Yesterday afternoon I got a new tattoo. One I have been wanting for a while.

The last year has literally been chaos.

With my parents divorcing, having to switch churches, brother moving to Japan and getting married, me moving to London for grad school…it all is just so exhausting.

Always playing the peace keeper between family members can really put weight on your shoulders…and everyone has different ways of releasing that pressure.

Music has been my escape.

I am one of those people. When I like a song…I listen to it on repeat till I can’t listen to it anymore.

One song, that has really touched me and helped me through the last year is a song by my ever so favourite artist, Brandon Heath. The song? Love Never Fails.

Now, we all know that the verse about love never failing is from 1 Corinthians 13.

However, Brandon did a great job of taking that verse and making it into a song that I will forever remember, and tear up to.

The tattoo I got has some of the lyrics to Brandon’s song…these words outline a cross.

It says in a beautiful, cursive font

“Love will protect. Love always hopes. Love still believes when you don’t. Love is the arms that are holding you. Love never fails you…” 

Those words have run through my head multiple times when I thought everything was just going to crash down around me.

Those words helped me to stay strong…

for my mom…my brothers…my sister…my friends.

Whatever the case may be. I knew that with Love on my side..everything would be alright, and I would make it through.

That is why this tattoo means to much to me…and why this song means so much to me.

So, here is the song, I hope you can see why I fell in love with it.

As you all know I had to stop blogging.

Although it was a real excuse that I would be busy traveling, it was also due to the GIANT surprise my family was in for on Monday.

On Monday I took three tube lines, a 30 minute train ride, hopped on British Airways and flew 9.5 hours to fly home for Christmas.

My family had no idea!

Thanks to my best friend Katie, Richard, my other bestie Alissa, and Albert I managed to not only surprise my family, but also to surprise my friends at work and diving as well!

All the surprises were filmed, so do not fear, I will post the video once it is completely edited and looking FABULOUS! 🙂

There are two stories posted: My family’s surprise and my friends’ surprise.

So click either of the two links to check out the surprises! 🙂

Christmas Surprise: Family Edition

Christmas Surprise: Friends Edition

WOW. I can’t believe it. As of right now… I AM DONE WITH MY FIRST SEMESTER OF GRADUATE SCHOOL!

This is insane.

What a weird feeling. I feel like just yesterday I was applying for graduate schools, just freshly graduated from USF with my bachelors…and now… I am half way through grad school.

After all the stress in Radio. The laughs on Thursdays. Complaining and meltdowns on Mondays class. Jokes we have among our course. Through everything we went through we came out on top.

We made it guys! We finished our first semester without killing ourselves or killing eachother… even though at some times we worried about a few of you 😉

Now we have a month off…away from eachother. I can’t believe the people who have been there through everything with me will be away from me for a month!

Then we will be back together for the second semester.

Then we will start over again with the stress.

Until then! Cheers! To the fact we lived through our first semester!

Drink! Be merry! Enjoy the break! 🙂

One thing I have found out since I have lived in the UK is that the places to which you can travel are endless.

You can take the train to Paris for the weekend, or Dublin, or Scotland. You can go where ever your heart desires quite easily when it comes to places in Europe.

I mean, my friends and I got a round trip ticket to Dublin for the weekend for £40. Can you say amazing?

It is so easy to just hop on the train…or catch a cheap flight to take a weekend to go to a different destination. A weekend to see something new.

When I am in America, people go to a different state for the weekend. Not a different country. It is normal for my, as a Floridian to say I am going to a different city in Florida for the weekend… not even a different state.

However, here in London, I can say “oh yes, for a weekend get-a-way I am going to Ireland.” Come on! How great is that?

It is so easy to travel when you are in Europe. Everything is so close.

How can I NOT take advantage of this opportunity? I will gladly go broke to experience as many different places in Europe as possible.

Which at this moment in time… I am doing just that (sorry mom for making you give your broke daughter money).

It is worth it though. I rather travel than eat. Or shop….maybe.

I do love shopping.

Nope, I would pay for traveling rather than shopping, if need be.

Traveling is something not alot of people get to do. So, I might as well do it while I am young and unattached.

Live life to the fullest right?

So bring it on Europe! Let’s travel! 🙂

Can you believe today is the first day of December? I can’t.

I feel like just yesterday I was just some little girl from St. Pete with two suitcases moving to London.

Now, I have almost completed my first semester of grad school!

How insane is that?

I feel like we just passed Halloween…then Thanksgiving…and now, Christmas is in just a few weeks.

It is amazing how fast time really flies by.

Which makes me think of how much we take this thing called “time” for granted.

We sit by, going through the motions of life, then complain that time is going by to fast for us to keep up.

So why not live in the moment? Instead of looking so far into the future.

I feel like if we all took our days one step at a time, we would see and accomplish so much more that the world has to offer us.

Life is crazy, and totally unpredictable…Things are going to change you,

But you get to choose which ones you let change you.

Listen to your heart, follow your dreams and let no one tell you what you’re capable of.

Push the limits. Bend the rules. Enjoy every minute of it.

Laugh at everything. Believe in yourself. Never lose faith in others.

Settle for nothing but only the best and give 110% in everything you do.

Take risks. Live on the edge. Cherish every moment of it.

Remember, life is a gift.

Jump on every opportunity. Fight for what you believe.

Learn something new and appreciate criticism. Hate nothing,

Never forget where you came from and always remember where you are going.

Live Life to its fullest and have a reason for everything, Even if it’s totally insane.

Find Your purpose in life, and Live it!