twenty-five.

today is my older sister kiley's birthday!

today she is 25. she went to school and taught a bunch of hoodlums who don't give her no respect, even though she gives them everything she has. she loves them even though they try so hard to make her quit. i think that sometimes she thinks she has quit loving them, but i know better. she's never been good at concealing how she feels.

four years ago, she turned 21. she calls it her "last fun birthday." but fun it was :) the 6 maddi got all dressed up and went to dinner in birmingham at a family fave, highlands. i remember that they made this big tray of desserts and wrote "happy birthday kylie" in chocolate syrup. oops. close.

seven years ago, she turned 18. she turned in her 1988 volvo station wagon for a dark blue volvo convertible. you could call it a trade up. she proceeded to total the station wagon less than a week later, leaving me car-less. (she can't actually be blamed for this. she was hit by a drunk driver.)

twelve years ago, she turned 13. she cut off all her long, blonde hair and sported a... bob? bowl cut? it's hard to say. it's something she'd rather not discuss.

twenty-three years ago, she turned 2. and two months later, i was born. i was her first little sister (and there was plenty more where that came from), and i stole mom and dad's attention from her. or so she says. but what she lost in their attention, she made up for in mine. i watched her every move. i wanted to dress like her (so i stole her clothes), listen to the same music (so i stole her tapes, cds, and mp3 files), and be like her (so i imitated her). it drove her crazy. "imitation is the highest form of flattery," my mom would always tell her before she stomped away steaming because i had copied her outfit. this trend continued, and when she went to the university of alabama, i soon knew that i would go there, too. i'm glad she made that decision. she hates decisions, and i think at least part of that is because she knows she's not making them for just herself. she has three pairs of eyes watching her every move, ready to follow suit. or tease. whatever the case may be.

i've always loved and looked up to my older sister. and i always will.

love you kiley! happy birthday!!!!

valentine's round-up.

valentine's was wonderful. it lasted two days for me and brad, which was such a treat. i'll take any second i can get with that kid. he's insanely busy all the time- he's a chemical engineering major, does research with an MD through the computer-based honors program, leads a small group through our church, and then has to deal with me on top of it all.

he's wonderful. and i know that i'm biased and gushy and probably annoying, but you are always allowed to stop reading :)

he shows me Jesus. and i'm not just saying that- he really does. he shows me the care of the Lord, his steadfastness, the tender heart of God. he tells me no. i like that in a man. Lord knows i need it. and can i just say that he tells me no because that's what i need to hear, not to show that he's in charge or to be controlling. he says it because it's best.

for valentine's day part one we went to dram whiskey bar in downtown mountain brook, where we had drinks and burgers and good, light-hearted conversation while enjoying the ski-lodge atmosphere. it wasn't a super-Valentine's-y spot, but it was perfect for us. we grabbed a bottle of champagne (did i mention that i'm so happy he finally turned 21?) and went back to his parents' house to watch a TV special on Prince William and Kate. he gave me a cupcake decorating kit, made me cupcakes, and presented me with a card that entitles me to as many breakfast dates as i want. i gave him a book of useless information and his favorite candy (which, btw, is only sold at christmas. i rock).

part two was the next day, which was actually Valentine's Day. he was coming over for dinner, so i put a tablecloth on the table, lit a candle, and told him this was my part :) not as sassy as the first part, but just as fun. then he gave me his whole night. he didn't do any homework or complain about how he needed to go to bed, or even play words with friends on his phone. he just gave me his time.

i inherited a couple things from my dad, including flat feet, a bad back, a sense of rhythm (because let's be honest, that didn't come from my mom), and a love for quality time. my dad is absolutely obsessed with spending time with the people he cares about. my family, to be specific. he's ecstatic when we can all be together, and was more torn up than my mom when my older sister left for college.

brad does not share my sentiments. but he's learning that this is so important to me. and the fact that he is willing to give me his time- his undivided attention for hours in a row- means more to me than anything i can think of. he's the best.

valentine's :)

i have the sweetest, most bestest, wonderfulest, greatest...

mommy in the world!

i bet you thought i was going to say boyfriend. fooled ya. (but he's pretty great, too!)

i just got a package in the mail (who doesn't love packages in the mail? it's even better than just a regular present!) from my mom for valentine's day! it had a coffee cup with a scene from

this book (this is one of those books that makes me cry when i read it now. kind of like "i love you forever i like you for always..." i love children's literature.), dove dark chocolate, and a sweet valentine's card.

brad and i are going to celebrate valentine's day on sunday night. he never tells me what we're going to do for any special occasion... he likes to surprise. AND he's really good at that. and presents. he's really sweet and thoughtful :) i like him.

i haven't had a car all week, so i haven't been able to get him a present yet. like i'd know what to get him anyway. i already exhausted all my options on birthday. (which, by the way, one of his friends got him the exact same book i got him! dangit. this just proves that he's insanely hard to shop for.)

we're going to birmingham for the weekend so brad can run in a half marathon, so i need to go make some clothing decisions. what should i wear for our valentine's date? hmm....

i have a class every wednesday from 8-10:30.

today, my professor didn't show up until 8:30 because he thought that was when class started.

REALLY?

last night, katie came over for our weekly prayer/accountability time, and it was so good. i really enjoy when we get to hang out- mostly because she's awesome and we make each other laugh. and because i like hanging out with girls. just talking to her made me realize how thankful i am for the friends i've had throughout high school and college. there's always been an honesty and love for one another in the Lord. so thankful for the friends that have prayed for me and with me, held me to high standards, and loved me regardless of how well i behave.

carbo-loading.

The University cancelled class because of winter weather.

This means that it's less than 40 degrees outside and raining, apparently.

BUT that means that I get to cook tonight because Brad's meeting got cancelled! So I don't have to just eat leftovers! And my only company isn't Rachel Ray or Ina Garten! (Even though I love Ina. I would have lunch with her any day. But dinner... I prefer people who don't live in my television set.)

I'm going to make chicken strips. Healthy, I know. But see since I made those orange scones I have some buttermilk... so why wouldn't I use it on chicken strips? It just makes sense. And we will be eating green beans! And maybe some salad. Justified.

I'm also excited because Monday is Brad's 21st birthday!

This is Brad's happy face.

Just kiddin.

There, that's better :)

Reasons I'm excited for this include:

1. It's his 21st birthday! So we can (finally) have wine with dinner. Or beer. Tonight I would be picking beer, but as it's not Monday yet... water it is.

2. I get to cook yummy things. He's real simple, so for his birthday dinner it will beeee... steak (good thing Ina and I had a conversation the other day on how to cook steak sans grill), green beans (his favorite veggie?), potatoes, and maybe some salad. And probably yummy yeast rolls. And red wine.

But for his birthday party I get to pick!! It's a super bowl party (ha. themed.), so I'm making pretzels, this ice cream pie, cake, and rotel dip. Fun, yummy, and football-y.

This is my life lately. I get excited about food when I can cook it. I read food blogs (I LOVE LOVE LOVE pioneer woman and joy the baker), I do a little school, and I sit on my couch and tell you about it.

love :)

today started my three day class rotation...

my schedule rocks.

i also got to talk to my best friend today :) sarah moved to texas recently because she married her lover, matt. (she calls him matthew. but that's only cause she's related to him now.)

see sarah and matt? aren't they so cute? you can have a couple crush on them if you want to. they're kind of amazing. (Sara Renee did their wedding photography. she's kind of amazing, too!)

we skyped for almost 2 hours. it's kind of ridiculous, but i miss her. so much. after living with her for more than four years, how can you blame me?

in other news,

i made chocolate orange scones last night. it was Joy the baker's idea. I might have a friend crush on her. or maybe that's called a blog crush. the scones were real good, but apparently citrus gives me fever blisters. too bad, because citrus is real good.

that's all. im going to go to bed ridiculously early, now. good night :)

a blogger resurfacing.

This saturday I'm pretty much worthless.

I woke up and made myself some pancakes, moped because my only friends are out of town, and then got back in my bed to read my Bible and complain to the Lord. Cause I have it so bad. Except not really. Or at all.

Yesterday I went house hunting in b'ham with my dad. B-rad joined, and we had fun... or i did, anyway. I saw two that I liked, but I'm not sold on anything yet. (my favorite one from internet looking already sold. I'm telling myself that it sucked in person.) I liked looking though, and I think the plan is to continue to look. Grateful for my knowledgeable pops.

And now I'm thinking about lunch.

What I should eat: salad.

What I want to eat: grilled cheese, potato chips, a pickle, and a diet coke.

Healthy isn't as fun as not healthy. Maybe if I go on a walk later I can justify that grilled cheese... it is, after all, a gorgeous day!