FREEDOM!!!

Ok, so soooo many things to be thankful for, but the one that I am THE MOST thankful for right now is the fact that Joel and I finished up with the chiropractor last week!!!!!

What does this mean? Well, if you haven't followed my blog before now, it means that we don't have to be spending three of our precious weeknights in a doctors office, getting our bones adjusted and having our backs squeezed, kneeded and basically beaten to get the knots out. Do I sound dramatic? ...Good. It was awful.

But now that we're finished, I feel like I have a new lease on life!! The difficulties of each day seem so diminished. If things go wrong, it doesn't matter because, at the end of the day, I won't have had to be in that droopy place for two hours.

I feel like I could conquer the world. Like I should have "Eye of the Tiger" somehow playing in the background all day long.

In other thankful news:
-I got to have breakfast with Lindsey last week! It was a wonderful mid-week refresher and we definitely need to do it more!
-I saw another long-lost Chick-fil-A intern and dear friend, Sara, in Athens when we went up two weekends ago... I should have gotten a picture!
-On that note, many of my dearest friends and I got to spend the weekend before last in Athens, enjoying the cycling excitement of Twilight, the birthday festivities of Katie, Scott and Kayleigh, and the matrimonial celebration of Zack and Lauren Anne. Did I mention it was gorgeous the whole time??
-Also, during said weekend, I got to be a judge for the Creative Consultants initial presentations. Creative Consultants is the Public Relations Student Society of America's (PRSSA) student-run PR firm. I would hire several of those students in a second... if only I were in charge of hiring.
-I was able to see my sweet, sweet friend Lauren on Friday night. She's moving back to Atlanta, which is a whole other blog post worth of thankfulness!!!
-On top of all of this, the sun is out longer, the weather is warmer and the trees are in full bloom... all of this is enough to keep me in a heavenly mood until October!
-Finally, I am not planning a wedding, but I have a friend who is, and in looking for fun ideas for her, I stumbled across Snippet and Ink... it is the most addictive blog I have ever read! Girls, be warned. :)

Birthday Parties, Wedding Showers and Bachelorette Parties, Oh My!

So my life has been dominated by work, birthdays, wedding showers and bachelorette parties lately. Can I tell you how awesome it is to be surrounded by your best friends weekend after weekend? It's pretty amazing. Here are a few of my favorite pics of the last few times we've hung out:

Dinner and a Movie

Is there anything better, really?

Joel, Mom and I went to dinner at Figo last night in the Highlands and then to see Sunshine Cleaning with Katie. And it was blissfully happy. I highly recommend both Figo and the movie... and the company wasn't too bad either. :)

Slowly but Surely....

Ok, no more big statements like, "I'm going to update every day, without fail." I am learning to give myself a little grace and realize that there are some days I'm not going to be able to do all 100 things that I say I can do.

I'm learning, slowly but surely, how to put a little balance back in my life. Since January, trying to find that balance between my faith, my work life, my home life, my family, my friends, my boyfriend, my lawyer (car accident), my health, my blog and my me time has been quite a difficult challenge for me. As one who is a people-pleaser and over-achiever, I have been trying to be 100% to all of those buckets of my life. Unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in a day and, as hard as it is for me to admit, I just can't do everything.

You have no idea how long it took me to come to that conclusion. Silly, I know.

In conclusion though, I love my blog. When I get to write about the things I'm thankful for, my whole outlook on life improves. This is something I don't want to fall by the way-side... but it has because I am technically not letting anyone down if I don't write. So, since it's important to me, I'm going to do my best to keep up with it a little better. I can't promise I'll post every day, but I will do my best to keep more regular updates on the amazing things in my life.

So, thank you to all of you who have encouraged me to keep on blogging. And thank you for your patience with me as I learn how to give myself a little grace. :)

Now, back to what I'm thankful for today: Posse Lunch!!

At work, there is a group of us young people who like to get together most days for lunch. I don't normally get to eat with them, but I got to today and it was so refreshing! It is such a sweet group of friends and we all truly care about one another - a rare blessing in the workplace. A few of them, like Christen , Kelly, Laura and Lindsey (even though she technically doesn't work here anymore), have blogs of their own that you should check out! I am so thankful for each and every one of them and their constant words of encouragement and optimistic outlook. They're the best!

Bye-Bye Lindsey!

Today was Lindsey's last day at work. :( While I couldn't honestly say I'm thankful she's leaving, I can twist it around and say I'm thankful that she is going to be sharing her knowledge with some lucky middle school girls in Birmingham or Charlotte.

I am so proud to be able to call Lindsey my friend. As I've already alluded to in her birthday blog, Lindsey is a strong woman of God and an incredible role model. I have no doubt that God is going to do amazing things with her life!

Thank you for always being an amazing friend, Lindsey. Good luck with this new phase of life!

Get Well Goodie Bags

As a pick-me-up after the wreck, Katie assembled a Get Well Goodie Bag for me and placed it in my room so I saw it when I got home Tuesday night. In said bag, she compiled a grouping of some of my favorite things: Vogue magazine (with Blake Lively from Gossip Girl on the cover), hair products, Pellegrino, Cheezits and Funfetti icing (she couldn't find the Rainbow Chip kind)! She had also written a hilarious poem and gotten me four Gerber daisies... my favorite!!!

The poem went a little something like this:
I'm so sorry that you bumped your head.
At least you got to lay in bed.
Hopefully our favorite snack from the Golden Days
will help you rest your woes away.
There's something in your bag that bubbles
to help you with all your troubles.
And if you ever get to wash your hair*,
there's something inside to give it extra care.
I hope you have time to read
before you get back on that steed.
And, last, something to make you smile...
even though they'll be dead in a while.
I love you forever!
Feel better!
(*I was not able to wash my hair for 24 hours after I left the emergency room because the glue that was holding my gash together could get messed up. I usually wash my hair when not in this situation.)

Brewton

Miss Lindsey Robin (or Brewton, as Ansley, Sara and I used to lovingly call her) turned 24 today! I envy she and Geoffrey both for being able to enter the "good" year!

Lindsey and I haven't known each other very long. We met about a year and a half ago when we joined the 2007 Chick-fil-A Intern Class. It didn't take long to realize that Brewton, Fetz Face (Ansley), Sholcomb (Sara) and I (Speirhead) were going to be good buddies. From work to Braves games to testing out all of the pies at the Hapevile Dwarf House, we grew closer as we had tons and tons of fun!

Well Brewton and I stayed in touch a little bit my senior year of college, but we didn't get to spend a lot of time together. So, since I've come back to Chick-fil-A, I feel like we've been able to pick up our friendship where we left off and every day, I cherish her more and more as a friend.

At Chick-fil-A, instead of working together, they call it "doing life together," and I love that I get to do life with Lindsey. Her constant humor, sweetness, occasional sarcasm and joyous spirit make her one of the people I am most happy to be around. Truly, a day without her in the office is a bit of a downer, cause I just love having her around!

I am so excited to see how our friendship grows and I am so excited to see what her 24th year will bring!

I love you Lindsey! For those of you who love Lindsey too, leave her a comment on here, or on her blog.... P.S. That's what she told me she wants for her birthday... for you crazy kids to post to her "flippin" blog!!

Geoffleighnatiousness

So, November is quickly becoming one of my favorite months since I'm realizing I have so many best friends born in it! The past two days are specifically special because they are Sallie and Geoffrey's birthdays!

Today is Geoffrey's 24th birthday... and word on the street is that your 24th year is the BEST year! Twenty-three is the year when you're dealing with transition and taking care of yourself and experiencing change left and right. Twenty-four is the year where you get to reap the benefits of all the crap you had to deal with when you were 23! You are settled into a new way of life and have time to sit back and relax.

Well, I have a feeling this couldn't be more true for anyone than Geoffrey Edward. Geoffrey's past two or three years have been quite a roller coaster ride. But about nine months ago, he decided to join the Air Force (a decision none of us took well at first) and his life has been on the up and up ever since. While all of us he left at home are struggling to live without him every day, G-Money (or Eric as he likes to call himself) is having the time of his life.

Geoffrey and I met 9 years ago at Landmark. He was a grade older than me and I didn't really hang out with him much except whenever I saw him in the hallways. He used to talk to everyone - seriously the friendliest guy ever. Well, through a series of circumstances, he and I became really good friends my junior year of high school and actually kept in touch when he left and went to college. Then my freshman year of college, I got a random call out of nowhere from Geoffrey and his best friend, Beau. They were in town for the weekend and ended up hanging out with us all weekend, instead of hanging out with the people they originally came to see. After that, either they came to Athens or we (Molly, Katie and I) went to Kennesaw every weekend of our freshman year and we've been family ever since.

Geoffrey is THE FUNNIEST person you will ever meet. He's an interesting cross between Dane Cook and Ashton Kutcher, except generally cleaner. He can make the most boring situation fun. I have been begging him for years to do stand-up, but he chose the smarter route with the Air Force. Anyway, Geoffrey is the most loyal friend of all time (only Sallie could rival him for this), and he cares about people with his entire being. No matter what, Geoffrey is there for you and he'll tell you exactly what you're supposed to hear, whether you want to or not. He's the perfect blend of humor, encouragement and truthfulness. And he's also addictive; once you've hung out with him once, you're hooked and you want to be around him all the time. Be warned.

I love you Geoffrey! I miss you down there!

Again, if you know Geoffrey, write him a sweet comment on here to wish him a happy belated birthday!

Sweet Sallie

Before I begin, I must include a little note. I have struggled with deciding how to write about the specific people in my life I am thankful for. It is a situation that must be approached with care. For if I were to just begin writing about those that I'm thankful for, the ones whom I did not write about first may get their feelings hurt and believe that they are not as important to me as they truly are. Therefore, I have decided to write about those I'm thankful for on their respective birthdays. That way, no one gets their feelings hurt and maybe the post can be seen as an online card! :)

Well, Miss Sallie Rebecca was born this day 23 years ago. Little did her loving parents know that, while Sallie would be an incredible blessing in their lives, she was truly born for me! Sal and I met about three years ago at a Georgia football game (a great start!) and instantly connected. About a year later, she transferred to UGA and moved into the dorms on campus. Well, with Katie in Italy for study abroad, Molly, Allison and I had an available room at our house. I don't think we really planned it, but Sallie ended up moving in and being our fourth roomie for the spring. And let me just tell you, it was one of the most fun times of my whole life! From spring break in Panama City to nights spent squished in Molly's bed with Cheezits, we always had a good time and forged a bond that will last forever! (Shhh, who cares if it's cheesy? I mean it!) Through a series of transitions, it worked out to where Sallie was able to live with us senior year as well and we've been best friends ever since.

Talk to anyone: Sallie is probably the sweetest person you will ever meet. She's full of encouragement, joy, love and laughter. OH the laughter! The only way I can convey it in print is "BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" But that seriously does not do it justice. She has been there for me through all of the ups and downs of the past two years; always there to be a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on or a voice of comfort. We have laughed and cried together, but mostly laughed. She is one of the most special people I have ever met and is truly gorgeous inside and out. I can't wait to see what and where this next year brings her! I'm sure it will be a year full of joys, challenges and change and I can't wait to see where God directs her life after graduation!

Sallie, I love you more than life itself and I am so thankful that God brought you me!!!

Anyone who knows Sallie, post a comment wishing her a happy belated birthday and let her know how special she is to you!

Late-Night Conversations

Saturday night, Sallie and I stayed up until 4 a.m. talking! We had no idea how late it was. We were just sitting in the living room, munching on some of the leftovers from her party, when we realized that it was 3:45!

As much as I've been paying for it since then, every minute was worth it.

Sweet times with friends are so special.

Surprise, Suprise!

After the startlingly close football game between UGA and Kentucky yesterday, we bulldogs needed a little bit of a pick-me-up. Having no plans in mind, we were looking at a long night of frustrated boredom. UNTIL, we got a phone call from Airman Coons. Somehow, Geoffrey found a way to come and see us yesterday!!! It was only an hour and a half, but it was so wonderful to see him!!! While I never imagined Geoffrey as a serviceman, he seems to be loving his life now and I am so incredibly proud of him.

In honor of our valiant military hero, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite patriotic tunes and commercials:
-Lee Greenwood: God Bless the USA
-1950s Air Force Recruitment Video
-Air Force Commercial
-Above All
-We've Been Waiting for You (I really like this one)
-Kenny Loggins: Danger Zone

Witty Remarks

Oh my, I'm so thankful for witty remarks! I laughed out loud at this one from my clever roommate, Audrey:

"Well Lindsey's sketchier than a notepad!"

Maybe you had to be there, but in the moment, nothing could have been funnier.

The Weekend: Reason #908,309,039,231 to be Thankful

Weekends... they need no explanation. I'm just thankful for them.

Saturday, October 25, 2008: Cookouts
Sallie, my bff, came out to see the new house in Atlanta for the first time on Saturday! As soon as she got there, we made some no-bake cookies and headed over to our good friends Al and Kassie's apartment for football-watching and a cookout. It was truly wonderful to see everyone there since I don't get to see many of them often! Seeing old friends wasn't the only great thing -- Georgia beat LSU - a much-needed victory, Bama beat Tennessee (I really, really don't like Tennessee) AND I ate a delicious hamburger! It was truly a great day!

Sunday, October 26, 2008: Porch Swings
Today was just one of the most beautiful days, in every way. Sallie and I woke up and laid in bed for a while before getting up and having a tasty breakfast at the Wa-Ho. Then, I listened to an Andy Stanley podcast while I drove home and had a trampoline battle with my sister, Alyssa. I'm pretty sure she won because she's mastered the beauty of the double-jump. Don't worry, I'll get there. Then, Dad, Aly, my brother, Zack, and I all went to see High School Musical 3!!! It was so wonderfully bad -- just like the other two!

After we got home, I went outside and just swang on our porch swing for a half hour while the sun set. The temperature was perfect and the sun was setting just over some houses, making the trees look like their different-colored leaves were catching fire. It smelt like fresh laundry outside, oddly. While I was swinging, this boy across the street was doing tricks on his scooter and an old couple was out for a walk. It was so pleasant, I could have stayed there forever!

But, it got too cold. :)