A little of this, a little of that

Hello blogosphere! I apologize for my silence. I just know you've been dying to know what's been going on. Here it is in a nutshell: end of summer, new boyfriend, downsizing at work = more work, UNCW back to school, nasty craptastic infection, more work, more boyfriend, some travel, and now some more travel! Basically, life is good! One big reason life is good? This guy:

Blog friends, Mike. Mike, blog friends. He's wonderful and amazing and pretty much makes me feel like the most special person in the whole world. Fun fact: he has the same, somewhat rare (very rare in the South) last name as my roommate. Even more fun fact: they are not related. It's caused some confusion amongst friends and coworkers who think I'm dating Stef's brother. Not the case.

UNCDub is back in full swing, in fact, it's already fall break! In the spirit of taking a rest from thinking, I am also jetting off with Mike to Dallas this weekend to see Mom, Kari and Jared, and maybe even my brother! So excited to visit and to introduce Mike to some very important people in my life! I've also taken great pains to prepare him for a fall weekend with me and my mom. In 5 words: Nordstrom, wine, football, sushi, movies.

Speaking of important people, it was Jenn's birthday yesterday! Happy Birthday Jenn!! We really like wine. This is one of many reason we are friends.

Speaking of more important people, I am going to be a bridesmaid in Trisha's wedding in March! I'm so excited to be part of her and Patrick's big day. I've  been blessed enough to be a bridesmaid 7 times, this being the 8th. I'm always happy to do it and own the fact that 27 Dresses is the story of my life. Trisha is letting each bridesmaid pick her own dress (as long as it's the same color and material). Here's the one I chose:

Pretty, right? I'm so excited to wear it! I think it's perfect for my body type, which is the beauty of picking our own style!

In other news I'm getting ready to go back to Germany this November to travel around for a week and sing with my Dad's college alumni choir. This may sound random to some, but won't surprise others. I've been singing choral music my entire life and absolutely love it. The German people love it too and this group has been taking this trip for over 20 years. I'm excited to be going on my second tour and can't wait to sing again with some awesome musicians! Another bonus? Germans LOVE Christmas. Consequently, SO DO I! I am part German, so this just makes sense. Anywho, the Germans have these great Christmas markets called Christkindlesmarkt that pop up all over the country. You can buy all sorts of things at these markets including intricately carved wood ornaments, jewelry, nesting dolls, handmade scarves, and hundreds of other items. Some pictures from the last trip:

Can't WAIT to go back!

So this is basically what I've been up to! I'm not making any promises, but I hope to be blogging more these days!