When I grow up….I wanna be just like them! 🙂 Love you guys!
Category: Life
Happy Grandparent’s Day
My grandparents have been some of the most influential people in my life. I have seen them face challenges and adversity with strength that could only have been from God. I have seen them show kindness and respect towards others,play make believe and makeup makeovers, work hard even when there was no boss looking, play games with the kids when all the other “grown-ups” just want to watch TV, dance on hotel beds and laugh louder than anyone else in the room, sacrifice for the sake of others, forgive unforgivable people, and love me unconditionally. I am so very thankful that God chose me to be your granddaughter.
Love you Granda, Granny Faye, Papa, and Granny Layne!
(Pics coming soon!)
National Dog Day
Okay, I am a little late on this post (there are only 2 more hours left of “National Dog Day,” but I can’t resist posting about Miss Lily-UR-So-Pretty-Harvey!
Well, technically we just call her Miss Lily…
Tricks and Talents:
-Napping
-Begging for food/treats
-Giving “shuggy”
-Being “squishy” (she doesn’t like the word fat!)
-Cuddling (A.K.A making “Lily Sandwiches” between Hubby and I)
-Tearing up any stuffed animal in sight (even though she will drag it’s decapitated body all around and sleep with it beside her at all times!)
-Running away if you ask her if she “Needs a Bath!”
Obsessed?? …..yeah….just a little!
Happy National Dog Day!
Looking Ahead 2014: 1/2 Marathon!
I know that we haven’t celebrated Labor Day yet, but I can’t stop feeling that the end of the year will be upon us at any moment. I have already started making a Christmas list for the family, and so it just seems natural that I should start thinking about next year’s bucket list.This year has been pretty much consumed with planning for Baby Addie (although I still feel like we haven’t done nearly enough…) and I am sure that next year will (and all subsequent years) will also revolve around this little girl who already has her daddy wrapped around her finger!
However, as my belly starts to grow and stretch farther than I thought humanly possibly (and the pounds keep coming…), I am determined more and more next year to push my body towards a seemingly unreachable personal goal. In 2014 I want to run a 1/2 marathon. I know that millions of people around the world run these events each year, and even further….however for me 13 miles might as well be 13,000 miles! This task (and the marathon) have been on my bucket list for years, however with the baby bump and the added pounds I feel like being to accomplish this task post-baby would make the reward that much sweeter. So I registered for the jogging baby stroller and penciled this 1/2 marathon onto the 2014 bucket list. I have a couple of 10Ks that I am looking at completing as well before the November 2014 Rock-n-Roll Marathon on Savannah, so wish me luck! (Now that this is in cyber-space somewhere instead of just floating around in my head I think I will have more motivation to make it happen…)
Bucket List Inspiration: “10 Bucket List Marathons”
For the Love of Fall
So, I know that the weather outside has been rainy and muggy, but I still can’t help fantasizing about the crisp autumn breeze and cinnamon and pumpkin spice in the air! Honestly, I don’t think I really have a favorite season, but I am always ready for the NEXT one to come around. In the middle of dreary February I daydream about Springtime, and in March I can hardly wait to start my tan at the Beach. So, it should come to no surprise that on the brink of a new season I am chomping at the bits to get Fall started!
I have just hit the 6 1/2 month pregnancy mark, and if you can’t tell from the Color Run pictures from last week I am sporting a newly-found bump. Many of the students at my new school have noticed that I am carrying a little package in my tummy, however only one little girl has been brave enough to ask me! (She begged me not to give her extra homework or be mad at her before she asked me if I was expecting! I really wanted to play a joke on her and pretend that I had no clue what she was talking about….but the way she asked was too cute, so I told her the truth!)
This year we are sure going to have an eventful Fall (Welcome Baby Addie!), and I am sure that I will be tired carrying my “pumpkin” around with me all day, however I still want to enjoy this wonderful time of year (plus I still have some items on my 2013 Bucket List that I need to take care of ASAP!)
Here are some of our plans for Fall:
1. Music Midtown Concert in Atlanta (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Imagine Dragons, Journey, Weezer, and more!)
2. Read more from my “To Read Library Book List” (I have a few personal finance books that I want to check out, a few about parenting, and then some fiction fantasy just for fun!)
3. Carve a pumpkin (We try to do this every year. I like to pull out the pumpkin guts and cook the seeds, while Hubby does the actual carving!)
4. Apple Picking Weekend in Ellijay, GA (I think that we are going to rent a cabin with a few friends and celebrate on the very last weekend of pregnancy that I am cleared to travel….haha!)
5. Make some Fall Wreaths for all my family (Look at the one I made tonight at Ladies Craft Night at Church!)
6. Make s’mores!
7. Go watch my sister’s high school football games and watch her during marching band performance.
8. Go back and see a college football game (and tailgate!)….I really don’t care too much for football, but I enjoy getting together with friends and eating! 🙂
9. Get a head start of Christmas shopping! (With all the excitement coming at the beginning of December, I need to start thinking about this now, or everyone will be getting a picture of Addie and a gift card!)
10. Go to a local Oktoberfest festival
11. Take maternity pictures!
12. Eat greasy food at the County Fair
13. Make my 2014 Bucket List!
14. Make chili
15. Go on a date night to a nice (read expensive) restaurant
16. Starting a Bible study with friends.
17. Having a baby! (ya know…no big deal… I got this….)
What do you have planned this Fall?
The Happiest 5K on Earth!
Weekly Update/Ultimate American Bucket List?
Weekly Update
Well, we (my students and I) have almost survived the first week of school. I have managed not to hit the snooze at all this week, the house and laundry are still well-kept, and I have tried to do at least a little bit of physical activity each day after work. All in all I would say that this week has been a success. Today got even better when Baby Addie and I got a healthy check-up at the doctor. They still think that Addie is going to be pretty big, but her heartbeat is nice and strong and my blood pressure is right on target! Although I am definitely feeling more fatigued, I feel her kicking all day and that reassures me that we are on the right track. (She is trying to kick the laptop as we speak!)
How am I going to top off such a great first week of school? I am glad you asked!! Waring and I are signed up for the COLOR RUN in downtown Savannah this Saturday. It will actually be more of a Color WALK for me, but I am just excited to knock this one off the bucket list and have something out of the ordinary to do! Ran or shine, I am sure we will have a blast. Don’t worry, there will be pictures!
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Ultimate American Bucket List
If you had to choose the 20 must-see/most iconic landmarks to visit in the United States, what would they be? Budget Travel has recently posted their must-see list! How many of these places have you visited? (Click here to read the full article!)
Here are the ones of the list that I have crossed off:
1. National Mall, Washington D. C.
2. Las Vegas
3. Times Square New York
4. Nashville, TN
5. Grand Canyon, AZ
6. Disney’s Magic Kingdom, FL
8. Independence Hall Philadelphia, PA
9. Fenway Park Boston, MA
10. South Beach Miami, FL
11. Civil Rights District Atlanta, GA
12. Gettysburg, PA
13. Architecture in Chicago, IL
14. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY
14 out of 20…not too shabby…but still not satisfied!
2013 Bucket List Item: Perseid’s Meteor Shower!
With the school year gearing up to start next week (pre-planning is this week), getting into the daily grind is pretty much inevitable. I like budgets, lists, and structure….they are comfortable for me, however I know by the beginning of October again I will be begging for the freedom to sleep in and run around town aimlessly! With school, and grad school, and 3rd trimester looming I want to make sure that I get this Bucket List item checked off this weekend! CHECK IT OUT!
Have no clue what I am talking about? Take a look!
August 10-13, 2013 before dawn, the Perseids
The Perseid meteor shower is perhaps the most beloved meteor shower of the year for the Northern Hemisphere. The shower builds gradually to a peak, often produces 50 to 100 meteors per hour in a dark sky at the peak, and, for us in the Northern Hemisphere, this shower comes when the weather is warm. The Perseids tend to strengthen in number as late night deepens into midnight, and typically produce the most meteors in the wee hours before dawn. They radiate from a point in the constellation Perseus the Hero, but, as with all meteor shower radiant points, you don’t need to know Perseus to watch the shower; instead, the meteors appear in all parts of the sky. They are typically fast and bright meteors. They frequently leave persistent trains. Every year, you can look for the Perseids around August 10-13. They combine with the Delta Aquarid shower (above) to produce the year’s most dazzling display of shooting stars. In 2013, the Perseid meteors will streak across the short summer nights – August 10-13 – from late night until dawn, with little to no interference from the waxing crescent moon. Plus the moon will be near the planet Saturn in the evening hours, giving a colorful prelude to late-night Perseid show. Best mornings to look: August 11, 12 and 13 http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide
The Plan:
Go to the Highway 21 Drive-In (love that place!) to watch the new Smurf Movie and Grown-ups Two and then drive around to the middle of no where to find a good spot to view the magic in the sky! I wish that I had learned more of the constellations before now…but that’s life!
Hope you guys are having a good week? Are you doing anything fun before school starts back?
Chasing the Last Days of Summer
Wow! School. Starts. Next. Week. (Well, at least pre-planning, which everyone knows is the calm before the storm!)
Yesterday was fabulous. It was one of those days that isn’t incredibly eventful, but that is how you planned it to be. I made Waring breakfast ( a luxury he gets when I am off during the Summer and not hating mornings because I know I can always take a nap in the middle of the day) and cuddled Miss Lily until almost 10am. After we finally decided to roll out of bed for the day, I left to run some errands for the day.
I picked up our new crib from Walmart, which made this whole pregnancy thing feel a whole lot more legit, and picked up some paint for Waring to paint Addie’s nursery bookcase. Then I decided to do something really fun, I WENT TO THE LIBRARY! I used to go every Summer growing up with my grandmothers and it was so much fun, but I haven’t been in years. I went in, registered for a new card, and started browsing! It was so great. Library….I have missed you! I won’t leave you for so long again!
While signing up for my library card, the lady at the front desk asked for my ID. She was quiet for a few minutes, and then said, “Your name is very familiar. We have someone on our church prayer list with the same name.” I immediately thought to myself, well….I am not sick, so I replied that I must have a common name. Then she responded by sharing that the lady was not sick, but rather she was pregnant. At that point I had to ask her where she went to church. It turns out she attends the same church as my aunt and grandmother in the small town in which I grew up! I couldn’t believe it, this complete stranger had been praying for ME! Wow. I was so humbled, and slightly amused by the whole situation! Just because I am not sick doesn’t mean that I don’t need prayer. As a matter of fact, if you are reading this now please feel free to add me to YOUR church or personal prayer list. It felt amazing to know that I have a family of believers praying for Addie and I. I a was so shocked by that encounter…but I am sure that God was laughing!
The rest of the day flew by pretty uneventfully. I went to a thrift store and picked up a few maternity items. (It seems pretty pointless to pay full price for maternity clothes that hopefully won’t be worn too long after recovering from the baby). I went for a swim and read one of my library finds, and cooked dinner for Hubby and I. We (he mostly) set up the crib and put on the wall decal above her bed. Around 10pm we called it a night. It was a great day, and one of the best last days of Summer!
A List of What I Did Accomplish This Summer:
-Got the honor of being a bridesmaid in the BIG DAY of two of my dearest friends.
-Went to the mall and hung out with my sister (which doesn’t happen as often as it should.)
-Spent time with my Uncle Lee before he went to be with the Lord.
-Visited two new states (Washington and Alaska) and went on a BEAUTIFUL cruise through Alaska’s Middle Passage
-Ate from a food truck in Seattle!
-Had a spend the night party with two of my best friends (Tori and Mariah)! We ate Chinese food and watched cheesy movies. It was the best!
-Watched my husband use our Paddle Boards for the first time (I can’t play with them yet…boo…)
-Went to Myrtle Beach for Trish’s Bachelorette Weekend and had some fun in the sun!
-Visited two new places in the 1,000 Places to See book from South Carolina with my friend Jennifer
-Cuddled and hugged my puppy (Miss Lily) everyday!
-Threw a successful Gender Reveal Party
-Registered for baby stuff and started on our nursery
-Spring cleaned the ENTIRE house (and donated over $1,000 worth of my “junk” to charity!)
-Made Jam and canned picked
-Read three books (Honestly, I am not very proud of this one. I should have been reading much more!)
-Created a meal plan once a week AND stuck to it!
-Updated our monthly budget AND cash system (and we are currently sticking to it!)
-Only put on make when vitally necessary.
-Slept in!
-Worked out!
-Had quiet time devotionals (love me some Beth Moore)
-Got life insurance
-Created lesson plans for school up through January!
-Made our annual digital scrapbook and updated my smashbook
-Set up my classroom BEFORE pre-planning!
-STARTED A BLOG!!
WHEW!!!!
I can’t believe I am heading into my fourth year as a teacher and about to take maternity leave in just a few short months. When I think about agonizing  over my major in college graduating early, I am so glad that God already knew my plans. He had it all figured out….and he was probably laughing at me for being so dramatic about the whole thing! I am so blessed to have a job that I absolutely love and a passion for what I wake up and get to do each day (note that I did not say I had a passion for waking up….I don’t feel 100% human on most days until about 10am).
Pray for my students, the new family addition, hubby, and I this year. We will always need prayer, and we will be busy! l
Tis the Season, FOR WEDDINGS!
What a crazy season the last nine months have been for Hubby and I! We have been in more weddings in the past 9 months, than I have any other time in my life COMBINED! I have been surprised at how beautiful and unique each of these weddings have been. When I think back to each of these weddings, I am amazed about how I can see elements of their personality shining through in each of their special days. I have been praying for these ladies and the lucky men that get to be called their husbands for a while now. I know that God has amazing things in store for their future.
Here are just a few pics of the amazing/crazy/joyous occasions:
Kristen and Trey (October 20, 2012)
Katie and Josh (November 17, 2012)
Meredith and Justin (May 18, 2013)
Laurelee and Paul (July 6, 2013)
Trish and Ryan (July 27, 2013)
After the many hours of planning, prepping, rehearsing, and partying, I can’t believe that all of these guys are married off and beginning their new lives as newlyweds. Each of them will face different challenges and trials over the next years and decades, however they will have each other to hold onto.
Waring and I have only been married for four very short years, but when I think about the meager advice I could offer these couples, Â a particular verse seems to come to mind. Â Christ doesn’t warn us that we will have trials he GUARANTEES Â it! Â However, he follows by promising: Â “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16: 33
In the years to come, I hope and pray that these couples grow stronger in Christ and as a family. I hope that they rely on Christ and their relationship with each other as they live each and every day. Waring and I feel so blessed to have been asked to be a part of each couple’s special day. My daddy once told me that weddings are special, and that I should always take it seriously and feel honored to be asked to be a part of such a special day in a person’s life. I am truly honored, and I can’t wait to share many more memories with these beautiful couples!
LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Daily Drops in the Bucket 