land of cotton

I got a much needed reunion with my sister this weekend and used it as an opportunity to catch up on all things Oxford. Such as:

Bottletree
Rowan Oak
Shopping on the Square
Eli Manning in Square Books
Playing in a cotton field
Ajax for dinner
Ole Miss football game + Grove

Can a day get much more Mississippi than this?

Look away, look away, look away, Dixieland.

good bad decisions

- Sitting around a firepit until 1:30 AM on Friday night even though I can't stop coughing.

- Sitting around a firepit until 1:30 AM on Saturday night even though I can't stop coughing.

- Going to a 9:50 PM movie on Monday night even though I was leaving for Jackson at 6:50, Julie had a test at 7:30, Brady had PT at 5, Will had Sons of Thunder at 6:30, and Lacey had class at 8 the next morning, and even though I can't stop coughing.

- Waiting until 9:30 PM tonight to fill out my degree application, finalize my thesis prospectus, do tons of laundry, and clean the house before Laura and Cassie visit tomorrow.

Have you noticed that all of these things involve me not getting much sleep? I thankfully have been blessed with the gift of requiring little sleep to properly function, but, seriously, the cough has got to go. I know staying up all night every night is most likely not helping at all, but the fellowship is too good to pass up. And plus, my friends give great advice. Rest during the day, drink lots of fluids, and go to the movies at night. Blind leading the blind, or brilliant? Brilliant. (But, seriously, no worries, Mom - I got a different kind medicine at Kroger today and am feeling confident about its ability to get rid of this thing once and for all.)

Senior year is incredible, and I totally want it to last forever. But we're not going to go there right now. We're going to leave it at a pleasant reflection of the severe lack of sleep I've gotten the past few nights but a realization that the name of the game is spontaneity, and that all of this has been beyond a shadow of a doubt worth it.

quote of the day

Some strange things have been going on lately. I stop and ask myself why but remain entirely unable to come up with an answer. Besides this: it's October, and "any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible..." Enjoy the quote of the day!

After the keen still days of September, the October sun filled the world with mellow warmth. Before Kit’s eyes a miracle took place, for which she was totally unprepared… No one had ever told her about autumn in New England. The excitement of it beat in her blood. Every morning she woke with a new confidence and buoyancy she could not explain. In October, any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible. As the days grew shorter and colder, this new sense of expectancy increased and her heightened awareness seemed to give new significance to every common thing around her.

– The Witch of Blackbird Pond

cheesy sorority post

While I refuse to make an omggg-DeeGee-got-the-best-pledge-class-ever-we-love-our-baby-anchors-#dglove-#anchorsaway Facebook status or Twitter post, I cannot refrain from a brief reflection of the past 4 years of my life...

[2008 - the one where I was a confused freshman]

One thing I remember clearly - I got a massive splinter from holding this giant Delta. Worth it.

Oh, if only we knew...

[2009 - the one where it really started to get good]

Better luck with the letters this time.

So many friends pledged DG this year! Including this girl - ultimate little sis.

[2010 - the one where I hadn't slept in 10 months]

Sponsorship was hard, but Emily is the best, God is faithful, and reading the list absolutely rocks.

Few people will ever realize the full significance of this photograph.

[2011 - the one that is the last]

The letters have gotten a little fancier since freshmen year.

Bid Day '08 Katie and Anna had no idea they would grow up to be Bid Day '11 Katie and Anna.

A lot of days I wake up and still wonder how in the world a Smith from Port Republic/Wilmore/Jackson wound up in a sorority at all, much less this one, much less as a member of rush team. In situations like this, I think it's best not to ask and just to go with it. A sorority doesn't define you, but, man, can it change you if you let it. Today, I am thankful for the countless ways mine has changed me for the better and for all of the amazing gifts it has given me (a.k.a. Anna, Kat, Lace, Jules, Em, Mary Margaret, Mary Mac, and CassCass). There's something good in that frozen yogurt machine that somehow gets inside of you and turns you into the best version of yourself you can possibly be. I'm excited to watch a new group of DG freshies begin this journey just as my friends and I finish up ours.

Happy Bid Day everybody! It's been a good one.