Goodbyes





Goodbyes are never easy. I think that for the  most part, I avoid saying goodbye to people in hopes that the relationship will continue in a somewhat transparent, peaceful, and continuous state. Maybe that works. Maybe it fades away completely over time. I don't like to hurt people, and goodbyes bring a lot of hurt. So if it's avoided all together, perhaps the last memory is fun and happy, instead of painful and sad.

Its unavoidable; today brings many goodbyes. As I close one chapter, to open another, I'm surrounded with love and support of those who have carried me throughout the last year. Without them, I would not be who I am today. I know they will always be a soft place to fall, and for that I am thankful.


“Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.” 

On the Move




I thought I was a pro-mover. Having moved every two years growing up {and sometimes on only three weeks notice} taught me the importance of throwing things away before the movers pack trash in a box, and organizing things to be packed in the way you want them to be unpacked. But see here's the thing: we had movers. While I did move three times by myself in college with friends' help, and moved last year with my family's help, moving all by yourself is a totally different experience. I keep looking around with no idea where or how to start, especially since I've spent maybe five whole minutes in my new house. Last year I spent time in the apartment, looking at the floor plan, and plotting where everything was going to go. This time around, I'm not totally sure my kitchen table will fit in my kitchen.

I know I've already committed some cardinal moving 'sins.' I wrapped fragile kitchen pieces in newspaper {I was being stubborn, okay? Determined to make the newspaper work. And yes, I realize my hands and my glasses are now black}. I packed a whole bookcase in one box. Whatever, I'll carry it.

But I have learned a few useful tips that I'd like to share and hopefully make some other single person's life a lot easier in the future:

  • Take out the Trash: Every time I start packing, I throw stuff away. It's my goal to throw out a whole bag of trash after each packing session. This is hard for someone who wants to hold on to every note, coupon, sauce packet, etc. Maybe I am a hoarder...
  • Little box carries a lot: My new box packing mantra. I took all of the boxes that yearbooks came in from school to pack the majority of my things for this move. I figured if they carried heavy yearbooks, they could carry my stuff. These boxes are wider and much more shallow than your traditional moving box, so it forces me to pack less which lends to more boxes but a lot easier time hauling them down a flight of stairs and across a parking lot. Another box favorite? Chick-fil-a fry boxes. Probably the sturdiest boxes I've ever run across. Call before lunch and have them hold their lunchtime boxes for you to pick up after 2 p.m. You'll get a ton. 
  • Mix and Match: Fill your china boxes with dish towels. Your book boxes with small blankets. Your suitcases with hangers on top of the giant stack of clothes. My somewhat OCD brain wants everything to be organized and orderly, but mixing allows you to save packing filler materials, and also prevents over packing too many heavy items {see bookcase box above}.
  • Pack what you want First, Last: We're loading the trailer Saturday morning and driving to the new house four hours away. I know I'll be exhausted. So I'll need my bed, linens and pillows, and bathroom things first. Pack everything first and make sure all bed and bath items are easily accessible. After dragging in the mattress, you'll probably have just enough energy to hang the shower curtain, brush your teeth, and sleep on top of the mattress with just a sheet...and not the fitted one. 
  • Clean out the Kitchen: Do Not take old food to the new house! Even if its just a box of brownie mix. Moving is a great time to clear out and start over with a fresh, new outlook on life. 
  • Organize You: For me, this means my personal files. All of my copies of bills and receipts from the past year need to be filed. My new lease needs to go in place of my old. I need to print out all of my references about transfers from my email {mail, power, etc.}, that way in case anything goes wrong or isn't turned on, or is lost, YOU have reference of what was supposed to happen at your finger tips in your personal file folder. 
What are some of your best #movingtips? 

#gala2014




This weekend, Christopher and I had the pleasure of attending the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce 2014 Gala at the Russell Union Ballroom at Georgia Southern University. We attended last year when I was interning there, but went this year to kick off my new position at the chamber. It was so much fun! I really enjoyed seeing all of the people I had worked with in the past, and everyone was so welcoming. The food and drinks were really amazing, but we can't stop talking about the music performed by the Atlanta Pleasure Band. They were so good! They kept the crowd engaged the entire time, playing oldies and more recent stuff too. So much talent on that stage. It was a really fun night, and a sign of more fun things to come!



The Atlanta Pleasure Band 

My handsome date!

Porch Column--Beer, vodka, lemonade.
A.K.A., too much fun. 

Masquerade fun!




Starting Out in Tennis




I'm super excited about moving to Statesboro and all of the fun activities I have planned: walks with Layla through Georgia Southern's campus, shopping at all my favorite places like Walker Boutique, eating at all of the new little places that have popped up in the year since I left, and hanging out with my best girlfriends. But I'm really looking forward to taking tennis lessons this summer! I tried to pick it up in high school, but never really had consistent instruction. In addition to learning the skills, I can't wait to get some of the cute gear. Now to find my pink tennis racket that I haven't used in about three moves...after I browse through some Tennis-piration from Pinterest!
Anchors Monogram Tennis Backpack  

Spring Wimbledon Dress, $50
Pure Lime Tropical Dress, $68.97

Happy Mother's Day




Happy Mother's Day to my beautiful mother! I love her so very much, and wish her the best and all that her heart desires. She has shown me so much throughout the years: strength, love, hope, compassion, drive, focus, courage...too many things to count. She has spent her life focusing on others and giving up everything to protect those she loves, and I hope she knows how thankful I am for that, and for her. Our relationship has always been special, and I'm thankful for the trials we've endured that have brought us even closer together. She's an amazing woman, my mother. Watch out world...

Smile Because it Happened




Whoa. What a year. As I look back from the time I started this blog on April 24, 2013, till now, it kind of knocks me off my feet. This year has been an absolute whirlwind, full of ups and downs, tears and smiles, opportunities and closed doors.

The new season of my life started in a flash: Christopher and I got engaged on April 28, 2013. Two days later, Christopher was accepted into pharmacy school...in Savannah. Two weeks later, I graduated college. Two weeks after that, I moved to my own place in North Georgia and away from my home in South Carolina as my family was getting ready to relocate to North Carolina, nine hours away from me.

Fast forward a few months, and my family and all I've ever known is crumbling around me. The perfect picture of what I thought I ever wanted for my future was shattered; more like ripped from my hands and shredded into hundreds of tiny pieces. Couple that with living a day away from the people I so desperately wanted to protect, and five hours away from my fiance, and I wonder how I even functioned some days. The amount of tears and feelings of loneliness I've experienced in the past ten months are things I hope I never have to experience ever again.

Needless to say, this year has not turned out to be anything like the one I expected when I started this blog last April. I suppose if you don't have expectations, you avoid disappointments, but I've not managed to make that work for me. I feel like if you don't have expectations, you don't have a focus or a plan, so how do you get things done?

As always, when I let go, God steps in. Prayers for guidance and focus, as well as to be close to loved ones have been answered. I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted a position at the Statesboro-Bulloch Chamber of Commerce as the Communications and Special Events manager! I will be relocating back to Statesboro in just a few short weeks to join an amazing community that I love and have missed. I am incredibly thankful for the experience I've gained during the past year, but am so excited to be back with all of my best friends and only a short drive away from my fiance! Finally, I can say I am once again looking forward to the upcoming changes in my life with positive energy--I can't wait to see what comes next, and hope you'll continue to follow along with me.

My sweet new home in Statesboro

Summer Bucket List





I can't wait for summer! While laying awake one night after accidentally having caffeine for the first time in a few weeks {okay, whatever, sometimes a thirst can only be quenched by a large Diet Dr. Pepper} I was thinking about all of the things I wanted to make sure I did this summer. Being a listy person, I started a list so that I could check things off as they happened. So here is my Summer 2014 Bucket List:

  1. Weekend Getaway in Charleston
  2. Find/make/restore a vanity for my bedroom
  3. Learn to play tennis
  4. Throw a White Party 
  5. Build a Sandcastle 
  6. Watch the sunrise on Tybee
  7. Unsubscribe from pointless emails
  8. Read: The Fault in our Stars, The Southerner's Handbook, Girls in White Dresses, Tipsy in Madras, The Summer We Read Gatsby, The Reagan Diaries...basically I just need to read more
  9. Watch all of Friday Night Lights {the TV show...so good}
  10. Take the boat out
  11. Watch fireworks with my love
  12. Go to Six Flags
  13. Late Night Milkshakes {or slushies...Sonic's Sour Blue Raspberry with Nerds changed my life forever}
  14. Get organized in all parts of life
  15. Tan...duh 

Making Plans




Happy May! I love May, it's probably my favorite month. Everything has bloomed and looks so lush and beautiful, the weather starts to become {somewhat} more reliable, and you can see summer just around the corner.

This summer I really want to do some crafting. After doing all of my pieces of my apartment in essentially a two week time span last year {check them out here, here, and here}, I hung up my paint brushes and took a break. Unfortunately, life got in the way, and I have been pretty un-creative during the past year. So this summer, I want to work on some projects that I've never gotten around to.

Thrifty Chair Makeover by artsychicksrule 
I have this pink chair in my living room that I bought for $20 two years ago with hopes of learning how to recover furniture. Well that is intimidating as all get out. I've toyed with the idea of just painting it, and this chalk paint tutorial has encouraged me in that direction! I figured out a good at-home chalk paint recipe last year, so I'm excited to turn my sad, pink chair into something new...or blue...or gray...or white...
I also have three rugs from TJ Maxx a few years ago, blue with a brown flower pattern on them, that I have throughout my house in the kitchen, living room, and laundry. They work great with my decor, but I'm really wanting a new rug so I may try this chalk paint tutorial from Stellar Junk on one or all of them. I love the Moroccan stencil look on just about everything, and think I would really like it as a focal piece, especially in the kitchen. 

by stellar junk: rug redo with chalk pain
Other projects on my list:
  • Restore the cabinet/side table that my jewelry chest sits on
  • Re-learn how to sew!
What's on your summer to-do list?