April Showers Bring May Flowers

I have never been a fan of rain except for on days when I could curl up on the couch and be a potato all day. However, I could totally use a nice day of rain right now. I never had allergies (that I knew of) until I moved to Florida. The pollen is so insanely existent that there is a thick orange film on my bright red car. Sheesh, I would love a heavy rain and some more Claritan in my medicine cabinet!

Last weekend, I got to go to Savannah, Georgia for the first time which was nothing short of what I expected. It is a beautiful little town buzzing with art, culture, and history. I can totally see why people fall in love with this city. I surely did. It was great spending time with Jane and Dave -laughing, talking, and simply catching up on life. They are so easy-going and put my mood at ease. There is never a dull moment with this family, and I am glad I can consider myself a part of that. We ate at Paula Dean's restaurant called The Lady and Sons. I totally get the rave now because the food was deliciousness. I felt like I had just been treated to the world's most famous southern, home -cooked food including fried green tomatoes, mashed potatoes & cream style corn (mixed together, of course), mixed greens, fried chicken, casseroles, sweet tea, & more. YUMMY! And let's not forget about River Street Sweets. I tried pralines & bear claws for the first time. We walked around the city & then drove out to Tybee Island & even managed to get lost & take the scenic route back home. :) I was glad because the longer we drove, the more time I got to spend with Jane & Dave. They are staying in Daytona all week, so I drove down to spend another evening with them yesterday at Daytona Beach. We ate at Carrabba's, talked & laughed, took a stroll along the ocean walk (after they treated me to a grande no-water vanilla chai tea latte from the famous Starbucks), sat by the pool while singing & enjoying the weather, and laughed a lot more. These people are amazing. I am a lucky girl.

Update on the job situation: Well, I can tell you that I am looking at possibilities in Santa Barbara and Long Beach, CA. The great news is that I will most likely end up moving to the same area and working with Layla!!! We are currently interviewing for jobs in both areas. We are both open to different areas in Cali but have talked specifically about these two. I believe these are some fun and exciting times to be had, according to this picture haha! I will be spending a lot more time in Huntington this summer because I get to go back and work for Pathways since they never took me off of the payroll! I am still an employee there, so I can easily have summer work. Any bit of $$$ will help since I will not have any source of income from my current job. I will hopefully be babysitting a little as well, especially once my best friend Kayla goes back to work in July. I cannot wait to see my lil miss Delaney Ryen Boggs. She is due June 8th, so I will be home shortly thereafter. I will try to keep you guys posted as I figure out what is next.

Still to come: this weekend I'm truckin' it up to Warner Robbins, GA to visit Kristen & Dan! YAY! Then, I will end another work week by turning 26 (crazy) and being greeted by my sister Jenn & her boy Alex, my cousin Ashlee & her boy LJ, and my friends Laura & Josh for a weekend in Orlando! Holy cow, this is excitement! They are flying down (except the latter two -they are my neighbors, lol) for $17.99 each way (per person) thanks to the brilliant Allegiant Air. Woo-hoo! It will be a short trip but well worth it, I'm sure. I can't wait to see my family! Then, after yet another work week I will fly to Colorado to spend a weekend with the Lynsey & Mike. Then, the dreaded packing/moving begins. Yikes! My, how time flies. I like it.

I love exclamation points!!!!!! haha!!!!!!! :)

After March

So, where to even start???? Hmmm.....

April has been an awesome month thus far. Nobody got me on any April Fools jokes this year, so that's a great start! But, that doesn't mean they didn't try, lol.

I finally got to see my dad & sister for the first time in 4 months which was beyond eventful. We had the best time at Disney World and enjoyed being kids again. My sis got on a plane and flew for the first time (of many to come) and loved it. We got lost trying to find our hotel, so we did quite a bit of driving after picking them up from the airport. The first day in Orlando was one to brag about. We went to Ripley's Believe it or Not which we thought was very cool. I had been to a couple, but neither Dad or Jenn had been. All of them are a little different. Then, we got to go on a helicopter ride -something we all enjoyed thoroughly. This was another first for my sis. We went to Universal City Walk that night and paid a visit to Margaritaville & Fat Tuesdays (if ya know what I mean, lol). The city is beautiful at night especially with all the lights. The next three days were spent at Disney -a first for all three of us. We went to Animal Kingdom on Saturday, Epcot on Sunday, and Magic Kingdom on Monday. I loved each and every one of these parks for different reasons. I recommend this vacation to anyone who still believes in magic! :) This was the first year since I've been alive that I haven't attended church on Easter Sunday, but I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend the day than with the two people I love most. These are the same people who taught me about Jesus Christ and the life He gave so that we could be together on this day. I say this a lot, but I am beyond blessed. I run out of ways to express how much I appreciate my life and everything/one in it.

My Redeemer lives, so I should too.

It was difficult to say goodbye to my family, but the good news is that I will be seeing them sooner than I thought! I will get more into that shortly.....

My Spring Break continued with a trip to San Diego. After I dropped Dad & Jenn off at the airport in Orlando, I drove straight to Jacksonville (about 2 and a half hours) and met up with my friend Erin. She dropped me off at the airport and kept Arnie for me for 5 nights -I definitely owe her for that one. I got there with half an hour to spare & made my way out west. Loring picked me up at the airport in SD at 3:30 just in time for a day of sunshine! Ahhhhhh....... so nice. I got the business part of my trip finished fairly early (fingerprinting, apartment hunting, met with a potential employer, licensure packet mailed out) so that I could relax and enjoy the trip. We spent time at Ocean Beach which is less than a mile from where he lives. We also went to the Naval Base in Point Loma which was breathtaking. I wish the pictures could do it justice, but that's not possible. You could literally see the city, ocean, hills, cliffs, roads, sailboats, a lighthouse, homes, all kinds of beauty all at the same time. Simply amazing. Really. We also went to Balboa Park which was close by as well. There was an opera singer performing outside, so we got to enjoy that. It was just nice to ride a bike and get exercise without feeling like it's a chore anymore. I am in such a slump with my exercising and really can't wait to get back into it. I will be able to do that this summer because there's not much else to do in Logan, WV.

That's right -I will be going home for the summer! The job situation isn't looking good for June, so I will be waiting until August to start another job. I will not be working for my company anymore, so we will see what happens. I am actually looking into going to Santa Barbara, CA where I have a job prospect for August! This will change all of the plans I have already made, but hey things change sometimes, right? :) I am actually very excited about this possibility. We will see what happens. Once again, it's called having an open mind. It works for me. I do look forward to spending two months at home with friends and family, getting spoiled by my aunt with our talks and the best food in the world, and my sister with foot rubs and cuddles, and by my dad with all the love a girl could feel in the world. That man loves me unconditionally, and I thank God every day for that feeling. That is the one security I have in this world: the love and support of my father (and, of course, the rest of my friends and family).

While we're on the topic of upcoming events (and friends), let's talk about some things that are coming up a little sooner:


This weekend, my dear friends/family Jane & Dave Lovejoy are coming to visit me. They are going to Daytona for vacation and will be driving up to Jacksonville to get me & take me to Savannah. One, I've never been to Savannah and will be able to cross that off of my bucket list! Two, these people are the most special and loving couple that I will forever consider my family and dear friends. They couldn't have shown me more love if I were born into their family as they have shown me over the past several years. I like to say that I'm their adopted daughter. Their name is entirely suiting! Boy, I cannot wait to see them!


The next weekend, I am traveling up to Warner Robins to see Kristen & Dan Welsh! My supervisor, Stacie, is going to Atlanta that weekend, so she is going to drop me off along to way. Holy YAY!!!!!!! It will be so nice to catch up and to finally see this happily married couple and their cute little (big) dog! I finally get my roomy back for a couple of days. I miss this girl. PS: This picture is one of my favs of Kristen. The caption reads, "Bow Son!"


My birthday is coming up the following weekend, and guess what I am getting!?!? That's right, I get round-trip ticket to Colorado to visit my precious friends, Lynsey & Mike!!!! Ahhh, I couldn't be more thrilled. I have wanted to see that state and more so this couple of amazing people since they moved. I am spending the weekend of May 7th there which are fun times to be had. I just want a hug. I'd travel 1,800 miles to hug the Currys! PS: This picture was taken on her birthday on January 23, 2008 during our first year of graduate school! :)

Looks like it's going to be quite an adventurous month ahead of me to say the least!!!! Once again, I love my life!