Tag Archives: ohio state

Bye Columbus!

Posted in Columbus Adventures by
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“What?? I’m going with you, right? RIGHT??”

As excited as I am for the next chapter that my hubs and I are beginning, today’s post is about the chapter we are closing. I want to express my gratitude to the people we’ve met and the city we’ve lived in for 2 1/2 years.

Bye Columbus.

I must admit, in the beginning, we had very low (if any) expectations of Columbus, Ohio. Our first impressions were drab – dreary weather and run down houses around campus. But for a million reasons, it was the right choice. And as time went on, the city grew on us. The Columbus Adventures have been many.

We loved our home here, in the summers and in the winter.

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We loved our friends here, and hosting them in our home whenever possible for parties, girls nights, movie nights, brunches, and grad school work groups…

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We got Ryman here!

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Winter SUCKED A LOT, but we got through it, and celebrated our first two married Christmases here.

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The National Championship in football didn’t hurt either – it definitely made it a fun time to be at a fun place.

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The people though…THE PEOPLE is always the thing hardest to leave, isn’t it?

The way God put the right people in our lives at the right times… I can’t even. Right off the bat, I met Laura, a fellow Vandy grad. LAURA I WOULD HAVE BEEN LOST WITHOUT YOU. And we met other Vandy friends along the way.

Then we made our friends through Jonathan’s grad program. ALSO LOST WITHOUT YOU GUYS.

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And then out of the blue, I went to a Stella and Dot party that a coworker was hosting, and met another girl, who introduced me to lots of girls, and through them I joined an incredible women’s bible study. This group of women taught me so much, and they don’t even know it.

Along the way, many of my coworkers became friends, and the hubs and I continued to meet awesome people out of the blue. Like I said, this city grew on us, thanks to the people who’ve made it feel like home these past few years.

All this to say, I am so thrilled for the next chapter, but today I’m a little sad saying good by to this one. Bye Columbus!

And just because I love it, here is the “one second a day” video I made from July – December of 2014… Captures a lot of favorite travels and Columbus moments!

Commencement at THE Ohio State University

Posted in Columbus Adventures by

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Guys, you have never ever seen a commencement so large! Over 11,000 students graduated on Sunday…it took a half an hour just for all of the graduates to file into the stadium and to their seats. Archie gave a great commencement speech, and another wife and I sat up in the boonies getting sufficiently sunburned for about five hours. But I definitely was able to spot my hubby from afar!

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About an hour and a half before commencement…everyone still filing into the shoe.

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He is somewhere in there…

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So many!

There he is, two seconds from getting his diploma... you might not see him but I do!

There he is, two seconds from getting his diploma… you might not see him but I do!

It was amazing to see him go through this process, beginning to end. I feel lucky to have been a part of the journey!

Commencement Weekend!

Posted in Columbus Adventures by

I cannot BELIEVE it’s been two years since THIS HAPPENED…

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And we moved to Columbus. And now, this weekend, the hubs will graduate from his Master’s program.

As I’ve mentioned on the blog before, we have had SO much happen in two years. We quit jobs, got new jobs, moved, got married, got a dog, got another new job, and now here we go with a big ol’ commencement. I’m really not sure what’s next in the pipeline for us, but I definitely don’t feel worried about it. God has moved each of us from one phase to the next, and He has never given us anything we cannot handle.

Mostly, I am SO PROUD of my hubster and how hard he has worked these two years, and I can’t wait to celebrate him this weekend!

And also, I bought these m&ms… and yes that is his little baby picture on some of them… I know, right?

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The 614 Studio

Posted in Columbus Adventures, Creative Crafting by

Yes, I know, we’ve all done a million of these “wine and paint” classes. But still, I do really, truly enjoy these now and then. So when The Ohio State Alumni Association recently sponsored this class at the brand-new-better-than-whole-foods Giant Eagle Market District, I was totally in. The 614 Studio is a traveling version of these wine and paint studios, which is sort of cool since you can book them to host a party anywhere. And I really liked all the girls working with them!

Me and Tareya, rocking both the painting, and the wine-ing.

Me and Tareya, rocking both the painting, and the wine-ing.

What were we painting? Well, the Shoe, obviously. What else? And yes, the outline was sketched out ahead of time. VERY smart, if you ask me.

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And here is the almost finished version of mine…I think it turned out pretty okay!

Not too shabby.

Not too shabby.

A sportsy weekend indeed

Posted in Columbus Adventures, Life As I Know It by

This weekend was full of fun sporting events. With the weather being cold and dreary, it felt extra great to have lots of fun plans!!

The NHL All Star Game was in Columbus this year – how perfect!! While we did not go to the game itself, we did go to the expo Friday night. This included meeting & and getting an autograph from Predator’s rookie Filip Forsberg, a quick picture with Gnash, and of course a photo-opp with the Stanley Cup. Next year, this all takes place in Nashville, and YES I’ve already promised the hubby that we will go. (Side note: Hubby is a HUGE Nashville Predators fan.)

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The National Championship Celebration at the Shoe. I mean, when you win an undisputed national title and all that, there is bound to be a celebration. Since I work with the Alumni Association at Ohio State, the hubs and I got to sit with a few other staffers and Archie Griffin up in the Alumni Association suite. It was SO COLD OUT so honestly, we probably wouldn’t have gone if not for the suite. But we went! And this guy got to meet THAT GUY.

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Indiana vs. Ohio State Basketball. I actually didn’t think Ohio State would win this one – at least not by much – but they pulled it off. Again, we got to go through my work, and sit at the club level of the Schottenstein (which has as pretty darn good food selection, I might add).

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All in all, a fun, busy weekend!

Big News!

Posted in Life As I Know It by

I promised it a long time ago, but we are finally ready to share our REALLY BIG NEWS with all of you, our friends and family!

We are going to be Buckeyes for a couple of years!

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{The night we finally decided! I was traveling, so we set up a skype date. Jonathan went draft-style and unzipped a sweatshirt to reveal his OSU shirt!! Then we had a skype-dance party.}

This fall, my lovely soon-to-be husband Jonathan will be attending The Ohio State University for graduate school. In the two years he is there, he will earn two Masters degrees: one in City and Regional Planning and one in Civil Engineering. To do this, he is giving up his five-year career as an 8th grade US history teacher, which he has been incredible at! I have all the faith in the world that he will be incredible at this next step of his journey as well, living out his dreams!

Meanwhile, I have accepted a job at Ohio State as well, which I will be starting on May 20…just around the corner! There, I will work with the College of Arts and Sciences team as a major gift officer – a great next step from my current position in Leadership Annual Giving. I’ve gained incredible experiences in my five years working for Vanderbilt, and sad as it may be to leave, I’m thrilled for my next steps!

Need I remind you…we will be getting married at the end of June, so there will be a lot going on between now and then! But before you know it, we’ll be settled into our new home in a new state as newly weds. Right now, I’m trying to savor every day and moment of planning and celebrating with our many wonderful loved ones. Thanks to all of you for your incredible support in this time of much change! The Lord has truly blessed us, and we know that as long as we continue to put our faith in Him, He will be our solid rock in these busy times.