. It's not to difficult and not to easy so it hits that perfect medium. Just remember to get there really early cause the traffic is terrible. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Carpe Diem

Day After Thanksgiving

The day where everyone heads back to the weight room for a week. The day where people are going crazy looking for good deals in the store. The day where we eat everything we didn't eat the day before. The day where good college football continues and we sit around and watch that. The day were we can finally start listening to Christmas music. And most importantly, the day my family sets up our Christmas tree.

Since forever, the Price family has set up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. We normally have a fake tree but this year, since our house is being remodeled and we have to live in a hotel, we got a real tree. It smells amazing in the room. We didn't get to put up as many ornaments as we normally do but I'm alright with that since we put up all the ones that actually have meaning to the family. This Christmas will be really different since we will be in a hotel but I am already getting excited. The best time of year is right around the corner!

Have a wonderful day everyone and take full advantage of every opportunity.

Carpe Diem

My Brother is Home!!!

That's right folks, my brother got home tonight for Thanksgiving! It was so fun going to the airport to pick him up. For those of you who don't know, my brother is a plebe (freshman) at the Naval Academy in Annapolis Maryland. He is enjoying his time there even though he says it is very hard. He has wanted to serve his country as a soldier since he was very young and it is so cool seeing him pursue that dream. It has been hard to for me to fully back him in the journey because I don't want him to get hurt. But seeing how happy he is tonight and knowing that this is where he wants to be, I can finally stand behind him fully and get excited for him.

The best thing about seeing him today is the fact that I finally get to talk to him. He and I haven't see each other since June and neither of us are very good at talking on the phone. So having him here is so great even though I know I will hear more about the Naval Academy than I ever thought possible. I love him to death and it will be sad to see him head back on Sunday.

Well I'm heading to bed anxiously awaiting Thanksgiving tomorrow. Remember to reflect on what you are thankful for and have a great day with family and friends.

Carpe Diem

Book Review #1

So for the past 2 days all I have done is go to class and read The Lost Hero by Rich Riordan. This book is a sequal to the Percy Jackson books and is incredible. Now for all of you who saw the movie and think these books are stupid, the movie was horrible. They did a terrible job of sticking with the storyline and the character descriptions were very off. Everyone I know who has read the books loves them and completely hates the movies. Anyway, The Lost Hero is one of the most captivating books I have read in a while. I was sucked in from the first chapter until the very end. One of my favorite things about this book is you see Rich Riordan becoming a better author. The Percy Jackson books were never very long but this book was over 550 pages. He goes into greater detail and you learn so much more about the characters and what is going on around them. There are new characters from the first 5 books and each one offers something unique to the story. I don't want to give to much away but this is definately a book you need to check out. Remember to be yourself and don't let life pass you by without having some fun.

I give it: 4.5 out of 5

Carpe Diem

Ingram Hill "Troubled Mercy"

Just thought I would put this up so all y'all can listen before heading to bed. Probably my second favorite band right now. Just such a great sound.

Reason #1

Reason #1 why I love blogging

One of the many reasons I love having this blog is because every time that I am bored or just need a release, I know that I can come here and write whatever I am feeling/thinking . So here it goes.

First off, this post will let you know a little bit more about me. For one, there are 3 things in life that are bound to cheer me up if I am ever having a bad day. Depending on the day it may take all 3 or it may just take one to lift my spirits.

1)  The first is a good book. I love sitting down to read and just getting immersed in a book. I forget about time and just sit there and read until the end. Last night I finished the third book of the Eragon series, Brisingr, which I highly recommend. One of the best things about these books is the fact that the author, Christopher Paolini, started writing them when he was only a teenage and was on the New York Times best seller list by the time he was 19. As you read these books you get to see the maturation of his writing and his search for what life is supposed to be about. Anyway, I stayed up an hour later than a wanted to because I could not put the book down. Each page sucked me in more and more until I knew I had to finish it. Give me a good book, and my day will just get better.

2) The second is music. Now I am not this music junkie who goes around and finds all of this hidden music no one talks about. I like stuff that lots of other people like and I am OK with that. Who cares if others like it or not as long as I find it good? Right now my favorite two bands are Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers and Ingram Hill. My favorite thing about them is they sound just as good live as they do on their CD.

3) Finally, I love to watch a good sports game. It doesn't have to be a specific sport even though college basketball is hands down the best sport to watch. If I have the time, I love to sit down and watch a good college basketball game and just analyze every play. My favorite team for as long as I can remember is the Duke Blue Devils. I fell in love with them when J.J. Reddick was only a freshman but could hit 3's from anywhere on the court. Since then it has always been a dream of mine to go on and coach basketball even if it is only at the high school level. We will see what happens to that dream but you can bet I will still continue to have a 4 day march madness party with my best friend from back home every year for the first 2 rounds of the tournament.

So there you have it. The three things that can build me up whenever I feel down. One thing that you may find interesting is that there is no mention of people on this list. This may seem odd for those of you who know me since I love hanging out with people. But for me, when I am upset or sad, there is not much that people can say to fix it. I have to work it out on my own for a bit before I am open to having people there to help me. I know that may be something I need to work on for later in life especially when I get married but we shall see what my life looks like at that point.

So for all of you who don't know me very well, that was a look into my life and hopefully you know me just a little bit better. Have a wonderful day and remember to take advantage of every opportunity presented before you.

Carpe Diem

What a Weekend

Yea guys, that's right! Beth and I went to Bastrop Texas and finished the Warrior Dash! At first Beth was extremely nervous and did not want to do it but after we started, she had a great time and we finished in the top 50% of our heat. Running through a muddy creek, jumping over fire, and crawling through mud under barbed wire were just a few of the things that we got to do. I loved every second of it and cannot wait until they come back. More pictures will be posted in the next few days.

After the race, we went back to College Station, showered, changed, and headed up to the Aggie game. It was an incredible game and the Aggies pulled out a victory over Nebraska! It was definitely one of the best football games I have ever been to and hearing all the students yell the whole game gave me chills.

Unfortunaly, due to tests, Harry Potter at midnight (incredibly movie by the way. Best movie of the series so far), and just being plain busy, I have not been able to post as often as I would like. But I have a break for a bit so hopefully I will be posting more often.

One of the best things about having a blog is you realize all the interesting stuff that happens to you on a day to day basis. I used to think my life was pretty boring but now that I am blogging I realize that there are so many awesome things that happen to me each and every day. I am so thankful to wake up every day and see what will happen to me that day. Until next time, I love all you readers. Keep loving life and having fun!

Carpe Diem

Cow in the Room

I know that this is not a great picture but it's the best my phone could do (I need an iPhone so I can actually take good pictures but maybe someday I'll have one). I walked into class and there was a group of people crowded together in the front of the room. I thought nothing of it and responded to a text I had. When I looked up after the text, I realized that there was a cow just standing in my classroom. I guess the class before me had a cow come in so they could talk about it. Not really sure what is going on in that class but oh well. The best part is the teacher had to carry around a trash can so each time the cow had to poop or pee, the teacher had to hold the trash can so it would not fall on the floor. So that was the start of my day. I love how little things in life can help you get through the day.

Carpe Diem

STEPHEN KELLOGG & THE SIXERS - See You Later, See You Soon

I thought I would put this video up so you can get a taste of my new favorite band. I know I am way behind on the times when it comes to them but I am so happy that I can now listen while studying. The best part is that even though it was recorded on a crappy video camera, he sounds amazing. I want/need to see him live someday.