A Year in the Life

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure a year in the life?

Well, I am super behind. I wanted to do an entry on 2011. The past year brought many blessings, trials, experiences, and new adventures in my life and I am so grateful for all that God has done and will continue to do in my life. Here's my year in review:

January 

A lot of fun events happened in January, but this was by far the greatest.

We saw Strike Zone rock for the last time and almost died in the process.

This is our version of our best "screamo."

February

In February, I journeyed back to Mobile to visit my sweet friends. 

I, of course, went to Mardi Gras while I was there!

Here we are in Bienville Square. 

March

In March, I was blessed with the opportunity to lead a group of senior high girls at a D-Now.

This was just another reminder of how I know for certain that

God has called meto work in the lives of teenagers! 

We may have gotten a little muddy in the process! :)

April

On April 27, my life changed forever as my current town (Tuscaloosa) 

and my hometownwere both devastated by a tornado. 

I am so grateful that God kept my friends and family safe.

It has been an honor to see people from all walks of life join together to rebuild.

This picture was taken shortly after the storm when some troops from my church

rallied together to work on a house in Alberta.

TTOWN NEVER DOWN

May

In May, I got to see my best friend graduate college!

This is me with Crystal and her then fiance' Brad.

These two got married in November 2011...stay tuned! :)

June

This is perhaps my favorite memory of 2011...and maybe of all times.

For my dear friend Elizabeth's birthday, my friend Brittany and I
 traveled to Nashville to take Elizabeth to see NKOTSB
 and Backstreet Boys LIVE at Bridgestone Arena.

We were about 100 feet from the stage and this was, 
by far, the funnest night of my life! 

I loved reliving my childhood...and I still knew every song!

Donnie Wahlberg and Nick Carter will always have a piece of my heart! 

July

Speaking of reliving my childhood, we decided to have an all girls sleep-over this summer!

It was awesome! It included neon eye shadow, TONS of sweets,
 watching First Wives Club, sleeping on the floor, and listening to 
Britney Spears, NSYNC, Aaron Carter, etc.

Thankful for these sweet ladies in my life! 

August

August was one of my favorite months for two reasons...

I went to the beach with some of my sweet friends, and...

MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Per usual, I celebrated at The Cheesecake Factory.

Thankful for another year and for sweet friends who make it worth the while!

September 

In September, I celebrated my sister's birthday, bachelorette party, 
and lingerie shower...all in one weekend! This picture is of my sisters
 (one through marriage) Keely, Stephanie, and me. 

We took Steph to Sips and Strokes for her bachelorette party.

Props to Keely for being a good sport and painting crimson..
.she is an Auburn alum and avid fan!

Here is a picture from the lingerie shower: 

This is Haylee, Me, Steph, and Allyson.

We were all neighbors growing up and have been friends ever since.

(Notice the bling on Allyson's left hand!) ;)

October

On October 1st, my sister became a Mrs!

This is Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Blake Creel on their wedding day.

Stephanie was such a beautiful bride!

I loved being able to stand by her side and watch her marry her best friend.

This was such a special day and it happened in a very special place...

the church my mother grew up in and where my grandparents went until the day they died.

They were such devoted members that there is even a pew
 (the one they ALWAYS sat in) dedicated in their honor.

I wish they could have been there for Steph's special day, 
but I know that they would be very proud of her!

November

November was a VERY busy month for me!

For starters, my best friend got married!

This is Crystal and Brad at their rehearsal dinner.

I love this picture of all of us:

This is the bride with her bridesmaids...and we are all in our element!

I love Crystal's smile...she is seriously the sweetest person I know!

We have been life-long friends...literally.

My parents have known her longer than they have known me.

It was such a blessing to be her maid-of-honor and watch her marry the love of her life!

I wish Mr. and Mrs. Brad Tolbert the very best!

Also in November...

I was blessed with the opportunity to present at the NCTE conference in Chicago.

This is part of our group from UA.

Pictured here is Katie Fraley, Myself, Lindsey Blowers, Jessica Williams, Elizabeth Moss, and our fearless leader- Alan Brown.

This was such a fun trip and wonderful experience! 

I cannot wait to use the resources and things that I learned in my classroom!

December

December was filled with many celebrations.

For starters, methods block was over! 

Also, there was the usual amount of Christmas parties.

This is me with some of my friends at The Summit.

We went to see Elf at Alabama Theatre and ate at Chuy's afterwards.

I rang in 2012 with some of my old friends in Birmingham.

Sadly, I do not have any pictures.

I hope that the new year brings as many experiences as 2011...but maybe with less weddings!

One exciting thing to come this year...GRADUATION!

That's right...come December, I will be a certified teacher in the state of Alabama!

Roll Tide!

How was 2011 for you?