4/20!

Ali Horton’s birthday = 4/20!

That little fact always makes me giggle –but Ali embraces it so well. I think she might actually really love it!

We have been anticipating the day that Ali turns 21 for quite awhile. Dakotah & Ali have been such

On Monday at work, the girls constantly kept bringing up Ali’s birthday!! They have been SOOO excited to celebrate this special day with her. You can’t be around those two without at least one of them mentioning her name within the first 20 minutes!! They truly adore her.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned this before but the Brackin household produces some phenomenal sweets. I would legitimately bet that I’ve gained 5+ lbs just from trying all of the delicious treats that they introduce to me. I can count less than 5 times that I have been at their house without there being something scrumptious to fill my belly with. The girls consider baking and cooking an enjoyable hobby and are so disappointed in me every time I tell them that I’m not very skilled in the kitchen. [eh, you can’t win em all!]

So naturally for Ali’s big day, we had to prepare something in the kitchen for her.

Monday night the girls went to the store and bought 3 boxes of cake mix, cake tattoos, 12 containers of food coloring for the homemade frosting, the cutest cupcake wrappers and a few other things. Might I add, they purchased all that with their own money!! :)

Tuesday rolls around and we added a new class to our schedule for the semester; some may call it Home Ec. Taught by Braxie, of course!!

Every treat that comes from the Brackin household has something unique about it. Although we bought cake mix from the box – they added their own secret ingredients! We poured, mixed, sprayed, divided, timed, frosted, decorated, and tried our best to make sure these sweets would impress Ali!

I was blown away by how thoughtful the girls were being with this whole project – they wanted Ali’s favorite cake mix and made sure to use the color purple (her favorite) as much as possible. They’re cuties, huh?

After all the bowls were washed, dishes were put away, and the last group of cupcakes were being frosted - Braxie and I decided that I should come back over Wednesday morning so we could surprise her!

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL LOVED IT!!! She felt so happy & cherished – plus, anyone who doesn’t like a Brackin cupcake is crazy. They are simply divine!!!

After taking a few photos with the sweets, we fed the horses, & were off to Jimmy’s Egg for a birthday breakfast. Mayson wasn’t feeling well Wednesday morning and sadly, she wasn’t able to attend breakfast with us. We had a fantastic morning celebrating Ali’s life and making memories together.

Al,

There’s truly no way I could adequately express how much you mean to me. I am amazed at how close we’ve grown over the past 4 years and how the Lord continues to make our friendship deeper & stronger. When I was rushing you to be a Kappa, I hope and prayed you would love Kappa as much as I did. I knew it was the perfect fit for you; I just was weary of how well you’d adjust to sorority life in general. Goodness, you have surprised me!! You have been one of the biggest and most powerful leaders in Kappa the past two years and you are excellent at what you do. The way you think, act, and handle every situation is nothing short of astonishing. I commend you for how well you balance your insanely hectic lifestyle. Although the way you organize your life seems like a complete MESS to me – you always have your act together. I love you for countless reasons, but I love you for being such an encouraging, loving, and supportive friend to me. I could never say “thank you” enough. You truly deserve to have the best 21^st birthday in the world. I hope you’ve felt the depth of how much your friends and family appreciate you. You, birthday girl, are my super star!!!! :)

MY BEST FRIEND IS 22!!!!!

HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY BREAST FRIEND!!!!!

Toni’s 22^nd birthday fell on a Monday, which also happens to be her busiest day of the week! She works from 9-12:30 and has class from 4:30-9:20 – so her actual day wasn’t as exciting as we had wished. Although Rowdy did take her for ice cream after class, which I do believe was the perfect ending to her special day!

After taking into consideration everyone’s extremely hectic schedules the weekend before and after her birthday – we decided to just have a small birthday dinner on Tuesday the 19^th! We enjoyed a delicious meal at 747 and I truly tried to soak in every minute. There’s no greater feeling than looking around the dinner table and being so incredibly thankful for how the Lord uniquely created each girl. As I was sitting there just watching everyone interact, I was completely blown away by how gracious the Lord has been to me to place these girls in my life. They truly all bring something dinner to our friendship and I adore each of them for different reasons. Besides the fact that they are extremely beautiful on the outside – their insides are just as gorgeous too!

As everyone knows, I am entirely obsessed with my breast friend && am so eternally grateful for her friendship. she's lovely, beautiful, & the most considerate person I've ever known. Jone, Jesus created you so intricately and I am daily amazed by how He wired your heart. I desire to be more like you every single minute. my life would be incomplete without you Jone! we'll be breast friends until Jesus calls us home! can't wait for 60+ more years of life together!!

pink ladies for life,

Cal

PS: Deanna Favre wanted me to wish you, her favorite 3DAY walker, a very happy birthday :)

maximus: 5 days old!

i am sure you've all been waiting for the latest report on the foal, Maximus. well - great news: he's healthy and growing big and strong already. He loves his mama and they are showing all the normal signs. woohoo! this calls for some serious rejoicing!

we spent about 20 minutes with him during work on Monday and I think I fell in love with that little baby. holy smokes. so stinkin' cute. he literally bounces around EVERYWHERE. i couldn't help but laugh at how lanky his legs are. he is quite energetic & bold. he walked right up to me and stuck his nose on my t-shirt. i wasn't sure how to react to this, but he was sweet and just let me play with his soft fur.

i'm totally obsessed. be expecting lots more photos of this little (well, big!) one in the future.

notice all his whiskers! ah!

his neck isn't long enough yet to reach the

ground without contorting his long legs like that!

fascinated by this baby,

Cal

"Little Black Dress" Cocktail Bridal Shower!

Wedding season is officially in full force & I think yesterday might have been one of the cutest shower ideas i've ever heard of. Cara, my big in Kappa, is getting married May 21, 2011. Her fiance Cole & her have been dating for 6(?) years and as long as I've known Cara, I've known Cole, & I've seen their cuteness first hand.

these two make my heart so happy. they are so goofy, extremely compatible, madly in love, they love Jesus, they love life, & they are so stinkin' exited about their life together.

Cara's shower was held at some of her dearest friend's grandma's house in Oklahoma City. It was a great location to get together, catch up, drink cocktails, & celebrate love.

Shannon, Katie's big, e-mailed Cole some questions and for Cara to be able to open a present, she had to guess his answer correctly. Well, Cole took these questions seriously and wrote like a paragraph for each response & they were hilarious. Despite them being full of humor, they were packed full of sweet words about Cara and how deeply he loves her. My big was loving it! She was tearing up from both laughter & his kindness. They are absolutely perfect for each other and I'm so honored to be a part of her big day!

[my big & me. she's so tiny!]

[ah! Nana is so sweet for hosting this & making it so special!]

[Katie, Shannon, Cara]

[some of Cara's bridal party]

I thought this photo was cute - clearly i stole it off Facebook so it's terrible quality. The last time Katie & I were at Nana's house was for Laura's 21st birthday party in April of our freshman year!

[big / little lovin since the beginning of time]

veruca salt.

besides the excitement of Emmie being pregnant at the Brackin household- we have been looking forward to Mayson's play! There's a program in Norman that offers classes on Thursdays for home schooled children in a Christian environment & this semester Mayson is taking drama! boy oh boy - it is perfect for her. the girl is nothing short of dramatic & i love it. she's constantly animated yet it is so natural. she was made for the spot light && she has a huge heart for Jesus. I see some mighty things happening in this pretty girl's life.

For months we've joked about how she's going to become a famous actress in Hollywood, but I shouldn't fret because she will always remember me as her teacher and she'll make me famous too. So, if everything in my life fails - I'm counting on Maysie to make me famous... or perhaps just support me financially! :)

Tuesday was the first time I had ever heard her practice her lines as Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka & she was feeling pretty good because she knew all her lines! Not surprising to me - the girl is smart & she loves it. of course she knows her lines!

They had 3 performances this weekend, but I was only able to attend the one on Friday. So Friday rolls around and Natalie, Toni, Ali & I all are slightly nervous for her, yet super excited to see her entirely in her element.

From the second I saw her in her costume I was filled with joy, happiness, hope, optimism, & confidence - I just knew she was going to rock it && trust me, she totally did. I felt like a proud mama. I am proud of that girl every single day, but I was extra proud of her on Friday. She's such a star!

Naturally, after the play I was freaking out && so happy to see her. I said, "Mays, awesome job!!! are you feeling good about it?!!" and she goes, "Oh yeah! I'm so proud of myself. I did so good"

haha :) of course she was just kidding - but it made me happy because she deserves to feel so happy about her performance! i know i could not have memorized all those lines & performed them as well as she did.

a proud supporter of veruca salt,

Callyn

baby horse.

something happened this week that will forever be imprinted in my mind & on my heart. I'm not sure if everyone remembers, but I have the most amazing job for a college student in the entire world. I am fortunate enough to laugh, teach, trust, grow, explore, learn, & love with the two sweetest girls - Mayson & Braxton.

it's ironic how their parents pay me to teach / educate them, yet the girls teach more more about life than i could imagine. they continually open my eyes to the beauty & simplicity of life. they also love horses and I am just a wanna be cowgirl. I'm actually kind of allergic & a little bit scared of horses - but i love them, deeply. I love them because they are beautiful, striking, intimidating, and so fun to ride.. but let's be real, I mostly love them because the girls love them & i love anything they love.

Recently the talk about the Brackin household has been about Emmie's pregnancy.

[[these photos of Emmie were taken last fall. she's a beauty.]]

Emmie's due date was last week!! We have truly been anticipating this day with hopeful hearts, yet still knowing that their last horse gave birth a month late! When Emmie's due date hit - the girls were serious about keeping an eye on her. Their fabulous brand new barn isn't quite finished yet, aka it doesn't have a bed, but the girls did not care. Mays, Braxie, & their sweet daddy started sleeping in the barn - on something like this...

i cannot even begin to express how happy this little pallet makes me. all 3 of them slept on this the first night, but the next night called for a bit different sleeping arrangements. Anyway, they had someone wake up every hour to check on Emmie and see if she was laying down. talk about dedication!!

During school, we would take a break every hour and give Emmie some lovin, feed her apples, & check all the signs that tell us the baby is coming soon. So needless to say, I've been praying && waiting anxiously for this little foal to arrive.

The girls and I discussed how we hoped Emmie would give birth during school so I could be there, but if not to contact me immediately. So, at 12:38 am Wednesday night (thursday morning) Braxie calls me and tells me the baby is coming! I say, "if I come, do you think I'll make it?" she says, "yes! just hurry!!!"

I was frantic. I literally had just gotten ready for bed so I put my contacts back in, ran out the door, & sped the entire way there. I got there a little before 1 am and Emmie was laying down in the barn with two little hooves sticking out! AH! We were oh so excited and slightly nervous at the same time.

I was asking countless questions and quickly realized that wasn't the best idea. As they taught me, from the time the water breaks - a horse has about an hour to deliver the baby or things just aren't good.

After watching for what seemed about 10-15 minutes, our excitement turned into pure nervousness, quick. Emmie was not progressing at all. She had two hooves sticking out of her and barley a nose & mouth. In a panic, we decide to call the vet. This nice girl vet arrives after about 10 minutes. So when she gets there.. we are pushing 25 minutes since Emmie's water broke. this girl was working her magic and trying to figure out what was going on, she was pushing, pulling, readjusting, and not really getting anywhere. we are all pleading before the throne for something good to happen.

we still weren't seeing any progress and that was starting to freak us out. the vet kept saying she wasn't too worried because the baby was breathing, but of course she ultimately had no idea what was going to happen and her face said it all - she was nervous too. she sedates Emmie to see if that decreases her contractions so maybe she (the vet) could help out more.. that doesn't work.. the sedation starts wearing off and Emmie is stumbling everywhere. granted.. we're at about 45 minutes now. we call Josh (the Brackin's friend / vet) && the main vet, who can also perform surgery in case Emmie has to have a c-section. oh dear.

It's 1:57 am and the main vet isn't there.

A few moments later the main vet comes flying down the pasture. He figures out that the baby isn't necessarily in a terrible position, his shoulder is just getting stuck because he's so big & Emmie has never given birth before. So, by this time Emmie is fully standing up and Cole & this older vet are literally pulling with all their strength on the same leg to get this baby out. They pull, twist, turn, strain, fight like crazy to get this baby out.

At about 2:04 am the baby was out!! PRAISE THE LORD! There were some serious happy hearts in that barn! Next there proceeded to be lots of questions being asked, talk of what to name the foal, taking photos, bathing, administering shots, & ultimately, believing / trusting that the baby will be 100% normal.

[photo of Maysie & the baby - probably taken about 27 seconds after it was born. she was serious about taking photos! ha :)]

[yay! Emmie & Maximus. they love each other already!]

if we could visibly detect emotions on a scale - i'm sure the 8 of ours would have hit every single emotion possible!!! I was not expecting it to be like that, but I guess that's what I get for having expectations! :)

I cherish memories with that family and am so grateful to have been able to witness that.

one step closer to being a cowgirl,

Callyn

happy hearts.

recently I haven't been spending too much time in the blogging world. I've entirely slacked on my own blog - but honestly haven't spent much time looking at others either. but i think i'm back -- hopefully!! :)

I'm going to pick up where I left of.. about 1.5 months ago!

[March 12-19]

My sweet boyfriend came to Texas for spring break. We did lots of really awesome Texas-y things - like visit the stockyards in Ft. Worth & the Alamo in San Antonio.

I think he's finally starting to understand Texas pride! :)

[April 31 - 2]

I was fortunate enough to spend lots of best friend bonding time with Hol. It truly was a fairy tale weekend. She took her bridal portraits, which are absolutely stunning & breathtaking, on Thursday and her precious friend Amy hosted a bridal shower for her on Saturday!! We made lots of life long memories. Her life brings endless joy & happiness to my own!

[April 1]

Well, my precious boyfriend surprised me again!

I truly love receiving flowers in the mail from Jase.

These have turned out to be the prettiest ones yet - still gorgeous!

He always includes the cutest notes too!

[April 6]

Toni officially asked me to be her maid of honor!! YIPPEE!!

she introduced all of us to Dara Marie's and their cookies have become our obsession (quite an unfortunate situation, actually) but I was thrilled to see the that divine brown bag of chocolatey goodness && the sweetest little glittery card of two TWINS! she wrote the kindest words inside the card.

Tonight I write this with a really joyful & full heart thinking about how gracious the Lord has been to me in 2011. I am continually in awe of His goodness & faithfulness. He continues to pursue my heart and I delight in his sweet gifts such as friends, flowers, & fairytale weddings for my two best friends I could have ever asked for!