oh, hey.

And hey, 2018 is half over!

The past six months have been so good to me. SO ridiculously good to me. I've always been a glass-half-full kinda gal, but reflecting back on this year sends me into a fluttery tailspin of giddy gratitude, and I'm more aware than ever of this charmed life I lead. I just feel so full--full of experiences, full of love, full of excitement and anticipation--as much as I've always leaned "optimist", I've never really known a sense of happiness like this.

Where have I been, you may ask?

Where haven't I been?

I wrapped my first full year in a job that was made for me--a hectic event season, driving all over the southeastern US, breaking fundraising records, and a TV appearance thrown in there. It's been a whirlwind, and I couldn't be more grateful to work toward ending the illness that took my mom, alongside a team whose time spent laughing is only rivaled by its collective dedication to do good work.

I finished up serving as a VP for Junior League, and--while the year was exhausting to say the least--I walk away with a better grasp on my leadership skills, sweet new friendships, and a clearer focus as to what drives my volunteer heart.

The boyfriend is just a dream. We've skedaddled from concert to concert... then playoff hockey games where he dutifully threw the catfish. We've indulged in lazy afternoons, sampling beers at our favorite taprooms, and laughed til our sides split at wine nights with the Smiths. We've binged more than our share of TV shows, thrown all of the tennis balls at the dog park, and graced all of the sporting events. We've trekked home to Kentucky for weekends surrounded by his huge, hilarious family, and stood shoulder-to-shoulder cooking together in our kitchen, pups weaving in and out of our legs, hoping for a clumsy spoon bobble. Our life is so sweet... hokeyness aside, I wish I could pause time sometimes.

I've capitalized on my Rent the Runway subscription, as we've danced the nights away at the weddings of dear friends and a spring gala, and I've co-hosted a couple of sweet baby showers and felt my whole soul light up, receiving the news that these babies were born.

I spent a far-too-short weekend (accompanied by negative wind chills) with my sweet dad, visiting his stomping grounds in southwestern Pennsylvania, loving on his people as he played tour guide to his sleepy hometown--down to me convincing him that roller skating at the exact rink he grew up spending his Friday nights in was how we needed to spend our Friday night.

I've caught up with friends and made headway on my ever-growing reading list. I've simplified where I can, and streamlined so much in my life. My relationships are stronger, my purpose continues to become clearer, and I've never felt so loved, supported, and fulfilled in my three decades on this earth. (It's nauseating, right?)

Thank you for still reading here, and supporting me despite these prolonged absences... I'm still here, I promise.

So what's next?

More weddings and roadtrips. Baylor homecoming and a jaunt to Austin. Piggybacking on one of his conferences in the fall and visiting the east coast.

More writing, more reading, more involvement in Nashville. Who knows what the back half of 2018 holds? I'm perfectly content with letting the chips fall where they may.