A picture is worth 1,000 words

I guess it would be easy (and lazy) of me to simply post a picture or two and allow you to guess the kind of person that I am. I'm not saying that I couldn't make it fairly simple for you, but it's not nearly as fun for me.

The Background

I was born on May 22, 1990 in Delray Beach, Florida. That's on the east coast about an hour north of Miami, in case you are like me and dislike geography. After a few months in the sunshine state, Mom and Dad decided to move up north. North Carolina is really all I remember growing up. Of course I remember our house in Florida, but that's only because after we moved, my Dad's older brother bought it, so I got to see a fair share of it growing up. That's also how I met my "sister." Emily's family lived a block over from us, and it was basically like having a second family growing up. There are photos of us playing dress up, doing ballet, and hiking through the years. Since I'm an only child, it was great to have someone to look up to that I didn't actually have to live with. But back to North Carolina.

I'm about four years old here. Emily is probably 10. Uncle Stefan, Emily's dad, is holding me. This is during a hike in Cashiers, NC.

Dad, Mom, Emily, and myself picking out a Christmas tree. Winter 2010. 

Myself & Gram at my graduation. She's the best.

I grew up in a really small vacation town in western North Carolina called Cashiers. It's pronounced CASH-ERS. Take out the "i." Because if you say it like CASH-EERS to anyone who is local, they're going to know you aren't from there. That's all the help I'm going to give you. Let's just say growing up there made the mispronunciation somewhat of a pet-peeve of mine. I lived there from the time I was 4 until I graduated high school in 2008 from Highlands School. My graduating class had 28 people in it, most of whom I still talk to currently. It was basically like growing up with a giant family. We fought and picked on each other, but when things go wrong, I always have someone I can call. There were so many good times that it would be impossible to narrow them down.

Reunion of the class of 2008

(Michael, Kyle, myself, and Taylor)

Growing Up

After graduation, I chose to pursue my undergrad degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University in good-ole Hickory, NC, about 2.5 hours east of Cashiers. Basically, I wanted to be far enough that my parents wouldn't just show up, but close enough that I could go home on the weekends if I wanted to. Mission accomplished. College was a blast. I can't even begin to describe how much I loved my college experience. It opened doors for me that I never thought possible, and taught me how to mature and respect myself and my abilities. College showed me strength that I never thought I had, both for myself and for others. I made friends that will last a lifetime, and memories that will last longer than that. During the summer of 2011, I was lucky enough to travel for a month through Europe, visiting places such as Rome, Venice, Berlin, Prague, Amsterdam, London, Paris, Munich, Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne, Florence, and the Vatican. It was incredible. I'll have to make a new post entirely to talk about that one! Check out some of my incredible college memories below!

Our Prologue Group for Move-In Weekend @ LRU

I'm on the left, Darsee is the redhead in the middle, and Dawon is the redhead in the printed shirt. We remain friends to this day, and Dawon was my roommate sophomore year.

Myself and my junior year roommate, Kassie. Kass and I are best friends. I was the Maid of Honor in her wedding, and her and her husband let me live with them when I started my job in Hickory. 

My boys. Theta Xi fraternity gave me so many memories. This is Shea, Brian, myself, Bart, and Josh in my back yard during the recolonization weekend at WCU in fall of 2010. 

My college second family. The Keelers. Mr. Bill & Grant are missing, but here is Bart, Luke & Lance, & Momma Darcy. 

Mr. Bart Keeler and myself at our graduation tailgate, May 11, 2012. He's one of my absolute favorite people ever. 

My freshman year, I joined Kappa Delta sorority, and the rest is history. These girls became some of my best friends during college, and will remain my sisters for life. Kristin, Marty, Alyssa, myself, Molly & Ashton. Just a small part of the Dirty Dozen!

My life so far has been incredible. The pictures above don't do nearly enough justice to the incredible opportunities that I have been given throughout my life so far, and the memories and friends that I have made. I'm sure many of my posts will revolve around my friends and family, so get used to hearing about them! This was just a brief (I'm sure you're thinking, this? Brief? Ya right! But you just wait...) introduction.