Looking back, I can't find exactly what so many people are complaining about regarding 2016. It was a wonderful year for me, all-in-all. There were ups and downs, just like any year, but when I ultimately look back at it, everything that happened helped me to grow from January 1st Taylor to December 31st Taylor. My only wish for 2016 is that the people complaining about how awful it was would take a moment to count their blessings!
I started flipping through my pictures from 2016 and I was entirely overwhelmed by the blessings that I received this year, in so many different forms. Trips, friends I adore, a sweet beagle, and so much more. I picked a couple pictures from each month and compiled them into a little collage, so I can reflect back on this challenging, yet all-in-all wonderful year.
I started flipping through my pictures from 2016 and I was entirely overwhelmed by the blessings that I received this year, in so many different forms. Trips, friends I adore, a sweet beagle, and so much more. I picked a couple pictures from each month and compiled them into a little collage, so I can reflect back on this challenging, yet all-in-all wonderful year.
January
 |
| finding a cow that shares my birthday at the dairy // enjoying our last few days with sweet Callie and reminiscing on some wonderful old pictures // ringing in the 2016 with some of my favorite people |
February
 |
| sisterhood retreat to Savannah // beautiful sunsets // AGR & SA leadership seminar in Atlanta |
March
 |
| big little reveal (left) // wonderful times with wonderful friends |
April
 |
| AGR formal with Harrison // the cutest kid at Farm Animal Days |
May
 |
| important intern events with Harrison and Anthony (left) // the view of downtown - intern perks // a lovely stay at Megan's house in Kitty Hawk // mother's day |
June
 |
| (starting top left) not getting hit by a car to take this shot // Morehead City and the Big Rock with the standard summer 2016 group // one of the many concerts of the summer // shooting clays |
July
 |
| fireworks at the 4th of July baseball game // the Charleston waterfront with Harrison // feeding giraffes at the zoo (definitely the highlight!) // brining sweet Sailor home // dreaming of living in one of the beautiful houses in Charleston // dressed up in our Independence day best for the Mudcats game // a wonderful and challenging week running the NC 4-H horse show // another beautiful sunset at Emerald Isle |
August
 |
| our first family photo // the pig family // lazy days on the couch with my two favorites |
September
 |
| dove hunting - new experiences for the win! // my start of my last football season as a student // celebrating my 21st birthday |
October
 |
| my last milk booth as a student // the best halloween costume ever - Bill Clinton + Monica Lewinsky // the NCSU horse judging team at Quarter Horse Congress // lovely fall colors in Ashe County // cheering on the Pack to a great win in Hurricane Matthew |
November
 |
| sweet friends that have been there since freshman year // savoring the sweet piglets in my swine management class // my last football game as a student // deer hunting in Virginia with my dad // another fun visit to Churchill Downs |
December
 |
| taking all the Christmas tree pictures // watching the pup continue to grow and learning her personality // decorating Knittel Gingerbread House Competition award-winning gingerbread houses // a visit to the Biltmore Estate with Harrison |
And just for fun, Spotify made a playlist of my most-listened to songs of 2016, which I thought would be fun to share! Currently jamming out to my forgotten favorite songs...
12.28.2016
This is kind of embarrassing because I meant to write this the day before I started my senior year, but here we are, 3 weeks into school and I'm just now sitting down to write this. If that isn't an indication of how this semester has been so far, I don't know what is! (Read: super busy!)
There's so much that I'm looking forward to this year, and a lot that I have bittersweet feelings towards. Today is the start of football season, so of course that's a huge thing I'm excited for! There is always something to look forward to during the long weeks in fall semester when you know that Saturday (or in this week's case, Thursday) will bring tailgate and being able to hang out with all of your favorite people all day long.
The idea of graduation and what to do after May is both exciting and really scary. Knowing that in less than a year, everything that I have known for almost 16 years -- going to school -- will be over is actually terrifying. What job will I have? Where will I live? Will I still keep in touch with my friends? True adulthood is right around the corner and I don't know how to process that. I want to stay in my little safe zone at NC State and go to class, go to work, do some homework, and see my friends everyday.
Even though I would stay here forever if I could, I feel ready to move on. Like I have accomplished all I wanted to here and this year is just set on cruise control so I can fully enjoy it. I am so thankful for my college experience thus far. I have felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and I am really, truly happy with where I am right now. It is so weird to look back at where and who I was three years ago at this time. I can see how far I've come and I'm extremely proud of myself for persevering and getting to this place I am at now.
College is strange. It will tear you down and build you up. It teaches you the hard lessons, the really ugly ones, as well as the best ones, like: nothing beats a 1 am milkshake run with your best friends, the best tears are the ones that come from laughing until your stomach hurts, and that dancing, whether in your room or at the bar, is really good for your soul. The only bad, truly awful thing about college is that 4 years goes by way too fast.
There's so much that I'm looking forward to this year, and a lot that I have bittersweet feelings towards. Today is the start of football season, so of course that's a huge thing I'm excited for! There is always something to look forward to during the long weeks in fall semester when you know that Saturday (or in this week's case, Thursday) will bring tailgate and being able to hang out with all of your favorite people all day long.
The idea of graduation and what to do after May is both exciting and really scary. Knowing that in less than a year, everything that I have known for almost 16 years -- going to school -- will be over is actually terrifying. What job will I have? Where will I live? Will I still keep in touch with my friends? True adulthood is right around the corner and I don't know how to process that. I want to stay in my little safe zone at NC State and go to class, go to work, do some homework, and see my friends everyday.
Even though I would stay here forever if I could, I feel ready to move on. Like I have accomplished all I wanted to here and this year is just set on cruise control so I can fully enjoy it. I am so thankful for my college experience thus far. I have felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and I am really, truly happy with where I am right now. It is so weird to look back at where and who I was three years ago at this time. I can see how far I've come and I'm extremely proud of myself for persevering and getting to this place I am at now.
College is strange. It will tear you down and build you up. It teaches you the hard lessons, the really ugly ones, as well as the best ones, like: nothing beats a 1 am milkshake run with your best friends, the best tears are the ones that come from laughing until your stomach hurts, and that dancing, whether in your room or at the bar, is really good for your soul. The only bad, truly awful thing about college is that 4 years goes by way too fast.
 |
| Freshman year move-in... |
 |
| to my senior year apartment! |
9.01.2016
There are some evenings when the sun is setting and everything is gorgeous and golden that you just have to drive around. The other day I hopped in the car, turned on some music, and went for a drive. Passing the acres of tobacco fields that dot Johnston County, I couldn't help but think how iconic and important it is to my area. I found a little area to pull off the road, and since I almost always have my camera with me, I decided to snap a few pictures of the crop.
(Did you know that North Carolina is the number 1 producer of tobacco in the country, and Johnston County is the number 1 producer in the state?)
8.09.2016
This past weekend, I was blessed enough to get to go on a little getaway to Charleston with Harrison, Sam, and Anthony. Charleston is one of my absolute favorite places and I was so excited to get to go there with some of my best friends. This post is pretty photo heavy (even though I forgot my DSLR)!
Charleston is lively without being overwhelming -- church steeples are the tallest thing in town! There is so much to see... not to mention to buy and eat! We walked a lot, ate a lot, and overall had a wonderful time!
Friday we got there around 1:30 and immediately went to grab lunch at Toast. I had the fried green tomato BLT and it was incredible! After lunch we went back to the hotel to change and went back into town to explore! Stores close pretty early, so Friday evening we moreso walked around and planned out what we wanted to do on Saturday. We ate dinner at Hyman's Seafood, which is a staple in Charleston. I thought it might be a little touristy, and even though it kind of was, it was still delicious! We had an appetizer that was grits, fried green tomatoes, parmesan sauce, and cheese and WOW. It was probably one of our favorite things we ate that trip. We burned off some of those calories by walking to see Rainbow Row (worth seeing if you're nearby, a little underwhelming if you walk all over town to see it) and along the battery. The battery is gorgeous and even though it was a little hot, it was so nice to just leisurely walk and look at the boats and houses. We ended up at 1 King Street and realized our car was parked at 560 King Street. Needless to say, we Uber-ed back. We went to the beach at Sullivan's Island that night. We went on the beach right beside the lighthouse and we watched some cargo ships that we had seen in port head out to sea.
The next morning we were up bright and early for our 9 am reservations at Poogan's Porch. We loved how the restaurant was in an old house (built in 1888!) that was bright yellow with bright haint blue porch ceilings. We sat upstairs and it was the perfect brunch atmosphere! They were the 2015 winners of the best shrimp and grits in Charleston, and while Sam, Anthony, and Harrison went for it, I picked chicken and waffles. We had a fried pimento cheese appetizer that was incredible! The shrimp and grits were pretty good, but I was very pleased with my choice of chicken and waffles!
After brunch, we went to King Street to shop! Sam and I were obviously in hog heaven, but the boys were a little less than thrilled. I can't tell you how many times they said "Oh look, we're going into another store that y'all won't buy anything in." Ha! I made quite a few purchases, including these printed Lilly Pulitzer shorts in Multi Island Time and this Kendra Scott necklace from Bevello. One of my favorite stores that we ventured into was one Sam found online before we went down to Chucktown. It was called Candlefish and they have a library of over 100 scents! I got no. 58 (lemon, orange, and sugar) and got my mom no. 88 (lemon, tulip, and musk). Both smell incredible!
Later that afternoon we went on a carriage ride! I've always wanted to do one and I was so excited that the boys planned one for us. Franklin toted us around the residential neighborhoods in Charleston (don't worry, he's very well taken care of!) and with the exception of a slight startle at a little UHaul trailer, he was the perfect host. We went to eat at Low Country Bistro afterwards and I went with the shrimp and grits there. They were so good! The others said they were better than the ones at Poogan's Porch (shhh, don't tell!). After dinner, we took pictures by the pineapple fountain and just enjoyed talking and strolling around parts of town we hadn't seen before -- and revisited some of our favorites! We stopped by Folly Beach, but didn't stay long as there was a storm rolling in.
We left early the next morning with lots of new memories and pictures! I made a video inspired by Carly's Ireland video. The quality is pretty bad but it was still a lot of fun to make!
Charleston is lively without being overwhelming -- church steeples are the tallest thing in town! There is so much to see... not to mention to buy and eat! We walked a lot, ate a lot, and overall had a wonderful time!
Friday we got there around 1:30 and immediately went to grab lunch at Toast. I had the fried green tomato BLT and it was incredible! After lunch we went back to the hotel to change and went back into town to explore! Stores close pretty early, so Friday evening we moreso walked around and planned out what we wanted to do on Saturday. We ate dinner at Hyman's Seafood, which is a staple in Charleston. I thought it might be a little touristy, and even though it kind of was, it was still delicious! We had an appetizer that was grits, fried green tomatoes, parmesan sauce, and cheese and WOW. It was probably one of our favorite things we ate that trip. We burned off some of those calories by walking to see Rainbow Row (worth seeing if you're nearby, a little underwhelming if you walk all over town to see it) and along the battery. The battery is gorgeous and even though it was a little hot, it was so nice to just leisurely walk and look at the boats and houses. We ended up at 1 King Street and realized our car was parked at 560 King Street. Needless to say, we Uber-ed back. We went to the beach at Sullivan's Island that night. We went on the beach right beside the lighthouse and we watched some cargo ships that we had seen in port head out to sea.
The next morning we were up bright and early for our 9 am reservations at Poogan's Porch. We loved how the restaurant was in an old house (built in 1888!) that was bright yellow with bright haint blue porch ceilings. We sat upstairs and it was the perfect brunch atmosphere! They were the 2015 winners of the best shrimp and grits in Charleston, and while Sam, Anthony, and Harrison went for it, I picked chicken and waffles. We had a fried pimento cheese appetizer that was incredible! The shrimp and grits were pretty good, but I was very pleased with my choice of chicken and waffles!
After brunch, we went to King Street to shop! Sam and I were obviously in hog heaven, but the boys were a little less than thrilled. I can't tell you how many times they said "Oh look, we're going into another store that y'all won't buy anything in." Ha! I made quite a few purchases, including these printed Lilly Pulitzer shorts in Multi Island Time and this Kendra Scott necklace from Bevello. One of my favorite stores that we ventured into was one Sam found online before we went down to Chucktown. It was called Candlefish and they have a library of over 100 scents! I got no. 58 (lemon, orange, and sugar) and got my mom no. 88 (lemon, tulip, and musk). Both smell incredible!
Later that afternoon we went on a carriage ride! I've always wanted to do one and I was so excited that the boys planned one for us. Franklin toted us around the residential neighborhoods in Charleston (don't worry, he's very well taken care of!) and with the exception of a slight startle at a little UHaul trailer, he was the perfect host. We went to eat at Low Country Bistro afterwards and I went with the shrimp and grits there. They were so good! The others said they were better than the ones at Poogan's Porch (shhh, don't tell!). After dinner, we took pictures by the pineapple fountain and just enjoyed talking and strolling around parts of town we hadn't seen before -- and revisited some of our favorites! We stopped by Folly Beach, but didn't stay long as there was a storm rolling in.
We left early the next morning with lots of new memories and pictures! I made a video inspired by Carly's Ireland video. The quality is pretty bad but it was still a lot of fun to make!
xoxo, Taylor
8.05.2016
I spent so much time in the past months after my last "relationship" (if you can even call it that) examining over and over again the circumstances in each of our lives that led to us not working out. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that we would have worked had we met at a different time, had we not both just gotten out of previous relationships, had we not wanted different things, and so on and so forth. Yeah, we had some really great times together. Yeah, I found him at the wrong time. But overall, he was just the wrong person for me. God doesn't make mistakes in his timing. I don't think he brings two people together to tease them, to say "hey, look how perfect y'all would be together if I had just let you meet five months earlier or two years later." He does everything according to his perfect plan.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens." -Eccelsiastes 3:1
Everything that happens to you has a purpose, and now I've finally come to believe that the purpose of whatever he and I had was to show me how I didn't deserve to be treated. I walked away from the whole thing broken, and distraught, and knowing that I had been done wrong and that I deserved better. That didn't make it any easier, but I knew in the depths of my heart that I would find someone who treated me how I deserved to be treated.
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." -Proverbs 4:23
I came away so brokenhearted because I had failed to guard my heart. I saw the warning signs. I heard him say that he didn't want anything serious. But I played his game. Because I thought I could change him. I thought I could convince him otherwise. I opened my heart to someone who took it for granted, and that is why the right love at the wrong time isn't a thing. Someone who is right for you, someone who adores you and loves you, won't take your heart for granted. They won't take the love you show them and act like they don't care. They will make it work with you. Timing won't matter with the right person. No matter how busy you are with work, how distraught you are over your past relationship, how much you feel like you just don't have your life together, the right person will make it work with you. You will want to make it work and they will, too.
So don't stay hung up on the wrong boy for so long like I did. Take what you learned and realize that in God's eyes and in God's plan, he simply wasn't right for you.
7.13.2016
 |
| image |
240 years ago a few brave British people stood up to the bullies from their home country and decided to form a more perfect union. And what an incredible 240 years it has been. Through the ups and the downs, the bumps and bruises, America still survives. She is still that shining city on the hill and so long as we remember the bravery of those people 240 years ago and it continues to shine through in some incredible Americans from every generation, she will continue her greatness forevermore.
Here is a wonderful reading of the Declaration of Independence from the History Channel's documentary, Sons of Liberty.
Go forth, watch a baseball game, love your country, sing the national anthem. 240 has never looked so good, America!
7.04.2016
I had such a great weekend with some wonderful friends and I can wholeheartedly say that it was exactly what I needed. Anthony, Harrison, Sam, and I were planning all week to go to the beach, but we got the party started a little early because we all ended up going to Miranda Lambert together the night before! Anthony drove his jeep with the top off and it was the perfect night for it. It just makes life feel so free and easy that you can't even start to worry about your hair - even though trying to get the knots out of it later was a little frustrating!
The next morning we all left bright and early and headed down Highway 70. With an obligatory stop at the Neuse Sport Shop, we decided to take the scenic route down Highway 58 and down Emerald Isle towards Atlantic Beach. We let the windows down once we hit Cape Carteret and although traffic was a little slow over the bridge, it was so nice to feel the sun and beach air!
We kept an eye out for beach accesses to park at and ended up in Pine Knoll Shores. It was a quiet little area which was absolutely perfect. We got our stuff all settled, slapped on some sunscreen, grabbed a drink, and immediately jumped in the water. It was a little cold at first and the seas were slightly bigger than what the forecast I had read indicated, but once you got in past the breakers, it was so perfect!
We hung out on the beach for a few hours and the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament's snapchat story said that boats were coming into the weigh station at 3:30, so we packed up and headed to the waterfront. The Big Rock is one of the largest blue marlin tournaments in the world, so we're really lucky to live so close! I had been before to see weigh-ins, but the guys hadn't. Unfortunately, Saturday was only the ladies' tournament, so no billfish could be boated. (The big fish are coming in this week.) They released 37 billfish that day, though, so that looked good for when the big boys go out this week! They brought in gamefish - a lot of dolphin (the fish, not the mammal) and a couple wahoo. There were some really nice fish and Sam and I decided that it's a life goal to fish in the ladies' tournament. They all were wearing their matching PFGs and looked like they were having so much fun!
After walking around Morehead City for a while (and shopping at the Big Rock store, of course), we met up with Mason and headed to Beaufort for dinner. We ate on the waterfront with a great view of the boats in their slips. It was the most perfect night and I was so happy to be with my favorite people.
After dinner, we met up with Matt for a little while and then headed home. Each time I go down to Carteret County, it just reaffirms how much I want to live down there. I adore the mountains, but the ocean truly has my heart.
The next morning we all left bright and early and headed down Highway 70. With an obligatory stop at the Neuse Sport Shop, we decided to take the scenic route down Highway 58 and down Emerald Isle towards Atlantic Beach. We let the windows down once we hit Cape Carteret and although traffic was a little slow over the bridge, it was so nice to feel the sun and beach air!
We kept an eye out for beach accesses to park at and ended up in Pine Knoll Shores. It was a quiet little area which was absolutely perfect. We got our stuff all settled, slapped on some sunscreen, grabbed a drink, and immediately jumped in the water. It was a little cold at first and the seas were slightly bigger than what the forecast I had read indicated, but once you got in past the breakers, it was so perfect!
We hung out on the beach for a few hours and the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament's snapchat story said that boats were coming into the weigh station at 3:30, so we packed up and headed to the waterfront. The Big Rock is one of the largest blue marlin tournaments in the world, so we're really lucky to live so close! I had been before to see weigh-ins, but the guys hadn't. Unfortunately, Saturday was only the ladies' tournament, so no billfish could be boated. (The big fish are coming in this week.) They released 37 billfish that day, though, so that looked good for when the big boys go out this week! They brought in gamefish - a lot of dolphin (the fish, not the mammal) and a couple wahoo. There were some really nice fish and Sam and I decided that it's a life goal to fish in the ladies' tournament. They all were wearing their matching PFGs and looked like they were having so much fun!
After walking around Morehead City for a while (and shopping at the Big Rock store, of course), we met up with Mason and headed to Beaufort for dinner. We ate on the waterfront with a great view of the boats in their slips. It was the most perfect night and I was so happy to be with my favorite people.
After dinner, we met up with Matt for a little while and then headed home. Each time I go down to Carteret County, it just reaffirms how much I want to live down there. I adore the mountains, but the ocean truly has my heart.
6.28.2016
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)