Catch Up Time & Friday Favorites

Hello!

Wow, it's been a good minute since I last blogged. I feel like everything has been moving so fast that I have barely had time to breathe!

I noted in a blog back in September that I would be going on an 8 week stint with every weekend having something to do, and I am excited to say that, ALAS, this is the last weekend in the marathon. After this weekend, we have three weeks of NOTHING! I feel super old saying that but after traveling out of town for the past 6/7 weeks, I will be delighted to spend a weekend in Houston. Heck, this weekend will be the first time I've slept in my own bed (Friday-Sunday) for the past two weeks.

So what's been going, you ask? Well a little bit of Birthday celebrating, Aggie football, Labor Day lake trips, more Aggie football, and lots of wedding festivities.  

It feels like million moons ago, but at the tail end of August I celebrated my birthday! It was an awesome, perfect night with the best friends a girl could ask for. I have pretty good luck with my birthdays getting better each year and this one continued on that trend.

The whole group at Rebel's in Houston. Seriously love all of these guys.

Trevor did such an awesome job bringing everything together on my birthday. I am very thankful I have celebrated the past 5 birthdays with him by my side.

These girls...I love them. They are all such great friends. Hell 4 of them will most likely be bridesmaids in my wedding (if I ever get married<insert crying emoticon here>).

 In other news, my friend Heather FINALLY got married. I say finally because they were engaged for a good 2 and 1/2 years before they  had the wedding. (They were saving for their elaborate 3-week honeymoon in Europe.) The weekend before last we had the bachelorette party in Austin and last weekend was the big day. Everything turned out really great and I think all the waiting was worth the wait.

The group of girls at the bachelorette party.

The Bride and her dedicated team of bridesmaids. This was at the reception and it was time for us to let loose.

All the bridesmaids. I really enjoyed getting to know all of these wonderful women.

SO it rained...but it actually held off for the ceremony. This was myself, HW, and two other bridesmaids attempting to stay dry while the formal pictures.

My hott date...go figure I've had the same one for all four weddings that I have been in. I'm a lucky lady.

As previously stated, taking up a lot of our time... FIGHTIN' TEXAS AGGIE FOOTBALL! Or shall I say, Johny Football. What a season it has been so far. After our first loss to Florida, we have gone on to win every game. However, this weekend we play LSU and I am not naive. I know that LSU has linemen the size of NFL players and that they are a damn good team. But I am not counting us out with our super star Johny leading our team, and the momentum the Ags have coming off of two road game victories. This is going to be a hard fought game by both teams and it really could go either way. Since the game starts at 11 AM (WTF ESPN?!?) Trevor and I will be leaving Houston at 7 AM (the things we do for Aggie Football) so we can make sure we are there with plenty of time for tailgating, especially since our tailgate is sponsored by St. Arnold's Brewery. Yeah, DAT CREW Tailgating is some serious business. 

Dat Crew Tailgating at the Arkansas game. Come rain or shine, we'll be there!

Alright guys, I have to get back to work, but hope you enjoyed the catch up post and I promise to post again before Christmas.

Have a great weekend dolls and GIG'EM AGGIES!

-Danni

Friday Favorites

It's time for another round of linking up with Carlie at The Duplechin Daily for Friday Favorites. :)

Who is excited for the weekend...THIS GIRL! Work has been shockingly slow this week, making the days crawl by. I enjoy being busy at work much more than slow because the end of the day shows up a lot quicker.

My BFF/Housewife/Soul-Sister is coming in town the weekend with her "main squeeze" and will be our first real guests at the house!  Also our good friend JC, (who has recently moved to North Dakota for work) will also be in town. :)

We have spent the past two evenings working from the moment we got home to get the house COMPLETELY organized, unpacked, and decorated. We have everyone room decorated except ...lol...our own room. We would rather have the rest of the house nice and pretty for guests. Plus I want new stuff for the master bedroom and home decor is pricey!!! There is something about having your first house guest and actually having a guest bedroom that makes you feel grown up. :)

Saturday we are all attending our friends Heather & Heather's "Mad Hatter" Bridal Shower.

Click here to find out the story on the invitations

The theme comes from the classic tale of "Alice in Wonderland". It is a cute and fun theme for a party. Everyone is supposed to wear hats, however, convincing Trevor to wear one has proved to be a difficult task, hah.

August is 1 of my favorite months of the year. (Tied with December) Not only is my birthday on the 28th but as of the 25th, Trevor and I will have been dating for 5 years. The honest truth is I couldn't be happier. I didn't think you could continue falling in love with someone year after year, but I stand corrected.

August also marks the start to the always busy fall season. How busy you ask? Well as of the weekend of August 18th, Trevor and I have something going on every weekend from that point until October 27th! (except one, we have one free weekend, ha). Between birthdays, wedding festivities, Aggie Football, and work, it's going to be a CRAZY couple on months. I wouldn't change it for the world. :)

So it begins, the end of summer to fall countdowns... I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and has some fun. After this long week, we all deserve it. Cheers dolls!

Days until our good friend Brandt's backyard bash birthday party-15

Days until Trevor and I's 5 year Anniversary-22

Days until my Birthday Party & Actual Birthday-22/25

Days until Labor Day get-a-way Trip-28

Days until the first FIGHTIN TEXAS AGGIE FOOTBALL GAME-36

Days Until Heather's Bachelorette Party-63

Days Until the Johnson Wedding- 70

Catching Up Thanks, an Engagement, and a Birthday.

Apologies for my absence but life has been crazy busy, but awesome none the less.

Before I do some major catch-up on my 30 Days of Thanks, I want to send a BIG Congratulations out to one of my oldest and dearest friends, Ashley B.(see stars in my Sky) and her new fiancé' Colin on their engagement that happened last night. Since we became friends in our junior year of high school, we have had PLENTY of discussions of weddings, proposals, and all other things bridal and I couldn't be any happier for her that she now gets to live out all those dreams. Congratulations again to the future Mrs. Franks. :)

Also, a big Happy Birthday shout out to another long time and great friend, J.C. Can't wait to celebrate Tuesday night!

Okay so keeping up with these 30 days of Thanks has been a little more difficult that I thought. So with that being said, I am going to do a little combining on days of thanks because I want to catch up!

Day 14-17: My Job

Okay so if you know me at all, you know that I, at time, am less than pleased with my primary job. I won't elaborate much but it's definitely a glass half empty a lot of days. HOWEVER, when I step back and look at the big picture, I really am thankful for my job, especially with the Holidays coming up. Not only do I have above average in regular vacation, we also get a full week of either the week of Christmas or the week of New Year's that is not taken from our vacation. I am very thankful for that time off to spend with loved ones. I am also thankful for a job where I get a bonus around Christmas to help with the cost of presents. I am thankful that I have a really awesome boss that doesn't make coming to work absolutely miserable. November 14-17h I am very thankful that I have a job and all the positive things that come from it. I am thankful I am not unemployed and that I can pay all my bills/expenses on my own.

Day 18: Texas A&M University

I wish that Friday would have just been another day; however, it marked 12 years since the Aggie Bonfire collapsed and killed 12 Aggies. Texas A&M University is a big family. Say what you want about us being crazies with all of our traditions and cult like mentality, but there is truly a spirit that can ne'er be told. I want to share a quote from an article that was published in Texas Monthly in November of 2009, which was the 10 year anniversary of the collapse of the bonfire.

“The bonfire symbolizes two things,” reads the 1947 Texas A&M freshman handbook. “A burning desire to beat the team from the University of Texas, and the undying flame of love that every loyal Aggie carries in his heart for the school.”

This statement, along with a lot of other moments from that tragic day fill the pages of that November 2009 issue that sits on my counter. I don't ever save magazines but that one I will always keep. I recommend reading the article in full to anyone-Aggie Bonfire- Ring of Fire. It covers not only the history of Bonfire, but it also paints of vivid picture of the bravery of the Aggie students, football team, and staff/faculty that would not stop until all Aggies were recovered from the pile of wood. I cried reading the article and my heart hearts every year on November 18th, but you can bet every time I look down at this little gold ring on my right hand ring finger, my heart swells with pride. I am so honored to be a part of the Aggie family. I am proud to say that I attended and graduated from Texas A&M University and am extremely thankful that I met some of my best friends and the love of my life while I was there. I am thankful for the lessons I learned while I was there, especially the ones not in any classroom. November 18th I am thankful for Texas A&M University. I am thankful for the generations of students that came before me and helped shape and create the core values and traditions of the university. I am thankful for the future students that will keep those traditions going strong for years to come. And I am beyond thankful for the memories that I have from those 4 years in College Station, TX.

Day 19- Housewife

I have this friend, you MAY have heard me mention her (see stars in sky), she goes by Lauryn/Housewife and this girl is my best friend. Saturday after the Aggies BTHO Kansas, Trevor and I spent the rest of the evening with Lauryn and her bf Jordan (we so lovingly named them LoJo.). We really didn't do anything crazy, just dinner and a little wine after at the apartment but it totally didn't matter, still an awesome weekend. Little moments like having girl talk in her room while the boys watched, you guessed it, more football, are the reasons why I am thankful for her. She may be 2 years younger than me but don't let that fool you, she can dish out some pretty great advice. Even though I am technically an only child, a friendship like ours makes me feel like I have a sister.

November 19th, I am thankful for Lauryn W. I thank God that our paths somehow crossed and that we became friends. I am thankful for all the tough situations that each one of us has gotten the other one through, and the memories that we have made.

Day 20-My Dad

Yesterday, on his way home from Austin with his wife Debbie, my Dad stopped by my apartment for while just to visit. It was great seeing him and getting to actually talk face to face. It's been way to long since I have seen him. My Dad is not what you call lovey-dovey. He is more described as a "hard ass". We have had our good moments and we have had some really bad moments. But in the past couple of years, I feel like we finally got it right. My Dad was strict growing up, sometimes a little intense, but I feel like he played a huge role in shaping me into the person that I am today. Looking back now, I am thankful for the way he raised me, and for the "no room for error" tactic he used. I feel because of the way he raised/disciplined me that I have respect for others, I have manners, and I know not to walk loudly when you’re on the second floor of anything. :) I know that I need to turn off lights if I am not using them, and always do your chores, even when you don't want to. I know that you alone are responsible for your actions and blaming it on anything or anyone else just isn't acceptable.

November 20th, I am thankful for my Dad. I am thankful that he raised me the way he did. I am thankful for how hard he worked when I was young to support our family. I am thankful that we now have a great relationship and that we came back from the dark place that we went to during my parents’ divorce.

I am also thankful for short weeks! My thanksgiving break begins at 4 P.M. tomorrow and I cannot wait. Tomorrow evening is also our good friend J.C.'s birthday shindig, which is guaranteed to be a good time.

Happy Monday Dolls.

To my Friends...

It's almost the weekend dolls!

And thank goodness because this has been one rollercoaster of a week. I do want to apologize about my lack of blogging but I have been extremely busy.

I plan on making a week wrap up post tomorrow with some pictures too but today I will leave you with a short and sweet post.

I firmly believe that your friendships should be the easiest relationships that you have in your life. You don't have to impress them, you don't have to buy them things, you're not responsible for their choices; All you have to do is be a good friend, the kind of friend that you would want in return. It's a very simple process...

I'd like to think of myself as extremely blessed because I have a large number of people that I feel lucky enough to call my friends. I would also like to think that means I am good at being a friend to them. They are all a very important part of my life. Some I talk to every single day, some I talk to once every 3 months, but it doesn't matter because they are still my friends. I am there for them, they are there for me, through the good, and through the bad, no matter what the time or place. The definition of a friend according to dictionary.com is the following:

friend

   /frɛnd/ Show Spelled[frend] Show IPA

noun

1.

a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

2.

a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony.

3.

a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe?

Sometimes it's pretty entertaining to look up the literal meaning of a word. Especially a word like friend because as correct as dictionary.com is there is a lot if left our.

Like I already said, I count myself lucky to have all the amazing friends that I have in my life. Growing up with no sisters or brothers I take my friendships very seriously, so to all of my friends-I love you all dearly and I promise to do the following:

1. Always have your back

2. Make you laugh as much as I can

3. Make as many memories as possible

4. Be a good listener when you need one

5. Love you no matter what happens or what mistakes you make

6. Never talk about you behind your back to others

7. Never judge you, especially when it pertains to subject I know NOTHING about.

8. If I get upset I will come to you directly (We all left high school a long time ago)

with love,

Danni

So thank you to all my wonderful friends, I would be lost without you.

:)

Happy Jersey DayThursday Dolls.

P.S. - I apologize to everyone in advance because I am embarrassingly a BIG Jersey Shore fan and will make comments and references to that very classy show. I couldn't be more happy that it comes back on tonight! In the words of Snookie, "I'm on the Jersey Shore B!@*&."