Hello New Year // 2017

Y'all... I'm pretty sure I blinked and 2016 was over. I looked over my goals for 2016 and to my own surprise, I managed to reach all of my goals except for two. Whoop whoop! (You can find my 2016 recap here.)

I am so excited to begin 2017. I believe 2017 has some pretty big things in store for me. The first week isn't even over yet and I've already have some major decisions to make...like probably the most adult-y decision I have ever had to make in my life! (Stay tuned for more details.)

A new year means new goals and I have set these four for myself:

Be healthy. Y'all...I eat crap. I am constantly tired and I never have any energy. I'm 22. That should not be an issue right now. After a recent medical diagnosis and much research, I have decided that I am going to follow the Whole30 diet, loosely. I am not doing this to lose weight. I will cheat and I am sure I will cheat often. But I need to do this to live a healthier life. I am also going to try to exercise more. We will see how that goes.

Learn to cook. I know, I know. I am in my twenties and I should already know how to cook. But I don't. I can't. I burn everything I touch. But this year, I am going to get better. I am going to attempt all of the delicious Whole30 meals I have pinned on Pinterest. (I will keep y'all updated!)

Travel more. 2016 was a year of travel and I already have several trips planned and in the works for 2017. I can't wait to cross a few more destinations off of my list.

Blog, blog, blog. I completely failed at blogging for the past few months but with this new year, I have big plans and a lot of things I want to blog about. With that being said, if you would like to be the first one to get my posts, click on subscribe on the right hand side of the screen!

What are your 2017 goals or resolutions?

2016 Recap

2016 was filled with so much fun. I surrounded myself with family and friends and made so many memories. I traveled to many different places and got to see new parts of the world. I graduated college. I got a job in the school system. It has been a GREAT year. But 2016 was also a year of growth for me. 2016 brought on some very, very hard times. But those hard times did not make it a crap year. Through the hard times, I grew and I learned many lessons. I grew as a person. I learned to love myself and put myself as a priority. Most importantly, I grew closer to God. 

So, here is a recap of how I spent 2016.

January 1, 2016 // Moulton, Alabama

February 22, 2016. April 8, 2016. April 12, 2016. April 26 2016. // Birmingham, Alabama

June 13, 2016 // Orange Beach, Alabama

June 25, 2016 // Cozumel, Mexico

June 30, 2016 // Triumph Carnival Cruiseline

July 8, 2016 // Cincinnati, Ohio

July 18, 2016 // Diriamba, Nicaragua

August 10, 2016 // Decatur, Alabama

August 17, 2016 // Nashville, Tennessee

October 16, 2016 // Gatlinburg, Tennessee 

December 10, 2016 // Athens, Alabama

December 24, 2016 // Moulton, Alabama

December 28, 2016 // New York City, New York

Here is to a 2017 that is filled with just as many lovely memories!

Happening Lately

Ya'll...things have been HECTIC in my life lately and because of that things have been quiet on the blog front. I completely fell off the blog-tember wagon. Which means my last post was at the beginning of September. Whoops. But working two jobs, owning your own business, being a student, being active in your church, and trying to have a social life is tough.

With all of that being said, here are five pictures to sum up what I have been doing in my free time lately:

1...PreK took on our very first field trip. We went to Isbell Farms to the pumpkin patch. These sweet babies had so much fun. 

2...Fishing Fun. I didn't have to go to work one night after school, so we took the opportunity to go fishing. We fished for about an hour and caught over 10 of these huge catfish. 

3...I have been loving on this sweet baby a lot. He is so full of energy and has the cutest little personality. He has been super loving lately...but he will also grab your face like this and put his mouth right up to your face with gritted teeth, so I am never really sure if he is trying to bite me or love on me. Either way, he is adorable.

4...For Fall Break, the four of us packed up and hit the road for a quick getaway. We arrived at our condo late Saturday night and spent all day Sunday at Dollywood. That night we went out to eat to celebrate Emily and Heather's birthdays. The next morning we ate a big breakfast and went to a few little shops before heading back home on Monday. It was a quick trip, but we had so much fun. (P.S.: Major props to Ryan for surviving this trip with three girls. He was a trooper!)

5...Painting Pumpkins. On a spontaneous Wal-Mart trip, Hannah and I picked out these tiny pumpkins to paint and about three weeks later, we finally had a free night to paint them together. After painting my pumpkin with three different things, I finally started completely over and totally copied Hannah's idea. It was a fun sister-bonding night. (Bad quality picture, but it was the best we could get! LOL) 

PS: I finally figured out how to set it up where ya'll can subscribe to my blog...so if you like reading and you would like to be the first to see my posts, just enter your email address in the box to the right. Thank you! ;) 

Blog-Tember // Day 9: Wanderlust

Okay...so I intentionally skipped day 8 of the blog-tember challenge for two reasons. 1.) I do not have my very own house/apartment yet. 2.) My space at my parents house is really messy and I didn't feel like cleaning it up to take pictures. LOL! (at least I'm honest, right?)

So, today's blog is all about travel and if you know me at all, you know that I love to travel. The majority of my summer was spent traveling and I already have several trips in the works before this year is over.

I want to travel and see the entire world, but one place that I dream of traveling to is Thailand. This one has been on my travel list for awhile. The beaches, the temples, the cities, the elephant sanctuaries, the culture...it is all so intriguing to me.

When the time comes, I want to spend at least two weeks there. I need to do all the things. I need to eat all the foods. I need to take it all in.

I have started a travel jar for all my future adventures. Every time I find somewhere new I want to explore, I write it down and put it in a mason jar. Every year on New Years, I will pull a destination out of the jar and that will be where I travel to that year.

Where do YOU dream of traveling to?

Blog-Tember // Day 7: Five Joyful Things

It is day seven of the Blog-Tember Challenge and I am 7/7! YAY! Today's topic is five things that bring me joy. I find joy in all the things. The littlest of things makes me happy, so this blog post was a hard one. Here are just a few of the things that bring me joy.

1. Teaching...I teach PreK at a local county school. I teach PreK at my church on Wednesday nights. I teach 1st and 2nd grade on Sunday mornings. I love the babies. They are so sweet and so much fun. But ya'll...it is so much more than teaching the ABC's and 123's. It is loving and caring for those sweet little ones. It is holding hands and wiping away the tears. It is listening to all of their stories and reading books. Teaching brings me joy.

2. Coffee...I. need. all. the. coffee. It has become a requirement for me to get my mornings started. I am serious about my coffee. My kids at school will say, "Don't spill Ms. Mallory's coffee or else she is going to cry!" I think I have taught them well. I even collect coffee mugs.

3. Jesus...I have grown up in church and I was saved and baptized right before my tenth birthday. But the past few years, I feel like I have grown immensely closer with God. I have learned that by being dependent on Him, life is so much easier. I can honestly say that I do not know how I would have made it through the past year if it wasn't for my relationship with God and my Jesus-loving friends and family that have encouraged me every step of the way.

4. Fall...while I am a lover of all the seasons, there is just something about fall that makes me extra happy. The cool weather makes the coffee drinking ten times better. The fall scents are heavenly. The leaves changing, the cotton blooming, the fresh hay bales...it makes me happy.

5. Being an aunt...nothing compares to the love I get from my babies. Not to mention, I am an aunt to three of the cutest little ones. Kyndall is ten and she is in that stage where she likes to pick and aggravate. We fight like sisters and I pick on her just like she picks on me. Libby is eight and she is a D-I-V-A. We bond over things like makeup and lipstick and dancing. Jase is one and a half and the only boy around here. Needless to say, he is spoiled rotten. He has his Mal-Mal wrapped around his little finger. He is learning all sorts of new tricks that are just hilarious. Being an aunt is seriously the best.

What brings YOU joy?

Blog-Tember // Day 6: September Playlist

I am a music junkie. I hate the silence, so I have music playing almost all of the time. I am a fan of all genres of music and it changes with my mood. When I find a song that I love, I play it over and over until I find another song to replace it.

Here is what my playlist looks like currently.



What is on YOUR playlist right now?

Blog-Tember // Day 5: Most Memorable Birthday

I have had several memorable birthdays. Around here, birthdays are a big thing, so we always go all out. My parents go above and beyond to make sure I have the best birthday, no matter what age. But 22 has been my most favorite. You can read 22 thoughts at 22, here.

My actual birthday fell on a Wednesday this year, and it was also right after school had started back. So, taking all of that into consideration, we planned to celebrate my birthday on the weekend before and after my birthday.

On the weekend before my birthday, the whole family got together and celebrated at Chili's, my favorite restaurant. We all ate and then went back to my house for ice cream cake. YUM! Before I could blow out my candles, we all jammed out to Taylor Swift's song, 22.

On my actual birthday, we went to church and after class, my best friend and I went to the back to talk about something. As I was walking out to head home, all of my church people surprised me in the kitchen and sang 'Happy Birthday' to me, followed by cookie cake. (Thanks, mom and dad!) See, I told you they always go above and beyond. And yes, I cried happy tears.

(I know this isn't a great picture, but if you look real close, somewhere inside that huddle of children, I am there. Hugs and kisses all around from all of my church babies.)

The weekend after my birthday was spent celebrating with a few of my closest friends. We kicked it old fashion with a slumber party and movie marathon night.

And let me tell you, I have not found a meme that is more accurate than this. I love to sing 'Happy Birthday' to other people, but when you are the one that everyone is singing too...it is kinda, sorta, very awkward!

I don't really know why this birthday has been my favorite. But I loved spending it with all of my people. My family and friends sure do know how to make a girl feel loved. 

What is YOUR most memorable birthday?