Life Lately

Isn't it sad that I'm titling this post "Life Lately"? My blogging skills haven't been too impressing lately considering the last time I was on here was in April and it's now June. But on the bright side, it's been a busy start of the summer...Here's a little bit of what's happened in life lately...

On April 30th, I found out that I made Wave Connection along with some of my best friends. For those of you who don't know, showchoir is kind of a big deal in my little Tupelo. Wave Connection is a mixed gender showchoir and I've always wanted to be in it ever since I was 4 years old. No really. I'm so excited to finally be apart of it and it's still kind of surreal. I feel like one of those "big girls" that I used to look up to on that stage.

May 19th was my last day forever as a sophomore at Tupelo High School. The next time I come back, I will be an upperclassman. Where does the time go?

On May 27th, my family and I left for Destin, FL for our annual beach vacation. We usually go to Gulf Shores but we decided to be different this year. Amazing. We got to...

ride some huge waves...

celebrate an 8th birthday...

and just be together :)

So far, it's been a pretty great summer. Just chilling and enjoying the pool. Last week, we had Wave Connection Kids Camp. All of the Wave Connection members had to be counselors. My little sister, Lizzy participated in this week and let me tell ya...This girl is meant for the stage. Watch out Tupelo High School. She's been singing and dancing around the house all week.

NEXT WEEK, I'm looking forward to a week with my best friends at the lake. Lauren, Kate, Emily, Mary Katherine, myself, and others are going to be chilling all week at camp. Bryant Bush is the speaker which is an exciting thing in itself. Plus, the lake is one of my favorite places on this earth. So there will be more posts to come about that!

"she's only happy in the sun..."

MJ

TODAY...

THIS girl...

said "I DO" to THIS boy...

I used my free day biology pass from last year today and got to watch...the wedding was beautiful and Kate Middleton is one lucky woman. 

xo

Happy Easter

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.     Ephesians 2:13

Washed in His blood,

Mary Jennings

A Spring Saturday in the Bouchillon House

Today is Saturday and it has been a joyful day! This morning, my mom, my sister, and I woke up really early and to do a 3 mile run. The run was helping a group from First Baptist Church go on a mission trip so it was for an awesome cause. Even though I always tell myself that I'm a runner and even try to be hardcore by buying cool Nike shorts and running shoes, the sad truth is.....i'm not. but that's beside the point, it was a good race and this girl came in at 42 minutes. Not too shabby, right? This early morning run really made me realize how great running is and how good it makes me feel for the whole day. Maybe I'll be a runner one day...maybe. 

After that, we came back home and all died EASTER EGGS! This is something my family and I do every year. It was lots of fun and our kitchen table is now tie-dyed! :)

Then, I had a great idea to make an easter bunny cake. So, we ran to the store to get the things to make our cake which included: pillsberry white cake mix, white frosting, pink frosting, jelly beans, oreos, sprinkles, coconut (for the fur...creative right?), and marsh mellows. Let me just tell y'all, this was such a fun project that kept my family busy all day. Especially my mom, sister, and I. The boys just enjoyed the finished product. I really think this will become a Spring tradition for us. SO much fun! 

And here's some pics of the day...

Lizzy looks to see what color she wants to dunk her egg into next...

All of our eggs.

Our first step, making the cake.

We put the cake into two pans. One cake was for the face and one is for the ears and the bow tie...you'll see :)

Forming the bunny. 

Icing the bunny and putting coconut on him to give that furry effect. 

TADA! Our Easter Bunny! Coated in white icing and coconut sprinkles. The nose, mouth, and ears are pink icing. The bow tie consists of jelly beans, sprinkles, and an oreo. The cheeks and teeth are marsh mellows. The eyes are green jelly beans, and the whiskers are tooth picks. 

Happy Easter, Everyone

MJ

Even Though Today's Friday...Sunday's Coming.

Awaiting Sunday,
MJ

Rain, Rain.

Right now, it looks like this out my window...

Considering I am home sick today, I am kind of enjoying the sound of the rain and the thunder. It's quite soothing. Tonight though, I am planning to go out with some friends to eat and then go to TMS's performance of Splash. Splash is a mixed show choir group and just like I love participating in show choir, I also love to watch it! I happen to be apart of Splash Alumni. Then tomorrow I am working the baseball games all day. Have a happy weekend, blog world. 

:) 

THIS...

...is a good song.

Legacy.

"Not all of us work wondrous works,  but all of us leave works of art. Some brittle, Some intense to those whose infant clothes still lie in a waiting drawer. Leave wonder or leave scorn. Leave joy or prickly thorns. Yes all of us leave memories to those who come hereafter..."- Author Unknown.

Have you ever thought about that? No for real. Like everyone in the world leaves their own finger prints in someway on the world. If it's big or small or positive negative, I believe that our actions right now at this moment effect people who come after us. How cool is that? So let's not waste time...make a legacy. Love each other like Christ would, don't worry about the little, don't try to plan memories because they come with the little pleasures of life, and bi-gosh SMILE! What legacy are you leaving? How do you want the world to remember you?

Just A Closer Walk...

I am weak but thou art strong. Jesus, keep me from all wrong. I'll be satisfied as long as I walk, let me walk, close to Thee.

Through this world of toils and snares. If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, Dear Lord, none but Thee.

Just a closer walk with Thee, grant it, Jesus, is my plea. Daily walking close to Thee, let it be, dear Lord, let it be. 

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

Thank goodness it's the weekend! This weekend I am taking the ACT tomorrow for the first time (bleck)...after that me and Lauren are going to paint faces at Tupelo's annual Up, Up, and Away Festival which offers hot air balloon rides, games, face painting (obviously), food, and fun. The forecast for Sunday is 89 degrees and clear skies! WOOT!

What are YOUR weekend plans? 

#WeBackStrat

Hello everyone. So my small town Tupelo has been quite the hype this past week. Our school superintendent, Randy Shaver, wanted to replace our high school principal, Lee Stratton. Many people in the community didn't like this at all. I do have to say that I'm very proud of our little town for standing up for what they believe in. This past week, protests have taken place throughout the town, signs have been hung claiming "Shave off Shaver", t-shirts have been made to support Principal Stratton, and twitter has been filled with tweets with hash tags that say "#webackstrat" (hence the title of this post)...Tuesday night was a big deal in Tupelo. There was a city council meeting in which 3 parents in the community voiced their opinions on the school system's problems. Before that, there was a prayer rally where a group met and prayed about everything that was to be said in the meeting and marched to city hall. Tuesday is the same day in which Mr. Shaver stepped down from his position as superintendent. Tupelo has a long way to go before everything is solved but it's cool to experience everything going on.

Students of THS protest

Randy Shaver

The City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 5th.

Im proud of you, sweet Tupelo.

Happy Friday...

Ok. That may not have been the best treat to start off the weekend but I really do hope everyone has a great one! :)

Spring Favorites!

I think every season has something special about them. Summer time is great for cookouts, laying by the pool, tan lines, wearing flip flops, forgetting what day of the week it is, catching fireflies and so much more. I love Fall for all the foliage. It's a great time to sit by a fire and read or go to the Pumpkin Patch. Winter has Christmas! Baking cookies for Santa with the family, making a snowman, snow tubing (that's a new one!), and just being with people I love. Right now, it is SPRINGTIME! Everything is coming back to life and  I feel like that's the same thing that's going on in my own personal life. Spring is just an inspiring time for me. Here are some new Spring favorites of mine!

THE best stuff ever. Stove top chicken pot pie! Mom made it the other night and I highly recommend it!

With Springtime going on, how can I not be obsessed with flowers right now? I'm seriously thinking of planting some in a few painted flower pots this weekend! It'll probably be a good job for me and the little siblings to do :)

ROMPERS! With these shoes...

oh yes.

Last but not least...I always get a reading high every Spring. I like to stock up on books to have for the beach. I'm about to start this one. My mom says its one of her faves. I'll letcha know how it goes!

Now it's your turn. What makes you Spring happy? 

My Name is MJ and I am the Worst Blogger Ever...

The title of this post says it all. I really feel like the worst blogger ever. Considering I haven't blogged since January, I just may be. Not to make any excuses, but these past two months have been SO busy for me! Let me just catch you up...

In February, I went to show choir competition in Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham is one of my favorite places on earth and I got to be around people I love which made it all the better. Even though our group didn't do as well as we thought we would, we all had a great time. We drove down on Friday morning and went shopping at the Summit Center. Dorie, Maggie, Mary Taylor and I were on a mission to go to our favorite stores and were successful in doing so. I roomed with Maggie Thomas. Who knew she was the funniest person in the world? At midnight, I found Maggie running down the hotel's hallway in her bath towel...Just being Maggie. It was even funnier when our director walked out of his room and caught her. Love that girl. On Saturday morning, Soundwave was in the buses at 8:00 am ready to go to Homewood High School to compete. Our whole day was spent watching many show choir groups and by 11:00 that night when we left, I felt like if I smelled hairspray or heard another music note then I might just go crazy.
On Sunday, I hung out with my family. We shopped around and ate lunch in Birmingham. PS: PF Changs is an amazing restaurant and I highly recommend it. Amazing.

After showchoir is always bitter sweet. It's nice to have some free time to do whatever but then again I miss it.

March, two words: SPRING BREAK!! I love this break. It really starts sinking in that summer is just around the corner and I can start buying tank tops and cute dresses! However, I did nothing for Spring Break. Literally,  I chilled with my family the whole time and that was awesome. Baseball began for my brother so I've already found myself sitting at many games and the season has barely begun.

Again, I have no excuse not to blog but I am going to try to get more consistent. I hope everybody is having a happy Wednesday!

Rock What Ya Got!

So it's finally come and gone once again. Soundwave that is...

Soundwave is an all-women's show choir group at my school. Every year, our shows are in January and then we go around the South to compete against various groups. As for me, I'm in love with Soundwave. Now that's not so easy to say during practices when we are dancing for 2 hours straight but the work really does pay off in the end! Singing and dancing are two of my favorite things in this world. Therefore, it's kind of inevitable that this program would be so dear to me. However, it's not just the singing and dancing and music. It's the people. I have found a unity with these girls that is very rare. Some of them, I consider sisters. Last night, our director, Mr. Ellis, made us all gather in a circle and say one thing that either we hoped for for Soundwave, were thankful for from Soundwave, or any other words of encouragement. As we went around the room, people had different things to say. One thing that everyone in the room referred to was the people. It was just a really good time. It definitely made me thankful for the family group that God has blessed me with through Soundwave.

Now competition! 2 weeks away! Watch out B'ham!

Slightly Overdue...

So it has been brought to my attention by my best friend that I haven't blogged since Christmas! Shame on me! So here it is...slightly overdue might I add.
New Year's Eve was a great  night. I went to Formal, a dance through my school. It's just a night of dancing, big band music, a lot of food, friends, and fun. I look forward to it every year. This year we had a dinner at my friend Lauren's house, rode to Formal in a limo, had a blast at the dance, counted down to 2011, and went back to my house for a post-formal breakfast. Afterwards, four of my best friends spent the night and we stayed up until 5 in the  morning. It was a great night!
The New Year has also brought a busy schedule! AKA- Showchoir! Soundwave prime-time is during the month of January and we are currently having our shows! Our last one is tonight! It will be sad but I'll be relieved to have it off my plate! In February, the show choirs are going to Birmingham to compete against other show choirs from the South. Birmingham is my absolute place ever and competition is so much fun! The two of these added together equals great excitement for me! It's hard to believe that it's that time already but here we go! Let's do this thing! Pics of Soundwave to come soon!
Again, sorry for being such a blogging slacker! Once my schedule slows down I will be sure to pick up the creative juices, keyboard, and pictures and become a dedicated blogger! Ta ta, friends!

"And May All Your Christmases Be White"

I can't believe it has come and gone again. Gosh I love Christmas. This Christmas was a very memorable one!

On Christmas Eve night, it's a tradition for my family to come over to my house and eat dinner.  We had my grandmother's taco soup and ate cookies, wassail, and grape salad that my mom and I had made. After, we played family Dirty Santa. It's hilarious to see my 9 year-old brother and my 67 year-old grandfather get into knock down fights over this game. Afterwards, we all piled into the den and watched a Christmas movie and my grandparents spent the night with us, another tradition!

Christmas morning at the Bouchillon house started at 5:15 in the morning! We always wake up that early on Christmas morning ready and excited for the day! Everyone got everything that they wanted and my grandparents were just about to leave to go home to prepare Christmas lunch when we heard my grandfather say, "Ya'll come to the door!" Yes, friends, a WHITE CHRISTMAS! My first White Christmas ever. The snow was so beautiful. My family went outside and made a snowman in the front yard. Actually, I formed the snowman and my siblings gave me feed back. Gotta love 'em.

After our morning of fun, we headed over to my grandparents house to hang out with my entire family- another great tradition. We opened more presents and had Christmas lunch. After lunch my dad and I went on a run!

Christmas night is always a bummer. Everything is over and there's nowhere to go either because everything is closed.  We usually forget about Christmas night plans because we are always caught up in planning events for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I thought of this a few weeks before Christmas and my family planned to keep the fun going and we headed over to my grandmother's house again for dinner where she cooked homemade biscuits, breakfast casserole, and strawberry dessert. After, we just sat by the fire and all talked. Everyone was tired and we ended up going to bed at 9:00- a 17 hour day whew! The day after Christmas, my dad's family drove into town and came to our house for Christmas time. We had fun sitting around and they headed home later that afternoon with my brothers who are staying the week with them! 

It has been a great Christmas and a great reminder that Our Savior washed us white as snow!

Naomi Grace Ramsey

So, it's here. The much anticipated Christmas Break. Hallelujah! Not only was it a fun day at school because we all wore Christmas sweaters and watched Christmas movies but someone very important was born yesterday.

Naomi Grace Ramsey-my youth minister's daughter- entered this world yesterday at about 10:22 AM. She weighed a healthy 7 lbs. 6 oz and was 19" long. I knew she was going to be born yesterday because she was a see-section baby. However, when I felt my phone continuously vibrating in my back pocket during Human A and P, my heart skipped a few beats. I knew the baby that so many people have been waiting on had come.

After school, the first thing I wanted to do was to go to the hospital. So that's just what my mom and I did. We met up with JP and his Mrs. Margaret and talked to Barton for a while. It cracked me up that even though he had just become a father and had probably had a long day, he was still cracking jokes and had his adored Mountain Dew in hand. Same ole Barton! But as we were all sitting there waiting to go back and see Bethany and little Naomi, JP said something that really made me laugh. He said, "You know what's cool? We're gonna get to see this kid grow up!" Really made me think. But isn't that cool? Even coming from JP. Like here's a new life and God has given me and so many other people the gift of seeing this little girl grow up. Amazing. 

God, thank you for giving us Naomi. I lift her parents up to you and pray that they will seek you as they mold her into the woman that YOU want her to be. Amen. 

What a Wonderful Life!

So as I'm sitting in my 2nd period Geometry class, I'm thinking how pointless school has been today. I am exempt from all of my exams, however, exemption doesn't take effect until WEDNESDAY! Seriously? My day has consisted of this: 1st period I watched 3 episodes of One Tree Hill and now in 2nd period I am blogging. Very productive day wouldn't you think? There's absolutely no point to still be in school. Just give us the complete week off, Tupelo High School. 

But anyways, on a more positive note, I am getting more and more excited about getting out of school. The weather here has been super duper cold! (18 degrees this morning with a 10 degree wind chill...brrr!) Yesterday, there were some snow flurries, and although it wasn't enough to build a snowman, it still put me inside eating chile and watching movies with the family which is always a favorite of mine :)

After church yesterday, my mom and I completed our annual Christmas cards and sent them out to friends and family. Last night, my family piled in the den and we watched It's a Wonderful Life! Ok, my ALL TIME favorite Christmas movie! This movie has such a great meaning and I love the simple time it is set in. If no one knows the story line, it is about a man named George Bailey who lives a "wonderful life”. Most of the movie is the background story of his life from the time he is a little boy until he is a grown man. He works for a bank and his business partner misplaces a check and George is found in a big mess. He could possibly go to jail for misplacing the people’s money. He’s so upset about the whole situation that he considers his life useless and wishes he had never been born. That’s when Clarence, George’s guardian angel, comes into George’s life and shows him what the world would be like if he had never existed. This changes George’s outlook on his problems and he finds himself appreciating the life that he has. Clarence gives George his existence back and George runs home to express his love to his family. In the end, neighbors provide George with the 8,000 dollars that he needed. The last scene has to be my favorite. This movie really teaches me the value of people and how every person makes a difference  in another’s life. I definitely encourage anyone to watch it.

Ok, looks like I’m having to get off this thing. 3rd period Human Anatomy and Physiology isn’t as laid back as my previous classes. So every have an amazing Monday and stay warm!

"...That's All I Want When Christmas Comes to Town"

So yesterday me and my family had a complete chill day. My sister and I watched The Polar Express which is definitely one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. This is my favorite scene of the movie and I thought I'd share it with you...

http://youtu.be/XWj7fwNGxvs


:D

Hope everyone has a happy Sunday and a great week!