I Am a Nerd

     Attention: I AM A NERD. A name nerd. I have an unusual interest in all things names. It is not uncommon for me to ask friends, family members, or strangers what they are going to name their babies whether or not they are expecting. It is also not unusual for me to know meanings of random names, lol. I love encountering rare and unusual names. Not a day goes by that I don't think about the perfect name combination. I wish I could be the official baby namer for some hospital or village, lol. Oh what a glorious job that would be! Better yet, I could be Candace, the Baby-Naming Fairy, complete with a set of butterfly wings to fly me to and fro across the world visiting parents struggling with finding the right name. I would wave my magic wand and dub children of the world beautiful appellations like Francesca, Milo, Atticus, Arden, Rowan, Betsy, Hugo and Juniper! The possibilities are absolutely endless!:! I know you think I've lost it now, lol.  Anyway, back to what I was saying. For all you non-name-nerds out there, last week the social security administration released the baby name data from 2013. They release the data each year and have since 1880. I LOVE poring over these lists and rankings. I completely nerded out over this data, lol. This probably sounds so weird, but trust me, I am not alone! I have discovered tons of other name nerds out there. Bloggers, vloggers, and instagrammers, all who love names just as much and probably more than me! So, join us in all the fun and discover a new passion! :) 

IEP Season

     So it is IEP season for many speech-language pathologists here in these parts. Wouldn't they be so much fun to write if these pictures were our reality?!? LOL.

Thank you to all the creative people who designed these pictures! I have no idea who you are, but these are so funny!

Let's Get Colorful!!!

     This past weekend I participated in a color run!!! If you don't know what that is, it is a 5K that is not timed and there are people who throw different colored corn starch on you throughout the course. At the end there is a big party with more color! They countdown and everyone throws color in the air at the same time. It is a fun experience so if you get the opportunity to participate in one, go for it! I was on a team with my coworkers. We were the Runaway Eagles. It was a very fun morning!!!

SPED Dept. representin'

Rainbow hair :)

Silly 

Runaway Eagles

I was afraid it would be hard to wash out, but surprisingly it came right off. I relaxed the rest of the day and jazzed up my balcony. Hopefully, I will have lots of pretty flowers growing soon. Fingers crossed!

I Seriously Need Something to Blog About!

     I have not abandoned my blog. I promise! I have just been uninspired lately. Blogger's block, you might say. I'm not giving up. I will write again!!! 

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!