grateful

i'm not one to really put pen to paper (or fingers to keys) when it comes to how i'm feeling. i talk, A LOT, and often times it's about my feelings. you can tell my emotions so easily the way i communicate or interact with someone. i don't hold back my emotions and i could probably work on that, but it's how i've always been. (insert parent comment on the picture of me throwing a temper tantrum that's still hanging in our kitchen)

i feel like i never really got to sit and think about the changes that were happening in my life these past few months. everything kind of happened so quickly and i am so so grateful for that but sometimes i feel like i am just visiting atlanta playing grownup and i'll be driving back to tuscaloosa any day now. but i'm not.

i finished "classes" in april and immediately started my internship the very next week. throughout my internship i was looking at jobs but not very seriously. until i went home for a week break and mrs. adams threaten to not feed me until i applied to 10 jobs, so i applied to 11. the very next day i get a call from a school asking me when i could interview and when i would be done with my internship. i panicked. WHAT?! i set up a phone interview which lead to two more in person interviews and finally i was offered the job. at a great school just 10 minutes from my soon-to-be new apartment. and they wanted me to start the next week. my parents are awesome and immediately set up the movers and arrived in tuscaloosa to pack up my apartment so that i could spend the last few days with my precious babies at my internship. those kids taught me more than i could have ever taught them and i miss them each and every day.

starting at this new job i wasn't nervous, i didn't have rumbles in my belly. i slept the whole night before the first day and i was calm and cool. it was weird. i'm never like that about anything new, EVER. i still sweat when i have to drive somewhere new and wonder where i'm going to park. i started my job before i graduated so going into it the school knew that i still had to go back to walk. thankfully my school is awesome and let me have a three day weekend and understood that sometimes graduation is more important than open house ;). i drove to tuscaloosa and was fine, i got ready for graduation and was fine, i walked across that stage and was fine, but as i was opening my presents and cards and reading all the sweet notes from every one i realized this was it. i was leaving this apartment and my best friend/roommate. i lost it. i was not fine. i couldn't pull myself together. it finally hit me that i have to leave my home for the past four years and start all over.

i still feel like i am just visiting atlanta and driving back to be with park and the dogs any day now but i'm adjusting to life in the city great. i pretty much have a routine, i have an awesome new roommate who puts up with me, and i am making new friends at work. it didn't really hit me until today when there was terrible weather on the way home from work and two of my co-workers texted me to make sure i was driving safe and to text them when i made it home. i laugh way too hard at school, we get each other, we have weekly vent sessions (or as pastor calls them, planning meetings), and they have the best food i've ever eaten. i am thankful every morning when i wake up that i have a job to go to that i enjoy AND that is related to my major. i am so excited for this new journey and can't wait to explore this city but i also can't wait to get back to tuscaloosa hopefully sooner rather than later because roll tide till i die.

#1: graduate from the University of Alabama

august 1, 2015

thanks mom and dad for giving me this opportunity and for everyone else who supported, encouraged, and listened to me whine these past four years.

#3: move to a new city

my wonderful new teaching job brought me to the city of atlanta, i am looking forward to exploring this new town!

#43: have a photo shoot

since i am graduating in august i went ahead and took some cap and gown pictures. i'm sure that i will take more the actual graduation weekend but i like to be ahead of things. the weather was 106 degrees, i'm not exaggerating i have a screen shot of it but i'm too lazy to upload it. during the dress pictures and jersey pictures me and my photographer sat in my car with the AC on high for an hour and half to allow myself to dry off. however, it was worth it because i got great pictures, honked and yelled "congrats" at, and got to see lots of little freshman stare in awe at me while their mothers embarrassed them by telling them, "that's going to be you in four years".

101 in 1001

a couple of months ago. my friend kristin told me to look up this thing floating around the blog world called 101 in 1001. the goal of this project is to make a list of 101 things you want to do in 1001 days. (which is about 2.75 years) each time you complete a task you put 10$ into a savings account so by the end of the list you'll have $1,000 saved up! i thought about if i wanted to do this for a while, it really gave me anxiety to know that by the time i finished i will be 24/25ish and in a whole different life time than i am in right now but i decided to just have fun with it and see what happens!

so here is my list...

1. graduate from the University of Alabama
2. find a job
3. move to a new city
4. find a church community
5. make new friends
6. go to food trucks in the park
7. go to a concert in the park
8. go a weekend without technology
9. stop what i'm doing and watch the sunset for a week
10. do 10 acts of kindness for strangers
11. save money
12. mail more snail mail
13. wake up early enough to have "slow mornings" during a work week
14. go to an alabama game as an alumni
15. watch a sunset and a sunrise in the same day
16. write down something positive when i wake up every day for a month
17. go to pure barre every day for one month
18. read 25 new books
19. run a 5k
20. get an updated address book
21. go to a drive in movie
22. have a picnic in the park
23. go to a pumpkin patch
23. start a new tradition
24. go fruit picking
25. do something creative for myself (not early childhood related)
26. try paddle boarding
27. travel to 5 new places
28. visit my family members
29. go to a psychic
30. color my hair
31. try new food
32. cook an entire cook book
33. find a signature meal
34. become a regular at a new restaurant
35. visit ichiban when i'm an alumni
36. clean out belongings
37. write a letter to myself to open on my 25th birthday
38. learn more about my family's history
39. make a recipe box with family recipes
40. do one "must do atlanta" thing once a month for my first year living there
41. meet my goal weight
42. learn how to sew
43. have a photo shoot 
44. no junk food for one month
45. get a pen pal
46. go hiking
47. play hooky to spend a day with myself
48. do something that scares me
49. whiten my teeth
50. improve my posture
51. join a book club
52. have brunch with friends
53. learn to make sushi
54. bake a new pie every week for a month
55. find a signature scent
56. learn new quick go to hair styles
57. invest in quality make up brushes
58. buy fresh flowers every week for a month
59. surprise someone
60. take a pottery class
61. refresh my french
62. travel to europe
63. go to the beach
64. learn sign language
65. go to a wine tasting at a vineyard
66. go to a karaoke night and sing
67. make friendship bracelets
68. tie dye something
69. make s'mores
70. give a toast
71. show someone around my new city
72. donate $100 (0/100)
73. buy a piece of furniture
74. go antique shopping
75. go on a mother/daughter trip
76. go on a father/daughter trip
77. have a girls weekend
78. attend a festival atlanta summer beer fest
79. learn calligraphy/improve handwriting
80. drink recommended water a day
81. treat my parents to a meal
82. wear yoga pants/nike shorts/tshirts only when working out (ha this might last maybe a week)
83. teach someone how to do something new
84. be a bridesmaid in a wedding
85. go camping
86. complete 5 pinterest crafts
87. complement 20 strangers
88. wear make up every day for a week
89. do my hair everyday for a week
90. watch jaws and Jurassic park
91. throw an award show party
92. host a shower
93. become an aunt (to not furry animals)
94. complete a 100+ piece puzzle
95. fly a kite
96. build a ginger bread house
97. leave a note in a book at the bookstore/library
98. read a classic novel
99. take a picture completing every task
100. put $10 in an account for every task completed
101. complete a list of 101 things

instagram giveaway!

happy wednesday, everyone! make sure to follow me on instagram so you don't miss this amazing giveaway!

I’ve teamed up with a FABULOUS group to help one lucky follower score the perfect outfit from J.Crew + A Random Batch Candle from @the_inventoryroom! All you have to do is follow the steps below (NO REPOSTING or COMMENTING NECESSARY). Once you have found your way back to this post, you are done!

1. FOLLOW ME @messybunsandyogapants and everyone in this loop. If you don’t follow all of the people participating in the loop, you will not be entered. We always check.

2. LIKE this post.

3. TAP THIS PHOTO to see where you go next! Once you are back to ME, you are all done and will be entered in the giveaway! ***For a bonus entry, tag a few of your friends!

Please remember you MUST follow everyone in the loop and like this picture in their account to qualify!

The giveaway ends Friday Jan. 23rd at 10am CST. The winner will be picked randomly and will be announced within 24 hours of the giveaway ending! To be considered a winner, your profile MUST BE PUBLIC for a minimum of 24 hours after the giveaway ends. This will allow us to verify you have followed and liked each participant in the loop! GOOD LUCK AND THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING!

DISCLAIMER:

Per Instagram rules, we must mention this is no way sponsored, administered or associated with Instagram, Inc. By entering, entrants confirm they are 13+ years of age, realize instagram of responsibility and agree to insagrams terms of use

back at it

i got back to tuscaloosa today for my last semester of classes before my internship. i may have procrastinated a little bit when it came to my departure but mother and father finally pushed me out the door. i got back and unloaded my car just to hop right back in it to go pick eloise up... that little stinker came running to greet me when i got to her house and then yakked in my car 10 minutes into the ride. she obviously missed me and didn't know another way to show it besides throw up. thanks eloise, missed ya too. tuscaloosa has some of the prettiest sunsets i've seen in my life, i miss them so much when i go out of town. i wish this picture didn't have the power lines, but can we just take a minute to look at the cute little squirrel running across it, you go buddy!

i haven't unpacked, besides getting my backpack ready for my day of classes tomorrow and reading all my mail, which eloise helped me with. i've determined that the mail lady steals my cosmo magazines because every now and then one never arrives... very questionable.

wish me luck on my last first day of classes, probably ever.

p.s. tomorrow (january 8th) is my 1 year anniversary of being a "vegetarian" yay

hail no

this past weekend my parents were in town for a short visit, my friend came in for a surprise visit, my roommates and i finished decorating for christmas, and alabama defeated the number 1 team for my last game in bryant-denny as a student. wait what

the first of many lasts happened this past weekend and it hit me that i'm graduating (hopefully) in a year. so i decided that i'm just going to fail all my classes so i don't have to become a grown up and stay here forever. just kidding, i'm ready but not. i'll get there, i still have time.

so get ready for the picture overload...

to sum it up, we celebrated my mom's birthday, i froze my tail off, and i go to the best and classiest school in the nation.

roll tide

my first thought is "what's for dinner"

since every post needs a picture, enjoy this one of the beautiful campus i get the privilege of attending (thanks mom & dad!)

i came across this article the other day, 22 thoughts every girl has when walking to class.

i, personally, can relate to just about every thought that they wrote. my favorites being...

7. Okay, this class ends at 9:50 and it takes me 7 minutes to walk home, which would be 9:57, and my next class is at 11:30. But I have to leave for class at 11:19, which means I can nap for exactly 1 hour and 22 minutes.

17. Why do people walk so slow?

2. I'm hungry.

9. How do some girls look so cute at this hour?

21. I'm hungry.

i mean... honestly? it's like i wrote the article! just the other day i was walking to my 9:30, i got out of my 8am early and usually on those days i'll go wait in the longest line of the world to get a peppermint hotchocolate at the unofficially largest starbucks in the nation but i just wasn't feeling the wait that day. so i stopped in at the library snack bar, grabbed myself a nutrigrain bar and a gatorade. i couldn't wait till i got to my next class so i started eating and walking; easy enough, right? WRONG! i got strawberry jelly ALL. OVER. my hands, i casually decide to slip the rest of the bar in my frocket* to finish after i get to my building and i manage to get strawberry jelly all on the inside of my frocket while it was wrapped up in it's wrapper... (i should probably wash that shirt soon...) 

where was i going with this story? OH YEAH, as i'm casually walking with my hands in fists so that i don't get the jelly anywhere else on me, i think to my self, "how many people just witness that fiasco?" probably no one but i have witnessed some funny things walking to class. maybe that should be the odyssey's next article, funny things you see on the way to class.

*frocket: front pocket on the front of the baggy shirts i wear on a daily basis. 10 signs you're obsessed with oversized t-shirts

relay for life 2014

relay for life is something that i have participated in all three years at college. i have been on the committee twice and this year i was the development director. it was a lot of work and a lot of frustrating moments but the event turned out better than last year!

Relay for Life is a world wide event with the main goal to raise awareness, fight back, and celebrate the survivors. everyone's reason to Relay is personal and special; a Relay For Life event is not only a way to join your community to fight back against cancer, but it is also a way to inspire hope by raising funds and awareness to help those facing the disease. 

the luminary ceremony is my favorite part of the whole event. everyone stands around the track and breaks the glow stick in the bag. while all of the lights are off you walk around the track while survivors share their personal stories. it is one of the most incredible things to experience.

if you would like to learn more about why i relay visit my page here. i have a lot of support with my family and friends and without them this event wouldn't be the same. i love to fight for those who can't and i love to be apart of finishing the fight and fighting to find a cure.

hey, i'm alive

... so sorry i went off the grid for a while.

it all started with just wanting to take a week for spring break, then the week i got back to school was filled with lots of assignments, that weekend i flew to charlotte for a reason i will explain in a later blog post, i got back to school this past tuesday and then that week just flew by. but no more excuses i will try my best to have 5 posts for y'all this week. i have three case studies due this week and two tests, but no worries i will survive because i am heading to the beach for a long weekend this weekend. seems like all i do is travel, but i promise i really don't!

anyway, let's have a spring break recap!

my parent's picked me up in alabama on the thursday before spring break and we set off for a long weekend in florida before heading back to tennessee for the rest of my spring break.

we kicked off my birthday week with a birthday dinner at one of my favorite italian restaurants and treated ourselves to a yummy dessert prepared table side

we of course hung out in the driveway and soaked up some sun at the beach

then we headed back up to tennessee to really start the birthday festivities! 

be back tomorrow with an inside look into my 21st birthday!! happy monday everyone!

somebody has to say it

tuscaloosa needs a fazoli's.

source

my friends and i are addicted to a local hole in the wall japanese restaurant here in tuscaloosa. and though we love it and visit it about two to three times a week, we crave some fast food italian. back home we have a good ole fazoli's and i spent many an afternoon there talking for hours with friends back in high school. it was divine. i often made my sister go with me and i still talk about it constantly. i have been craving fazoli's for a good couple of weeks now. their mouth watering, bad for you garlic sticks make my mouth drool just thinking about it. i finally had an epiphany; why is there not a fazoli's in tuscaloosa? they could make so much money here and take our student bama cash. i would spend a pretty penny there, and hopefully the same case would apply at fazoli's like when i told the workers at my fav japanese restaurant. "y'all should write a thank you note to my parents for them keeping you guys in business" they laughed and responded "really though!" (oh i love them so) 

so there. i said it. it is now out in the open. can anyone get me a fazoli's?

High five for Friday

i'm participating once again in the lauren elizabeth's HF4F!! this week has flown by crazy fast so here are my not so exciting, exciting top five!

1. when my sister was in town we randomly decided to paint my room and redo it. we promised each other next time she visits, it will be filled with food and drinks.

 2. while watching the oscars, my friend decided that my roommate's cat would make a purrfect pianist for frozen's "let it go"

 3. speaking of the oscars... anyone else witness john travolta's embarrassing mistake of idina menzel's name? he's since apologized and she has said she doesn't really care but now there is a website that will "travoltify" your name.

4. my sister and i spotted a girl scout cookie stand on the side of the road and risked our lives to get a few boxes of heaven. i have since been eating them for breakfast and i have no regrets.

5. i am going to a gymnastics meet tonight and my friend surprised me with floor seats!