Top Ten of 2012

This has been one of my favorite traditions in keeping this blog. It's still fun for me to go back and look at each year that I have blogged to see my highs and lows of each year. These may be one or two particular memories, but mostly it's a chance for me to blog about what I'll remember most about the year 2012. So this year, better late than never, here it is boys and girls!

10. Working hard for the money Working at Anthropologie is the first time I've had a job consistently while in school. I have had to learn how to manage my time and money so much better because commuting to school as often as I do costs time and money. Although I can't give myself more time, I can learn to manage my time better so I can fit in work, school, friendships, family, running, and who knows what else I fill my time with! I have loved the friendships from working at Anthro....and I'm not complaining about how great my wardrobe is now either. :)

9. Friendships, both near and far This year, living at home has definitely had it's perks when it comes to friendships. I've:

reconnected with FB and guard friends from high school

 

made a few trips to Athens

and Chattanooga of course

And I can't forget Charleston :)

8. Hitting the Pavement I have never considered myself a "runner"...until this year. I started doing My Fitness Pal and I quickly learned if I want to eat more, I need to work out more. Enter running. Couch 2 5K is what sparked my consistency in running, but having races to train for really helped me stay on track. I've done two 10K's and a 5K (and even ran the whole time for the Thanksgiving 10K!) in one year and hope to keep up the pattern. 

7. Showering my (now wedded) friends Y'all. I went to a lot of wedding stuff in 2012 and with weddings comes the "before" stuff like showers and Bachelorette parties. Talk about the girly-est of girly events--and I love it. And even better that a group of friends get to get together to celebrate a friend's upcoming wedding vows to the love of her life. 

6. Ohhhh How I love the Alpha Gams! Something I did not see coming was my being put back into sorority life. On a whim this past August, I decided to help out with Recruitment while I had a break from classes and some flexibility in my work schedule. Lo and behold, a few months later I am now the Operations Advisor. I really have unexpectedly loved being back in the sorority world--especially since I have Brittany and Kathleen coming alongside to most of the Alpha Gam functions. It's been so wonderful to see how my sorority friendships have impacted my past college and I love being able to give back to an organization that has given so much to me.

5. Being an in state Aunty Living at home really allowed for some great niece/Aunt Kristin bonding this past year and those sweet moments cannot be traded for anything. Between the day to day with Charlotte to the much more frequent visits I can have now with Felicity when Kirby would stop by or I could hop over and have a slumber party at the Cleland's.

4. I now declare thee, Husband and Wife. This past year has been a year of weddings to say the least! I had several close friends get married and I love it! I think my favorite part was that I was able to be apart of, but not necessarily be in the weddings. Being able to cook for and help out with last minute details is definitely my love language, so I felt like it was blessing enough to be a part of my friend's special day! Seeing my friend's relationships celebrated on their wedding days is such a special event to be apart of and I loved every chance to do so!

 

3. So there's this boy... I haven't explicitly mentioned Brian on this blog, but it's a long time overdue. I met Brian in November at Anna and Wayne's Wedding and as they say "the rest is history". He stood me up for our first date (he was supposedly volunteering at the high school football game, but you'll have to ask him about that story), but two weeks after we met when we did go on our first date--I made him pick me up from work/be bombarded by my work friends, if that doesn't make him a trooper, I don't know what does--but I have been so happy since then. He makes me laugh, puts up with my crazy, I can talk to him about anything, and all in all, I think he's pretty great. 

2. Home again, Home again Jiggity Jig When I look back at 2012, I will definitely remember this as a time of living in a very full house. But I also will remember the reason I'm at home is for grad school and that is worth it for me. I have loved my program, being back in school, and honestly, living at home. There are some ups and downs to living at home and commuting to and from school, but it has been more than worth it. I know that I am pursuing what I want to do in my future career and sharing a house full of family is part of that journey. And hey, I kind of like living out my (not so closet) nerdiness and have loved sharing that with my grad school friends too. 

1. Precious Joni Sadly, my number one spot this year isn't necessarily a happy thought, but instead a very dear one to me that beyond a shadow of a doubt marks this year for me. Starting off 2012 knowing I was going to be an aunt for a third time was so exciting, but shortly after sharing that, I shared that Joni was taken from us before we even got to meet her face to face. Seeing how God has used this year of experiencing heartbreak, loss, and family to share these ups and downs with has been forever marked on my heart and that is something I could never, and would never, want to overlook. I am beyond grateful that God orchestrated it for me to be living in Marietta so close to family this past year and that is a blessing to say the least. Joni will always be a special memory to me and I cannot wait until I can see her precious face in Heaven one day.  

Another Camp Couple Going to the Chapel!

I met Becca Hart our first summer working at Camp Vesper Point in 2006. We were both in Cabin 15 for Staff Training and quickly formed a bond between us and a few other girls. These girls were who I stayed with on the weekends and hung out with on the dock and Sugar Shack...that is a true definition of a camp friendship! :) This was also the summer the Matt and Becca met. I don't remember the first time I heard Becca talk about her crush on Matt, but I knew pretty well by the end of our first term together that there was something there. Lo and behold, they were dating by the start of the school year. 

The following summer, I was so grateful to have a close friend back at my favorite place. This summer had such a different vibe, as every summer at CVP does, but it was great being a veteran at this whole counselor thing. Becca and I stayed close the 2nd summer and since both of our boyfriends were friends, we could relate to relationship woes and went on a double date to the TN Aquarium too. I loved that Matt and Becca had been together for almost a year and to see how their relationship had progressed as well as seeing mine and Becca's friendship evolve!

After that summer, Becca transferred to Furman which was much closer to Matt--a blessing I know for both of them! Becca and I sporadically kept in touch, but I always heard about her and Matt's relationship and was so encouraged.

She and I went too long before seeing each other again, but finally got together and had lunch for over 4 hours the winter of our Senior year! We promised to never go that long without seeing each other again and so far it's been a promise well kept! I got to visit her at Furman later that spring too.

She and I both started our first summer at camp after our freshman year, so it was truly a blessing of a friendship to have someone that was experiencing very similar life situations throughout our college years. Something I especially loved was getting to hear about her relationship with Matt progressing, especially because I knew him as a friend rather than just my friend's boyfriend.

Becca went to grad school in Ohio when I moved to Chattanooga the fall after our senior years in college. Conveniently for me, Matt's family lives in Chattanooga so I was almost guaranteed a visit with my friend when she came into town to see him between his traveling for work. What really spoiled me was during the summer of 2010 when Becca got an internship in Chattanooga and we were BOTH living on Signal Mountain together at the same time. Our favorite spot to catch up was getting coffee at the Signal McDonald's! haha Even though she was living in Matt's house, they still had a long distance relationship. The handful of LDR's that I've been in were not easy by any means, so I cannot imagine keeping it up for nearly as long as they did.

God does funny things sometimes and their relationship was long distance no longer in January of 2011 when Matt was diagnosed with Leukemia. Thankfully, Becca's school was super understanding and she basically picked up and moved back into Matt's parents home so that she could be there for him. I have admired few other people as much as I admired Becca during this time in their life. She was so strong, caring, and was Matt's cheerleader day in and day out. The time she and I spent together was so precious to me during that time for so many reasons, but I don't think she will ever know how much respect I gained for her.

I loved getting to do fun "take her mind of things" things with Becca like frequent coffee dates, lunches, and even a day at the spa getting massages! I was so grateful that I was able to share this time with Becca as she was able to spend this time with Matt. Regardless of the circumstances, Matt and Becca's relationship seemed to grow stronger.

Since Matt's mobility with large crowds was still pretty limited in the early fall of 2011 after his bone marrow transplant, Becca asked me to be her date to a wedding in North Georgia and I gladly accepted! I LOVE that Becca and I have had little fun trips, lunch dates, and coffee dates at McDonald's to keep our friendship growing over the years whether we were in the same city, state, or neither. And something I love just as much is that Matt has been apart of Becca's life for almost as long as she and I have been friends.

This Saturday, I get to experience seeing Matt and Becca become husband and wife after years of patience, love, hardship, and trusting in God. What a beautiful celebration it's going to be! Knowing Becca, I know that she has spent so much time, thought, and effort into planning this wedding. And selfishly, I'm pretty excited about getting to see other camp friends and spend a weekend in the Scenic City.

HAPPY WEDDING WEEKEND MATT AND BECCA!! ENJOY EVERY SINGLE SECOND OF IT--YOUR RELATIONSHIP DESERVES EVERY BIT OF CELEBRATION!