The Year is Winding Down..

When the semester starts to draw to a close I always go through such a mixture of emotions. 
Disbelief, because it always seems to go by so fast.
Stress, because there's not much time left to bring up those grades... and they usually ride on that last final.
Happiness, because Christmas and being home with my family is in SIGHT.
and finally...
Exhaustion, because sleep is limited.. and coffee is brewing constantly.

The past few weeks have been insanely busy, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to a little relaxation over Christmas break. I need it.

I'm ready for a little spare time.
Time to get some blog posts done.
Time to catch up on reading other people's blog posts.
Time to READ some books.
Time to satisfy my new addiction to Grey's Anatomy. (Netflix is dangerous.)

but right now, I'm thankful for all of my sweet friendships who keep me going each week.
My amazing coworkers who make me laugh, and keep work so entertaining.
Twinkling Christmas lights, and decorations.
and Surprise "just because" flower deliveries from a special person. ;)

He's a keeper.

Good luck to all of you with your finals! 
and to all of you lucky ducks who don't have to take finals anymore.... get lots of sleep and have lazy couch potato nights for those of us who can't. ;)

Football

Saturday was the last home game of the season... 
which always makes me sad.
Athens on game day is my favorite place to be, and this weekend we played Tech... and the Dawgs did us proud. ;)

It was a noon game, which is kind of the pits. But we made the best of it... mimosas are kind of my  new favorite thing now.

Saturday night we went downtown with friends and had a blast, as per usual.

Now why do weekends ever have to end??
The countdown to Christmas break has officially started... because I'm pretty much dreading class tomorrow morning.

Back Between the Hedges

I hadn't been to a home game since September, so it was so wonderful to be back between the hedges to cheer on the Dawgs against Georgia Southern.

and not only that, but my sweet family was able to come to Athens for their first game day experience this Saturday! They had so much fun tailgating and being in Sanford, they're already trying to figure out a way to make an appearance at this weekend's game. Which just makes my heart so happy!

On a side note: we don't live very far from Athens, so the fact that this was their first UGA game is slightly ridiculous... and Mama & Daddy have already apologized for depriving us during our childhood. 

Ben came to Athens for the game this weekend too, so it was so nice to spend some quality time with him. The past few times we've gotten together on weekends have been with groups of people.. so it was nice to have time to ourselves again.

All in all, it was a wonderful weekend. We celebrated Jasmine's birthday, celebrated another win with the Dawgs, hit up downtown with friends, and started this Thanksgiving Break off RIGHT.

How was YOUR weekend? 
Absolutely wonderful I hope!

Savannah

We chose Savannah for our half marathon for several reasons: it's flat, it has perfect weather in November, and the city is beautiful.

On race day we had to wake up at 4:15AM in order to get to our parking spot before the roads were closed off... so by that afternoon we were pretty exhausted. We took a quick nap and then hit River Street Saturday night for a few beers, some pralines, and a delicious dinner after all of those calories we burned off.

We had dinner at Fiddler's Crab House on River Street, and we ate on the porch so we could overlook the river. The atmosphere down there is just so much fun.

 I had some shrimp and grits, which were: to. die. for.

and after dinner we went to "World of Beer".... hello my new favorite bar. 

I'm a beer girl, and this place blew my mind with the amount of beer they have on tap and on the menu.

My word.

They even do beer cocktails... it was an excellent reward after all of that running!

That sums up the rest of our Saturday in Savannah... now I'm dying to go back. I would kill for a few more pralines right about now. This time change has killed me this week!

Happy Friday friends!!

13.1

What a surreal feeling, to finally have my first half marathon behind me.
After spending the last few months training for it, it's hard to let it fully sink in that it's OVER.

The race itself was hands down one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced, I don't even know how to put it all into words. The first ten miles went by so quickly, I've never had a run feel THAT effortless. The entire stretch of the course there were people cheering us on, with hilarious posters and offering so much encouragement. It just made me so emotional to have complete strangers cheering me on, especially after how hard I had worked to be there. I'm a sentimental nut.. but I really kept getting teared up the whole race.

Around mile 10 is when my knees really started hurting, and at the water station I took my first walking break as I drank my water.. but what a mistake! As much as you think a quick walking break will make your body feel a little better, it makes it hurt so much more to start running again. Once I picked back up I just kept repeating to myself "JUST. KEEP. GOING." over and over. The last few miles seemed to drag... and mile 13 I thought would NEVER end. It seemed like 3 miles instead of one. Finally rounding the corner to see that finish line was so rewarding.

My goal for the race was 2:30.. and my time ended up being 2:28:02 so I was thrilled considering it's my first one! I ran my Nike Running app during the race so I could look at my breakdown for each mile, and my paces for several miles are the same, down to the second. So I was very pleased that I was able to maintain a consistent pace throughout.

 I really can't stress enough how incredible training for a half, and finally completing one can be. I thought it seemed impossible, and I would never be able to tackle it. But I'm telling you right now, it's doable. I could barely run a mile in May without feeling like death, and now I can complete 13.1? It's unreal how much you can push your body and overcome things you never dreamed you were capable of. If it's one of those things you've always wanted to do, I'm telling you now to DO IT. I promise you won't regret it. You will hate running some days, and question yourself over why you put yourself through it, but you will learn to love it on others... and the accomplishment is so rewarding.

The Rock 'n' Roll Savannah half marathon is definitely happening again next year, and I'm so thankful for all of you who sent me emails and information about your training plans. You all helped me tremendously!

Homecoming

My beautiful little sister, Mallory, made Senior Homecoming Court at the high school.. and looked absolutely stunning on the field Friday night (If I do say so myself).

Senior year is such a blast, and Homecoming festivities were one of my favorite things, so it's been so fun to live vicariously through Mal as she goes through all of it this year. All of the girls had gorgeous dresses... it really made me miss those dress shopping days!

We're so proud of our little Mal!! 

Next post: A recap of GA/FL.

Get ready for it.

;)

Happy November 1st y'all!

Where has this year gone?!

The Rivalry.

It's quite possibly one of the most wonderful weekends of the year: the Georgia/Florida game in Jacksonville.
Also known as, "the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." And you can bet your bottom dollar we'll be heading down for it this year! The GA/FL game is one of those things that any Georgia fan should experience at some point in their life. You just can't even put into words the amount of fun and craziness that goes down in one weekend.

Here's some flashback photos from last year's trip :) Can't wait to see what this year has in store!

Now off to a weekend of shenannigans! ;) Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Go Dawgs!!

Hitting the Pavement.

My half marathon is coming up November 3, less than a month left until the big day and I'm starting to feel so anxious.

Running has been such a journey for me, throughout this entire training process. I started running at the end of May/Early June, and at that point in time I could barely run a mile. Yesterday I did my longest run to date-- 8 miles. I have come such a long way since I started all of this, and my next long run is when I'll be going for those double digits: 10 miles.

Something about pushing your body to its limit, and proving to yourself that you are better than you thought is just so rewarding. I've really proven to myself that I am more than capable of things that I never dreamed possible. With every step, and every mile I continue to learn more about myself.

Ben is training for the half too, and we talked last night about how running long distances makes you doubt in yourself, and believe in yourself all at once. I definitely never imagined I would gain so much out of signing up for a half-marathon on a whim, but in any training I think you really test yourself and your limits. You learn a lot of things about yourself physically, but you also find yourself learning a lot of life lessons. There's so much time to think when you're trucking along on that pavement, and as cheesy as all of this is: I've really come to love it.

I've always been the girl who hated running, hated working out, dreaded the thought of even running a mile. Then I started hearing of all these people doing half marathons... and secretly wished I could actually do one. I mean, what an accomplishment! It lingered in my mind for months... until I finally just thought, Why CAN'T I do one? What makes me think that I can't accomplish that too? And here I am, running my little tail off and working towards that 13.1.

A lot of you are runners too, what are some of those things running has done for you?
Aaaaand do you have any advice for first-time half marathoners?

Happy Monday friends!

22.

Wednesday was my birthday, and it kind of came and went so quickly I'm still digesting that I even had a birthday.



I have literally had one of the craziest weeks (academics-wise) in my college career. I had the PCAT Tuesday, Anatomy Practical Wednesday, 8AM Nutrition Exam Thursday, Anatomy Exam today, and I have another Biochemistry of Micronutrients Exam on Monday. A solid week of exams. That shouldn't be allowed on your birthday week!

It was still a great birthday though. I am so blessed to have such sweet friends and family in my life who helped me celebrate and stay semi-stress free. ;)

We had lunch at the Last Resort, hands down one of the best restaurants in Athens. It was so delicious. I mean, check this burger out:

And Jasmine surprised me with a Gigi's Cupcake after my late class (pictured above). Could I ask for a better roommate? Nope.

22 has been kind of a weird birthday, I feel like it sounds like such a mature and responsible age. 
Maybe it's because I'm comparing it to 21, the wild and crazy birthday... where this one has been so mellow. I know 22 isn't old, but it's making me feel it. I don't know where time keeps going, but I wish it would slow down a bit... I'm not ready for the real world. :)

Hope you all have had a wonderful week! I wish my life would slow down so I could be back to my regular blogging, but soon enough!

Worries.

I stress.
I worry.
I have emotional breakdowns.
and then I carry on with my life until I stress, worry, and break down again.

It's the way things go, particularly now that school is back in session.

This weekend I spent my entire Saturday devoted to Pharmacy school preparations.
It was Visitor's Day at UGA Pharmacy, followed by a PCAT review session, and then I worked on getting my application completed once I got home. It was an overwhelming day to say the least.

As I was working on submitting my coursework on my PharmCAS application, it hit me how hard I've worked these past three years. I've had a lot of late nights of studying, numerous hours spent in tutoring sessions, and countless phone calls to Mama for reassurance during those tearful breakdowns. I've felt overwhelmed, and discouraged.

But as I was going back through all of those hours of courses I've put in, I realized how hard I've worked in those classes has ultimately led me THIS much closer to what I want to become. All of the tears, and all of the late nights have taught me SO so much about what I'm capable of.  There's a reason I've been given this passion for Pharmacy. As I was listening to the current pharmacy students talk about their experiences in Pharmacy school at the Open House, it gave me chills realizing that one day I'll have those experiences too. That rewarding feeling the first time you're able to actually help a patient who has a question about their medication... I want it so badly.

I've spent the past three years gaining the knowledge necessary for beginning Pharmacy school, and in the next few weeks I'll be taking that PCAT again, as well as submitting my applications. There's nothing else I can do to prepare, and ultimately I have to have the patience to trust in God. Whether Pharmacy school happen next year for me, or in a few more years time... I'm trying to remember to give my worries up to Him. Everything always works out, even if it's not the plans we have for ourselves.

So this week I'm focusing on giving my insecurities, and worries up to the Lord. Learning to trust His will, and not my own.

Happy Monday sweet friends,