There and Back Again: A College Tale

I realize that I should have posted these photos many months ago, but, hey, better late than never! Ben and I have lived in our first apartment for eight months now, so there have been some slight changes in our apartment since these pictures were taken. Still, since I know many of you will never get to see our Knoxville home in person, I hope you enjoy seeing these photos and hearing about how our little haven came together.  We are so fortunate and blessed to have such generous family and friends. Most of the items in our apartment were given to us, or we bought them for very cheap! Ben bought the dresser a year or two ago while he was living in Riddleton, and I painted it with homemade chalk paint. It's amazing how a fresh coat of paint can take a dated dresser and turn it into something pretty! My favorite piece of furniture is definitely our hutch. It was a wedding gift from my grandmother, and we had so much fun picking it out! I always joke that the hutch looks l...

I finished my last summer class this morning, and my senior year of college begins next Wednesday. How is it possible that I'm already a senior? Granted, I will be finishing my undergraduate career in 3 years and will have spent only 5 semesters at a school where most students spend 8. In just a year I'll be beginning pharmacy school, hopefully, and that just seems impossible to me! It seems like just yesterday my parents were moving me into my freshman dorm, which is what they'll be doing later this week for my sister Julie.  Since that day, so much in my life has changed. I studied abroad, did some (but not enough) traveling, made new friends, got engaged, took the PCAT, and got married in a rush of three amazing years. The last of that list has definitely been the most exciting and the most wonderful. Married life really is incredible! Ben and I spent the majority of our dating years in a long-distance relationship, and I truly believe that that has given us so much...

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...

Palmerston North, NZ On Monday, I packed up my dorm room into my two pink suitcases. Everything fit just perfectly, even though I’ve accumulated quite a collection of T-shirts, Salvation Army finds, and other souvenirs. I actually left three pairs of shoes behind, which gave me some extra room in my bags: New Zealand wears your shoes out! Since Sunday night, the international students have been slowly leaving Massey University, and I was able to say goodbye to most of my friends before I left. Some are travelling for a few weeks before they head home, others are going home soon. I’m the first American to head home, and I’ve really gotten some tough comments from some of the more adventurous (and quite possibly wealthy) Americans about being so excited to leave. (“Why are you so excited to leave this beautiful country?” “You should travel more before you leave! Live a little!”) These comments usually come from people who don’t have a boyfriend/girlfriend back home, aren’t particularl...

My time in New Zealand is coming to an end in just a few short hours, and I thought I'd share some of the things that are different here in the Land of Long White Cloud! It's definitely a completely different atmosphere than the Southern US, and I would be lying if I said I didn't experience any culture shock when I first got here. Over the past four months, I've become adjusted to the Kiwi culture, but I am ready to be back in Tennessee. Fashion First of all, guys wear really short shorts in New Zealand. I mean really short shorts. It's not attractive in the least, and there have been a few instances when I was cringing walking behind what I thought was a girl with very unattractive legs and discovered that it was just a guy with a man bun and tiny shorts. (This is definitely something I will not miss about New Zealand.) I believe it comes from the popularity of rugby in this country, since rugby uniforms are fairly short. Case in point. This is a pict...