dear weekend- please hurry.

I don't know about you, but I am glad the week is halfway over. The end of the semester presentations, speeches, and exams are all starting to pile up. As soon as I catch my breath it's time to do it all over again for another class. I'm looking forward to this weekend. I said I wasn't going to make another trip home until after finals- but with all the stress on my mind I think a few days with the family would be just lovely.
We have a farm house about 30 minutes north of our home. It's 80 acres of pasture surrounded by woods and a small pond. There's a little old cottage house on the front corner that we completely gutted- we redid everything from the walls to the bathroom and even the porches. Basically the only thing we didn't touch was the frame of the house, the small doorways with glass knobs, and a few other antique features. Somehow, my sweet 'ole dad let my mother and I decorate the 2 bedroom cottage in "shabby chic" style. It's precious! I'll have to post pictures. It's just a really special place to us now. My mom started a small garden this past year, and I swear she plants more flowers every single week! And my dad has several projects going on out there. His most recent being the new barn that he is quickly filling with his "toys", you know the kind- tools, yard supplies, tractors, etc.
The farm house has been a perfect get-away to us all. We have friends and family out for a cook-out just about every weekend. Momma will whip up some of her homecooked mexican food, or Dad will cook ribs or hamburgers out on the grill...They plan to build a house on the back of the land, and eventually get a few horses. But I'm sure we will keep the cottage as a guest house. There is nothing I like more than sittin' on the back porch, listening to an acoustic guitar, star-gazing, with the ones I love most. It's perfect.

So on Friday, I'm hoping for a nice dinner with the parents. And I'm sure Saturday we will all escape out to the farm at sunrise. I want to visit a few of my best girlfriends and see how they're doing. Sunday morning we'll go to church as a family, and eat lunch with my grandmother followed by a good Sunday nap! I'm looking forward to seeing my mom. She is my best friend. We talk atleast 3 times a day and sadly, I'm the one doing the calling! I do miss her. I know she's only 4 hours away, but it hasn't been easy making new friends at a new University this year. Other than my family and best friends back home, nobody down here really knows what all I'm going through- or what my story is. I've made some wonderful Christian friends, but I haven't exactly developed a sturdy, trusting friendship yet. So when I need to vent, or complain or just cry to someone- my mom is right there to listen. So I'm looking forward to a nice, restful weekend out here.

Hope you all have a wonderful week. I guess you noticed that I survived my speech on Monday. Whew! I am so glad that's over. :)