SNOW!

I hear what you're saying. You're all like, "Abby. It's March. You're like three weeks late on this snowpocalypse thing." I hear ya. Life happens. I still really really love snow! It's true. Despite the fact that on the day of this great snowpocalypse, I got stuck in my car on the highway for four and a half hours trying to get home ON MY BIRTHDAY and it was horrible. Snow and I made up quickly. It's just so pretty!

I am definitely one of those weirdos who legitimately loves the winter. I love the calm and the peace and the beauty of a fresh snow. The world seems to move a little bit slower when it snows, and it's really nice.

Before the great snowpocalypse, during our first snow of the season, B and I went outside for an adventure. Duke Forest is seriously so beautiful all the time, but blanketed in a fresh powdery blanket? Bliss. Also my car may have almost spun out on the way to get those pictures. It's fine.

ALSO please notice the sequence where B is being so nice with the snow and then the next picture where you see smudgy mascara and a mean mug. That punk hit me in the face with a snowball. Also not pictured: Abby totally biting it trying to climb up a snowy hill. Face first. In the snow. It was awesome.

That has been kind of the theme of life lately. Totalling wiping out on your face and having the ability to brush it off and keep going. Eventually you will both laugh, and it'll be awesome.

It's getting frosty outside again, and B and a friend and I are headed out to a fancy dinner at Lantern thanks to a raffle! No other way I want to warm up and pray for spring than with some fancy Asian food. Yes.

Love from this side of the world!

Abby

We're engaged!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is real life guys.

I am actually going to marry Brandon Goodman. Like for realz. There is a diamond ring on my finger. The one knee situation happened. I bawled like a baby. Here is the story.

I have known for a long time that he was the one. Some sources say as early as Valentine's our six month anniversary (2 and a half years ago). Some sources say the moment that I saw him outside my window at Chick fil a that first summer three years ago. Some sources say last fall when we said "I love you" for the first time outside of BNA on what ended up being the most wonderful and difficult Labor Day I have yet to have. Whatever and whenever it was, I have known for a long time. It was the reason why I moved out here, it was the reason I found the job that I did, and I was so grateful to know in my deepest parts that I had found my future husband.

And so, I waited. I don't want to gloss over this part because it was hard for me. After waiting what felt like forever for God to finally give me the job I had been praying for, you would think I would have been more patient and willing to hold on to truth during this period of waiting, but that was unfortunately not the case. I was angsty. I was impatient. I was rude. I didn't understand. And it really took a toll on me and on Brandon for a long time. Until a few weeks ago when we had a really needed conversation. And I realized the extent of my selfishness and the complete lack of faith I had in anything that I knew was going to happen. We healed. I finally learned what it is to be grateful for where you are.

Enter: Nashville. Homecoming. We had bought tickets to go way back when Southwest had a flight sale in June, trusting that I was going to have a job and be flying out of RDU that weekend. At this point, I was still hoping that "it" was going to happen that weekend, but I was also completely content to see friends, spend time at Vandy, be present and enjoy the beautiful city I had missed. We didn't spend a lot of time together until late Saturday afternoon when we went to a friends' wedding. And it was all so lovely. That night, I subconsciously clawed my way for that bouquet, though (and I have the scratches to prove it. Oops). Brandon laughed. I felt a little silly (or a lot silly, actually). The girl I fought it for may or may not have been the grooms' sister. BUT IN MY DEFENSE. It did come right for me. I swear.

So Sunday morning comes. Brandon goes to get ready for this Melodores reunion concert which he had seriously been geeking out about all week between a small throat cold and going over with me all the songs they were going to sing. I was excited, too. The Melodores had been a big part of my college experience, going to all of the shows and even driving 14 hours one time to South Carolina to watch them compete. I went to church excited and weirdly nervous about the day, but assuming it was just because I was about to see a ton of people I hadn't seen in a while.

An hour before the concert was supposed to start, I get a weird one second snapchat from Brandon. It looked like the top of the beautiful cube that he had given me for our three-year anniversary, a gift that he had told me was carved around a small cross that I could hear rattling inside when he gave it to me. It had been sitting on my dresser for the past two months, and my heart started racing for no apparent reason when I got that picture, so I tried to ignore it. Surely it wasn't going to happen today.

I kept feeling weird and nervous all the way up until we arrived at Alumni Hall for the event, and tried taking sips of water to calm my stomach as the Melodores each got introduced and shared their favorite memory from the group. It helped, and when each generation started their musical selections, I really started to relax and enjoy myself. It was so fun to hear how the group had changed and evolved, and the music was so awesome.

The last song of the set was their alumni song, "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel. It is so beautiful, and I always tear up every concert when they sing it. And then Brandon stepped out from the group, and started to speak. My heart started POUNDING. He thanked everyone who was there, saying that the Melodores were so much more than just the group, but also the support of our family, friends, and girlfriends. I started freaking out big time. He paused for a second too long, and someone else said quietly, "And so we have one more song".

The second that he started singing, I 100% lost it. I can't even begin to explain all of the emotions that went into those tears: happiness, relief, unbelievable amounts of grace and love being poured out on me with every word. It was the biggest desire of my heart, and it was coming true with the man of my dreams, as he sang a song that he sang to me three summers ago before we even started dating, a song that had become our song. I tried to be completely in the moment (a la Leslie Knope). I wasn't even paying attention to anything or anyone else in the room in those brief minutes. I could not hold together my thankfulness, my love for that moment. I ugly cried so hard, and I was so incredibly grateful. He took that box he had given me two months ago out of his pocket, opened up a side and slid out a ring from a drawer inside. The sight of it literally took my breath away, and I lost it all over again.

He got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. And through ugly sobs I said yes and pulled him to his feet. I tried to get my promise ring off of my finger and only got half way before he kissed me and just held me for a few seconds. A few precious seconds. When I turned around and ran off stage into the arms of my friends, I saw that they were all in tears, and I proceeded to have the most surreal 20 minutes of my life hugging and crying and taking pictures and staring at this ring on my finger.

It turns out, he had put that ring in that box two months before, and I had had it all along. He just had to wait for the perfect moment to give it to me. He had been ready for a long time.

We are over the moon excited to be getting married, and I am trying so hard to revel in these perfect moments before the craziness begins and I actually get to plan my WEDDING!

For the past 48 hours, this resounding song has been stuck in my head. It speaks to the words that I wish my heart could really write:

The love of God is greater far

  Than tongue or pen can ever tell.

It goes beyond the highest star

  And reaches to the lowest hell.

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

  God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled

  And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!

  How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure

    The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
  And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
  And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
  Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
  Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
  How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
    The saints’ and angels’ song.

Praising Jesus, and living in these moments so completely in love,

Abby

UPDATE: If you want to see a video of our proposal that our good friend put together for us, click HERE! 

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Thursday was a very special day.

It marked three years of dating, of loving, of doing life with the best person I know.

Brandon and I met through a friend at school, and I can still remember the very beginnings of our relationship like they happened yesterday. The first time I ever saw him, he was performing at the first ever Melodores concert. The first time we met, I still remember the table in Rand I was sitting at eating tortellini, and what shirt he was wearing that day. We have been reminiscing on a few of those early moments and how sweet they were, which is such a wonderful blessing to think about how much our feelings have deepened since that time.

I try really hard not to glorify our relationship too much. We are both sinners and even now we are still learning new things about each other, and new ways to love each other better. But I think that this is a lifelong process we're walking into and the fights we've had, the transitions we've survived, the time apart and the sweet time together I see as a testament to God's grace that he has allowed us to show each other. No one makes me laugh like this guy does.

He sent me flowers at work and took me out to the most wonderful restaurant in Chapel Hill, Lantern, to celebrate. And for us, it was perfect.

19/52 (because he's my other half)

I know God has some pretty amazing stuff lined up ahead for us. And I'm so excited to share it with this man along the way.

Lots of love from this corner of Chapel Hill,

Abby

I MADE IT!

Two days, a bunch of boxes, one small U-Haul trailer later, and I made it to Chapel Hill! This week has been quite the whirlwind and this is the first time I've actually had a chance to sit down at my computer, so forgive me for the lack of posts. 

It all started on Monday when I picked up Brandon from the airport on our last long-distance reunion ever!!! It has never felt so good people. Saying goodbye never gets easier when you live 500 miles apart, and I'm so glad we're done with it. :)

edited with the ABM app

Then on Wednesday morning we were off! We got a chance to see my good friend in Jacksonville at the amazing French Pantry and drove all day until we made it to Charlotte that night to stay with Brandon's parents. The afternoon of the 4th we drove to Winston-Salem for a party with friends! We ended up at the most amazingly close place for fireworks and saw one of the best shows I've ever seen. But what made it the sweetest was spending it with these folks.

This morning, we drove in to Chapel Hill! This weekend will be one of a lot of logistics, and I'm excited to start getting settled and getting ready to start work soon! 

Lots more soon! Hope everyone's 4th of July was fantastic!

xoxo. Abby

THERE IS NO "NORMAL"

This week, as you guys may know, I have been in Chapel Hill with Brandon, continuing the job hunt and figuring out some logistical things that are still really up in the air. It's been really sweet time, and a pretty great visit in terms of time we've gotten to spend together. As I was writing an email to someone on Monday, I found myself writing "there is no such thing as 'normal' for me nowadays". And it is so true. And it is so exhausting. But it is also ok. Maybe this post is just a way of convincing myself of that fact, but it is. Because I got to do some pretty awesome stuff this week.

I did some freehand stitching! So far in my embroidery adventures I've only used patterns, but I loved how this one turned out, and I loved this little reminder.

I made a friend.

I played with a sweet (and much better trained!) Maggie when Brandon and I went home to Charlotte for his brother's 14th birthday party. I also realized how rusty my Spanish is when I met his abuela and little cousin from Puerto Rico. Note to self: work on that. 

I made kale chips! This had been on my list of things to try for at least a semester and I finally did it! Full reviews and notes on the recipe in a later post. 

Brandon bought me a new cookbook! This weekend we agreed that we really wanted to start eating healthier, so this was a great first step. It's Rocco Dispirito's Now Eat This! cookbook, and the shrimp tomatillo tostadas we made on Monday night were DELICIOUS. 

If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that Brandon started working at a very fancy French restaurant in Chapel Hill this summer called One. It's been really fun to learn lots of new things from how they prepare their food and last night we used his employee discount (woop woop!) to meet up with a friend and try it for ourselves. 

First course: Smoked Oyster Bisque with Pork Belly

Second course: Grilled Hudson Valley Duck Breast with Foie Gras and Orange

Third course: Milk Chocolate and Chili Mousse Tart

I could not describe these dishes with justice if I tried, so I'll just refer you to their menu to see for yourself what an amazing meal it was. And of course, any night with this guy is going to be awesome, that's pretty much guaranteed. :)

Tomorrow I fly back home and on Monday I get to see one of my best friends from school. Even though right now there is no such thing as "normal", it is definitely ok. 

Lots of love on my last night in Durham (for a little bit),

Abby

TWO AMAZING WEEKENDS: PART 2

Alright, folks. Here's the good stuff. This kid and I had a surprise weekend! Meaning, I was super sneaky and talked to his med school friends online waaaaay back in February and found out which weekends would be good to visit in April and then bought a plane ticket real hush hush and called him three hours before on Thursday night and told him to come get me from the airport.

That's the gist of it anyways :)

On Friday, I had some meetings and ran errands while Brandon was in class, and then that night we went to a carnival put on by UNC med and out to dinner in Carrboro. We decided to be a little fancy and ate at ACME, a first for both of us, and had some of the best butter beans we've ever had with Brandon's fried chicken. I decided, heck, let's do something crazy! And ordered guinea hen. I still am not totally sure what guinea hen is...but I liked it. A lot.

Walking around the area some was really fun, and made me more excited to some exploring with Brandon soon.

On Saturday, we went to go do some work at Straw Valley Cafe, a new favorite study spot for Brandon, a beautifully restored property that was filled with beautiful art and was one of the coolest places to hang out that I have ever been. It's also absurdly close to Brandon's current apartment, and I know that we will be going back here many times in the future. Being in a creative space like that was amazing inspiration for me as I worked on my first (and hopefully last?) visual resume for a job interview that I had on Monday.

The rest of our time that weekend was spent destroying season 4 of Parks & Rec and eating calzones (What beach week diet?). Every time we get opportunities to just hang out together like we did, it gets us more excited for the future, and think back to how we used to take that kind of time for granted at Vandy. It is so sweet, for sure. Oh, we also made a quick trip Sunday night to The Crunkleton. That was awesome.

In other news, classes are officially over, and I am officially an alumni of my sorority. Wut. Post-Rites of Spring they are starting to construct the graduation stage, and it finally started hitting me last night at senior chapter that this is actually happening folks. I am about to graduate from college.

More thoughts on that later. For now, I need to go eat Qdoba and listen to the new Melodores CD on repeat. Happy Tuesday!

Abby

EAST NASHVILLE LOVE

Wednesday was a really good day.

After a few days of the aforementioned doing nothing together, we decided we needed an adventure. And have an adventure we did. Because adventure is out there if you're willing to look for it.

Our destination: East Nashville. Five Points, specifically. But thanks to our lack of general knowledge about where exactly Five Points is, we ran into an area, and some people, that we didn't expect, and that we loved!

We ended up parking on Porter Road, right in front of a little store called DCXV. Have you Nashvillians been to see this mural anytime recently?

Turns out, this guy Adrien designed it! It was a tiny little shop and it seemed like Brandon and I were the first people to visit in a little while (Adrien openly admitted to having spent the last hour or so stalking Anderson Cooper videos on CNN), but this guys' designs were really fantastic. It was a great conversation and I plan on heading back there sometime soon to purchase this tank that I saw in store.

In that same plaza are a few more little shops that boast local artists and organic candles that just felt nice to be in, window shopping and picking up a set of cute notecards, being the sucker for paper that I am. With Adrien's directions, we then made our way over to the Five Points area with just enough time to peruse a few more awesome shops and pick up a very important book:

It not only led to a helpful guide for dinner, but inspired a really awesome moment reliving so many fun memories over the past three years living in this city and eating our way around it, initialing all of the places we have been. I'm also so glad to have this book to help finish up my Nashville food bucket list over the next six weeks and cram in all the Nashville goodness I can!

And then, there was Bolton's Hot Chicken.

If you can't tell by the pictures...it was really, REALLY HOT. I was a little bit nervous going into it because I'm not the biggest spicy food girl, and so when Brandon ordered for us, he made sure to ask for mild for me. Brandon, however, got the extra hot, and by mistake when the man brought us our sandwiches, I got the extra hot by mistake! There he is, eating his chicken like it's the easiest thing in the world, and I'm DYING over in my seat, trying to figure out why I'm such a wimp. We figured it out, but it was definitely an adventure in and of itself. After dinner, I initialed my name next to Bolton's to record our adventure, along with the words "never again". But I'm not sorry we went, it makes for a fun story that I can now say I've eaten something that spicy!

We took a couple fun pictures at Five Points on my Holga that I'm excited to develop. Speaking of which, I got my first batch of Holga pictures back and they are absolutely beautiful as well. Will be sharing those sometime soon.


Lots of love, good design and a burnt mouth,

Abby

LIFE LATELY

Life lately is great. This weekend Brandon came into town, the weather warmed up a little bit and a few friends and I got to hammock before formal on Saturday night. Can we just talk for a second about how handsome this guy is?

I got him for a whole week this week while he's on spring break, and although my week hasn't stopped and has kept on being full of projects, presentations and the general academic push to the end of the semester, we have also gotten a lot of chance to do just what we like together: nothing. :)

More to come on this spring break week soon. :)

Abby