Life Lately…

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I didn’t really mean to take a two month blogging hiatus, it just happened. In my attempt to conquer the ever-growing to-do list, blogging has been seriously neglected. Here is my meager attempt to fill you in on the latest happenings:

The Good:

1. Visited two new states! (LA and MS)

2. Spring Break to Pensacola and NOLA was just the break from reality our little family needed.

3. Successfully argued my thesis for Ed.S graduation

4. Ate a bug! (It was on the bucket list…)

5. EASTER!

6. Beach days with Addie

7. Broke ground on our new home!

8. Addie. She brings so much laughter and love to each day. Her favorite things now are ELMO, Barney, Doc McStuffings, saying the color of EVERYTHING, letting the dogs out and calling them back in, playing in the DIRT, EATING, butterfly kisses, running, swinging, coloring. Love everything about this little girl.

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The Bad & The Ugly: (this may not be the most appropriate title for this section because I know that God reveals his glory in ALL things.)

If it hasn’t been apparent by the lack of posts, the past several weeks have been challenging. Even with Spring Break, there have been several areas of life that have contributed to higher than normal stress levels! Anxiety at work has intensified with the upcoming high stakes testing season, finishing my thesis and preparing for oral defense has had my stomach in knots, building on the house has required constant communication with the bank and builder, and time for family and friends and fun has seemed to be scarce.

The loss of a dear family member this month has soften my heart and made me yearn for the kind of comfort that only the Holy Spirit can bring. He was such a sweet and spirited guy with a love for others and for life. I remember at Easter how Austin called for Addie to come and sit with him and give him a hug. Our last conversation he asked us how we liked our trip, and specifically if Addie had fun. He loved family and words can’t describe how he will be missed. My heart is struggling, but I know that all things work in His time and for His purpose. I know that God is showing me the importance of living in the moment each day and that I need to be intentional about the love, mercy, grace, and humility that I try to show others in my daily walk. We are called to live boldly for Christ, and I want to remember that each day and let Austin’s memory live on.

Saturday With Addie: New Rides and New Kicks

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Confession: This weekend was a lot of fun. Too much fun probably… You see, I only have a few more months left to go until I earn my Ed.S degree (ekkk!) from Georgia Southern and I should have been working on my action research thesis. I should have been getting ahead of some Gifted certification course work, grading papers, and myriad of other school related tasks. I will get it done eventually, but it didn’t happen this weekend.

Reality: Here is what did go on this weekend…

1. Friday Waring and I ran the Shamrock Run. I will admit I didn’t want to run. It was cold. Our running buddies were sick. Did I mention it was sick. I would have muuuuuch rather curled up on the couch, ate a greasy burger, and watch another Hallmark movie. But….when it was all said and done I am glad that we finished strong. Waring and I are passionate about the March of Dimes because of all that they have done for Baby Addie. You see, when Addie was first born she had respiratory distress. She needed a special drug that was developed through the funding and support of this wonderful charity. This wonderful weekend with Addie was made possible because of the heroic efforts of the March of Dimes, and for that reason we ran and will keep running for years to come.

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2. Saturday morning HUBBY got to ride a Lamborghini, and subsequently marked a HUGE item off of his own bucket list! (Thanks Mom and Dad for this thrilling Christmas gift!)

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3. Addie got some new kicks. See the evidence below… AND she showed them off at my cousin Grace’s Sweet 16 Party. She was a showstopper!!

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Verdict:

Now, doesn’t this weekend sound MUCH better than being holed up in a room with a laptop and a bunch of articles and data?!? Let me answer that for you. YES, yes it does. I WILL get the work done, and I WILL probably have to be up late (very late) in the near future to get everything finished. This weekend was worth it!

Flu: 2 vs Harvey’s: 0

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This week shall henceforth be referred to as Flu-mageddon in the Harvey household. I started feeling not too great last weekend and had the flu blown flu by Monday, which landed me out of school and out of commission until Thursday. How is it that I have made it this far in life and have never had the flu before? I don’t know….but I NEVER want it again.

To make matters worse, we were so worried that I may give it to Addie that my mom kept her from Monday until Thursday afternoon. Before this flu-event Addie had never spent the night away from home. She, of course, was well taken care of at Gigi and G-pa’s but we missed her like crazy….

The day I picked her up she had been running a fever, and by the next morning the doctor had confirmed our fears….. Addie had the flu. Today she has been in remarkably good spirits considering her nose is a continual snot fountain and her little croupy cough could rival a grown man’s. She has been playing around the house and making the most of her Saturday quarantined inside. I am praying for a good night’s rest and a speedy recovery all around.

The flu may have us down, but we are not overcome! I am thankful to have such a strong support system of family , friends, and colleagues eager to step into the gap when needed. God truly has taken great care of us this week.

Our Saturday With Addie: Valentine’s Day

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Valentine’s Day is different with a kid. It is just a fact. I don’t think the day is necessarily any less sweet or special, but like many aspects of life post kid, it is just a bit different. There isn’t a big fuss or to do about “valentine plans” or elaborate gifts.. but the love I feel for Waring and Addie is real and it is genuine, and I think that is about all that matters.

We woke up early and played kitchen and colored and all of the usual Saturday morning around the house activities until Addie’s morning nap. After said nap we struck out towards Statesboro with Hubby’s parents. We had a quick lunch in the ‘boro and then separated for the guys to go to the driving range and the girls to go shopping.

We made it back home in time to plan small group for the next day, work on grad school homework and play for a little while longer.

I am not sure where the day went! Whew!!

Here are some highlights of the entire weekend:

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Our Saturday With Addie: February 7th

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This morning we woke up this morning and Addie was in a mood to read and cook…so that is, of course, what we did!

Next we worked on our antique trunk ( a project that has become a Saturday tradition on and off for the past few weeks), and I did a little big of work on our taxes (yuck!) while Addie played outside with chalk and flowers!

For dinner Addie and I brought our hot date (hubby/daddy) to the Meldrim Methodist Church Youth Valentine’s Dinner.

Another good Saturday in the books!!

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Our Saturday With Addie: Snow Day Edition

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Wow! Another Addie-venture for us! We took Addie to see snow! Well…it wasn’t real snow, but it is the closest thing we have here in south Georgia.

We woke up, got a quick workout in and then went off to Madrac Farms! They had sledding slides, goats, campfires with s’mores, a snow ball fight, snacks, and even a visit from Elsa and Ana!! Addie had a blast!

After going home doing some taxes (blah…) hubby and I got to enjoy restaurant week at Leoci’s! We missed Addie (honestly) , but it was nice to get to hang out together for just a few hours! Oh yeah, and the food was delicious!

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Our Saturday With Addie

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I think I have mentioned this before, but did you know that there are only 940 Saturdays between your child’s birth and the day they turn 18! That’s it. 940…not even 1000! It really just blows my mind in a “is this real life” kind of way. Maybe I am selfish, but I want MANY more than that.

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There will be many uneventful, painfully mundane Saturdays spent cleaning, doing homework, being sick, or dare I say, bored. BUT, with the finite amount out Saturday time we have I want to make them count. I want to document them..the good..the bad..the boring…so here’s a start.

Last Saturday was a good one (you know, the kind where you don’t really have anything planned so you can do whatever you want….). Addie woke us up before dawn, of course and because the weather was supposed to be yucky we decided to go on adventure indoors. We arrived at Chuck E. Cheese right as it opened. Most of the games were far too old for Addie, but honestly she had a blast just looking at the machines, seeing Chuck E. and squealing at the other kids as they ran around!

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Next we grabbed some lunch at a new restaurant in town with Mom and Dad. By early afternoon we were back at home to let Addie get her nap out. We realized we still had a few more hours of daylight left so we decided to get a little jog in around Baker’s pond with Addie in the stroller. She loved telling the ducks “hey” and going playing at the playground on the way out. To finish our busy little Saturday, we grabbed some groceries at Walmart and dinner from McAllister’s before calling it a night! WHEW! Time flies when you are having fun. Here’s to next Saturday!

A Glimpse into our Christmas Holiday…in case you were curious

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I LOVE my job, but this Christmas Break was one of the most needed in my teaching career thus far! Our entire family has been burning the candle at both ends, so it was nice to get to spend a few days with Addie and Hubby. Here are just a few things that we did during our time together:

-Taught Addie how to sleep in past 6am. (She is used to waking up at 5am with us for work!!!)

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-Attempted to make some holiday baking classics (and a few new recipes) with Sis

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-Shared LOTS of dinners, breakfasts, and lunches with family

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-Had a FUN dinner with one of my FAVORITE people!

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-Made Christmas crafts with Ryder and Parker

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-Spent time with friends and family from out of town

-Spent 7 hours with a crew building Addie’s AWESOME new swing set (thanks Gigi and G-pa)

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-Made tea with Addie in her new play kitchen (thanks Mimi and Papa)

-Pulled roots on our FUTURE PROPERTY

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-Received our finalized blueprints to our NEW HOUSE

With such a great break it was easy to go to school with a smile on my face! I am so thankful for the chance to spend a few days with my favorite people. Here’s to an AMAZING 2015!

2015: Another year, Another Bucket List

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I am not sure if it is just the bigger journal that I have to write out my goals in or if I am just feeling overly ambitious this year, but the 2015 Bucket List is jammed-packed!

Here’s the Plan:

1. Be more thoughtful (create a thankful box and plan to send more cards, flowers, letters, and thoughtful gestures each month).

2. Read 15 books (2 personal finance, 2 parenting, 3 devotions)

3. Learn to sew and making something for Addie

4. crochet a blanket

5. Build our dream home

6. Visit 2 new states

7. Celebrate 10 wacky holidays

8. Go zorbing

9. Take Addie on her first trip to Disney (to visit Mariah)

10. Go see Tori and John in Winston-Salem

11. GO see Audra, Drew, and Baby Samuel

12. Hang glide,

13. Triathalon

14. Krispy Kreme Challenge

15. Plant hydrangea and bougainvillea

16. Fine my “signature dish”

17. Complete 2 Minimalist challenges (more on this later)

18. Create a will

19. Complete at least 2 100 Day Challenges (more info to come)

20. Celebrate the Highland Games

21. Stick to a budget ALL year

22. Dye my hair a crazy color

23. Start and keep a prayer journal

24. Get a henna tattoo

25. Give up soda (again)

26. Get to happy college weight again

27. Brush up my Spanish for the mission trip

28. Put Waring second only to God

29. Get our home’s first nativity set

30. Start an Advent Calendar

31. Learn about homesteading (Rain water collection, composting, bees, chickens)

32. Go to an stargazing event

33. Run the 1/2 marathon for time

34. Make homemade soap

35. Make our own bedroom furniture

36. Learn and use essential oils

37. Focus on 5 specific individuals all year in prayer

38. Keep fresh flowers in our new home

39. Create an emergency preparedness kit

40. Set up autodrafts into our IRA

41. UNPLUG!

42. Smashbook ALL year!

43. Complete the Tybee Polar Plunge!

I am excited to see where this year takes our family. We have a lot of things to look forward to this year, like finishing grad school, building our new house, and going on a mission trip with church. I know that even if  I never cross off another bucket list item that our little family is BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE!