Bachelorette Weekend in Charleston

This past weekend we headed up to Charleston to celebrate Jamie's last fling before the ring! ;) 
I had never spent time in Charleston, and now I'm dying to go back.. it was so much fun.

I only knew Jamie and her maid of honor, Jessica, going into the weekend, but by the end I got to know all of Jamie's sweet friends. We laughed, because all of them kept asking how we knew each other... and "we met through blogging" sounds odd to people who don't blog.

We had so much fun going out in Charleston. It's much bigger than the little old Athens night life I'm used to, and the restaurants were incredible.

Now we're one step closer to her beautiful wedding! I can't wait.

Check out Jamie's post, she made a video compilation of the weekend.. mad skills.

Mal's Graduation Day.

Mal's graduation was Friday night, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect.
We took a ton of pictures, so pardon the overload. ;)

Graduation ceremonies in Barrow County aren't exactly the most reverent things around. There's a lot of yelling, bull horns, cow bells, and obnoxious balloons that obstruct your view. BUT, it's kind of become a joke. People literally wear cut off jeans and wife beaters... it's a sight. Best people watching around.

My dad and I both graduated from WBHS, so now that Mal is a graduate we have 3 WBHS alumni in our family. And each one of us walked across the same 50 yard line to receive our diplomas, so of course we had to get a little picture with the W. Clair Harris Stadium behind us. 

Mal with the boys from her Youth Group and their Youth Leader, Todd.

 Mal looks so happy in all of her graduation pictures. I'm so glad she had a wonderful graduation, and can't wait to share pictures from her graduation party with you! We had such a fun weekend celebrating Mallory and all of her achievements.

Graduation.

It seems like just yesterday I was told I was going to be a big sister. 
I still remember sitting in the hospital bed with my mama and getting to hold her for the first time.

And tonight she'll be graduating.
Walking across the same 50 yard line that I did 4 years ago, and that my dad did when he graduated high school.

Mallory, I couldn't be more proud of you.
I can't wait to see what the next four years bring for you.

Love,

A Moment in My Day

Blog Everyday in May: A Moment in Your Day.
If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen this picture from a few weeks ago. But typically, when I'm home.. this is how every morning begins.

A cup of coffee shared with some of the sweetest company there is, my little dog Millie.
Every morning she greets me as soon as I wake up, and is my shadow the entire morning as I go through the motions. Making my coffee, drinking my coffee, she lays on the bath rug outside of the shower until I'm out, and then she sits at my feet while I do my hair and make-up. Not a bad little face to look at though, am I right? ;)

Letting Failure Define You

I didn't know about the "Blog Everyday in May" until.. yesterday? So I'm joining in late. It's such a good idea, and has so many thought provoking writing prompts. I've really enjoyed reading others posts.

Today's topic: A Piece of Advice You Have for Others
There's so many things I thought about writing for this one.. but I feel like a lot of things have already been said here and there. 

Don't let the fear of failure keep you from pursuing your goals. 
I have a fear of failure. I hate the unknown, and knowing that I could potentially fail at things I may unexpectedly encounter terrifies me. 

When I initially started college, I chickened out of my major and switched to a non-science major. I was afraid I wasn't smart enough to go the pre-pharmacy route. I didn't know anything about the science courses I would be having to take, I wasn't even sure about the path to get to pharmacy school and how it all worked. I let the fear of failure overcome my dream of pursuing pharmacy. 

I always seem to relate things to school, because I feel like that's my life right now. But this advice holds true for other settings too. Fear of pursuing a job because the interview process is intimidating. I don't like the idea of looking like a fool in the interview process, but letting that deter you from the job you desire? Your fear of failure is winning.

Running a half marathon was something I always wanted to do, but I felt like it was just crazy. I wasn't capable of doing it. That's one of those things other people do, and I just always dream on the sidelines of doing it. I would never be able to set out and even run ONE mile, so never in a million years could I run 13.1.

 I let the fear of failure define what I was capable of. 
 We are our own worst enemies. We talk ourselves down constantly, and a lot of times I think it's because we are scared of failure. YOU are capable of anything you set your mind to. Don't let those minor obstacles you encounter on the way to your goals count as failures. Failures and bumps in the road just make the end result THAT much better.  

 

Thankfully I switched my major back during my freshmen year of college, and I begin Pharmacy school in the fall. Challenges along the way have just made me appreciate where I've ended up THAT much more. And I know that it's not an easy road ahead. As for my fear of failure with running? I overcame that in November last year when I completed my first half marathon. Don't give up! Doors may slam in your face, but others will open. And it's better than never even trying in the first place.

Marriage.

It's wedding season, and I'm reaching that age where everyone around me is starting to get engaged, is planning their wedding, or it's time for their wedding. While I sit on the sidelines as the single girl, wondering when I'll even meet my guy. I'm not a girl who walks around looking for her future husband by any means. I honestly consider myself a little too selfish at the moment, with my school and work, I just don't have the time for a relationship. But as you get wedding invitations, and are surrounded by friends engaged or in a relationship, your mind occasionally wanders to the thought of when it'll all happen for you.

You may remember my post from reading When God Writes Your Love Story, which I highly recommend to any girl out there. It gives me a lot of comfort that God has the right guy out there for me, wherever he is! And when he finally does come into my life, it will be well worth the wait.

I spent last night looking through a lot of my parent's old pictures from when they were dating, and first married. My parent's are photographers, so they literally documented a lot of their dating life in their 20's and the pictures will put such a smile on your face. I love the raw emotion you see in them, the candid shots of my Mama laughing, and the shots taken of them with their friends on SSI. I'm a sentimental nut as it is, but these pictures just bring sweet tears to my eyes. My parent's were my age at the time, and you can just feel how much fun they're having in the pictures.. and they still have that much fun today.

I want a marriage like my parent's marriage. I consider myself very blessed to be witness to such a beautiful, loving, and fun marriage. I hope that one day I can have a marriage as loving, and as rewarding as theirs is.

 I want a husband that keeps me laughing every day, and encourages me to be a better person. I want someone who challenges me to be more than what I think I'm capable of. I pray that I have a husband who appreciates me, and that I will appreciate him. I pray that I have a husband who is strong in his faith, and that we can grow in our faith together. I pray for patience, for kindness, for trust, and for a relationship full of unconditional love.

I refuse to settle. And my mom has always told me that at this point in my life it's important to step back and evaluate any relationship at the 6 month mark to see if this is a person that you really want to invest more time into. It's something I've really held on to. It's so easy to get wrapped up in relationships and stay in them because you're comfortable.. and it seems scary to get out there and start over with the "single life." But in the big scheme of things, facing the single life for a little bit is definitely worth your happiness in the end. There's someone out there that God has picked JUST for YOU. You may have already met him, or you may not even know him yet. It's crazy to think about, but it makes my heart so full.

You can check out part of my parent's love story on my dad's blog here: (this is the part where my mom enters).

Much Love,