My Visit to the Upper West Side

Last weekend I made a weekend jaunt to NYC to visit my favorite Big Apple Pear! This was my last visit to NY as a single girl trip, and I think it's safe to say that we lived it up!

These feet were hardly ever still.

We ate

(unlimited FREE sangria with brunch on Sunday at Calle Ocho...yes please)

and ate

Took time to smell the roses

and ate (bread pudding @ Carmine's, my favorite Italian spot)

Bought some fingernail polish in honor of me

and ate (chicken parm @ Carmine's)

I did whatever it took to survive the frigid wind on Saturday

And we ate some more!

We went to this delicious Indian restaurant for dinner on Saturday night. The food was great, but the atmosphere was indescribable. So, so loud with more lights that you could ever imagine. I'm not sure I'll ever go to such a crazy place until I dine here again. Check out all of these lights!

And before we knew it...it was time to say goodbye. This is always hard for us. Tears are definitely involved. The next time I see her she will be home for MY WEDDING!

Heading down to the tracks to catch the train at Penn Station

I have come to absolutely LOVE New York City! It's hard to imagine, but it really has taken on a very "homey" feeling for me. Thanks for letting me visit, Perryn, and for always being such an awesome hostess! I love your life there, and cannot wait to visit again really soon.

And a sweet reunion it was (and is)

Perryn's blog explains it all. Happy weekend from the Big Apple!

The blended marriage

A perfect picture of the rest of our life together. Mixed family, house divided, Iron Bowl rivals...Oh joy!

War Eagle!

Random Wednesday Thoughts

First of all, I've had Honduras on my mind a whole lot.... literally longing to be there among these people, serving and living their life.

I'm missing all of my friends immensely. Wishing we could all just live on the same street!

Work has completely consumed my life these days, my camera hasn't left it's bag since Christmas, and my social life is practically non-existent! Nothing much to report on the home front, but I'm working hard on being content in the day to day. Things are about to get cranked up, though, with lots of wedding festivities and big life changes!

Lastly, I am so very thankful for my Mom because without her there would certainly be no wedding happening in May!

Where will we live?

That is a question I get asked a lot these days, and the answer is simply "we don't know!" Tyler will graduate from medical school at UAB the week after our wedding. Then, in July, he will begin his general surgery residency. The interview process is complete, and now we're just playing the waiting game for Match Day on March 16th! He had 12 interviews, but only 1 place will be our city. So here's a rundown of the top 5, at least.

Birmingham, AL

Mobile, AL

Greenville, South Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Other places he interviewed are Savannah, GA, Jackson, MS, Lexington, KY, New Orleans, LA, Knoxville, TN, and Memphis, TN. I think all of our choices are great! To say this is a big decision for us is an understatement if you consider:

1. This is where we will begin our marriage and live for the next 5 years

2. Staying close to our friends and family is very important to us

3. Me having to re-sit for part of my boards to get licensed as a pharmacist in another state

4. Tyler getting the best possible training for the rest of his career

While it is hard at this point to not be able to make any plans for after our wedding, there is an excitement to this whole process of not knowing where we will live and establish our family! We know that our work in the process is basically complete, and now we are waiting and trusting that the Lord will send us exactly where we need to be.

My 2011

2011 turned out to be quite the year for me. I think that it is fun to look back at the events of a year and see what all took place for me, my family, and my friends. Not only does it make me excited about what's to come but also shows how the Lord works uniquely in each of our lives.

My story of 2011 goes like this....

The Farmer family was lucky enough to go to Arizona to watch AU win the National Championship

I (along with 2 of my best friends) graduated from Pharmacy school

Shortly after that someone pretty special came into my life!

On a whim, the Lord sent me to be a pharmacist in Honduras for a week!

I got engaged in AU to an amazing person and friend!

And all along the way I got to spend some quality time with my friends and family.

Obviously, this isn't all that happened for me this past year, but needless to say some big things came my way. As I look back, the biggest highlight of the year from the beginning until the end is that the Lord is faithful. He proved that to me in so many ways this year that I feel undeserving. He always is and always will be no matter life's circumstances. I am excited to see what 2012 brings, and I hope you are too!

He popped the question!

Last Friday, November 25th, Tyler asked me to marry him! And I will have you know that this Bama boy (much to my dismay) proposed to me in Auburn. Not only was it in Auburn, but right in front of Samford Hall in the heart of Auburn's campus. Never in my life would I have dreamed that I would have gotten engaged at that spot, but it makes me so happy that it happened there.

Thankfully, Martin and Maria were hiding to take many, many pictures. Here is the very short version of the picture series.

My whole family was in town, so it was fun to celebrate the day with them. We headed up to the suites at the stadium to watch some football for the afternoon.

The 2 Bama boys with the 2 Auburn girls (Maria and I are matching by accident)

What a fun week it has been! We're very excited and have enjoyed so many sweet comments and phone calls from friends and family. Of course this week people have been giving me a hard time about AU losing the Iron Bowl, but my response to that is I got the ultimate win because I got engaged to an Alabama fan in Auburn, AL! What a lucky girl I am.

We can't wait for May 12, 2012!