Half Birthday..

My birthday is December 24th and Zack decided that starting this year the two of us are going to start celebrating my half birthday so that is exactly what we did on July 1st! The entire day was filled with surprises for me due to the fact that I had no clue as to where we were going. We started the Friday morning off by eating breakfast at Chick-fil-A.. Yummy! After enjoying our chicken minis and hash browns we were off. The next place on our list was the Memphis Zoo! We had such an amazing time looking at all of the animals and just spending time together. Even though it was July the weather was not that hot at all. I even let Zack talk me into going into the reptile house. If you know me well you know I am SEVERELY afraid of snakes so this was a huge moment for me!! Obviously I made it out alive so I guess you could so I concerned a little piece of my fear that day thanks to Zachary. Our favorite part of the zoo had to be the new area for the bears. Two of the 3 grizzlies were playing and running around like little kids while the other one napped in the shade. It was so fun! After leaving the zoo we stopped to eat lunch at one of our favorite spots, Huey's. Delicious like always! After lunch Zack surprised me and took me to Anthropologie and told me I could pick out a dress to wear that night. Luckily I work there and get a great discount but this trip we actually found 2 dresses on sale and they ended up being super super cheap! Happy birthday to me right?! After shopping we both went home and got dressed for the evening. I wore one of my new dresses and Zachary looked so handsome in his dark Levi jeans and a plaid navy shirt. We ate dinner at Ciao Bella. I had only been here one time before with Elinor but it was Zack's first time. We both were very impressed. After a birthday dessert we headed to midtown to see Footloose at Playhouse on the square!! The show was AMAZING! Everyone did such a great job. It was opening night and everything appeared to go perfectly. Altogether we had a perfect day. Zachary you bring so much love and happiness into my life. Thank you for being such a wonderful man. I love you!

I HAVE A NEW COMPUTTER!!

A few semesters ago after staying up late doing work at the library for exams, I left my WONDERFUL Macbook in my jeep while I went inside my house for a few hours to sleep. When I returned 4 hours later I came to find my computer had been stolen. It was horrible!!! Since then I have been using other peoples' computers to do homework and what not. With the upcoming semester approaching I knew I needed to get a computer of my own but I didn't know how I was going to be able to afford it UNTIL YESTERDAY. I was at Hutchison helping my lead teacher, Nicole set up our PreK classroom. She left to pick up her new computer and go through some training. I decided to stay around and continue to work on the room. About 10 minutes later she called me and told me to come down as well because they had a computer for ME!!! I couldn't be more excited if you cant tell! The computer I received is a year old (which is awesome) and here is some more good news.. the school was selling the old laptops and I was able to get one to keep forever for $25!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are PCs but they already have all of the software I will need until I graduate and can buy a new computer of my own!!! The Lord has provided so much for me!!!! I just thought I would share this because it was such a huge moment for me!! Yaaayyyy! Thank you Jesus!

Whats been keeping me busy this summer..

This summer I set some goals for myself...

One goal has been to pay off my debt that I owe on credit cards. The amount I owed at the beginning of the summer was not a huge amount but any amount is more than I want!! I can happily tell you that I have payed off one of my 4 and I am well on my way of doing the same with the others. It is embarrassing posting this but at the same time it is great accountability! The way I have been working to pay off my debt has been babysitting. In the past I have only taken care of one family each summer but this summer I have been all over the place. Some weeks I have one family, others I have had 2 or 3 a day, and then I have had a single mom that asks me to come one night a week just for some alone time. It has been a very hectic schedule but it has kept me busy and helped me to stay focused on my goal of paying off debt.

Here are some fun/crazy times we have had so far!

The kids wanted to raise money for their service project at VBS so we had a lemonade stand. This was their idea! They kept asking how much a wheelchair cost and it took me a while to understand where this was coming from but when I found out their project was to buy them for 3rd world countries it warmed my heart!

Another goal Zack and I made together was to find a church home. We visited around and really enjoyed High Point Church in Memphis, TN. God really spoke to us when we were there and we could tell that it is definitely a living church that loves the Lord. A few weeks ago we visited Revision Church in Olive Branch, MS. I cant explain the pull that Zack and I feel towards what is happening in this church body. An advantage of going to Revision in the beginning was knowing some of the people I love most in the world were largely involved but we have met some incredible people and have already started building relationships. The Lord has used the messages Sunday mornings and the small group meetings Sunday nights to encourage and challenge us so much. I cant wait to see what the Lord is going to do in our lives!

The last goal I made was to blog more which I obviously have not done but that is all changing today!! :) It has been very difficult blogging when I don't have a computer but I will find ways. The computer situation will hopefully be fixed closer to August when all of the back to school sales are happening!

I am very excited about the weekend ahead! Zack has decided that we are going to start celebrating my half birthday since my real birthday is Christmas Eve and he wanted me to have a time of my own. (He really is the sweetest!) We both are off work on Friday so he is taking me out on a day of surprises. The only thing I am sure of is we are going to see Footloose at Playhouse on the Square that night. Ahh! Did I mention I am excited?! Also this weekend brings the 4th of July! We will be going to a cookout at our new friends Anna and Garrett Brewer's house.
Hope you are having a happy Wednesday!

BIG BIG BIGGG Changes

My life in the the past 6 months has completely changed. Relationships have ended and new ones have began. I am still in school at memphis but I am a semester and a half closer to graduating. I still am working at Hutchison but I have gone back to working at Anthropologie as well. I am now dating the talented and handsome Zachary Holcomb and Olivia has returned home from Germany! Over the past months there have been a lot of tears, a lot of laughs, and A LOT of leaning on the Lord. I know I have not always made the best decisions but I try and reflect and see what the Lord was teaching me through the darkness. I have been so blessed to have so many encouraging and challenging people in my life who have been there to help hold me up and who have been there to tell me I have done wrong. I love these people very much and am so blessed to call them my friends. Even thought I don't know what is going to happen, I am so excited to see what the Lord has planned for me in the future.

TOMS

I have wanted a pair of TOMS since I heard about them! Not only are they adorable but also when you buy a pair a child in need receives a pair of shoes as well. How amazing is that? I was torn between the gold glittery classics and another pair called the cordones I stumbled upon yesterday. Jason ended up talking me into the second pair. I CANNOT wait for them to get here! Even though I didn't get the glittery ones I have a feeling they will be in my possession at some point in the future. :) If you havent checked them out before I would strongly suggest you do so!

www. TOMS.com <

I think these will be perfect for fall and everything else!

Sneak Peak Caryn + Ben Engagements

This weekend I had the great privilege of taking pictures of Caryn, Ben, and Brayden. Caryn and Ben are getting married in March and Caryn has asked me to be her Maid of Honor!! How amazing is that?! The four of us headed to My Big Backyard in Memphis Botanical Gardens to take the first set of their engagement pictures. This place couldn't be anymore fun for children and adults! We had a great time and I cant wait to take some of the soon to be Mr and Mrs very soon. Until then here is a peak of our adventure....

Sara is Getting Married!

Tonight Sara, her mom, Lexie, Katie, Carla, and I went to look for bridesmaid dresses. After deciding on one we thought Sara should try on a few wedding dresses. She ended up trying on three.. each one we loved more than the one before. Sara ended up picking a BEAUTIFUL gown!! She absolutely looks like a princess. After deciding on her wedding dress we decided that the bridesmaid dresses would be too casual so we are back to square one with that one.. which was the whole reason to go tonight haha. While trying on dresses Sara told me that she had chosen me to be her Maid of Honor! I couldn't be more honored and excited all at the same time to be her MOH!!! (notice all of the exclamation marks :) Tonight was so much fun and I cant wait for her big day!

This is obviously not the dress chosen but doesn't she look beautiful?!