The Latest Social Network

My sister came home from college excited about her latest obsession, a website called Stumble Upon. This "discovery engine" finds fun websites, blogs and other online media that meet your search criteria, and Sarah loved having this website as a study break during final exams. She has found many hilarious videos, interesting news articles, and delicious recipes that she loves to share with Mom and me.

I've been searching the Internet for fun wedding planning tips and ideas, which is how I found MY new obsession, a site called Pinterest, a "social catalog."

"We know you have great taste in something. Our mission is to make Pinterest the best place for you to share your taste with the world."

The layout allows you to simply scroll through photos of things under a selected category, and when something catches your eye, you can click on the photo to find out more information or to find the original URL. If you're logged in as a Pinterest user, you can comment on photos to ask the original user how the recipe or craft worked for them. I've also seen people post photos of things they've seen online or in magazines, asking the Pinterest community where they can find the product or how they can recreate what they see. It's really neat, and slightly addicting!

I've been looking at things in the "weddings + events" category, and I love all the DIY projects and design ideas. A lot of the photos I've found have given me some inspiration for wedding colors, bouquets and centerpieces!

Other categories include "food + drink," "film + music + books," and "home + furniture." Mallory and I were browsing Pinterest the other day and found some really neat recipes, like lemon poppyseed pancakes, and she's found some cute dog ideas for her new puppy Avery. Once Thomas and I get married and have our own place, I have a feeling I'll be scouring Pinterest for home improvement and interior design ideas!

I love love love Pinterest! Check out www.pinterest.com or follow @Pinterest on Twitter. I think you'll be happy you did.

Summer Loving

It feels wonderful to be done with school, and as I wait for a job to come through, I'm learning to cherish the little moments and enjoy these weeks as my last real summer vacation.

So, here are just a few of the many things I'm loving this week!

Quality time with friends.

Not having a schedule means getting to hang out with friends, sometimes spontaneously. Meredith, Sterling, Thomas and I regularly have Wednesday "double date" nights, but since the boys are in Uganda this week, Meredith drove down Wednesday afternoon for sushi, shopping, and the American Idol finale. Last night, Maria and I met up at an Austin 24-hour favorite, Kerby Lane, and talked for hours. Today I joined my good friend Ashley and her 16-month-old daughter Paisley at Brushy Creek for a picnic lunch and fun in the water park, and then this afternoon I went to Alex's house to bake a rainbow "cake in a jar".

Baseball season.

My uncle has had season tickets to the Round Rock Express (the minor league team in town) for the past 12 years, and he has really sparked my love of baseball. Okay okay, so maybe I first fell in love with the game as a kid because he bought me a snack at every inning... but he doesn't have to bribe me anymore! Last Friday, my family went to the Dell Diamond to see Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton (Rangers) play with the Express since they're both in rehab for injuries. I'm a huge Rangers fan, and the fun night ended with their traditional Friday night fireworks show.

Falling in love with my hobbies again.

Over the past two weeks, I've filled my free time with things I used to WISH I had time to do! I've always loved to read but never had the time to read for fun in college, so the other day I sat at Starbucks for two hours with the book Something Borrowed and my favorite drink, an iced White Chocolate Mocha. I finished the book - so now I can go see the movie! - and I'm now halfway done with Water for Elephants. Here's the rest of my summer reading list:

1. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
2. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
5. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Any other book suggestions?

The Real World Begins

Dad, me, Thomas, Sarah, Mom and Uncle Steve after my graduation

With one of my best friends and roommates, Alex

I can't believe it has already been a week since I graduated from Baylor. It really hasn't hit me that college is over! As happy as I am about the exciting things to come, I'd be lying if I said last weekend wasn't difficult. I've been blessed beyond belief with amazing friendships and memories while at Baylor, and saying goodbye to friends was really hard.

Having said all of that, I think it's time for a much needed update. I had every intention of using my blog to document the final memories of senior year, but time simply slipped away!

My last semester at Baylor was wonderful. I finished two internships, one at the local magazine as a photography intern, and the other as a PR intern at The Dwyer Group. They were both great experiences and I look forward to applying those skills to a job soon, which leads me to...

The job hunt! I had a very promising lead towards the end of the semester (with possibility of starting before I even graduated) and a job offer in Waco seemed right around the corner. However, I was disappointed when I learned that the company decided to use internal resources to fill the vacant position. It was back to the drawing board, having already submitted 10+ applications to companies in Austin and not hearing anything. I prayed for God to open and close the right doors, which means something better must be out there waiting for me! I continue to hunt for my first job, and I'm looking to stay in Waco for as long as possible to be close to Thomas as he attends graduate school at Baylor. Once he graduates next August (2012), we'll figure out our next move together.

Speaking of Thomas, did I mention we're getting married? Thomas proposed on April 17, and I absolutely feel like the luckiest girl in the world!! The full engagement story and a story of our relationship is published to our wedding website, which we'll be debuting in the coming days. He is currently on a mission trip with his fraternity, and I'd love it if you would pray with me as they serve the Lord in Uganda. Check out their blog for daily updates with stories of God's glory!

Since Waco is a ghost town with everyone gone for the summer, and with Thomas out of the country, I decided to come home to Austin for a few weeks of rest and relaxation with my family. My little sister Sarah is home, having just finished her sophomore year at Texas Tech, so we're enjoying time together while Mom and Dad are both at work!

So, the "real world" begins. Landing my first job, planning a wedding, experiencing both growing pains and joys, and living in the peace of the One who provides it all... bring it on.