Happy Birthday, Sis!

Happy Birthday to my favorite sister, Emily!

I hope you are having a fabulous day! Love you!

Hold on to Every Moment

So as Claire so kindly pointed out recently, I have been neglecting my blog as of late.  In all honesty, most of my blog posting in the past has been done at the office during work hours.  At the bank, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is blocked on the Internet.  It does make for a more productive workday, but it also means less blogging on my part.  Yes, I can blog from my home computer, but typically I want to stay off of the computer once I'm home in the evenings.  I promise, Claire, I'll try to get back to blogging more often!

So I've been in Jackson for a little over 2 months now and so far I am really enjoying it.  I'm love my job helping clients put together a better portfolio of investments for their 401(k) plans and my coworkers are great.  I've joined a gym, am figuring out the social scene, and am spending a little too much money eating out and shopping, which is all fun, fun, fun in the infamous words of Anthony Dixon. 

Another thing I've been doing is trying to find a church home here in Jackson.  I really miss CrossPoint in Starkville, but I need to find a new place to worship here.  So I've visited a few places in the Madison area.   Today I made a second visit to Pinelake.  The regular pastor is currently on sabbatical so today we heard a message from guest speaker Mike Breaux, and what a blessing his message was.  A couple of things from Mike's sermon today really made an impression on me:

Mike began by talking about moments in your life that you will always remember:  birth of a child, wedding day, etc.  But how many seemingly less significant moments do we fail to remember, even just after they occur?  He went on to describe how a child on Christmas morning has the uncanny ability to simultaneously open his own present, while also looking ahead to the next gift he plans to open, and at the same time watching what his siblings are unwrapping as well.  He explained how we tend to carry that "talent" into adulthood by never truly enjoying the moment we are currently in because we are looking ahead to what may be coming in the future and/or dwelling on things that have happened in the past.  Personally, I know that I do this a lot.  Especially the looking ahead part.  I am such a planner.  To the point where I often forget to take time to cherish the present because I'm so focused on what is or is not coming up next.  I need to make a conscious effort to really be in the moment, every moment, and to cherish it and thank God for it.  It makes me remember the words of Joy Williams' Every Moment,  "Running through yesterday into tomorrow, don't let it just drift away.  Forget about tying the hands of time.  Give every moment to the One who gave us today." 

A second thing from Mike's message that really hit me was a line (which he referred to as "crass,"  but I just feel to be truth) that he said, "Gratitude kicks Entitlement's butt every time."  I have found myself having discussions with multiple people over the past few years about the "sense of entitlement" that it seems so many young folks have today.  I saw it all the time in teaching college:  "But I came to class every day of summer school, don't I DESERVE to pass?!"  We see it everywhere today, and seemingly more so in the younger generations.  I would have excluded myself from that group.  But if I really think about it, there have been times in relationships, jobs, whatever, where I've used the phrase "I just deserve better than this," or some variation thereof.  Mike pointed out to us today that when we have that attitude of entitlement, no matter to what degree, we are just putting a negative spirit on ourselves and zapping the joy out of the moment.  If we spend our time being grateful for each and every moment that the Lord blesses us with, we will certainly be more joyful.  Gratitude will and does kick Entitlement's butt. 

I feel like after today's sermon I have a different perspective on life.  How many moments have I let go by without relishing in them? How many wonders of God's creation (sunsets, blooming flowers, newborn babies, gorgeous beaches, lakes, mountaintops) have I not given a second glance or taken the time to stop and relish in their beauty?  How many precious moments has He given me with my family and my friends that I took for granted?  There have been so many instances where I should have taken a minute to take it all in, to thank Him, and to not whine about how I "deserve" more. 

Thank you, Lord. How could I ever ask for anything more?  I'm making a conscious effort now to be in the present, forgetting the past, not looking ahead to what's down the road, but just being grateful and soaking in what's happening right now.

Dry Shampoo?

I have never used my blog to do a product review before, but several of my friends have and I’ve found them useful.  I recently tried a new product and am surprised how pleased I am with it, so I thought I should do a little blog post about it.  I have been putting red/reddish brown color on my hair for a few months now.  I absolutely love red hair and want it to be even redder every time I go to the salon.  If you’ve ever had fake red hair, or know someone who has, then you know that red hair color fades faster than any other color.  So last weekend I got some a fresh red dye job and have been looking for ways to make it last longer.  (Especially now that I am getting it done in Madison and the prices are almost twice as high!)  So my stylist recommended, among other things, not washing my hair every day.  Obviously on days when I work out I am absolutely disgusting and the hair must be washed, but on those days when I don’t partake in any sweat-inducing activity, I figured it was worth a try.  I got to thinking about how I’ve read in magazines/heard on TV about those dry shampoos.  So last night I was in Wal-Mart and decided to see if they had any.  I picked up a bottle and brought it home.  This morning I decided to skip the hair washing while in the shower and just try out the dry shampoo.  You just spray it on your roots and throughout your hair and run a brush through it to distribute it.  It just soaks any oil that might be there right up.  I then gave mine a quick shot with the blow dryer on medium (not to dry it, because it was already dry, but just to “fluff it up a bit”), and touched up a few pieces with the flat iron.  I was slightly worried that throughout the day my hair would start to be oily and dirty looking, but surprisingly it has not!  In fact, I think I like the way my hair looks/feels better today than I did yesterday when it was freshly washed!  Dry shampoo really does work!  Now, I just picked up a cheap brand at Wal-Mart, so I’m sure there are some fancier brands that work even better, and I will assuredly look into that.  So if you are trying to preserve your hair color or simply would like to sleep a little later some mornings and not deal with washing and drying your hair, I highly recommend picking up some dry shampoo. 

This is the cheap one I purchased to try this whole dry shampoo thing out:

 But I'm thinking I may spend a few more bucks and try this one from Sephora next:

Happy Birthday, Mindi!

Today, June 16 (which according to some people is the happiest day of the year), is the birthday of one of my bestest and oldest (as in length of friendship, not in age) friends, Mindi!  This year, Mindi has been doing the ABC's of her friends on their birthdays on her blog, so I figured I would do the same for her.  Especially since Darbie and Peyton don't blog (but should).  I had to remind Mindi on the night of my birthday to actually do mine, but I won't hold that against her.  She managed to get it up belatedly.  Here are the ABC's of Mindi:

Allie's and Rocco's mother

Blogger extraordinaire

Cooking queen

Driver of Jeep Grand Cherokees (which sometimes hit cops)

Employee of Mad Genius

Funny Bunny

Good Eater Award

Hair:  it always looks good no matter how it's styled

Incredible friend

Joey Bear's wife

Korean

Likes good music

MSU alum

Never fails to wash her face (just like Faye!)

Open-minded

Purple

Quoter of Friends' episodes

Roommate for 3 years

Singer of Walking After Midnight

Teeth-grinder

Up-to-date on celebrity gossip

Very frightened of birds

Wingwoman

Xenial.  Yeah, look it up.

"You're in my inbox!"

Zoo.  Grew up on one and will one day inherit large, scary birds.

Mindi and I have been pals since way back in the Brownie troop days.  Since our birthdays are 6 days apart, we have celebrated together from time to time.  Since I am just getting settled into life in Jackson, Mindi planned a joint celebration for us this year at Babalu.  We had fresh guacamole, tapas, and tacos, and it was delicious!  Mindi also had Joey pick us up some cupcakes to enjoy after dinner.  Little did we know the Babalu staff was going to bring the cupcakes out singing and carrying some sort of firework in a bottle contraption.  Needless to say, we attracted the attention of the whole restaurant, which was slightly embarrassing, but fun nonetheless. 

Don't let the candles fool you.  We really only turned 25 this year but the store was out of the "5" candles. 

Happy Birthday, Mindi!  

It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day, It's a New Life...

As I prepare to move out of Starkville this weekend, I am no doubt filled with mixed emotions.  I am so excited about all of the changes coming my way:  living in Madison, meeting new people (hopefully some single, attractive, quality men!), starting a new job, having a roommate for the first time in 5 years, etc.  But at the same time I am nervous since I have been given a different job that what I interviewed for (albeit a better job) and I really am not sure what I will be doing.  I am sure I'll figure it out in due time though.  And even as excited and ready as I am to get out of Starkville, I am going to miss this place.  Adding together 3 1/2 years of undergrad, 1 1/2 years of grad school, and 2 years working here as faculty, I've lived here for 7 years!  So it's only natural to feel sentimental about leaving the place I've called my home for the better part of a decade.  A few things I will miss about ole "Starkvegas" in no particular order are:

Mississippi State University

Yeah, this is from way back in my Miss MSU days. I couldn't resist.

I love my alma mater and I always will.  It's given me 3 degrees, countless SEC sporting events, numerous lifelong friends, and many lasting memories.  I will miss being on this campus everyday, seeing all my friends and coworkers that are here, and being nearby for all the concerts and sporting events.  But come football season, I'll be back for most, hopefully all, of the home games! 


The Veranda
My favorite Starkville eating establishment.  I'm going to miss those Blue Plate lunches (especially the boneless fried chicken), the phet whan shrimp, cheese sticks, shrimp and grits, delicious salads, etc, etc, etc.  For that matter, I'm going to miss a lot of the local restaurants of Starkville, i.e., Restaurant Tyler, The Little Dooey, Starkville Cafe, Local Culture, the Grill.... Let's face it, I love food and I love to eat.  It's a good thing Jackson isn't short on yummy places to eat!

The Cotton District

From the Cotton District Arts Festival, to Bulldog Bash, to just any random day/night at Ptolemy's, Bin 612, Bulldog Deli, or any of the other local businesses, the Cotton District is such a fun and unique part of Starkville. 

No Traffic / Commute Time
I'm sure that once I start making my commute from Madison to downtown Jackson every morning and back in the evening, I'll really be missing my less than 5 minute, traffic-less drive from home to campus here in Starkville.  But that's just part of moving to the "big city!" 

CrossPoint
Over the past couple of years since I have been back in Starkville teaching (and really off and on when I was a student as well), I have been attending CrossPoint Baptist Church.  I have loved getting to know the people of CrossPoint, hearing the Word from Bro. Scott Cappleman each Sunday morning, and attending the Young Professionals life group on Wednesday nights.  I have truly been blessed and I am sad to leave this church.  I would encourage anyone living in Starkville to check out this wonderful place of worship (http://www.discovercrosspoint.org)

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list of the things/people I will miss in Starkville.  But it is indicative of the fact that this town and university have played such a large role in my life up to this point and I will miss it and everyone dearly.  And football season and my first visit back are just right around the corner.  That being said, I know that this is the right time for me to make a change and moving to Madison and working at BancorpSouth feels like the right place to go.  I am excited about what the new changes will bring and so thankful for the opportunities before me.

Sally's Got a Gun

So, most people spend Easter weekend dying/hiding eggs, spending time with family, eating, and celebrating the Resurrection.  I didn't dye or hide any eggs (well except for the ones we did at work, but that's another story).  But this past weekend, I did spend time with family.  I ate a lot (as always).  I celebrated my risen Lord and Savior.  What else did I do? Well, I had target practice, naturally.  What? Target practice isn't a normal Easter weekend festivity?  Allow me to explain...

A few weeks ago when I found out I would be moving to Jackson for a new job, my dad began to feel concerned about the crime in the area and how safe (or not safe) I would be living alone.  So, it was decided.  I was to get a gun and a concealed weapons permit.  My dad spent time finding the right gun for me.  He found the one he wanted and then made a Saturday afternoon motorcycle trip down to West Point, MS to pick it up.  Since I had little no experience shooting a gun, it was mandatory that I have some training the next time I was in Corinth, which happened to be Easter weekend.  What better, more appropriate way to celebrate the season, right?

After lunch this past Saturday, our lesson began inside.  I learned how to use the safety, how to load and unload the gun, how to turn on the laser, etc.  Then we moved out to the pasture where my dad had a target set up.  The time had come for me to shoot.  I was just hoping to be able to hit the target at all.  Oh, and not to shoot myself or any other person or animal.  All in all, I'd say it went pretty well.  Sure, I missed the target a couple of times, but I had some pretty good shots as well.

Here I am in action

And posing with the results

Yes, the target is set up on a roll of hay.  That's how you do things in the country.



An up close look at my work



In the bright daylight, it was hard to see the laser on the target, so we went back out after supper when it was darker outside.  The laser is definitely helpful.  Here are the results of the second round of practice:



So, I would say it was a pretty successful first target practice.  This week I am turning in my application for a concealed weapons permit.  Criminals of Jackson, you better watch out! 

Later that evening, my mom and I got to wondering if there are "cute" gun carrying cases out there for purchase.  Because if I'm going to have this thing, I need to look cute of course.  A quick Google search led me to the site www.ladiesguncases.com.  I must say, I was unimpressed with their product selection, but I LOVED their slogan,

 "For the hunter.  For the competitor.  For the LADY."

I Am Why

One of my favorite songs in the Easter season and any other time of year:

We are all the reason why.  Thank you, Jesus, for dying for us all.

Happy Easter!

Events of Late...

So, I have been neglecting my blog for a few weeks now.  That either means that I've been too insanely busy to even sit down to type a post, or nothing blog-worthy has happened in my absence from blogspot.  I think it has to be the former rather than the latter.  In a nutshell, since my last post I:

Went to the Jersey Shore event.  As it turns out, Vinny is the only one who showed.  Apparently, Angelina "missed" her flight, but that was no big disappointment anyway.  Vinny actually turned out to be a bit of a disappointment himself.  He came in to the VIP section on the stage, said something briefly to the crowd, stood there while those of us girls who wished to posed for pictures with him, and then sat down the rest of the night. Literally, he just sat there.  There was no fist-pumping and really no hitting on girls for that matter.  Maybe without his pal Pauly D he is a boring fella?  I dunno. I am glad I went, but I'm really glad I didn't spend any money on it.  But at least I got my pic with him:

Then, the weekend after the Jersey Shore experience I had to go to Jackson to score the Mississippi Charity Horse Show.  While not at the horse show, I spent some time searching for my new Jackson home with Mindi, Joey, and Peyton, who happened to be in town for work that weekend also.  We saw some great houses, but I haven't found anything to lease just yet.  And since the 4 of us love to eat (just call me "Big Hungry"), we also had to squeeze in some yummy meals at Georgia Blue and Kristos. 

And, the following weekend was Super Bulldog Weekend.  Which meant, baseball, spring football, Robert Randolph concert in the amphitheatre, and WAY to many people in town.  All in all, it was fun, but the crowds in the Cotton District are almost more than I can handle these days.

And the past 2 weeks have mostly consisted of wrapping up the Spring semester here at MSU.  Aside from going to the casino last Friday for the Tim McGraw / Luke Bryan / The Band Perry concert, I have been pretty focused on work and dodging the tornadoes and thunderstorms that keep finding their way through Starkville.  Today I taught what should be my last class (at least until later in my career when maybe I decide to teach a class or two again), so all that's left are exams next week.  It's kind of hard to believe that this is about to end and a new chapter in my life is about to begin.  I think I'm going to go home today and lie under the coffee table like this with Harper:

He just looks so comfortable, doesn't he?  What a hard life.  Maybe this new chapter should consist of him going to work and paying the bills and me spending my days eating, watching birds, and lying around.  It would be a fun tradeoff I think.

Unofficially Official

Well, it's (unofficially) official, I am moving to Jackson.  I have accepted a job as an Associate Portfolio Manager with BancorpSouth.  So now all that's left to do is find a place to live.  I am looking to rent a house in the Jackson area (Brandon, Flowood, Madison), so if you hear of anything, pass it along to me, por favor!  I am really excited about the upcoming change, but I'm sure I will miss Starkville.  And Spring Break, Fall Break, Christmas Break, not working on Fridays .... tear.  But, I am certain I am making the right decision, and I'll be back at good ol' MSU for every home football game, I'm quite certain!  

So, I have about 6 weeks or so left in Starkville and I'm going to make the most of it!  This weekend, my friend Jourdan is coming into town for a track reunion (and to hang out with me, of course!).  Although Jourdan is not very far away in Memphis, she travels a lot for work, so we don't see each other that often.  I believe it's been since Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl, so it's high time we hang out!  Secondly, I'm looking forward to a little MSU baseball this weekend with Ashley, that is, if it doesn't rain.  (Although, I must admit.  As sad as I'd be to miss going to a baseball game on Saturday, this pollen situation we have in Starkville has made me sick all week long.  I would be thankful for some rain to come and make it better.)  Saturday morning is going to have an early start though.  I attend CrossPoint church in Starkville and we are having a garage sale Saturday to raise money for Relay for Life.  I don't know what I was thinking (I guess I am just so kind-hearted that I can't help myself ha), but I volunteered to help with the yard sale that begins at 6:00 AM.  And if you know me, you know I prefer not to leave the bed before 7:00 AM on a weekday, and especially not on a Saturday!  But, it's for a good cause and I hope we sell all our stuff!  And finally, Saturday night I am going to hang out with Vinny of the Jersey Shore!  I am admittedly disappointed that DJ Pauly D is not going to be here, since he is my favorite cast member and all, but Vinny will be fun as well.  We apparently have VIP passes, so maybe that means I'll actually get to speak to him / have a picture made with him.   

So, since I will soon no longer have the luxury of not working on Fridays (or at least not on ALL Fridays), I am going to enjoy it while I can.  The weekend officially starts.... now! 

I Am White and the Red House is for Me

 About a year or so ago, I was introduced to the comedy of Rhett & Link (http://rhettandlink.com/).  Among other things, this comedy duo travels to small towns across this great nation to produce commercials for local businesses.  And. They. Are. Hilarious.  I had actually forgotten about this little gem of pop culture excellence and all the laughs the commercials brought me until this past weekend.  I attended a cookout/bonfire at my friend Ashley's manfriend's place.  Towards the end of the night we started looking up funny youtube videos on my phone and Ashley reminded me of the Rhett & Link commercials.  If you haven't experienced these yet, you simply must. Like, right now.  Here are a couple of my favorites:  Red House Furniture and Cullman Liquidation (yes, of the nearby Cullman, Alabama).  You're welcome.

Cabs Are Here!

So, life has been a little boring here lately.  Not that I haven't been busy and stressed, but it's just been mostly work things, which are not fun!  So I've been lacking in the area of things to blog about.  I started thinking this morning about things that I'm loving and/or are thankful for right now.  The following, in no particular order, come to mind:

1.  Local Culture Frozen Yogurt


 Starkville got a new frozen yogurt establishment back in the fall.  I had been to Yogurt Mountain in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, so when I heard we were getting a similar yogurt place, I was thrilled!  I love the variety of flavors and toppings they have, and the fact that you pay by how much it weighs!  Note:  the yogurt pictured is not mine.  I just swiped that pic from their facebook page.  Now that the Spring-like weather is here, it makes me want to visit LC almost every day. So far, my flavor favorite is mango sorbet.

2.  The fact that Spring Break will be here in 9 days!  I cannot tell you how ready I am for a break!  I, of course, have no exciting plans for the week.  Since most adults don't get Spring Break anymore, sadly, none of my friends have a week to spare in the middle of March for a beach trip.  Even so, I'm looking forward to a week of no work!

3.  The excitement of job searching.  Ok, not really.  I'm not really enjoying the process.  And being the "planner" that I am, I really do not like not knowing where I'll be and what I'll be doing a few months from now.  But it's still exciting knowing that new things could be right around the corner for me.  It's no secret that I'm looking to make a change.  I've had a successful interview (which was my first real job interview ever!) and have another one coming up next week.  I'm trusting that the Lord will lead me to where I need to go. And if that ends up being in Starkville for another year, then I'm ok with that too.

4.  I've been so thankful for good friends this week!  I had a rough few days dealing with some drama from a student and some other issues.  On Monday I felt like Alexander from "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." 

This was one of my favorite books as a child.  Alexander has a (you guessed it) really bad day where everything seemed to go wrong.  After each unfortunate event, he said he wanted to move to Australia.  By the time his day ended, he said "My mom says some days are just like that, even in Australia."  He's right, some days are just terrible.  But I was so glad to have good friends to give me encouragement and help me get through a rough couple of days.  I love you guys!

5.  The fact that some members of the Jersey Shore cast are coming to Starkville this month!

I love this show. I admit it.  I know that it's awful and it's not something to be proud of, but I love trashy "reality" tv.  The life of the JS cast is so drastically different from my life that I'm simply fascinated by it.  So the word is that several of the cast are coming to the State Theatre later this month.  I don't know which ones, but as long as Pauly D shows up, I'll be happy!

Wordless Wednesday

What bird?

My Beloved

It’s that time of year again – Valentine’s Day.  A time of year filled with the idea of love, lots of hearts, and a tremendous amount of reds and pinks.  I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day myself.  Nor am I one of those anti-Valentine’s Day people.  It’s a nice idea to set aside one day to focus on love and our significant others (or lack thereof, in which case it’s not a nice idea at all).  But it’s a nicer idea to focus on love and the ones we love all year round.  I realize that this is asking a lot of the men out there.  And to be honest, for a lot of us women as well.  But it would be nice if we could focus on love every day, not just when Hallmark tells us to. 

Sometimes what we (or I anyway) really need is to be reminded of the love from our Father. For He is the only one who can promise to love us with a love that is unconditional and really, truly mean it.  He is the only one capable of such a love.  It’s easy to get stressed out and anxious about the happenings of our everyday lives.  I’ve found myself in that state far too many times and in those moments I rely on that love from my Savior. 

Last summer, my little sister Emily got married.  She had a song in her wedding called My Beloved by Kari Jobe.  Every time I heard the song before and during her wedding, I cried my eyes out.  At the time, I attributed it to all the emotions involved with the wedding.  But over the past 7 months, I’ve come back to the song over and over again and I still cannot hear it without tearing up.  It is truly a love song from our Savior to us.  The lyrics are as follows:

You're My Beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is My delight
Come away with Me My love

You're Beautiful to Me
So beautiful to Me

Under My mercy
Come and wait
Till we are standing face to face
I see no stain on you
My child

You're Beautiful to Me
So Beautiful to Me

I sing over you My song of peace
Cast all your cares down at My feet
Come and find your rest in Me

I'll breathe My life inside of you
I'll bear you up on eagle's wings
And hide you in the shadow of My strength
I'll take you to My quiet waters
I'll restore your soul
Come rest in Me and be made whole

You're My beloved
You're My Bride
To sing over you is my delight
Come away with me my love

What comforting words!  To know that He always sees us as beautiful and without stain!  To know that when we need it most we can take rest in Him and He will restore our souls!  As humans, as much as we can truly and deeply love one another, we can never love like He does.  I am forever amazed and thankful to have a God who loves me that much, who sees me as beautiful no matter what, and who will always be there to restore me when the world has worn me down.  Thank you, Lord, for showing us what love really is. 

 

Here is a youtube video of the song, My Beloved.  There weren’t a lot of good options for videos for this song, but the music speaks for itself.

These are a few of my favorite make-up things....

So, I just became a "blogger" last week and by the weekend, my friends Mindi and Claire were already on me about writing a new post.  Come on, girls! I'm just learning how to do this whole thing and it has been a crazy busy week!  I know from time to time I make my friends envious about how my current job gives me 3 weeks off at Christmas, Spring Break, optional summers off, Fall Break, and currently most Fridays off.... but, sometimes I actually do get busy at work! And this has been one of those weeks.  Nothing blog-worthy to report in the world of Sally this week, but I enjoyed Mindi's post on the contents of her kaboodle, so I decided to do a similar post.  I don't recall ever having a kaboodle of my own.  If I did, it was likely off-brand because the Steen family was/is thrifty like that.  But even before my "pageant career" began (and especially after), I have been a lover of all things make-up.  And once I discovered Sephora, and more recently Ulta, it's been bad news.  So I've always had an overflowing make-up bag of one type or another.  Here are a few of my current favorite things (cue music and Karen Walker singing)....

I am a big fan of Dior Diorshow mascara (http://www.sephora.com/).  It is a little pricey, so I can't keep it stocked all the time, but I love it when I can afford to splurge on $25 mascara. 

I'm sad that Mindi isn't as big of a fan, but maybe it is because the waterproof version is sub-par.  As much as I tear up, I probably should use waterproof mascara, but I always find it difficult to deal with.  When I don't have the funds for Diorshow, I usually use the less expensive Maybelline Falsies these days.

Most of my go-to cosmetics are MAC (http://www.maccosmetics.com/).  I have loved almost every product of theirs that I've tried.  And getting a free lipstick for recycling empty make-up containers just sweetens the deal!  One reason I love MAC so much is there huge array of eyeshadow.  There are so many colors to choose from.  Whenever I'm in a department store with a MAC counter, it's inevitable that I spend time staring at all those beautiful shades.  Here are a couple of my favs:

MAC eyeshadow in Humid

MAC eyeshadow in Trax

I've found that since I added some red to my hair a couple of months ago, I've had to change some of my make-up colors also.  I'm still trying to figure out what looks best for day-to-day eyeshadow.

As for lips, this Mary Kay lipstick in Whipped Berries is my go-to choice(http://www.marykay.com/).  My mom introduced me to this shade a couple of years ago.  I've introduced it to several friends and it is definitely a shade that seems to look good on everyone!

Artistry Cosmetics by Amway(http://www.artistry.com/) is a sponsor of the Miss America pageant.  While we were in Vegas, they gave us some of their light up lipgloss.  I just threw it in my purse and didn't open it until I got home, but I really like it.  It's great for being out at night or somewhere without great lighting because it has a light on the lipgloss wand that shines on your lips and the gloss container has a little mirror on it for you to use. 

And of course, no good make-up bag would be complete without tweezers, false eyelashes, and an eyelash curler...

Ok, all this make-up talk has me really wanting to go browse the aisles of Sephora or log on to the MAC website and do some serious damage.  I'm going to attempt to resist and just pick up a bottle of nail polish or something when I go grocery shopping this evening. 

Frequent Flyer

From the time the fall semester ended in mid-December until mid-January, I apparently decided to do as much traveling as possible.  I absolutely love traveling, but cramming so much into the last month has admittedly worn me out a little bit.  But on the positive side, I have added to my frequent flyer miles, which is always a good thing.  Only 13,000 more and maybe I can get a free flight to, well, probably Memphis.  But anyway, I started by attending a wedding in Savannah in mid-December.  This was my first visit to Savannah and I loved it.  The only downside was that it rained most of the weekend.  My friend Ashley and I are planning a trip to Hilton Head in May, so hopefully I can return to Savannah at that point and enjoy it sans-rain.  After spending 1 or 2 too many days in Corinth for Christmas, I flew to Jacksonville to cheer on the Bulldogs to a Gator Bowl victory! What a great way to ring in 2011! Here are a few of my favorite pics of the weekend

Jourdan and me at the NYE Alumni Party

Brandon, Jourdan, and me at the game

The team warming up

Victory!



After returning to Starkville for about a week, it was time to fly to Las Vegas for the Miss America Pageant!  With Snowmageddon heading for Starkville, we decided to head to Birmingham a day early in hopes of not missing our flight.  It took about 4 hours to get to my sister's apartment in Birmngham (which is usually a 2 hour and 15 min drive), but thankfully, we made it.  And even more thankfully, our flight left the next day right on time!  I'll say 2 things about the flight. 1.  I love Southwest Airlines (this was my first time flying with them) and 2.  The flight to Las Vegas is LONG! 4 1/2 hours. Needless to say, I was more than ready to step off of that plane and into the slot machine-filled Las Vegas airport.  It was an amazing (and exhausting) week! We had the best time supporting Sarah Beth (Miss Mississippi) and are so very proud of her!  Anyway, I won't go into the details of the week in Vegas and the pageant (because that would take forever), but I'll just include a few of my 130 pictures of the week.

New York, New York



Former Miss MSU's with Heidie, Miss MSU Director




Sarah Beth and her dad in the DSW Parade




We met Chris Harrison, host of the Bachelor!
(and I corrected him on how to properly pronounce Mississippi)




Paris




Visiting with Sarah Beth after preliminary competition



Heather French, Miss America 2000

The Venetian



Blog Debut

Hello Blog World!

This is my official blog debut.  I was previously under the impression that one had to be married and/or have children in order to have anything to blog about.  After encouragement from several friends, I decided that I do enough interesting things in my single life that are indeed blog-worthy.  Well, that was several months ago.  It has been a work in progress ever since.  Being the perfectionist that I am, I didn't want my blog to go "live" until I figured out what I was doing and had it looking good.  Well, I've finally decided that I am just going to have to learn as I go and this blog is going live today, even though I have no idea what I'm doing and at this point is doesn't look all that great!  Any tips on learning about blogging will be greatly appreciated!  Oh, and FYI, the current title, "Sally, That Girl" is a reference to an old Gucci Crew rap song.  I'm not sure I'm sold on that title either, so suggestions regarding that are also requested.