Happy New Year!!!

I couldn’t sleep so I figured I would write one more quick blog to end the year! 2011 has been full of surprises!   Some were great while some were tragic.  But I thank God for all the experiences I was able to have and I pray for an amazing 2012! I hope you all will have fun and be safe celebrating the New Year! J

Here are my Top 5 Highlights of 2011:

5.  My brother getting engaged!

4.  All the great memories with my best friends: Spring Break, Lake House, late nights, etc…

3.  Getting accepted to Columbia University and moving to NYC!

2. Graduating from Wingate University!!!

1. Spending New Years with my family in Miami!! (Well technically my mom won’t be there until the 3^rd, but close enough!!)

What was your best highlight of 2011?

Carrie Bradshaw Got It Right!!!

Soul mates.  We all want to find ours.  With all the movies, books and songs out there about love, it’s hard not to become a hopeless romantic.  We want that someone that we can have fun with, cry with, argue with, and celebrate with.  We NEED that someone.

However, what most of us don’t realize is that you’ve probably already found that person, your soul mate.  The beautiful and wise Carrie Bradshaw once said “Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates, and guys are just people to have fun with.”  Well I’d have to say that she is absolutely right…except that there is no “maybe” about it!

My friends are some of the most important people in my life.  They are the ones that comfort me when I’m having a hard time.  They laugh with me when I make a fool of myself.  They support me when I want to try something new.  They are the ones I can count on for anything I might need.  They are the reason I am who I am today. 

The reason I decided to write about this today is that I get to spend the next 2 days with two of the best friends I’ve ever had. My best friend from high school is in New York City and I haven’t seen her in about 5 months!  I’ve known her since 7^th grade and through all the changes in our lives we have continued to be great friends.  She is a beautiful, intelligent, and kind person and I’m so lucky to have her in my life.  I’m so excited to spend the day with her around the city!

Although I won’t be spending New Year’s Eve with her, tomorrow I will be on a flight to Miami, Florida in order to support my brother and the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl.  Luckily for me, my best friend (and my soul mate) from college will be in Florida as well!  Although she’s staying in Naples, she is going to be driving 2 hours to come spend New Years with my family and me.  This girl is beyond amazing.  She understands me better than anyone.  We became close after moving in together and we remained roommates for 3 years.  She’s the type of friend that we can look at each other across a room and pretty much know what the other is thinking.  She has been there for me through so many rough times and I’m so thankful for her.  She is beautiful, fun, strong, and loving.  If you know both of us, you understand that we just click!

Now girls always want to find a guy that they just “click” with, but why look for something that you already have?  I’m not saying that I don’t want to find a guy to spend the rest of my life with.  As much as I love my friends, I don’t want to marry them.  What I mean is for now, I have a few people to laugh, cry, and argue with.  If one day I’m lucky enough to find another person to join that group then that’s great.  But I certainly don’t need him right away. 

(And when I do find that guy, he will understand that the title of “soul mate” is already taken! )

This is me with my best friend from high school, Lauren!

Me with my Soul Mate, Lizzy!

Our Sex in the City group, but we're not in the city! Emily, Lizzy, Me, and Haley!

Another best friend from high school! Me and Stephanie!

I Take it Back!

I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first time, and although I was excited to finally go, it confirmed that I’m definitely more of a math person rather than art and history.  None the less I had a great time, but it was after I left the museum when something really caught my eye.   I was sitting in a small pizza joint on the Upper East Side when a story on CNN caught my attention.  The headline was “Worst Christmas Ever”.  Now if you read my blog yesterday you can understand why I was interested.  However, I now take back what I said yesterday.  My Christmas was amazing compared to this family’s.

There was a fatal fire in a home in Stamford, Connecticut that was due to a “fireplace-related” accident.  Although the home owner and one other person escaped with minor injuries, three young girls and their grandparents were killed.  Could you imagine waking up on Christmas morning to discover that five of your family members won’t be joining you in the fun?  It’s easy to say that this isn’t on anyone’s wish list. 

It really makes me grateful that even though I wasn’t able to spend Christmas with them, I could still hear the voices of my family members and I will be able to see them in just a couple of days!  Life is short and we need to take advantage and be grateful for each day we are given.  It seems like I’ve constantly been reminded of this in 2011.  This past May, my cousin was killed in a tragic plane crash.  Also, one of my good friends/ teammates lost her mom in a horrible bike accident this past October.  Tragic is an understatement for both of these accidents.   These truly amazing people were taken out of our lives in just an instance. 

I wanted to take the time to reflect on how grateful I am for my family and friends.  I love each of them so much and I don’t know who I would be without them.  I pray for those families that have been struggling with the holiday season because of lost loved ones and I hope that they find comfort in the fact that those lost ones had an amazing Christmas celebration with our Savior.  We will see them again one day!  May you rest in peace Matt Shuey, Tamra Rhodes, and the Badger family. 

Worst Christmas Ever  (This is an article about the same story I saw on CNN)

I'm just getting more AWESOME!

I recently saw this picture on Facebook (thanks to my wonderful friend Lizzy) and it literally made me laugh out loud:

It seems like every time I log on I see someone else is getting married!!  I’m 22 years old and just graduated from college so I guess I’m at that age where those that had serious relationships throughout college are ready for marriage.  Shoot, even my twin brother is engaged and will be getting married in July! 

He has been dating his fiancé for over 3 years now so I completely understand their decision and I’m truly happy for them!  They are a wonderful couple and I’m excited to finally have her as a sister!  But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit jealous!

                Every girl wants to find that one guy that she knows she could spend the rest of her life with.  Although being single can be fun, it’s extremely annoying to have to deal with the wrong guys.  Also not knowing what the future holds can be scary… What if I never find the right guy and am alone forever?  Well that is a possibility but very doubtful (knock on wood).  People often quote the verse:

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  -Jeremiah 29:11

This is a great verse and I do believe God has a plan for me, but it doesn’t always comfort during a time of loneliness.  During a girls night while complaining about being single a good friend once said “God isn’t exactly UPS…and I hate waiting.”  I laugh now because it’s so true.  But here’s the thing: Instead of worrying about finding the right guy and getting married as soon as possible, why not focus on becoming more awesome?!

>                That’s what my journey in NYC is about.  I’m here to get a masters degree, and not to brag but that’s pretty darn awesome!  Instead of focusing on finding someone to marry, I’m focusing on becoming the best person I can be so that in the future when I do find that lucky guy (and he will be lucky to get a catch like me! Haha jk) I can be ready to settle down! 

                This can apply to all the engaged/ married couples out there also.  You can still become more awesome!!   The point is everyone should still continue to become better people every day.  As corny as it sounds, it’s true.  Football coach Jon Gruden said “You never stay the same. You either get better or you get worse.”

(By the way, I will still probably curse and roll my eyes every time I see that someone else is engaged!)

Home Alone 5: Alone but Not at Home

It’s the day after Christmas.  You know, the day that things start going back to normal. No more overly cheery Christmas songs, people taking down decorations, exchanging the crappy gifts.  Yesterday, everything was perfect!  Spending time with family, the excitement of what Santa brought, a glass of wine or two (or three, but probably more), and the amazing dinner that took hours to prepare.  But don’t worry, only 364 days until next Christmas!

But actually, I couldn’t be happier that it’s December 26^th because yesterday wasn’t perfect for me.  It was the worst Christmas I’ve ever experienced.  There was no family, no fun gifts, and NO WINE!!!  Don’t take that wrong, I was extremely thankful for the gifts that I received: January rent money, running shoes, an umbrella, and food (seems like the perfect NYC survival kit).  But it wasn’t good enough.  Calling my parents to wish them a Merry Christmas isn’t nearly as fun as waking up and hugging them while saying it!  I spent the day mostly alone in my apartment watching How I Met Your Mother (great show!) and trying to clean.  Although I did try to splurge and make a great dinner including my holiday favorite, broccoli casserole, I wasn’t able to enjoy it with my family and there was NO WINE!

I’ve been living in NYC for over 4 months now and I’ve gotten homesick quite a bit, but yesterday was the hardest time I’ve had since moving here.  I realize that as we get older it becomes more common to spend holidays away from your family.  We have jobs that make it hard to travel, we start spending it with the family of our significant other, or we’ve lost loved ones and holidays will never be the same.  But the first big holiday alone is when it hits you.  I’m growing up.  As much as I love my family and hope to spend as many holidays with them as possible, it’s not guaranteed.  For now the reason is school, but eventually it will be because of work, then it will be because of a boyfriend or husband (wow, that’s scary), and possibly (in the far FAR future) it will be because of kids and starting my own family.  I guess this is just something I might have to get used to!

                Living in NYC has been a huge step to becoming an adult.  I have become a stronger person and it has helped me realize that anything is possible for the future.  Even if it means spending Christmas alone, I’m really blessed to have this experience and I wouldn’t have it any other way.  (And besides, I’ll get to see my family in less than a week for New Years!  And this time there will be wine! Lots and Lots of Wine! J)