Happy New Year everyone! I came back from the beach in south Texas, where it was 75 and sunny almost every day, to one of the coldest rainy days of the year. But I was happy to see the Fayetteville crowd again.

I went to the beach with my parents, so of course the first thing we did was tour the U.S.S. Lexington. My dad thinks anyone who hasn't been on an aircraft carrier is missing out in life. It was actually pretty fascinating.

The rest of the week we explored the islands off the coast, where we ate seafood and saw lots of birds, dolphins, and jellyfish.

There were also oyster boats everywhere.

Thankfully, when we got home, my baby turtles Squirt and Spike were still alive.

Here are my January countdowns:

5 days until Shelly and Jesse's wedding

8 days until my 22nd birthday

10 days until Kristen & Stephen come home from India

12 days until I have to take the Praxis II

15 days until school starts

132 days until I graduate