One Year Ago Today

One year ago today I made the move to Olive Branch to start a huge new phase of my life.  I had worked hard to finish my Master's and searched to find the right job for me, and I found it here in DeSoto County.  The past 365 days have been full of ups and downs, triumphs and tribulations, encouragements and obstacles, but I truly wouldn't trade them for anything.  I have changed as a person over these past twelve months, and I am not the same girl who stood unpacking box after box (after box after box... y'all know I have waaaaay to much stuff for my own good) in this apartment last July.  Circumstance, experience, and, most of all, life has changed me.
Here's a brief recap, a highlight reel, if you will, of the past year--in no particular order:

I joined a book club.  If you know me at all, you know how pumped this made me.  Currently we're reading 11/22/63, which is so completely off-the-chain-and-totally-worth-every-one-of-its-eight-hundred-plus-pages.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer, had a hysterectomy and began taking chemotheraphy.  She is doing remarkably well after 3 treatments (halfway... 3 more to go!), and she will start radiation treatment later this month, hopefully.

I survived my first year of work and fell in love with my kids in the process.  I'm not by any means saying that every day was a picnic, but I really do love my job and feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be.

I have made my apartment, my own little space in this big world, mine, and I truly love coming here at the end of the day.  My personality and who I am echoes throughout these rooms, and, as cheesy as it may sound, this place makes me happy! 

I saw 6 fabulous Broadway shows at the Orpheum.  This is probably my favorite thing about living in greater Memphis and, if I'm wholly honest, one of the reasons I searched hard for a job here.  The Orpheum consistently has the best Broadway lineup outside of Times Square, if you ask me, and I always look so forward to seeing productions there.  Over the past year I saw these gems:

I bought a new (to me) car.  The purchase was long overdue, really, but a huuuuuge commitment.  I'm so excited to have a new ride, though, and it's a good thing because I'll be making payments into my thirties.  (I almost threw up when I typed that, for several reasons.)

Most recently, I officially launched my calligraphy sideline business.  You haven't heard about it?  Well, by all means, please check it out here, and feel free to refer me to any and all of your friends/family/loved ones (shameless plug).  I'm really excited about it!

I am incredibly excited and hopeful as I look forward toward what's to come in the next 365 days.  There's no way to know what God has in store for me during the coming twelve months, but I am excited about the possibilities, opportunities and experiences that I know lie ahead of me.

Said No One Ever

So, I am constantly getting a kick out this new trend of saying "...said no one ever" after, well, anything and everything.  I have to be honest... sometimes I laugh out loud at these witty quips.  So, for this week's Pins of the Week (pay no attention to the fact that I haven't observed this weekly pasttime in months), I picked a few of my recent faves to share with y'all.

Happy Tuesday, friends!

Busy Daze

These past few weeks have been jam-packed for me, and I'm really thankful for that because it's made time fly and kept my mind from worrying (y'all know I'm prone to do that!).  Between coordinating state testing, totalling scholarships, presenting at Awards Night, speaking at Freshman Orientation, attending Senior Breakfast, finalizing senior records, corralling hyped-up seniors at graduation, and finalizing underclassmen cumulative transcripts (not to mention all the crises that have popped up in between), work has made this guidance counselor a total lunatic.  I am so proud of my seniors, though, and was on such a high last night after their graduation.  I can't believe I've almost completed my first full year in a job I fought so hard to get, and I'm so looking forward to the excitement next year holds.  I miss my first senior class already (how did I get so attached to them in just one year??), but I'm thrilled to say I've already signed my contract for next year (hooray!), and I know there are wonderful things in store there, as well.
I've continued to go home every weekend (this will be my 14th straight weekend in Columbus) to be with mom as she prepares for chemo, which actually starts tomorrow.  She saw her gynocological oncologist on May 7, and he felt she was healed enough to begin this preventive treatment as soon as all the preliminary visits, tests, etc. were done.  Visits to the chemo oncologist and the radiologist have kept her busy these past two weeks, and she's also had a port implanted (where she'll receive her chemo meds), had a CT scan, and undergone several blood tests to make sure her body is ready to begin treatment.  She's even been fitted for a stylin' wig and has it ready and waiting if she needs it days or even weeks down the road.  Tomorrow is the big day, and I would be lying if I said she wasn't anxious and fearful.  She is wholly ready to "get this show on the road," but, as is almost always true with the unknown, she gets anxious about possible side-effects and reactions to treatment.
You have all been so amazing throughout these last four months of our lives, and I thank you in advance for continuing to stand beside us and lift us up.  Those of you who have called, visited, brought food, sent her a card, etc. have really warmed her heart and mine, and we will never be able to thank you enough for your love and support.  I ask you to keep a few specific prayers in mind tomorrow as she undergoes the first treatment:
Pray she will have peace and calm before and during the treatment
Pray her body will be able to receive the medication with little to no side effects
Pray if there is one tiny cancer cell in her body, this powerful medicine will obliterate it
Also, I selfishly ask for a prayer for myself, as well.  I can't be with my mom during her treatment, which, if you know us at all, you know is incredibly difficult for me.  I can't be away from work and won't be able to be home until Friday, so please, if you have a spare second, pray for my nerves to be calmed and my anxious thoughts to be put to rest, as well.  She won't be alone during or after the treatment, but y'all know what a control freak I am... I want to be there with her through every tough situation, but that's just not always possible.  (I think it's very possible God is working really hard in me to surrender some of that need to control everything...)  You, my friends, are so dear to us, and we are so thankful for every one of you.  God has carried us through this season of our lives, but you have made us laugh and cry and put smiles on our faces throughout it all. 
You'll never know how much you mean--

Tuesdays with Pinterest

Another wonderful Tuesday full of wonderful things I've found on Pinterest.  Do y'all love Pinterest as much as I do?  It just makes me happy and inspires everything from my clothes to my decorating to my travels to my dreams.  Cheesy, I know, but oh-so-true.

I can't imagine a world without it.

I want to live in this picture.

Thank you, TBS, for bring The Big Bang Theory into my life.  Sheldon Cooper rocks my world.

How true is this??

Love these bracelets.  Great color that would go with practically everything.

Beautiful, beautiful Chicago, how I love you.

These decantur light fixtures are perhaps the most fabulous things I've ever seen.  Sophisticated, interesting, unique and just plain gorgeous.  Love love love. 

Not quite... but dangerously close.

Who can argue with this? 

I adore this.  The photo, the balloons, the colors and, most of all, the sentiment, is just perfect.

Another photo in which I would like to live.  Sheer magic.

This navy Michael Kors watch (my absolute favorite timepieces) makes me smile.

Sometimes I feel like I'm about one Pin away from this...

I adore Smash!!! If you haven't tuned in, give it a whirl, Mondays at 9:00 on NBC.

Yet another photo in which I would like to live.  How gorgeous is this place??

English major/grammar humor... bahahahaha love it.

If I had a million dollars, I'd pack my bags and set out around the world.

Well said.

Who wouldn't feel at home with these welcoming front door flowers?

Enough said.

Honk if You Love Books

I'm not really sure what Tumblr is exactly, but, through Pinterest, I have found some pretty funny/intersting/true Tumblr accounts that I enjoy perusing from time to time.  This one called Bookfessions is one of my favorites.  The following are a few of my favorite "book truths," in no particular order...