Taylor In Italy

Isn't this cute?  Taylor took me to the airport last Wednesday and surprised me with this!  It's a composition book with an entry for each day written to me from him!  And each entry comes with a song-- he added the playlist to my computer too.  ALSO, he adds a challenge sometimes.  For example! You see the picture of the pretzels?  My challenge on the plane to Italy was to collect as many pretzels as possible :) I think I did ok considering how asleep I was.
And by the way, his note in the bottom right says his hand misses mine.
Too mushy? I know! But I like him, and he likes me :)

Also, I promise to have a real Italy trip soon! I am very sorry for it taking me almost a week, but thanks to my dear friend, Kelsey, I finally know what to do to upload pictures quicker. 

A real day 1

Dress: Forever 21

Scarf: Sam Moon's

Boots: Famous Footwear

Jacket: Chicago Unlisted

Belt: Beth's

You see the tiny note on the right pointing to my head?

It reads female patterned baldness. 

Day 1

 

I'm here!

Well, I made it dear friends and relatives!  And I am now going to sleep! Expect a post shortly... for now I have written you a haiku describing how getting here went:

Waiting forever
Sleeping uncomfortably
Lost my contact case


Worst haiku ever? Perhaps, but my excuse it a lack of sleep, sleeping sitting up, and hamburger helper airplane food.

The good news- is that I am here! It is incredible for the little I have been here, and I cannot wait to explore, play, and explore some more! Hip freakin' hip! (Hooray) I also have already been able to skype with Taylor, which makes the whole missing him a bit easier.

Last but not least, it looks like downloading photos to blogspot is impossible for an impatient gal like myself.  Maybe I will find a better place for downloading later.

I. am. going. to. sleep. :)
Not exactly-- internet went out before I was able to post. So here you go

i leave so freakin soon!

Last weekend in the States

 

A day at the zoo...

 

Down the otter slide!

 Weekend with Lydia!

Sorry, played with photo bucket so not completely up to adding narrative.  Hope the pictures speak for themselves!

How was your weekend!!?

Leaving for Italy in 2 days!

Packing Part Two: A Success

I spent some time packing today to get a handle of the monstrosity of a task ahead of me--putting my life in a suitcase to take to Italy.  Even after I have packed everything into my suitcase quite snuggly, I keep remembering things here and there that I still need to find and pack.  I am sure repacking is in my future.

But for now... here's what i have fit into my suitcase to wear for the next 4 months...

 Dresses: Four (Actually Five, I was wearing the not pictured)

 Jackets: Two

 Cardigans: Four

 Tops: Nine

 Bottoms: Three Jeans & Two Skirts

 Scarves: Three

 Belts: Eight (One Not Pictured)

 Hair Accessories: More than I will wear, but they hardly take up room

Random Other Stuff

Plus

Some Leggings (1), tshirts (3), athletic shorts (1), tights (3), and socks/underwear galore!

Shoes I forgot to show but are packed

Boots-Two

Tennis Shoes

Black Flats

Flip Flops (for hostel showers)

I also managed to get a cutting mat, some architecture supplies, Taylor memorabilia, computer cords and such, and all my toiletries.  

And what does it come to??!!!

44 lbs!!!

That's under 50! Which means I get a free checked bag.  And some of this stuff went into my carry on. 

Here's where I need some help: Should I--

Only take one bag? (and feel really great about it!)

Or take two so there's room for stuff to come back? 

  

 

Hey--o Calendar of Events

Go here to see where I will be in Italy this semester :) Field trips! Also, I found out yesterday that I will be rooming with Courtney and Oivia! Great news! And old friend and a new friend!

And look at this pretty dress I found! A steal! Shop Ruche to see more cheap, lovely finds! Not to mention, the nicest and fastest people working this shop.  Seriously, these people are kind.

This was going to be a post about packing but instead...

... I started playing games with my clothes!! One dress in particular caught my attention, and I decided to see how many outfits I could make with it.  As of late, I have been trying to spice up what I wear.  The high school Tyne (and even freshman and sophomore Tyne) would have been ok with this simple but lovely dress.  She would have also reworn it in this exact way anytime she wore it. (Maybe with a necklace or some sort of thing in her hair)

 Dress: Forever 21

Next step: pretty basic.  What if it chilly?  Add a cardigan! And a belt for good measure.  Belts placed in the right spot do miracles for pear shaped ladies (me). Moving on...

 Cardigan: H&M

Belt: Beth's loan for Europe (Thanks Beth!)

 Now I am about to get really fancy on you! Because I am going to turn my dress into a skirt! How dare you?! I know, I'm a menace! I layered a lacy top over the top of the dress.  I tried all these things on myself to make sure it looked pretty and well proportioned before you think I am one of those crazy Forever 21 employees who just LAYER mannequins with 34% of the inventory. (Sidenote: Forever 21 employees, I love you so much.  You have the hardest job in retail.)  The top is actually a bit long for this dress so I bunched it up and hid the folded bits underneath this rather large belt.

 Top: Charlotte Russe

Belt: Urban Outfitters

Next step was really a no brainer, but this cool jacket doesn't get nearly as much love as it should.  Mostly, because whenever I put it on I ask myself, "Tyne, do you really think you are cool enough to pull of this leather imitation?"  The response is always a no.  But hey, in Europe, they are like required.

 Jacket: Unlisted (I got this somewhere in Chicago in July because I was freezing) 

You might be saying, this is all good and fun but what if I am not into the lacy, frilly thing you adore.  Well, I would say to you, "How does a baggy frocket (front pocket shirt- thanks Marissa Lang) sound to you? More Sporty Spice I'd say.

Tshirt: American Eagle Outlet

Now throw on some tights--black or brown, or grey or pink or yellow.  And these are my shoe options. Where are the heals? Well, I am not bringing any to Europe... I just am thinking logically.  If I haven't worn a pair since college, I am thinking living in a place where I walk everywhere won't tempt me into bringing some.

Boots from left to right: Athropologie, Famous Footwear, and Thrifted

Songs of 2010

Music of 2010...YES
The idea is to have a soundtrack for the year, so each month in 2010, I chose a song that summed up the month and added it to my ongoing playist (whether it was because I listened to it repeat while studying or because it reflected circumstances of the time).  I won't give you my reasons, but I will tell you Song Title, Artist Name, and where the song came from.

January
Quelqu'un M'a Dit 
Carla Bruni    c/o 500 Days of Summer obsession

February
Wedding Dress      
Derek Webb   c/o Cody Mays
 
March
Your Love Is Strong      
Jon Foreman    c/o Grace College Worship or Prayer Meeting

April
Miss Alissa      
Eagles Of Death Metal    c/o Cody Mays

May
Ooh La     
The Kooks    c/o Cody Mays

June
One More Metaphor About A Ship At Sea     
Taylor Brack    c/o Taylor Brack via skype
&
Chicago (Adult Contemporary Easy Listening Version)     
Sufjan Stevens    c/o Cody Mays

July
Monsters To Be Named     
Elliot Fitzgerald    c/o Beth Owens year 2009- revisited 

August
H to the Izzo   
Jay-Z  
HA! this is the month Taylor and I began dating, and we also deemed it our song.  I know, classy... right? Well, he cracked up when he heard me rap the chorus with in the first days of knowing eachother so naturally this song will forever be known as "ours."

September
The Day I Lost My Voice (The Suitcase Song)   
Copeland   c/o Taylor Brack 

October
Capture     
Summer Ames   c/o Beth Owens 

November
Hookers and Robbers    
Charlie Hall    c/o Hearing it in Taylor's car and wanting it for myself

December
Go Together      
Jillian Edwards   c/o Jeleah Ratliff

Another Week Gone By

 Happy Belated Birthday Taylor Brack!  

It was my handsome boyfriend's 20th birthday on 1/11/2011.  Hooray! The age gap seems smaller! (For those who don't know, I am often referred to as a cougar.  I've got a year and a couple months on the boyfriend) Don't you love my wrapping? 

It is a perfect example of brown paper packages tied up with string...

What did I give him? You may ask.  Why don't you guess?

 I took him out to dinner at Caffe Capri.  Taylor looked like something special in his new cardigan.  We didn't just go to dinner; we went to Chuck E. Cheese earlier that afternoon, but I am not as bold with whipping out my camera in every instance.  Especially, if that means I have to ask someone else to take the picture for me.  I become the most timid person ever. 

 Later this week, I worked as a leader in a Disciple Now.  These are my lovely 10th grade girls who all stuffed themselves in a closet solely for a great photo.  I had some great conversations with these woman and felt greatly encouraged to see such young girls thirsting to know Christ.  I was poured into as well by a highly gifted speaker, Randy Wade.  Definitely sad to say goodbye after a short weekend, but looking forward to the disciple part of our friendships.   They thought they got rid of me...

To Do Today

Nothing quite like writing a todo list for things still left to do before I leave for Europe.  Here is goes:

1. Lose 15 lbs. (KIDDING!-more like 40--oh, I got you again) How about this? Take advantage of eating fruits and veggies before I dive head first into a country famous for their carbohydrates and starch. This sounds like a mini-resolution.

2. Buy bobby pins. Can anyone guarentee that they exist across the Atlantic? Better safe than sorry.

3. Get a great plane read.  I'll be in the air for 16 or so hours, would rather read than watch any more television or movies.

4. Call relatives/friends and catch up. That means...Aunt Sally, Aunt Beverly, The Pickerings, Taylor Ellerbrock, Jeleah, Danae

5. Get Skype Credit/ Number. So I will still have friends when I return to the States.


6. Call Bank to tell them I will be out of the country.

7. Pay Tuition.


8. Make copies of various cards and important information.

9. Pack smartly.

Can anyone tell me anything else? Advice, tips, anything else?

2 weeks :) / :(

Friends are like Cake

Whew, it has been such a whirlwind of a week.   In fact, the going-going, and running all over Texas has left me sore-throated. Pure agony.  For all my 9402948 readers, I apologize for not posting all week. I know it was hard on you.  I really want to be disciplined--haha- in this.  No seriously, I want to.
So run down.


Tuesday I drove to College Station (Car total: 3.5 hours)

Hung out with the Finches. I mean Erin Burns (my ex-roommate but not ex-friend (yet)) and her boyfriend James. We played Scattergories. Great game for a rainy day and hilarious, argumentative people.

Isn't he darlin'?

Wednesday: It was off to Lake Jackson  (Car total: 2.5 Hours)

I wish I had some pictures, but I promise more this summer because I GOT THE INTERNSHIP! Yay, I get to spend the summer with some of the most Christ-loving, wonderful, ENCHANTING people!
( I was asked what my internship was--great question--I will be interning with Brazos Point Fellowship Church)
No big deal.  Watch out Amy Wheeler and Aaron Sanders. You don't even know what you've gotten yourself into this tyne. (ha ha) 


Thursday: Onto Dallas (Car total: 4.5 hours+ around Dallas .5 hour +Back home 1 hour + Stockyards +.5 hour= 6.5 hours)

Picked up fun-sized Alexandria from the airport and drank up some Fat Straws (really should have gotten a picture because it is my favorite). Please tell me you know what Fat Straws is.  We then met up with Beth at the Village Burger Bar in uptown Dallas.  It was hilarious trying to read the maps on our phone to get to the restaurant, but so worth it.  Great suggestion Amy Westervelt!  Later that night, Erin met up with us to go to Midnight Yell at the Fort Worth Stockyards.

 Hey, it was cold! I got to Whoop Up which was exciting as well.  Beth, Erin, Alexandria, and myself lasted about --uh 20 minutes-- before we jumped back into the car for bed. Insert emoticon here.


Friday: 

So these next pictures are long overdue.

Hotties. My roommates are --hotTAYS. We took advantage of the MAGIC light outside, and the fact I live in the sticks and got some great photos out of it.
Later that evening, Erin and Alexandria wondered off to the Cotton Bowl, while Beth and I went to our friend, Treanne's house to watch the game. Our little Aggies were LSU.

What other people were doing during the game:

What Beth and I were doing:

 Beth was playing Fruit Ninja on her phone.  I was watching Beth play Fruit Ninja. I love the Aggie Football team oh so much, but I hope they don't expect to have my attention indefinitely. Not like Fruit Ninja.


Saturday:

Met up with friends at BJs to eat, drink, and be merry :)

 After lunch, we saw Country Strong. Blah, don't waste your money.


Sunday:

We went to church. We got there super early to get a good spot and to fight the traffic.  Well, with the crazy cold weather and my attempt at maneuvering an umbrella, (it was raining, not snowing at this point) I forgot to turn off my lights.  5 minutes before the service began, Matt Chandler, announced that a black Volkswagen had their lights on.  Got a bit of a laugh as I stood up and ran to the parking lot.  Anyway, it was snowing once we came out.  Super good Sunday.  

After church, Beth and I met with our friends, Taylor and Andrea for lunch where we saw this out of the window.  A boxer wearing goggles. So great.

 Oh my, I am done for today.  I love my friends!
15 days until Italy. 
Yikes--getting closer 

Thank you presentandcorrect.com!

Man I love school supplies and the new year! So let's get this rolling... NYR--New Year's Resolutions--let's do it--GO.

Well, that took it all out on me. Happy January 3rd!

Prodigal Daughter

¹¹ Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. ¹² And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. ¹³ And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living. ¹⁴ But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵ Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶ And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.
¹⁷ “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸ I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹ and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”’
²⁰ “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³ And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; ²⁴ for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ 
-Jesus (Luke 15:11-23)

I am so glad Jesus taught this parable.  

There have been many times in our relationship where I have squandered His gifts, where I choose earthly pursuits over  precious time with Him, where I busy myself with distractions, or I am simply too lazy to open up my Bible.  

I am a fraud, a fake, a liar, a hypocrite.  I think of how I call myself Christian, but I am living a lie, not obeying Him by doing the basics to engage in my love for Him. 

This break has been challenging.  Coming home after the most difficult semester of my life, left me thirsting for time to unwind.  That thirst led to laziness, that laziness led to fear.  Fear, that after two weeks with an unopened Bible, continued to feed on my heart.  That God would not want me back and see me as how I was seeing myself-- a fraud, a fake, a liar, a hypocrite.  Then, I remembered the Prodigal Son.

How could I possibly think that the God of the universe - the God whose love knows no bounds, could possibly turn me away? He has been waiting for His daughter to see.  And to come back.  To return.  To His open arms.

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. 
-Jesus (Luke 15:10)

Urban Outing

Taylor surprised me by dropping in for New Years! Great way to start the new year--going to Urban Outfitters.
After Betsy, Taylor's mom, so generously gifted Taylor and myself gift cards for Christmas, we decided to SPEND them. Yippee! Actually, I already had spent mine online on some leather gloves for Italy--everyone keeps telling me I am going to freeze.  I agree. Born and raise in Texas.  I get cold at 63 degrees.

My mother gets such a kick out of baking and cooking for guests, thus the chocolate chip pancakes. My mom is truly the best!

 Trying to take a picture of my pancake before we set off--Taylor felt the need to kill my pancake! Grosero-translation "rude" in Spanish.
We also played a game of "who knows more Spanish?" in which I won easily.  (My mom is fluent, Taylor is taking Spanish currently, and my last exposure to Spanish was the Taco Bell I had a few weeks ago) We had to look up the word rude in a spanish-english dictionary. 

 My mom wanted a photo before we left. Typical Julie.

 It reads: "You are the peanut butter to my jelly" 

So sweet Taylor! However, Taylor doesn't do jelly.  A pity, nothing is better than jam.

 Fell in love with this dress at Urban Outfitters. Unfortunately, I did not fall in love with the price tag.  Perhaps, I can make one just like this. Or wait. *Hint, hint*

 Little squirrel, Taylor has his cheeks full. 

 They had mint leaves to put in my tea. Seriously, I am spoiled.

Late lunch photos as Cafe Express. My favorite! We aren't vain, but we had to take advantage of the beautiful light that was pouring in.

Now Taylor is back in College Station to work and I am sitting on the couch.  Great visit! I'll be seeing him soon :) Only 24 more days before I head to Italy!