One of those "Lasts"

Saturday day night marked my last home football game as a UGA student. I wasn't even planning on going until I met up with Kim and she had bought a ticket. Sooooo, we sat in the freezing cold for the entire game (which may have actually been a first for me), which was very exciting; and we did end up winning so it was a great night! I took lots of pictures which probably won't mean anything to anyone except myself but I knew I should. I met up with a couple of friends for a beer until my roommate got off work and then headed to The Grill for some yummy burgers and fries with feta (my favorite!). So, great (last) football weekend for me as a student, but I can't wait to come back next year and go as an alumni!

Birthday Wish #6

So, I am seriously doubting that I am actually going to get to 22 wishes before my birthday. Oh, well, I guess that means I don't want a lot? Haha, I think it's more like I'm just indecisive. And I want things that are beyond my grasp. Maybe I'll start putting some of those down just to see what happens.

Anyways, this wish is actually completely attainable but I doubt I will receive it for my birthday. In fact, I'm pretty sure this is something I will have to indulge in for myself sometime soon.

In the last couple weeks I have realized that I don't like reading for class sitting in my desk chair because I can't get comfortable and reading on my bed is a complete disaster because I just end up falling asleep (my bed is really, really comfortable).

So my solution is this: a reading chair! (I know what you're thinking, Duh, Kayla). But yes, I definitely have room for one in my room and I think this is an awesome idea. I just can't decide which one I want....(of course).

This one is a red sleeper chair that folds out to a little single mattress, perfect for when I have people visiting!

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=80&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=18883926&parentid=A_FURN_FURNITURE_SOFAS&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority&navCount=35&navAction=poppushpushpush&color=&pushId=A_FURN_FURNITURE_SOFAS&popId=A_FURN_FURNITURE&prepushId=A_DECORATE&selectedProductSize=

And this one I really like the design on it!

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/urban/catalog/productdetail.jsp?itemdescription=true&itemCount=80&startValue=1&selectedProductColor=&sortby=&id=16229205&parentid=A_FURN_FURNITURE_SOFAS&sortProperties=+subCategoryPosition,+product.marketingPriority&navCount=112&navAction=poppushpushpush&color=&pushId=A_FURN_FURNITURE_SOFAS&popId=A_FURN_FURNITURE&prepushId=A_DECORATE&selectedProductSize=

And this one from Ikea is looks pretty comfy too!

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S79875786

Birthday Wish #5

Okay. Don't know why these caught my eye because I have never really shopped from this brand before, but I love these shoes. They just look so comfortable (and cute!) for walking around and riding the Bf's motorcycle (when he gets it fixed, that is...).

http://store.dcshoes.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3478981&cp=3448757.3436167

**Oh, and I want the "crazy pink/white" ones. Adorable.

Birthday Wish #4

Okay, I am not promising that this is the last piece of jewelry on my wish list but I promise I will break it up with some stuff in between if I find anything else. This is yet another piece of jewelry that I have been smitten with for over a year. It's from Tiffany, of course, what is a wish list without a little Tiffany's? Exactly, it's not one at all.

{Find it here.}

Birthday Wish #3

Maybe it's because I've been in college for three years, but if there is one thing I am so tired of seeing, it's North Face jackets. And yes, I personally own one and it is great for chilly days and it goes with anything. But I found this lovely sweater from Anthropologie (which I adore anyways) and I think it would be perfect for those breezy autumn days walking in between classes.

{Find it here.}

Birthday Wish #2

A girl's best friend? Jewelry, right? Of course. I love jewelry, but I usually stick with a couple of choice earrings, necklaces, and bracelets to get me through every day, then save the crazy stuff for when I dress up to go out on the weekends. Well, I have been looking at this necklace for over a year, literally. I love it. But I just truly cannot convince myself to dish out the $54 for it, because I know spending money on frivolous things will only get me in trouble later. However, I would absolutely love to add this to my everyday favorite collection! And it's a perfect little reminder that "what goes around, comes around."

{Find it here.}

Birthday Wish #1

Okay, here is my very first birthday wish. As of March (and an infamous Cowboy and Aliens party) I have been minus a digital camera. For future reference, any electronic device and keg beer do not get along. And while throwaways were an interesting substitute, I hate not being able to see or post my pictures, well, immediately. So a new digital camera was an obvious and very necessary component to my birthday. After all, it's my last year in college, that is worth some documentation, right?

{Image from here.}

A Month of Celebration

First of all, I apologize for my absence. It was my mistake to assume my senior year here at UGA was going to be easy. I was so so so wrong. Anyways, some of y'all may know this, but I have a birthday coming up at the end of September. The very end as a matter of fact.

I have always been terrible about making birthday lists and telling people what I want, so this year, I am taking a page out of Kim Julie's book and I am going to have 22 posts of things I would like for my 22nd birthday. Clever, huh? I thought so when she did it, so now I'm stealing it! Shhhhh, don't tell her! Lots of new stuff is happening in my life lately so hopefully I will be able to squeeze some posts in between all of my birthday w

ishes and let y'all in on some secrets!

{Image from here.}

Last First Day

Today marked the beginning of the end of an era of my life. Today was the last first day of my senior year in college. It went pretty well, only 2 classes (supposed to be 3, but the last one got cancelled), a little bit of work, some gym time and more decorating the new house. My cute little place is now finally starting to look like humans live here, instead of just a storage unit.

Isn't it funny thinking back to your first first day of school, if you can remember that far? I don't remember that specific day, but I do remember being in kindergarten and the teacher and the room and the friends I had.

I also remember the night before the first day of my 6th grade year. I remember how I was literally freaking out, completely losing my mind in the hallway of my teeny tiny farmhouse in Tennessee screaming about how I was not at all capable of moving onto a new grade and a bigger school and how I would just die from all the stress. My dad gently and easily calmed me down by listening to all my fears and reassuring me that middle school was not as fatal as everyone claimed and he had complete faith that I would do the best I could, and that was good enough.

I like to think I've come a long way since then. One thing has never changed: I absolutely love buying school supplies. New pencils and pens. Notebooks and dividers. Cute little planners. Packing up my bookbag a week in advance and rearranging every night before the actual "day." There is just something so refreshing and cleansing about taking a big step with brand new shiny things that seem to completely erase any damage inflicted by the previous year.

I can only hope that my last year in school (maybe ever) is everything that I could possibly dream it to be. I want to experience every possible thing I can, I want to not worry about money, I want to make the dean's list (again!), I want to make my parent's proud, and I want to walk under that magical arch in May without any regrets about the time that I have spent here.

So my challenge to myself for the next 10 months is to live up to these dreams and surpass them. And I'll keep you lovelies updated as the time passes, I'm sure, much too quickly.

Stressed

I have a lot to catch you up on, but I find it extremely ironic how my last post was all about how I was so excited to pack up and move into my new house. Did you catch the was? The last week has been so incredibly busy and stressful for me and of course, I didn't get much of any packing done. Problem with that? We move tomorrow. Oh, and I'm also taking my final in the morning for an extremely important final. Getting any sleep tonight? I think not.

I just keep having nightmares about this move. I have no idea if any of the other utilities have been transfered over yet, so who knows if we'll even have electricity when we get there? We also can't actually stay there until Sunday, the landlord is just allowing us to move stuff into the middle of the rooms because they are still cleaning and painting. And we HAVE to be checked out of our place now by noon on Saturday. Thank god for the boyfriend letting me stay at his place for a couple days (not that I don't do that every night he's in town anyways haha--it's been over a week since I slept in my own bed).

Seriously though, as soon as we are done checking out of our place Saturday, it will be pool and margarita time for me....and maybe nap time finally.

{Image from here}

Packing It All Up

My roommate Katie and I have finally started to pack up our house since we are moving in just 3 short weeks! We went today to Lowe's and got boxes and bubble wrap and tape...all that fun stuff. And we stopped by the paint department to pick up some samples since we are contemplating painting our living room and our bedrooms. Katie is thinking purple for her room and I'm leaning towards blue. As for the living room, we chose a few greens and some warm oranges...so we'll see what our other roommate thinks when she comes up. I am so excited about our cute little house but I hate the packing process; unpacking I don't mind, but packing is terrible. The only up side is I get to throw away and purge myself of junk I haven't used in the last year. It's definitely a cleansing process.

{Isn't it adorable?!}

The Amazing Andrew Wills

So, back in February, I wrote about a very dear friend of mine who was in a skiing accident in Colorado who was almost lost from life (here is the post, in case you don't remember). I honestly cannot imagine a world without this person in my life. He is one of the very few who I feel would do anything for me if I asked him, and he can make me feel better about anything.

You also probably remember the amazing progress he was making just weeks short of his close encounter with the heavenly world and I want you to know that not only is he writing his book, but he is currently in Oxfordshire, England studying with some of the most brilliant minds in the world. And he fits in quite well (we all knew he would, but he was a bit worried).

Thankfully, he is updating all of us unlucky folks still stuck in Georgia for the summer about his experiences and travels through his blog, Andrew in Europe. If you're reading this, please take a minute to go see what he is up to; I find it intoxicatingly exciting and I wish I was right by his side taking it all in.

Playing Catch Up

Okay, so I know that I am beyond behind on posts. In fact, I am soooooo far behind I will probably never catch up so here is my compromise: I promise to fill you in on my life as we go so you aren't confused by my posts that, all too often, can be very vague.

I will say this, in lieu of an explanation for my absence: I needed a break. I needed to figure some things out. And honestly, I can't say that I really made any progress with that, BUT I miss my therapy of writing it all down. Seeing it on paper helps to make sense of the mess most of the time.

So I'm back, sitting on my couch enjoying a glass of (very) cheap wine and a movie, not to mention the peace and quiet I only know when my roommate is at work. I cannot believe it is July already and the summer is almost gone. I have absolutely no tan and I still hate putting on a bikini, butat least I am doing something about it. Fitness classes at the school gym are going great, and I do see some changes. I also have made A's in both of the summer classes I've completed so far (high fives!), but now I'm on the hardest one so hopefully I can continue the trend....

I just got back from an absolutely wonderful July 4th weekend at Lake Talquin, which is right outside of Tallahassee, Florida, for those of you who haven't heard of it (which I'm pretty sure is everyone). It was exactly the rejuvenation I needed, but it also made me miss my friends so much more. I have said it before, but college has not been the experience I expected or hoped for. It has been some of the hardest times in my life, for more than one reason. Between people I thought were my friends, sicknesses, terrible relationships, bouts of loneliness, and money troubles I have had it rough, but I hate complaining. I have also learned a lot about life and about myself and what is really important. I still can't wait to get out of here though.

So, as is tradition, here are some pictures from the last couple months to give you a visual montage of what you missed (by no fault of your own, of course, I'm taking full blame for this one). **By the way, the photos start from the bottom and go up, I have no idea why, but make sure you look at them backwards so you don't follow the story backwards**

{And, of course, I have been trying to spend as much of my free time at the pool as possible}

{My nephew was born on June 26th, say hello to Cole Alexander! I promise more pictures when I actually get to go see him...he came at a very inconvenient time hehe}

{Some of my favorite people from Bainbridge came to visit me! This is me, Joy, and Emily}

{I went to Tennessee for my Granny's 82nd birthday -- this is a pic of her with all the grandkids}

{A lot of healing was done as time was spent with friends in honor of Kerri's 1 year anniversary of her death.}

{Mom and Wade came to visit me in Athens, and for once, it did not involve manual labor, i.e. moving me in and out of apartments}

{Colleen, Enid, me and Katie took a road trip to Hilton Head, which involved lots of alcohol and shopping, and very little beaching because of the weather}

{Me and my roommates decided to throw a Toga Party, which got busted by the cops....a couple of times hehe}

{She got a little tipsy, but she was still amazing}

{Katie, Adam, me and Enid made the long drive to WV for my mom's 50th birthday}

That Time of the Month

Before you get too scared, no, I am not talking about my lovely Aunt Flo being in town...I'm talking about getting the new Anthropologie magazine! This is one of absolute favorite reasons to check the mailbox, and getting it can make the worst day so so so so so so much better (especially when my body is producing an endless stream of snot due to this lovely pollen weather)! Of course I can't actually afford anything in this magazine, but it's reassuring to know that someday I will be able to buy all I desire. And I have absolutely vowed to spend my first big paycheck on a mini shopping spree from this wonderful store. Here are a couple of items I am coveting with all my might right now:

{This dress is so yummy, I just want to eat it up!}

{I love this color on me in the summer, not to brag...but it goes great with my blond hair!}

{I'm in love with this one...it just looks so comfy!}

{Aren't these teacups absolutely adorable?!? I would love to buy them for mine and Kim's apartment wherever we end up!}

Glorious, Glorious

Here are the rest of the pictures from Spring Break! Standing next to itty bitty Ashley only reminds me of how much I need to be hitting up the gym but I'm working on it!

{Ashley and me out on the water}

{This is where I am originally from...St. Hedwig, TX}

{Yummy chocolate cake from Joe's Crab Shack}


{Me, Ashley and Teighlor out in the parking lot--Zeph was making fun of us for this one}



{Me, Ash, and Leslie drinking out by the water--it was so windy that night!}

{Me and the precious Teighlor! We matched in yellow that day!}

Change is Good for the Soul

If you know me at all, then you know I have moved around a lot in my life, 12 schools K-12 and 5 different states! There have been many times I have resented my parents for all the upheavals because, to this day, I only have one friend that has stuck with me through it all. But to my parents defense, I have requested (no, begged) for more than one of those moves. And I like to think these, hmm, adjustments have instilled in me a sense of adventure and a longing to experience new ways of life.

That said, my bestie Kimberly and I have made the decision to move to Austin, Texas, when I graduate in a mere 411 days! I know she is the person to make this move with because if you remember, it was she who made the big jump from lil' Athens all the way to St. Croix in the Virgin Islands! And it killed me how much I wished I could have gone too! But now that I'm going to be a full fledge adult in the near future, I can go! It's the perfect opportunity to spread my wings (with Kim's help haha) and see what I can really do on my own! Take a look at our new home!

Whoa, That Took Forever

So it's amazing how a couple of days off of blogging can turn into a couple weeks, right? And to be clear, I wasn't taking a break from blogger, per se, I was just on vacation taking a break from everything. And when I got back, my professors decided to punish me for that break, although I am assuming they enjoyed it as much as I did. So, now that I am caught up on tests, projects and papers for a few days, I can catch you dears up on my world. There are very few pictures that actually got taken due to me not being able to find my memory card, but here are a couple:

{Me and Ashley, the Texas part of Spring Break}

{Me, Ed, Jason, and Emily at the lake celebrating Ed's bday}

{And me and Emily, in sunny Florida}

I would love to tell you a million funny stories and awesome details of this Spring Break, but honestly, it wasn't very exciting. Which was exactly what I wanted. I got to relax, hang out at the beach, catch up with my friends, and not worry about anything for an entire week. So what if it wasn't exciting? It was perfect for me, and that's all that counts since it was my vacation, right?

Since then, I have just been studying and barely sleeping due to a combination of allergies and caffeine overdoses from trying to stay awake studying. I am so hoping to catch up some more this week, since I only have one test, and then a roadtrip home to West Virgina on Friday, because my mom is turning the big 5-0! Be on the lookout for the dedication post later this week!

Roo Roo the Miracle

So, if you read my post yesterday then you know I finally got to go see my favorite best guy friend in the entire world {Andrew} last night in Atlanta! He was in a skiing accident, which you probably know, and they told his parents when it happened that he was not going to make it. But here he is, 3 weeks later, and is about to start out patient therapy, and his plan to go to George Washington University and London this summer is still in place! So here are some pics, he has a funny haircut so don't make fun of him! I love him anyways! And I almost can't wait to get back from Spring Break to go see Alice in Wonderland with him at the IMAX!

{Enid and I on the way to ATL}

{With our Roo Roo! We love him so much!}

{Eating at Cheesecake Factory, Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake.....heavenly...}

Yet Another

Okay, it's the Wednesday before Spring Break and I only have one school project left before I will be free! Not really free, because some studying will have to occur on my break, but still. Free.

Anyways, I also have a potential job interview at an advertising company in the next couple days, I will keep you updated but I am super excited that this could be my new job! And it pays so much better than what I have now!

I also get to go see my friend Andrew in ATL today, you remember my post from his accident? This is the first time I will see him since he's been back in Georgia and I am oh-so excited :)) I promise to take lots of pictures!

There is also another very happy birthday to wish today: my senior prom date and very bestest friend who is a boy, Preston, is now 20 and no longer a teenager! Geez, you're getting old, haha.

That's pretty much it for this Wednesday, just thought I would catch y'all up on my life....

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is a very special day, my daddy turns the big 53! His name is Wade and I truly love him with all my heart. Seriously, this man could make me feel better about anything bad in my world, and ever since I was 8 years old I knew I had him wrapped around my finger. So here's to him teaching me to ride a horse, getting my braces un-stuck from the carpet (even if he was laughing hysterically), talking me through panic attacks about changing schools, putting up with my truly terrible driving, helping me with my math homework, cheering at my softball games, and scaring the sh*t out of all of my boyfriends. You're the best daddy a girl could ever hope for! Love, your baby girl.

{Such a pimp, with my friends from high school}

{After my baccalaureate}

{Shopping in Gatlinburg, TN}

{Before my high school graduation on our GA farm}

{At the muscle car museum, this is our fave}

{Senior Homecoming, this was his favorite dress of mine}

{Thanksgiving 2006}


{At home this past Halloween}


{Horse show in Asheville, NC}