5 Things I Believe In.

I stole the idea from a Facebook note and I just thought it was a cute idea to blog about. It's not in any particular order. Just a couple random beliefs. :)

1. I believe in smiles. I am one of those people that tends to always have a smile on their face. I honestly believe a smile can brighten someone's day and that smiles are contagious.

2. I believe in goals. I think goals help people better themselves. I have several goals I've set for my future. Whether I reach them or not, I still feel as though it helps me better myself.

3. I believe in personal space. I am a firm believer that everyone needs and deserves personal space. I feel so uncomfortable when random strangers get too close for comfort. It's definitely a random belief, but I'm a freak about my personal space. Haha.

4. I believe in real love. Honest, grow old together, unconditional love. I also believe that I will find it someday. :)

5. I believe in Greek life. I think no matter what fraternity or sorority a person is affiliated with that it makes them a more well rounded person and gives life long bonds. I know my sorority has made me more philanthropic, understand how to deal with clashing personalities, bonds to my sisters that no one else can understand, and opened me up to new experiences. That's just to name a few. :)

What are some of the random things you believe in?

Cabin Fever.

I absolutely love my apartment except when it snows. I live on top of a huge hill which enviably ices over in the snow and is impossible to get down in my little car. So Monday because classes were cancelled all week, my daddy came and rescued me in his truck so I was basically stuck at home instead of my apartment until daddy brought me back to my apartment Thursday night, because I had a girls night planned. I get all pretty go to my car and it will not start. Dad came back over here Friday night to figure out what was wrong and thank goodness that the battery was just dead. So the most excitement I have had all week was yesterday morning when we had sorority officer transitions. I was already excited, but now I am even more excited. I cannot wait until next Sunday (a week from today) when I officially transfer into my office and I am out new Fiance Vice President. Yay! This position is also on our executive board which just takes me to a whole new level of excited. Haha. So the excitement of my week has been doing puzzles, making s'mores in the fireplace, and learning all about my chapters fiances and how to keep money flowing.

Spring cannot come soon enough. :)

I hope y'all had a more exciting week than I did and for those that get tomorrow off for MLK day, have a great extra day.

Snow.

Not to be a Debbie Downer. But I absolutely do not like anything about the snow. (Other than the fact that it brings snow days.) There was talk all weekend about the snow and how we were going to get snow. I wasn't alarmed though, because we rarely ever get snow here. Goodness, was I ever wrong. Campus sent out the mass email and text yesterday around 6 calling off our first day back to classes! I was super excited because Monday and Wednesday are my long days. I went to bed last night with no snow and woke up this morning to massive amounts. Looking out my window, I can tell it's AT LEAST 6 inches. According to Facebook friends, there is 8 inches.

Speaking of Facebook friends, I just do not understand why people feel the need to address the obvious. As soon as I got the email about classes cancelled, I got on Facebook and there were seriously 10 statuses about how there was no school. Yes, EVERY student at UTC got the email. I don't see the need for half of those students to put it in a status. Just like with snow, everyone knows it's snowing, but there are statuses, wall posts, even pictures. Tell me something new Facebook friends.
Do you have friends like that? Friends that just drive you crazy via Facebook and make you wonder what they are thinking?

On a positive note, the snow is beautiful. I would post beautiful pictures for all to see, but I'm not getting out in that mess until I HAVE to.

Be safe everyone. Especially if you have as much snow as we do. :)

Relaxation.

Don't get me wrong. I love the holidays and all that they bring, but I am so glad it is over. My cousin's birthday cupcakes came out amazing. He loved them.

I baked my absolute favorite chocolate chip cookies for Christmas with the family which are always a huge hit. Another amazing recipe thanks to Paula. :) I mainly got money for Christmas, but I also got W's book, Decision Points which I had told my daddy that I definitely wanted for Christmas.I haven't had a lot of time to read it, but I'm half way through and it is pretty amazing.

I hope everyone had an amazing New Year's celebration. Mine was eventful to say the least, but amazing. I spent it around some of my sisters and made new friends there as well.

Now my life revolves getting ready for classes to start back. I have bought new pens and notebooks. School supplies are my favorite. :) I put off ordering my books, but I finally ordered them yesterday so they should be here in time for the first day. I have also been getting ready to be the Finance Vice President in my sorority. I am so excited, but it is major responsibility that I'm pretty nervous about also.

I have finished up all the business of the holiday's and now I finally get to relax a few days before classes. :) This new year is looking to be a good one. :)

Brand new.

Even though I have been reading others blogs for years, this is my first attempt at blogging, and I must admit, I am pretty excited. So just a little about me. My name is Devan and I attend college here in the South where I am completely focused on my studies, obsessed with my sorority, and still looking for that sweet Southern gentleman to sweep me off my feet. My posts will give you a look into my life, some of my favorite recipes, and random things that excite me. :)

Speaking of things that excite me, trying new recipes is always an exciting task in my eyes. With that said, my little cousin is turning 17 tomorrow. He is always complaining that he gets cheated because his birthday is so close to Christmas, and this may be true especially from me since I am a poor college student. So as a way to try to sweeten him up a bit, I am baking his favorite, red velvet. I, on the other hand, have never even had red velvet cake, so I looked to my cooking hero, Paula Deen, for guidance.

Paula's Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

• 1 pound cream cheese, softened
• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with cupcake papers.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. In a large bowl gently beat together the oil, buttermilk, eggs, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla with a handheld electric mixer. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined.

Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake tins about 2/3 filled. Bake in oven for about 20 to 22 minutes, turning the pans once, half way through. Test the cupcakes with a toothpick for doneness. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth. Add the sugar and on low speed, beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to high and mix until very light and fluffy.

I'll be sure to let y'all know how they turn out! :) 
What is your favorite cake for your birthday?