espresso junkie confessions

My closest friends, Part 2

2011-03-09T15:29:00.002-06:00

I started off with a closest friends post a while back and I had to end it halfway through because it was taking so long. So, here is the second half of my closest friends. I love every single person that comes into my life, but these girls I have grown closest to this school year. They care so much about me, get excited with me, cry with me, and laugh with me. When something exciting happens in my life, I want to tell these girls first. I am so thankful for them, to say the least.

God has truly shown himself in Jessie and I's relationship. We knew each other from high school cheer, but we were both on different wavelengths of life at the time. Different friends, different ambitions, etc. But, my junior year at OSU, Jessie and I ended up in a lit class together where our friendship truly began to blossom. We both started off our college lives on the wrong foot and wanted to run from the typical college life scene and focus our eyes on the Lord. Since then, she has become one of my best friends. She is the one that I will call and no matter what she is doing, she will drop it in a second to be there for me. And what is even more beautiful about her, is that she would do that for any of her friends. She is truly selfless and I have never seen someone genuinely care more about her friends than Jessie. I am beyond blessed to be one of them!

Darci is another cool story! We both knew of each other in high school, but never actually crossed paths. But, of course, among the thousands of students at OSU, Darci and I were ordained to finally cross paths and enter into a beautiful friendship. She is so bold, creative, thoughtful, and precious, to say the least. Sometimes I scare her with my craziness, but she embraces it and plays along with me. We have had some of the best conversations about the path God is leading us on, especially in being single women devoted to following the Lord and being patient in His will. She is also another one of my insanely selfless friends. The other day she was not feeling well at all, but she came over anyway to help me pick out an outfit for my hot date (she seriously has the best fashion sense). She inspires me in her passions and her discipline. I absolutely adore her.

I am seriously smiling as I am typing about this girl. Jill and I became friends a few months ago and pretty much immediately became besties. We laugh about absolutely everything together, eat popcorn extremely late at night after grueling workouts, stay up until 5am reading TFLM, jump on treadmills when we are excited, take silly pictures for hours, & I can go on and on and on. I can't quite put into words the insane freedom we have when we are together, but I do know that I wouldn't have it any other way. Aside from our crazy amounts of fun, we can talk about life and it's mysteries for hours. She is always so excited for my latest life update, and it makes me so happy to know how much she cares. I love you Jillybox.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T01:48:00.000-06:00

Today, I had an unexpectedly thrilling and love-filled time with a new side of my family. I got to meet my step-dad's son, wife, and two kids, along with a huge slew of other randomly assorted family members of theirs. It was unexpected because usually my brothers and I are at the lake house with my dad and grandparents on Christmas Eve, but there was a change of plans.
I have to admit, I was somewhat nervous to meet these new family members, and here's why:
Just a mere three years ago, Ron (my step-dad), lost his wife. She died suddenly in her sleep and she was only in her early 50's. It was very unexpected to say the least. Kevin is their son and he is married with two kids (one of which is the same age as my brother, Jake (14)). I don't know about you, but if my mom died and my dad was with someone else a year and a half later, I would say my wounds haven't quite healed enough yet to deal with that kind of change. I would probably be really judgmental of them and unexcepting. Ha. I actually hope I wouldn't really be that way, but in my mind that is how I expected them to be. Thankfully, I was VERY wrong.
I had a blast. Kevin, for one, is HI-LAR-IOUS. He was constantly being funny and making sure that I was having a good time. We all played dirty Santa, and no one was afraid to get dirty (haha! as most of us know, sometimes that can be an issue). After that, we played poker with a $25 buy-in. Therefore, the pot was $275 bucks. CHEYA! We had to split into two tables because there were too many of us to fit at one. We drew out of hats to see who would sit where. I ended up having to sit with everyone that I did not know, besides my grandma. But she's old.. so she doesn't count. The rest of my family was at the other table. I REALLY wanted to play with them because I knew I could be weird, crazy, funny, and *comfortable* with them. (Sigh, don't you just love being in your comfort zone?) But, God kinda through me for a loop, like He always does ;) Needless to say, I laughed a lot, learned a lot more about poker, and got to meet other souls of this planet that God created with a happy heart, just as much as He created me. It. Was. Awesome. (Side note: I ended up making it into the final 3 of the poker tournament. Ron came back and dominated though.)
To end this post, I just wanted to state how awesome God is. I was expecting to be a burden today. But instead He showed me--through His people--love, kindness, and acceptance. I know that Kevin, Sheryl, and the rest of their family won't know how much they showed the love of Christ to me today, but they did. And God knows that they did.

Grandma, I am excited to go to the lake tomorrow and see you and Papa for Christmas. You guys mean more to me than you will ever, ever, ever know.

Merry Christmas & remember the reason for the season: JESUS. God's gift to the world, because He loved us SO MUCH that He sacrificed His blameless, sinless, son in the HOPE that we would love Him, and glorify Him, and allow Him to be one with us. I can never be grateful enough.

my favorite things *inspired by "Oprah's favorite things"

2010-12-03T16:30:00.001-06:00

I just had a stellar idea to post about my favorite things for each month. I was just going to do "my favorite things" for, well, everything. But, let's get real and admit that I probably have way too many favorite things. So, for the month of December... Here are my favorite things:

Starbucks Creme Brulee Latte. Oh my heavens, is this slice of heaven delicious. It's the perfect combination of sweetness and Christmas mixed into a precious little inspirational cup. You can't go wrong purchasing one of these during the holiday season.

Yes, yes, and YES! I didn't understand some peoples fascination with anything that had a mustache on it. Now I know why. These cute little cups are artsy, fun, silly, AND you can put coffee in them. Anything that can hold coffee deserves 5 leg kicks and fist bumps for me. Christmas gift, Mom?

Thick knitted headbands. These things are

perfect for the winter season. What makes them even more awesome? They are fantastic for good hair days AND bad ones. (Your's truly likes to wear them on bad hair days.)

Tyler's scented candles are happy. My favorite scent is "icon" because it smells like mens cologne. But better!

These are just a few things. I will be adding to this list later on. What are some of your favorite things?

SPECIAL POST!

2010-12-03T01:02:00.000-06:00

I love being an older sister, even though I use to daydream about the joys of having an older sibling to look up to. For those of you who don't know I have two younger brothers, Jake (14) and Richie, whose birthday is today! He is turning 18. Wow. Growing up. Not little kid anymore.

There's something so special about having a sibling or two. I will say, sometimes, Richie and I couldn't be more unalike. Even as we get older, we fight and argue and disagree. But, we always say I love you, and there is always an unspoken presence of "I'm so thankful for you"lingering between us. Here's to you sweet little brother. I'm so glad you have survived to your 18th year of life & I hope you know how much I'll always love you.

"Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God." Philippians 1:3 MSG

Love,

Big Sister

my favorite season

2010-12-02T15:33:00.000-06:00

Definition please?

What qualifies as a season? When I think of season, I think about a season in my life when a lot was changing, whether in a happy way or in a not so happy way. Or both? Anyway, I think I will just stick to the general idea of season which includes fall, winter, spring, and summer.

I don't have a favorite. Geez, my last post I didn't really have a favorite either. I'm just not a "playing favorites" kind of gal I suppose. I enjoy bits and pieces of everything. So, why don't I just talk about my favorite parts of each season. I'll start with....

SUMMER: laying out at the pool, shorts and spaghetti straps, washing my own car in the driveway, snocones, & driving with the windows down (glorious!)

FALL: light scarves, the trees, perfect temperature, the sunsets, & football (boys of fall...)

WINTER: Christmas!!!!, hot chocolate, anything pertaining to Christmas, fireplace, & cuddling.

SPRING: (ok, now that I think about it this one might be my least favorite) Only because nothing immediately comes to mind when I think about spring. Other than Easter... which is a glorious holiday. So, what I like about spring is that it is a teaser for the upcoming seasons! ha!

There you have it. Did I leave out any vitals for the seasons? Comment and share!

Grandma, Are you even reading these? Well, I love you anyway and think you're great.

-Tayler

my 3 favorite colors.

2010-12-01T18:57:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I really don't think I have a conscious "favorite" color. But, I do suppose the colors I gravitate towards in clothes, random items, and etc could count as, well, my favorite colors. Here it goes!

ORANGE

For some reason or another, I have a lot of school spirit. I take pride in it. It's fun being a part of loving something with thousands of others that makes it interesting. When I go somewhere outside of Stillwater, I always get excited when I see someone wearing anything OSU, and if someone is wearing orange, I automatically assume they are an OSU fan (because who would really wear orange otherwise?). Of course, I look at them and say "Go Pokes!" and OF COURSE, they say "Yea!!! Go Cowboys!!!" Orange... it creates community spirit.

GRAY

Sweatpants are gray. ENOUGH SAID.

GREEN

I don't know really. I just like it. Maybe because grass is green. Looking at a blue sky right up against fresh, green grass is breathtaking. It's like... it seems so simple looking... yet it's gorgeous. I love it.

There you have it. Colors. My faves. Oh, and one last thing:

Dear Grandma, I'm going to take a guess that your favorite color is red. Because it looks really good on you in cardigans, especially during Christmas.

Tayler.

My closest friends. part 1

2010-11-29T17:09:00.000-06:00

Some of my sweetest prized possessions. I adore my friends. I am know I would not be the girl I am today if it weren't for every friend I've had in my life, but I am certain that if it weren't for these few, my life wouldn't be the same.

My sweet, Kali. The most genuine, kind, and humble friend that I have had the honor to get to be friends with and even be a bridesmaid in her wedding. In high school, we were both really involved with student council, junior board, senior board, and other various activities, which is how we met. After graduation, we both went to different schools... but a very rough time in my life came suddenly and I decided I was going to transfer to OSU mid fall 2008 for the spring 2009 semester. She helped me through every bit of getting to OSU with an apartment right by hers and doing absolutely anything she could to make me fit in and feel comfortable. She has always been the kind of friend to care deeply about my soul. Not just the "how are you? ok great" kind of caring, it's always so much more. But wanna know the best part? She is the one who truly opened the door for me to get to Christ. She got me involved in her church at the time, LifeChurch.tv, and I was hooked. I couldn't get enough of Jesus and it get's better every day. Kali even baptized me last year. She is easily, with out a doubt, one of my closest friends.

Kristen. Oh goodness. Let's just say, we were "acquaintances" for a while. Haha. (Don't worry, it's an inside joke). We became great friends almost instantly once I arrived at OSU. Acting like complete freaks together is our specialty, along with making ridiculous music videos together. She was there for me through my "growing-out-of-being-in-a-relaitonship" process and all that comes along with it. We both also got to experience Vegas together for the first time. I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend it with!

Monica! Monica! Have a happy hanukka! Gosh, she is so great. SO great. If I had to pick a friend who understands me the most and is most like me, it is absolutely 100% Monica. I feel so blessed to have a friend who always laughs at me, appreciates me for exactly who I am, and always makes sure I know it. She keeps me accountable with Christ and confides in me when she needs someone to listen and give advice.

Last weekend update. OSU vs. UT

2010-11-21T16:26:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, I tagged along with Mika, Kyle, and Matt to go on a 6 or so hour car ride to Austin, Texas and cheer on our cowboys. Needless to say, it. was. a. blast! I can't remember the last time I was in Texas with friends having a good time, unless I go back to high school and count going to Galveston for cheer nations (which should count because it was always a ton of fun). Although the game was extremely exciting and interesting moments (haha, Mika), I would have to say my favorite moments occurred on the infamous 6th street. I had never heard of 6th street until I mentioned I was going to Austin and then "OMG you have to go to 6th street!!!" SO... our little crew of four went to 6th street. We saw a guy try and pick up a girl and end up falling on top of her while he face went to the ground. Thankfully, she was ok (lol). I will saw we also saw two VERY inappropriate things that will not be talked about here. But just know, it was nuts. I guess 6th street was a success? haha. I'll never know.

I'll end with saying that I love being able to live up my college experience like I've been able to thus far. I mean, it's awesome being able to take a somewhat spontaneous trip to Austin with friends. I'm blessed.

-Tayler

(Dear Grandma, I hope you read this. Love you.)

My Favorite Television Program

2010-11-21T13:18:00.000-06:00

This one is too easy. Hands down my favorite television program is Grey's Anatomy.

I've been watching it since my junior year of high school and I've watched it all through college. Needless to say, I might be a little obsessed. I think what I like most about it is all of the life application buried in it. This is how an episode usually plays out: so there is a patient (more than one usually) that comes into Seattle Grace with some simple or crazy medical issue. But somehow, their story always ties into the life of someone on the medical staff. It's like they all intertwine their experience together subconsciously, and in turn, it makes the audience feel somewhat inspired (or something like it...) There are also a couple or so episodes a season that are CRAZY suspenseful, and almost every season finale is a major adrenaline rush! You might just have to watch an episode yourself to sense the true feeling of the show. My favorite character on the show is Cristina Yang. If you watch Grey's, who is your favorite and why??

Tattoo.

2010-11-19T02:25:00.001-06:00

Most of you wouldn't know, but I have a tattoo. I got it during the summer after my freshman year of college. I had always wanted one for some reason; probably mostly just wanted to feel like I was in control and so, if I wanted to get a tattoo I was going to get a tattoo by-golly!

My tattoo is in a place that not most people can see easily, but it's a cross with a heart in the center. I seriously just walked into a tattoo parlor in Tulsa, pointed at the picture, and said "do it". The reason I didn't put much thought into it is simple as this: IT WAS A STUPID DECISION.

Getting a tattoo wasn't the stupid part. It was why I got it that was stupid. Let's just say, I was in a longterm relationship that had ended a couple weeks prior. I was told that I should never get a tattoo and that I would be broken up with if I did... yada, yada, yada. Like I said, I wanted to know that I was in control. I got a tattoo because that's what I wanted at the time and I wanted to make a point.

Yea, so it's dumb. I know that now. But hey, when you are young and in love you make dumb decisions sometimes. If I could go back, I would have not got a tattoo based on the reasons I did. I am actually contemplating getting another one. One with lots of thought and purpose behind it. I'll keep you posted...

My Middle Name.

2010-11-17T01:28:00.000-06:00

Dawn.

I used to think it sounded like an old lady name. And I always liked the idea of going by my middle name, if it were cool sounding, because a lot of girls in middle school did. Anyway, my moms middle name is Dawn so that's where I got it.

Tayler Dawn sounds southern and cute, I think. I believe it's personal when someone adds my middle name into their way of referring to me sometimes.

I've always liked that I have a very original full name & as far as I know, no one else in the world has my name or will ever have my name. Tayler Dawn Fruechting :o)

The End.

30 Day Blog Challenge.

2010-11-16T18:15:00.000-06:00

So, thanks to Chelsea Thompson, i decided to take part in the 30 day blog challenge. I will answer one question per day. This should be interesting, and whoever reads this will get to know a lot more about me. Here are the questions:

1. Your middle name and how you feel about it.
2. Talk about your piercings or tattoos, if you have any.
3. Your favorite television program.
4. Write about your closest friends.
5. Tell us your three favorite colors.
6. Your favorite season, and why.
7. How you came across blogger (not tumblr, because I don’t have one), and how has your life changed since joining.
8. Are you a fitness guru or a couch potato? Talk about your exercise habits.
9. Favorite coffee drink at the moment.
10. Talk about your pets, or pets you would like to have.
11. Your top 3 favorite bands.
12. Your thoughts or opinions on Harry Potter.
13. Your thoughts or opinions on Mean Girls.
14. Do you have any siblings? Talk about them.
15. Tell us your favorite junk food.
16. Your favorite Disney Princess movie.
17. Your thoughts on Ugg boots.
18. Do you drink soda more often than milk?
19. The initials of your crushes.
20. Do you wear glasses? If so, what are they for?
21. Your favorite subject to study.
22. Do you play a sport? Tell us about it. If not, talk about a different hobby you may have.
23. Your opinions on Lady Gaga.
24. Tell us about the last movie you saw in theaters.
25. Tell us about the last book you read.
26. Name one place you would love to visit one day.
27. List your 3 favorite girls names, 3 favorite boys names, and our 3 favorite names for a pet.
28. Your first celebrity crush.
29. Your opinions on the television show Glee.
30. Take a picture of yourself right now and post it :)

Halloweenies!

2010-11-03T15:14:00.000-05:00

so, halloween was last weekend and i usually celebrate by watching my favorite halloween movie. along with that, it's a great excuse to eat as much candy as i want!! can i get an amen?!

although i love all of those things, my favorite this year was our lifegroup costume party. we had pocahontas, a cowgirl, the dark night (batman), a hipster, a pirate, m&m's, fire, water, a cat, & more! i love seeing all the creativity that comes out on halloween. check out all the evidence below.

and my favorite...

hope you all had a great halloween! oh, and if you have a clever halloween joke to share... please share :)
adios amigos!

( ____________ )

2010-11-03T02:37:00.004-05:00

one of my favorite rituals usually kicks in mid-fall: coming home and immediately retreating to my room, hitting the play button on DVD player, and begin playing my favorite tv show, grey's anatomy. i absolutely love the show. it's relatable, and funny, and entertaining. i somehow get caught in their fake lives of romance, cutting of legs, and dissecting human bodies. it's fun. i have every season released and they all sit and wait their turn to be played for the 20th time.

i've thought about it before and wondered why i do this. because i usually don't sit and watch them... they just play. they're morphed into background noise to my picking up my room, to my doing homework, to my just laying around. maybe it's the comfort and familiarity of the voices that i like... or maybe it's just the noise.

my current read is Sex God by Rob Bell and I am captivated to say the least. he hits on so many core topics that could be discussed in way further detail... yet he has an amazing approach to them that makes your mind want to explode and shoot out glitter and confetti.

in the last chapter, he hits on the depth of the soul, stating that "the soul has infinite depth that you'll never get to the bottom" and in the back of the book (page 198 to be exact), he goes into further detail by saying "some [people] have to always have noise and external stimulus because they are terrified of the silence. the stillness. the present. if you stop and rest in the quiet, you will have to listen to what is going on inside of you. and this can be frightening".

hmmm.. that kinda stings a bit.

i honestly have always been so intrigued with "deep-minded" people. people who think so hard and outside-the-box about anything. digging deep into their thoughts. it's like.. you start talking about an apple and all of the sudden you are talking about how you give a homeless person an apple and an apple becomes so much more than just an apple! (i don't know, just work with me) i am definitely one of those "deep-minded" people. but, when do i seriously embrace the silence and become deep within my soul? when do i stop filling up the space with sounds of grey's anatomy or music and let my soul speak?

do you find yourself filling up space with sound instead of listening to how you felt today? or what you are scared of? or even what has excited you?

i'll end with saying that we will never know enough about ourselves. their is always room to continue discovering. and a way i am going to pursue myself is allowing silence to come around more than every-once-in-a-while.

the house that built me

2010-06-02T12:36:00.001-05:00

there's a new song out by miranda lambert called "the house that built me", where she reminisces on her past at the house she lived in as a child. she recalls a few of her most treasured memories from that place... where she learned to play guitar, where she left her hand prints, where her favorite dog is buried...
she says that whenever she gets lost in the world, and forgets who she is, she goes back to this place... the place that reminds her of who she is. her home.

honestly, when i first heard this song, it made me think of how i feel every time i go home to broken arrow. i wander around my house and almost immediately i feel saddened by "happy" memories i had with the boy i dated all through high school. kind of ironic, but none-the-less, it makes me feel completely awful. i intensly dislike that when i step foot into my own home, where i should find comfort and love, instead feel instantly saddened and depressed. i would do anything (eat a cockroach, walk barefoot on glass, kiss an alligator) ANYTHING to get rid of the feeling of sadness i have when i'm home. my most treasured memories are the ones i shared with him.

this blog isn't meant to be depressing or anything, even though it kinda seems that way so far. but, those rough moments at home made me realize that my "home" isn't really my home. you might see where this is going...

God is my home, and He is the house that built me. my memories at my "home" do not define my emotion or who i am, and i shouldn't let them. but when they do, no matter how many phone calls to friends and family i make to relieve me of my inner pain, nothing helps me overcome the pain as much as Jesus. Jesus gives my pain meaning, so that what i am going through is not in vain. at times when i am feeling especially sad, it's hard to convince myself of this. so i pray, i read my Bible, and i find comfort in God.

do any of you reading this feel the same way about your home? maybe the memories you have there aren't ones that you like to reflect on. what do you do to overcome them? do you suffer through and just hope a solution comes your way or do you find strength through Christ?

Love is Now

2009-09-21T20:06:00.003-05:00

A lot of times I feel like all I want to do with my life is find someone to fall in love with. Someone to send a sweet text message to in the morning to say "I love you" and hopefully wake up next to them one day to whisper it in their ear. And of course, I envision a gorgeous, hunk of a man that will give me many beautiful, athletic, God-loving children to love and love me back for the rest of my life (family football games, vacations, christmas cards.. you know, "the works".) I think to myself all the time "GOD- if only you could just answer this one prayer for me, please send me someone to love and to love me back with all that they have!" Seems like such an easy prayer for God to answer right? Surely, there is a man nearby who is praying the same exact prayer. There you go God!.. Kill two birds with one stone.

But, wait... aren't I forgetting something? If my heart is so centered on finding this coveted once-in-a-lifetime romantic love, where does GOD'S LOVE fit into my life? Psalm 37:4 says that God's loving kindness extends to the heavens and His faithfulness reaches to the skies. Can you actually imagine a love so grand? A love that reaches beyond a capaticity to which we cannot comprehend? Something that we must understand is that no other love on this earth will consume us or fulfill us like the love of our Lord and Creator. But we must also know, that for us to be able to fully comprehend this love that God has bestowed on us takes much, much time. We must constantly remind ourselves of the promises He has given us. We must spend time in prayer BUILDING our relationship with Him. Just as in a worldy relationship, you must spend time getting to know someone before you really know them and want to pursue a relationship with them. Wanna know something pretty cool? God is always pursuing YOU! He has saught you out and wants you to know Him and accept this crazy, love He has to offer us. Are you willing to accept that love? Or will you keep waking up every morning wishing for a love that will never fulfill you in the way that God's love can?

This is not to say that you can't want that kind of fairy-tale love. God wants us to want that AFTER we have found and truly know the love that He has for us.

2007-11-28T01:21:00.000-06:00

"I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird."

So I think we can all agree that none of us like to be judged. So I have decided that I am going to try my best not to judge people AT ALL... in any way! I hope this will help make me a more positive person and hopefully a better person. :)

discover yourself.

2007-09-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

that's a hard question. i mean, isn't that we spend our entire lives doing? does anyone ever truly discover every part of thereself by 18? if so, then God please help me...