Chapter One-Hundred-and-One: Springing Forward

With Spring Break behind me and Easter coming up soon, I thought I'd catch y'all up a bit. March Madness here hasn't been about basketball - it's been about scrambling for upcoming tests or getting through mountains of homework. Regardless, I've had plenty of fun, and have taken lots of pictures! Let's dive right in.

Lubbock Lake Landmark

On March 8, my Fieldcraft class returned to Lubbock Lake Landmark for an afternoon watercolor paint session. While I'm not a pro artist, watercolors has recently been a favorite pass-time of mine. In this class, we received an "art kit" that consisted of many materials, including watercolor pencils. This is a really nice tool to use when we're out and about and can't pull out a whole tray of colors. With watercolor pencils, you simply color like a normal colored-pencil, and then add water for a beautiful finish.

Duck Drawing Progress

We also got to watch a bird that chirped and really put on a show for us. It's so cool to me that, as we get deeper into the semester, our skills of bird identifying have sharpened significantly. When we first started this course, I felt really slow in this whole aspect, but now I finally feel like I'm really getting it. 

Curved Bill Thrasher

I spy a bird...

The next day was a day full of stars. But before I get into that, here is a picture of me holding an adorable puppy! 

Awwww!!

It was voting season here at Texas Tech, and (I think this is genius), a group of individuals were using PUPPIES as initiative to vote for them! People definitely know how to connect to the people these days. Anyway, Elizabeth and Justin (Astronomy classmates) were with me so I had to make them wait on me while I cooed and aww'd over this adorable pupper. Thanks to Elizabeth, I now have an adorable picture.

<3

Beautiful!!!

After the adorable puppy encounter, we headed out of Lubbock to the Texas Tech Observatory. 

TTU Observatory

It's quite amazing to see how many stars are really there that we don't typically see with city light pollution. I wish I could show you a picture of the sky, but our cameras are just not as advanced as our own eyes. Luckily, there are some pretty pictures on the TTU Astronomy webpage:

Out here, the Milky Way is visible. Most kids haven't seen this beauty, but once you see it... it's hard to forget. We spent the night identifying stars and constellations. Much to my surprise, I am actually pretty good at this! It was fun to spend time with my classmates and observe such an amazing sight. However, be warned: next time you see me, I might try to show off my skills and point out some stars for you. 

That following Friday, the Friday before Spring Break, Luke and I went on a date to Texas Roadhouse. Yay for Giftcards! 

Peanut shells EVERYWHERE

Also, I think I ate 8 rolls that night

We had a great time hanging out before I went home. Instead of going home himself, Luke decided to go on a mission trip to Mission, Texas for Spring Break. From what I've heard, Luke really enjoyed himself and has even inspired me to go on a mission trip next spring break! Hopefully it works out. 

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

That weekend I drove home and finally got to see my family again. I also got to spend lots of time with Jack, our wonderful dog. We missed each other. 

So cute!

We hung out a lot <3

On March 16, I headed back to middle school. One of my best teachers, Mrs. Garner, allowed me and another university student to observe her class for the majority of the day. It was so fun and very educational! Mrs. Garner is one of those teachers that really inspired me to not only do my best, but to become a teacher later in my life. She pushes her students and constantly challenges them to become the best-version-of-themselves. I really admire that and hope I can do this for my future students. She is such a lovely lady!

Yay!

Other than that, my spring break this year pretty much consisted of working at Red Lobster and job-searching for the summer. I'm highly interested in tutoring students over the summer to gain experience for my future career! (Pssst, if you know anyone who needs a math/science tutor, help a girl out)

The Saturday before I left, I got to watch my niece play soccer! She's super adorable, and watching these little kids play is both precious and hilarious. Most of the time they score in the wrong goal or are going through toddler mood swings, but watching them run around and have fun is just priceless.

Go Team Force!

Run, Run, Run!

Leah and I had a great time watching Evelyn and cheering her on. We also were highly entertained by the other children, because, let's be honest, kids are just full of surprises. Our mother (God bless her) spent the majority of the time entertaining Evelyn's little brother, who needs a little more stimulation than just watching his sister. All in all, I think everyone had fun, especially our Soccer Girl.

You Go Girl!

On Sunday, I returned to Lubbock for another week of school. Monday started off rough, as I broke my favorite (and only) brush in the world:

Flower Gleam and Glow...Bring Back What Once Was Mine....</3

Of course, I had to make it way more dramatic than it really was. 

...

Don't worry for me friends. I only cried for about a minute and decided to order a new brush online. In the meantime, brushing my hair has been a little more difficult than usual. I plan on getting a temporary brush here shortly. RIP Tangled Brush. 

Other than that, I've just been doing the norm: studying, netflix binging, and thinking of a blog chapter title. Be sure to prepare your hearts for Easter by reflecting on these Holy Days. Today is the day Christ was condemned to death and was crucified. It's a huge, huge deal, and I recommend reading about it! 

Have a blessed weekend! Thank you for reading.