Lucky Girl

I'm a lucky girl.  A really lucky girl.  Know why?  Because I have this really great friend who lives in NC.  She's been an amazing influence in my life for the past 15-some odd years and is going to be my matron of honor in November.  I also have this really awesome friend who lives in MI (well...she's in KY now, but that's beyond the point).  She's been my partner in many adventures and even though I've only known her a few years, it feels like a lifetime.  So when you are a really lucky girl, both of your friends come visit you at the same time!

Tamara and Sarah came to see me in May (remember, I'm playing catch up!).  Even though they had never met before, they took a leap of faith that the other one wasn't totally crazy and came to see me at the same time :)  We had such a blast and it was so wonderful to get to spend some time with these ladies.

There were zebra sightings.

There were seal sightings.

 There were beautiful Big Sur CA-1 coast sightings (complete with some crazy fog).

There were vineyard and tasting room sightings (which may have gotten a little blurry after the 4th one or so...).

There were Madonna Inn sightings.  Complete with cake, of course.

There were baby Pacific gray whale sightings.

There were Avila Beach sightings, complete with a naked guy at Pirate's Cove (nudie beach say whaaaaat!)

There were sightings of farmers at markets.

There were sightings from horseback.

And sightings that involved cookies.

There were Triple D sightings (Keri Jewell, eat your heart out!) that involved some home-away-from-home Jamaican memories for Tamara (and the best dang chicken in Santa Monica).

And, of course, there were sightings of SoCal sunsets.

And you know what my favorite site was of all?  Maybe the one where I came home from work for lunch to a fully prepared meal and 2 of my favorite girls.  Or the one where Sarah got lots of kisses from Belle (the mule).  Or maybe where I woke up with Tamara and Sydney in my bed, just like old times.  Or the one of two of my favorite people sitting on my couch with me watching a movie.

I am super blessed to have both of these gals in my life.  I couldn't imagine life without either one.  And I'm super excited that I will get to be closer to both of them (geographically) in just a short while!

Let there be blogging again!

Hi there!  Remember me??  That chick that used to pretend to be witty and write about her life on here?

I'm alive.  I promise.

Remember how I was feeling super overwhelmed and decided to go slow for a while?  Apparently that translated into giving up blogging for 3 months.  Whoopsie.  Sorry faithful blog follower(s??).  

I am now back on track.  I took a much needed self-assessment and a break from all of the extras that I was doing and got back to the roots of what makes me tick.  God has been super faithful about giving me new energy, excitement about the wedding and my job, and blessing me with some great adventures in the meantime.  

So, here's what y'all missed over the past 3 months:

I'M NO LONGER ON CRUTCHES/IN A BOOT!  Yay!!!  I am 4 months post-surgery now and feeling wonderful.  My physical therapist and my surgeon have been fantastic.  I'm riding horses, back in the gym, and am allowed to try surfing (all very carefully and slowly, of course). Words cannot express how great it feels to not be in constant pain whenever I try to do something.

Sarah and Tamara came to visit me!!!  We had so, SO much fun.  I'll do a whole post on how wonderful these ladies are, but here is a teaser pic in the meantime.

Once the ladies left, I jetted out to St. Louis, MO to see Landon.  He moved there at the end of April.  We went to our good friend Tim and Bridgett's wedding and spent a teeeeensy bit of time at our new apartment.

Then I headed off Ruidoso, NM for the bi-annual Equine Science Society meeting.  I absolutely love the desert, and Ruidoso was beautiful and didn't disappoint.  I even accidentally drove through the Indian reservation and saw tons of horses, elk, and cattle allllllll over the road.  And per annual tradition, we had a bangin' costume party (cowboys and aliens this year), complete with a bathtub full of goodies.  Which resulted in us getting kicked out of the casino.  Now that's the sign of a good time!

The school year finished up strong.  Students graduate, we had cookouts for many of our classes, and there was a super fun year end celebration where my fellow faculty members honored me with a beautiful custom belt buckle.  It was really touching and wonderful.

I went home to NC for a super brief stint (more on that later).  And then I came home and two days later Davys arrived for a sweet adventure that consisted of a road trip through the Pacific Northwest (also more on that later).  

So as you can see, I've been busy.  But wonderful.  And I'm excited to be talking to y'all again :)