March in Pictures

First things first: I'm sorry y'all for being absent on the blog this past week. I have officially reached the one month marker until my time as a Traveling Leadership Consultant is over and it is just starting to sink in how bittersweet the ending is. Due to this, I've been spending a lot more time living in the moment plus planning ways to grow my blog into something even more than it is now when I get off the road. With that being said, I can't wait for some of the changes that are to come for Southern Abundance Blog! On to the main show today though...what did my March look like through instagram? Well, let me just say it's probably been the best month of my life so far and I am sure you will be able to figure out why real quick:

1// I left my last Florida visit (Stetson University)

2// Signed up for my first Cara box exchange on Instagram

3// Went back for a second visit to Texas A&M Corpus Christi 

4// Josh and I got engaged!!!!!

5// We celebrated our engagement with family and close friends!

6// I picked up my first wedding magazine as a bride-to-be

7// Fell in love with eating breakfast 

8// Enjoyed a beautiful North Carolina sunset

9// Visited my favorite ladies in Augusta, Georgia

10// Participated in a little "Throwback Thursday"

11// I packed up my bags for my final 7 weeks on the road as a TLC

12// Spent two weeks at the beautiful Wesminster College in New Wilmington, PA

13// Received our proposal day pictures back (yes, I will be posting our story this Wednesday!)

14// Did a little shopping at the Grove City Outlet Mall

15// Spent the weekend in Pittsburgh with one of my favorite fellow TLC sisters, Abbey

What was your favorite memory of March?

Five on Friday

Happy Friday loves! We have finally reached the weekend and I am oh so excited to enjoy some free time in Pennsylvania over the next few days. As always, I'm linking up with some of my favorite bloggers for Five on Friday. Let's get started!
ONE // May Book I have always loved looking at different May Book designs on May Design but I had never ordered one. However, a few weeks ago I decided to start a new calendar for scheduling blog post instead of writing them on scrap paper. So I hopped on over and created me a new blog planner which I am absolutely loving! Isn't the design super cute? They are also having a sale through this Sunday (March 23rd) where you can get your monogram on it free which is a $5 saving! I may or may not have ordered my future MOH one to give to her with all her other MOH goodies! Shh..... ;-)

 
TWO // Westminster College This past Sunday I arrived to the small town of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania and the beautiful campus of Westminster College. I am here for a nice three week visit and it's been very relaxing getting to unpack my suitcase and settle in with the girls I'm rooming in for the next few weeks. I'm hoping we will be able to get in a day trip to Pittsburgh this weekend :-)

THREE // DIY Bride-to-be Basket In case you missed it, this week I did my first "Wedding Wednesday" post and it was about my Bride-to-be basket my sweet friend Emily made for me! Hop on over and check it out. I will for sure be making one of these for any of my friends who get engaged soon!

FOUR // Spring Wish List I cannot believe that yesterday was the first day of Spring...it was 33 degrees and snowing here in Pennsylvania! Even though it is still a bit chilly, I have high hopes that Mr. Spring will actually arrive soon so I created my wish list for this wonderful season. Click on over to yesterday's post for full details and links to where you can purchase these wonderful items!

FIVE // Social Media As always, don't forget to follow me on social media as I have loved connecting with those of you that I've gotten to know over the past few months! 

Spring 2014 Wish List

First day of Spring is finally here and I am excited about the possibility of warmer weather being on its way! Even though I gave up shopping for lent, here are my top picks for this spring that you best believe might be waiting in online shopping carts to come my way the day after Easter!

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // SIX
What spring trends are y'all loving right now?

Wedding Wednesday: Bride-to-be Basket

Wedding Wednesday....hmm, I love the ring to that! I promise not to turn this blog into a wedding crazy party but I can't help the fact that I have been looking forward to participating in "Wedding Wednesday" posts since forever ;-)

The credit for this first Wedding Wednesday post goes 110% to my sweet Emily Sue and her wonderful husband Derek! Last week when I was home on break, Josh and I were able to meet up with the two of them for frozen yogurt and they gave me the most thoughtful bride-to-be basket. I seriously could not stop gushing over all the items contained in this basket and it made my heart smile to know that Emily had put this together just for me. I knew right away that I had to post it on here for others to gain inspiration from. No doubt that anyone whom I know from here on out that gets engaged will be getting these same goodies from me! I loved how Em labeled practically everything in here with a sweet note and that she used my favorite color of pink to inspire her. And in case you didn't already know, my new last name will begin with a "G" so that is why you'll see all the "G" items. Let's dig in!

Isn't Emily just amazing?? What other things would y'all stick in a bride-to-be basket?

Spring Break Rewind

WOW! That is all I can say about the last 9 days that I got to spend at home surround by the ones that I love! I am sorry for abandoning the blog for a week but life just had some exciting moments and I wanted to live in them instead of missing out. Plus, not to mention that my parents just got cable and Internet back last night from the ice storm that knocked it out 11 days ago. Anyway, here is a little recap of my 9 days at home for a break off the road:
If you missed the memo, Joshua and I got engaged on Saturday March 8th! We are both still on cloud 9 and loving every minute of this new journey that we are now on. Everyone has asked about a date and while we don't have a firm one set, we are thinking either May or September of 2015 depending on the venue. The next question has been what is our color scheme. Thanks to my dear friend Emily, we are still brainstorming ideas for this one in our head. She gave me the advice of not picking my colors right off the bat but waiting a few months to select a venue and see what really speaks to us. At the moment we have a huge front runner that we are both really excited about but still keeping options open! For those of you that have been asking about pictures/video from that day...it is coming, I promise! Our dear friend Shelby is in the process of editing the pictures now and piecing the video together. I promise as soon as it is all done, a long post will be up about how he asked! For now you can admire the unedited picture below that Shelby was sweet enough to send our way...it might just be my new favorite of us! 

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Josh and I traveled down to Augusta, Georgia to see some very sweet friends of ours! We enjoyed walking around the river and downtown during the day and eating some yummy Mexican for dinner with my favorite ZTA ladies. It was a short little 36 hour visit but still so much fun!

Thursday brought about dinner with another co-worker who was stationed near my home this past week. I picked her up from the school she was at and drove the short drive to Chapel Hill so she could have her first Franklin Street experience at Top of the Hill. Dinner was delicious as always!

I spent my weekend with the parents and fiancé before finally heading off to the airport yesterday morning and flying up to Pennsylvania. It is bittersweet that I only have 42 days left of this once in a lifetime journey but I am excited about the possibility of what is to come. I also can't hold in the excitement of getting home to plan the wedding of our dreams with Josh! Here's to the next 6 weeks on the road :-)

We're Engaged!

After 4 years, 3 months, and 15 days of dating the most amazing guy on this Earth, I now have a fiancé y'all! We're engaged!!! This past weekend has literally felt like a dream come true and I am beyond excited to start on this new journey of planning a wonderful wedding and an even more amazing marriage with Joshua. 
I won't list all the details right now as I am working on a long post explaining it all because let me tell you, Josh planned the most perfect engagement day. Here are a few clues: the engagement process lasted 10 hours, expanded over 184 miles, involved our family and closest friends, and ended right in the location where Josh and I went on our first "date" before either one of us knew we liked the other! Not to mention, Josh had our sweetest friend Shelby, videoing and photographing the entire thing. Once we get the pictures and movie back from her, I'll do a more extensive post...for now a few cell phone pictures will have to do!

Josh and I cannot thank our family and friends enough for everything they did to make our engagement truly one of a kind! Thank you to everyone who has guided us and prayed for us over the past 4 and a half years, there is no doubt we would not be where we are today without each of you! 

Since I am on spring break till Sunday, Josh and I will be traveling almost everyday to get around the state (and Georgia!) so we can see some special people...I'm looking forward to every minute of it!