25 Random Things About Me

This little "25 things" is everywhere on Facebook right now, and I joined the craze. So, I thought I would post my list here, too. Enjoy learning a little about ME!

1. I could eat chips and salsa every day.
2. My mama is my best friend. She knows me the best, understands me the most and is the person I most admire. She is kind, gentle, sweet and selfless. I wish I was more like her. I love shopping, decorating for Christmas, drinking coffee in the morning and just talking with her.
3. I competed in “beauty” pageants, and they gave me confidence. I am not ashamed.
4. I don’t know if I could survive (well, maybe I could survive, but not necessarily thrive) here if it weren’t for my roomie, Reba, and all the Jgirls in my city. They are absolutely wonderful, and I love them so!
5. Coffee is a pretty great motivation to wake up in the morning. I heart it.
6. I love my nicknames and the people that gave them to me: Little B, Fo’Nine, BB, Bebecita, etc.
7. I plan to adopt domestically and internationally (hopefully!)…I often tell people I want a little “red and yellow, black and white” family.
8. I pray that I can have a baby of my own, too, despite hearing from doctors that it may not be possible.
9. I had 12 toes when I was born. Now I only have 10.
10. I consider myself blessed to have a daddy that has always shown me unconditional love, told me that I was beautiful and has never failed to provide for me in any way. He has been a wonderful picture of my heavenly Father to me.
11. Reba and I pretend to be British a lot. I love British accents. (Also I miss Jared.)
12. I had the best potluck roommate in the world my freshman year at UGA. I thank God for putting us together! I miss you, ‘Tina!
13. I want to be a domestic goddess—a little happy homemaker, if you will.
14. Sometimes I long for days in 214 (my apartment in college)…trying to learn to play the guitar, dancing to Havana Nights, spooning on the futon, watching Related and the Bachelor, walking with Leslie and Sara, just being strange with CT, good chats with my girls, Barberitos runs, having company and playing games, etc. Gosh….this list could go on forever! I love DD, Eliz, Sara, CT & Kristin! And all my Athens buddies!
15. Speaking of Barberitos…it’s my favorite place to eat on planet earth.
16. These are some (and not all, I’m sure) of the women who were significant in introducing me to what it means to have a relationship with Jesus: my Grannie Ella, Kathryn Bayman Cargile, Jamie Middleton, Cyndi Middleton, Stefanie Foxworth, Lauren Jones and Heather Croft.
17. I plan to never own any other computer besides a Mac. Really.
18. I met one of my best friends because we held state pageant titles. She lives in Louisiana, so seeing each other doesn’t happen that often. But, our annual shopping trip with our mamas is a highlight of every year! Jamie Elizabeth, I miss you! Foley ’09!
19. My brother rocks! He’s hilarious, talented, kind, ridiculously good-looking and an excellent friend. He’s my little brother—five years younger than me, but he is one of my closest confidants. I am thankful for our friendship, and the future husband of mine will have to pass the brother test.
20. The two months at the farm before moving here were two of the most fun months I’ve ever had. “Can we get three butt-loads of mild sauce?” I miss all you cool people and pray for you often.
21. My guilty pleasures include Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice. Love those shows.
22. I have a twin. She is not quite 6 feet tall, and her name is Dana. She is amazing! I love that no matter how often we get to talk, we always pick up right where we left off.
23. I don’t have a clue what I will be doing six months from now, but I am not worried. He's got a good plan. If you have any ideas, you let me know!
24. My friend, Eliz, has been a rock for me since moving here. I love getting to Skype with her, getting surprise care packages from her and knowing that I can share everything I am thinking or feeling with her. I thank God for her. Don’t hesitate to use the Little BatPhone if you need to, Eliz!
25. I am not tall.

Backtrack- Beautiful Bali

One thing I love about living on this side of the world is the (cheap) opportunity to travel to beautiful places.

After my time in Thailand, I went on a little vacation to beautiful Bali, Indonesia, with 5 other girls. It was a wonderful vacation. We were able to rent a private villa with a pool and a short walk to the beach. There, the staff fed us a delicious breakfast every morning, cooked an amazing Balinese meal for dinner and did our laundry daily! If that ain't a vacation, I don't know what is. We traveled to different parts of the island to shop in the markets, visit other beaches and see a traditional dance show. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe, drank coffee at Starbucks and had seafood at sunset right on the beach.

Perhaps the best thing about the trip was the company. The girls I went with are amazing. We had a great time relaxing together, talking late into the night and shopping. I am so blessed!

Here's a collage of photos from Bali:

Backtrack- Thailand for New Year's

I really like Thailand! Every six months or so, I head out of my country for a little refreshing and fun. I usually get to meet up with friends who live all over South Asia. It's a good time.

For New Year's I was in Thailand, first in Pattaya for a little retreat, then in Chiang Mai to do a little babysitting. While in CM, my friends and I celebrated 2009 together. Apparently, in Thailand, CM is the place to be for New Year's Eve. It was packed!

Here are a few fun pictures from the trip:

Backtrack- Christmas

So, I am going to backtrack a bit and fill you in on Christmas. It was great to have AYo here with me! We had such a good time and were welcomed by several families here to celebrate with them. Here we are in front of the Georgia Gold sign, a company that sells sweet tea.



On Christmas Eve, we visited with two families for dinner, had a white elephant gift exchange and sang Christmas carols for the neighbors. That night two other girls spent the night with us at my place.







On Christmas morning, I cooked my family's traditional Christmas breakfast of sausage casserole, biscuits and mayhaw jelly (brought over by my sweet mama back in November). Several people came over for breakfast. We exchanged gifts, ate breakfast and spent the rest of the morning listening to Christmas music and just hanging out. We went over to another family's home for a late Christmas lunch and had a delicious spread of Southern cooking! It was great.





Finally, Angela and I exchanged gifts from our respective geographical locations. It was so much fun!





I was able to Skype with my family several times and got to see cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents! It was a great Christmas, and I can hardly believe I'll be at home for the next one!

The Love of God

I just got back from beautiful beaches in Thailand and Indonesia (more on that in a post to come), and every time I sit on the beach and stare at the stunning majesty of the ocean I think of these lyrics.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

Oh, love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.