Bachelorette Décor!

For my friend’s bachelorette party we took a trip down to Biloxi, Mississippi. Brittany and I wanted to take a few decorations for the hotel rooms. I made a few banners and decorated champagne flutes for mimosas. I got the idea from a post on Lauren Conrad’s Blog, which I love! To make this activity a little less messy, I used brightly colored glitter paper instead of using spray adhesive and glitter.



I got a little ways into cutting out letters before deciding I wanted all (or majority) of the letters to be the same color.

I found a few plastic champagne flutes, but felt that they needed a little glitter.

Christmas with the Family

Christmas is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year. I love the lights, the decorations, and all of the baked goods! Sadly, this year was the first since moving out of my parent’s house that I didn’t have a Christmas tree. All of the madness around writing my thesis and preparing for my defense just didn’t leave any time for pulling out decorations and finding a tree. I did take a break from writing and stressing to spend Christmas in Millbrook. My family always gets together on Christmas morning for a big breakfast, including Christmas cookies.



Another thing I love about the holidays is finding presents for a few special people.  I have seven nephews and nieces to buy for, so I won’t get into all of the gifts, just a few of my faves. B was excited about his new beef flavored bone. I found a Melissa & Doug magnetic puzzle for my Nephew, Gray.  I love Melissa & Doug’s wooden toys and this puzzle came with a magnetic fishing pole. I got Seth a couple of Man Cans, candles with manly scents made in soup cans (following donations to local soup kitchens). I bought the campfire and coffee candles, and love both.



Christmas night, Seth made it through tornado ridden weather in a nearly broken down truck to spend at least some part of Christmas with me. However, one of my nephews was in his lap as soon as he arrived.



Even without a tree, all of my favorite decorations, and time to spend looking at Christmas lights, Christmas 2012 was wonderful! I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with Seth and my family.

Light at the end of the tunnel

After a few months full of stress and a couple weeks with very little sleep, I have finally finished my thesis and scheduled my defense! Thank goodness for the friends and family that have been so supportive of me through this crazy time.
Seth has been especially supportive, and even sent me flowers one day last week to “brighten my mood” after I had pretty much growled at him for calling to make sure I was awake that morning.

Since finishing up, I’ve been doing a few of my favorite things including baking, crafting, running, and wrapping Christmas presents! However, I can’t celebrate yet. Currently I am working on my presentation and studying for my defense. I cannot wait to have completed all of the requirements for my Masters of Science!

no rain… no rainbow

Sin lucha no hay victoria

Without struggle there is no victory and without rain there are no rainbows.  I love both of these sayings, and I’ve found myself repeating them to myself somewhat regularly, lately. Currently, I am doing my best to finish my thesis and find a job.  Each task can be a little overwhelming, but I try to remember that this isn’t the final product. In the end, my thesis is there to make me a better writer and a better scientist. I believe that putting so much into this task will be worth it and in the end will be the feeling that I’ve earned this degree.  The job search will likely continue on in this lovely job market, but it will not be for my lack of trying.

Do you have any quotes or saying you use as encouragement when overwhelmed?

Tallahassee Lassie

My most recent adventure was a trip to Tallahassee, Florida where my handsome boyfriend lives. Butkus (the other handsome guy in my life) made the 6 hour drive with me to spend a nice five day weekend in Florida. Seth is an intern at a ecological research station just outside of Tallahassee. He has been there a couple of months but this was my first time to visit.

Saturday we drove down to the beach. Butkus was not sure what to think. He spent most of the time sitting on my lap, legs, butt, stomach…. It was a beautiful day at the beach, but a bit windy. After an hour or so, we packed up and found a local seafood restaurant in Carrabelle, Florida.

Meet Ann

I am a 20-something, in graduate school at the University of Alabama. I hope to use this blog to share my love of travel, baking, reading, and all things pretty.