One Big Post!

So I haven't updated the blog in almost a month and A LOT has happened since then so I'm just going to make one big blog post which will include (but is not limited to): Christmas, New Years, Passion 2012, and study abroad!

To start out with, let's talk about Christmas! This holiday season has been so good to me. I've been able to spend some quality time with my family and just enjoy being at home before I head off to Spain. Since studying abroad in Spain is such a big cost, I wasn't expecting to get anything for Christmas this year (mom  keeps saying that my Spain trip will be my Christmas/birthday present for the next 10 years! haha) but my parents surprised me and got me a new camera to take on my travels! I'm so excited to be able to have a camera that is portable and takes some awesome pics! (once I figure out how to work it, ha!) And the day after Christmas I was able to celebrate one of my cousin's birthday by going ice skating at the Bi-Lo Center! I love to ice skate so I was excited to be able to show off some of my moves ;)

Following the Christmas festivities came New Years, and it was the best New Years yet! I had a special someone, my boy Ryan, surprise me and came to visit me in Greenville :) It was a pretty low key New Years Eve, with a simple fire in the fire pit in the backyard while sipping on some champagne. We watched some fireworks being shot off by the neighbors, tuned in to see the ball drop at midnight, and then shared a New Years kiss at the end of the night. It couldn't have gotten much better than that! I hope 2012 brings lots of adventure, excitement, and happiness :)

Only a day after I rang in the new year I was off to Atlanta for the Passion 2012 conference! For those of you who might not know, Passion is a Christian conference that brings 40,000+ college students into one place so we can all share and explore our walk with God! I had an amazing time with 4 of my closest friends from high school and of course, 40,000 of my closest friends from around the WORLD! I loved being able to meet new people, encourage and uplift, worship my Savior, and listen to some inspirational speakers who dove into the Word of the Lord headfirst. It was an amazing opportunity to grow and just let God take over. And as a side note, I had the best community group ever with such an awesome leader, Ben Stewart and glitter green fo lyfeeeeee!

Lastly, as I feel everyone knows (if you read my blog or know me personally), I'm studying abroad in SEVILLA, SPAIN this semester! I keep a little countdown on my laptop and right now it says...*drumroll please*...16 DAYS! I seriously can not believe that I will be leaving the country, for the first time ever, and going to study in a country I've never been to. It still hasn't really become reality yet. But I'm sure that reality won't hit until I'm actually on the plane. I'm so blessed and fortunate to have this opportunity to study somewhere that I've always wanted to go. I can't wait to see what adventures are in store. However, between now and then I'm sure my mom will have about 100 more mental breakdowns, I'll have about 55 more moments of wanting to rip my hair out because of the stress, and about 1,000 more conversations with friends telling them that I don't want to leave and that I miss them already. BUT, it will all be worth it once I'm over there and get settled in. I just have to keep telling myself, this is a once in a LIFETIME opportunity and I'm going to be back before I know it!

I hope I've caught everyone up on my exciting *cough cough* life and I can't wait to actually become a frequent blogger when Spain comes a rollin' round in 16 days! Pray for me before then, I'll need all the love and support I can get in these next couple of weeks! It's going to be hard to leave all you guys!


p.s. sorry I don't have any pictures for you all to creep on...blogger keeps giving me a stupid error! boo dat!