College Graduation Weekend

This past weekend was so special to me, and it will be one of those weekends I will always remember. It was seriously one of those weekends I never wanted to end because I was enjoying it so much! I graduated, and it meant so much to me to have all of the people I love so much there for me! This weekend was definitely marvelous, so I will be linking up with Katie!

This post will be a lot of pictures, which are honestly the best ind of posts. 🙂 If you missed my last post about what I learned in college, you can find it here. 

We started off the morning by having some breakfast at Cracker Barrel before heading to my graduation since it didn’t start until 1:30.

It was really cold when we were taking these pictures outside!

I was really happy that the graduation ceremony didn’t take long at all. It was only like an hour! The ceremony was very well organized and ran smoothly.

Now we are both alumni of the university where we met!

I could not have made it from kindergarten all the way through college without my wonderful parents. I know I say it a lot, but you really don’t understand how amazing my parents are.

I could not have been blessed with better in-laws. They made a long trip down here just to watch me graduate; they are too sweet!

Ryan’s parents, like us, met at this university when they were college students, at the same BSM where Ryan and I met! This school was obviously good to the four of us.

I have too much fun with these four. The best husband, big bro, and SIL a girl could ask for.

My sweet grandparents.

My other sweet grandparents. 🙂

Several generations of alumni. My grandfather, mom, Ryan, and I all attended and graduated from the same university! We are proud of our university!

Our good friend Tanner also graduated with me, and his wife, Chelsea and him became some of our best friends at college! They were one of the couples who came over for the first night of our 12 dates of Christmas. The guy on far left, Garrett, is another one of our best friends and was one of Ryan’s roommates his last year at school. He was so sweet and came to watch the graduation.

After my graduation my Mom had a party for me at their house, and my best friend since fifth grade, Shelby, and her mom, Shelly, stopped by to see me. It was so good to see them since I hadn’t seen them since this summer. Shelby got engaged in November, and I hadn’t seen her in person since, so it was so fun getting to talk to her in person.

Shelby gave me this super cute box, and when I opened the lid it had a ring pop in it and asked if I would be her bridesmaid. Obviously, I said yes!!! I was and am still so excited! (I totally should have taken a picture of the ring inside the box with the other note, but I didn’t think about it. My bad.)

The fact that I graduated during Christmas time made it so much better!

I also received some incredible gifts from the people I love. Everyone was way too generous, and I am so thankful for everything.

My parents gave me some Spode Christmas dishes so that I could start a collection. I have always wanted to have my own Spode collection because my mom, grandmother, and Ryan’s mom all have Spode. I thought it would be so fun to carry on the tradition! Plus, they are so festive this time of year, and I love that! My in-laws also gave me several pieces of Spode for graduation, including beautiful placemats, a serving dish, a platter, a candy bowl, and an oven mitt!

My parents also gave me this beautiful cross necklace, that I love! I had been wanting one like this for a while.

Ryan knows me well and gave me a long distance training belt for running and a BIC band for my hair! I had been wanting both of these things.

Ben and Kaleigh gave me such a cute gift bag full of things I will need in my own classroom. I thought this was such a fun, though out gift, and I love it! I will definitely be using all of the things in this bag.

Shelby and Shelly gave me a similar gift. They gave me this super cute Vera Bradley bag, since they said every teacher needs a cute bag (I totally agree), and it was filled with things I will need for my classroom. Of course I loved this gift too!

All of my grandparents were very generous as well with their gifts, and I am so thankful for everything everyone gift me. I am most thankful for everyone just giving up their time to celebrate the day with me. It was seriously so fun, and a very special day for me.

Sunday, Ryan and I went to one of my grandparents’ house and celebrated Christmas with them, my parents, and Ben, and Kaleigh. We had Mexican pile up for lunch and played Charades. We had a blast here too, but somehow I left without taking any pictures! It’s okay though, because I am pretty sure this post has a lot of pictures already. 🙂

So that was my marvelous weekend! Obviously, this weekend was one I will always remember. It was made so special because of the people I love most. I don’t know what I would do without them.

Questions:

1. Tell me something fun about your weekend?

2. Have you gone to any Christmas celebrations yet?

3. Any fun plans for this week?

4. Any good recipes I should try this week? I am grocery shopping later today. 

 

Fun Facts Friday

I just have a few random facts to share with y’all today, and I have a busy day ahead, so here you go!

1. We had so much fun with some of our best friends last night! It was a great way to start the 12 dates of Christmas. From the couples left to right it’s Tanner, Chelsea, Ryan, me, Bryan, and Ruth. Bryan and Ruth got married on August 10, 2012. Chelsea and Tanner got engaged on August 11,2012, and Ryan and I got engaged August 15, 2012. Then Chelsea and Tanner got married this past May, and we got married in June. It was funny how everything happened so close together. 🙂

We had a taco bar for dinner (didn’t get a picture), and then I had plenty of snacks set up on the table for us to eat before we started the meal.

I am pretty sure we were all stuffed when we finished eating.

2. I GRADUATE COLLEGE TOMORROW! I am seriously so excited about this! I can’t believe how fast college has gone by though. I feel like I just got to college, but I guess I have really been in college for 3 and a half years. Time flies.

3. Today Ryan and I are going back to our college town because I have had a certain scholarship the whole time I have been in college, and there is a reception for the students who have this scholarship and are graduating tomorrow. My mom will be there too, so it should be fun!

4. Since we are going back to our college town, we get to have dinner with one of my best friends ever and my maid of honor at our wedding, Marlee! I haven’t seen her since this summer and I am so excited!!

5. My in-laws are coming to stay with us tonight to come to my graduation. I feel so loved, I am going to get to see so much family this weekend! My graduation isn’t until 1:30 in the afternoon, so in the morning, Ryan and I are having breakfast with both of our parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and one set of my grandparents. More of my family will be at my graduation, and then my mom is having  celebratory party at their house afterwards! I feel so loved!

6. Sunday we are celebrating Christmas with one side of my grandparents! I am so excited! I love that the Christmas festivities are already starting up!

Questions:

1. What are your plans for today and this weekend?

2. Have you started any Christmas celebrations yet?

3. Favorite way to Christmas shop, in stores or online? I have really gotten to like online shopping, but I still like getting out and seeing all of the stores decorated with Christmas music playing. I definitely think there are some things you just have to see in person before you buy. So I guess I like to have a mix of both. 🙂

My Bachelorette Party!

This is the start of me finally posting about all of my fun wedding festivities that occurred! Today I will write about my bachelorette party, and later I will write about our rehearsal dinner, then our wedding, and finally our honeymoon! (I know, about time right?)

My bachelorette party was the night before the rehearsal dinner, so I was definitely super excited to get married, and everything was finally coming together. This party might seem weird to most of you, but it was absolutely PERFECT for me! My maid of honor, Marlee, definitely did good planning this for me! I guess I could say she knows me pretty well! 🙂 Love this pretty lady!

Krystal was my only bridesmaid who couldn’t make it, but she had work and her three kiddos to take care of that night, so I completely understood! But since she won’t be in any of the pictures, here is a picture of me with my beautiful sister-in-law so that y’all know how much I love her!

Krystal is the one on the left, I couldn’t find one of just me and her. Brigette is on the right and is another one of my beautiful sister-in-laws!

We started out the party by going to the park for some yoga!

One of my favorite instructors and coworkers, Sarah, from the gym I worked at in college came and taught an hour long yoga class for us outside. It was so fun! It was a great workout, and I think the heat outside made me like it even more! It definitely made me want to try hot yoga sometime!

After yoga we all went and changed into some cuter clothes, touched up our makeup and hair, and tried to hide our smell with some perfume before heading to dinner.

I had no idea where we were going, but I was pleasantly surprised when we showed up at a Japanese steakhouse. It was one of those fun places where everyone sits around a table, and they cook the food in front of  you. Not only do I think dinners like this are so fun, but the food is always so good! Marlee and I split a plate that came with chicken, salmon, rice, veggies, soup, and salad! Sadly, I didn’t get a picture, but trust me, it was good. My lovely, soon to be sister-in-law, Kaleigh, was sweet enough to take some pictures of the whole night so I didn’t have to worry about it.

Brigette had to fly in so she couldn’t make it in time for yoga, but she showed up to the restaurant at the same time as us, so it was perfect timing! Above is the whole group! Aren’t my bridesmaids beautiful? I love each of them so much!

This is a very lovely picture of me attempting to catch a piece of broccoli the cook threw at me. I failed. 😦

Marlee, however, was way better than me and caught her piece when the cook threw it at her. What can I say, my MOH has skills!

I had to include this fun picture of these two lovely ladies. 🙂

And here is an awkward picture of just me I decided to throw in for laughs. I mean, is it just me or are pictures by yourself extremely awkward to take? I never know what to do with my hands, and I feel like I have no friends.

After dinner we headed back to Marlee’s parents’ house since it was close and we all spent the night! It was so fun having all of my closest friends together for a sleepover! Obviously we stayed up way too late talking about the most random and unimportant things ever. But it was perfect. 🙂

So if you can’t tell, I’m not exactly a crazy, partying type. I know to most people my bachelorette party seems super lame, but to me, it could not have been more perfect. I got to work out, eat, and just have fun with my closest girl friends! That’s hard to beat! I will remember that night forever, and I am so thankful for my amazing friends who made the night so special for me! Thank y’all for always being there for me and supporting me not only on my big day, but all of the days leading up to my big day! 🙂

P.S. Even though I am not really the partying type, I do not judge anyone who likes to have fun differently than me. We are all different, and that’s what makes the world fun! 🙂

Questions:

1. What did you do for your bachelorette party? If you aren’t married what would you like to do for yours?

2. Favorite type of workout to do with friends?

3. Favorite restaurant to go to with friends?

Ab Workout

Happy Hump Day! I am extremely excited because I get to go see this beautiful lady in just a little over an hour!

Shelby is and has been my best friend since fifth grade. I haven’t seen her since the wedding, and I am about to see her two days in a row! 🙂

Anyways, I thought I would share a quick workout with y’all. This morning I ran five miles and then did this ab workout.

• 1 minute plank
• 30 mountain climbers
• 15 scissor kicks
• 30 second side plank (each side)
• 30 in and outs
• 20 plank jacks
• 15 leg push up lifts
• 1 minute plank

Go through this circuit and if you can repeat it two more times for a total of 3 times through! Here are a few links for some of the workouts if you aren’t sure what they are.

Mountain Climbers

In and Outs

Plank Jacks

Leg Push Up Lifts

If you have any questions please ask me, and if you do it please let me know what you think! 🙂

Sorry for the super short post, but I need to do a few things before I head out to meet Shelby! Have a great Wednesday! 🙂

Questions?

What is your favorite ab exercise? Mine is the plank because it works out so much of your body, and you can do it anywhere! 

What are your plans for today?

Anyone else still best friends with their elementary school best friend? 🙂

Fourth and Final Bridal Shower

At the end of May I had my fourth and final bridal shower, immediately after this shower my life got a little crazy, which you can read about here. Because of all of the craziness, I never got to write about my last shower so I thought now would be a perfect time.

First off, if you missed my post about my first shower you can read about it here, and you can read about my second and third shower here. Ryan and I have seriously been shown love by so many family members and friends. This final shower was again filled with love and people continued to bless us with undeserved gifts. This shower was very special to me because it was held in my hometown where I grew up, so I got to see many wonderful ladies that I went to church with that I have hardly got to see since I went off to college. Three ladies hosted my shower. Two were moms of two of my best friends in high school, and the third was my eighth grade English teacher. My old teacher could not make it to the shower, however, because of a family emergency. Here are the two wonderful ladies who hosted me a shower. They were always like a second and third mom to me growing up.

Shelly, the lady on the right, is Shelby’s mom. Shelly and Shelby both have been a huge help to my Mom and I in wedding planning, and they both went out one Saturday with us to view the chapel and go buy decorations. Sherry, the lady on the right, is my good friend Tara’s mom, and the shower was held in her beautiful home. I am so thankful for both of these ladies in my life!

Here is the beautiful food table. There were so many delicious fruits and some mini bundt cakes. I only had a small bite of a bundt cake, but everyone was raving about them! I was all about the fruit though! 🙂

Outside by the pool tables were decorated so cute! (Please excuse the picture in the top left corner, oops! 🙂 )

I was not embarrassed one bit to be the first one to make a plate.

And of course as soon as my cute, soon to be nieces got to the shower I had to fix them a plate as well.

I sure do love these girls! They were definitely the life of the shower. I was so glad they could come. They make me so happy!

These sweet girls helped me unwrap all of my gifts. They are such good helpers!

I felt like I had a million gifts to unwrap. It was so fun! 🙂 Shelby was such a huge help by writing down everything I got and who it was from. I love her to death!

In the picture above, from the left, is my Mom, my Mammy (mom’s mother), my MawMaw (dad’s mother), me, and then Ryan’s MeMa (his Mom’s mother). Sadly, Ryan’s mom, Debbie couldn’t make it for the shower since they live so far away and she had just come in the weekend before for my other two showers. I totally understood, but she was definitely missed! God has blessed me by putting such amazing, Godly women in my life for me to look up to!

It was so good to be united with these two again! The girl on the left is of course Shelby, and the girl on the right is Tara, one of my best friends from high school. I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw her. It made me so happy that she was there!

My sweet friend, Ruth, also came. I love that so many of my friends came out to support me!

Ryan came towards the end of the shower to help pack up all of the gifts we got in the car, and tell everyone who was left thank you. He is such a sweetie!

I am seriously having so much fun being a bride-to-be! People have been so supportive and so helpful, and for this I am very thankful! Being a bride-to-be is fun, but I have to admit, I can’t wait to get married and be a wife! 🙂 Exactly one month from today is the big day! I can’t believe it! Time has flown by!

God has been with Ryan and I every step of the way since we have been together, and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store for us!

Questions:

1. Did you love being a bride-to-be?

2. For all of you married ladies, any marital advice for me?

3. If you aren’t married yet, what do you look forward to most about being a bride-to-be?