My 30th Birthday

     Well, my 30th birthday has come and gone! I did not have a big blow out party, but I did get to spend time with my friends and family. A week before my birthday, I took a day off from work and so did my mom. We spent the day shopping and running a few errands. On Saturday, my brother and sister-in-law and my aunt and uncle came over for lunch and cake and ice cream. Yum, yum! Megan and Chad gave me a really cool necklace with my initial. And my dad gave me a can of really delicious mixed nuts that he picked out especially for me. After my aunt and uncle left, Megan and I convinced my mom to let us style her hair. I tried to part it the opposite direction to give it more body. Then, we got the straightener and flipped her hair out on the ends. It looked alright! Of course, she did not like it and it only lasted approximately 5 seconds after she looked in the mirror. Good thing I got pictures!!! You can see them below! Then later that night we randomly went to play putt-putt. That was my favorite! I can only think of one time we went when I was a child and I'm pretty sure it was the first time I have ever been with my dad. It was fun and I won!!! My brother and I were tied at the end, so we putted the last hole again. He got hole in 3 and I got hole in 2! So, I was the champion! On Sunday, my mom and I were on a mission to find a pair of tennis shoes for me since I tried on every pair at the Nike Outlet with no success. My mom finally found a pair at a different store that were just right. Apparently my feet like Reebok's lol! :) Then, she got me a really cute mint dress that I cannot wait to wear this spring! 
     On my actual birthday, lots of people called, texted, facebooked, and sent me birthday cards! It was so much fun! My friend Angie gave me this really nice dish for serving food. My friend Merrill gave me three necklaces that you can wear together and a cupcake from Gigi's! Then we went to dinner. The celebration continued the next day when my friend Meghan came to visit. Merrill, Meghan, and I went to dinner at a local restaurant and then went back to my apartment for dessert. Meghan made me the cutest cupcakes that had a Reese's on top to look like a baby cupcake on top of a giant cupcake! And her friend Kristin that I met once even sent me an M&M bouquet! I thought that was super thoughtful and sweet! One of my friends sent me my first ever facebook gift to Starbucks! So, the day was full of surprises! Several of my friends and family gave me such thoughtful cards that literally brought tears to my eyes!! It was such a fun time and not just because of the gifts....it's the thoughtfulness behind the gifts and cards that really means the world to me. That and spending quality time with my friends and family!!! 

Okay, so I did not include any pictures of my mom's hair because I knew she would kill me! I just wanted to scare her a bit! :)

My Last Day As A Twenty-Something

     I don't know about you, but I'm not feeling 22. And that is ok! Today is my last day in my twenties. As I was thinking about this past decade, I realized I've had a good run, lol! Here are some of the things that I experienced/learned in my twenties (in no particular order): 

*Moved out of my parents' house. Into Apt. 711 nonetheless :)

       
*Flew in an airplane for the first time and went halfway around the world to Ukraine.

*After a lifetime of being a picky eater, God helped me taste foods I never dreamed I would eat. 

*Survived Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. (A tree fell on my room in the house I lived in. I wasn't there at the time, but it took almost a year to be repaired.)

*Worked 32 hours a week during college.

*Earned a bachelor's and master's degree in speech-language pathology.

*Went on my first date, ha!

*Discovered my love for a good DIY project.

*Earned my Certificate of Clinical Competency in Speech-Language Pathology! (CCC-SLP)

*Walked in sunflower fields while on a mission trip in Moldova.

*Walked around Vienna and even ate weiner schnitzel.

*Discovered I have hypothyroidism after months of suffering with chronic hives :( 

*Landed my first job as a speech-language pathologist!

                                         

*Fainted while working out and subsequently hit my head shortly after completing my internship with traumatic brain injury patients.

*Lost a ton of weight after years of trying with no success.

*Moved to two new cities where I didn't really know anyone.

*Learned a thing or two about car maintenance.

*Completed a 5k and a 10k.

*Started writing this blog to share my story :)

*Got my sweet Effie whom I love so dearly!

*Experienced my first and hopefully last kidney stone!!!

*Experimented with different hairstyles and colors.

*Transitioned from college furniture to sophisticated, adult furniture, lol. :)

*Bought my first car.

*Met a ton of people and made lots of friends and just had a blast!!!

*And last, but certainly not least, grew in confidence and became more outgoing!!!

I can remember graduating from high school praying, "How am I going to do all the things an adult does? I have no idea how to do those things." I can see God's hand with me during all of these moments in my twenties. He was with me during the challenging and fun college years and through my loneliest and happiest of moments. He has provided for me, protected me, and guided me. Through all of this, He has made me the person I am now.....A very independent woman who is still learning who I am and finding my place in life. And let me just say, I am excited about my thirties!!! The best is yet to come!!! :) 

Southern Girl

     I am 100% a Southern girl. Born and raised! I say things like y'all, might would, and sometimes when I say why it rhymes with ha. ;) I drink sweet tea and eat boiled peanuts, fried okra, and fried chicken. Now, I know how to make boiled peanuts and fried okra, but I have never made fried chicken before. As a true Southern girl, I decided that is something I should know how to do. So, today that's what I did! It really was very simple. Surprisingly, it was delicious and juicy! I am so glad it didn't turn out tough! Here is the recipe!

I even used a cast iron skillet. Beautiful!

What Does the Fox Say??

     The fox says "Ding ding ding da ding ding ding!!!" LOL. That song is hilarious to me. And today I'm feeling "foxy" in my new hair color! After much swaying back and forth, I finally did it. I went red! Reddish brown actually. Hmmm, I guess that is called auburn. Well, whatever you call it, it is different! Sometimes a girl needs a change. To live life on the edge, if you will. It will take a while for me to get used to it, but I like it! :)

So, yeah, the fox references were inspired by this cute critter sweater! :)

Gobble Gobble

     Alas, Thanksgiving has now come and gone...I had a mostly relaxing week at my parents' house. I was sick with an awful cold most of the week. Blah. That didn't stop me from learning to roast a Thanksgiving turkey! I woke up on Thursday at promptly 5 am to get the bird in the oven. My wonderful teacher, Mama, also got up to guide me through the process. It didn't catch on fire or burn, so all in all, I would say it was a success!

A Day in the Wilderness

     This weekend I went hiking with a few people in my Sunday school group at Cane Creek Canyon Nature Preserve. Check off #24 on my 30 Before 30 List!!! Actually, that thought did not even enter my mind until I got back yesterday. The real reason I wanted to go was to hang out with some new people and to have something fun and different to do. This hike was harder than I thought it would be, mainly because I got a really bad headache about an hour into it. But make no mistake about it, I'm a really tough girl and I powered through it to the end!!! There were quite a few inclines and lots of rough terrain to cover. We saw some absolutely beautiful scenes and very unique berries and flowers! We saw a couple of caterpillars and even a turtle. Thank goodness we did not encounter any snakes! My favorite part was probably the Blue Hole where the water was a really pretty transparent bluish color.  I enjoyed the challenge and am only slightly sore today! {We hiked approximately 6.6 miles.}

The waterfall was just a trickle this day...

As close to the edge as I could get!

So pretty!

I was a little braver here :)

Nice little cave area

Beautiful vibrant purple berries of some sort

The most unique flower/berry I have ever seen. Wish I knew what it was!

Close up

Pretty flowers

Cane Creek

I took this picture beside a section they roped off to protect a rare species of butterflies. {The swamp metalmark}
We all know just how much I love butterflies!

Beaver dam

Blue Hole. So so so pretty!

Reflection on the water

30 Before 30!

     Well, I have a little over 5 months to complete 30 things before I turn 30! I think it will be fun. :) Here is my list:

1. Learn to make fried chicken. {Done and done. 2/2/14}
2. Get a unique flavored drink from Sonic. {Peach Vanilla DC, yum, yum! 2/8/14} 
3. Get a massage.
4. Style my hair differently each day for a week.
5. Teach Effie a new trick. {Check. She can "say" I love you. 1/6/14}
6. Go 1 day without caffeine. {Who am I kidding? I went one morning without it and I decided I didn't want a headache.}
7. Buy a red dress. {Completed 12/16/13; technically, it was wine-colored, but I say it counts! :) }
8. Interview my parents about their childhood/memories.
9. Print pictures on camera and organize into albums. {2013 pics printed and in an album! 2/19/14 HUGE accomplishment}
10. Share something special. {Done several times}
11. Read Gone With the Wind. {I attempted! Got about 200 pages read.}
12. Enjoy an afternoon at the park. {Check. 2/16/14}
13. Brush up on ASL.
14. Learn how to download music onto a device. {I didn't actually do it, but I did figure out how.}
15. A couple of my friends think I should taste sushi. Not so sure about this one! {OK, so sushi is a little much for a picky eater like me. BUT, I did taste Southwestern Egg Rolls, and I liked them! Small steps. lol. Completed 12/12/13}
16. Go to sleep early one night. {Check. 2/1/14} 
17. Dye my hair red. {Completed 12/11/13}
18. Throw a speech-language themed party for my kids at school. {Party!!! 2/19/14 & 2/20/14}
19. Make career goals for the next decade. {Ideas in mind. 2/5/4}
20. Buy fresh flowers for my apartment. {Always wanted to do this! Check! 2/8/14}
21. Make my small grandma's strawberry cake.
22. Go 24 hrs without tv or internet. {Again, who am I kidding? I did make it 12 hours though!}
23. Shoot a gun.
24. Travel somewhere I've never been before. {Completed 9/28/13}
25. Buy a car. {Completed 1/11/14}
26. Make dinner for a friend.
27. Memorize a chapter in a book of the Bible.
28. Cook a Thanksgiving turkey. {Completed 11/28/23}
29. Make a gift for someone. {Completed 12/19/13}
30. Have an amazing 30th birthday! :) {It happened!}

So, I didn't complete everything on this list, but that is ok! It was just for fun and hopefully one day I will have the opportunity to do the rest!!!