Hello from Beijing

Hey guys! I am here...in Beijing. So incredibly surreal for me. It still hasn't hit me that I'm in a different country.

Getting on the plane was, as expected, tough. I was fine until I had to leave my parents at the security checkpoint. At that point, I started feeling the tears well up in my eyes. Thankfully, my seatmate was so sweet and I was able to talk to someone and preoccupy myself for the 14 hour plane ride. The hotel I stayed at last night was BEAUTIFUL. I wish I could've stayed there forever. It was right down the street from the Olympic Bird's Nest and that Water Cube thing. SO GORGEOUS! Chinese New Year is still going on right now and I was able to sit on my balcony last night at the hotel and watch the fireworks.

Beijing has been great so far. Like I said, I still don't feel a difference but it will come soon enough. I mean, I already felt a little homesick last night...

Goodbye America!

And I am off! This will be a super quick post because I'm currently a frazzled looking girl running around this house making sure I have everything.

Today is the day. I am getting on a plane in a few hours headed to Beijing for four months. There are way too many emotions going on right now inside of me to even give a clear answer on how I feel. Be praying for me and hopefully I will have access to update the blog.

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday indeed! It is Chinese New Year! Sorry I've been away for a couple of days, it's been insane around here. But, it is a new year, the year of the dragon. I am so excited for the fresh start! There seems to be a bit more excitement surrounding this new year for me and I think it's because I will be flying to Beijing in FOUR DAYS. What??

What better way to start off the new year than to read my horoscope! I am a sheep and LOVE IT. Here is my awesome horoscope from Astrology.com. In this upcoming year of the dragon, the sheep (I) will go through periods of stress during my personal life but I have to stick it out because "the amount of love and support in your midst is likely to astound you." I'm assuming this will happen when I'm abroad and through my senior year. Another aspect of my horoscope: "If you're single, this could be an active, whirlwind time for dating, so step out of your shell!" Promising?

It seems like it will be a pretty good year! So, bring it on year of the Dragon!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

7 Days

At this time in exactly seven days, I will be on a plane headed to Beijing. Things are getting a little bit too real for me. I'm starting to say all of my goodbyes and this knot in my stomach is growing bigger and bigger. My friends have been great. They call me pretty much every day and check in on me to calm my nerves. They're incredible and I am so blessed to have them in my life. I'm going to be ok! God has this plan for me and I have to rest in that.

Time to start packing!

American Idol

I am not an American Idol fan. Haven't been in awhile. But, I will admit, last night I did cave and watched the season premiere. You know you're getting old when the contestants are younger than you. Most of them are between the ages of 15-18. Seriously?? For the most part, the premiere was quite boring but two of the contestants caught my attention and I'm now cheering for them!

Colton Dixon

This guy is my FAVORITE. Don't understand how he didn't make it last year! I thought he was fantastic! In order to give his sister the spotlight he decided not to reaudition this year but the judges ended up making him audition and he is once again headed to Hollywood. This is an original that he wrote. The lyrics are...phenomenal. Did I mention he's Christian? PERFECT. Marry me?



Phillip Phillips

Second favorite of mine. Interesting name right? He has such an infectious energy. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. His arrangement of Thriller!? Crazy. These are QUALITY artists. American Idol, don't screw it up.

After watching last night's Savannah auditions, it just makes me want to move to Georgia even more. 

Pinterest Wednesday

Greetings from Richmond! I have dubbed RVA the land of sweet tea, Wawa, and the southern twang. It's been busy these past couple of days but the weather is so beautiful that I won't complain. The sunshine and mild weather is making me yearn for summer. I'm not a huge winter fan. Summer ALL THE WAY. Thus, my Pinterest inspiration for the week: Summer outfits!

Not a fan of the flats with this outfit. I'd totally wear a pair of Sperry's to complete the outfit!

I actually have this shirt and always love to pair it with a nice pair of jean shorts.

LOVE the lace back.

These wedges are a total wishlist item. I am definitely on the hunt for a pair!

Alright Summer, hurry up and come already! 

Tuesday Tunes

autumn never seemed this cold before
here I am sleeping on the floor
we changed just like the leaves
outside my house 

I would just like to start off by saying: Happy First Day of Classes to my AU friends! Wish I were with you guys today.

While my friends are toting around their backpacks, going to new classes, reading through syallbi, I am once again hitting the road. The past few days have been very relaxing at home but my bags are repacked and I am about to head out to Richmond for a couple of days. No worries though, I have not forgotten Tuesday Tunes! I leave you with Jon McLaughlin and Sara Bareilles' "Summer is Over."

What a PERFECT collaboration. These two are a couple of my most favorite artists (did you notice both of their names are missing the conventional "h"? CLEVER.) and this song is absolutely perfect. Their voices are simply...soothing. Amazing lyrics, amazing harmonies, amazing song. "Summer is Over" pretty much puts words to that feeling I get when summer comes to an end. You hit that point where you know that you have to let go of everything that has happened over the summer and what you've felt because it's time to return to reality. Oh summer, you're such a tease.

So, I'm off to Richmond and I hope that you all will fall just as much in love with Jon McLaughlin and Sara Bareilles' "Summer is Over" as I am. 

Monday Pick-Me-Up

It has been such a busy/productive Monday. Woke up mad early for a run, skyped with my friends who are all abroad, worked on a real estate contract, started the marketing plan for my dad's restaurants, and then had a great lunch with my family. Sounds exhausting but it always feels great to be productive and cross things off of the to-do list.

Want to know what I'm insanely excited about? The Australian Open! With the Australian Open, it means that the tennis season is officially underway. It's quite obvious who has put in the work during the offseason. ...which reminds me, I REALLY need to start getting back to a normal workout routine.

So, who am I rooting for to win the Autralian Open?

Sam Querrey--but of course

John Isner--duh...maybe?

I seriously think Mardy has a big chance! He ended 2011 amazingly well. Let's hope it continues!

(PS What's up with all of them fist pumping?)

Definitely cheering for the Americans. Well, I'm off to babysitting! Bye for now.

Happy Sunday!

Reppin' my Patriots shirt today

And the Patriots beat the Broncos 45-10! Last night's win marked the Pat's first playoff win since 2007. Well deserved guys, well deserved. I am beyond proud of the boys and how they played last night. Tom Brady and the offense (especially Gronkowski and Hernandez) were totally on point. On top of that, UM HELLO the defense actually stepped up and played well! Tim Tebow and the Broncos just never got the chance to pick up the rhythm during the game. During the fourth quarter, I did feel bad for Tim Tebow. There was so much hype surrounding the game and it definitely added the pressure for Tebow. To be honest, y'all can't blame him for the poor game. The offensive line just wasn't playing well. So cut Tebow some slack! LET THE GUY HAVE A LIFE!

Next up will be the AFC Championship Game against either the Texans or the Ravens. One step closer to the Superbowl!

PS how awesome was that John 3:16 commercial during the game last night? LOVED IT! It was so cool how so many people who were watching the game were able to hear about the love of Christ!



Have a WONDERFUL Sunday!

Patriots v. Broncos

Weekends are always my favorite because with the weekend comes football. I am a HUGE football fan and a big Patriots fan. Tonight is the big playoff game--Patriots v. Broncos. Don't get me wrong now; I love Tim Tebow and love his passion for God but I LOVE Tom Brady and the Pats. Is it bad that I don't see much of a fight from Tebow and the Broncos? Let's hope Brady and the crew will get through this round of the playoffs without too much difficulty.

Ready to see these two square off again this season?

So, tonight it will just be me watching the game, cheering on the Patriots while babysitting.

14 days

14.

That is the number of days that stands between me and the start of my spring semester in Beijing. So many people have said, "You must be excited!" or "That's so exciting!" Studying abroad is definitely exciting but for some reason, I just can't seem to hype myself up. I am drowning in anxiety and fear at this moment. It's not so much the idea of studying abroad that makes me anxious but instead, it is the idea of being away from my family and friends. In the past 20 years of my life, I have established this "home base"--a group of people who I go to whenever I need support. To be separated from my home base by thousands of miles and a twelve hour time difference is a little nerve-wrecking to say the least. What if something were to happen? It would take my parents at least 13 hours to get to me. Scary, right? Who am I going to go to for emotional support when I need it the most? I am a total homebody and get homesick easily. Take for example my freshman year of college. Even though campus is only 30 minutes from my home, I still got homesick and went home all the time (even during the middle of the week). How will I deal with feelings of homesick-ness??

You all must think I'm crazy. I know, I know. I simply need to let go of these fears and push aside these feelings of anxiety. While at Passion 2012, someone had said, "You can't let your fears cripple you from something amazing." How awesome is that? Studying abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am so blessed to have this chance to study in a different part of the world and to experience new things. Once I'm in Beijing, I know that these anxieties will leave my mind and I will have the time of my life. For now, I will just say my goodbyes (which I am awful at) and put on my big girl pants and be on my way.

Monthly Goals--January

It's been a hectic day so I apologize for such a late post! Have you all set your New Year's Resolutions yet? I don't like resolutions and whenever the new year comes around, I usually don't set resolutions. They are too vague and not specific enough for me. Instead of resolutions, I like setting monthly goals. It's more specific and more focused. Monthly goals help me in realigning my priorities every month. I know it is two weeks into the month but I've had these goals written down for awhile now and thought it'd be nice to share! Keep me accountable?

January Goals:

1. Pack everything into one suitcase and one carry-on
2. Say all my goodbyes with as little tears as possible
3. Physically get on a plane and go to Beijing
4. Read at least 2 books
5. Finish studying the book of 1 Corinthians
6. Continue keeping up with the new blog

Do you all have any awesome goals/resolutions that you have set out to complete?



Pinterest Wednesday

I.LOVE.PINTEREST. Enough said there! Hence, daily theme #2: Pinterest Wednesday!

One thing about me is that I am a proud brother of American University's business professional fraternity, Alpha Kappa Psi (http://www.alphakappapsi.org/). We are an amazing brotherhood and we all pretty much live through food most of the times. Want to know one of the reasons why I love this brotherhood? The Lambda Nu chapter has a baking army. Yup, you read that right, a baking army! This Sunday we'll all be starting the semester out right by having a baked goods party! I absolutely can't wait. Oh, and you know where I'm getting my recipes! PINTEREST.

Here are some ideas so far from Pinterest:

Nutella Cookies

Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies

Brownie+Strawberry Cupcakes

Peanut Butter Cup Brownies

I'm drooling just looking at these pics! Decisions, decisions

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On another note, did anyone watch the season premiere of Dance Moms last night? Don't laugh at me but I am a loyal watcher. It's a guilty pleasure of mine, what can I say!?

oh Abby, you're crazy. stop making the poor children cry!

Tuesday Tunes

If you know me, you know that I am a huge music fanatic. The long term life plan is that someday, I will be working in the music industry. One of my favorite things is to find new artists/bands all the time.

sooooooooo....
Today, I am introducing one of Walk in Love's daily themes: Tuesday Tunes. The first Tuesday Tunes will be Michael Stagliano. When I initially listened to his music, I thought he was great! As I started to learn more about him I found out that he was on The Bachelorette. Weird?? Never watched the show but hey, good for him! Go Google him; he is quite a cutie-patootie.

I am definitely digging his song "Find You" at this moment. It's kind of sad but it is GREAT. Love the whole "guitar+man+love song" thing he's got going on. Just sayin'!

Check it out! If you have any music recommendations that you think are must listens, let me know!

Welcome to My Life

I've always wanted to create a blog. Tumblr is great but it just doesn't feel legit, if that makes any sense? So, back in December with the new year coming, I thought, "Why not start one?" The timing couldn't be better! I'm headed abroad to Beijing in 18 days and many people have been asking if I will be keeping a blog to keep them posted about my overseas adventure. Well, here it is! Walk in Love won't simply be a way to track me through my abroad experience but it will pretty much be about anything going on in my life.

I'm so excited for the daily themes that I have in mind! I hope that you will walk with me through the next few days/months/years of my life. If you have any advice for me, please don't hesitate in leaving a comment on the blog, tweeting at me, emailing me, or tracking me down in some way.