Hoppy Easter! (I know. I'm the cheesiest, ever. I can't resist!)

 

Is everyone dressed in their Easter finest today?!

Last night, I finished up a craft I'd spent all day on, and I can't wait to post about it here! I headed to bed around midnight, and woke up bright and early this morning to make it to my home church's Easter Sunday Sunrise Service. Although I was groggy as I headed to the shower, I played some "Jesus Paid It All", which has been stuck in my head all weekend, and it really reminded me why I was waking up so early!

 

Philadelphia United Methodist's Beautiful Resurrection Cross!

When we arrived at the church, we realized the service would be held inside since it was raining. Usually we start the service in our cemetery (sounds kind of weird but it works) and walk to the resurrection cross in front of the church to finish up. Thankfully, the rain let up, and we were still able to finish the service outside! We sang "Lord I Lift Your Name on High" which is a longtime favorite of mine, and I belted it out, feeling, for a lack of a better word, just blessed.

My brother, on the other hand, was not quite as thrilled to be going to the sunrise service... He would rather have slept in and gone to a later service, but we're headed to Spartanburg for some fellowship with my extended family there! I love our family traditions, and even though I'm too old to participate in the annual cousin egg hunt (I have 10 cousins, plus Corey and me, on my mom's side, so egg hunts were always competitive growing up!), I still look forward to watching my three little cousins scout the back yard.

 

Let's just say Corey wasn't quite as happy to wake up this morning as he was on Easter morning of 2000...

Easter is a celebration, which means... FOOD! Last year, my mom brought some Easter baskets to our family gathering... And by Easter baskets I mean these:

Mouthwatering watermelon fruit baskets... Perfectly festive for Easter!

Obviously, I can only dream of someday inheriting my mom's mad skills at fruit-cutting (and life in general), but this year she made a beautiful poundcake, so I think maybe with a little practice I could manage that! Hope everyone enjoys their Easter!

Song of the blog: "Lord I Lift Your Name On High"
Lyrics of the blog: "You came from Heaven to Earth, to show the way. From the Earth to the cross, my debt to pay. From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky, Lord I lift Your name on high!"

Do I Like Gizoogle? Fo-shizzle, dawg!

Y'all. Tonight I stumbled upon this gem of a site: Gizoogle. Well, I didn't "stumble" upon Gizoogle, I actually stumbled upon Northern Belle Diaries, who wrote a post on it months ago!

If Gizoogle old news to you, kudos, but I have been living under a rock that didn't have Gizoogle, so hang tight. If you haven't heard of it, basically, I'm pretty sure Google realized "Wow, gangsters like Chelsea probably really struggle reading our boring normal site... It must be hard out there for a pimp like her..."
Okay, I confess (if you haven't figured it out already) I'm not exactly the best at using "slang". I actually think I got the "Hard out there for a pimp" thing from a 50 Cent song... I mean, are kids these days even using the terms "fo-shizzle"? I know Randy from American Idol used to say "dawg", so that's gotta hold some weight... I'm getting off track.
The point here is that Gizoogle.com will take ANY normal site and make it kind of... well, G.

**WARNING: This is not exactly lady-like language! Don't say I didn't warn you!** 

With that being said, here's a sample of yours truly's blog Gizoogle-fied:

Pretty funny, huh? If you want to check out the rest of my blog gangsta-fied, go here:

http://www.gizoogle.net/index.php?search=girlgrowingup.com&se=Gizoogle+Dis+Shiznit

Want to try it for your favorite site? Just go to gizoogle.com! If it offends you, I understand. The language ain't pretty, but I was definitely a fan because of how hard it made me laugh! 

Song of the blog: "I'm So Hood" by DJ Khaled
Lyrics of the song: "I'm so hooooood, if you not from here you can walk it out, and you not hood if you don't know what I'm talkin 'bout" Well, I guess that solves that. I'm obviously not hood, because I have no idea what he's talking about. Sorry DJ Khaled!

One Year.

Once upon a time, in the third grade, I met this boy.  He was kind of mean to me, but in a funny little boy way, and his "girlfriend" was my best friend in our class, so we became friends. 
 

I moved to a new school in our hometown, and I didn't see the boy again until middle school. In sixth grade, my locker was next to his, and although we weren't in the same classes, we teased each other and talked in between classes sometimes. As middle school went on, I became better friends with him, especially when we realized how much we had in common. Taking a cue from elementary school, we "went out" with each other's friends, always keeping a "brother/sister" relationship.

I know my middle school wasn't the only one that delivered carnations on Valentines Day. The annoying boy jokingly gave me this one in sixth grade.

By high school, we were growing up a little, and in actual relationships. Again, with each other's friends. Honestly (thanks to some of our failed relationships), we weren't always close. He had a  "bad boy" side (only with girls, not at school or anything!) I was not even remotely interested in.

 

Just like in middle school, we bonded over a favorite band, and we saw Blink 182 in concert together our senior year of high school (obviously while accidentally wearing the same sweatshirt in different colors).

College happened, and I talked to the guy occasionally our freshman year. I was at Wofford, he was at Clemson, and we were in separate worlds. Sophomore year, when I visited Clemson more after deciding to transfer, we became closer. Suddenly, who knows how or when it started, we were texting each other and talking on the phone almost every day.

After a long, fun day hanging out and spending time together after his spring break last year, the guy awkwardly tried to initiate a conversation about our relationship. What hip people call a "DTR" (defining the relationship). At first, I was hesitant. This was the same boy I met in elementary school! Why ruin a friendship?

 

At a Greenville Road Warriors hockey game before our big "DTR" talk... Little did I know what was coming!

After really thinking about it though, I realized we had both grown up so much since high school, and we were both ready for a "real" relationship. One where we respected each other, had a good time without all the superficial aspects, and both understood the importance of loving and accepting one another unconditionally.

So we did it. The boy from third grade, John, and I jumped in, and Tuesday, March 26th, we celebrated one year of being together! Sure, we only celebrated in the library, but that's what happens when you have tests to study for! I also got some lovely flowers delivered, and that is a true representation of John's thoughtfulness! I cannot wait for the first weekend in April to actually celebrate!

 

Obviously, we value laughs and silliness in this relationship!

I can't speak for John, but I couldn't be happier right now. Obviously, our story doesn't end with a simple "The End", because it's only been one year! I have a feeling the next will be just as fabulous!

Song of the blog: "Ever Ever After" by Carrie Underwood
Lyrics of the song: "Storybook endings, fairy tales coming true, deep down inside we want to believe they still do... Let's just admit we all want to make it to: ever ever after!" Happily ever after seemed like a great way to end this post (aaaand I may be watching Enchanted on Disney Channel right now...)

So Apparently I Didn't Get the Memo...

That this March was going to come in like a lion and out like a bigger, fiercer, windier lion! Brr! I thought by the end of March (AKA actually spring) I could trade in my thick sweaters and winter coats for at least a light pullover or even- dare I say it- capris and shorts, but apparently, Mother Nature had other plans for SC!
I cannot be the only one who is ready for warmer, sundress weather! My winter wardrobe is exhausted, and hiking across campus sure will be a lot more fun when the sun is shining!

 

Starting to doubt my decision to switch out my winter scarves for my light, colorful spring scarves...

Now. What do you all think about wearing my patterned spring scarves in this dreary weather? I mean, technically, it's spring time! Five days ago maybe I couldn't have gotten away with it, but since the first day of spring has passed, don't you think it's okay? (PS: yeah, I'm also counting down until I can break out the white and seersucker! Less than a week!)

Song of the blog: "What A Girl Wants" by Christina Aguilera
Lyrics of the song: "What a girl wants, what a girl needs, whatever keeps me happy and sets you free..." A girl totally rocked this song tonight on The Voice! I'm predicting season winner (the girl sang at Michael Jackson's memorial and sang on his tour... she's obviously a star), although I doubt I'll watch too much of it- I get way too emotionally attached!

Getting Connected: Blog Lovin'

Yeah, I got a little icon on my sidebar. I'm basically a technological genius. If you don't wanna click it though, just click this to follow ya girl!

I'm Feelin' Inspired!

Hence this blog, y'all!
This isn't my first time at the blogging rodeo. A high school teacher introduced me to the concept of "cool blogs" in high school, with Bakerella, because she knew I loved baking cute and creative treats. I was hooked instantly.
I blogged at Wofford College, as a freshman there, and I loved it! I couldn't believe they were actually paying me to do something I had wanted to do ever since I read Ryann, a fellow Terrier's blog back when I was deciding to go to Wofford.  I had caught the blogging bug, as you can tell from the picture below, taken my freshman year as I intensely blogged next to my sweet roommate (can you tell we're college freshman with the futon, snacks, and iron, all in one shot? Not to mention my roomie's comfy pjs! ha!).

However, after my freshman year, I stopped blogging. I still read blogs, whether they be fictional, like Cosmo's blog, a healthy living blog (seriously one of my faves!), or a southern lifestyle blog.

I wanted to start my own blog, but I didn't feel like I had any focus. No catchy title, no audience, and no initiative. There is so much that goes into blogging that I didn't even know about. Over the years, my eyes have been opened to the blogging world, and I know there is a huge learning curve, so please bear with me as I continue to learn more about blogging (and the photography and networking aspects, especially!). Am I trying to make this a career? Nah. But am I wanting to share my passion for writing and life with others? Absolutely. Wish me luck as I embark on this journey!

Song of the Blog: 22 by Taylor Swift
Lyrics of the Song: "We're happy, free, confused, and lonely in the best way." Does this describe the emotions of a girl growing up, or what?!