Family

The girl who cried cheetah.

- Melody

jacket: stolen from my sister, tee: thrifted, skirt: thrifted, tights: Target, boots: F21

The leaves near our house are finally pretty enough that I want to take pictures of them. Thanks, leaves. When my sister left for college I raided her closet (twice…) and took most of what she left at home. 🙂 This jean jacket was one of the things I snatched! It’s worn in (thanks, Shel) and the perfect shade of denim. Not too dark! Not too light! I guess that’s what “perfect shade” means, eh? 🙂

I am off for the rest of the week from class for Thanksgiving! I mean, classes are still scheduled for today but lucky me I don’t have any! 🙂 Jason is off all week and I’m looking forward to lighting some fires and playing with Pepper.

PS. It’s our anniversary!
PPS. Please pray for my great aunt. She lost her husband this weekend very suddenly and I know she’d appreciate it.

MY SISTER IS LEGAL.

- Melody 2 Comments

Today my sister is 21. She’s been waiting for this day only so she can go to a bar and order a cosmo. (And buy moscato.)

She’s crazy just like me and we’re always on the same wavelength. (Even though it’s mostly a stupid one.) She is beautiful inside and out (cliche, but true) and will forever be a role model for me. I am so incredibly proud of her for moving away to college and living alone, something I could never do. She’s made friends and has become a light of Christ to them. We share the same passions and the same goals and I love talking about how we’re progressing towards those things and seeing how God is lining up our lives. She plays with my dog and does my hair for all of my important events. She documents our lives with her camera so the rest of us don’t have to. (And because she loves it and because she rocks at it.) She makes us all laugh and invented my favorite word, FLARP. If we could have we would have been born twins. It’d really just make this whole thing easier.

So Shel, from me, Jason, Pepper, Little Bit, and Toonces we wish you the happiest of birthdays.

Now go get a cosmo already.

I love you guys.

- Melody

So I’m done. I’m done with voice lessons, juries, recitals… I’m done!

I finished my senior recital last night and it. was. awesome. I had an absolute blast on stage performing for my friends and family and I’m so glad they enjoyed it! I feel like I “peaked” as my sister said last night and it couldn’t have come at a better time considering I didn’t get off to a great start!

I was packing things up and checking things off my list all day while getting prepared but 3 minutes down the road on our way there I squealed, “Crap! My dress!” Jason swung the car around and we headed back to the house. The one thing I needed the most and I forgot it! I KNEW I’d do it, too. I’d been thinking about forgetting it all day and telling myself, wouldn’t that be awful? Which I’m sure made me forget it. But I got the dress and we headed to the school. I got there 25 minutes after I wanted to be there so I could finish getting ready at my own pace and relax some.

My mom and sister met me in the dressing room and finished my hair and helped me get dressed and calm me down. Could. Not. have done it without them! I finished getting ready in plenty of time and headed backstage to wait it out. My accompanist, my voice teacher, and I were relaxed and just ready to get it going! I walked out on stage confident and excited.

I loved that so much of our family came and supported me. It really made me feel so great! Love you guys! There was so much of an outpouring of support and excitement for me after the recital and for that I am so grateful. I truly love the school I attend. 🙂

Afterwards my family took us out to fancy shmancy Villa Montez! We had a blast sitting around and talking for hours. Have I mentioned I love my family? Seriously. Wow. My sisters and mom didn’t want me to change before heading to the restaurant so I showed up in my formal dress. I was the best dressed in the joint 🙂 Afterwards we took pictures outside in the frigid weather. I’ll be sure to upload those later in the week. Right now I’m still on a high!

Suffice it to say I love you all. 🙂

 

A family dinner

- Melody 2 Comments

Last Friday my family came over for dinner and I crossed some things off of my fall goals list. 🙂 I roasted my first chicken and was thoroughly disgusted… until I tasted it. Oh, sweet chicken how I love you. Juicy, lemony, and buttery. I used this recipe from Eat, Live, Run. (Her buttermilk fried chicken is the BOMB and I made it the last time the fam was over!) Mom brought over her famous sopapilla cheesecake and brand spankin’ new olive and sun-dried tomato bread (which I’m sure will be on her blog soon!) and we all had a grand time. 🙂 Dad, in his classic fashion, fell asleep on the couch after dinner while the gals yacked it up.

I love, love, LOVE having them here. It just feels more like home with people in the house talking, moving around, laughing, and eating. I miss living so close.

We went for a walk

- Melody

A couple Saturdays ago we took Pepper out for a walk and the weather was cool and crisp! Pepper absolutely loved it. She kept taking laps! Haha! We love taking her to the makeshift track and letting her go crazy. She’s so fast! We could throw the tennis ball for hours and she’d be content. Can’t believe when she’s fully grown she will be huge! At least I can still (kind of) hold her now. 🙂

Mono

- Melody 2 Comments

tee: Old Navy, jeans: Target, shoes: Target, scarf: Wal-Mart (I know, right?!)

My mom took this and was showing off her composition skills in the last picture, haha!

Wore this to my sister’s choir concert last night. Best. Ever. It was a girls’ night since my dad and Jason were working. We ate, laughed, and talked for a few hours after her concert and it was wonderful. I love hanging out with them. They’re probably the best family on the planet.

Yesterday I sang on my last ever student recital! Next semester I’ll have no voice lessons or anything having to do with voice lessons. 🙂 Can’t wait! My hearing for my senior recital is fast approaching and I’m getting a little antsy, though I know I’ll totally nail it. 🙂

Happy Friday!