College Days...

Coming to North Georgia has been one of the best decision I have ever made.  Stepping on campus was like wiping the slate clean.  I could become who ever I wanted to be, and I started searching for that person by getting as involved as I could.  Since then, I have joined many organizations and clubs that I am no longer apart of.  The following are the ones that have remained through it all...

1. Phi Mu - I rushed Spring of 2012. My best friends are in this sorority and am blessed to be apart of this organization.  I love everything it stands for and the Philanthropy we choose to serve, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.  I have been nominated for several leadership positions and have learned valuable lessons through them.

2. Campus Outreach - a Christian ministry on college campuses all across the country and even internationally.  I am very involved in the weekly meetings, Bible Studies, and prayer meetings.  My favorite part of CO is the summer programs! For 9 weeks, 100 college students from UNG, GT, and UGA go to Panama City Beach, Florida where we work full time, study the bible, and learn how to grow closer to God. It is the most fun and rewarding experiences of my life! I have been twice now. One time as a "first-year" and then was asked back to be a room leader. I worked at the Holiday Inn Resort both years. Click here to watch the recap video from summer 2013.

There's lots of other things I do, but these are the 2 that I'm most involved in. 

Meet The Fam

Isn't it crazy that you have no control who your family is, yet you end up loving them more than anybody else in the world?  These people love us unconditionally, no matter how many times we fail them or hurt their feelings.  They put up with all of our messiness and genuinely care about how we are doing, about what's going on in our life.  It's a pity that we view that tender love as "intrusive" or "smothering".  It's not until we are thrust out on our own, left to our own defenses, and forced to grow into the individuals we claimed we always were that we realize how wonderful our parents are.  Even though I have always had a great relationship with my parents, I wish I could go back and cherish more of the moments I had with them when I still lived at home.

With all of that being said, let me introduce you to the clan:

Deb and Dave - Married 26 years. Dave is the National Manager for Beltone Corporation, and Debbie works in the Cobb Country Government offices.

Robbie - 23 years old, and probably the luckiest guy I know. I describe him as being "the exception"because good things happen to him on the reg. He's been on TV several times, with his most notorious appearance being an audition on America's Got Talent.  Robbie and several of his friends were asked by UGA dancers to travel to their auditions for the show and cheer them on.  They wore morph suits and cheered from the sidelines.  AGT staff thought they were funny, so they flew them to Orlando several weeks later to perform live in front of the judges. (Watch their performance - Robbie is Red Morph)

Last and certainly not least is Sarah - 16. Beautiful. Hilarious. Silly. Fun-loving. So many other things could be said about her, but most of all she is my best friend.  I am completely myself around her, immature and goofy.  

Love these people like crazy!

The Places I've Been

Stuffed suitcases.  Freshly printed tickets.  Rehearsing over and over last minute to do's.  A house  being put on hold for a week. The tingle of adventure running down your spine. A skip in your step and a backpack on your back.  You're off to the airport!

One of the greatest blessings I had while growing up was the ability to travel! Whether it's across the oceans, or simply across the country, traveling to new places is refreshing to the soul.  Getting to go to a place where no body knows who you are, so for one whole week, you get to be exactly who you want to be.  No restrictions. No rules.  Meeting strangers and making memories.  Getting to see the world and hear stories from people you never knew existed.  This is what traveling means to me.

With family living in states close by, I would consider the South East to be my stomping grounds. Visiting them is always a pleasure, however I wouldn't consider it a "traveling adventure". Outside of those trips, I've seen almost all of the West Coast, and driven up the East.  I've strutted down Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills,  taken touristy pictures on the Golden Gate Bridge, floated by the Statue of Liberty, and rocked Times Square.

Once someone gets a taste of traveling, they can't help but beg for more.  I took every opportunity I could get to go abroad and joined my church on 3 international mission trips to Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Ireland - each being geographically, culturally, and spiritually diverse.  My favorite country of those three would no doubt be Ireland. Although it is very similar to America in the sense that the people are relatively wealthy and the cities are developed, I looked through a different lens and saw the uniqueness of the culture and the beauty of the landscape.  I saw a lot of history by touring castle ruins and walking the centuries old (yet refurbished) streets of Cork.
Click here to learn more about the beautiful country of Ireland!