30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 8

Day 8: A place you've traveled to.

During the summer after my freshman year of college, I had the opportunity to spend 3.5 weeks in Europe. My brother was studying abroad at the University of Leicester in England, so we thought it would be fun to travel around and live like poor traveling students for a few weeks (and boy did we!)

We encountered some very interesting people, and had some innnnteresting experiences- from almost getting robbed on the Metro in Paris, to me having my first Guinness, to finding out the beach we were on in Nice was in fact a topless beach (AWKWARD). Some hostels were pretty nice, others were....questionable. But all in all, it was a blast, and we still have fun reminiscing about it.

I consider myself SO incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel overseas. It's an experience I will never forget, and given the chance I would go back in a heartbeat. If you haven't done it already, what are you waiting for?!?! And hey, if you really want me to, I can give you the name of that beach...

Eiffel Tower & Ice Cream

Notre Dame Cathedral

London. I was clearly going through my thrift store t-shirt phase.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 7

Day 7: Your favorite movies

There are way too many to name! But maybe it would be best to put them into categories?

Favorite movie overall:

The Shawshank Redemption. Hands down. I could watch it over and over again on repeat and never get tired of it. The ending still gives me goosebumps and makes me cry every single time. Classic.

Other favorite tear-jerkers/goosebump-inducers: The Blind Side, Erin Brokovich, and Love Actually.

Top comedies that can ALWAYS make me laugh till I cry: The Hangover. Step-Brothers. Wedding Crashers. Anchorman. Baby Mama.

Jon says that I still have not seen all of the great "classic" movies out there, so this list may be short-sighted. I am always open to new suggestions, since my Netflix queue had only 2 movies on it before I canceled my account. What's your favorite movie??

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 6

Day 6: A picture of something that makes you happy.

This one is too easy! Lots of things make me happy. But for the purposes of this blog post, I'll say...

What about several somethings??

Sushi

Friends

                                      

Coffee.

                                                                                        

The Beach.

But most of all... this guy.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 5

Day 5: Your siblings

You know how when you meet someone's brother or sister, you can usually tell a resemblance? Apparently not in my family. When people meet my brother or sister, it's usually followed by "Oh, you don't look like him/her at all." On the other hand, people are constantly asking my SIL Lindsay if we're sisters. It's funny how that works.

You be the judge! Who is a blood relative, and who is not? And who looks like a bigger stud?? :) 

  

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 4

Day 4: Your parents

My parents are one-of-a-kind. They are very different in their own ways, but then also very similar in others.

My mom has always made me feel special. Even if I wasn't the best at something, she always made me feel like I was. I think a large part of my confidence comes from the encouragement my mom has shown me all my life. She has also accepted me, mistakes and all, and has allowed me to grow into the woman I am today. She also taught me how to cook and do laundry, and has been known on MANY occasions to do the "dirty work" for me when I've been faced with jobs I just really didn't want to do (i.e. this poor woman scraped paint off woodwork in our garage for hours on a Saturday and then went inside and cleaned my kitchen sink). If that's not love, I don't know what is!

This lovely man, known affectionately to my friends as "Rex" is the world's greatest storyteller. At 77 years young, my dad has lived his life to the fullest. He always relates what is happening now to a story that has happened in the past. He is someone who truly enjoys life. It makes me smile every time we go out to dinner, because each meal he eats he claims to be the "best meal of his life." I hope someday I can find joy in all of the little things in this world at even a fraction of the way my dad feels. Dad has also continuously encouraged me to achieve things in life, be them small or big. And he always tells me how proud he is of me, even when it's something that I don't find to be particularly interesting or worthwhile. He tells me all the time that he will always be my friend, and I wholeheartedly believe that.