2016 In Review

Hey y'all!

Today is my first post of 2017 (& sadly my last day off of work!) and so it's fitting that it's a review of things that happened throughout 2016.

  

So come along with me & let's take a little trip through my year...

If this is your first time visiting Southern & Style, welcome! This is the best post for you to see what it's all about in my little corner of the internet.

My husband, Christopher and I brought in the New Year at one of our friend's lake house with some of our favorite people in the world.

It's a new years celebration that I'll remember forever, it was that much fun!

In February, my husband and I went to the Alabama Farmer's Federation Young Farmer's Conference and competed (but didn't win, sadly) for Outstanding Young Farm Family of the Year.

We had an awesome time learning more about promoting agriculture within our state and meeting many other young farmers from our state!

We cannot wait to compete again this March, and hopefully do much better this year!

One of our favorite traditions is going to the Southeastern Livestock Expo Rodeo in Montgomery each year-we always have a blast and enjoy seeing friends that we might only see once a year at Rodeo.

Our Easter this year was spent at my parents church, and of course I wore Lilly!

This year I closed out my college experience which included a "reverse career fair" where potential educators set up tables, like mine above, and potential employers came around and took resumes from us.

This was the year of the canoe-I bought Chris a canoe for Christmas 2015 and this spring was the year that we pulled it out and took it on it's maiden voyage in the pond at my parent's farm.

Fun fact; that spot where the canoe is sitting is where Chris proposed!

2016 was the year of my graduation from Jacksonville State University!

I worked very hard for almost 5 years to get my degree in Secondary History Education and loved being in school very much.

JSU was an awesome school, but I was really, really glad to be able to come back home.

May of 2016 not only brought my graduation and the end of my college career, but it also brought mine & Chris' one year anniversary.

Our sweet wedding photographer & my dear friend, Amy Sullins of Amy-Cole Photography of course was the only one that I could imagine taking my graduation pictures and she captured some sweet images of Chris and I on JSU's campus as well. 

This late spring/early summer we spent a good amount of time on the water (before Alabama's drought, that is!) 

The canoe was seriously one of the best investments we could've made-it's an awesome way to spend a morning/afternoon with the one you love.

We have had so many adventures and have many memorable stories to tell, just because of this gift.

I cannot wait to take Forrest with us in 2017!

Thanks to our friend Brett, we spent many days this summer out on Lake Wedowee as well (can you tell we're water loving people?)

There is just nothing better than a sunset boat ride, laughing with people you love!

This was also the summer of travel, which is one of my most favorite things in the world!

Chris gave me a trip to Nashville for my graduation/our first anniversary and I absolutely loved it-it's one of my dream cities.

The photo down below is from the Ryman Auditorium. . . a.k.a. the Mother-Church of country music.

It might sound extreme, but for a music lover it was a completely religious experience.

I also had the pleasure of meeting one of my most favorite bloggers/YouTubers...Ms. Mallory Ervin!

She is too funny and so sweet in person!

Y'all, Broadway is the place to be-& you gotta love a vacation where wearing boots is not only okay, but encouraged!

Chris and I also celebrated my Mom's 60th birthday (although she doesn't even look 50 yet) with a surprise party!

Another night was spent out on the lake on the Fourth of July, fireworks from a boat dock...does it really get any better?

One huge part of 2016? Adopting our labrador-mix, Forrest!

He's of course named after our favorite movie, Forrest Gump and we just love him to pieces.

He is so well-behaved and such a gentle giant (he's probably gained 30 lbs of muscle and good fat since this photo was taken)

When we first got him, I'll be honest...I wasn't sure I had made the right decision, but I can't imagine life without him now.

I told y'all this was the year of travel, and I meant it!

Chris and I were blessed to take not just one trip to Nashville, but also two beach trips-I was completely spoiled this year, y'all.

The picture above is in Orange Beach, AL where we went with one of our good couple friends.

These photos are from our Labor Day weekend in Panama City Beach, FL where we went on a little couple's getaway.

After this trip, I'm even more spoiled...I don't ever want to go to the beach during the summer anymore, I only want to go during September because the weather was so, so nice!

These are some of my favorite outfits of this trip, so of course I had to toss them in!

My husband turned 30 this year!

We celebrated with a party at my uncle's barn and I hope we let Chris know how absolutely loved and appreciated he is.

This was also the year that I downsized my horse herd.

Before this year, I always had at least 6 horses.

With the drought and my time being sucked into work and other things I knew I had horses that weren't getting attention that they needed.

Sometimes being an adult is a really hard thing to do, but I knew that Gypsy, Belle, and Velvet needed to go to someone who could train them and give them jobs so that their talent wouldn't be wasted.

Luckily, my friend Chelsey purchased them from me & is taking great care of them!

Chris and I took Forrest on his first trip to Mount Cheaha and he ate it up-everyone who met him along the way wanted to pet him and love on him.

Fun fact; the photo below was actually our Christmas card picture because we didn't have any professional ones made!

 

Chris and I hosted a Christmas celebration in our home for the first time in 2016 and although it was a lot of work to get the house in hosting shape-it was so fun to have my family surrounding me in our home.

It also cemented the fact that when we build a house, I want it to be very open and comfortable for hosting guests throughout the year.

We didn't take any pictures of us bringing in 2017, but we spent it playing games, laughing, and eating good food at one of our best couple-friend's house and I wouldn't have chosen to spend it any other way with any other people!

I hope 2016 was as good for all of y'all as it was for me-it was a big year and I cannot wait to see what 2017 has to hold!

Happy New Year, y'all!

Until next time. . .

xoxo,