she is worth far more than rubies. [prov31:10]

::August::

These first few are pictures of my awesome 3 year-old nephew, Sam!

Here are a few from my back yard near the end of the summer.

Back-to-school fun. :)

Relay for Life!

::September::

Ohhh, if only you knew the story behind this.

::October::

This is at the metra station, on our way to a Relient K show at the House of Blues.

Ashley & Tina!

This is a beautiful Catholic church next to my school.

I love fall!

Ashley!

::November::

I just think this one is kinda cool. Ignore the dirty mirror.

On my 21st birthday, I awoke to tons of balloons scattered around the apartment. My roommates are amazing! :)

21 balloons on my 21st birthday from the parents. :) This was slightly embarrassing to carry around.

I also dyed my hair on my twenty-first. I really liked the color; unfortunately, it didn't last as long as I had hoped.

Dad and I are cool. :)

Dad & Mom :) They came to visit me at school for my birthday. We went to a really cool park and took some pictures.

They're cool. It's okay to be jealous.

I just think this one is kinda cool. Ignore the dirty mirror.

On my 21st birthday, I awoke to tons of balloons scattered around the apartment. My roommates are amazing! :)

21 balloons on my 21st birthday from the parents. :) This was slightly embarrassing to carry around.

I also dyed my hair on my twenty-first. I really liked the color; unfortunately, it didn't last as long as I had hoped.

This dog was so cute! I met him when I was at 5k with a friend.

The youngsters at Thanksgiving. :)

My cousin, Taylor, and me. She's a freshman in high school this year...can't believe it!

In the back (left to right): my mom, my aunt Julie; front row: my grandma, my (second?) aunt, Anne. They're hilarious!!

My friend, Tania (on the right), asked me to take a few pictures of her and her twin sister, Tiffany, for their mom. I loved the spur-of-the-moment photo shoot. They were all taken on my campus (a small Christian university near Chicago). These girls are terrific!

These were a couple of my favorites.

::December::

Here are several shots of what this month held. Christmas was good. Being home for almost four weeks was really good. Gotta love college breaks. :)

Me being cool, duh.

Mom would probably hate to know that this picture of her is on the world wide web. Oh well. :) She asked for a new glass measuring cup, so that is precisely what one of her gifts was.

Dad with an Illini notepad...and maybe some spray deodorant? Haha. :)

Here's what I scored this year. It was good.

Me & Mom showing off our treats.

My Mom is so crafty. These are caramels dipped in chocolate and sprinkles. Super cute, super easy, super yummy. Please try this at home.

My cat, Maddie, taking over my bed as always.

This year my parents have started buying me flowers and putting them in my room when I come home on break. I think it's a pretty nice tradition. :) These were from Christmas break.

I loved Mom's ginormous ornaments she put up this year. Really cute!

Once again, my Mom's creative abilities amaze me. She made a cake and put these little guys on them. They're marshmallow snowmen, held together by toothpicks. Clever, yeah?