There and Back Again: A College Tale

I'm halfway finished with my spring semester, and let me tell ya, it's been a rough one. I'm taking an extremely  tough course load, and I'm already playing that game where you check the syllabus after every test to see what you have to make on the next ones to get an A in the course. I'm trying to brace myself and my stubborn, perfectionistic pride for when I most likely get a B this semester, unless a miracle happens.  (Gasp! Shocking, right?)  Between Anatomy, Physiology, and Organic Chemistry, I'm constantly studying, which is great, but it can get tiring and overwhelming. Plus, I never feel like I can get ahead. Speaking of getting ahead... I've recently decided to finish undergrad a year early. I have to take a few classes this summer, but since Ben and I will be living in Knoxville anyway, I'm sure that will work out great. Since I had some dual enrollment classes in high school, I'm already a step ahead, despite the fact that I spent a s...

It's been awhile since I wrote anything, and I need a break from studying Physiology. So, I thought I would give y'all a little update on what's been going on in my life! First of all, Happy New Year! It's mind-blowing to think that it's already 2016. (And has been for 18 days now. I'm only just a little behind.) Where does the time go? 2015 flew by at lightning speed! When I think back to all that happened in 2015, I feel so overwhelmingly blessed. I'm not going to give you a full recap of 2015, because that would be ridiculous, but here are some highlights: 1. I finished my first year in college! Woohoo! Only like seven more years to go!  2. I travelled outside of the country for the first time in my whole life. It took 19 years for that to finally happen, but I know God planned it that way for a reason. Studying abroad in New Zealand (and visiting the Youngs in Australia) was a huge part of my 2015, and I feel as though I'm a stronger per...

I have some big news to share, but it comes with quite the backstory... December 14th, 2013 Ben and I went on our first date! We went on a double-date with our good friends Hannah and Tom. (In September of this year, Ben and I were actually in their wedding together, which was a lot of fun.  Those sneaky Smiths played matchmaker. And it worked very well!) The night of our date was a chilly Saturday night, and they picked me up at my house in Hannah's blue Mustang. We ate at Olive Garden first, though not for any particular reason. We couldn't decide where to eat, so Hannah and I finally just said to go there. While we ate, I think I talked to Hannah and Tom more than I talked to Ben. Although, I would like to point out that that's not my fault. He'll even admit that he was very quiet that night. Afterwards, we went to Nashville to go ice skating, which was so much fun! (Ben and I have actually been ice skating a couple of times since then because we like it so mu...