Highlights of 2015

2015 was an incredible year and I am so proud of all that I achieved! As I was reviewing my year, I could help but smile at all the things the Lord blessed me with. I thought I would share my top 10 highlights even though it was almost impossible get my list down to ten.

1. London

I started my year off in London for my study abroad. I loved being able to explore the city and travel with ease. I was also the marketing intern at The Langham, London while being a part-time student. So many wonderful things happened that I could spend a whole day telling you about it and still not finish. Luckily, I kept a blog of my experiences so you can read all about my adventures and the best part of my life so far. I went on some crazy adventures, made some great friends and finished my undergraduate degree.

2.  The Brit Awards

One the the highlights during my stay in London was attending the Brit Awards. I went by myself by it was still epic. I was able to see Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Paloma Faith, Madonna and more perform live. It was a magical evening that I will always remember. I love award shows in general so it was incredible to finally see one live.

3.  Twin Vacation

After my study abroad, I was lucky enough to be able to spend over a month traveling in Europe. One of my favorite parts of that time was when my sister Elizabeth joined me in Rome, Italy. We spent two weeks soaking in the sun and learning the history of Rome. I had such a fabulous time in Europe and I was happy to be able to share some of the experiences with my favorite person and other half.

4. Best Friends Take Europe

Before heading back to the U.S. I got to spend two glorious weeks in Europe with my two best friends. We were able to travel to three countries and make some wonderful new friends. I was so blessed to be able to end my vacation and celebrate our graduations. One of the highlights was going to an FC Barcelona game and seeing them accept their champions trophy and biking to the lookout over the city.

5.  Boyfriend

When I was in London, I met a really great guy. It took a little convincing after I left, but I finally made up my mind, took a leap and asked this guy to be my boyfriend. Spoiler alert: He accepted! It’s been a long 258 days but happiness knows no distance. I hate long distance more than I hate He Who Must Not Be Named but George is worth the struggle.

6. First Wedding

I was my sister’s plus one at her friend Lexi’s wedding. Lexi and James had a wonderful day set up for their guests. The wedding was absolutely perfect and there was a cookie reception that followed the service. Later that night, Elizabeth and I went to the reception and it was spectacular. Everything was handmade by the bride, groom and family members. Even the food for the reception was homemade! I had so much fun dancing and smiling. It was a perfect wedding for a perfect couple.

7.  Golin Internship

After three months of being unemployed, I finally accepted my first post-graduate position as a public relations intern at Golin. The position was in Dallas, Texas which was crazy because I had to move all the way across the country in under two weeks! The move was so worth it though because I was able to work on some incredible projects and meet some amazing PR professionals.

8. Church Family

When I moved to Texas, I didn’t know anyone. I decided that the best way to make great group of friends was to join a church. Through a quick Internet search I found Prestoncrest Church of Christ. I joined the young adult group and it was awesome. I made new friends and strengthened my relationship with God during the retreat.

9.  Thanksgiving in Mississippi

Allison, one of my friends from church, invited me to her home in Mississippi for Thanksgiving. She knew I was planning on spending the holiday alone, so she invited me home to celebrate with her! I had a great time road-tripping to Mississippi, meeting Allison’s family and riding a four-wheeler for the first time. I was so happy everything worked out and I was able to enjoy a Thanksgiving adventure.

10.  Christmas in Arkansas

My friend Lauren invited me to her house for Christmas so that I wouldn’t have to spend the holiday alone. The trip to Arkansas was a lot quicker than driving to Mississippi. I was so overwhelmed with the about of love and gifts I received from the family. I wasn’t expecting anything so Christmas morning was a shock to say the least. We didn’t do too much over the weekend but it was just a relaxing break I needed before the stress of moving begins.

2015 was a spectacular year down to the last day! I was so incredibly blessed and I can’t believe all that I was able to see and do. I can’t imagine a better year so I am looking forward to what 2016 has in store for me.

Thanksgiving Festivities

Leading up to Thanksgiving, the work week went incredibly fast because I only had to work two and a half days because of the holiday. On Tuesday, I also had a job interview for a public relations firm in Wisconsin. It went well and hopefully I will be hearing back soon about my Skype interview next week.  After work, I went to the Porch. We have been talking about how to let go and let God in the Exhale series. It has been insightful and extremely helpful these past weeks.  When the service ended, I stayed after and chatted with Marcus, one of my friends from Prestoncrest, before heading home to finish packing. My friend, Allison, invited me to her house for Thanksgiving so I had to prepare to go to Mississippi for the weekend. Work on Wednesday went so quickly since we only had a half day. However, I was a little disappointed because I found out that the interns are the only people that don’t get paid over the holiday. It was still a quick day and before I knew it I was heading home.  I had a little time to relax and put everything together before heading to Mississippi with Allison! The car ride was incredibly pretty long but it went smoothly. I even got the chance to drive for a little while. When we arrived, everyone was really nice and we spent the night talking. The house was really beautiful and I was looking forward to the rest of the weekend.

 The next day, we got up and just lounged around in pajamas. For a while, we even went outside and sat by the fire to relax. The area is so beautiful so it was nice to just sit and enjoy the beautiful scenery. At 1:00pm things got serious and the cooking began. Allison’s mom did most of the work but we all chipped in here and there. The food looked so good. Allison’s mom really outdid herself. It took a while but we finally sat down and had an incredible Thanksgiving meal. Allison’s family is super sweet and they spent the evening talking about the crazy things they used to do as children. Town gossip was another hot topic. It was a little strange but I learned quite a bit about people in town. After an incredible meal, we went to the nursing home to see two of Allison’s grandparents. It was sad to see them in decline since I never got a chance to meet them in their prime. We did have a lively discussion though because her aunt and uncle from Tennessee where also at the nursing home. 

  
After getting back from the nursing home, we cleaned up dinner and made a fire. It took a while but there were times that it was quite warm and toasty. When the fire died down, we went inside and watched the Packer game. I watched the game on and off while I packed up some food to back back and chatted with everyone.  The Packer game was crazy. It was stressing me out so I was happy that we started playing dominoes. I had never played before and it was actually a ton of fun. Time flew by and before I knew it we were heading to bed again! Somehow I hit the jackpot and got the nice bed so I fell asleep fairly quick.

On Friday we slept in and then woke up to pancakes! Allison wasn’t feeling well so we had a slow start in the morning. I did get to ride a four-wheeler and it was a blast. There wasn’t much room but we did make a nice little loop. I was happy I got a chance to try it out.

After some four-wheeler action, we started getting ready to go into Jackson. It took a while but we finally headed out. Before going to Jackson though, we stopped at Allison’s other grandparents house. We talked for a while but were soon on our way. Jackson is the capital of Mississippi so there were some cool places to go and things to do. We mostly drove around looking at places but we did get out to look at City Hall, the governor’s mansion and a restaurant, Brent’s Drugs, that was a filming location for the movie, The Help. The restaurant was adorable and we stayed to get shakes. The Bates knew so much of the history and it was a fun evening of exploring. After our quick trip into Jackson we headed back home and watched the movie Like Mike. The movie was a neat find because I hadn’t seen that movie since I was little. It was quite a wonderful day and I was so happy to be in Mississippi.         On Saturday, Allison and I left early in the morning. It was a little sad to leave because Allison decided to leave her dog Bert with her parents so she could focus on finals and he would have a chance to run around outside. We were quickly on the way home but before leaving the state we took a quick break at the lookout over the Mississippi River. After that began the trek through Louisiana. It was beautiful in Mississippi which made it even more sad that I never did find a magnet to keep as a memorabilia item of the adventure. It was a great regardless. The trip home was a little rough because it was raining but the rain let up just long enough for us to stop at the Duck Dynasty warehouse.  I fell asleep for a while but I woke up just in time to see us stuck in traffic. Despite the delay, I finally made it home.

  
That evening, I unpacked my bag and had some delicious Thanksgiving leftovers.  I got home at a decent time so I also had time to finish my portfolio and watch a movie. The holiday weekend ended pretty quietly. The only excitement was going to the Waffle House with Marcus since I had never been before. After eating some tasty waffles,  we went to church morning class and the later service.  Shortly after church I headed home. It took a while because one of the buses never showed up but I still had plenty of time to catch up on some odds and ends that afternoon. I was so incredibly blessed this Thanksgiving and I was grateful to the Bates Family for hosting me and showing me all the greats in their area of Mississippi!

Getting Things Done

It was a long stressful week at work. Things have gotten a little awkward but I’m just making the best of everything and enjoying the time I have left. I have learned so much already and I am incredibly blessed to have experienced this opportunity.

Friday was splendid because I was able to talk with one of the designers and learn a little more about their work, Hopefully I will soon also be able to create something on my own. The day was also wonderful because I posted my second blog post on the Golin tumblr. I love blogging so it was an honor to create content and share it with the team. The director of the whole office, Ginger, even commented that she enjoyed my post. My lunch on Friday was crazy because I edited my resume and applied for a job. I barely even had time to eat but it was worth it because later that evening I heard back about setting up an interview. After spending three months applying for jobs before coming to Golin, I appreciate it when I even hear back from a job. In the digital age, I’ve noticed that while it is easier to find and apply for jobs, that doesn’t mean most of them will even respond. Regardless of how it turns out, I am blessed to have heard back.

I have been in a funk lately so I didn’t go bowling with my friends but that gave me the time to update my LinkedIn again and to start working on my online portfolio. I ended up almost finishing my portfolio and I had the chance to relax which was just what I needed. In the morning, I decided not to go on my run because I wasn’t feeling well and I hadn’t properly trained. I felt really discouraged but it gave me a chance to finish my portfolio. I wanted to end on a good note though so I headed to a explore a new part of Dallas! Every month in Deep Ellum there is an outdoor market so I made my way down to Deep Ellum. I had never been before so I was happy. While it was neat to see a new part of town I was a little disappointed with the size of the market. I was glad I went though because the area was full of artwork and quirky sculptures.     On Sunday, I headed to church as normal. Everyone went to class and/or service before all coming together for an amazing Friendsgiving! There were so many people there and a ton of food. It was lovely to chat with everyone and hear their holiday plans. I talked with a group about the best things to do in Dallas and I’m excited to do a lot of touristy things before going back to Wisconsin. I really love my friends from church and I will be sad when I have to go back home. I also talked to my friend Allison, so if nothing comes up, I will be going to Mississippi for Thanksgiving!    It was a long week and weekend but I got quite a lot accomplished and I found time to have fun too. Moving to Texas has been a gift and I am proud of what I have accomplished.