SC Freedom Summit

It's a well known fact that I'm a political junkie, so when I found out that the SC Freedom Summit was happening in Greenville, I was immediately interested. I texted my political buddy (and best friend) to see if she was interested in going, and she was! I got us tickets and counted down the days until May 9.

We spent the night at my brother and sister-in-law's house so we wouldn't have to get up at the crack of dawn to drive there. 

When we arrived, it was packed and sold out. There were a TON of speakers--some interesting and others not-at-all-interesting. All in all though it was a fun (and informative) day!

 

Some of my favorite speakers-- Scott Walker, Donald Trump, and Ben Carson 

(Although that is not necessarily a reflection of who I would vote for.)

 Me and Michelle! A few people felt the need to point out (in a good way) that we were some of the few young people there, and it was true unfortunately.

 And what better way do unwind from a long convention than by watching Rob Lowe and The West Wing with Starbucks?!

a weekend in Beaufort

After two years of telling my friend Sydney that I would come visit her in Beaufort, I finally made good of my promise. I couldn't believe it had taken me so long especially while I was driving down there. The drive alone is beautiful, and Beaufort is even more beautiful! 

Sydney recently moved into her new house (pictured further below), and it is just a two minute walk from a dock on the marsh. We walked down to the dock soon after I got there, and this was the view. Gorgeous!

Sydney's parents stopped by for a few minutes, and she snapped this photo of her mom checking out the kitchen. Her mom is one of the sweetest people! She invited me over for Thanksgiving after not even talking to me for ten minutes.

After her parents left, we went down to the historic area of Beaufort. 

We checked out some cute little shops and found this gem! Sadly, we did not purchase it. 

Used bookstore heaven! 

We also found this dress at a thrift store, and I made Sydney try it on. It was fabulous.

She showed me Beaufort's castle. The house was huge!

We woke up early Sunday morning to watch the sunrise. 

I'm in love with her house. It was super quaint, and I wanted to move right in.

We picked up a a bagel from Palm & Moon Bagel Company and then got coffee from Common Ground Coffeehouse before church on Sunday.

After church, we got a light lunch at Fat Patties.

The rest of the weekend was spent painting the bathrooms in her new house and hanging out. I had so much fun that I'm already planning another trip at the end of October, and I can't wait!

girls' night out

Jordan texted me on Friday night asking me if I had plans. (Which, for the record, I never have plans. I've turned into a grandmother. Hence the lack of blogging. But that's for another post.) Anyway, she mentioned that it's restaurant week in Charleston. 

While I've been trying to manage my money better, I decided it was worth it. And as my sister wisely said, you have to spend some money to live. So if I go broke, I'm blaming her. ;)

Anyway, Michelle, Jordan, and I got all dressed up and went downtown. We ate at Old Towne Grill and Seafood, and it was really good! It was so much food that we decided to walk around some afterwards. We wandered down to the harbor and apparently came so close to seeing Ryan Gosling. Sadly, we missed him. But that just means we'll just have to make more trips downtown!

wedding weekend

The last weekend of August I attended the wedding of one of best friends from college (which is so weird to say-- friend from college). I met Macey during my first week at CSU, and we remained friends even when I was no longer a nursing major. She and her now husband, Brandon, were friends throughout college as well, but it wasn't until last spring that they really began to hang out. They started dating at the end of last summer (which I totally saw coming) and got married a little over a year after that.

I'm so excited for her and loved that I was able to attend. Not only was the wedding lovely, but I got to catch up with some friends too!

Leanne moved back to Columbia after graduation, so it had been a while since I'd seen her. I loved catching up with her!

Alyssa and Sydney were two of the bridesmaids. I love these girls. Alyssa has been in Pennsylvania the last two years and Sydney in Beaufort, so I hardly ever see them. Not to mention that we're all bad with keeping in touch. I'm very glad I got to see them! 

And I made sure to get a picture with the bride! Macey changed into this dress for her going away outfit, and I was such a fan. She looked like Audrey Hepburn-- so classy!

in the theme of playing catch up...

Here are a few photos from Fourth of July Eve. 

Jordan's dad is a pilot, and his company reserved a hotel room for him. But he decided not to use it, so there was an empty hotel room up for grabs. So, of course, Jordan texted us and invited us over for a sleep over. After much convincing from Michelle (I wasn't feeling terribly social), we went and spent the night in a fancy hotel room!

We swam in the pool in the rain, did a late night food run, and watched HGTV. Clearly, it doesn't take much to entertain us. :) 

Thanks, Jordan!

(P.S. We did get a group photo, but in the interest of self preservation and my pride, I'm not posting it.)

Sonic run

Our family friend, Robin, came to visit a few weeks ago. I was able to catch up with her on one of my weekend trips to Lexington. I also caught up with the mom and Kait when they decided to introduce Robin to half priced Sonic milkshakes. Perfect timing! ;)

There are sooo many choices!

Hooray for milkshakes!

pre and post graduation happenings

the day before graduation four of the five roomies met before the graduation luncheon to take pictures because we knew graduation day would be crazy. it was so windy, but we managed to get some decent pictures. and bonus! leanne was able to join in on some of them.

*all pictures courtesy of michelle*

the nursing majors.

leanne and jordan walking into the graduation luncheon.

after graduation, michelle, eva, and I had a big lunch that our families put together, and it was so good! it was very well planned, and I loved that our (large, extended) families could all be together. 

julia's family joined us for dessert which consisted of a delicious cake that michelle's mom made.

 and, last but not least, I had to get a picture with my baby girl. I can't decide if this is my favorite or the one from this post. I'll just go with both. have I mentioned how much I love her? I love her so much.

graduation day!

today I officially became a college graduate! the ceremony was long, boring, and made my tailbone hurt (a sure sign that I'm getting old). but I am so happy to be done! it's so crazy and surreal!

I'm pretty sure I have the best family in the world. they all piled into a car (including baby suits!) and drove down to see me graduate. they're amazing, and I'm so thankful for them!

(photo credit: sara)

jordan and michelle.

(photo credit: michelle)

my best friend! I love her, and I'm so happy she was able to come for the weekend!

(photo credit: Alyssa)

me and my baby girl. :) she sat through the entire ceremony without making a peep. actually she slept through the whole thing which is what I wish I could have done.

(photo credit: Kait)

some of the English grads. love these girls! they made my English classes a thousand times better for sure.

best friend and roomie! we've known each other from freshmen year and have suffered through multiple classes and late nights of studying together. she's amazing, and I love her so!

I cannot say how much I love them. a lot. a lot, a lot, a lot. and that doesn't even begin to cover it.