Lately.

For any of the rest of you out there who, like me, cannot fathom how it got to be mid-November without me realizing it, you are not alone.  These past few months have flown by.  I think it's a combination of working long hours, filling my weekends to the brim with fun things, and, for the first fall ever, not being "in school."  I keep waiting for midterms and research paper deadlines to clue me in that it's nearing Thanksgiving and well, thankfully I just don't have to do that this year!

Being that time has flown by and it is almost Thanksgiving and we are smack dab in the middle of 'the month of thanks,' I've done a bit of reflecting on the things I'm grateful for.  A lot of what comes to mind are the people I share my life with and the fun things we are able to do.  My computer was on the fritz a few months back and I eventually just bit the bullet and bought a new one.  However, I still don't know how to use it.  Because of such, my blogging has been limited and often sans pictures, and I have omitted many of the adventures I have had over the past three months.

So in a combination of "I have all these photos and exciting moments I want to share" and "I want to express how grateful I am for each one of them" I will now present to you some of the highlights you've missed.  Here's what I've been up to "lately":

I went to College Station for our first A&M football game of the season:

Visited La Bodega, one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

Made a stop at the Sake Bar and took a Kyoto Sunrise, a group favorite.

Ran into some of my best friends while tailgating.

Reminisced on college memories.

Danced to a few songs at our old stomping grounds, Daisy Dukes (no longer the 'cool' place to go).

College Station was, and always will be, one of my favorite places to be.  Combined with my best friends, fantastic tailgating, bars and restaurants that I miss so much, and a couple hours of football, I am so thankful I was able to make the trek down for a game!

I celebrated my 24th birthday:

Had a great dinner (complete with margaritas!) at Joe T. Garcia's.

Was surrounded by some of my very best friends.

Scooted on over to Billy Bobs for a night of dancing to Robert Earl Keen.

Went to Midnight Yell in the Fort Worth Stockyards (and introduced a few non-Ags to this crazy tradition!)

Received such thoughtful gifts from my friends (not pictured: my FAVORITE bottle of wine.  also not pictured: the "redneck wine glass" Taylor got for me!)

Birthdays were always made so special by my parents so I've really grown to love them.  I was so blessed to be able to spend my 24th birthday with SO many of my closest friends.  It really means a lot that I have so many fantastic people in my life to share special moments with!

I went to a wedding for two of my friends from college:

Had a fantastic date, Bryan, and caught up with some friends I haven't hung out with in entirely too long.

Learned to love white wine and appreciate the fact that, given we each ordered three drinks upon "last call" of the open bar, we will never grow up from our frugal college ways.

Cody and Ashley were two of my closest friends my first few years of college.  We eventually saw less and less of each other as our lives took us down separate paths at A&M, but it was so awesome being invited by Bryan to join in celebrating their special day!  It was also fantastic to spend some time with the guys who were like brothers to me when I was just a wee little freshman in college.  Cheers to old friends and new beginnings!

I went to Oktoberfest:

Battled the rain and mud for our German steins of beer!

Joined in the festivities with a little German folk dancing.

Caught up with some "work friends" outside of work.

One rainy, cold Friday night we trudged through the rain and mud to celebrate this awesome 'holiday' of Oktoberfest.  The one in Addison is supposedly quite the realistic re-make of this German tradition, so a few friends from work made the trek.  I'm thankful I work with such a fun group of people that enjoy each other's company so much we choose to spend our weekends together, too!

I went to 'Fright Fest' at Six Flags:

Rode the Titan first and realized roller coasters affect you way differently at 24 than at 14.

Ate some deliciously unhealthy amusement park food.

Got really excited for acting like we were 15 again.

Played some games and won some prizes.

I got some discount Fright Fest tickets through work so Brad, Chelsea, Zac, Cody, and I braved the costume-clad middle schoolers and made a fun night of high speeds and whip lash.  We discovered, after coming off of each ride a little woozy, that roller coasters definitely have a different effect on us now than they did ten years ago.  Leaving the park with weakened stomachs, however, did nothing to overshadow a fantastic night of thrills!

I went to a birthday party for 3-year-old twins:

Matching girls calls for matching presents.

Swung on some swings and took some pictures.

Blew out some candles and ate some cake.

Ate some more cake then opened some presents.

Brittany and Kennedy might just be the most precious girls I've ever met.  October 15th was their third birthday so some close friends and family gathered around to celebrate.  The kids ran wild in the park, soaking up every moment, while the 'adults' admired their free-spirit, care-free life, and the minimal amount of effort it takes to entertain them.  After hamburgers and hot dogs, some cake, and opening presents, we called it a day.  But I am so thankful for these two little girls and the opportunity to share in their lives as they grow into beautiful people!

I went to the State Fair of Texas:

Rode the Dart train to save time and money and ended up wasting both.

In our long wait for the train discovered we matched with both girls in Toms and both boys in Vans.  It's really the little things in life... ;)

Ate some delicious fair food: Fletcher's corn dogs and lemonade.

Ate even more delicious fair food: Fried Snickers and Fried Oreos (not pictured: BBQ sandwich, Loaded Baked Potato, Fried S'mores, Lemonchill)

Walked through all the exhibits, checked out the Midway, and enjoyed some of the shows.

Took the signature picture at Big Tex.

Admired the Texas Star, my favorite of all the fair attractions, and cursed the long line that inhibited us from riding.

The State Fair of Texas is one of my favorite times of year.  Good food, trashy people, new exhibits, and old favorites make this such a fantastic adventure.  Although I had to drag the group and convince them they would want to stay more than their suggested 2 hours, they left the park 9 hours later with smiles on their faces and an extra 3,000 calories on their belt!  Successful Saturday, I must say!

I helped Taylor celebrate her 24th birthday:

Went to the flying saucer for dinner.

Was introduced to a fabulous new band, The Dirty River Boys.

We ended up getting pictures with, and talking to, the band for quite some time but all of them turned out awful so I'm neglecting to post them.  As mentioned at the top of this post, birthdays are some of my favorite times of the year, so it was wonderful getting to celebrate Taylor's with her!

I went out again for Taylor's birthday.  And also for Lauren's:

Caught up with one of my very best friends, Lauren, who is still in grad school at A&M.

Helped celebrate my two dear friends' birthday with some drinks at one of my favorite Uptown bars, The Nodding Donkey.

Chatted with this ridiculous friend, Stephen, who insisted on holding my camera on his belt loop.

I love birthdays.  I adore my friends.  Explanation enough.

So there it is, just a little glimpse into the happenings of my life these past few months.  The reason I started this blog was to have a diary of such that I could some day look back upon my adventures, my thoughts, and my hopes and dreams with.  I've been severally lacking on keeping up with this so am making a point to do better.  Life really is about the little outings with friends, the realizations you come to about life, and the hopes and dreams that turn into reality.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to experience all of this; the good and the bad!  Cheers to even more adventures and learning in the future!