A Quick "Hello!"

Welcome to "Carried Away!" For those of you who don't know me, I'll give you a little bit of background on myself.

To a wonderful couple of over 30 years, I am daughter. The baby of our family of four, I pretty much fit the profile. I am striving to be half the woman that my mother is, and I will always be Daddy's little girl.

To a 6'3", 27 year old businessman, I am sister. The 6 year age gap between us seems to shrink as we get older, and I wouldn't trade a minute of cutting up with him for a lifetime with a different sibling.

To a handsome, intelligent 24 year old, I am girlfriend. I represent several failed attempts at cooking dinner, shrunken tshirts after trying my hand at laundry, and, by his account, I am a budgeting disaster.  Despite almost three years of these red flags, Drew is still by my side, living life with me. I have never met a person who makes me smile like he does, and I am so excited for the years to come with him!

To the University of Mississippi, I am about $1,000 in parking tickets, 8 semesters of tuition money, and 40-ish used textbooks. I'm kind-of kidding. During my years at Ole Miss, I have learned more about myself than at any other time. I have transitioned from girl to lady while planted in Oxford, and I would dare say that I am in the midst of the best years of my life. In August, I will begin my senior year here, then it's off to graduate school. I'll be documenting my final year pretty frequently on this little blog, so prepare yourself. I'm sure you'll find yourself as in love with Oxford living as I am!

To a special group, I play two important roles. I am both friend and sister to over 300 girls! Crazy, right? Joining Kappa Delta sorority was one of the best decisions I ever made, and while I never had a biological sister, these gals have filled that gap beyond its capacity. I am currently living my last weeks as a tenant in the KD house on campus. While it's been a crazy year of community bathrooms and the like, I will always cherish memories of the up-all-night sleepovers, 24/7 girl talk, and friendships I have made through this sisterhood.

To a class of 18 "bunnies," I am Miss Carrie. I am playmate, confidant, and time-out enforcer. I am a great big hug on arrival, and a high five at each day's end. These 3-4 year olds have completely stolen my heart and grown my love for children more than I ever could have imagined. Watching them grow up has been so much fun, and I am so thankful for all that my time with them has taught me about potty training, runny noses, and life in general.

Finally, to my heavenly Father, I am beautiful. I am the same mistakes over and over again. I am all things human and all things ungodly. I am imperfect, unbalanced, and undeserving. But, in my Lord's perfect eyes, I am redeemed! Reedemed by the blood of the Lamb, I am a sinner saved by his never-ending grace. He is my strength and my portion, and I am completely in awe of the beauty He's brought to my life. As I take steps in my faith, Christ is teaching me more about myself every day. He's showing me that my value and true worth can be found only in Him, and He has revealed to me more joy than I could ever put into words. For all of the above people, I am thankful...but with my King, I am Carried Away!