Listening to Old Alabama....

I don't think I've ever been as excited to go to back to Alabama as I am about my trip tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I adore Tennessee. It's my home now. & I already miss Shawn like crazy (yes, he's only been gone since this morning), so I know I'll be ready to come back by the weekend.... but I need a little of the true south in my life again. I need country accents, boiled peanuts & good music... oh, & a little racing. Luckily. that's exactly what I'll get this weekend :)!

So, I'm off to Talladega. But I have to leave you with what I think is the cutest picture in the world. Sadie might be the sweetest dog ever.

Mickey Mouse? Yes, please!

So far this year has been such a whirlwind of traveling & moving that it's hard to keep up. We've gone to at least one different state each month & have more planned all the way through July! I'm not complaining at all, actually it's the opposite... I LOVE IT! But it makes my life a little chaotic :)

About a month ago, Shawn & I flew down to Orlando to be kids again for a few days with my family. In all the excitement we only took one picture, but at least it was a good one!

It was the first time for him to really be around my family, and thankfully he wasn't scared off by a few "rednecks" ;). I had a much better time than I thought I would. Contrary to what I thought, you're never too old for Disney! We did 4 parks in two days, which was exhausting, but completely worth it. We ended our last night with the gorgeous fireworks show at Epcot & a midnight ride on both Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain. If you go anytime soon, stick around to ride Thunder Mountain after dark. There's all kinds of extras that light up at night that we never knew existed! It really was a great little vacation.

Now I'm ready for the next random trip :)

Yankee Doodle Dandy...

I'm finally going to talk about my amazing trip to Boston in January! Shawn had a weekend gig with his old band (he lived in Boston for 10 years before coming to Nashville). After realizing that this southern girl had barely been north of Tennessee, he invited me to tag along. I'm not really sure what I expected the town to be like, but I definitely rode around with my mouth open for most of the trip in amazement. The city itself is so full of history that it's crazy. We rode around for most of the first day just looking at historical sites... & of course the amazing architecture! You can see in the pictures below how beautiful some of the buildings are. Shawn would point out these gorgeous faced buildings that he used to have an apartment in & I couldn't help but be a little jealous. It's like the perfect little city scene that I could dream up in my head :)

I was a little intimidated by certain aspects of the city though. The traffic was insane! We sat at one point for over half an hour before taking a back road (thankfully I was with someone that knew short-cuts!). & the snow was something I had never seen before. It was bitter cold to the point that it physically hurt to be outside and snow just hangs out all winter. It gets stacked up on the side of the roads like dirty ice mountains that you have to climb to pay the parking meters. It was up to the roofs of houses in most areas... & I'm told that really isn't all that fascinating to "yankees", but I couldn't get over it.

All in all, it was a fabulous trip! It was great to see a city with sites that are on my bucket list while getting a glimpse of where Shawn comes from too. I've put a few of the pictures from the trip below...

A heavy heart I bring...

I've gotten a little off with my 30 day challenge. Blame the spontaneous trip to Boston & then moving into my first house immediately after I returned. I promise I'll pick back up where I left off again very soon.

Tonight, there's something else laying heavy on my heart that seems more important to write about. The past few days have been filled with random tears & tears fall as I even type tonight. On Monday night a sweet sorority sister, Brittany Shepard Pugh, and her 15 month old son, Shep, were involved in a horrible car accident that claimed both of their lives. You can read about the accident here.

Although Brittany was two years ahead of me in Alpha Gam, you couldn't help but be drawn to her incredibly happy & loving personality. Every person I've talked with since Monday has spoken of Brittany's incredible love for life & how hard it is to grasp that this happened to someone like her. The memory that keeps replaying in my head is of the night that she shared the news of her engagement with all of us. I've never seen another girl so in love & so excited to have her dreams coming true.

It had been years since I had seen or spoken to Brittany, but I can only imagine that her life as a mother was even more full of joy & love than when I knew her.

I pray that God wraps His arms around Clint during this terrible time. I cannot even begin to imagine what he is going through having lost both his wife & child in the blink of an eye. It's a loss that an entire community is mourning, not just in the geographical sense but all over the map in our sorority. Please keep this family in your prayers....

Snapshots of Life

Sevier Park + 68 degree weather + a cute boy & the most precious dog = amazing day :)

p.s.- I'm going to Boston on Friday. I might be just a little excited. Maybe.

30 Days of Photos- Day 6

Day 6: A picture of a person you would love to trade places with for a day-

Jennifer Nettles. I've said for years that I would kill for the chance to be her for a day. There's something about her energy, both on & off the stage that I absolutely love. Not only is she a great vocalist, but she has a magnetic stage presence & a knowledge of the industry to go with that. Sugarland was one of the first bands to really explore the boundaries of social media & they're still at the forefront of innovation with it today. I think a day in the life of Jennifer Nettles would be a blast :)

30 Days of Photos- Day 5

Day 5: A picture of your favorite memory

This one was really hard for me, but I have to go with my last spring break of college. Ana, Erin & I packed up & headed to Nashville for a few days of fun... and I can't even think about that trip without smiling. Each of us was a little down with life situations going into the trip, but it turned out to be the most fun we've ever had. It was simple with lower broadway both night & a little time at the park & shopping during the day... but the time together was exactly what each of us needed.