Dear 2013

Dear 2013,

What a year you have been.  There have been highs and lows, triumphs and tears, and in a few hours you will be over.  I ran the Krispy Kreme Challenge and my first 5k.  I had two life long friends get married and my grandmother passed away.  I made great memories with friends both in Raleigh and in Charlotte.  I made the decision to follow God's calling and apply to move to France and in 3 weeks I will fulfill that calling.  I challenged myself this year to get healthy and I reached the 50 lbs lost mark back in September.  I may say this every year for the rest of my life but I feel like I learned more about myself & grew as a person in this past year than any other year.  I am looking forward to 2014 and all the memories & challenges that will come with it.  Bring it on 2014, I'm ready for you.

Annual family vacation to the beach

I saw John Mayer in concert with some of my housewives

Transformation after 50 lbs lost

I met the Jonas Brothers with my bff Linsey

Wilson's wedding where she became Mrs. Tanner

First official picture of the Princesses of OPA

Beautiful sunrise in Raleigh. Man I'll miss this view

Bridesmaids with the bride night before the MB's wedding!

I love Charlotte friends 

My roommates my first 3 years of college

Hunnicutt kids at Thanksgiving

This little nugget turned 2 this year!

Thanks for a great 4 1/2 years NC State!

My housewives. I have no words to describe the love I have for these ladies

Krispy Kreme Challenge completed!

We welcomed a baby to our group of friends this year!

After State beat Duke in basketball with Ryne and Emma

My sweet 6 & unders from swim team

That one time we all decided to wear coral.

I am off to Charlotte to ring in the New Year with my sister, brother-in-law, and friends.  What are you doing to finish 2013?  Whatever you do I hope you go into the new year with a fresh mind and spirit.

See you on the other side!

-MB

Peaks and Pits!

Happy Friday Yall!

I cannot believe that Christmas has come and gone and that 2014 is just around the corner!  Here are my peaks & pits for the past 2 weeks since I didn't post last friday.

Peaks:

1) I graduated!  On December 18 I graduated from North Carolina State University with a degree in Human Biology.

2) An obvious peak would be that Christmas was on Wednesday! I had a great Christmas with my family.  On Christmas day itself I got to stay in my pajamas all day which is exactly what I wanted to do.

3) Today is my sister's 25th birthday! I am so thankful to have a big sister who is driven and kind and has such a big heart for others, not to mention my best friend.  Happy Birthday Jenny! I love you!

Pits:

• This was the first Christmas without my grandmother, Mama Rose.  Mama Rose loved everything about Christmas, the lights, decorations and most importantly celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.  While we missed her at our family gatherings we all knew that she was celebrating Christmas in heaven for the first time and we wouldn't trade that for anything.
• I'm less than a month out from leaving for France and I am starting to realize that I am hanging out with some of my friends for the last time until June when I get home.  I am very excited to go but I will miss everyone at home.

I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas!  What do you have planned to ring in the New Year?

-Mary Beth

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Today is my sweet sweet nephew's 2nd birthday!  If you follow me on any social media you know that I am a teeny bit obsessed with him, but can you blame me?   Look how adorable he is.

 

 

This past weekend I was in Wilmington to celebrate this cute guy's birthday and he had an airplane themed party at the park!  We were worried about the rain but luckily it only rained for a few minutes and the party could continue as planned.  Pretty much all Jamie wanted was to be pushed on the swing but hey, it's his birthday and he could do what he wanted to.  I sure am going to miss this little guy when I'm in France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How cute are those decorations that Shauna, my sister-in-law, made? My parents got Jamie a tool bench and he was loving the yellow hat that came with it.  I love this kid so much!

 

I hope you had a great Monday!

 

-MB



 

 



Peaks and Pits

Hi friends!

This week's peaks and pits is going to be mainly peaks and I am perfectly okay with that!

Peaks:

1) I am now officially done with my undergraduate degree! I took all my finals this week and I am now just awaiting my grades and graduation! I am definitely ending college on a high note because I haven't had a semester this good since my first semester of college!

2) I got my visa back today! All that stands between me and France is 5 weeks and some strategic packing!

3) My parents and I finally decorated our Christmas tree. I love our tree because it is full of ornaments that my siblings and I made as kids and other ornaments that were gifts. It is fun to relive the memories every year as we put them on the tree. 

4) My sorority, Omega Phi Alpha, had our last meeting of the year and we did a secret sister gift exchange. My sweet friend Virginia had my name and she got me this adorable elephant ornament, some Christmas goodies and a bar of soap called the south of France!

Pits:

1) the only pit this week was that I got in a wreck on Wednesday. A lady rear ended me on the way home from school. Luckily no one was hurt but it was not exactly how I imagined spending my afternoon!

I hope that everyone had a good week as well! I am excited for this weekend because as I write this I am on my way to Wilmington with my parents to celebrate my nephew's 2nd birthday!

-MB

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I love the holiday season.  I love seeing Christmas decorations, listening to Christmas music, eating delicious treats and spending extra time with my family.  Oh, and I really love Christmas break because it means having time off from school.  I just realized that this is going to be my last Christmas break!  Of course the main reason I love the holiday season is because I am reminded of the birth of my savior, Jesus Christ.

In my family we always decorate for Christmas the weekend following Thanksgiving.  I love the Christmas decorations my mom has for our house and while putting up Christmas decorations isn't my favorite thing in the world, I love looking at them when we are done.

 

That snowman on my door? Love it. Mom saw it on pinterest

What are you favorite things about the Christmas season? I'm ready to start baking!

-MB

Peaks & Pits

I have called this blog post peaks & pits because I have decided that I am going to try and update every Friday with my peaks & pits for the past week. 

Peaks:

1) Atlanta! I went to Atlanta to apply for my visa for France with my friend Jennifer.  It was a quick 48 hours but it was nice to relax some before finals and spend some quality time with a dear friend.  Plus applying for my visa was one of the last hurdles I had left in preparation for France paperwork wise.

This was in the mall next to my hotel. Obviously I had to take a picture. 

2) I had my last class of my undergraduate career on Thursday!

3)  Getting this tweet from Noel.  I love babysitting for Ashley & Noel and their boys are absolutely precious.



4) Celebrating my wonderful friend Kourtney's birthday! 

Pits:

1) Atlanta - yes this is a pit as well.  First off I realized Monday night getting ready for bed that I forgot my black pants that I was going to wear for my visa appointment in Garner, which meant all I had were the grey yoga pants I wore that day.  Needless to say I had to go shopping before my appointment.  Oh, and I also almost had a breakdown in the consulate because I thought my appointment was at 330 and it was 230.  Luckily the very very nice man working there saw me start to cry and panic and told me that they would see me anyways.

2) Realizing all the work/studying I have to accomplish between now and next Wednesday.  4 finals & a paper in less than 72 hours is no joke.

3) My TA didn't show up for the oral part of my French final on Monday.  My partner & I had an assigned time to come in and she wasn't there - I still have no idea what happened to her.  Thank goodness my professor was actually on campus and let us have our final with her.


I hope that you had a great week! And if you're in NC enjoyed the absolutely beautiful weather we had today.  I would be okay if it was 70 degrees in December all the time.

-MB