Sunday, June 23, 2013

The Darlings

Another one of my very best college friends, Meagan, got married this weekend. I lived down the hall from her in the sorority house, and then lived in a house with her for two more years. And thennnn she lived with my sister Lisa while she finished nursing school in Athens and Lisa worked on her doctorate at UGA. A double-sister roommate! 

Every bone in her body is sweet, so it's only fitting that her new last name is Darling. So here are some pictures from our wedding weekend celebration!

First, rehearsal dinner night.





And then wedding day.

This is Meg and her nephew, Avery. When he first saw her all done up, he ran to her and said, "May-may PRETTY!" It was pretty awww-worthy.






Friday, June 14, 2013

The Roommate Agreement

Well it's been a month away from Duffluff but my return is marked by a very special day in my new adult life...pay day. How nice it is to be paid to work - quite refreshing after grad school.

Life as a big girl is so far so good, with a lot of bills thrown in the mix. Moving back to Georgia came with a new apartment and a new roommate. I've had some pretty awesome roommates, but this one might be my favorite.


After five years of not living in the same city, we now live under the same roof. My two years of grad school were practically a lesson in isolation, so having someone always around is throwin' me off. Sometimes I peer out of the corner of my eye and get caught off guard that he's still here.

This isn't the first time we've lived together, though, because I stayed with him in Atlanta last summer when I worked for Turner. A 2 mile commute beats a 25 miles commute to my parents' house any day - even if I had to live in the ultimate bachelor pad.

Let me set the scene for you. His house in Atlanta was rented out by room, by nine different guys...and me. Our queen bed was lofted, and to get in you had to stand on the desk chair and launch yourself onto the mattress. Jason taught me to use the taser my first week there. There was a guy that lived on the first floor who had long red hair but was balding on the top - he smelled so bad that if his door was open we could smell him upstairs. I came home one day to find him standing at the sink shirtless, peeling hard boiled eggs.

Horror.

Luckily, I got to help pick our new apartment. I'm still under two miles from work, and our complex is very outdoorsy. We have a pond with fish (of which we've caught two so far), four tennis courts, two pools, and a two-mile running trail. We have granite countertops and all new appliances and a fireplace. And, most importantly, no smelly egg boy.

I think I'm gonna like being a big girl.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Done done done!

Welp. It's been two years of hard work and two and a half months of just plain hell, but I'm officially a Master of Arts in Mass Communication. 

I don't have anything inspiring or insightful to say because all I can think of is how dang happy I am to be done. It was a little touch-and-go there when I turned in my 100-page thesis March 6 and was asked the next morning to start from scratch. Also, I wouldn't be able to graduate until August. But I said, "Nay." So after writing an all-new second thesis, defending it, and having it approved in seven weeks, I have officially graduated on time. 

That was not fun. 

But instead of dwelling on the parts that sucked, let's focus on sweet, sweet graduation. Here are some pictures to set the scene. 





My very best grad school buddy, Jeanne-Marie. 



12 of the 13 people in my cohort. 






And now... employment time! I start work doing corporate communications for Kimberly-Clark in Roswell on Monday. Very excited to start this new chapter! Farewell, student life! 

Monday, April 8, 2013

The kind of shower I like

This past weekend we celebrated Lisa and Matt at Ashley's in-laws' house! Ashley's mother-in-law Andy decorated and cooked up a storm and it was a great weekend with friends and family. As always, here are some photos.

First I hung out with Hope.


And painted my nails leopard print. Because that just screams "bridal shower."





Some of Andy's creative decorations.




If there is one thing I'm comfortable shamelessly bragging about, it's my family. My sisters, parents, and all the "brothers" are simply quality, hard-working individuals with a lot of love and a lot of laughs to give. Even all the boys' families are extensions of our life team - always happy to be a part of the gang and support each other. This semester has done nothing if not remind me to be appreciative of things I may usually take for granted. I certainly hit the jackpot in the family department, and weekends together are a great reminder of that. How did I get so lucky?

Monday, March 25, 2013

A Bridal Barbecue

Thesis life is tough, y'all. But nothing makes you remember how lucky you are than a barbecue in a big field with your favorite people. Here is a photo breakdown of the barbecue Matt's parents held for him and Lisa, neither of whom appear in any of these pictures. Oops?



 Hope having a staring contest with the goats.



Hope carrying big, big sticks.

Jason in his natural habitat.








Hope helps.


Lighting cigars from the bonfire.