It's Really Happening...

As my final semester here at UK comes to an end, that means there are many celebrations to attend and many pictures to take!

This past weekend was a whirlwind of banquets and dinners to attend for clubs and organizations that I am involved with.  I am very blessed to have had a very handsome date for my weekend adventures!  And, for those of you that know him - you know he was not a fan of all of the pictures!

First, we had the Emerald Ball for Sigma Alpha.  This was the first year that we held this event.  It was a success, and it was great to spend time with all of my sisters!

Proof that he was tired of all the pictures

 

Next up was the Block and Bridle Banquet.  This is my favorite time of the year.  As a senior, I was roasted by the advisor for all of my quarks and embarrassing stories!  It's always a good time.  One of my favorite meals - smoked beef, lamb and pork! YUM!

I would be lost without these three! 

 Finally, we celebrated with the incoming ambassadors for the college! There is a great group of individuals that are going to join the leaders of the college.  I am so blessed to have been a part of this group, and I look forward to watching their journey unfold!  This year's banquet was Hollywood themed! We had fun awards and all seniors were honored with kind words from the group.  This was the moment this weekend that I realized my journey here is finally in its last chapter.

Senior UKAg Ambassadors

Who would have thought that all of these individuals, from all groups, would touch my life in such a special way.  I'm so grateful for all of the memories and lessons learned along the way.  I can't believe it is almost over.  I usually really struggle with Morgan leaving me down here when he goes home - but this time I had to stay positive. While it is never easy to watch him leave, I had to remind myself that these last couple of weeks are the end of my journey. He will be back in a couple of weeks to help pack me up and move me home for the beginning of our life together - but when that happens, he is also helping close this chapter of my life.  Packing these friends and memories away as just that, memories. 

I have cherished these last three years of my life, and I know I will never be the same because of them.  So, on that note - the countdown is over.  Instead of counting the days I have left until I come home, I'm going to embrace these last two weeks and make them the best and most meaningful time of my college career!

To my family support at home - I love you! Thank you for the encouragement and helping me succeed while away.  I'm so excited to be coming home, and I know I could not have finished without all of the support from all of you.

To my friends and support at school - the story doesn't end here. It's not the end of our laughs, memories and good times - it's just the beginning to a life-long friendship and network of amazing people.  You all have made your mark on my heart, and I will cherish the times we have had together. So, here's to the many good times had and many good times to come!

Playing Catch Up

So, I promise I haven't fallen off the earth.

I know it has been a while, but I have just been oh so busy! I'll just give the sweet and condensed version of the last few months to catch up.

January was great. I had the opportunity to go to Florida before school started back up. It was great to spend some time with friends and prepare for my last semester of classes. We had a blast! Hopefully this won't be the last time I see the beach!

February - I don't remember it. Morgan came down to visit and I was able to take him to his first Wildcat's Basketball game. He enjoyed it even if he doesn't want to admit it.

I celebrated a big birthday in March. I have awesome friends that planned my celebrations and made them unforgettable! Then there was spring break. That consisted of wedding planning and relaxing at home. I also started going to a new gym at the end of the month! I love it! My pal Terra braves the 6am class with my five days a week!

April has brought a lot of fun times so far. First things first - I had to cheer on my Cats through the tournament! It's an amazing feeling to be on campus and watch your school fight for the championship. I also went on a trip to Nebraska for an organization I'm in at school. This time I did not encounter any mud holes - but it was still a fun trip! ;)

All the while - I'm still trying to stay on top of my school work and plan a wedding at the same time. I feel like I never sleep. I have some pretty amazing friends, and they keep me going! They threw me my first bridal shower this past week. I'm struggling with the concept of a party that is thrown all for me, but hopefully by August I will have conquered that!

Today was great. Reba and I participated in the Bully Breed Awareness Walk with our training group. It was a lot of fun. Then we went to lunch at a dog friendly restaurant, where Reba was so good and stayed under my chair while we ate - work in progress!

Next weekend is jam packed full of banquets - seriously it's like a marathon of banquet dinners. One every day next weekend. That just means that the semester is winding down, which means it's almost over.

Whoa - I'm exhausted after racing through that.
And, for those still keeping track with me:
20 days until Graduation
125 days until the Wedding

A Lot to Be Thankful For

Whoa! How do six days manage to fly by and leave me not ready to go back to Lexington? They always do, right? Unfortunately, that is the case. The days I have at home are so jam-packed with exciting things to do that before I know it I'm heading south again... It's simply not fair!

Because I am impatient and wanted to be home so badly, I left Lexington Tuesday morning at approximately 5:00am. I already had the truck loaded and just needed to get Reba and I in it. This made for almost a whole day at home! Reba and I visited Momma and her friends at work for a little while, then made it home to see Dad for lunch, and ended my afternoon surprising two kiddos at school to pick them up! This was some much needed time with these monsters for sure!

While I was home I managed to squeeze in two full days of job shadowing. It was fun to see the behind the scenes aspects to some of the jobs I have applied for and determine whether or not to apply for others. What I learned from shadowing: I love people and sitting in an office all day is just not for me!

Thanksgiving Day was full of fun! I successfully completed my first race! It was bitterly cold out, but I managed to finish with a time better than expected and I can't wait to register for my next one! A huge thank you to Morgan's sister, Casey, for agreeing to run the race with me and serve as my encouragement!

Then it was off to grandma's house for the annual Thanksgiving Lunch. It was great to have these crazies there with me! I ended up napping on grandma's couch for a little while after we ate. It was great to visit with everyone... BAHAHA! 

We then had a wonderful meal with Morgan's family on Saturday! I love them! We watched football and had lots of laughs! 

Sunday was spent with Daddy in the shop working on my truck. I needed to change the oil and wash the mud off of it, so I got to spend some time with Daddy doing that. I also had the chance to visit with my Great Uncle Don from Georgia on Sunday. He and his wife visit once a year and it has been a while since I have seen him since I have been at school. He is a wonderful man and I love visiting with him. In conversation he told me that if he wakes up in the morning he thanks the Good Lord above and knows it's going to be a good day because it was given to him. Such a positive outlook on life and the blessings he has. 

Finally, one of my favorite traditions is putting up the Christmas Tree with Momma. It is always lots of fun! Every year Momma buys us girls an ornament that represents something that happened in our lives in the past year. So, I got to open my ornament for this year and I love it! 

It's kind of weird for me to think about how next year's holidays will be completely different. Morgan and I will have our own tree to put up, and we will have our own traditions to begin. I have been very blessed and I have a lot to be thankful for this year, and every other year. I can't believe it is December already, but I am very excited for the eventful year I have ahead of me! 

Just in case anyone is keeping track (but I'm not counting):

158 days until Graduation!

262 days until the wedding! 

Our Story

For those of you that know me pretty well, you know that I am a planner. I love to have a plan, and most of the time I am not happy unless there is a plan for every thing happening in my life.

So, as most little girls do, I had planned my life out based on many of the fairy tales I had read as a child. Planning my job and what pets I would own and where I would live and, most importantly, the man of my dreams. But, one thing is for sure: I could not have planned for a better-looking, more supportive, more intelligent or more caring individual to call mine. The best part is -  I get to keep him all mine forever!

We aren't high school sweethearts, and we didn't fall in love with our best friend, but he did manage to sweep me off my feet, and I'm so happy he did! The past three years of my life have been a true blessing because of Morgan. Our story hasn't been the fairy tale many girls dream of. We have had our trying moments and we have had our unforgettable moments. This story isn't what I had planned, but it is our story and I wouldn't change a single thing about it.

Morgan, your love and support through the toughest adventure of my life has kept me going. Your willingness to pick me up and dust me off, but yet your boldness to tell me to get over it and try again, is the exact support I have needed right beside me. You have become my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you. 

The first chapter of our story ends with Morgan asking me to be his wife! I am so excited to plan our futures together. So, as we plan to join our lives on August 23rd, we will continue to write our story together as it unfolds before us.

Our Journey Together:

 Photos by Kali Parmley :

Let the Countdown begin:
166 days until Graduation
270 days until I'm Mrs. Longshore!

Unreal

When did it get to be September?
Where has the month of September gone? Oh well, who cares as long as it keeps going?! After September comes December, and after December comes May (close enough)!
The past three weeks have been absolute madness in my life! I moved back to school just in time for Ambassador Retreat. Then, three days later, classes started. The next week was UKAg Round Up, which is a week full of events for faculty, staff, students, the community and alumni. The next week was rush week for Sigma Alpha - a week full of events for recruiting new members to the professional agricultural sorority on campus. No wonder the month has flown by! This week has been really busy too, but my poocher comes home to me tomorrow! So, here is a really quick visual recap of the last couple weeks. Enjoy!

 Guest Speaker at the Lexington Rotary Club Lunch at Round Up

 Ag Student Council Hosts the Student and Staff Picnic at Round up

 

UK Ag Ambassadors run the main Round Up event 

Sigma Alpha Rush Week Day #1

  

Sigma Alpha Active Membership (24 lovely ladies)

  

 Sigma Alpha Active Membership with New Membership Candidates 

(46 amazing ladies!)

 

Four Amazing Kelsey's =] 

Some Much Needed Tailgating with the girls!

And My Love came to Visit! 

Kentucky v. Louisville Game

UK See Blue Preview Night in Chicago, Illinois 

I'm really blessed by these amazing opportunities and wouldn't trade my crazy schedule for anything! I'm really thankful that my family is understanding of the craziness since it will be another month or more before I get to go home for a weekend!

And... In case anyone was wondering.... 235 days until graduation! That is unreal!

My School Family

Being away from home is really hard for me, but having a group of close friends that I spend a lot of time with makes it a little easier.

I have become really involved on campus and these are the friends and the moments that I will remember forever! One of my favorite groups to be a part of on campus is the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment Ambassadors. This is my family. They are just as crazy as my real family, and they are always there to lift me up when I need it most. So, for that I thank you all!

This past weekend was the Ambassador Retreat. This is a weekend spent learning about the college, but more importantly, this is a weekend spent learning about each other and making connections that will last all year. I couldn't have asked for a better group to spend my last year on campus with. This group includes some really amazing people, and I am really excited to see where this next year leads us.

Our weekend included a day of meetings at the office, and then we spend the rest of the weekend at the Red River Gorge, in Eastern Kentucky. First thing is first, hike up the see the Natural Bridge.

Th whole group made it to the top in one piece! 

Shelby and I being ourselves - ridiculous! 

Kaitlin and Renee - the best sisters a girl could ask for! This was before the hike (when we were still having fun!) Haha. 

 This year I have the privilege of being Kayla's mentor. She is the best mentee ever, and I can't wait to work with her all year! 

I'm so thankful for the family I have at school. These people keep me sane and help me to not be lonely.

But, I honestly could not do it without this girl. She is the best one-woman support system ever, and I am so thankful to have her all to myself! She dries my tears when my Momma can't, and always knows how to make me smile! I love you Kristina! Thank you for everything you do for me!

Next Step

Looking back on the amazing summer I had, I can't believe it is over.  Just like that.  I am so thankful for the amazing opportunities that I had this summer and I wouldn't trade the crazy schedule, sleepless nights, living out of a suitcase, or making over 1000 phone calls for anything. I had a blast! 

After a crazy-busy summer away from home, it was nice to be able to come home and spend the weekend with the ones I love the most before school starts. Daddy, Momma, Morgan and I packed up and went north for the weekend. We spent the weekend at the National Tractor Pull Association Championship in Bowling Green, Ohio. It's always a fun time, and it was great to spend it with three of my favorite people. 

 I think this one sums up our relationship quite nicely, HA. I love him! 

It's crazy to think that this was the last summer I will spend as a college student. Next summer, I will hopefully have a big-kid job and be planning my future. I can't believe that. I can't wait to see what my future holds, but for now I will pack up and head back to Lexington to plug away at school. That's the next step to my future and the next step to my goals!

264 days until graduation! 

Ready... Set... Go!!