It's Abbylish's 1st birthday today!

I can't believe it's already been a year since I started this fun new adventure. At the beginning of 2018, I'd been considering starting my own fashion blog because I loved following other's bloggers' feeds. I had always loved fashion and shopping, and I wanted to be a source of inspiration to my own friends, followers, and local community just like these other bloggers were to me. I was nervous to begin, but ultimately, I told myself, "how hard could it be?"


Answer: WAY harder than I thought. 
I've learned so much along the way and have met a lot of new friends (and e-friends) throughout this whole process who have given me so much encouragement and countless tips and tricks. I'm so thankful for my husband who has helped me endlessly on website maintenance, taking pictures, and just listening to me talk about my blog all. the. time. Running a blog and striving to make it successful is definitely more difficult and time consuming than I expected, but it is SO MUCH FUN!


Throwback to my very 1st Abbylish post! Nailed it.


So in honor of Abbylish's 1st birthday, and looking forward to many birthdays to come, I thought it would be fun to re-introduce myself. Whether you've been following me since day one (Thanks, Mom 😘), or you just stumbled across my page today, here are a few things you may not know about me!




1. My name is Abby Lucius (loo-shus), but hardly anybody knows how to pronounce my last name. I work as a nurse in the Operating Room where everybody loves a good nickname. I get called Abbylicious a lot, but one of my best work friends shortened it to Abbylish.
When I was thinking of what to call my blog, Abbylish seemed like the perfect fit!

2. I was born and raised in Cookeville, TN where I also currently live. It's a great little town right in the middle of Nashville and Knoxville.
Greg and I lived in Nashville for a few years as newlyweds, but Nashville life was simply getting too expensive. So we decided to move back home.
If we could afford it, I would move back to Nashville in a heartbeat. 


3. I work at the same hospital that I was born in.
And, I also work with the nurse anesthetist who administered my Mom's epidural...a fact I love to remind him of from time to time.


4. Greg and I grew up going to the same church. I've technically known him all my life.
He's a few years older than me, so we didn't really run in the same circles. I always thought he was funny and attractive, but I never imagined that he would be my husband. We still look at each other sometimes and say, "isn't this weird?"
Back in 2013, I attended his cousin's wedding. He slayed me on the dance floor, and the rest is history.


5. I took piano lessons for 12 years. 
When I was 6, my parents signed me up for piano lessons and then NEVER let me quit. My teacher and I went round and round for years a while (I was a jerk), but I ended up truly loving my teacher and appreciating the talent I'd been given.
I stopped taking lessons when I graduated high school, so I'm definitely a little rusty, but I still love sitting down and playing from time to time. 


6. I attended Lipscomb University, a small, private, college founded on Christian beliefs and values in Nashville, TN.
College was a weird time for me. I was in the middle of a relationship that ended poorly during this time, and I was trying to "find myself," get involved, and make new friends all at a place with a relatively small world view. 
Don't get me wrong...Lipscomb is an incredible university, but I guess my four years at Lipscomb just played out differently than I had visualized as a high schooler. 
However, although they were not necessarily what I expected, my college years were some of the best of my life. I made wonderful friendships, learned a LOT about people and life in general, started forming my own values and opinions, and grew exponentially in my faith. 


7. I have a major sweet tooth. 
And I hate diets. 
I try to enjoy treats in moderation, but sometimes I just wanna eat a whole sleeve of Oreos, ya know what I mean?


8. I ran cross country in high school. 
I mostly chose this sport because all you really have to do is run in a straight line. I'm not the most coordinated/athletic, so this was my best bet. 
I was by no means fast, but when I look back on my high school race times, I'm pretty impressed with myself. 😂
I kept up running for years after high school. Like, that's all I would do for fitness. But, I didn't feel safe running by myself when we lived in Nashville. All of my running buddies had moved away, and I can hardly get Greg to go on a brisk walk. So, my running days kind of faded away.
Every now and then (when the weather is perfect), I'll head out for an easy jog. I have to build up the endurance now, but I still love it. 


9. I'm a certified fitness instructor. 
I've always been into fitness classes. Even as a kid, I used to go with my Mom to aerobics classes and do Kathy Smith videos in my swimsuit and scrunchy. I've just always enjoyed being active, especially in a group setting.
As a freshman in college, I got hooked on Zumba and was doing the routines (which I had memorized) in my bedroom all summer long. I decided to get Zumba certified and taught Zumba classes throughout my remaining years at Lipscomb.
I never taught any classes in Nashville after college, and I really missed it. After moving back home to Cookeville in 2016, I got group fitness certified, so now I can basically teach whatever I want!
The fitness terrain is ever changing, and I love being a part of it!


10. I wish I hadn't given up dance.
Like most little girls, I took dance lessons a few times while growing up. Ballet one year. Tap and Jazz the next.
But, after completing a year or so of lessons, I'd move on to some new activity (gymnastics, tennis, and theater to name a few).
I loooove watching skilled dancers perform and always wish that I had stuck with dance lessons and become really proficient. 


11. I could live off of Mexican food, Italian food, and Chick Fil A.


12. I love traveling to new places, but there's just something about the beach that brings me so much joy. Greg and I try to get to the coast at least once each year. 


13. Now that "binge watching" is a thing, I can hardly stand waiting a week to watch The Bachelor shows when they actually air.
Greg and I don't have cable, but we have all the other things: Netflix, Hulu Live, etc. Some of our favorite shows that we've binged together are Friends (over and over and over), Parks and Rec, The Crown, You, Big Little Lies, Gossip Girl, any murder mystery docu-series, and most recently, The Handmaid's Tale.

14. I am a major sun worshipper.
When I was a teenager, and even in my early 20s, I would lay out in the sun for HOURS. There was even a brief stint in high school where I frequented the tanning bed. I know...so bad.
But, now that I'm in my *gasp* LATE 20s, I've decided it's time to start taking better care of my skin. The past few summers I haven't spent near as much time in the sun, and when I do, I always wear sunscreen. 

15. A summer night when you don't have anything to do the next day is one of my absolute most favorite things. 


16. When my coffee is medicinal, I drink it black. When it's recreational, I sometimes have an almond milk latte with a pump of hazelnut.
Unless it's fall, and then I get a PSL duh. 




Hope you enjoyed this little rundown of Abbylish Fun Facts! 
As always, thank you so much for following along and supporting my little dream. Your follows, likes, comments, purchases, and just general encouragement mean so much to me. 

Love ya bunches! 

XOXO, 
Abby


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