Oh, hello there!

Wow, blog friends! It's been quite a while since we've run into each other and I'm so glad to be back!

I kind of gave up on blogging after the midterm because of a terrifying drop in my grades, particularly stupid Western Civ, but now I can proudly tell you that after finals they are much better and my scholarship is safe. WAH HOO!

Other than being buried in our books, not a lot has been going on at the Snow house.
Let's see... we had a wonderful Valentines weekend! We made dinner at home and I surprised Tommy with a weekend get-away to the cutest little B&B in Birmingham. Highly recommend it if you need a cozy, romantic mini-vacation!

I was finally able to see Wicked! It was awesome!! My sweet mommy-in-law bought tickets for Mom and I as my Christmas present so we made a girls trip out of it. Love girls trips!

Tommy and I went to Panama City Beach for spring break. We purposely avoided the crowds (Wrong place for that, am I right? HA!) but I still saw Luke Bryan! He was chillin on St. Andrews beach with his camera crew not ten feet from me! I didn't ask to get a picture because I didn't want to be "that girl" and let me tell you, totally not worth it! Why, oh why, didn't I just take a stinkin picture?

We've seen Avengers twice and it was amazing both times! Thor.. Oh, Thor, how I love you.

I had a secret stray pet for a while whom I dubbed Poor Kitty. Tommy is allergic to cats so I just fed and pet her/him on the front steps every day. Then it rained really hard for a few days and I haven't seen Poor Kitty since. I hope he/she is okay and found a family without allergies.

And we've just gotten back from the beach again. I love having a father-in-law who owns a grocery store because Tom and I get to tag along on these awesome food show trips! Free food and great family beach time! Also, the place we stay has the BEST fish tacos. Not that I've eaten fish tacos anywhere else, but I'm assuming that they can't be as good as these.

Tommy has come down with some pretty icky sick this week, but other than that all has been well in our little corner of the universe. We have succumbed to the sweet laziness of summer and are loving every minute of it!

Now enough about me, how have you been?

love & history

Hello, bloggy friends!

Valentines Day is awesome! It's such a happy holiday! I love that there is a day dedicated to showing your affection to those you love, and not just you significant other (even though that's probably one you want to focus on a little extra. HA!)! Valentines is just like one big, national reminder to smile and little brighter and hug a little tighter. Not to mention that it is, historically, an enormous celebration of love growing in adversity, which I think is beautiful. Being a history teacher's daughter, I'm inclined to tell you the story, even if it's mostly ledgend. But don't worry, its an abridged version for your blog reading pleasure!

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first "valentine" greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl--possibly his jailor's daughter--who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed "From your Valentine," an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and--most importantly--romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

*long, girly sigh* And that is how Valentines Day came to be. Not a day to make up for 364 days of slacking, but to remind us not to take our relationships and freedom to love for granted. I can't wait to love the crap out of everyone I see tomorrow! Happy early Valentines, friend! I hope your day is filled with warmth and affection!

*image from sodahead 
**history from the most reliable souce ever

W.W.D.S.

What Would Disney Say?

"If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all!"

What a wise little bunny that Thumper is! Disney movies are choc-full of inspiring words and this one has been weighing on my mind a lot lately.
It seems like everywhere you go someone is angry with someone else and is wasting time and energy to drag their name through the mud. Whatever happened to just being nice? Or, when that doesn't work, keeping our mouths shut?

I fail at this daily, like to the extent that it's embarrassing to admit. When I see or hear something that makes me want to lash out in anger-- an urge that I often give in to-- I try to remember sweet Thumper's little words. There are some things (people included) that just fire me up and I could go on and on for days about how much I don't care for them, but I know it isn't helping the situation. I exhaust myself by focusing so much of my being into disliking whatever it is! It makes me look way more pathetic than the thing causing my reaction. Sometimes my knee-jerk reaction is to say something degrading without even thinking about it. That's terrible! Who likes a grouchy complainer who is constantly downing other people? I don't! Not only is it petty, but it isn't how God wants His people to feel about one another.

Ephesians 4:29 tells us, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

So, not only are we not supposed to slander one another, but grace each other with encouragement! Easier said than done. Isn't everything? My prayer this week is that God will help me to become the kind of person who doesn't talk badly about others and only offers up pleasant things. Compliments, words of affirmation, and support. And when those fail me, the strength to say nothing at all!


Ps. Totally didn't realize how sad Bambi is until watching it the other day! I sobbed through most of it.

*Bambi pic from here