happy halloween...!

instead of a picture of a pumpkin, i thought i would share this beautiful tree near my house.

gorgeous, right?

i hope you were able to dress up and go out...because i wasn't.

happy halloween and happy birthday to my wonderful god-mother!

iowa.

 I made a trip to Iowa this weekend to visit my home roots.

You know the saying, the more things change, the more they stay the same?

I think that statement holds true in my life.

My life is always changing, but my home life is a constant.

I always have two supportive parents waiting for me with their arms wide open.

Life is so simple back home.
Nothing really changes. 
 But that's okay.
Home is a place that I can always turn to when the rest of my world gets shaken a bit.

outback one night...

pre-gaming photos before heading to the outback.

no, we didn't all plan to wear blue and white.

walk-out day

"Historically, Walkout Day has been a major event on campus. On the Friday morning before Homecoming, students went to class to await the ceremonial ringing of the Bell of '48, signifying the end of classes for the day. Today, Northwest continues to observe Walkout Day on the Friday prior to Homecoming; however, students no longer go to classes."

On walk out day we walked around campus and went to the SAC carnival.  Took a few pictures on the kissing bridge...

 Had a huge pasta dinner with friends as we watched Extreme Makeover Home Edition.  The girl in the black and white plaid (Ashley) had an internship at the resort the family stayed at while their house was being renovated.  She was their hostess for a week.  It was fun to watch her reaction to everything.

Later that evening, we headed over to Big Blue to enjoy smores.

Have you ever replaced the Hersey's chocolate with a Reese's peanut butter cup?

If not, it's worth trying.

i love homecoming!

i love the beautiful floats in the parade...

i love the dancing clowns...

i love walk out day on friday...

i love seeing alumni...

i love it all.

 my favorite float - the theme was "Once Upon a Time"

isn't the detail incredible?

 i love being a bearcat.

the future mrs. mckee

the future mrs. mckee came to maryville and visited us this past weekend.

we loved having her around.

natalie and i could barely contain our excitement as she pulled up to the house.

i miss her free spirit, her loving personality, and her quirks.

on thursday night we took her dancing at molly's.

college is such a great time.

Beautiful weekend.

Beautiful weather.

Beautiful beautiful people inside and out.

Beautiful life.

More birthday!

The best way to celebrate your birthday is with friends.

I share a birthday with a lot of people, including the guy on the left.

This is moments before the bar broke out and sang 'happy birthday' to us at midnight.

when i turned 22...

 

 

...the palms bar broke out in the 'happy birthday' song at midnight
...my wonderful roomates decorated the house, prepared a pasta bar for myself and my friends, and baked me an ice cream cake

...i received lots of wonderful texts, facebook messages, tweets, and phone calls

...endulged in cupcakes baked in ice cream cones

...opened up many thoughtful gifts including a Greek cookbook, flowers, lucky bamboo plant, and even a flock of chickens.
(don't worry the chickens were a charitable donation to help people rise above poverty in other countries. check out this cool non-profit called, Heifer International)

...i danced the night away with my sweet roommate, Natalie and other friends at Molly's.
...finally stopped partying at 2:00 a.m.

a birthday to remember.
thanks to all who made it so special.
xoxo.

I turned 22!

Here's to another year full of adventure.

Watch me blow out my candles and make a wish!

More signs of Fall...

Friends

I am grateful for this girl next to me.

She is so encouraging and strong in her faith.

Loved spending a good chunk of my weekend with her.

Hello Fall

So many beautiful colors, sights, sounds and smells.

I love fall.

Arrowhead!

 The Bearcats lost yesterday.

We rarely lose a game.

Northwest doesn't know how to react when we don't walk away with a win.

Despite the loss, I had such an amazing time.

It was bittersweet to attend my last game at Arrowhead Stadium in KC.

We tailgated before the game.

So much amazing food and so many fun people.

Prepare for picture overload.

 Inside the stadium.  It was a hot hot hot day.

Everyone walked away with a sunburn. 

This last photo chokes me up a little bit.

It is the boys of Big Blue (next door neighbors) and the girls of Cape Cod (my roommates and I)

We started out as friends when we were freshman, now we are seniors.

I look at these photos and think about how much I love Northwest.

I love love love my college decision.

I am so proud to be a Bearcat.