I'm a grown-up. Kind of.

The past couple days, I have been thrown into a whirlwind of chaotic business! I don't know if it is just because I have been sick and I have felt like doing nothing, so doing something feels like major overkill or what. Who knows? Being sick (stomach virus to be precise) makes me feel all kinds of out-of-whack.

Tonight, I made a trip down to Chattanooga with the 'rents (of course, they had to go. Gotta love 'em.) This February, I am applying to the Dental Hygiene program at Chattanooga State to (hopefully!) be admitted into the program for the Fall 2012 semester. I'll just say this: I am going to need a lot of prayer. Nothing is more powerful than prayer. Out of 105-115 applicants, 20 will be selected for the program. You read that right...20. Needless to say, I am just a tad bit scared/overwhelmed/worried/anxious about this whole process. I have never wanted anything so badly in my academic career. I finally know the career path I want to take, and this is the one step that will either confirm or not confirm it.

I have heard from many DH professionals and academic advisors that Chatt State is one of the best DH programs in Tennessee. As I visited the facility today, I was so impressed by the warmth of the staff and the state-of-the-art clinics. Amazing. If I am going to spend my 2 years in a DH speciality program somewhere, I sure want it to be there!

Chattanooga is about an hour to an hour and a half drive from my house, so it's not exactly just a "hop skip & a jump" trip. This being said, I will probably end up having to get an apartment for my 2 years there. Commuting would just be too much. Plus a whole lotta gas. But we will see...gotta make sure I get in first! (I think my stomach just sank again...oh this will be a nerve-wracking next few months!)

Now that I'm thinking of it, there is so much coming up in the next little bit! Preparing my application and documents for DH program, clinical observations, making sure I kick some MAJOR butt in A&P 1&2, fulfilling my duties as Miss Country Sunshine, promoting my platform, attending local prelims, making appearances, as well as making time for essential family time, Miss TN headshot photoshoot, a pageant to emcee, Halloween, Christmas, Thanksgiving, finals, work...WHEW, this list is way beyond crazy already! Not to mention throwing in studying and workouts and all the usual day-to-day routines!

So as I am ranting and all this lovely mumbo-jumbo, I have to remember to stay focused, stay determined, stay sane. God will get me through it. It's all in His plan. We have to trust that!

I hope this post hasn't stressed anyone out too badly (ha!) Ya'll have a wonderful FALL weekend! :)

OH! Can't leave this out - thought it was extra fun for us belles ;)

I apologize for not being able to make it bigger/clearer. Try clicking on it!

P.S. Did I mention fall break starts for me today? I can't complain, even if it IS only 2 days! (...that will be spent studying, I might add!) :P

xoxo-C

Baking in gym clothes

Today has been a pretty smooth, easy Thursday. Weather has been great, had a killer workout at the gym, and came home to work on some A&P while snuggled up with pup watching David Tutera's My Fair Wedding (love that show!).

It goes without saying that I am a Pinterest addict. I found this interesting recipe on there one day for a VitaMuffin copcat. In case you don't know what a VitaMuffin is, it's a good-for-you 100-110 calorie muffin full of fiber and other nutrients. My favorite is the Deep Chocolate.

You can buy them at places like Whole Foods and Publix, but they aren't very cheap! So when I found this recipe, I definitely wanted to make them! Like I said, it is on Pinterest, but the original source is http://www.dashingdish.com/. These are only 116 calories and they're pretty "clean" too!

So after I came home from the gym, I started making these chocolatelicious babies.

You start off by mixing all the called-for ingredients in a blender, which I was a little skeptical about, but hey - it worked!Then, you add in some chocolate chips, but reserve some for sprinkling on the top. I used dark chocolate chips...yum!Annnnnd - voila! Your end result is an insanely moist VitaMuffin copycat, dubbed the "Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffin." Sounds like junk food, right? Nope! Not at all!

Try 'em out for yourself, ya'll!

xoxo-C

It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!

...to this girl, at least :) It's 4 days into October and I am l-o-v-e loving fall! My very favorite season is here and that means lots of things: Halloween, cool crisp weather, boots, scarves, fall baking, Thanksgiving, SEC football, hoodies/sweatpants, pumpkins, and everything that comes with the anticipation of the upcoming holiday season! October is love. Love is October. (& in October 2013, love will literally be October; aka mine & Ty's wedding!)

Alright, calm down. Ok, whew.

OH, and I forgot to mention skinny Pumpkin Spice lattes at the 'Bucks...ok, sorry :) I'll stop!

This month is going to be super busy for me! (which is fine by me...busy is good!) I have had 2 A&P exams this week, pageant coaching sessions, my MISS TENNESSEE headshot photoshoot this Saturday, and have an appearance scheduled Saturday evening at the Miss WC Princess/Jr Teen pageant, as well. So exciting! I have a little chance to breathe this evening, so I am Shutterfly-ing a birthday gift and catching up in the blogworld.

October also consists of a few Miss TN prelims that I will be attending to see who will be crowned & in turn, have the opportunity to compete with me next June in Jackson at the MISS TN SCHOLARSHIP PAGEANT! So excited. I am hoping to schedule a couple of school appearances for this month as well, to promote my platform, Eating Disorder Education & Awareness. So, if you're a student or teacher, hit me up & I would love to come visit! :)

This past weekend was the annual Autumn Street Fair here in McMinnville and I can't say enough about it! I absolutely love going each year. McMinnville is full of so many talented people.

Mom got this Halloween canvas from Brandie Mansfield over at http://dreamcustomartwork.blogspot.com/. If you have never checked her work out before, you so need to! Her canvases are absolute perfection! She has also done a few canvases for me and also for friends as gifts.

I got this adorable decorated pumpkin from Bethany Crouch-Guthrie and her friends over at the March of Dimes booth! I am in love with the ribbon details! Great purchase, plus the all funds went to March of Dimes!

I hope ya'll have had a great start to October! xoxo-C

Wedding Wedneday - Flowers & Decor

So I'll admit, I'm not gung-ho on flowers. Although I love flowers and think they are beautiful, I just don't get excited about planning floral arrangements. I think my momma will do just a fine job at arranging that! ;) Anyway, for a fall wedding - I am obviously going to keep with my planned palette of warm colors (burnt orange, dark chocolate, ivory, burlap, gold tones). I confess I do not know exact names of the flowers I want, but these are some of the photos I've saved that strike my floral fancy...

Very warm & bright bouquet...I think I would like it better with some darker tones as well.

I LOVE the use of wheat for a table centerpiece. It just looks so festive and simple.

This boutenniere keeps in theme with the first bouquet idea. Love!
Take away the striped fabric replace it with antique Chantilly lace and this bouquet would probably be my favorite. I love the mixture of textures and variety of flowers in it.
However, this one does come in a close second. I don't know, I might even like it more. I love the warmth of it!

So now ya'll get an idea of the scheme I am trying to create. Warm colors combined with a hint of darkness are catching my eye for flowers, and wheat and (of course) pumpkins are of great interest of decor (reception, entryways, etc).

P.S.: SATURDAY IS OCTOBER 1ST!!!!! Fall is here!!!!

xoxo- C

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