What I will miss about Memphis...

In less than 4 months, Craig will be graduating from Med School, and we will be moving out of Memphis. He interviewed at 5 different programs: Chattanooga, Jackson, Tuscaloosa, Daytona Beach, and Asheville. March 18 is Match Day, which is when we find out where we are going next. We have enjoyed our time in Memphis and will miss certain things about this city. Some things we will miss more than others. Like...


Our Friends and Muddy's Bake Shop. These are our top 2 things we will miss about Memphis. Our Friends have been our family during these four years of school. We have shared numerous memories and have supported one another through it all. I would not have survived without the friendships. It's going to be so sad when we all move to different cities. I don't know what I will do without them. :( Muddy's is our favorite bakery with the best cupcakes, cookies, and other sweet treats. We visit the store regularly and will probably lose a few pounds after we move. Over the next four months, we plan to take advantage of time with our friends and cupcakes at Muddy's. We will miss you both so much...

Girls Weekend

For the second year in a row, my friends from college and I went on a trip over MLK weekend. It is a nice tradition, and I hope it continues for many years. Last year, we traveled to Chicago for the inaugural trip with lots of shopping and Wicked. This year we decided on something a little less intense. Our friend, Kristen, moved home to Kansas after several years in Nashville. She is the most thoughtful friend I know. All through college she visited our homes and families, so we were excited to travel to her home and meet her family. Betsy, Emily, Jenny and I left Nashville at 6 on Friday night and flew to Kansas City. (For those on the trip last year, we made it through security without any excitement). Kristen picked us up at the airport. It was very foggy, so we were not able to see much of the city. However, one of the first things we noticed was some interesting art leaving the airport. As the trip continued, we learned Kansas City has some very strange art. We stayed at the Sheraton Suites on the Plaza. Friday night we enjoyed hanging out at the hotel.

Saturday morning we went to Panera for breakfast! YUM!! I love their Cinnamon Crunch bagels. After breakfast, we walked through the Plaza and went in several shops. None of us spent as much money as we did last year. The weather was very nice and bearable. We went to lunch at Winstead's, a local diner. We enjoyed burgers, fries, and onion rings. Next, we traveled to the Crown Center. Hallmark's headquarters are in Kansas City, located next to the Crown Center. The rest of the day was spent driving and enjoying the sights of Kansas City. The city is known as "The City of Fountains." With the fountains being turned off, we decided the city was better named "The City of Statues." We enjoyed taking MANY pictures with statues. Saturday night we had dinner with Kristen's family. They bought BBQ for us, and we had fun spending time with her nephews and the rest of the family.

On Sunday, we went to church at Overland Park Church of Christ and watched Kristen teach. After worship, we had lunch at a local pizza joint. Then back to the Plaza for more pictures with statues and shopping. We saw the movie "Leap Year." It was such a cute movie and a fun one to see with a bunch of my girlfriends. We went back to the hotel and relived our college years. It was fun to reminisce and laugh about things we had not thought about in several years. Later that night, we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

We left early Monday morning. It was a great, relaxing weekend spent with some of my closest friends. Thanks girls for all the fun!! I can't wait for our trip next year...Hot Springs here we come!!

the BIG game

Craig and I (as well as our families) enjoyed a LOT of trash talk over the past month. We pointed out all the flaws of the other team as well as all the reasons why our team would win. My family loves the Crimson Tide while Craig's family supports the Longhorns. Craig and I debated going to Pasadena even if we couldn't get tickets. We thought it would be an experience to be there as our teams battled. However, with our schedules, the trip was impossible (not to mention our budget). Since we could not be at the game, we decided to host a party, in hopes that our friends come help keep our marriage in tact. We pulled out all our Alabama and Texas gear to decorate our apartment. Every time one of us put something out, the other would find something else to counter. The BIG night finally arrived. Most of the people in attendance cheered for Texas. The game started off bad for Alabama, but Texas was hurt worse when McCoy was injured. In the end, Alabama WON and I was thrilled!! Some people think Texas would have won with McCoy. I am not saying they would or would not have, but I do know the game would have been different. Alabama played a different game after McCoy's injury. Craig was a good sport, and I have tried not to be a pain to live with. All I can say is ROLL TIDE ROLL!!

Tucker cheered for Alabama and wore his favorite scarf!

Christmas Vacation

Well, I know I'm a little late with this blog, but we were a LITTLE busy over Christmas. We left on Friday, December 18th when I got off work. First stop: Nashville. We arrived in time to catch the end of the dinner party with Chris, Pat, and Ann Wood (family friends of the Wrights). It was fun to see them and to visit for a little while. Saturday we enjoyed another Christmas party at the Wright house, this time with the Gillilands. Since we have lived in Memphis, Craig and I have never made this party, so we were excited to be there. We met baby Connor and enjoyed spending time with all of the Gillilands. On Sunday, Craig and his dad went to the Titans game. I decided to do some last minute shopping since it was so cold. Sunday night Charlie, Ashley, and Gentry came over for dinner. It was fun to spend some time with Craig's family.

On Monday, we left Nashville and headed to Florence. We were having Christmas with my mom's side of the family that night. It was the first year without my Aunt Cathy, which was hard. She always gave my sister and I a Christmas ornament for our birthdays, so we decided to start a new tradition of giving her granddaughters an ornament. Christmas was her favorite holiday!! One of the most touching moments (for me) was that my uncle remembered my aunt's tradition and gave me an ornament. I was not expecting it, and I appreciated his thoughtfulness. It was a fun night with my Spivey cousins. On Tuesday, we had a Tea Party with my Grandma and her great-granddaughters. The little girls had so much fun at the party and dressing up like princesses. I was glad I could be a part of the special day.

On Wednesday, we went back to Nashville. Things start to get a little blurry here because of all the travels back and forth. I can't remember all the details but I will share the highlights. Christmas Eve was spent in Nashville with Craig's family. We were very blessed that Charlie did not get paged and were able to all enjoy Christmas together. It was Gentry's first Christmas, and he loved opening his presents!! He is so cute and such a sweet baby!!

We left Nashville Christmas morning to go back to Florence to spend the day with my family. As many of you know, my birthday is on Christmas. Although I haven't always enjoyed this, I am thankful that I am able to spend time with my WHOLE family on my birthday. They always make it special and try to separate the two. We enjoyed a great day with my Grandma, Mom, Dad, Adam, Luke, Laura, and Bethany.

Saturday we went back to Nashville for Christmas with the Wrights (Craig's dad's side of the fam). We usually make it to Thanksgiving or Christmas each year, so we were glad to see most everyone this year. We went back to Florence that night to spend a few more days with my family.

Sunday-Wednesday was spent in Florence. We enjoyed hanging out with my family and playing plenty of games. Monday night I went to dinner with some of the bestest friends in the world. I have been blessed with amazing friends and each year we get together for a Christmas dinner. Melissa, Codi, Elizabeth, and I have been friends forever. We don't get to see each other as much as we would like but we always pick up like it was yesterday. Mary Brook, we missed you and hope you will be home next year!!

The rest of the break was spent in Gatlinburg with Craig's family. It was very relaxing. We stayed in our pajamas pretty much everyday. That is my kind of trip!! We had fun playing the arcade games, watching movies in the movie room, and hanging out.

I know that was a very LONG post, but I wanted to share what we did for the holidays. We were very blessed with safety, with time spent with family and friends, and with generous gifts. Thank you to everyone who made our holiday special!!