Get ready for a long post! I wanted to do a quick recap of what we have been up to since this summer. I'm hoping that once I am caught up, I will be able to post more frequently and of more recent happenings.
During the summer, I did a lot of relaxing, working, and spending much needed quality time with family and friends. I enjoy traveling during the summer months since I rarely get to during the school year. One of my favorite trips this summer was a quick weekend getaway to The Homestead. My dad was playing in a golf tournament there, so my mom, sister, and I tagged along. We got to tan by the pool during the day, and in the evenings, the resort would have something fun to do. One night we watched a hypnotist, and the show was hysterical. That hypnotist had those people up on the stage doing the craziest things, and we cracked up the entire time. My dad, of course, thought it was all a big staged production, and he "proved his theory" by informing us he caught the hypnotist having breakfast with the same people he hypnotized the previous night LOL! My favorite evening was a cookout on the grounds of the resort. They had a live band, any type of food you could imagine, and the cutest mini dessert table I had ever seen! One of the most interesting things I have ever done occurred during this trip. My mom, sister, and I visited the natural hot springs known as the Jefferson Pools. When we arrived at the springs, we didn't really know what to think. We drove up to this very old, dilapidated building that looked like it could collapse at any moment. I'm pretty sure I said something along the lines of "I am NOT going in there," and my mom assured me that I definitely was LOL! We cautiously entered the hot spring, and it was awesome. The water was so warm, and the whole time I kept thinking about the history of that place. I believe the building was built on the springs in the 1800s. Recently, The Homestead took over the Jefferson Pools and will hopefully begin a renovation to restore the building to its original state.
Before the start of the semester, Tyler's mom, Rhonda, and his stepdad, Kip, treated us to a vacation in Destin, Florida. I had never been, and I absolutely loved it! The sand was as soft as baby powder, and the ocean was crystal blue. We had beautiful weather, and it was so great to spend time with all of Tyler's family! One of the evenings during the trip, Rhonda made reservations at a very nice restaurant to celebrate mine and Kip's birthdays. We had a wonderful dinner! We also took a dinner cruise one evening, which was so much fun! I had never done anything like that before, and despite a quick spell of motion sickness, I really enjoyed it!
After our trip to Florida, it was time for me to start my last fall semester of school.. ever. I have been in college for almost 7 years now, and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! In just a few short months, I will be finished with the didactic portion of pharmacy school and moving on to rotations. I can't wait!
The first day of school was my birthday, and Tyler surprised me with a birthday dinner at a restaurant downtown. I thought it was going to be just me, Tyler, and my sister at dinner, but he had secretly invited some of my closest friends. I had never had a surprise party like that thrown for me before. I loved it! Here are some pictures of the first day of my last year of school and some pictures from my surprise birthday dinner!
Probably one of the most exciting things that happened this year was the birth of Chase Matthew Cremeans! One of my absolute best friends, Jill, had this sweet baby boy in September, and I have been in love ever since. Y'all, this kid keeps getting cuter. When he was born, I could've died over his head full of hair and his gorgeous lips. Now that he is getting older, he still has the hair, and he has the most adorable little playful grin. Matt and Jill are wonderful parents, and I am so happy that my best friend has such a precious bundle of joy to love! He definitely stole my heart! Here are a couple of pictures on the day after he was born when I visited them at the hospital.
What is fall without football?! This season, Tyler and I went to several UK games, and my best friend Lauren and her fiancé Josh came to a game with us too. It was so great to be able to spend time with Lauren since we don't get to do that often because of school. Lauren has been one of my best friends since I can remember. We have been through SO much together. From high school cheerleading to college roommates to engagements and soon to be weddings! I'm lucky to have her!
We also attended some football games at my school. We spent homecoming weekend at the Alpha Xi house. My sister just rushed my sorority this fall, so now we share that special bond. It makes me so excited to see her a part of an organization that is so dear to my heart. Alpha Xi introduced me to some lifelong friends, taught me how to work with others to achieve a common goal, gave me an outlet to give back to my community, and helped me develop leadership skills. I always love homecoming because all of my sorority sisters get together at the house to catch up. This homecoming was extra special because I got to spend it with my little sister!
In October, I was able to make a special trip to Florida with my grand little, Taylor, to visit my little, Ashton (sorority family, y'all) for her birthday. It was awesome to be in warm weather with two of my favorite gals. We visited Epcot during the Food and Wine Festival. I LOVED it. For those that may not know, Epcot has different areas throughout the park that has buildings and scenery to resemble different countries of the world. During the Food and Wine Festival, they have food and drinks you can sample that are popular in each country. We received "passports" that were stamped for all the things we tried in each country. We had everything from ravioli in Italy to berry waffles in Belgium. It was so fun and a very unique experience!
October was a busy month! Besides traveling to Florida, I had a lot going on at school. I joined a professional pharmacy fraternity, Phi Delta Chi. Since I am in the first class that will be graduating from my pharmacy school, I am able to have some very unique experiences. Depending on the situation, that can either be a very good or very bad thing. Sometimes, we are the guinea pigs at the school, and they "try out" certain teaching styles/methods on our class; however, with Phi Delta Chi, it was an awesome thing! I, along with 16 other students, helped to establish this fraternity at our school, and we will forever be known as Phi Delta Chi founding fathers at our school. Within this organization, I hold the position Worthy Alumni Liaison which requires me to network with alumni in our area. Our philanthropy is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, so we do fundraisers for that organization. Also, we do community service projects like blood pressure clinics and counseling on medications. The fraternity also hosts brotherhood events where we do social activities outside of school. We visited the Pumpkin House, which I love! October isn't complete without a trip to see the pharmacy and kitty pumpkins at The Pumpkin House and decorating a pumpkin of your own!
As always, I enjoy spending time with my friends. All of my girls are very busy pursuing their dreams, so sometimes our social lives take a backseat to school and work. I have friends that already have established careers and those still continuing their education in fields like pharmacy, teaching, and law. I am so proud to have such amazing women in my life! Whenever we can all get together, although it is rare due to our hectic schedules, I cherish every minute. I am at the age where my friends are getting engaged/married/having babies/buying houses, and I am loving it! Every time we get together it seems like someone has some new exciting details to share about their lives.
Tyler and I saw Garth Brooks in concert. That night, I got two concerts for the price of one. I had Garth singing in one ear and Tyler singing in the other. Enough said.
Recently, I was inducted into Phi Lambda Sigma, a leadership honorary society for pharmacy. I am excited to work with my peers to strengthen our leadership skills and give back to the community. Many of my professors are a part of this organization as well, and after the induction ceremony, we had a small reception. It was great to get to talk to our professors and future preceptors in a more relaxed setting. We received a lot of advice for our upcoming APPE rotations and shared lots of laughs.
Our pharmacy school hosted a fundraiser gala for the city mission, and it was awesome. The students that organized the event did a fabulous job! We had a wonderful plated dinner and danced to great music. There was a silent auction with tons of fun, unique items to bid on including several vacations! The guest list included students, local pharmacists, our professors, and our preceptors. It was a very elegant evening that supported a great cause. Besides all that, who doesn't love an opportunity to wear an evening gown?! These photos were taken by one of my classmates, Grant Lim. He did an awesome job!
Shew! That was a lot! Sorry for the random long post, but I wanted to give a short update on everything I have been up to. Now that I am all caught up, I can do more frequent posts on things going on currently in my life. I'll end this long, rambling post on a sweet note.
For Valentine's Day, Tyler always tries to do something special for me. This year, he really planned an over the top evening! He took me to a castle for dinner where we had a fantastic five course meal. I got to be a princess for the evening y'all! It was phenomenal! Before we were seated for dinner, we wanted to explore the castle. We walked into the billiard room and met a gentleman there who offered to give us a quick tour. Tyler (who never meets a stranger) started talking to our " tour guide," and come to find out, HE OWNS THE CASTLE. He was so nice and very informative. He came to check on us several times to see if we were enjoying our dinner. It was such a memorable experience and a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day. I am so lucky to be spending the rest of my life with someone that treats me like Tyler does. I can't wait to see where our journey takes us!
