The Countdown

The countdown to summer has officially begun! I am down to 24 more days of my freshmen year of college. Where did the time go? I remember the last of my friends going off to college, and all the tears I cried, because I was the only one staying in Houston like it was yesterday. All the coulda, woulda, shouldas that I thought about as the summer came to an end. Looking back now I wouldn't have done anything differently. I am truly so content with staying in Houston, focusing on my grades and having my friends come home to visit me! I will say though that I do wish I was able to visit my friends a little bit more than I did, but I had so much to get done in this new journey that I didn't really have much free time.

If a senior were to ask me if it was a smart idea to go to community college for the first year or so, I would totally say yes! It is such a nice transition, the classes are small just like high school, there is so much less pressure and you aren't totally lost when you first start out. Oh did I forget to mention the money that you will save, because that is a blessing in its self haha. Friends are the only minor downfall of community college. None of the people you meet are going to be people that you will keep up with the rest of your life. They are friends for the moment kind of people. You chat in class and you will say hi when you see them around, but you most likely will not call them up to hangout. Mostly because people that are doing the whole community college thing have jobs and other things in life that make them crazy busy.

As much as I am SOO excited for this school year to come to an end so I can start my summer, I am also so nervous and stressed. I haven't even thought about the last of my tests I am going to take or my FINALS for that matter. I have just been taking life day by day, and it is slowly starting to scare me more and more. I am ready for no alarms, staying up late, having my friends home and just relaxing, but I will surely miss the routine that I have. I am not one that loves change, so the school year is always I nice way for me to keep everything in order and timely. One thing that I know for sure, is that I won't have to worry at all about going back to school this time around. The beginning of this year totally rocked my world. I was so lost without my best friends, I didn't like the feeling of not knowing anyone and everything was just different. It wasn't until about Thanksgiving that I started to accept that this was my new normal. Life was going to go on and my friends were going to have somewhat of a new life, but they would love me and cherish my friendship just as much as they did before. So one thing  I know for sure is that at the end of the summer I will totally be ready for school, and it will not be the end of the world this time!

So heres to you summer 2k14, I am READY!!!!!

XOXOXOXOXO,

Maggie

Doin' What Blake Likes!!

Let me start off by just saying OH MY GOODNESS! Blake Shelton seriously rocked reliant last night!

As soon as the rodeo line-up came out this year, and I saw that Blake was going to be there I quickly began my search for tickets. I searched every ticket website, asked every friend, and even went as far as tweeting to anyone who was willing to make my heart happy and hook a girl up with some BS tickets. After all my searching I was unable to find tickets, and I knew I was just going to have to move on, and hope from some future ones. I started listening to Blake back when his first single became popular in about '05. Scary to think I was in the fifth grade. Man am I getting old!!!! Anyways, after the song Austin came out and I listened to it over 1000 times, I kind of stopped following Blake and didn't keep up with him. It wasn't until about 4 years ago when  I started to watch The Voice, that I started to REALLY like him! Little by little I got back into my BS stage and started to really follow his music again. About two years ago though is when I completely fell head over heels for a man that I knew I would never have the chance of marrying... (Heck with you Miranda!)

 Ok, back to the rodeo and wanting tickets to see BS. Last Saturday my dear dear friend Laura told me that she might know someone with Blake Shelton tickets, but that she would need to double check, and she would let me know as soon as she found out. Seriously I was OVER JOYED, but I didn't want to get my hopes up. That Sunday I got the BEST text message of my life... it read "Okay the Blake Shelton tickets are officially available! 4 tickets with parking pass too! Free of charge!" I think I teared up a little bit when I read that message. How could I go from not finding any tickets to being offered 4 free tickets WITH a parking pass? God knew how much I wanted those tickets, and he knew Ellen had the heart of angel to be sweet enough to make my heart so happy. Oh and I forgot to mention these seats were about 5 rows up from the action seats, so pretty much front and center!

I knew right away who was going with me, and it was My mom, Dad ( they are huge fans too), and my friend Carrie! All week long I looked forward to Thursday night, the night that would make me have no cares in the world. Wednesday was a rough day I went to school and then went right to work and worked for 12 straight hours!!!! Talk about HELL. When that clock struck midnight and I was leaving work, all I could think of was tomorrow I will be getting home from Blake Shelton at this time. So all Thursday I contemplated what I was going to wear to my husbands  concert.

We left at about six for the rodeo and it was perfect. Traffic was a little heavy but not too bad. We ate some delicious rodeo food, and walked around a little before we headed for our seats. We got to our seats at about 8:30 and anxiously waited for Blakey to come on! Y'all as soon as he walked on that stage I seriously started to melt. He continued to rock reliant the entire hour. That man is seriously the sweetest he said thank you about a million times, and each time I thought "no, THANK YOU BLAKE!" He is one talented singer. He also surprised the crowd and brought along Miranda Lambert! I have to admit I am not really a fan of hers I think she is rather trashy, but last night she did a fabulous job with the song "Home" by Michael Buble. As soon as he ended Honey Bee, which was his last song we headed for the car! The entire way home I was still in such shock at how great he was and how much I enjoyed my night! If I could do it over I SOO would.

I wouldn't have been able to do this without the help of my dear friend Laura and her generous friend Ellen! So, thank you both for making this such a wonderful experience!!!

I will leave you with some pictures that I was able to capture last night from my seat!!

Until next time friends!

XOXOXOXO,

Maggie

Orange you glad I told you!

While I was in Florida I was in charge of making the desserts. If you know me well, then you know that I love to bake just about anything! I knew exactly what I was going to make,and it is so perfect for spring/summer. The cake is called mandarin orange cake! Let me just tell you it was a hit! So with that being said,I am here to share my famous refreshing cake. 

Ingredients

1 box of yellow cake mix 

4 large eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 (11 oz) cans of mandarin oranges

1 (8oz) container frozen whipped topping, thawed (cool whip)

1 (3.5 oz) box of instant vanilla pudding

1 can of crushed pineapple

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Grease 9x13 pan of choice

3. In large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, and ONE can of oranges with juice.

4. Mix by hand or with mixer until smooth ( you will still see bits of oranges).

5. Pour into prepared pan.

6. Bake for 30-40 mins

7. Allow to cool

8. In large bowl, mix whipped topping, the other can of mandarin oranges, until well combined and smooth. 

9. Spread on cooked cake.

And last but not least ENJOY :)!!

xoxoxoxo,

Maggie 

'COLA ON THE BEACH!

Spring break started off with a day of sleeping in and no work! That is the perfect start to spring break if you ask me. On Sunday morning bright and early I headed to the airport to catch a quick flight to the BIG EASY! After a plane ride that felt like you were flying over Kirkwood and hitting every pot hole, I finally arrived in NOLA. Lauren left the day before and spent a night in NOLA with some friends, so she was waiting for me there as I arrived off the plane. We then gathered the crew (the other girls that were going on the trip) and headed for some beignets. You can't go to NOLA and not stop for beignets!! After our oh so sweet breakfast we hopped in the car and drove the rest of the way to Pensacola,Florida.

Once we arrived in The 'Cola we checked into our condo and started our spring break adventure. First stop was the grocery store to stock up on lots of yummy food! After all the shopping was done it was almost dinner time, so we were not able to experience any of the beach, but we were able to look out over our beautiful balcony and see the crystal clear water. Let me just tell you it is NOTHING like Galveston!!! It is so relaxing to just sit out on the balcony and watch the ripples in the water and the boats cruise on by. On Monday we slept in, ate a late breakfast and then packed a picnic so we could spend the rest of the day at the beach. We loaded ourselves with sunscreen and headed for the beach, it was such a pretty day, sunny and 75!! Since  it is much cooler and breezier in Florida you can't tell if the sun is hitting you or not, but don't let that fool you.... I kept thinking to myself "wow I am not getting any sun :(" it wasn't until  I got in the hot tub that night that I realized I got WAY to much sun! So Tuesday I had to pay the price and relax in the condo, but it was pretty nice because it was pretty foggy anyways. As I was laying in bed surfing the web I faintly heard this voice that sounded like an operator say " Emergency please exit immediately and avoid using stairs" I kind of laid there for a minute and thought maybe it was the T.V. in the living room where the other girls were. After hearing it again I realized nope that is definitely coming from this room...so I quickly ran into the living room and was like we need to evacuate NOW, something is going on! Mind you all of us are in our pajamas just lounging around being lazy. We all quickly grabbed our phones and ran for the stairs. Let me just tell you running down 18 flights of stairs with a killer sunburn all over your legs is HORRIBLE!!! After waiting about 20 mins outside the resort, they tell us that it was nothing, someone just set off the fire alarm from BURNING BACON. So all that running for nothing!!! We continued to catch our breath as we slowly made our way back to the room. The rest of the day was finished with more T.V. watching, snacking and just being LAZY! After being in the condo for almost a full day, minus our small evacuation I was so ready to smell some fresh air. We decided to venture out and walk on the beach after dinner. As soon as we felt the sand beneath our toes we had to turn right around to go back because it started to rain! I decided I was going to go ahead and go to sleep fairly early, since  I knew we'd be hitting the beach up again on Wednesday bright and early.

Wednesday was quite chilly but that did not stop us from catching some rays. We lasted about 45 minutes at the beach, and then figured it was probably in our best interest to head to the heated pools and hot tub where we would be MUCH warmer. I must admit getting into a hot tub when you have a TERRIBLE sunburn is like laying in a fire. My skin was crawling when I would first get in, but eventually it would get better and I was so enjoying the relaxation. That night we went to a restaurant called Peg a Leg Pete's it was a seafood place which is not really my favorite, but everyone else enjoys it so I just went along. I orded chicken fingers...  I know a total kid move but hey give a sister a break, seafood is pretty SICK!!!!!! Wednesday night was spent packing up and getting the condo put back together. As I laid in bed on my last night in the place that I had made so many memories in just 4 shorts days, I thanked The Lord for all the things I am blessed with. None of this would have been possible if it wasn't for THE MAN upstairs.

We headed back to the wonderful HTOWN on Thursday. We did one last Pensacola chant before we left the premises of Pensacola, Florida! It was a long 11 hours back home, and by the end I was so ready to get home and sleep in my own bed. You really don't know how much you appreciate your bed until you are gone from it for quite some time.

Thank you Pensacola for making this spring break such a memorable one! I will be back to sip on a couple more margaritas  colas!


XOXOXOXOXO,
Maggie 

Old Soul!

Ever since  I was little I have always been obsessed with acting older than I actually am. People would always say "wow you are so mature" or "you truly have an old soul for being so young". Most people at my age probably wouldn't like hearing "you have an old soul", but not me! I love everything about becoming an adult, I love acting like a grown up, I like having responsibilities, I like not being told what I have to do, I just really like everything about adulthood. Call me crazy but that is just me! I long for the day that I will be married and have children of my own, but until then  I will cherish the time I get to spend with the sweet kiddos I get to babysit. Whether it is the adorable Squillante kiddos or the crazy,goofy and fun loving Smith kids I always love my time spent with them. I like practicing my mom duty and having the in charge feeling.

All of high school I counted down the days until graduation, you might think well yes everyone does that... My count down was for a much different reason than most teenagers. Mine was the count down until I no longer had to watch the kids at my high school make stupid choices. I was never one to go out and party or lie to my mom about where I was. That was not what made me feel important, and I am so thankful that I never had to fall into that peer pressure. I was very blessed with loving friends who had the same view on life as I did! We went through all of high school without making a stupid choice, or going to the local party to get crazy and forget all about what we did that night. I am not saying I am some crazy saint or anything, because I am far from it and I have made plenty of mistakes in life. But I do think that teenagers today do things for the wrong reason. Most nineteen year olds aren't looking forward to graduating college and getting a job in the real world, they are most likely wanting to stay in college so they can live the party life. I however once again long for the day I graduate and start my life long goal of becoming a teacher!

From the time I was 3 years old I have always wanted to be a teacher. I just felt so inclined to always help others, so teaching seemed to be my best option for sure.I often wondered if one day  I would change my mind, but I am now finishing up my freshmen year of college,and I still feel the same passion and love for teaching as I did when  I was three years old.

I hope one day I am able to spread my love for life, children and The lord all across America by opening up an orphanage, but until then I will sit back and continue to share my heart the way I always have! I hope that one day everyone will find the peace in knowing that they are so LOVED by The Lord.

Until the next time blog lovers!

XOXOXOXO,

Maggie

The Reason For The Daily Margarita!

Starting a blog just like many other things take lots of time and effort. Ever since I found my first ever favorite blog back in 2012, I have gone back and forth on  whether or not I should start my own. I was always so worried that it would consume all of my time, how on earth was I going to be a college student, work a job and become a BLOGGER? As more and more time passed and I became a frequent "blog stalker" I realized that this is not something you have to do daily. You can blog whenever you want, whether it's before you go to bed or when you wake up in the morning. I am using this blog as a place for anyone and everyone to take a break in their hectic life, to maybe gain something from mine. This will also be a wonderful place for me to look back at in 20 years just to see how much life has changed. Who know's in 20 years I could be married, have 10 kids and be a stay at home mom... okay maybe not 10 kids but you get my point. With 10 kids I would probably need MULTIPLE margarita's a  day!!!

I hope this blog is able to bring you as much joy, as it already has me! I look forward to blogging and blog stalking, it is my therapy for the day. Although, I am quite young and my stresses in life are far different than most I still at nineteen come home sometimes, and feel like I need to take a load off and just RELAX! My plan is to make this blog as fun and free spirited as I can. And a place where you can come and take a load off, so leave your stresses on the last webpage, because you are about to sample the best margarita there is!

I truly look forward to all the memories I will make with this "Daily Margarita!" Next time I will be back with just a little bit of extra salt around the glass ;).


XOXOXOXO,

Maggie 

Keep Austin Weird

This weekend my mom and I packed our bags and headed to the not so weird Austin,TX. My sweet sister Lauren was celebrating her Mom's Weekend with her sorority, and I was lucky enough that I got to tag along. The weekend was so fun and crazy busy! We were busy from sunrise to sunset. There was a lot of laughing, game playing, wonderful dinners, and tons of shopping done this weekend, all of which I love! I always love when we are able to go visit Lauren, whether its crazy busy the whole time we are there or if we just sit around.

We arrived Friday late afternoon with lots of excitement for the weekend. My mom and sister went to one of the many events that evening while I went to dinner with Lauren's roommate Michelle and one of Lauren's other friends sister. As Michelle, Lindsey, and I waited 45 mins for a table at Trudy's Mexican Restaurant I did LOTS of people watching! Although, Austin and Houston are only a short distance from each other the difference in people in is incredible. It is always nice to get a different taste of the world every once in awhile HAHA. Friday night after dinner we just went back to the apartment and RELAXED!!! That 8:00 AM alarm quickly rolled around on Saturday morning and we were up, out and at brunch by 10:30. We went to the yummiest restaurant called Taverna, I highly recommend it if you are ever in Austin. After breakfast and lots of shopping we went back to Lauren's apartment and relaxed and played some games! Get a little wine in the mom's and the games instantly become more fun!!! Even though we stayed in last night, we were still up way too late. We got up bright and early again this morning, so that we could do some things before my mom and I headed back to Houston. Lauren and my mom went to a brunch for her sorority, while I went to lunch with her roommate Michelle and her other roommates sister McKenna. After cleaning up and saying goodbye to Lauren my mom and I were back on the road to Houston! 

I couldn't be more blessed to have such a fun and loving mom and sister! I truly cherish our fun weekends together and all the memories we make.  

XOXOXOXOXO, 

Maggie