full heart

It's a short and quick post today - I got back late last night from an incredible wedding weekend celebrating one of my dearest friends and her HUSBAND! It was one of those great wedding weekends where everyone just exuded happiness. We laughed so much, danced our feet off, and just had the best time. Weekends like this are so good for the soul, as my friend Natalie said. No matter how tired I am, I leave with such a full and grateful heart, and full of peace. These weekends remind me how lucky I am to have the amazing friends and family that I do. In light of the tragedy in Orlando over the weekend, I thank and praise God for each and every day I get to spend with the people I love so dearly. 

WEEKEND REVIEW

Picked up Georgia peaches from The Peach Truck on Saturday morning.

Celebrated our sweet co-worker Erica and her engagement! #DoTheHussle 

Brunch at BurgerUp - one of my favorite Nashville restaurants. 

And like that, we're at Monday already. I hope everyone had a great weekend. I was in Nashville for the THIRD weekend in a row - I think this might be record setting! I love, love, love traveling, but it is so nice to be home for an extended period of time. Now it's time to make it through the work week before heading out of town for Memorial Day!!! We can do it, yall!  

WEEKEND RECAP: BLOOMINGTON, IN

This past weekend I met up with 7 of my sorority sisters in Bloomington for the weekend. After a long work week, seeing great friends was the perfect remedy and we just had the best time together. I got into Bloomington late Friday night and met my Nashville roommate out for a quick drink while I waited for Claire and Ashley to get in from Cincinnati. They picked me up and we went to Theta, where we were staying, and just laid in the rec room and chatted for way, way longer than planned.

In the morning the rest of the girls drove down from Indianapolis and by 8:30, we were headed to Kilroys for early morning drinks. The rest of the day was spent stopping by tailgates, chatting at Theta, playing Sink the Biz for hours at Nicks, making up our own mini bar crawl, and ending the night with Qdoba burritos. I swear, there are days that I feel like it was just yesterday I was in college, and then your friend gets pelted with a beer can and you're home by 11:00 and it seems like a long, long time ago. 

I'm so, so glad that we made the random trip back to Bloomington. It had been so long since a group of us had been together back in Bloomington and I think we can all agree that it needs to happen much more often. I love living in Nashville, but there are definitely times that I'm jealous of all my friends in Indianapolis and how often they see each other. Luckily we have a few weddings in 2015, so we should be seeing each other much more often, which makes me feel very happy.

Have a great Monday!

LOSS

I started drafting this post last week, but didn't feel like I could post it, or it wasn't my place to post it. But I've decided to, because as much pretty and happy there is on this blog, it's also about life, and sometimes that unfortunately comes with sadness.

Last Monday I found out that someone I knew in college passed away unexpectedly. We weren't close  by any means, but in the Greek system at Indiana, everyone pretty much knew everyone and ran in overlapping circles. Like with any devastating news, I was caught completely off guard, but was also affected more than I thought I would be. I started thinking about his family, his girlfriend, his fraternity brothers, his friends, and what utter sadness, shock, and grief they had to be feeling, and my heart felt - and still feels - so very heavy.

Loss is never easy. When we are young, I think we go through our days without ever thinking that friends or family won't be there. They are supposed to be the constant in our lives, and you never think they won't be there until they aren't. If I don't talk to my friend Sunday night like we planned, it's okay, because there is always next Sunday. Unfortunately, we have no say in God's plan. 

My point of this post is that we cannot control what is going to happen to us, our family, our friends. What we can control is the love and appreciation we give while we are on this earth. Losing someone is a sad reminder how fragile life is. But it's also a reminder to hug the ones we love a little tighter, pick up the phone a little more often, plan a few more visits, live life a little fuller, and not take a single thing for granted.

You will be missed, Pat, and we will all see you later.

WEEKEND

Hello chickadees! Did everyone have a great weekend/Monday? I was home this weekend for my best friend's wedding shower (October 18th is so close!!!) and while it felt like a really quick trip, it was perfect and much needed.

I'm always happy to be at home and spend time with my family and friends from growing up, but this weekend in particular reminded me just how lucky I am to have them in my life. My friends and I don't live in the same city, and we typically only see each other a couple times a year, but when we are together, we pick up right where we left off. Saturday was one of those perfect days, and with the exception of all the summer shandys I drank, it felt like we were back to age 12, jumping off the diving boards and spending all day and all night at the pool. I cherish these friends of mine - we've been together since age 8 or before - and when you have friends for that long, you just get each other.

It's rare, I think, to have friends that are considered family, and family that is considered friends. I feel very blessed to say I have both. :)

LOVE, ACTUALLY, IS ALL AROUND

 

 

 






Pretty sure I post on this same topic each Valentine's Day, but I think it's a good reminder, no matter what holiday it is. 

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There's a lot of hate around Valentine's Day. Girls are depressed because they are single, guys are annoyed that this commercial holiday forces them to spend money because if they don't, they're in trouble. The thing is, though, the heart of the holiday (see what I did there?!) is supposed to be about love, and it's just kind of silly that so many people put so many negative feelings out into the world on this day, and that so much of it is centered around a relationship status.

The world can be a sad enough place - I mean just read the comments on any news article and you'll get instantly depressed - so why can't we just celebrate a day about love? It's not just about you and your significant other or lack there of, but about all the people in your life who you love and love you back. I feel so lucky and blessed to be surrounded by so much love in my life - from my family, my friends, my coworkers, and yes, my boyfriend.

It's all of these relationships that make life wonderful and worthwhile. The ones that make you smile, laugh uncontrollably, feel happy, feel loved. Take a minute today to let everyone important in your life know how much you love them, and not to do it just today, but every day.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone <3 :)

A WEEKEND AT HOME

I just love being home. After living in Atlanta and being a plane ride away from my family, I absolutely love, love, love that I am only a drive away. This past weekend was the Illinois-Miami of Ohio game and since a ton of my Champaign friends went to Miami, it was an obvious time for a reunion. It was such a short trip, but as always it was wonderful being with my friends. We are in Nashville, DC, Cincinnati, and Chicago, so reunions are few and hard to come by. We had a great day tailgating with our families and friends, watching Illinois crush Miami and then the Dawgs take on the Tigers (Go Georgia!). We played beersbie at the Hobbs, scarfed down Monicals pizza and Custard Cup, and fell asleep way earlier than planned. Sunday brought church and relaxation with my family, and it went by all too fast! I headed back to Nashville sad to be leaving such wonderful people, but very blessed to have them all in my life.

Happy Tuesday!

A VERY HAPPY WEEKEND

Oh, Monday. Here again way too quickly. Doesn't it always feel like there should be another day to recover and rest? 

I had the happiest of weekends, and I hope you all did too! On Friday, I got last minute tickets to the Taylor Swift concert through work and oh my gosh. The concert was ah-ma-zing. I've always been a fan of T-Swift, but I was blown away by her show. It's not just a concert, it's a complete production. She sounds incredible live, and just does a fantastic job entertaining her fans. It's safe to say I have never seen so many blinking lights and young girls at a concert, but I loved it. So much screaming, it was hysterical. 

Saturday morning I drove up to Indiana with Claire and Courtney for our Brookie's wedding! The ceremony was in a gorgeous Catholic church and Brooke as well as the bridesmaids all looked stunning. The reception was held at a family friend's house under a big white tent. It was seriously so beautiful. I'm so happy for Brooke and Mark, and wish them nothing but the happiest of a life together. 

One of the best parts about the wedding was that we had a little sorority reunion! Fifteen of us made the trip celebrate the Elliott's big day, and it was just the happiest. It reminds me how lucky I am to have so many amazing, incredible, loving friends all across the country. And whether we haven't seen each other for a couple months or 2 years, nothing has changed between us. We are still the best of friends, having a great time together, dancing the night away, limbo-ing, and breaking into the hotel pool at 1 AM. Fabulous weekend, girls. Let's have another engagement ASAP so we can have this much fun again! Any takers?

Happy honeymooning, Brooke and Mark! We all love you! :)

Have a great Monday, everyone.

LIFE LATELY PART TWO: FOURTH OF JULY

Without a doubt, one of my favorite holidays is the Fourth of July. I love grilling out, summertime, and fireworks, so it's an obvious match. It's always been a holiday that I spend with my family and friends, and I have so many fond memories of watching the parade, greased watermelon and coin dives at the pool, and scrambling to make it to the big pine tree in front of Memorial Stadium to watch the fireworks. I also love the Fourth due to growing up going to our country club's 3rd of July party which is always a guaranteed good time of fireworks, live music, and non stop dancing. Being in Hilton Head and Atlanta for the past 4 summers, I've missed out on these good times at home (although I always made up for it - not to worry) but this year, my five best friends and I finally managed to get to Champaign for the holiday. It. Was. The. Best. Since the Fourth falls on a Friday next year, I think we are going to have to make a repeat performance.


 We all got into Champaign by Wednesday so we didn't miss the 3rd party. So much fun being with our families and family friends!

A highlight of the night might have been when the band finished playing (last song was questionable) and we broke out in Camp Tecumseh flag pole songs. Completely normal. And no night in Champaign is complete without a stop to Steak N Shake, which we totally did. Double steakburger, please!


For the Fourth, we drove down to Southern Illinois to spend a couple days at the Sullivan's lake house on Lake of Egypt. It was so relaxing and just what I needed for a mid-summer vacation!

 

Years ago, Kaitlyn and I stayed up till 3:00 AM to finish a clock puzzle. We didn't see it anywhere in the house (completed puzzles typically get framed) until we played some beer pong and Kaitlyn started screaming. It was such a joyous moment!

We were also lucky that more family friends from Champaign were at the lake at the same time, so we had a great time having happy hours with them and playing on the water trampoline with the kids. Eight year olds at heart, I'm telling you!

It was such a great extended weekend and holiday - but I'm definitely ready for another vacay soon. Luckily I'm heading to Hilton Head with my family in 2 short weeks. Cannot wait!

On more happy news, it's Friday!! I have a few fun plans for the weekend and I hope you all do too! 

Hooray weekend!

WEEKEND REVIEW

 Great night out at Losers (it's a bar, Winners is next door!) with these girls. I had never been to Losers before, but it's definitely one of my new favorites and I can't wait for spring when we can sit on the patio for happy hour enjoying the beautiful weather!

 Had a little celeb run in at Losers... We were literally rubbing elbows with Sam Palladio (who plays Gunnar on Nashville) while inside getting a drink. I didn't want to bother him, but KP was so persistent that I take a picture of the two of them that I finalllllly did and he couldn't have been nicer about it! 

Saturday required some serious Chick-Fil-A. Driving 10 miles to get it? No big deal. We went all out, milkshakes, waffle fries and sandwich. SO. GOOD.

Sunday was absolutely gorgeous in Nashville with temperatures in the low 50s. It certainly wasn't warm, but it was nice enough to want to be outside. Courtney and I went to Elmington Park across the street from our apartment and spent a lovely time people watching and reading. KP came with Daisy and we tied her to the tree so she wouldn't attack us. It was pretty comical to say the least. 

Hope you all had a great weekend as well! Yay for Tuesday!

friends are all you need

It's amazing what a weekend with great friends can do. I'm seriously so lucky and blessed to have the friends that I do, and even luckier that three of them live in Nashville, just 3.5 hours away from me. After much debating due to car issues (come on Impala.... whyyyy?!), I decided to drive to Nashville Saturday morning and I am SO glad that I did. Sometimes you just need a night on the town, brunch with your girlfriends, and lots and lots of laughs.

And on a side note, I'm completely in love with Nashville :)

 Dinner at Bar Louie

 Theta does Nashville :)

 It really does make sense why it's called Nash-Vegas!!!

 So much fun, totally my scene. Country music and 80s and 90s covers!

My wonderful hosts and beautiful friends inside and out!