the morning light

I have been so excited to get back to blogging this week... To talk about wedding projects, and engagement pictures, and showers. To share the new, exciting things going on in my life. 

However, I simply cannot return to the "everyday" without recognizing the tragedy of yesterday's tornados. Ringgold, GA was hit hard, areas destroyed, and is a mere 10 miles from my mom's home. I am very thankful the storms did not take a different course. My heart aches it had to be someone else's family, though. 

I cannot imagine what it felt like to wake up to total destruction. To shuffle through the rubble of what once was your bedroom or living room. 

 Image retrieved

Tuscaloosa was also hit incredibly hard. Again, it is so sad. 

Image retrieved

My prayers are with all of the families affected by this tragedy as they pick up the pieces of their lives among the rubble; as they search for loved ones; and as they deal with very unexpected loss. 

happy, happy birthday, little brother!

Today is my little brother's 24th birthday. When my mom brought him home from the hospital all those years ago I was not amused. I had been the only child for over 2 years and liked it. I did not like the new screaming bundle of baby everyone referred to as my new brother. In fact, I requested my mom take him back where he came from. Ha! 

As kids, we argued and fought.  It drove my poor mamma, who was an only child, nuts. We did get along on occasion, and if anyone said an ill word to the other they didn't get away with it. 

We grew into teenagers and my brother began to take on the roll of a protective brother. He was a freshman in high school when I was a junior. If someone looked at/spoke inappropriately about me he did not put up with it. I know of at least one instance in which he body slammed a guy on his baseball team for something he said. Like I said, protective! 

Then came college. College, in my opinion, was when we began to get closer. We spent one year together at KSU before he went off to play baseball at another university. He then transferred to GA Tech, the smarty pants he is, and graduated with an engineering degree. The last couple of years have been full of struggles, challenges, and heartache for our family and we have become even closer. I have truly come to realize the importance of family and am so very thankful and blessed to have my brother. 

In the last year he has gotten a great job and bought his first house (with a pool!) in Georgia. I am very proud of him, more than words can express. CSB, my mom, and I drove down to spend the weekend with him and help make his awesome new house a home! We had a great time and I enjoyed every second with my family. 

Here's to my little brother, one of my best friends, and an incredible young man! I am so blessed to have him for a brother. Happy Birthday! I love you!

P.S. Ladies, he's single. :) 

livin' on a prayer (in the library)

This is my final week of residency. Crunch time! I have been so overwhelmed the last few days and am already short on sleep... I keep reminding myself this is IT and I am almost DONE. 

Still, it's overwhelming. 

My time has been divided between the kitchen table, living room floor, and library. I've spent more time in the library in the past week than I have my entire time in grad school. 

This was my stressed out breakfast/lunch/snack (that I had to sneak into the library) yesterday. 

Healthy, huh? 

I've also been carrying around a duffle bag on a daily basis because I have SO much stuff. I started out with my large Longchamp but after ripping a hole in it I traded up to my backpack. And then again to a trusty overnight bag. HA! 

I had to share these pictures from when we went to Orlando. I had extremely sunburned shoulders and was being a wuss struggling with my carryon bag packed to the brim. Sweet boy trekked through the airport with it all day. He must love me!

 I promise to get back to "regular" blogging soon! This is just life right now. :) 

what to wear: engagement pictures

Gooooood Saturday morning!
And I mean it. Though I am supposed to be doing work on my residency I am a bit distracted by online shopping right now. Oops. 

We have engagement pictures coming up in t-minus 3 weeks! (Finally, I know!)

And I have NO idea what to wear.

Well, a slight idea, but I am the world's worst decision maker. Seriously.

We are doing our engagement pictures on Vanderbilt's campus and around downtown- I am SO excited! Any Nashvillians- feel free to suggest specific locations. We (though CSB doesn't know it yet...) are going to go on a field trip in the next couple of weeks to get a better idea. 

And props? Does a fluffy puppy count? Yep, Paise is going to make an appearance in at least a few shots.

Back to my dilemma- what to wear??

My ideas thus far: Classic, simple dress + heels

Maybe one of these: 

J.Crew Factory

J.Crew Factory

Anthropologie

Then a more casual dress + flats or wedges & maybe boots

LOVE this one... Maybe not for pictures but just for spring/summer life in general. 

or this one from LOFT (I can't figure out how to load the picture...): HERE

Lastly I am considering either jeans and a cute top OR skinny capri khakis and a cute top.

Thoughts? All you ladies out there who have done engagement pictures already- advice?? Do you look back now and wish you'd done it differently?

Have a wonderful weekend, all! I am going to be back to work, run a few errands, and have a baby shower to attend this afternoon!

permission to be lazy! for a few hours, at least..

Ahhhh... I'm breathing a slight sigh of relief this Friday afternoon. I just got home from presenting my residency project (AKA my last graduate school project!) to the staff at the clinic I've collaborated with this semester. They loved it. Which, obviously, made me happy. I've worked on it for the last 14 weeks and it feel great to almost be done! (I still some finishing touches to put on the program as well as a very daunting portfolio to complete by next Friday)

Let me back up a little bit, as I've had a few questions from non-OT friends as well as blog followers. I am completing my third year of occupational therapy school at a private university in Nashville, TN. I will graduate next month with my clinical doctorate (One month from yesterday, to be exact!). The last component of our program is the development of advanced skills through the completion of a residency project. We are the first class to complete the process, so it's been an interesting process at times. Everyones' projects look different, as we all designed them ourselves. My residency project is focused on the development of a training program for a local autism center. I won't go too much in detail about the project... In part because it would bore you unless you are passionate about children with autism or a fellow OT and two because I am contemplating copyrighting the program I have designed and eventually publishing it. We shall see!

Anyway... I presented my project to the staff and it was well-recieved. In order to accomplish this, however, I was up waaaay past my bedtime last night. And woke up at 5 to do some last minute work. I'm exhausted. And haven't been sleeping well at night when I do sleep because I am so stressed... And though I still have lots and lots to do before next Friday (and a disgustingly messy home!), I am going to be lazy for a few hours. Read a bit, watch some DVRed shows from the last week, maybe even get a nap in on this rainy day. And then I will be back at it come this evening.... The fiance is in NY with a slew of his college buddies so I am solo this weekend. I will definitely miss him but have SO much work to do this weekend I wouldn't be much fun. The timing worked out well!

Happy Friday! Hope your weekend is wonderful!

changes are coming...

Goooooood Monday morning! 

Really, I am not nearly as enthusiastic about this Monday morning as the previous sentence may lead you to believe. 

It should read more like this: 

Good morning. I wish I was still in bed with my puppy. 

But I'm trying to be positive. Life is too short not to be, right? 

I haven't blogged in a week... Oops. I promise to try and not make it a habit (not that I think anyone was too concerned... I haven't been of much interest lately). 

Life is officially crazy. And soon to be changing. 

A LOT. 

I am in the midst of completing my residency... I turn it in on April 27. 

I am also in the midst of securing employment post-graduation. One interview down, another this week!

I graduate in 1 month and 3 days. (!!!) 

I am also in the process of wedding planning. 

Not only will I be going from student to adult (well, that's questionable...) 

I will also be going from Miss to Mrs. 

{I really need to get a TN driver's license.}

{And TN car tags...}

{And car insurance? Yes, definitely.}

{And a passport...}

First, however, I have to focus on my diploma. Which means work on my residency. 

Needless to say, I am one big stress/anxiety mess right now! Even though all of the previously mentioned changes are good, great, exciting things... I'm freaking out a little on the inside. 

Funny story about my cluelessness of being an "adult".: 

 A few weeks ago CSB and I were talking about car tags/insurance and when I planned to change my tags and driver's license from GA to TN (yes, I am 26 years old and still on my mother's insurance plan. Yes, she also still pays my car insurance/car tags. Lame, I know). 

My question to CSB: "What's the monthly rate for car tags in TN?" 

His response: Laughter. Followed by more laughter. And finally an explanation that it's yearly fee. 

How was I supposed to know? 

airport updating

Good Monday morning! My morning started over 5 hours ago at 3:45 am... Yuck! We are flying on Delta friends and family passes (yay for free tickets!) and therefor booked the earliest flight out of Orlando to try and get back to Nashville at a decent time. We made the flight from Orlando to Atlanta with no problems, even getting seats together, to miss our flight in Atalnta. Bummer! We flew into terminal A and our next flight was in terminal E- not just terminal E but the furthest gate in the terminal. UGH. It was slightly annoying because we got to the counter at 7:22 (it was a 7:30 flight) and they wouldnt let us board. I'm ok waiting for the next flight but CSB really needed to get back!

Anyway... The weekend was filled with gorgeous weather and yummy food. Definitely not quite the weekend I anticipated, but such is life. CSB and I got to do some outlet shopping (Vineyard Vines and J.crew and LOFT were my main targets!) and spend yesterday poolside.

I took NO pictures... Probably a good thing since I broke out the summer clothes and am still pretty pale. :) I did snap a few on my iPhone, though. I'll have to share them once I am on my computer!