"But I want you to know honey, I love your love the most"

Last Tuesday (June 23) marked mine and Timmy's 2nd Wedding Anniversary, and like the first one we were apart in different states. Last summer I was interning at VT so we celebrated the weekend before our actual anniversary by spending the weekend in the Bed & Breakfast we stayed in in Christiansburg when we got engaged and spending an evening at Chateau Morrissett. This year I was at the Wooden Institute so we celebrated this past weekend when I got home. Since Timmy has a serious sweet tooth and since I was gone the actual day of our anniversary I had a cookie bouquet delivered to him at work to enjoy. Friday night we went to the movies and had dinner out. Saturday as my gift was our day. Timmy had given me monopoly money and list of activities, meals, and even home spa services to choose from that he would treat me to that day. We started the morning with a nice family walk at the river followed by a great breakfast and a few wii games. Then we went to the pool for a few hours and then when we came back in I had my spa afternoon, including a relaxing bath (with sparkling white wine and chocolate covered strawberries), a foot massage, a body massage, and nice back rub to top it all off. It was a wonderful day and I was so glad to spend it together relaxing and enjoying some of the things we love to do. There are a few pictures below of Timmy's cookies and him and Zoey, he even wore his VT hat to the pool for me on Saturday!



Well my summer has officially ended. As soon as I am done posting on here I am getting in the car and heading to Charleston to start work tomorrow. I am excited and looking forward to this new adventure. Kassie, my new supervisor, was able to find me an on-campus suite to stay in for the next few months until Timmy and I get moved in to our new place in September. I will be moving in to that tomorrow night! I will be sure to take some pictures and to post this weekend about my new job and new "home" (at least Mon-Fri) for the next few weeks.

"But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more"

Well many of you who know me know that being Greek has truly been a life changing experience for me. Growing up my father was very involved with his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, and I have fond memories of attending conventions and visiting the old chapter house at Virginia Tech when we would go up for football games and Beta reunions. Personally I had decided going into college that being in a sorority just did not seem like anything I would ever be interested in doing, I had bought in to the "Animal House" stereotype and knew that was not the kind of thing for me. Despite my resistance dad dragged me to the Panhellenic info session during orientation, even after leaving that I was still sure it was not for me. Fast forward to January and one of the few girls I knew in a sorority at the time, Katie Weaks asked if I was interested in joining Chi Omega. I still was not sure about the whole sorority thing but I knew Katie well and knew what she stood for and believed in, I figured if she could do it than maybe I could give it a try. Thus I joined Chi Omega and I would like to say that the rest is history! Clearly joining Chi Omega was one of the best decisions I ever made, I learned what Greek organizations really were and what they stood for and it took no time for me to get involved in my chapter. I loved it so much that it is now my life, working for Chi Omega, working in the Greek Life office at USC as I was in grad school, and now as I begin my first full time job post-grad in just a few days as Assistant Director of Greek Life at College of Charleston I cannot imagine my life without the experiences and friendships that being Greek has brought into my life. I am also extremely grateful to have a wonderful husband who although is not Greek, supports my passion and involvement with my career and fraternal experiences.

Aside from growing up around Beta Theta Pi, it has continued to be a huge part of my life through college and into the present. When I was a junior the VT chapter of Beta was recolonized and I had the opportunity to connect with a number of the founding fathers who to this day are some of my closest friends. I was honored my senior year when the chapter made me their sweetheart and was so happy that so many of them were able to attend my wedding and serenade me on my big day (for those of you who do not know, Beta is the singing fraternity)! Last summer I was invited to facilitate at the Wooden Institute which Beta holds each summer for members of their collegiate chapters across the country. It was an amazing experience for me and I was thrilled when the opportunity to volunteer at their Southeast Keystone Regional Conference in February and to facilitate again this summer were offered to me. Beta has meant so much to me throughout my life that is truly an honor to be able to give back to their great fraternity with my time and I truly hope that as I start my first "real job" I will also be able to start giving to them financially as well so that more Beta members can benefit from their great leadership development opportunities. As a Greek Life professional it is great to be involved interfraternally and it is equally refreshing to see that there are organizations out there that are getting it right and are providing great development opportunities to their members. Below are some pictures from Session 1 of the Wooden Institute and the men from my Chapter 5 small group that I worked with last week. It was truly a wonderful experience and I hope to continue to stay involved with Beta in the future. It also remotivated me after my summer of boredom to start work this week!

Chapter 5 on the last day @ the Alpha House

Chapter 5 Men after serenading Bonnie Fey

Michael Hay & I The Fearless Chapter 5 Leaders

"So hot outside all I can wear are these cutoff overalls and these sandals on my feet"

Well sorry it has been a long time since I have blogged, the past two weeks have been filled with a mixture of boredom which did not warrant anything to write about as well as multiple house hunting trips to Charleston and a trip back to Chester last weekend for Dale and Meredith's wedding. I am leaving home in about 10 minutes to head to the airport to fly to Ohio until next Wednesday. I will be visiting my friend Megan from grad school tonight and then will be headed to Oxford, OH to facilitate at the Beta Theta Pi Wooden Institute. This will be my second year out there for the Institute and I am really looking forward to it!

In exciting news Timmy and I found a place in Charleston! We thought we had found the perfect house and were prepared to put an offer on it last Monday and then our realtor took us to this new community called Carolina Bay to check out some of the new town homes that are being built, we fell in love and purchased one that they have just started building. We put down our down payment last night and signed our first round of contracts. The home won't be ready until the end of September but we are excited to be home owners soon and to have something brand new. There aren't really any pictures yet but you can check out the floor plan. More to come when I get back from Ohio, I am hoping to get a break from the extreme heat and humidity we have been facing here in Columbia, but am also hoping to avoid the tornado's that hit last year when I was in Oxford! I will also post some pictures from Dale & Meredith's wedding when I get back and have more time.

Timmy & I with Meredith & Dale

Me & Timmy

Some of the Chester Crew @ the Wedding

"And These are the Moments, I'll Remember all my Life"

Well it has once again been a quite a long time since my last post, but I was away for a little over a week and then had a nice last minute visit from Tina and Eric down here in Columbia Sunday-today so I have had little time to even turn the computer on. However my time at home and in Maryland to celebrate Liz & Adam's wedding and all the festivities that came along with it were wonderful. I cannot imagine a better way to have spent my 26th Birthday! (Thanks to those of you who sent birthday messages via phone, text, and facebook, sorry I wasn't able to respond to everyone yet but it was a busy day with the wedding!)

Anytime I have the opportunity to go back to VA and to see family and friends from home and college I am reminded of how blessed I have been my entire life to be surrounded by such wonderful people. Between the wedding festivities, my Memorial Day/birthday cookout that I had at mom's where I got to see lots of old neighbors and friends, getting to spend time with mom and Reed and have a nice birthday dinner with dad, hanging out with Tina, almost suffering several heart attacks while driving around Baltimore with Danielle, getting to meet Breslyn Marie Weeks and finally hold her, and Timmy and I having some time to catch up with his parents and Jonathan I had lots of opportunities in a short amount of time to catch up with lots of people who mean a lot to me and to Timmy. While that much time away can be very tiring it flew by and I had a great time catching up with everyone. It definitely was a nice break from my previous boredom! Below are a few pictures from the fun at home and in MD for the wedding.

In other exciting news, Timmy found us a realator in Charleston and we will be making our first trip down to look at places this weekend. I am excited about this first time home buying, and while I know it will be stressful look forward to embarking on this adventure with Timmy. More to come on that front!

Liz's Bachelorette Party Group @ Dinner

Chi Omega Girls @ Birthday Cookout

Me & Sweet Baby Breslyn

Breslyn Marie Weeks

Tara, Danielle, and Me at the Fiesta Dinner

Bridal Luncheon

Wedding Party @ Rehearsal Dinner

Me & Timmy at Reshearsal Dinner

Me with the Bride & Groom at Rehearsal Dinner

Beautiful Bride & Her Bridesmaids

Me & Liz

Partners in Crime for the Weekend-Me & Danielle

Mr. & Mrs. Adam Hall!

Timmy, Me, & Adam

"Lookin' at You Lookin' at Me is the Only Thing that Matters"

Last night Timmy and I went down to Charleston to see Sugarland in concert. Last fall Sugarland played here in Columbia at the State Fair and when Timmy and I tried to get tickets they were sold out. We went to the fair anyways that night and I did stand outside the theatre where the concert was and listen but it wasn't the same as seeing them. So back in February as a gift after I finished COMPS Timmy gave me two tickets to the concert last night! Despite the on and off again down pours that luckily occurred before the concert and in between acts, and the cool weather, the concert was wonderful! Billy Currington opened for Sugarland and he was great as well. We had wonderful seats (I am not sure the pictures do it justice) but we had a wonderful time. I am glad that even though country music is not Timmy's favorite he still takes me to see all of my favorite groups! Check out some of the pictures below!

Today Tory is taking me to lunch and to get a pedicure to celebrate my graduation. It has been such a blessing to have her in Columbia while we have been here and I sure am going to miss her when she heads back to Richmond and we move further south to Charleston. The good thing is Tory LOVES SC so I know I can count on her to come visit us plenty.

When Timmy gets off work today we will head to VA, this weekend is Liz's bachelorette party in MD, I am really looking forward to that. Then I will head back to Richmond for a few days before heading back up to Baltimore for the big wedding. While it will be a busy week I am looking forward to catching up with lots of family and friends!

"And how do you keep your feet on the ground, when you know you that you were born to fly?"

Well it has now been a week and half since I have officially been done with school and work, and I am already bored. That is right, I know that most normal people enjoy having time off from work to do nothing, but let me tell you how long doing nothing is fun, for about 2-3 days. Believe me, I have watched plenty of Law & Order and read lots and also run every morning, all of which I enjoy doing but then when Timmy gets home from work I sit and wonder, what good have I done for the world today? I know, I am weird but I can't help it. I thought maybe once I got a job and knew that there would be an end to this boredom that I would enjoy it more but I am still not. I am a total extrovert and get energized from being around others, and I miss being around others. I do have a few friends still around Columbia, however the ones who are not working are hard to track down to spend time with. I am looking forward to next week when I will be in Richmond/Maryland to visit friends and family and to celebrate Liz and Adam's wedding. For now I am keeping my fingers crossed that it gets a little warmer outside so I can at least read out by the pool!

I do enjoy when Timmy is around though and this past Saturday we went to the last home Carolina baseball game against UGA. It was our May Social for the Chi Omega Alumnae group that I have been a part of for the past year. The girls are great and I have enjoyed staying connected to Chi Omega. Below are a few pictures from the game. Tomorrow Timmy is taking me to see Sugarland in Charleston and then Friday after he gets off work we will head to Richmond. I am looking forward to the week ahead and will hopefully have time to post some pictures and updates on here as well!

Chi Omega Girls @ The Game

Timmy & I at the Game

"I Guess the Lord Knows What He's Doing After All"

Well after months of applying for jobs, phone interviews, and a few campus interviews, I have finally found a job! I accepted a job this week at College of Charleston as Assistant Director of Greek Life and am so thrilled. I feel blessed to have a job that I want in a GREAT location, I never dreamed I would ever live in Charleston! Timmy and I are excited to finally know where we are headed and will begin making our plans for the transition from Columbia to Charleston. I do not start work until July 1 so I still have some time off to get organized and relax before I begin my life in the "real world" again. While it was a hard wait at times we are glad that everything worked out and hope that everything else that comes along with relocating will also fall in place. We are grateful for all God has provided to us so far in our journey together and have faith that things will work out during our new adventure. Thanks to all of you who have supported and encouraged us along the way, continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next few months!

The beautiful flowers Timmy brought home to congratulate me with!