Fall is NEAR

Only a few more days til the BEST time of the year, ya'll! The weather around here in TN has been amazing (aside from the rain). There's not many things, in my opinion, that are better than those first few days that creep into FALL! Now ya'll know I'm about as girly as they come, but one of my absolute favorite things to wear is the shorts + sweatshirt combo. Don't know why, don't question it. Love it.

Crazy to think I'm halfway through my A&P I class, as well. Cramming TWO full courses into ONE semester is nuts, but it will be worth it. So after fall break...it will be time for A&P II. Craziness! P.S. Someone whose name rhymes with smaroline made a 93 on exam #2 today. ;)

Fall also means...fair time! Last week was fair week here, and (unless you are a true McMinnvillian) you can't even fathom how big of a deal our fair is to people around here. It's a huge ordeal! Fairest of the Fair is "the" pageant in WC and has been for years; residents treat it like it's a local Miss America. Gotta love it ;) I must add, my own daddy hated Fairest of the Fair and called it a "cattle show"...until I won in 2009 :) haha! Men...

Here are some photos from the past 3 years at Warren Co. A & L Fair...

2009 - being crowned WC Fairest of the Fair, and attaining the opportunity to compete in the Tennessee Fairest of the Fair pageant in Nashville. So much fun & such a great year!

2010 - taking my final walk & giving up my crown to the beautiful 2010 FOF, Olivia Majors

2011- helping backstage with the contestants. I also got to participate in a mock interview as Miss Country Sunshine! This is me with a dear friend of mine, Erin Duncan, who got 2nd RU! Although I didn't get a picture with her, this year's FOF is gorgeous Ali Beth Young.

I didn't mean for that what-was-supposed-to-be-brief synopsis to turn out to be that long! Ha, sorry guys! That's all I've got for this bleak Tuesday! God bless! xoxo- C

I don't watch much TV, but...

I can't get enough of America's Got Talent this season! It's one television show that I actually sit down & faithfully watch each week. Last night, they condensed it down from the Top 10 to the Top 4, and I was pretty satisfied, except for one act. The Top 4 are:

The Silhouettes. This group is outstanding. It's hard to exactly put into words what they do, but to sum it up, they are phenomenal dancers who dance behind a screen and portray images onto that screen with their bodies. They have done an "America" theme that literally brought tears to my eyes.

Poplyfe. Although this true "pop" band is very talented, I don't think they should be in the Top 4. I believe their spot should have been for either Anna Graceman - 11 yr old singer(LOVE!) or Landon Swank - magician (also LOVE!).Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. Cannot say enough about this guy! His voice is (like the lovely Mrs. Sharon Osborne, who is one of the judges, put it) like "velvet" & it really, truly is. He does covers of classic songs, mostly of Frank Sinatra. A-MAZING. What gets me, though, is why he is doing AGT. He is so deeply rooted in his family values and wants to make a better life for his wife and 2 children. He was drying cars at a local car wash for a living when he first auditioned. Bet he won't be doing that anymore! ;) I also might add he reminds me a tad bit of Kel off "Kenan and Kel" haha!

Team iLuminate. Also a favorite of mine! These guys are so entertaining to watch! They are hip-hop dancers, but backstage their coach is constantly flipping and changing the lights on their costumes through computers to create this amazing act! They did a "video game" style performance one week and it was my favorite so far. I got a good laugh out of Howie Mandel's comment last night that Team iLuminate was "the 2nd most fun he could have in the dark." Ha! In all honesty, I am pretty sure Team iLuminate will win the whole thing. They are definitely a show people would want to watch in Vegas. I know I would! It was also really cool that their coach/choreographer, who has fought & beat cancer recently, usually stays backstage to work the lights, but this week, she joined them onstage to perform. Awesome!

So there are your Top 4; next Tuesday is the final competition show, and Wednesday is the final results night! Cannot wait! Have a great Thursday everyone! xoxo-C

Weekly Gratitude

This is weird. I am home on a Friday night. Weird?! But combining a late night with girlfriends, an early(ish) morning workout, and a full day of work does not exactly produce the most energized Caroline you've encountered in your life.

This week I am grateful for:

1. 32 Degrees frozen yogurt. Holy moly. Cookeville did itself a favor when they let this amazing froyo place into town. I have 3 main theories why I love it so much. 1) It's nonfat, low-cal. 2) TTU discount, HOLLAAAA. 3) Everytime I'm there, it's usually been a good day. Really though. We go there most every girls' nights, some date nights, shopping trips, etc.

2. eBay. It has allowed me to buy my $215 Anatomy book for $79. Winning!

3. Having my cousin, Destiny, and a few other girls I know in my Anatomy class. It's always nice to have someone you know in a class, especially a difficult class. Thank you sweet Jesus!

4. UT Volunteers. It's FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEE!

5. Being asked to emcee a fundraiser/benefit pageant. On October 22nd, I will be emceeing the Miss Gift of Hope pageant, which will work in conjunction with Children's Miracle Network to help a local girl, who is ill and hospitalized, out in her fight for health. It's a true blessing to be able to help even a tiny bit for something that will hopefully contribute greatly to a struggling family.

5. My birthday! Hellllooooo September 4th is only 2 days away!

Happy Labor Day weekend, everyone! xoxo- C

Back to the grind...

It's that time of year again...back to school! The only exciting things about that are: A) New school supplies. (Why are notebooks so exciting?!) B) One step closer to Dental Hygiene school, and (in turn) one step closer to Tyler and I starting our lives together. We have a deal that we are both going to finish school before we tie the knot, which is quite wise, if I do say so myself :)

Anyway, in regard to the photo above, that would be my oh-so-beautiful stack on notes that I've printed out for my A&P class. Did I mention it's only the second day of class? Yeah, it is. And we have a test next week. HELLLOOO excel A&P class! This is going to be a VERY fast-paced semester because this class is basically 2 semesters smooshed into 1. A&P 1 and A&P 2 in uno semester. I can do this. I can do this. I can doooooo this. (with prayer...and caffeine)

I forgot how much I loathe buying textbooks. However, I did get a pretty good deal on mine through eBay. Hopefully (fingers crossed!) it will be here tomorrow or Thursday. I'm about to have a panic attack not having my book yet in this class, but I always like to make sure I'm buying the right one and get the ok from the professor. Now the next step is buying the not-so-cheap CD for our "virtual cadaver dissection." Weeee...

On other note, I have been thinking a lot about beginning my journey into purchasing a few of my Miss TN dresses, so I won't have to buy 4,557 all at once. Kidding...only about 8-9.

Love this simple wrap dress from BCBG Max & Cleo
Lace cut-out back dress from Victoria's Secret. Yum

Hope ya'll have a good Tuesday! xoxo-C

All photos courtesy of Nordstrom and Victoria's Secret.

Weekly Gratitude

The weekend is nearing and that means it's time for Weekly Gratitude! Without further adieu...

This week, I am grateful for:

1. Beautiful Southern views. This was taken at Collins River Golfcourse on Tuesday around dusk. Absolutely gorgeous.

2. Greek yogurt. I look forward to my little mid-morning snack each day :)

3. A healthy family, and healthy friends. Lately, I've been hearing terrible stories of mothers, close friends, etc. finding tumors or going through rough patches in their lives. I don't know what I have done to have been blessed so richly by God, but I am so beyond thankful for that and also for the health and wellbeing of the ones I love. Never take anything for granted. Rejoice in the fact that your body can move and your brain can think. It's the small things.

4. Victoria's Secret "free item" coupons. YES! Yes.

I hope everyone has had a great week! Tomorrow evening, I am off to attend Miss Music City/Capital City to see two lovely women be crowned to earn their way to Miss TN! I can't wait to meet them. Good luck, girls! & I hope everyone has a great weekend!

xoxo-C

Wedding Wednesday - Cakes

Today is going to be a short-ish post, consisting mostly of pictures. Now ya'll know I like to bake, so, naturally, wedding cakes (and confections in general) excite me. Don't tell Ty, but I already have the cake stand for our wedding :) - along with some fabric for table runners, sashes, etc., - plus 2 beverage canisters. Who cares if it's 1 1/2-2 years away? I like to plan! :) Anywho, here are a few of my cake ideas/picks in all of their sugary beautiful glory...

This might be my favorite one! You can't tell much from this picture, but there are mini white dots all over.

This one is so cozy and rustic...definitely a fave, as well.

Very classic and soft. Maybe add an espresso brown letter C to the middle oval?

I love damask; that's all there is to it!

For the groom's cake, Ty has mentioned he would like his precious grandmother to make his. She makes a to-die-for coconut cake, which would be great for a spring or summer affair, but in October...it doesn't seem very seasonal, ha! I personally could totally see him having a cool little "golf-themed" grooms cake, or maybe a UTor P hilidephia Eagles one. Who knows! We'll cross that bridge when we come to it! :)

Happy Hump Day! xoxo-C

Photos courtesy of The Knot and Pinterest

Monday Musings

1. It's 13 days til my birthday, ya'llllll.
2. It's also one week til fall semester starts. Wah wah wah.

3. I love little kids. I made my first "official" school appearance today as Miss Country Sunshine and I had a ball! Upon entering one classroom, I sat down in the storytime chair and was beginning to explain to the class my job as Miss Country Sunshine and why I was there. Mid-sentence, one little boy tells me, "Our teacher already told us this stuff, ya know..." I could have died!

4. I'm considering temporarily ending my relationship with Insanity (workout) to join a local gym, just to change things up. Gotta keep it fresh.

5. I love Reagan the cocker spaniel and Samson the huskie more and more each day. God bless those little furry canines :) I can swear to you they speak through their little eyes!

6. More people need to embrace dirty hair. I don't wash my hair everyday and I'm PROUD of it! I'll take 2-or-3-day old dirty hair over freshly washed hair anyday, thank you. Don't hate, appreciate.

7. Deuteronomy 31:6

All images courtesy of Pinterest.