{bring it, 2011}

Ahhh, the obligatory reflection post over the last 12 months...how I've been dreading it. 


I'm sure no one really reads these--it's more of a skimming type of post, but I feel that it's necessary. Especially for a year where so many milestones happened in my life. I want to be able to look back in years to come and remember these moments, so I'm going to dive in head first to this post. And I just realized that most of these pictures aren't anywhere on my blog yet, so get excited :) 


First off, how is it even possible to sum up an entire year in one post? And secondly, how can I even begin to put into words how blessed I've been this year? 

Another reason I've been dreading it is because I knew writing this and thinking back over everything that has happened over the past 365 days would make me cry--tears of happiness, tears from laughter, and tears from sadness.

Where to begin?

Well let's see...I rang in the new year with my best friends, kissed my then-boyfriend at midnight, and had more fun that night than should be legal. We then celebrated a Cotton Bowl victory in Dallas with my precious family. What a way to start off a new year, huh?

...Cotton Bowl pictures have gone missing. But that's okay--pictures can't sum up that trip anyway!

I spent way too much time studying this year. But thankfully, I studied in good company, and made some of the best friends I've ever had. These girls are my heart, the whole reason I made it through nursing school without having a mental breakdown. They taught me how to be a true friend and how to be a better version of myself.

I spent my last Spring Break as an undergrad in Destin with the funnest, craziest group of friends...pictures not necessary.

I celebrated my 22nd birthday with the people that mean the most to me.

I soaked in every last moment of my college life in Oxford with my roommates and best friends.

I graduated from nursing school--and more importantly made it through in one piece! My biggest accomplishment in life so far!

I studied for months for the NCLEX and passed on my first try--an official licensed RN! 

We celebrated me being an official "adult" in Disney World with my family.

I struggled through a job search in a career field so adamant on having experience before hiring. This was one of those times where I can look back and see God's hand so visibly in my life. In those moments, those dark, challenging moments where I felt that I had no plan for the next part of my life and no future, He was preparing me for something greater. He was giving me a break from constantly being busy and consumed by everyday life. He was maturing me and letting me have a little down time to enjoy "being a kid" for a few more moments and memories before the real world hit. I learned more about myself in those 3 months than I ever have before. I am so thankful for that.

I had my first job interview and was offered a position as an RN at UMC.

I moved to a new city and started a new life on my own as a freshly graduated adult.

I moved into my first house and adjusted to living alone and working the night shift. August and September were hard months for me, in all honesty...it was the first time in my life where I experienced true loneliness and homesickness. Looking back, I should've known all along that God had the Ultimate plan, because those months were the times that I learned what it really meant to cling to the Lord and trust in His promises...not only for security and to fill that emptiness inside of me, but for daily hope and a reminder that He is there even during the darkest hours--He was so present in my life and held my hand the whole way, wiping the tears away as they fell, and promising me that it would get better. Of course, I'm crying now--but I can't really put into words what God's presence has meant to me this year. My biggest prayer as 2011 hits is that each of you know Him intimately and seek Him in every moment of your life. 

I am so thankful for those moments of emptiness and despair, because those were the moments that truly showed me how desperate and broken I am and how deeply I really need Him in my life. It taught me to depend on Him for my every breath, and for that I will always praise Him.

I spent many a weekend in Oxford with my best friends cheering on my Rebels!

I celebrated many birthdays, weddings, showers, and baby announcements with my incredible friends that have become more like family.

I spent my first holidays away from home and was reminded of how precious those times are and to cherish every moment that I get with my family.

I spent 5 fabulous days in the Big Apple and fell in love with that city.

My best friend of 22 years moved in with me and I couldn't be happier! No more coming home to an empty house!

We had our 7th Annual Christmas Party with the whole crew at my new house in Jackson. Seriously--nothing is better than looking around your house and seeing almost ALL of your best friends in one place...blessing galore!

Had my heart broken only to realize that it really does all work out in the end.

I lost 68 lbs in a little under 7 months!

These are just the highlights...if I went into detail about every good thing that happened this year, we'd be here til 2012. So needless to say, 2010 should be called the year of blessings. I have grown so much and learned so much about myself. My relationship with God has totally evolved and become more than I ever expected it to. I still struggle daily, but I rely on His grace and mercy more than ever before. 


No resolutions this year--just hoping and praying that the Lord keeps blessing me like he has over the past 12 months. I hope that each day brings me closer to Him. I know He has some good things in store...I can just feel it :)

Geez, 2011...you sure do have a lot to live up to. Hope you're prepared--because ready or not, here it comes.

Happy New Year!

I have a question....

via

...Where can I get one of these??

Just a little eye candy for your Tuesday morning :)
Happy Tuesday, all you fabulous ladies!

{a Christmas whirlwind}

48 hours at home for the holidays and now I'm back in Jackson.

To say it was a whirlwind is an understatement.

I got off work Christmas morning (yes, I had to work Christmas Eve...the life of a nurse is glamorous and fabulous) at precisely 7:23 and practically ran to my car in the parking garage. I have never driven so fast without a single care of getting a speeding ticket. Those two hours in the car were the longest 2 hours of my life because Christmas was on pause until I arrived home. I played every single Christmas song I had on my iPod over and over and sang at the top of my lungs, talked to my family, wished friends "Merry Christmas", and counted down the seconds til I saw my driveway.

And finally I was home. I have never been so relieved to be in Greenwood. Tears started streaming down as I saw my family running outside to greet me at the door...yes, we're cheesy, and yes, I'm emotional, but come on--it was Christmas. The holidays didn't officially start for us until we were all together, so after some group hugs, lots of tears, huge smiles, and plenty 'I missed you's, I was home. Finally. I have never been so thankful and grateful for a loving family!

The 5 of us had a few hours alone at our house, drinking coffee, having breakfast, ooohing and ahhhhing over what Santa brought, opening the mounds of presents under the tree, and enjoying being a family of 5 again. And it was wonderful. My family is seriously close, in case you couldn't already tell, and Christmas is a huge deal with the Dillards. And this year was no exception, it was just rearranged a little. 

My dad's parents, my aunt, and cousin came over to enjoy a little time with us on Christmas morning. It's always a tradition for the grandparents to house hop and come see all the new goodies we got, and it was great to see them since I missed Christmas Eve at their house.

I originally thought Santa came early for me and brought me NYC spending money, but with the piles of presents opened on Christmas morning, he clearly came to see me all over again. My mother goes overboard, to say the least. We are so blessed.  I got a whole new wardrobe of scrubs (that actually fit me!), Dansko's for work (that are leopard, might I add.), an amazing Nikon Coolpix L110, a Hobo wallet, new TOMS, my favorite, hard to find perfume--just to name a few of my gifts. Lucky? Yes. Blessed? Yes. Thankful? More than I can say.

Santa accidentally forgot to bring my fabulous new camera an SD card (it must've fallen off the sleigh) so I didn't get to use it this weekend--no pictures, so you'll just have to imagine.

Stole these from my aunt...

Me, brother, cousin, and sister

Y'all are lucky--picture of me with NO makeup on after working for 13 hours. EEEK!

Lunch at Mammaw and Pappaw's was nothing less than amazing, as usual. My mom's brother and his family weren't able to come but the rest of us were there--13 in all. We opened presents, ate lots of yummy food, listened to Christmas music, laughed with each other, and watched the little ones run around all hyped up on Christmas. It was wonderful.


One of my favorite moments of the day was bringing out the birthday cake for Jesus. My sweet cousin Kara, who is 2, sang Happy Birthday to Jesus louder than any of us, and it was precious and adorable, and a sweet reminder of the child-like faith that I so desperately want to have. She sang her little heart out for "Shesus." So wonderful.

I ate way too much, but it was oh so worth it. And Christmas calories don't count, duh. I may or may not have sneaked in a little Christmas nap. Come on--34 hours without sleep is enough.

Our family of 5 headed home late that night and piled up with our new movies and lots of leftovers. I fell asleep early, yet again, but I was in the best of company, so it was all good.

Sunday morning brought about church with the family. I love being at my home church with my parents, siblings, and grandparents--there's just something about it. Makes me happy. We went home for lunch, put on our pj's, and Mama made a big pot of chili. Perfect for a dreary, cold Sunday afternoon! For some stupid reason, Mama and I decided to hit up Walmart after lunch. We stocked up on Christmas stuff for next year, though, and Walmart didn't know what hit it after we left! My favorite purchase was a 4-foot tree and red and blue decor for my new Hotty Toddy tree that's in the works for next year :)

Later that afternoon, we went to my dad's parents so I could open my gifts from them. It was so weird not being there on Christmas Eve with the rest of the family, but I am thankful that I got to see them at all. I got another set of scrubs, a cookbook, and a little envelope with my favorite kind of present--cash!! My sweet grandparents are SO precious. Here's a pic of my cute family from Christmas Eve--I was there in spirit :)

I ended my holiday whirlwind with a girl's night with my two favorites, Roxy and Haley. We had dinner at Lillo's Italian and went to the movies to see Little Fockers. The movie was so-so, but I was more excited to have a whole night with my bffs with nothing to do but talk and catch up. LOVE them!



I'm back home now, and my roomie/bff just got home, too. We're about to open our Christmas presents from each other--I just love how Christmas keeps on going :)


I can't believe Christmas is already over. Crazy how the most wonderful time of the year flies by so quickly. So clearly, my Christmas was a whirlwind. But a fabulous, wonderful, family-filled whirlwind. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. Only 364 days until the season comes 'round again!


‎"The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy for all people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God & saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:10-14


P.S. Head over to Meg's fabulous Mingle Monday and join in  on the fun!

{glory in the highest}

All the earth will sing Your praise
The moon and stars, the sun and rain
Every nation will proclaim
You are God and You will reign

Glory, glory Hallelujah
Glory, glory to You, Lord
Glory, glory Hallelujah

I hope and pray that you know the true meaning of this season, the real reason we celebrate...I pray that this time of the year brings you pure hope and joy, because that's what Jesus is--He is our hope in a hopeless world, and our joy when all else around us fails us. 

Merry Christmas to each of you, my sweet friends. I hope these next few days bring lots of family, friends, and joyous memories your way. May your days be merry and bright :)

Merry Christmas!

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,

   and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:10-14

{Southern Girl Goes to the City: Part III}

I have been so MIA lately, and I am so sorry, sweet bloggers!


The past few days have been crazy! The minute I got home from New York, I started cleaning and getting ready for our Annual Christmas Party with my bffs--yes, there will be a blog post on that tomorrow maybe! They all stayed the night, and then Thursday night, my roomie and I literally did nothing all afternoon. I was worthless, and I loved it. Then I worked all weekend...3 days on in a row seriously makes it hard to have a life. My friends and family forget that I'm even alive because all I have time to do is sleep, eat, and work. And currently, two of my very best friends from Ole Miss are here staying with me. So needless to say, I've been busy and oh-so-blessed. But I am just itching to post my last full day in NYC, so here I am, up early to blog for all of you. Don't you love me? :)


Side note: I'm in my super warm, fabulous bed watching Serendipity at this moment (one of my favorite chick-flicks ever--if you haven't seen it, go watch it immediately) and it's really making me miss NYC. Like, I have it bad.


Ahhh, the third and final installment of Southern Girl Goes to the City. I wish I had about 25 more days to post about, because only then would I just maybe be satisfied with my time in NYC. My last full day in NYC was a Monday, so MG had to go to school for the majority of it.


Which meant that I could either be a big chicken and stay in her apartment all day with a blanket over my head watching Christmas movies, or I could venture out into the great unknown on my own for the day. So of course, I put on my favorite pajamas and climbed in her bed and didn't move.


Just joking. I spent the day in the City all by my lonesome, and it was fabulous and exhilarating. 


You should've seen us the night before...I was yet again a nervous wreck so Mary Gwen, Scott, and Lindsey were so sweet to pretty much map out my whole day for me, from directions to all the good shopping, to what subway to take where, even to their favorite restaurants for me to eat. I had a sacred piece of paper that had everything I needed to get through that day on it...I probably looked at it over 100 times, just to be sure I was going the right way, on the right subway, and not lost in the middle of NYC.


I slept in til about 10, which was totally needed after the previous two days. My feet thanked me also. First stop was Starbucks, duh. I loaded up on my caffeine for the day morning and looked at my piece of paper again and headed off to H&M. 


I should have prefaced this post by labeling it my shopping/touristy day because that was pretty much all it was. This was the day that caused me to come home with 10, yes TEN, extra pounds. And no, I don't mean on my body from the amount of food I ate--well, that might also be true but I refuse to weigh til January 1st. My luggage weighed 10 lbs more than it did when I left. Ridiculous, right? I defined the phrase 'shop til you drop' on this day.


I bought some fabulous pieces--a gorgeous fitted skirt, a black blazer, a jeweled holiday sweater, and a fabulous gray dress. Then comes the hardest part--venturing out from Mary Gwen's neighborhood. Next up was the big 5th Avenue for some serious shopping.


First up was Bloomingdale's. Ah, favorite. Bear with me, most of my pictures were from my iPhone. So much easier than my big camera!


I spent a good two hours in here just looking around. My final purchases were a Tory Burch makeup bag that I've been dying to buy, a Michael Kors wallet, some amazing "Little Brown Bag" ornaments for gifts, and some new Dior perfume.

I had lunch at Forty Carrots on the 7th floor of Bloomie's and it was so fun. It's such a cute, modern lunch place that has the best frozen yogurt ever.
 I felt so 5th Avenue having lunch here! 

After lunch, I spent the rest of my time walking between Madison, Lexington, Park, and 5th exploring all the wonderful stores. I spent a huge chunk of time in a 7 story Forever21. S-e-v-e-n. You read that right. It was like the mecca of all cheap, fabulous fashion. It was wonderful, but I don't think my bank account enjoyed it as much as I did. 


I browsed Tiffany's for my future engagement ring and found a 5 carat yellow diamond stunner that I'm sure my future husband can afford--jokes. But really, all I could think about was Sweet Home Alabama when he flips on the lights and she's in Tiffany's to pick out any ring she wants--I die.


On this particular day, I got asked this question about 18 times--"Where is that accent from??" Guess my Southern roots were showing big time. One guy told me he had always wanted to date a Southern Belle, so I promptly said "That's nice" and hightailed it out of that particular store. From then on, I kept my mouth shut. 


I saw the New York Public Library, which only reminded me of Sex and the City and Carrie's fabulous almost-wedding. 


And then the most fabulous thing happened. I was walking down 5th carrying about 6 shopping bags, feet aching, hands frozen, nose running, with Starbucks in my hand--and it started snowing. Perfect, sparkling, little white snowflakes started falling from the sky and I forgot all about my feet hurting and my arms being sore from shopping too much. I didn't even care that my nose was running or that I spilled hot apple cider all over my coat because I was in the middle of NYC, the most fantastic city in the world, and it was snowing. The hustle and bustle of this busy city seemed to pause just for a second as we all gazed up at the sky and watched the flakes fall ever-so-slightly over 5th Avenue, and it was magical. And I am cheesy--but I don't even care. 


Too bad an iPhone photo can't capture this feeling and this memory!


At this point, I was filled with so much Christmas spirit that I thought my heart might just burst, so where did I go? Macy's. 34th Street. Yes ma'am.

The center of all Christmas joy in New York. Santa practically lives here. And it was so packed that I could barely enjoy it. So I snapped a few pictures, marveled at its splendor, and peaced out of that place. Sweet Mary Gwen met me outside Macy's and I was so glad to have my travel guide back with me. I felt just a little safer once she was with me again. 
Next up: ice skating in Central Park. Which never happened because the rink was closed for private lessons. I don't even want to talk about it because it broke my heart just a little bit not to be able to skate. It didn't stop me from taking a few pictures though, and I totally just pretended like I skated anyway.

 

Here comes one of my favorite parts of the whole trip...frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity 3. This was in my top 5 must-do's while in NYC, so I felt that it was a perfect way to wind down my last day in the city.

And yes, it was as amazing as you've always heard it to be. Probably even more amazing than that, actually. Just look at this above picture and multiply it by about 100. 

Terrible picture, but it's all about the memories, right?

And conveniently, right up the street from Serendipity is Dylan's Candy Bar. World's most amazing Candy Store. Think Willy Wonka on crack, with a fabulous flair from Ralph Lauren's Daughter, Dylan. 

 

Dylan's candy Christmas tree!

Our last stop for the day was a place I'd been dying to go the whole trip...

World's most delicious, incredible, mouth-watering pizza. And you better believe that these two girls at the whole pizza pie. I'm not gonna lie--I loved every calorie of it. 

No wonder it's always on Food Network and every guy in America knows its name. It was divine. Add in a glass of red wine and I was in heaven. We sat and talked and giggled for hours and soaked in every last minute of my last night in New York. And when we finally left Lombardi's, we walked out into the street and it was snowing. Yes, the perfect, feel-good, melt-your-heart kind of snow that I mentioned earlier. Thankful for those little moments where God puts little reminders of His Glory out there for us. 


I kinda wish I had been my OCD self and written down everylittlething we did, but I refrained and just enjoyed the time, but now I know I'm leaving little memories out. Maybe they'll come to me eventually. 


Whew, New York--I'm in love. Again I tell you, I wish I could capture every little memory and feeling and write it on here so y'all could all feel what I felt, but it's just impossible. No words or pictures will ever do it justice, and I'm okay with that, because those feelings and emotions are so vivid in my mind, and I am so going back in a few short months to experience the city in the Spring. Obsessed much? Yes, yes I am. 


No city in the world can compare--well, Paris is a close tie, but I guess I'll just have to visit them both again to make the final decision :)