Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Christmas 'Break'
Wow...this has been a really busy Christmas break!! Between jetting down to Wilmington to be with Greg + Michelle as they got married to getting all over the state to spend time with family for Christmas, I feel like I haven't stopped. I have so many things that I need to write about - ranging from our honeymoon in Vegas that we took IN APRIL, to getting our Christmas tree and decorating our new house, our Christmas party, the wedding, and getting back to play in the snow. I had all intention of getting these done pretty soon, but it looks like these are going to be New Years posts!! After the 26th when we are having our Collins Christmas, I think I'll be able to sit down and get these done. We are also planning on painting our bedroom and bathroom, and doing some winter cleaning stuff. Let's see how much of this actually gets done!!!!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Annual Smith Christmas Par-Tay!
Last year, Jason and I threw our first annual Smith Christmas party. We had a great time last year in Jacksonville, but I was EXTRA excited about throwing it now that we are back in Winston and in our great house. So over a month ago...oops...12.12.09 to be exact, we had our 2nd Annual Christmas Party. We had an incredibly great night and such a good time. It's so good to be able to kick back and hang out with people you life and work with because often everything is very rush rush and you don't get to really spend time with them. We had family, people from work, friends from high school and college, and just about everyone we love to have around us. The night consisted of...
Some amazing food...including a peanut butter cheese cake by Dinah Reese. To. Die. For.
Kicking the boys ass in ping pong over and over again. Note the five I have on my hand. That is five in a row, baby! (I really have no idea what that is about, but just roll with me here.)
Some really hot guys. All of them have been spoken for, but they are nice to look at! We are some lucky, lucky women!
Fierce flip cup competitions. Things got serious.
And what would a party be like without Leroy, our metal deer that was our center piece that throughout the night got fed shots, made out with (see picture below of my husband making out with him), and given as a prize to the winning flip cup team. Of, for the love of Leroy!
We had an AWESOME night and such a great time hanging out with lots of great people. Can't wait to do it again next year!
Hanging out and eating some great food.
One bad ass dance party that included John Martin and I standing on a cooler and rocking out like we were on stage. It also involved my sister and I grinding on each other. Yes we are white, but damn if we can't dance! Les killed it that night.
A great time with some awesome friends.
Some amazing food...including a peanut butter cheese cake by Dinah Reese. To. Die. For.
Kicking the boys ass in ping pong over and over again. Note the five I have on my hand. That is five in a row, baby! (I really have no idea what that is about, but just roll with me here.)
Some really hot guys. All of them have been spoken for, but they are nice to look at! We are some lucky, lucky women!
Fierce flip cup competitions. Things got serious.
And what would a party be like without Leroy, our metal deer that was our center piece that throughout the night got fed shots, made out with (see picture below of my husband making out with him), and given as a prize to the winning flip cup team. Of, for the love of Leroy!
We had an AWESOME night and such a great time hanging out with lots of great people. Can't wait to do it again next year!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Reasons Why I Love My Job
#1 - Awesome:
My first year teaching I was teaching an Algebra I class and I had a co-teacher. I had no idea what I was doing and I had no idea how to work with another teacher in the same classroom. She and I became fast friends and are still the best of friends. We taught this one little girl that was just incredible. She had a learning disability, but her work ethic way more than made up for it. She would ask questions, she would come in for help, and do anything else she needed to do well. We LOVED her and came to love her mother, also. She was nothing but supportive and encouraging.
Fast forward three years and we are now at her senior year and my 4th year of teaching. I am teaching her again (after some secret finagaling to get her in my class!) and she is just as sweet and kind and hard working. She has even worked so hard that she was exited from the Exceptional Children's program because her grades were so good and she didn't seem to need the assistance anymore. Well it is now college time and she asked me if I would write a recommendation for her. I have never been so honored to be able to do something. I spent days writing this letter and even sent it to my mom and sister for them to proofread to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. I really didn't think she'd have a problem getting in anywhere, but you never know. Well she came to me yesterday morning and told me that she had gotten into UNC Charlotte, High Point University, and got an academic scholarship at Wingate. She has decided to go to UNC Charlotte to study sports medicine and I could not be more proud of her. Her mom thanked both me and my co-teacher that first year, but the credit definitely goes to that student. She overcame so much and has gotten so far. Her future looks so bright!
So to set the scene, we are in class and there are some kids talking while I am trying to talk. I ask them to be quiet and we go through how it is rude to talk while I'm talking. So as I turn around to begin talking again, one of the kids in the corner begins to sharpen his pencil with the electric sharpener. I turn around and give him the death stare. The girl two rows over said, 'It's my fault, I gave it to him to sharpen.' I looked at both of them and said, 'It doesn't matter. You should have known not to stick it in there.' From the back of the room - 'That's what she said.'
Highly inappropriate. Yes. Freaking hilarious. Yes ma'am. Man do I set myself up for these things!
My first year teaching I was teaching an Algebra I class and I had a co-teacher. I had no idea what I was doing and I had no idea how to work with another teacher in the same classroom. She and I became fast friends and are still the best of friends. We taught this one little girl that was just incredible. She had a learning disability, but her work ethic way more than made up for it. She would ask questions, she would come in for help, and do anything else she needed to do well. We LOVED her and came to love her mother, also. She was nothing but supportive and encouraging.
Fast forward three years and we are now at her senior year and my 4th year of teaching. I am teaching her again (after some secret finagaling to get her in my class!) and she is just as sweet and kind and hard working. She has even worked so hard that she was exited from the Exceptional Children's program because her grades were so good and she didn't seem to need the assistance anymore. Well it is now college time and she asked me if I would write a recommendation for her. I have never been so honored to be able to do something. I spent days writing this letter and even sent it to my mom and sister for them to proofread to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. I really didn't think she'd have a problem getting in anywhere, but you never know. Well she came to me yesterday morning and told me that she had gotten into UNC Charlotte, High Point University, and got an academic scholarship at Wingate. She has decided to go to UNC Charlotte to study sports medicine and I could not be more proud of her. Her mom thanked both me and my co-teacher that first year, but the credit definitely goes to that student. She overcame so much and has gotten so far. Her future looks so bright!
#2 - Hilarious:
So to set the scene, we are in class and there are some kids talking while I am trying to talk. I ask them to be quiet and we go through how it is rude to talk while I'm talking. So as I turn around to begin talking again, one of the kids in the corner begins to sharpen his pencil with the electric sharpener. I turn around and give him the death stare. The girl two rows over said, 'It's my fault, I gave it to him to sharpen.' I looked at both of them and said, 'It doesn't matter. You should have known not to stick it in there.' From the back of the room - 'That's what she said.'
Highly inappropriate. Yes. Freaking hilarious. Yes ma'am. Man do I set myself up for these things!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Let it snow!
Let me begin by saying a big congrats to all of my Fury teammates. We won our game in the first round of playoffs for my flag football team. We've got semifinals next Wednesday and then the finals Sunday and we might get to play on the Wake Forest field!
This weekend is one of our in-town weekends for the month. It is jam packed, though!
Tonight, Ja's JV boys come to Reagan to play us! If tonight is anything like Tuesday night, it'll be a great game to watch. One of my really good friends coaches the JV girls, so I'll have an evening of basketball to enjoy! Bring on the 'friendly' family rivalry! At least one of us will have a good night tonight!
Tomorrow morning we will be doing some more Christmas shopping, I'm sure. We've made a few trips and got what we think we need, but I'm sure we'll find more as the weekend goes on! Ja has a game at 2:30 and then tomorrow night we are going to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular at the Joel Coliseum here in Winston. And it's supposed to SNOW!!!! Hey, if it can snow in Dallas, TX, we can get some here, too! Date night, here we come!
Sunday will be our true decorating day. The house will be Christmas-fied by Sunday night. Ja is so cute to watch because he loves Christmas and gets excited about it all like he was a youngin' again! I'm starting to get in the spirit because I'm starting to see houses around us get decorated and it just stirs something up in me and the Christmas spirit shows it's pretty face! I'm ready for Manheim and Mariah and N'Sync serenading us and seeing twinkling lights everywhere! This Christmas is going to be especially grand because it's our true 'First Christmas' and our first one in our new house. I'll post pictures of what the outcome is.
So bring on the snow, the Rockette's, and Christmas! We're all ready for you!
This weekend is one of our in-town weekends for the month. It is jam packed, though!
Tonight, Ja's JV boys come to Reagan to play us! If tonight is anything like Tuesday night, it'll be a great game to watch. One of my really good friends coaches the JV girls, so I'll have an evening of basketball to enjoy! Bring on the 'friendly' family rivalry! At least one of us will have a good night tonight!
Tomorrow morning we will be doing some more Christmas shopping, I'm sure. We've made a few trips and got what we think we need, but I'm sure we'll find more as the weekend goes on! Ja has a game at 2:30 and then tomorrow night we are going to the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular at the Joel Coliseum here in Winston. And it's supposed to SNOW!!!! Hey, if it can snow in Dallas, TX, we can get some here, too! Date night, here we come!
Sunday will be our true decorating day. The house will be Christmas-fied by Sunday night. Ja is so cute to watch because he loves Christmas and gets excited about it all like he was a youngin' again! I'm starting to get in the spirit because I'm starting to see houses around us get decorated and it just stirs something up in me and the Christmas spirit shows it's pretty face! I'm ready for Manheim and Mariah and N'Sync serenading us and seeing twinkling lights everywhere! This Christmas is going to be especially grand because it's our true 'First Christmas' and our first one in our new house. I'll post pictures of what the outcome is.
So bring on the snow, the Rockette's, and Christmas! We're all ready for you!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Jam Packed
Now that I've recapped November, let's look ahead to what is coming for December.
Tuesday (12.1) - Jason's JV boys basketball head coaching debut - WIN! Let the season begin!
Saturday (12.5) - Radio City Rockette Christmas Spectacular followed by Christmas party
Sunday (12.6) - Getting our Christmas tree with John + Jamie and friends and finally decorating the house!
Friday (12.11) - Hege Christmas Party
Saturday (12.12) - Smith Christmas Party - So many friends are coming into town. Can't wait to see everyone!
Sunday (12.13) - Recovering from Smith Christmas Party
Thursday (12.17) - Kennel dogs and jump in the car with Leslie and Anna to head to Wilmington
Friday (12.18) - Rehearsal and dinner followed by Rum Runners
Saturday (12.19) - Greg + Michelle's Wedding!!
Monday - Wednesday (12.21 - 23) - Ja's basketball tournament
Wednesday/Thursday - Saturday (12.23 - 26) - Christmas in Jacksonville with Smiths
Saturday - Monday (12.26 - 28) - Christmas in Winston with Collins family
After that, I don't have any plans. I'm sure some will develop, but for now, that's all we've got. I'm exhausted just looking at it! Hopefully in there somewhere we can all take a second to sit back and relax and enjoy some down time. Keeping my fingers crossed!! 'Tis the season!
Tuesday (12.1) - Jason's JV boys basketball head coaching debut - WIN! Let the season begin!
Saturday (12.5) - Radio City Rockette Christmas Spectacular followed by Christmas party
Sunday (12.6) - Getting our Christmas tree with John + Jamie and friends and finally decorating the house!
Friday (12.11) - Hege Christmas Party
Saturday (12.12) - Smith Christmas Party - So many friends are coming into town. Can't wait to see everyone!
Sunday (12.13) - Recovering from Smith Christmas Party
Thursday (12.17) - Kennel dogs and jump in the car with Leslie and Anna to head to Wilmington
Friday (12.18) - Rehearsal and dinner followed by Rum Runners
Saturday (12.19) - Greg + Michelle's Wedding!!
Monday - Wednesday (12.21 - 23) - Ja's basketball tournament
Wednesday/Thursday - Saturday (12.23 - 26) - Christmas in Jacksonville with Smiths
Saturday - Monday (12.26 - 28) - Christmas in Winston with Collins family
After that, I don't have any plans. I'm sure some will develop, but for now, that's all we've got. I'm exhausted just looking at it! Hopefully in there somewhere we can all take a second to sit back and relax and enjoy some down time. Keeping my fingers crossed!! 'Tis the season!
Stuff Yourselves Like a Turkey!
Our family is not one that does well with change. This year...change was good!
Every year since I can remember, we have had Thanksgiving in Rocky Mount, NC. Both my mom and dad are from there, so it just made sense. We had it at my Aunt Cathy's and once they sold that, it moved to Aunt Lyn's. This year, though, not many people are left in Rocky Mount, so the decision was made to move Thanksgiving to Charlotte to my cousin Lisa's house. They live right on Lake Norman and their house is big and beautiful, so it was a great place to have our crew!
While the aunts were cooking, the rest of us stood around and talked. We now have little kids around since the cousins have started having kids, so it's fun to watch them play. Lisa and Josh have a swing set, a beach, a pool, and lots of other cool kid things.
Mimi and Anna flying on the swingset.
Everyone standing around chatting while we're waiting for the food line to start!
Anna just had to stick her hand in the hot tub even though her hands were freezing, so I was there just to make sure she didn't go swimming!
After lunch Greg and Michelle were able to head back to Wilmington and Leslie, Will, and Anna were able to hop in the car and head back to Winston for the Hege Thanksgiving. Ja took the opportunity to head back with the Hege crew and Mom, Deddy, and I headed up to Boone to grab a few things we left at the Girls Weekend. What do you know - we saw some snow! Granted it was just a few flakes, but Mom was happy as a clam!
Every year since I can remember, we have had Thanksgiving in Rocky Mount, NC. Both my mom and dad are from there, so it just made sense. We had it at my Aunt Cathy's and once they sold that, it moved to Aunt Lyn's. This year, though, not many people are left in Rocky Mount, so the decision was made to move Thanksgiving to Charlotte to my cousin Lisa's house. They live right on Lake Norman and their house is big and beautiful, so it was a great place to have our crew!
While the aunts were cooking, the rest of us stood around and talked. We now have little kids around since the cousins have started having kids, so it's fun to watch them play. Lisa and Josh have a swing set, a beach, a pool, and lots of other cool kid things.
Mimi and Anna flying on the swingset.
Everyone standing around chatting while we're waiting for the food line to start!Let the games begin! Look at that awesome spread! Everything was DELICIOUS!!
Anna just had to stick her hand in the hot tub even though her hands were freezing, so I was there just to make sure she didn't go swimming!
After lunch Greg and Michelle were able to head back to Wilmington and Leslie, Will, and Anna were able to hop in the car and head back to Winston for the Hege Thanksgiving. Ja took the opportunity to head back with the Hege crew and Mom, Deddy, and I headed up to Boone to grab a few things we left at the Girls Weekend. What do you know - we saw some snow! Granted it was just a few flakes, but Mom was happy as a clam! Friday Ja and I cleaned the house because his family came up Saturday. His mom, dad, grandma, her husband, and his aunt all came to see us for Thanksgiving since we were in Charlotte for my family. I am so thankful that they were so willing to come up so we didn't have to do double duty!
They got into town Saturday afternoon and we had a nice afternoon of naps and football. Then Ja and I made cookout food since so many of us had overloaded on turkey! Dinner was delicious and after it all got cleaned up we sat down and played a few great card games. Ja's grandma and husband LOVE playing cards and it was fun to learn some of their tricks! Sunday morning Ja cooked everyone a FANTASTIC southern breakfast and then everyone loaded up and headed out. Ja and I looked at each other and realized that Thanksgiving break was over and it had just started!
Then came Monday, and we all know what those are about!
Bachelor/Bachelorette Weekend!!
The third weekend in November (20-22) was reserved for Greg and Michelle's bachelor/bachelorette weekend. The boys spent the day fishing off a boat, eating lunch at Dockside (pulling up on the dock and everything!), and dinner at B-Dubs. Sounds like they had a great time!
Our afternoon started off with a monogram shower at my sister's in-laws' condo. The setting could not have been any more perfect for the night. Most of the bridesmaids, Mom, and a few of Mom's best friends all gathered around as Michelle opened her gifts. We thought we had surprised her with the monogram part, but she figured it out when everyone asked her her favorite color and what her initials were going to be! She got so much awesome stuff!
Our afternoon started off with a monogram shower at my sister's in-laws' condo. The setting could not have been any more perfect for the night. Most of the bridesmaids, Mom, and a few of Mom's best friends all gathered around as Michelle opened her gifts. We thought we had surprised her with the monogram part, but she figured it out when everyone asked her her favorite color and what her initials were going to be! She got so much awesome stuff!
After the shower, we all loaded up and had a WONDERFUL dinner at Bluewater, right on the Intracoastal Waterway. It was absolutely delicious and we had a great time.
Then we all headed back to the condo and immediately got our pajamas on for a good ol' fashioned slumber party! We watched the Ugly Truth, played the 'Ask Greg' game (where he got a few things wrong!), told our favorite Greg stories, and played 'Never Have I Ever'. After all of that fun it was time to hit the hay!
The next morning I woke up to the sun rising right over the ocean and it was absolutely breath taking. I would have loved to stay awake and actually enjoy the whole thing, but I was exhausted! We all began to mobilize and shower and we were soon out the door for an AMAZING breakfast at Michelle's best friend, Cameron's, grandmother's house. From there everyone said their goodbyes until next time!
We had a great time and hopefully it was everything Michelle wanted it to be!
Let the wedding season begin!
So November 14, 2009 officially began Greg + Michelle's Wedding Season. Some of Mom's good friends threw them a dessert shower on that Saturday night. Jason had football and basketball going on, so I made the solo trip to Wilmington for the big event. I had just discovered Lady Antebellum, so I did not mind driving by myself and belting every word!
Leslie, Will, and Banana Pants came down and of course Anna was the belle of the ball! She was so cute and would get SO excited when Greg and Michelle would open something new. She also helped them pick out which present to open next, along with Kamryn, the little girl I've kept every summer since she could walk.
Ooooohhh!
Ahhhhh!!
It was so good to see everyone that was there. There were also some DELICIOUS desserts to enjoy while chatting it up with everyone!
Leslie, Will, and Banana Pants came down and of course Anna was the belle of the ball! She was so cute and would get SO excited when Greg and Michelle would open something new. She also helped them pick out which present to open next, along with Kamryn, the little girl I've kept every summer since she could walk.
Ooooohhh!
Ahhhhh!!
It was so good to see everyone that was there. There were also some DELICIOUS desserts to enjoy while chatting it up with everyone!
Monday, November 30, 2009
4th Annual Collins Girls' Weekend
The first weekend of November, Leslie, Anna, Mom, and I loaded up the van and headed to Boone for our 4th Annual Collins Girls' Weekend. Mom's good friend is gracious enough to let us use their family condo for the weekend and what an amazing place it is. The view is simply breathtaking.
The trip started Friday night when Mom made it up to Winston. We quickly loaded all of our stuff and took off. You put a movie in and Anna gets those headphones on, and everyone is good to go. Between watching Anna and gabbing away, we were up there in no time!
We got to Boone and made our Harry Peter run. We stopped by the RedBox to get a movie, and against some Yankees suggestion, we went with Nights in Rodanthe. There is no way Richard Gere + Diane Lane + Nicholas Sparks can be a bad combo. Damn if they didn't find a way to make the badness happen! We couldn't complain...we each had a Blue Moon and a carton of ice cream to ease our troubles!
The next morning we got up and headed to the porch to soak up the mountain view and to sip on some coffee. Anna wasn't quite awake when we got out there, but it wasn't long before she was sampling (quality control testing) everyone's coffee. It was quickly decided that Anna needed her own cup to feel like one of the girls.
Wakey, wakey!
Anna and her own coffee cup!
Happy as a clam! And the gang's all here! Bobo, Elmo, and Llama llama. We're ready to go!
After a few hours on the porch we suited up and headed to The Mountain House for an unbelievable breakfast. It truly was a smorgasbord and the ridiculous 2 year old we had with us said that right with us. She was even able to repeat it for her Datty!
The rest of the day was consumed with shopping at the Tanger Outlets and then stopping to get some Mellow Mushroom pizza to take back with us. We are so adventurous that we were almost ready for bed at about 7 when Anna went down for bed since she missed her nap. We did manage to watch Must Love Dogs and stay up for a bit, but it wasn't too long after that we were all cuddled up in bed.
We had such a great weekend! It's always so good to get away from the grind and just be able to sit back and relax. Next year we'll have another Collins girl to add and I'm sure in the future there will be plenty more!
The trip started Friday night when Mom made it up to Winston. We quickly loaded all of our stuff and took off. You put a movie in and Anna gets those headphones on, and everyone is good to go. Between watching Anna and gabbing away, we were up there in no time!
We got to Boone and made our Harry Peter run. We stopped by the RedBox to get a movie, and against some Yankees suggestion, we went with Nights in Rodanthe. There is no way Richard Gere + Diane Lane + Nicholas Sparks can be a bad combo. Damn if they didn't find a way to make the badness happen! We couldn't complain...we each had a Blue Moon and a carton of ice cream to ease our troubles!The next morning we got up and headed to the porch to soak up the mountain view and to sip on some coffee. Anna wasn't quite awake when we got out there, but it wasn't long before she was sampling (quality control testing) everyone's coffee. It was quickly decided that Anna needed her own cup to feel like one of the girls.
Wakey, wakey!
Anna and her own coffee cup!
Happy as a clam! And the gang's all here! Bobo, Elmo, and Llama llama. We're ready to go!
After a few hours on the porch we suited up and headed to The Mountain House for an unbelievable breakfast. It truly was a smorgasbord and the ridiculous 2 year old we had with us said that right with us. She was even able to repeat it for her Datty!
The rest of the day was consumed with shopping at the Tanger Outlets and then stopping to get some Mellow Mushroom pizza to take back with us. We are so adventurous that we were almost ready for bed at about 7 when Anna went down for bed since she missed her nap. We did manage to watch Must Love Dogs and stay up for a bit, but it wasn't too long after that we were all cuddled up in bed.
We had such a great weekend! It's always so good to get away from the grind and just be able to sit back and relax. Next year we'll have another Collins girl to add and I'm sure in the future there will be plenty more! Wednesday, November 18, 2009
You don't like it...get out!
This week we are having one of the Tuskegee Airmen at school to talk to some of our students. He was also a POW and was held at a Nazi camp. His name is Alexander Jefferson.
In his biography he has a quote about America that I love. It pretty much sums up how I feel about most things in life.
'America is the best country in the world. You don't like it? Leave it. The only obligation? Make it better. It ain't perfect, but it's home.'
There are a lot of things in this world that you are not going to like. People you aren't going to like. Obligations that you are not going to love. Places that you want to improve. But seriously - if you don't like it, leave. If you don't enjoy your job, move on. If you are going to stick around - do what you can to make the person/place/situation better. Things aren't going to be perfect, but it is your life so you might as well make the best of it.
Well said Alexander, well said.
In his biography he has a quote about America that I love. It pretty much sums up how I feel about most things in life.
'America is the best country in the world. You don't like it? Leave it. The only obligation? Make it better. It ain't perfect, but it's home.'
There are a lot of things in this world that you are not going to like. People you aren't going to like. Obligations that you are not going to love. Places that you want to improve. But seriously - if you don't like it, leave. If you don't enjoy your job, move on. If you are going to stick around - do what you can to make the person/place/situation better. Things aren't going to be perfect, but it is your life so you might as well make the best of it.
Well said Alexander, well said.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Our Last Little Bit of Freedom
As I looked at my calendar the other day to see what the rest of the year looked like, I realized that we had two weekends of the entire year that were open. I'm not complaining at all, because what is coming up is great stuff. We have done a great job at taking advantage of our last few free weekends, though.
Last weekend was great. Mom was up here with Oren so that he and Anna could play and my uncle, Oie, and his wife, Becky, could enjoy a nice relaxing anniversary weekend. Friday my first stop after school was to have a few drinks with some great friends of mine. We all work together at Reagan, and Lord knows after a week of school we are ready for a few Corona Lights to ease our pain! After that I headed to Leslie and Will's to see the two munchkins and Mom. They had a great time in the bathtub and were soon drifting off to sleep in their beds. Then Mom and Leslie and I stayed up and talking for a few hours before I headed home about 11:30 since Ja would be getting home from his football game.
Saturday morning I woke up about 8:45 and fed the dogs and ate a little breakfast. It wasn't long before I was knocked out on the couch. Thursday night I stayed with Anna so Leslie and Will could go to a very disappointing Carolina game and I didn't get in bed until about 3 after a few hours of napping on the couch with Miller. I definitely needed to catch up. With the dogs curled up around me I didn't open my my eyes until noon. When I woke up I realized I smelled some good smells and I went looking for Ja. Wouldn't you know that that sweet man had cleaned both of our bathrooms, made the bed (with pillows and everything), and was getting ready to dust and vaccuum. What a great man I chose to spend the rest of my life with!! There is definitely something to be said for choreplay!
The rest of our Saturday was spent at a Fall Festival at City Beverage with our good friends, John and Jamie. They had beer tastings, free brats (bratwursts, not little annoying children), huge pumpkins, and a great consignment shop across the street. We also ran into John and Jamie's friends, Rob and Kelly, and we all headed over to Fourth Street Filling Station for some wine and appertizers.
After a few glasses, Ja and I headed to Leslie and Will's to hang out with Anna and Oren some more and so that the boys could have their 'Man's Night Out'. Since Ja had cleaned my bathrooms for me, I was more than willing to take Ja and Will and drop them off and go back and pick them up. I'm telling you...there is no limit to how far cleaning can get you! After dropping them off I headed back to Leslie and Will's to hang out with Leslie and Mom until the boys were finished. I got the call around 11:45 and was on my way. What a funny car ride that was! The boys had definitely enjoyed themselves. I heard all about how they talked about Jesus and religion, and how Leslie is my mom and how I am a mix of Mom, Deddy, Leslie, Jeff, Greg, and SATAN!! I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard.
Sunday morning we had all intentions of making it to Sunday School and church, but no suck luck. I went over to see my Uncle Oie and his wife, Becky, while Ja stayed home and laid grass seed and straw. Not long after I got home I left to meet my friend Sherry for our famous 3 hour dinners. We definitely did not disappoint this past Sunday!
This week is a short week for us with school Monday through Wednesday and then workdays Thursday and Friday. I love workdays! We are thinking about heading up to the Blue Ridge Parkway just for the day to experience these awesome mountains we are so close to. Better do something fun since our time is running out! Then we are in full Greg + Michelle's wedding mode with lots of showers and parties!
Last weekend was great. Mom was up here with Oren so that he and Anna could play and my uncle, Oie, and his wife, Becky, could enjoy a nice relaxing anniversary weekend. Friday my first stop after school was to have a few drinks with some great friends of mine. We all work together at Reagan, and Lord knows after a week of school we are ready for a few Corona Lights to ease our pain! After that I headed to Leslie and Will's to see the two munchkins and Mom. They had a great time in the bathtub and were soon drifting off to sleep in their beds. Then Mom and Leslie and I stayed up and talking for a few hours before I headed home about 11:30 since Ja would be getting home from his football game.
Saturday morning I woke up about 8:45 and fed the dogs and ate a little breakfast. It wasn't long before I was knocked out on the couch. Thursday night I stayed with Anna so Leslie and Will could go to a very disappointing Carolina game and I didn't get in bed until about 3 after a few hours of napping on the couch with Miller. I definitely needed to catch up. With the dogs curled up around me I didn't open my my eyes until noon. When I woke up I realized I smelled some good smells and I went looking for Ja. Wouldn't you know that that sweet man had cleaned both of our bathrooms, made the bed (with pillows and everything), and was getting ready to dust and vaccuum. What a great man I chose to spend the rest of my life with!! There is definitely something to be said for choreplay!
The rest of our Saturday was spent at a Fall Festival at City Beverage with our good friends, John and Jamie. They had beer tastings, free brats (bratwursts, not little annoying children), huge pumpkins, and a great consignment shop across the street. We also ran into John and Jamie's friends, Rob and Kelly, and we all headed over to Fourth Street Filling Station for some wine and appertizers.
After a few glasses, Ja and I headed to Leslie and Will's to hang out with Anna and Oren some more and so that the boys could have their 'Man's Night Out'. Since Ja had cleaned my bathrooms for me, I was more than willing to take Ja and Will and drop them off and go back and pick them up. I'm telling you...there is no limit to how far cleaning can get you! After dropping them off I headed back to Leslie and Will's to hang out with Leslie and Mom until the boys were finished. I got the call around 11:45 and was on my way. What a funny car ride that was! The boys had definitely enjoyed themselves. I heard all about how they talked about Jesus and religion, and how Leslie is my mom and how I am a mix of Mom, Deddy, Leslie, Jeff, Greg, and SATAN!! I almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard.
Sunday morning we had all intentions of making it to Sunday School and church, but no suck luck. I went over to see my Uncle Oie and his wife, Becky, while Ja stayed home and laid grass seed and straw. Not long after I got home I left to meet my friend Sherry for our famous 3 hour dinners. We definitely did not disappoint this past Sunday!
This week is a short week for us with school Monday through Wednesday and then workdays Thursday and Friday. I love workdays! We are thinking about heading up to the Blue Ridge Parkway just for the day to experience these awesome mountains we are so close to. Better do something fun since our time is running out! Then we are in full Greg + Michelle's wedding mode with lots of showers and parties!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
All is well with the world!
I'm going to use the saying - 'No news is good news!'
It has been a crazy few months since moving into our wonderful new house!! School has started for Jason and me and football started in June, so we are both incredibly busy and try to spend the little bit of free time we have together. Usually dinner is starting about 8 and we are in bed around 10, so we don't get too much time together, so I don't want to be blogging during that time!!! Plus nothing really crazy has happened.
Our life is really good. We have a great marriage and we couldn't be any happier. We own a great house in a great location in Winston. We have two four-legged children who are finally finding a place to relax and call their own (instead of leaving us presents in the living room!). We have a fenced in backyard that has changed our lives. We can now let them out in the morning and spend time getting ready and then let those suckers back in and everyone is happy. We live 20 minutes away from Leslie, Will, + Banana Pants and get to see them fairly often. I am back at Reagan and love every minute. I am glad to be back with all of my teacher friends here and back to a supportive staff and administration. Jason is still trying to get settled in and is trying to find his place at his new high school. We are 20 minutes from one of Jason's best friends from college, John, we are 40 minutes from two of my best friends from college, Brian + Michelle, and we are an hour from another best friend from college, Katie.
We have had a game night that was a blast, Anna's birthday weekend with the whole family together (which VERY rarely happens), and all sorts of fun stuff. Next weekend Leslie, Anna, and I have a surprise birthday party to go to. The next weekend I'm heading to Charlotte with my friend Michelle to see college friends for our college roommate, Kelly's, birthday. The next weekend Ja and I are heading east to see both of our familie since Jason has a weekend off of football.
So to sum up our lives right now. Life. Is. Good.
It has been a crazy few months since moving into our wonderful new house!! School has started for Jason and me and football started in June, so we are both incredibly busy and try to spend the little bit of free time we have together. Usually dinner is starting about 8 and we are in bed around 10, so we don't get too much time together, so I don't want to be blogging during that time!!! Plus nothing really crazy has happened.
Our life is really good. We have a great marriage and we couldn't be any happier. We own a great house in a great location in Winston. We have two four-legged children who are finally finding a place to relax and call their own (instead of leaving us presents in the living room!). We have a fenced in backyard that has changed our lives. We can now let them out in the morning and spend time getting ready and then let those suckers back in and everyone is happy. We live 20 minutes away from Leslie, Will, + Banana Pants and get to see them fairly often. I am back at Reagan and love every minute. I am glad to be back with all of my teacher friends here and back to a supportive staff and administration. Jason is still trying to get settled in and is trying to find his place at his new high school. We are 20 minutes from one of Jason's best friends from college, John, we are 40 minutes from two of my best friends from college, Brian + Michelle, and we are an hour from another best friend from college, Katie.
We have had a game night that was a blast, Anna's birthday weekend with the whole family together (which VERY rarely happens), and all sorts of fun stuff. Next weekend Leslie, Anna, and I have a surprise birthday party to go to. The next weekend I'm heading to Charlotte with my friend Michelle to see college friends for our college roommate, Kelly's, birthday. The next weekend Ja and I are heading east to see both of our familie since Jason has a weekend off of football.
So to sum up our lives right now. Life. Is. Good.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wow
So I totally had not realized that it had been an entire month since I posted anything. I'm not even sure that people read this and I think everyone who reads this is actually a family member that knows it all anyway. So I'll do it for 'saving memories' sake. One day I'll be glad I did this.
Well, we are officially three weeks from the first work day (AKA the end of summer!). A lot of goodness has happened in the past month.
We are officially residents of Winston Salem! There was a lot of stress (LOT OF STRESS) surrounding the closing and the couple of days prior to it, but it was all taken care of and we are officially home owners. Erin, Will's sister, was our real estate agent and man is she good at her job. If anyone reading this is not family and wants to look at places in Winston, let me know and I'll give you her name. She is great at what she does.
We closed on our house on July 9th and began the move in process that night. Jason's parents came up to help us and so did my dad. Deddy even left Grands' Camp with Mom and Banana Pants to come and help us. Man if that isn't love, I don't know what is! Somehow the rest of the family managed to be busy or working or something and got out of this one. Since this was my 13th move, I'm pretty sure everyone earned their days off! We unloaded the truck with Jacksonville stuff on Thursday night and made beds and set up the shower so that everyone could have somewhere to sleep and bathe, two pretty important essentials. The next day while I was in class (for Integrated Math training for next year) everyone went and unloaded my storage unit that I've had for the past year and a half. All of that stuff made it into the garage with the rest of our stuff. After Deddy knew everything was in the house, he hopped in the car and heading back to Wilmington for the remainder of Grands' Camp. Jason's parents stayed until Sunday to help us unpack and get settled. They went to the NC Zoo on Saturday to give us room to get stuff where we wanted it.
The next week consisted of me having class from 8-3 and then coming home and unpacking. Every dish was washed and situated. Every fork and spoon was washed and situated. Every piece of clothing was hung up and arranged and situated. Our bedroom suite was a big issue that week. We had had our eye on a suite at Sam's. I know, Sam's for nice furniture? Well, they have it. They now carry Broyhill and all types of name brands. This was nice, nice furniture for not too much. Well we watched it and soon it fell $200 from the original price. We decided we were going to go ahead and get it and what do you know - someone had driven a forklift through the entire boxed suite and tried to hide it. So, the only one left was the display model. Sure it had some minor bumps and bruises, but we were promised we could have it at 10-20% off. We were totally ok with that. When Ja went it to pick it up on Monday, they told him that was no longer possible. Well after he got off the phone with the district manager, we had the suite at the full 20% off. I love that man. The manager of the store never once stopped and talked to Jason. He was in a 'meeting' all day and by meeting he means walking around the store and trying not to look obvious. What a puss. So we got our furniture home and we had a matress ordered and it was delivered Thursday afternoon. Finally, we were able to set up our bed and feel like we were home since we had been sleeping in the guest beds all week. That night two of my best friends and college roommates, Katie and Kelly, and Kelly's boo Drew came into town for Michelle and Brian's wedding!! We knew we wanted the house to be completely situated by then. Call me crazy, but we (by we I mean mostly I and an amazing husband that just went along with it!) were both anal retentive and OCD enough that we were able to get it done! An entire house settled and situated and arranged and cleaned in one week. I have an amazing husband who knew how neurotic I was about it and he did everything in his power to make that happen! Success!
We had a great night of drinking some beer and writing the poem that we read as a toast at their wedding. We spend most of the time reminiscing and laughing, but at 3am, the poem was finished and rehearsed!
The wedding weekend was absolutely amazing. We had an awesome rehearsal dinner Friday night at The Proximity in Greensboro. The food was amazing, the toasts were awesome, and the dancing was out of control. Anytime you have a clog-off between Kelly Nassis and a 60 year old man through both Cotton-Eyed Joe and Rocky Top, you've thrown a successful party! We rocked out until we got kicked out that night at midnight and Kelly and Drew and Jason and I headed back to Michelle and Brian's house with Michelle, her sister, Ashley, and a couple of the other bridesmaids to stay for the night. That morning we got up and the boys headed back to our house in Winston and Kelly and I headed to the church with the rest of the bridesmaids to get our hair did. We had pictures taken around 3 and then it was time to hang out. Right before the ceremony we were back in the choir room belting Lisa Loeb and I'm pretty sure a) we sounded really good and b) everyone could hear us in the sanctuary. Then it was wedding time.
The ceremony was beautiful. For two people that have been meant for each other for as long of a time as they have, it was so awesome that it was finally their turn. The flowers were beautiful, the love was flowing. Then it was reception time. Let's just say a great buffet, an open bar, a band that could play any and everything you ever dreamed of, lots of dancing, and the best cupcakes you have ever had all mixed together to create one freaking fantastic night. It was great just to be able to spend time with everyone. Jason and I had a great time dancing the night away. Ech was there and was unusually talkative and hilarious. Patrick was there, which is always a good time and we all relish the time we get to spend with him since we don't get to see him too much! Lyndsay was there, which was really fun and hilarious. Glad she made it back to the hotel safely! Eventually they had to kick us out of there and then we all headed to the bar at the hotel. 'Ain't no party like a Marriot party, cause a Marriot party don't stop!' Sunday morning we all got up and went to a brunch provided by Brian's family which was a great way to recap the night and say our goodbyes. Then it was back to Winston so I could pack up and head to Wilmington.
Well, we are officially three weeks from the first work day (AKA the end of summer!). A lot of goodness has happened in the past month.
We are officially residents of Winston Salem! There was a lot of stress (LOT OF STRESS) surrounding the closing and the couple of days prior to it, but it was all taken care of and we are officially home owners. Erin, Will's sister, was our real estate agent and man is she good at her job. If anyone reading this is not family and wants to look at places in Winston, let me know and I'll give you her name. She is great at what she does.
We closed on our house on July 9th and began the move in process that night. Jason's parents came up to help us and so did my dad. Deddy even left Grands' Camp with Mom and Banana Pants to come and help us. Man if that isn't love, I don't know what is! Somehow the rest of the family managed to be busy or working or something and got out of this one. Since this was my 13th move, I'm pretty sure everyone earned their days off! We unloaded the truck with Jacksonville stuff on Thursday night and made beds and set up the shower so that everyone could have somewhere to sleep and bathe, two pretty important essentials. The next day while I was in class (for Integrated Math training for next year) everyone went and unloaded my storage unit that I've had for the past year and a half. All of that stuff made it into the garage with the rest of our stuff. After Deddy knew everything was in the house, he hopped in the car and heading back to Wilmington for the remainder of Grands' Camp. Jason's parents stayed until Sunday to help us unpack and get settled. They went to the NC Zoo on Saturday to give us room to get stuff where we wanted it.
The next week consisted of me having class from 8-3 and then coming home and unpacking. Every dish was washed and situated. Every fork and spoon was washed and situated. Every piece of clothing was hung up and arranged and situated. Our bedroom suite was a big issue that week. We had had our eye on a suite at Sam's. I know, Sam's for nice furniture? Well, they have it. They now carry Broyhill and all types of name brands. This was nice, nice furniture for not too much. Well we watched it and soon it fell $200 from the original price. We decided we were going to go ahead and get it and what do you know - someone had driven a forklift through the entire boxed suite and tried to hide it. So, the only one left was the display model. Sure it had some minor bumps and bruises, but we were promised we could have it at 10-20% off. We were totally ok with that. When Ja went it to pick it up on Monday, they told him that was no longer possible. Well after he got off the phone with the district manager, we had the suite at the full 20% off. I love that man. The manager of the store never once stopped and talked to Jason. He was in a 'meeting' all day and by meeting he means walking around the store and trying not to look obvious. What a puss. So we got our furniture home and we had a matress ordered and it was delivered Thursday afternoon. Finally, we were able to set up our bed and feel like we were home since we had been sleeping in the guest beds all week. That night two of my best friends and college roommates, Katie and Kelly, and Kelly's boo Drew came into town for Michelle and Brian's wedding!! We knew we wanted the house to be completely situated by then. Call me crazy, but we (by we I mean mostly I and an amazing husband that just went along with it!) were both anal retentive and OCD enough that we were able to get it done! An entire house settled and situated and arranged and cleaned in one week. I have an amazing husband who knew how neurotic I was about it and he did everything in his power to make that happen! Success!
We had a great night of drinking some beer and writing the poem that we read as a toast at their wedding. We spend most of the time reminiscing and laughing, but at 3am, the poem was finished and rehearsed!
The wedding weekend was absolutely amazing. We had an awesome rehearsal dinner Friday night at The Proximity in Greensboro. The food was amazing, the toasts were awesome, and the dancing was out of control. Anytime you have a clog-off between Kelly Nassis and a 60 year old man through both Cotton-Eyed Joe and Rocky Top, you've thrown a successful party! We rocked out until we got kicked out that night at midnight and Kelly and Drew and Jason and I headed back to Michelle and Brian's house with Michelle, her sister, Ashley, and a couple of the other bridesmaids to stay for the night. That morning we got up and the boys headed back to our house in Winston and Kelly and I headed to the church with the rest of the bridesmaids to get our hair did. We had pictures taken around 3 and then it was time to hang out. Right before the ceremony we were back in the choir room belting Lisa Loeb and I'm pretty sure a) we sounded really good and b) everyone could hear us in the sanctuary. Then it was wedding time.
The ceremony was beautiful. For two people that have been meant for each other for as long of a time as they have, it was so awesome that it was finally their turn. The flowers were beautiful, the love was flowing. Then it was reception time. Let's just say a great buffet, an open bar, a band that could play any and everything you ever dreamed of, lots of dancing, and the best cupcakes you have ever had all mixed together to create one freaking fantastic night. It was great just to be able to spend time with everyone. Jason and I had a great time dancing the night away. Ech was there and was unusually talkative and hilarious. Patrick was there, which is always a good time and we all relish the time we get to spend with him since we don't get to see him too much! Lyndsay was there, which was really fun and hilarious. Glad she made it back to the hotel safely! Eventually they had to kick us out of there and then we all headed to the bar at the hotel. 'Ain't no party like a Marriot party, cause a Marriot party don't stop!' Sunday morning we all got up and went to a brunch provided by Brian's family which was a great way to recap the night and say our goodbyes. Then it was back to Winston so I could pack up and head to Wilmington.
Congratulations Brian + Michelle!
Last week I was in Wilmington Monday through Thursday keeping Kamryn. We went to the pool and bopped around Wilmington and hung out with Riley and Harley. She is getting so big and she is so smart. This will be the last summer with her since we are now in Winston, but I'm enjoying it while I can!
Thursday night I loaded up our boys and heading to Winston. When I got there I pulled into the garage and open the doors and let the boys run wild. They ran to ever single inch of that new house and sniffed and sniffed. You could tell the recognized some of it and smelled all over that!
That night was awesome because it was the first night that my whole little family was together in our new home. Everything was clean and settled and unpacked and our boys were home. It was a great, great feeling.
Friday morning Ja had a football meeting and a meeting with his new principal, so I got up and ran a few errands and then headed over to Leslie's to hang out with her and Banana Pants. With this new little one kicking her ass with the nausea, thought I'd go hang out and entertain Anna for a while. If she is not the most ridiculous little thing. I am more amazed every day by what she can do. Then I went back to the house and cleaned my car and then I made dinner and Ja and I enjoyed a night at home with our boys. A few cocktails to drink and a little Wii competition. What a great night.
Saturday we got up and did some yard work and cleaned the house. We were getting ready for our first official cookout. Mom and Deddy were in the mountains and they drove down to see the new place since they had only seen it empty. Leslie and Will brought Anna over and the whole family had dinner at our place. Ja did a great job with the bugers and dogs. We had all the trimmings and then some great Collins' women desserts! A little peach cobbler and strawberry cake. It was delicious. They hung out for a while and then it was time for Anna to go to bed and Mom and Deddy to head back up the mountain. Sunday Ja and I explored our new town together and then went and saw The Ugly Truth for a matinee. It was a GREAT movie and I highly recommend it! Freaking hilarious and oh so true. We laughed out loud a lot but most of it was recognition because what they were talking about we are guilty of. Men and women and their differences will always be funny. Then it was time to get back and pack up and for me to head to Wilmington again.
I've got a couple more days with Kamryn this week and then it's back to Winston. Then Greg and Michelle are coming up and Saturday we are heading to Charlotte to see a Rascal Flatts concert!! I can't wait. Then I'll have an entire week in Winston with Ja because the Queens are going to the mountains for a family vacation. Then one more week of nannying and then it's work days galore. Man, this summer has flown.
All in all it's been a great summer, so far. We bought a house, we got settled, we enjoyed a great wedding with great friends, and now we get to relax until school comes around again. I've got to admit, for the first time in a while I'm excited about school starting back. Being back at Reagan gives me a lot to look forward to and I am hoping and praying that Ja finds happiness and his place at North! I'll keep you posted!!
Thursday night I loaded up our boys and heading to Winston. When I got there I pulled into the garage and open the doors and let the boys run wild. They ran to ever single inch of that new house and sniffed and sniffed. You could tell the recognized some of it and smelled all over that!
That night was awesome because it was the first night that my whole little family was together in our new home. Everything was clean and settled and unpacked and our boys were home. It was a great, great feeling.
Friday morning Ja had a football meeting and a meeting with his new principal, so I got up and ran a few errands and then headed over to Leslie's to hang out with her and Banana Pants. With this new little one kicking her ass with the nausea, thought I'd go hang out and entertain Anna for a while. If she is not the most ridiculous little thing. I am more amazed every day by what she can do. Then I went back to the house and cleaned my car and then I made dinner and Ja and I enjoyed a night at home with our boys. A few cocktails to drink and a little Wii competition. What a great night.
Saturday we got up and did some yard work and cleaned the house. We were getting ready for our first official cookout. Mom and Deddy were in the mountains and they drove down to see the new place since they had only seen it empty. Leslie and Will brought Anna over and the whole family had dinner at our place. Ja did a great job with the bugers and dogs. We had all the trimmings and then some great Collins' women desserts! A little peach cobbler and strawberry cake. It was delicious. They hung out for a while and then it was time for Anna to go to bed and Mom and Deddy to head back up the mountain. Sunday Ja and I explored our new town together and then went and saw The Ugly Truth for a matinee. It was a GREAT movie and I highly recommend it! Freaking hilarious and oh so true. We laughed out loud a lot but most of it was recognition because what they were talking about we are guilty of. Men and women and their differences will always be funny. Then it was time to get back and pack up and for me to head to Wilmington again.
I've got a couple more days with Kamryn this week and then it's back to Winston. Then Greg and Michelle are coming up and Saturday we are heading to Charlotte to see a Rascal Flatts concert!! I can't wait. Then I'll have an entire week in Winston with Ja because the Queens are going to the mountains for a family vacation. Then one more week of nannying and then it's work days galore. Man, this summer has flown.
All in all it's been a great summer, so far. We bought a house, we got settled, we enjoyed a great wedding with great friends, and now we get to relax until school comes around again. I've got to admit, for the first time in a while I'm excited about school starting back. Being back at Reagan gives me a lot to look forward to and I am hoping and praying that Ja finds happiness and his place at North! I'll keep you posted!!
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Father's Day
Jeffro came through again with an awesome card for Deddy on Father's Day.
On the front of the card, made from construction paper, Jeffro drew, in crayon, a stick figure standing at a grill (which Deddy got himself with money that all of us kids pitched in for) holding a beer.
On the inside the poem read (or something close to it because I can't remember exactly):
ROSES ARE RED
YOU'RE AN AWESOME DADDY-O
THIS IS YOU WITH A BEER
GRILLING ON THE PATIO
Jeffro is seriously one of the funniest people I've ever met. If that's not funny to you, I've got 6 words for you - guess you had to be there.
Moving on up...
Whew...I am exhausted. These last few days have been jam packed.
When I got hired last week at Reagan they told me I would need to get my bus driver's license since I will be the Varsity assistant and our head coach isn't allowed to drive (due to some health issues, not his driving). So we loaded up Sunday night (after a couple of GREAT days at the beach with Ja and his Wave Action Pro - Hard Slick!) and headed to Winston.
Monday morning Ja had football workouts from 8-12 and I had this bus driving class from 8-4, conveniently both at North Forsyth, where Ja will be next year. So Monday and Tuesday we got up early and headed to North and I took my class while he coached his tail off in the 90 degree heat. After we both got finished we would spend time exploring our new part of town!
We found a brand new Wal-mart, Sam's, Staples, and a ton of other stuff that has been built in the past couple of years. It was like finding a whole new city. We are going to be in a GREAT location and I can't wait to officially be up here!
Tuesday night was spent studying for my 4 written tests that I had to pass to even get my permit to be able to practice driving. So this morning we got up and headed to North. I took my tests and passed all of them! Now I can get my permit and legally practice driving them big suckers around. Hey, if I can drive a 26' Uhaul through downtown Winston Salem without passing a test, I think I can handle this mamby-jamby.
After Ja got finished with football and I had passed my tests, we grabbed some lunch and went to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Now I grew up around Transformers since I had two brothers and I played with the action figures, but I never knew names or stories. Jason, on the other hand, LOVED Transformers and watched every cartoon and knows all of the names and stories and sides. He REALLY grew up immersed in Transformers so this was a big day for him. We saw the first one together (one of the 3 times he saw it in theaters) and this one definitely lived up to the hype. Plus, Ja had Megan Fox to look at, and I had Josh Duha
mel. Not sure who that is? Take a gander at this goodness:
And...you're welcome.
And for you men-folk out there, or you lady-folk that are awesome and very good to your men, this is a shot at what Megan looks like in the opening of the movie:
That may not beat the 'purple dress' I've heard about that Megan wore to a premier, but I'm pretty sure no one will complain about that. I will admit - she is hot.
So needless to say, a good time was had by all!
Getting back to our house, if y'all can make it past all of the hotness up there! We got an email today that said we just needed to lock in our interest rate (that has gone up 0.5% in the past month...dammit) and set our closing date! We are going to be closing July 9th! We cannot wait to get in that house and make it ours. We've got a lot of years to look forward to in that house. We're going to have kids in that house (not any time soon, so hush), enjoy friends and family, have great parties, and just do a lot of living with that place to go home to! I also can't wait to be up in Winston again. I just love this town. I can't wait to be with all of my friends up here and be able to enjoy all of the things this town has to offer. I love the vibe I get when I'm here. Wilmington will always be home home, but Winston will be home to Ja and I soon.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
J-O-Bs!
Well I've got some good news! Since my last update Ja and I both managed to get jobs!
I am going to be back at Reagan High School (where I was before the move to Jville) and I couldn't be more excited! I will be teaching Alg 1, AFM (Advanced Functions and Modeling), and Integrated Math 2. To those of you not in the education world those names may not mean a lot, but to me that sounds like a pretty good schedule! I will also be coaching Varsity softball as an assistant to the one and only Ray Chandler! Good times.
Jason will be at North Forsyth High School doing EC Inclusion and coaching football. It is going to be a huge adjustment for him and I am very lucky he loves me enough to make this move for/with me!
Now the last piece of the puzzle is being processed. Everything has been submitted and we're waiting for the final approval of our home loan so we can set our closing date and make the move! I am so ready to just be up there and start getting settled in our new home!
There is a lot of goodness to come!
I am going to be back at Reagan High School (where I was before the move to Jville) and I couldn't be more excited! I will be teaching Alg 1, AFM (Advanced Functions and Modeling), and Integrated Math 2. To those of you not in the education world those names may not mean a lot, but to me that sounds like a pretty good schedule! I will also be coaching Varsity softball as an assistant to the one and only Ray Chandler! Good times.
Jason will be at North Forsyth High School doing EC Inclusion and coaching football. It is going to be a huge adjustment for him and I am very lucky he loves me enough to make this move for/with me!
Now the last piece of the puzzle is being processed. Everything has been submitted and we're waiting for the final approval of our home loan so we can set our closing date and make the move! I am so ready to just be up there and start getting settled in our new home!
There is a lot of goodness to come!
Friday, June 12, 2009
It's Been So Long...
Ok, so I know it's been about twenty-eleven days since I wrote a blog. A LOT of shit has been going on in this day and time and I have been hesitant to talk about it because it has been changing on a DAILY basis! This is going to be long, but there is a lot to get out. There...there's your warning!
First of all, school is out! Today is the very last work day and we are waiting for just a couple of things to come in from Central Office so we can finish up our work and head on! I am so incredibly glad this year is over. I've heard the third year is the hardest, but didn't believe it. I believe it now. There were several things that went into this year being really tough, but IT IS OVER! I've made it! I've also completed the third year of my four years of payback for my North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship. One more year and I've got college paid off! Not a bad deal, huh!
I plan on teaching for the next few years, but I honestly don't think I'm going to be a lifer. There is a lot more in this world than school and since I just finished my 20th year of school as either a student or a teacher, I'm thinking I won't be satisfied until I see what else is out there. I have no idea what I might venture into, but I'll keep you posted! : )
Aside from school being extremely stressful and eating up most of our time, WE ARE MOVING TO WINSTON SALEM!! Most of you already know this, but it just feels good to say it again! So, now onto the drama of that sitch-ee-ation.
Before the wedding, Jason and I spoke about the prospect of moving, but due to it's tense nature we decided to table that discussion until after the wedding was over. No need to ruin our last few weeks of engagement! So I'm pretty sure it was Sunday night at dinner (as in the Sunday after we got married on Saturday...impatient much?!) I casually brought up the discussion. It wasn't long before we had decided it would be best for us if we moved. So we called Jason's realtor that he bought the townhouse from. We started showing the house right before we left for Vegas. 3 weeks and SOLD! In this economy we were kind of worried about the place selling, but Jacksonville is apparently immune from a lot of the economic woes on the real estate side and the place got snatched up. So, we set the closing date for the last work day of school. That way we could move out of that place and into a new place (oh, if life were only so easy!). Other than the appraisal being $3,000 under what we sold the house for (meaning we lost $3,000 womp womp) everything with that has been pretty smooth. We have been packing for lord knows how long and my nerves are about shot. For someone that has slight to severe OCD (depending on the day), living in a sea of boxes = STRESSFUL. There were some bumps and clashes along the way (Read: Two really hard headed people who think they both know the right and perfect was to pack trying to pack together made for some very interesting nights and road trips and leave the other to their own devices!), but we've made it through and we're strong for it. We sign the papers today and move out tomorrow! The new people will sign and move in on Monday. Their only stipulation was that we had to get the carpets cleaned. I was shocked. Who doesn't love the smell of stank wet dog slapping you in the face when you come home from a long day!!
Ok, now onto the new house and its drama. So once we got back from Vegas we decided to start looking hard core for a new place. Erin, my brother-in-laws younger sister, is our realtor and she has been beyond amazing. She hooked us up with an MLS website that let us look at every single house for sale in all of the Triad Area. I'm not sure how Jason or I got any work done because we would both come home and talk about the houses we had found during our planning periods! We looked at houses that were WAY out of price range just for fun and we got down to some serious business at finding areas we could afford and the type of house we were both looking for. We determined there were a few main areas that fit us and so we started looking in Southern Forsyth County, close to Leslie and Will. There are a lot of houses down there and new ones are being developed every day. We even got pretty serious about building a house, but some things didn't work out with that and we ended up finding our dream home after that obsession was over. Erin called us one day and said she had found an incredible house. She went by there and looked at it and talked to the guy and took pictures and she just couldn't believe how much house there was for the price tag on it. Jason came home and had actually found the same house on the MLS site. I know things were falling in place. About a week or so later I got on the site and saw that the price of the house had gone up $43,000. I immediately called Erin and she said she had seen it and that she was working on it. She called the neighborhood representative (who is a friend of hers) and pretty much said that if we like the house we are going to offer the original price because that is ridiculous. The builder was just trying to make up for lost profit...but he's not going to do that here! So as soon as we could Ja and I hopped in the car and headed to Winston. Will, Greg, Michelle, Jason, Anna and I all went to the house and walked around. At one point Jason and I were walking at each other from opposite directions and we both mouthed, 'This is it!' It was absolutely beautiful. Hardwood floors in the kitchen, two car garage, stainless appliances (all of them!), finished bonus room upstairs, garden tub, separate shower, huge closest, and the list goes on and on. So we put an offer on the house. The guy that Erin was working with said that there were three offers on other houses that he was sending to the builder and maybe he could slip ours in for the original price. THEY TOOK IT! So we are stealing that house for everything we're getting. It is also in the perfect location. It is in the northern part of town where I used to live and it is down the street from Gold's, a BB&T, and under 10 minutes from both of our (prospective) jobs. We went through all of the loan applications and processes and we got approved and locked in and the only thing we needed...job contracts.
Well shit. We don't have jobs in Winston yet. We were busy finishing out the year here and with hiring freezes and job shortages, they weren't even able to talk to us.
We are now at the juncture of moving out of our place here and being homeless. Another storage shed has been rented (for a freaking dollar the second month!) and our things will have to sit and wait for all of our i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed. I am going to live with Mom and Dad since I'm going to keep Kamryn for another (and probably my last) summer. Ja will bounce around. We both have interviews coming up - mine is on Monday at 2 at Reagan and his is on Tuesday at 9 at North Forsyth. I can't tell you how amazingly wonderful it would be if we could both lock these jobs down. Then we could close on the house (which they have been nice enough to hold until we can get everything together - bless you!) and begin to get settled in to our first home together! I cannot wait and I wish I had a fast forward button so I could see how it all plays out. We are moving out blindly and just hoping and praying that it all works out. We will see!!
Ok, well that pretty much covers the last however long since I posted. If you stuck with that all the way to the end, congrats. You must have a lot of time on your hands! I'll do my best to do better with these things, but no promises. Once we get in and get settled I'll be sure to post pictures of what our new humble abode looks like! YAY!!
First of all, school is out! Today is the very last work day and we are waiting for just a couple of things to come in from Central Office so we can finish up our work and head on! I am so incredibly glad this year is over. I've heard the third year is the hardest, but didn't believe it. I believe it now. There were several things that went into this year being really tough, but IT IS OVER! I've made it! I've also completed the third year of my four years of payback for my North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholarship. One more year and I've got college paid off! Not a bad deal, huh!
I plan on teaching for the next few years, but I honestly don't think I'm going to be a lifer. There is a lot more in this world than school and since I just finished my 20th year of school as either a student or a teacher, I'm thinking I won't be satisfied until I see what else is out there. I have no idea what I might venture into, but I'll keep you posted! : )
Aside from school being extremely stressful and eating up most of our time, WE ARE MOVING TO WINSTON SALEM!! Most of you already know this, but it just feels good to say it again! So, now onto the drama of that sitch-ee-ation.
Before the wedding, Jason and I spoke about the prospect of moving, but due to it's tense nature we decided to table that discussion until after the wedding was over. No need to ruin our last few weeks of engagement! So I'm pretty sure it was Sunday night at dinner (as in the Sunday after we got married on Saturday...impatient much?!) I casually brought up the discussion. It wasn't long before we had decided it would be best for us if we moved. So we called Jason's realtor that he bought the townhouse from. We started showing the house right before we left for Vegas. 3 weeks and SOLD! In this economy we were kind of worried about the place selling, but Jacksonville is apparently immune from a lot of the economic woes on the real estate side and the place got snatched up. So, we set the closing date for the last work day of school. That way we could move out of that place and into a new place (oh, if life were only so easy!). Other than the appraisal being $3,000 under what we sold the house for (meaning we lost $3,000 womp womp) everything with that has been pretty smooth. We have been packing for lord knows how long and my nerves are about shot. For someone that has slight to severe OCD (depending on the day), living in a sea of boxes = STRESSFUL. There were some bumps and clashes along the way (Read: Two really hard headed people who think they both know the right and perfect was to pack trying to pack together made for some very interesting nights and road trips and leave the other to their own devices!), but we've made it through and we're strong for it. We sign the papers today and move out tomorrow! The new people will sign and move in on Monday. Their only stipulation was that we had to get the carpets cleaned. I was shocked. Who doesn't love the smell of stank wet dog slapping you in the face when you come home from a long day!!
Ok, now onto the new house and its drama. So once we got back from Vegas we decided to start looking hard core for a new place. Erin, my brother-in-laws younger sister, is our realtor and she has been beyond amazing. She hooked us up with an MLS website that let us look at every single house for sale in all of the Triad Area. I'm not sure how Jason or I got any work done because we would both come home and talk about the houses we had found during our planning periods! We looked at houses that were WAY out of price range just for fun and we got down to some serious business at finding areas we could afford and the type of house we were both looking for. We determined there were a few main areas that fit us and so we started looking in Southern Forsyth County, close to Leslie and Will. There are a lot of houses down there and new ones are being developed every day. We even got pretty serious about building a house, but some things didn't work out with that and we ended up finding our dream home after that obsession was over. Erin called us one day and said she had found an incredible house. She went by there and looked at it and talked to the guy and took pictures and she just couldn't believe how much house there was for the price tag on it. Jason came home and had actually found the same house on the MLS site. I know things were falling in place. About a week or so later I got on the site and saw that the price of the house had gone up $43,000. I immediately called Erin and she said she had seen it and that she was working on it. She called the neighborhood representative (who is a friend of hers) and pretty much said that if we like the house we are going to offer the original price because that is ridiculous. The builder was just trying to make up for lost profit...but he's not going to do that here! So as soon as we could Ja and I hopped in the car and headed to Winston. Will, Greg, Michelle, Jason, Anna and I all went to the house and walked around. At one point Jason and I were walking at each other from opposite directions and we both mouthed, 'This is it!' It was absolutely beautiful. Hardwood floors in the kitchen, two car garage, stainless appliances (all of them!), finished bonus room upstairs, garden tub, separate shower, huge closest, and the list goes on and on. So we put an offer on the house. The guy that Erin was working with said that there were three offers on other houses that he was sending to the builder and maybe he could slip ours in for the original price. THEY TOOK IT! So we are stealing that house for everything we're getting. It is also in the perfect location. It is in the northern part of town where I used to live and it is down the street from Gold's, a BB&T, and under 10 minutes from both of our (prospective) jobs. We went through all of the loan applications and processes and we got approved and locked in and the only thing we needed...job contracts.
Well shit. We don't have jobs in Winston yet. We were busy finishing out the year here and with hiring freezes and job shortages, they weren't even able to talk to us.
We are now at the juncture of moving out of our place here and being homeless. Another storage shed has been rented (for a freaking dollar the second month!) and our things will have to sit and wait for all of our i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed. I am going to live with Mom and Dad since I'm going to keep Kamryn for another (and probably my last) summer. Ja will bounce around. We both have interviews coming up - mine is on Monday at 2 at Reagan and his is on Tuesday at 9 at North Forsyth. I can't tell you how amazingly wonderful it would be if we could both lock these jobs down. Then we could close on the house (which they have been nice enough to hold until we can get everything together - bless you!) and begin to get settled in to our first home together! I cannot wait and I wish I had a fast forward button so I could see how it all plays out. We are moving out blindly and just hoping and praying that it all works out. We will see!!
Ok, well that pretty much covers the last however long since I posted. If you stuck with that all the way to the end, congrats. You must have a lot of time on your hands! I'll do my best to do better with these things, but no promises. Once we get in and get settled I'll be sure to post pictures of what our new humble abode looks like! YAY!!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mother's Day
The following is the message on the inside of the card that Jeffro made my mom out of green construction paper and crayons...and he's 28 years old...
ROSES ARE RED
YOUR SON WORKS HARD
I'M BROKE AS SHIT
SO I MADE YOU THIS CARD
My face hurts from laughing so much...
ROSES ARE RED
YOUR SON WORKS HARD
I'M BROKE AS SHIT
SO I MADE YOU THIS CARD
My face hurts from laughing so much...
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Longer blog later...
I'll really sit down and catch everyone up later, but for right now I need to write a post for my dear, sweet husband. He checked out my blog earlier this morning and asked me to post something to let everyone know that I am no longer alone and that he actually did come home last Sunday. We have had a great week together with a lot of stuff going on, so stay tuned!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
All Alone...
So for the first time in my married life and in a really long time for that matter, I will spending the next few nights completely by myself. I have always had my family around, Jason, or even Riley Dunkin. Riley has slept with me almost every night for the past 5 years and for the last 2 years I've had Harley around, also. The dogs are currently at their respective grandparents and when Ja leaves tonight to ride a charter bus for 12 hours to go to Disney World with the high school seniors (sorry ass), I will be completely by myself. On one hand, I'm excited about it. It's not often, especially being a teacher, that I am completely by myself. Alone with my thoughts, my silence, and the ability to do whatever I want to do. On the other hand, it does make me a little sad. I'll miss my boys, all three of them. We'll see how it goes! I'm sure I'll be glad when they all get home soon.
I do have some plans for the weekend. One of my very best friends, Michelle Clark, is having a wedding shower in Tobaccoville, NC. So Friday night, after going to Relay For Life for a while, I'll jump in the car and head to Greensboro to spend some time with Michelle and Brian. Hopefully some of our other college friends will be able to come, also. After the shower I'm planning on hanging out in Greensboro for Saturday night and then heading back Sunday morning so I can see my husband after he gets back!
I do have some plans for the weekend. One of my very best friends, Michelle Clark, is having a wedding shower in Tobaccoville, NC. So Friday night, after going to Relay For Life for a while, I'll jump in the car and head to Greensboro to spend some time with Michelle and Brian. Hopefully some of our other college friends will be able to come, also. After the shower I'm planning on hanging out in Greensboro for Saturday night and then heading back Sunday morning so I can see my husband after he gets back!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Tuesday
I am absolutely exhausted. I've started this whole 'get up in the middle of the night and not be able to fall right back asleep' thing. I've got three words for you: Not. A. Fan.
Can I have another Spring Break? Oh, and can it not only be Tuesday.
Thanks!
Can I have another Spring Break? Oh, and can it not only be Tuesday.
Thanks!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
VEGAS BABY!!!
We successfully made it Vegas on Saturday and proceeded to have an AMAZING time!! We have gambled, drank, slept, walked, and traveled all over the city as well as to the Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon and to LA. We have had an awesome time, so I'll have MUCH to share later!! Not spending too much time on here, just wanted to be connected for a minute.
Now, we're off to rest up for tonight: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL!!!
Now, we're off to rest up for tonight: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL!!!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
It's Almost Here!
We did a lot of smart things when we were planning our wedding and every single one has panned out with great rewards. At the top of the 'Smart Planning' that we did is the fact that we planned our honeymoon to be 6 weeks after the wedding. (On a side note: I can't FREAKING believe that we have already been married 6 weeks. It will be 6 weeks this Saturday and that can't be right. It feels like it was just yesterday.) Tomorrow at 2:15 we get out of school and we enter the great, great world of SPRING BREAK!!! I cannot tell you how much I need a break. I need a break from school and just a break from the every day. I can't wait to get away with Ja and be able to just enjoy each other.
Speaking of the wedding, a few things have happened that have allowed us to keep it going! It's kind of like spreading a birthday out over a couple of weeks with different dinners and get togethers. We have managed to continue to spread this out over six weeks!!
#1: My amazing talented and appreciated bro-in-law, Mr. Will Hege himself, spent a LOT LOT LOT of hours putting together a slideshow for Ja and me. He took all of the video that was taken over the weekend and any and all pictures he could steal from facebook and put it to the music we put on the CDs we made for our hotel baskets. It is ABSOLUTELY incredible. There is video of every thing that happened that weekend, including a lot of stuff that I didn't see because I was busy doing other stuff. I need to send a special thank you to all of the camera people for the weekend. I think that included Will, Leslie, Mom, and my cousin David and his wife, Claire. If I left anyone out, I am SO SORRY!!! We are going to be able to go back and watch that every anniversary and pull it out to show our kids one day. Thanks again, Will!! GREAT GREAT job!!
#2: Earlier this week we got a very special package in the mail. Our photographer, Sally Gupton, sent us our pictures and a slideshow. (I know I have mentioned her a few times in this blog, but she is that amazing. I feel like everyone deserves a chance to hear about her because if you want something to be well documented in your life, she would DEFINITELY be the person to call.) With all of those pictures, it's like we get to experience the whole thing over again. There are great pictures of the guests, great pictures of Ja and me, and awesome, awesome candids that just capture the feeling of the entire weekend. Once I get a free second I'll post some of those pictures on here and on facebook for everyone to see. We need to get some ordered to decorate the house!! Hopefully we'll be able to contain ourselves and not go overboard. There are just so many great pictures to choose from!!
#3: WE GET TO GO TO VEGAS, BABY!!! Neither of us have been and we have a lot of goodness planned. We are going to head to the Grand Canyon so Ja can experience that for the first time and we've got tickets to 'O' by Cirque de Soleil. I have ALWAYS dreamed of seeing a CdS show and I CANNOT wait for that. The entire thing is done over a massive pool and we went ahead and got the BEST seats since it is our one big thing. We are going to be sitting in the 'Wet Seats'. Yeah, we're that close.
I hope everyone has a great week...I know we sure will. Not only are we going to take Vegas by storm (I don't know if they're ready for us)...we are going to be on our honeymoon...BROWN CHICKEN BROWN COW!!!
Speaking of the wedding, a few things have happened that have allowed us to keep it going! It's kind of like spreading a birthday out over a couple of weeks with different dinners and get togethers. We have managed to continue to spread this out over six weeks!!
#1: My amazing talented and appreciated bro-in-law, Mr. Will Hege himself, spent a LOT LOT LOT of hours putting together a slideshow for Ja and me. He took all of the video that was taken over the weekend and any and all pictures he could steal from facebook and put it to the music we put on the CDs we made for our hotel baskets. It is ABSOLUTELY incredible. There is video of every thing that happened that weekend, including a lot of stuff that I didn't see because I was busy doing other stuff. I need to send a special thank you to all of the camera people for the weekend. I think that included Will, Leslie, Mom, and my cousin David and his wife, Claire. If I left anyone out, I am SO SORRY!!! We are going to be able to go back and watch that every anniversary and pull it out to show our kids one day. Thanks again, Will!! GREAT GREAT job!!
#2: Earlier this week we got a very special package in the mail. Our photographer, Sally Gupton, sent us our pictures and a slideshow. (I know I have mentioned her a few times in this blog, but she is that amazing. I feel like everyone deserves a chance to hear about her because if you want something to be well documented in your life, she would DEFINITELY be the person to call.) With all of those pictures, it's like we get to experience the whole thing over again. There are great pictures of the guests, great pictures of Ja and me, and awesome, awesome candids that just capture the feeling of the entire weekend. Once I get a free second I'll post some of those pictures on here and on facebook for everyone to see. We need to get some ordered to decorate the house!! Hopefully we'll be able to contain ourselves and not go overboard. There are just so many great pictures to choose from!!
#3: WE GET TO GO TO VEGAS, BABY!!! Neither of us have been and we have a lot of goodness planned. We are going to head to the Grand Canyon so Ja can experience that for the first time and we've got tickets to 'O' by Cirque de Soleil. I have ALWAYS dreamed of seeing a CdS show and I CANNOT wait for that. The entire thing is done over a massive pool and we went ahead and got the BEST seats since it is our one big thing. We are going to be sitting in the 'Wet Seats'. Yeah, we're that close.
I hope everyone has a great week...I know we sure will. Not only are we going to take Vegas by storm (I don't know if they're ready for us)...we are going to be on our honeymoon...BROWN CHICKEN BROWN COW!!!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Quick Update
I haven't blogged in a while, but believe me, it's not because there is a lack of anything to blog about. It has to do with the fact that I pass out every single time that I stop moving (which can put a dent in blogging) and that my life has gotten crazier and crazier since I got married.
For the marriage update: I absolutely adore and love my husband and I have never been happier. Marrying Jason was by far that best thing I've ever done and I am very excited about the goodness we have together in our future. I honestly feel like I have married my best friend and that sometimes (aside from the whole laundry, dishes, job, dog duty stuff) that we are back in college. We send texts to each other when we are in the same room, we talk to each other over Gchat during the day, we have dance parties, we sing loudly and horribly and we like to have a beer (or 3) every once in a while with dinner. Speaking of dinner, Ja has definitely become the cook of the family and oh how spoiled I am. The other night we had hot dogs, but it wasn't your 'run of the meal' (pun intended) stick a dog in the microwave and squirt some ketchup beside it. It was hot dogs in the bun with hand-shredded cheddar cheese, hand chopped onions, chili, and then some ketchup was also added to the mix for those of us that aren't weird and like it (unlike my adorable husband). It was gourmet hotdogs, which I'm not really sure I knew they existed. He is amazingly talented and I really hope he gets to realize his dream some day of owning something somewhere where he gets to cook.
Other than marriage, there have been a lot of happenings, but since they are ever-changing I don't want to let people know until we have definite answers. Once we get some things settled I'll be sure to let you know about them! P.S. I am not pregnant. I know everyone assumes that once you get married the next logical thing is a baby, but I promise with my hand on the Bible that I am not pregnant and will not be in the near future, so don't even think it.
I know the substance of this blog is about nada, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing really, really well and that life is good...just crazy!
For the marriage update: I absolutely adore and love my husband and I have never been happier. Marrying Jason was by far that best thing I've ever done and I am very excited about the goodness we have together in our future. I honestly feel like I have married my best friend and that sometimes (aside from the whole laundry, dishes, job, dog duty stuff) that we are back in college. We send texts to each other when we are in the same room, we talk to each other over Gchat during the day, we have dance parties, we sing loudly and horribly and we like to have a beer (or 3) every once in a while with dinner. Speaking of dinner, Ja has definitely become the cook of the family and oh how spoiled I am. The other night we had hot dogs, but it wasn't your 'run of the meal' (pun intended) stick a dog in the microwave and squirt some ketchup beside it. It was hot dogs in the bun with hand-shredded cheddar cheese, hand chopped onions, chili, and then some ketchup was also added to the mix for those of us that aren't weird and like it (unlike my adorable husband). It was gourmet hotdogs, which I'm not really sure I knew they existed. He is amazingly talented and I really hope he gets to realize his dream some day of owning something somewhere where he gets to cook.
Other than marriage, there have been a lot of happenings, but since they are ever-changing I don't want to let people know until we have definite answers. Once we get some things settled I'll be sure to let you know about them! P.S. I am not pregnant. I know everyone assumes that once you get married the next logical thing is a baby, but I promise with my hand on the Bible that I am not pregnant and will not be in the near future, so don't even think it.
I know the substance of this blog is about nada, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we are doing really, really well and that life is good...just crazy!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Pictures!
Our photographer, Sally Gupton, put some wedding pictures up on her blog and they are incredible!! We are so blessed that we had such incredible talent behind the lense. Sally, Chezley, and Ivan all did an amazing job and they were so easy to work with. Before the wedding Sally, Jason, Chezley, and I all sat down to talk about the layout of the weekend. Sally's excitement about shooting in Wilmington was palpable and made me that much more excited. Her excitement carried through the weekend and she was absolutely incredible. She went above and beyond what she was asked to do and some of the most amazing photos came from those times.
If you have any event coming up - engagement, baby, wedding, high school senior, etc. - please look Sally up. She is amazing and easy to work with and you WILL NOT be disappointed in the outcome. She is extremely talented and artistic. I love, love, love her!!
If you have any event coming up - engagement, baby, wedding, high school senior, etc. - please look Sally up. She is amazing and easy to work with and you WILL NOT be disappointed in the outcome. She is extremely talented and artistic. I love, love, love her!!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Cute Story
The weekend before the wedding, Ja and I made the treck to Winston so that I could go see Alex to get my hair did. We did a lot of visiting and a lot of relaxing that weekend, but I had a really cool encounter while I was foiled up!
I got to Alex's for my appointment and we sat down and talked about exactly what I envisioned my hair looking like. Once he played with my hair for a while because it was so long, he began to foil my head. Every piece of hair on my head was put into a foil. I looked ridiculous. So this really pretty older woman came in and sat in the chair beside me. She kept looking over at me and saying hello to everyone around (so she obviously was a regular there). She was obvious intrigued by the massive amount of foil in my hair because she was only getting her roots done. I sat for my 30 minutes to let everything saturate my hair, then it was time for wash #1. Oh, heaven on earth! Once I got my head in the sink she stood over me and said, 'Do you mind if I stare at you?' I awkwardly told her I didn't mind and she told me that she was just completely fascinated by what the end result is going to be. So while I was getting hosed out, we made small talk. We talked about the amazingness of getting your hair washed by Alex and the gossip of the people around the salon. She then asked me what I was there for and I told her that I was getting married in a week. She said, 'Well my daughter is dating the biggest douchebag I've ever met and we've had a lot of conversations lately about what makes a relationship work.' I almost peed myself as this 50 year old woman used the word douchebag. You could tell though that she wasn't your normal, conservative woman. We then talked about relationships and how I knew that I was supposed to marry this man. She then told me the secret to her marriage was that they put each other first. For instance, her husband had hurt has back really badly and she had hurt her arm terribly and one night he got out of the bed in excruciating pain, just to get her some tylenol so that she wouldn't hurt anymore. I thought that was just a really great story and so we continued to talk about love and marriage. By then Alex had washed my hair 3 times with some great smelling stuff and then it was time for the blow dry and style. She sat right there and watched everything he did while we continued to talk. After she got her color rinsed out and she got styled, she said her goodbyes and left. Alex kept going on and on about how sweet people in the south are and how beautiful it all is (if you don't know Alex, he is a very gay, very Argentinian man who is amazing at his job, and is HILARIOUS to have a conversation with). Just about then she popped back around the corner with a piece of paper and a pencil in her hand. She asked me what my name was and I told her and then she asked the name of the 'lucky man that snagged you up'. I gave her Ja's name and was kind of wondering where this was going. She then asked the date of our wedding and when I told her she simply said, 'Well I'll be sure to pray for you on that day.' And I'm completely sure that she did.
Even though we had known each other for minutes, she still took the time to find that information about me just so she could pray for me. I thought Alex was going to cry. It truly was a beautiful moment to match my beautiful hair when I left that place!!
I got to Alex's for my appointment and we sat down and talked about exactly what I envisioned my hair looking like. Once he played with my hair for a while because it was so long, he began to foil my head. Every piece of hair on my head was put into a foil. I looked ridiculous. So this really pretty older woman came in and sat in the chair beside me. She kept looking over at me and saying hello to everyone around (so she obviously was a regular there). She was obvious intrigued by the massive amount of foil in my hair because she was only getting her roots done. I sat for my 30 minutes to let everything saturate my hair, then it was time for wash #1. Oh, heaven on earth! Once I got my head in the sink she stood over me and said, 'Do you mind if I stare at you?' I awkwardly told her I didn't mind and she told me that she was just completely fascinated by what the end result is going to be. So while I was getting hosed out, we made small talk. We talked about the amazingness of getting your hair washed by Alex and the gossip of the people around the salon. She then asked me what I was there for and I told her that I was getting married in a week. She said, 'Well my daughter is dating the biggest douchebag I've ever met and we've had a lot of conversations lately about what makes a relationship work.' I almost peed myself as this 50 year old woman used the word douchebag. You could tell though that she wasn't your normal, conservative woman. We then talked about relationships and how I knew that I was supposed to marry this man. She then told me the secret to her marriage was that they put each other first. For instance, her husband had hurt has back really badly and she had hurt her arm terribly and one night he got out of the bed in excruciating pain, just to get her some tylenol so that she wouldn't hurt anymore. I thought that was just a really great story and so we continued to talk about love and marriage. By then Alex had washed my hair 3 times with some great smelling stuff and then it was time for the blow dry and style. She sat right there and watched everything he did while we continued to talk. After she got her color rinsed out and she got styled, she said her goodbyes and left. Alex kept going on and on about how sweet people in the south are and how beautiful it all is (if you don't know Alex, he is a very gay, very Argentinian man who is amazing at his job, and is HILARIOUS to have a conversation with). Just about then she popped back around the corner with a piece of paper and a pencil in her hand. She asked me what my name was and I told her and then she asked the name of the 'lucky man that snagged you up'. I gave her Ja's name and was kind of wondering where this was going. She then asked the date of our wedding and when I told her she simply said, 'Well I'll be sure to pray for you on that day.' And I'm completely sure that she did.
Even though we had known each other for minutes, she still took the time to find that information about me just so she could pray for me. I thought Alex was going to cry. It truly was a beautiful moment to match my beautiful hair when I left that place!!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
We're Back!
Sorry to overload everyone's dashboard with all of those old posts, but with the help of Hannah and Google Reader, I now have all of my posts back!! I can't tell you how good that feels!!!
Post Party Depression
Original Post: March 10, 2009
So I have heard the terrible and sad stories about women that have Post Partum Depression after they have their baby. It sounds really, really awful and I hope no one I love and are close to have to deal with such a thing.
Not that this is anywhere close to that, but I'm pretty sure I have Post-Party Depression. Maybe not even depression, but Post-Party Sadness. Friday night it kind of hit me like a train that we had thrown this kick-ass party and had everyone we love in the same room and then we had an awesome couple of days to kick back and relax in Wilmington and then we got to get lots of really cool presents and stuff for the house and then it was 'Back to Life, Back to Reality'!! Yup, go ahead and sing that delicious En Vogue melody out loud! Tuesday we were blessed with a 3 hour delay, but Ja and I both talked about how long that day felt. Especially since we are both coaching right now and don't get to have as much time together as we did. Last work week crept by even though we were lucky enough to have a teacher workday on Friday. That day was last weeks saving grace!! This past weekend we were able to travel to Greenville and see some friends, but most of the weekend we worked and worked and worked. We had a house to organize, dogs to wash, thank you notes to write (and yes I want it to be known that Ja did most of them - I do have an incredible husband!), laundry to do, dishes to wash, and a trillion other things that overloaded a list for one day. Ja and I got on each others nerves and we got a serious dose of reality. We came down from our wedding high and had to deal with life, whether it gets in our way or not. I would love nothing better than to be able to just enjoy a few days of doing whatever I want to...but our time is coming. We have t-minus 32 days until we are on a plane to Vegas and we get to do just that for a week. We get to go where we want, when we want, and do whatever the hell we please!! Slot machines...check. Cirque de Soliel...check. Drankin'...check. Laying by the pool...check. Sight seeing...check. Getting tatted...sure, why not! We are going to be free as birds and I CANNOT WAIT!!!
Until then, I guess I'll just deal with life the best I can. It will be easier now that I have my amazing husband by my side!!
So I have heard the terrible and sad stories about women that have Post Partum Depression after they have their baby. It sounds really, really awful and I hope no one I love and are close to have to deal with such a thing.
Not that this is anywhere close to that, but I'm pretty sure I have Post-Party Depression. Maybe not even depression, but Post-Party Sadness. Friday night it kind of hit me like a train that we had thrown this kick-ass party and had everyone we love in the same room and then we had an awesome couple of days to kick back and relax in Wilmington and then we got to get lots of really cool presents and stuff for the house and then it was 'Back to Life, Back to Reality'!! Yup, go ahead and sing that delicious En Vogue melody out loud! Tuesday we were blessed with a 3 hour delay, but Ja and I both talked about how long that day felt. Especially since we are both coaching right now and don't get to have as much time together as we did. Last work week crept by even though we were lucky enough to have a teacher workday on Friday. That day was last weeks saving grace!! This past weekend we were able to travel to Greenville and see some friends, but most of the weekend we worked and worked and worked. We had a house to organize, dogs to wash, thank you notes to write (and yes I want it to be known that Ja did most of them - I do have an incredible husband!), laundry to do, dishes to wash, and a trillion other things that overloaded a list for one day. Ja and I got on each others nerves and we got a serious dose of reality. We came down from our wedding high and had to deal with life, whether it gets in our way or not. I would love nothing better than to be able to just enjoy a few days of doing whatever I want to...but our time is coming. We have t-minus 32 days until we are on a plane to Vegas and we get to do just that for a week. We get to go where we want, when we want, and do whatever the hell we please!! Slot machines...check. Cirque de Soliel...check. Drankin'...check. Laying by the pool...check. Sight seeing...check. Getting tatted...sure, why not! We are going to be free as birds and I CANNOT WAIT!!!
Until then, I guess I'll just deal with life the best I can. It will be easier now that I have my amazing husband by my side!!
Perfection
Original Post: March 5, 2009
Jason and I are back to life, back to reality. Before the details begin to blur together I want to document as much of the weekend as I can. I have had people ask me how it was and perfect is the only word I can think of. People that weren't there aren't going to understand the level of perfection, but they'll get a good idea!! This is going to be a long one...
Wednesday - Ja and I both worked on Wednesday, but then were able to get home and clean the house and get competely packed up. I needed to leave a clean house so we could come back and not have to worry about anything. I knew, though, that once we got to Wilmington we'd be able to relax because most of the little stuff was done.
Our poor boys were getting so excited because they thought we were going to take a family trip, but womp womp, we were leaving them. Their Uncle Matt came and stayed with them Wednesday and Thursday night and then they were taken to 'camp' (aka the boarder) for Friday through Monday. Even though I missed them, they were in good hands!
We stopped by his parents on the way out of town and visited and then hit the road. We got down to Wilmington and unloaded everything and spent some time with Mom and Dad and Leslie and Will.
Thursday - Thursday involved some finagling because we had lots of people heading in different directions, but we needed someone to be at the house while Anna took her nap and the flowers were going to be delivered and needed someone to sign for them. Ja got up really early and went to the gym. He came back and we headed downtown. Leslie suited up and headed to The Loop to get her run in (she is training for the Cooper River Bridge 10k in Charleston!). Ja and I went to the Register of Deeds to get our marriage license (small minor detail for the weekend!!). Everything went well there and the weekend had a legal purpose!! We then took my engagement ring to Perry's Emporium to get it cleaned and re-dipped in Rhodium. Good thing the price of everything has gone up so it was ridiculously expensive!! Yay!! Ja's suit pants were the next order of business because we had left them to be hemmed. Once they were hemmed correctly the second time we were off to Flaming Amy's to have lunch with his mom and exchange the hotel baskets so they could be dropped off. We then went back to Mom and Dad's to divide and conquer. I jumped in the car with Mom and Leslie to head to the church and Ja and Deddy took the beer and wine to Angie to be iced down while Will stayed with a sleeping Banana Pants. At the church we hung and steamed my dress and Leslie's dress and worked on the candles that were put on the baptistry. Then we headed to Port City Java to drink a coveted Mocha Shake while we looked at ridiculously precious and way over-priced kids clothes. We headed back to the house in time for Leslie and Will to take Banana Pants to see some of Leslie's college friends that have kids. Deddy then broke out his new grill and Mom, Deddy, Greg, Ja, and I enjoyed steak and sweet potatoes. We also heard about Greg's wonderful day and him getting rowdy about how people suck at life. It was a riot. Then (per Leslie's advice) I decided to give my mom and dad their gifts (instead of leaving them on their pillows so I didn't have to deal with too many emotions) and everyone cried and laughed as Leslie, Will, and BP walked back in. We stayed up talking for a bit, then we all crashed hard - exhausted already.
Friday - Friday morning I woke up to Mom working on the bouquets. She single-handedly created all of the bouquets, boutonniere, and 'mussy-tussies'. I jumped in the shower and headed to the airport to pick up Mags and all of her skinny goodness!! We then called Patrick and were able to head to Mayfaire to spend some time with Patrick and his mom. That was a really great hour of just being able to sit and talk and sit still for a bit. Mags and I headed back to the house to grab some lunch and then we jumped in the car with Les to head to the nail place. Michelle met us for her first mani-pedi ever. We had just watched this the night before and it made it that much more hilarious. Michelle was determined that her guy 'HATED HER' because he wouldn't talk back to her. It was a hysterical hour and a half. After heading back to the house we all had an hour to get ready for the rehearsal. We all met at the church at 4:30 and were able to say hey and get our girly screams on and then we got to work. Jason's grandpa, Ed, had had a mild heart attack early Friday morning and so his family was crazily trying to be there for him and be at the wedding stuff. Everyone made it and we were able to have a great rehearsal. Then it was time to head to Hieronymus for an amazing rehearsal dinner. The food was great, the alcohol was thirst-quenching and the toasts were unbelievable. We were able to spend some good time with friends and sit around and enjoy each other, then it was time to get to the slideshow and toasts. My sweet, sweet husband worked for a lot of hours getting that thing together and it was amazing. Baby pics of me, baby pics of him, then pics of us together. Absolutely precious. Then the toasts started. Mike called John out and he went first. It was hilarious. He talked about some great memories of Jason (some embarrassing!) and then memories that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. Patrick was next as he recalled our first meeting and how scared he was of me in the beginning! Then my college girls, Kelly, Katie, and Michelle, read a poem that they wrote that was unbelievable. It was perfect and made me cry! Then the dads went and talked about how lucky we are to have such great families and how their excited to have the other family as part of their extended families. Then it was Ja's turn. Talk about not a dry eye in the house. He went through his family and my family and his friends and my friends and talked about what they meant to him and what they meant to me. He then told all of my people that he would take care of me. There is no way I can explain how amazing it was, so I'm not going to try. Hopefully we'll be able to have video of the weekend and you might be lucky enough to get to see it. After dinner we headed to Noni Bacca, which is a winery in Wilmington. I found it this summer as I was babysitting and I think it is so cool that we have an actual winery in the city limits. We were able to go with some aunts and the wedding party and friends. We got to taste some amazing wine and be in a place we can actually hear each other and it was just us. It was a wonderful night. Then it was time to go home and get some sleep.
Saturday - THE BIG DAY!!! I woke up Saturday morning with a huge smile on my face. I was going to get to marry Jason!!! I jumped in the shower and we began getting ready for the Bridal Brunch. Mags had stayed at my parents house with us, so we were all showering and getting ready. The guys were heading to breakfast at Golden Corral and then to UNCW to play basketball. The ladies got dressed and began to load the car with the attendants gifts. I had on my new Ann Taylor dress pants that Ja had gotten me for part of a wedding gift and as I bent down to pick up the box of presents...RRRRIIIIIPPPPP!!! Right up the crack. I had a split second where I thought about getting upset, but instead, I started dying laughing. It was hysterical. To make things better, Greg had taken my luggage to Ja, so I had nothing. Luckily I was able to magically fit into Leslie's pants and the problem was solved. Good story, though. Once I had my clothing situation fixed, we headed to Pam Fallis' house while Michelle drove Leslie's van to the hotel to pick up the girls. There we had some amazing mimosa's, muffins, fruit, and breakfast casseroles. It was such a nice breakfast and a good time to spend with my girls. I then gave them their gifts and mom gave me mine. Another bit of a cry fest. I then balled again as I told the girls what Jason had given me for a wedding gift the night before. We got some good pictures, then it was time to go get ready!! Leslie and I headed to Belk in Mayfaire for my makeup appointment. Sadly enough, they didn't have my appointment written down, but luckily they were able to fit me in. I was a little late for my hair with Johnna, but it all worked out. Johnna did a GREAT job on my hair and Leslie got her hair done and then we headed to the church. There we hung out in the bridal room and got ready. Since it was raining we had to be stashed in a stairway for a while, so once we all got ready and got some great pictures, it was time to head down the balcony. We hung out in the stairway for a while and got pictures and talked and laughed. It wasn't until we were walking down to start the ceremony that I got the least bit nervous. I walked into the foyer of the church and saw Deddy and he walked over and told me I was beautiful and gave me a hug. Then I saw Jeffro in all of his handsomeness and he smiled at me and immediately made me feel better. When it was Jeff Whitehead's time to walk he handed Tanner to my dad who held onto him for dear life until it was time for him to walk. Tanner was kicking and sliding around and was playing, but Deddy had the death grip on him. This gave me something to laugh about so I didn't have time to think about what was about to happen. When the last attendant walked they closed the doors so Deddy and I could get ready. The glass in the door is stained glass except for a few pieces that are clear. I took the few seconds to look through because I knew I needed to see Ja before those doors opened if I didn't want to lose it. I peeked and saw him and just had a calm wash over me. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about because I was going to be walking to him. He always makes things better. So I grabbed Deddy's arms and Greg started playing and it was time to go. P.S. Let me take this moment to brag on my Greg who did such an amazing job playing for that wedding. It made my heart smile to know that every note that was played came from him. It made the ceremony that much more intimate and amazing. So back to the walk. I have heard how quickly it goes and how you should take it all in, so when I was walking I caught Ja's eyes and then I tried to look around the best I could to see who was there supporting us. I was overwhelmed with the number of people I saw. I saw Ja (crying), I saw Mom (crying), I saw Leslie (crying), I saw Mags (crying), I saw Carrie (crying). I knew I had to find someone to look at if I didn't want to lose it, so I found Mike Queen who was just standing there with a smile on his face. We turned the corner and walked to our position. Ja said hey and told me how beautiful I looked. We were asked if we take this man/woman to have and to hold... and we both said, 'I will.' I like the twist on the traditional 'I do'. Then we said a prayer and Mike asked my dad who gives me away. He said, 'Her mother and I do,' then he kissed my cheek and took a seat. Then he asked Ja's dad who gives him and he said, 'His mother and I do.' Then we walked up the steps to the top. At that point the lights up front were brightened and the lights for the crowd were dimmed. The candles that were put in the baptistry became so bright there was an audible, 'Oooo!' We said our vows and we exchanged our rings and then Patrick did a reading that was awesome and during the unity candle we had Amber Vaughn sing 'When You Walked Into My Life'. She did an amazing job and it just added to the wonderfulness of thewhole thing. Then it was time for us to kiss and be announced husband and wife!! What a cool feeling that was!!! We walked back down the aisle arm and arm on our first journey of marriage!! God blessed us and stopped the rain for a little bit so that we could run out of the church with a giant pink umberella to get pictures. We then went to a few spots and took more pictures of just the two of us. Everyone thought we snuck off to do it, but I promise you that didn't happen!! Mike Queen even said something to me about that! I told him not yet...then I said, 'Inappropriate!' So yeah, I had a conversation about sex with my pastor standing in the church! We then headed back into the sanctuary for a few formal pictures. After that it was reception time, so we cleaned everything up at the church and everyone gathered their things, and then John, Ja, and I walked to Thalian. We immediately were taken in the Thalian theater and Sally conducted an AMAZING picture of us and all of our attendants seated in the theater. It is going to be unreal. Then we were introduced into the reception and I was blown away at the number of people!! We came into the Alan Parsons Project - Sirius, which is what the Bulls come into. It was great. We immediately blessed the food and got to eating. Ja and I started the line and the food was GREAT!! Angie did an awesome job! We headed to our table and tried to shove something in between talking to people. We then divided and conquered as we made our way around the room to talk to people. After that it was champagne toast and cake cutting and dances. We had a generations dance and Dinah and John Reece were the longest married couple with 43 years! Then it was time to get rowdy!! I got to spend a little bit of time talking to people and enjoying some beverages, but then it was time to rock out!! We had a dance party for the entire rest of the time! We did take time out to throw the bouquet, directly to Megan Davis!, and the garter, directly to Rick Parlow! We did the Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide, and Cupid Shuffle amongst other bouts of ridiculousness. The night truly was the party we had hoped for. We had our last dance to Don't Stop Believin' by Journey and Friends in Low Places by Garth. Our exit was planned out with sparklers and we ran through the sparklers and it was so pretty. Then Ja realized everyone had about 2 minutes left so we proceeded to 'leave' about 5 times. The highlight of the night, however, happened when I decided it was a good idea to ride piggy back for our final exit. First jump, no luck. So Patrick yelled out, 'Hike that thing up.' I got as much dress as I could and jumped with all I had. In that process I jumped onto Ja's lower back causing him to stand straight up and then my foot swung and kicked his knee out from under him. Yep, we fell on our ass!! Will got a great picture of Ja's legs STRAIGHT up in the air. Mom got a good one of my face because I saw laughing so hard I couldn't breath. Once we got up and brushed ourselves off, we ran through for the final time (I think Jeffro won the sparkler game with the longest lasting sparkler) and I gave my dad a hug and he shook his head and said, 'Only you!'. We got in the car and drove to the Hilton. Everyone else was heading to Level 5 and we didn't want to miss any of that, so we pulled up and jumped out with all of our stuff and headed to the room. Ja had gotten flower petals and laid them all around the room and on the bed. It was absolutely gorgeous. He laid down on the bed for a second and I didn't know whether or not we were going to roll around now or later and so I said, 'So what are we doing?' to which he replied, 'If I take my pants off, we're not leaving.' I told him he better buckle that belt because we're going drankin'!! Rolling around can wait!! So we walked to Level 5 and met with everyone and proceeded to party until about 1:30 am. Everyone was amazing that a) I wore my dress to the bar and b) we were still up and partying at 1am. We were having such a great time and we'd never have everyone in the same place again, so we wanted to take advantage of it. We had a lot of drunken monologues of love that were priceless. We had a lot of dance parties and a lot of drinks! We stayed as long as we could, but we were exhausted and said our goodbyes and made the walk back (only after stopping at I Heart New York Pizza for a couple of slices). We got to the room and immediately took a shower. By the time I had brushed my teeth and gotten ready for bed, I came out and Ja was asleep. I took a picture because it was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. His left hand was above the pillow and his ring was shining while he was passed out from exhaustion.
Sunday and Monday - The rest of the weekend was awesome. We went to Wild Wing Cafe for lunch and Elijah's for dinner on Sunday. We were able to meet up with Greg and Michelle to retrieve Ja's phone and it was fun to rehash the weekend since Ja and I just kept talking and talking about how perfect everything was. We were able to relax and stay in bed and just be. It was an amazing way to recap the perfect weekend. Monday we loaded the car and headed to Mom and Deddy's to get the rest of our stuff. Mom had organized everything so we loaded our pile and took some of the food (including the banging cake we had!). We then stopped by Holly Tree to give Mom a hug and say thank you one more time before we headed out. Once we got home we spent some time with the boys and then tackled the gifts. We had a lot of gift cards and a lot of really great stuff. That night we headed to Target with a few of our returns and gift cards and loaded up on stuff we needed. It was awesome to get all of that stuff and only spend $1.04 out of pocket!! We came home and CRASHED. Didn't even take the time to unpack.
Tuesday - Monday night while we were at Target we came out and there was snow on the car. We looked at each other and said if this weekend is capped off with a delay or cancelled school...this is seriously going to be the most perfect weekend ever. We got a few calls at 5:30 to let us know we had a 3 hour delay. HALLELUJAH!!!! Going back to work was the LAST thing we wanted to do, so it was nice to have a few extra minutes of sleep to soften the blow. Tuesday night when we got home we headed to Bed, Bath, & Beyond for our second trip with returns and gift cards. We spent another good chunk and took it all home. I then decided at 10p it would be a good idea to clean out the old stuff and make room for the new. The kitchen looked like a disaster area. Everything was handwashed, the towels were washed and dried and things were starting to take shape. Still didn't unpack.
Wednesday - The one big thing we didn't have that I desperately needed was a vacuum cleaner. With two big dogs and cheap ass nylon carpet, vacuums fall victim at our house. Our old vacuum had to have a broom handle jammed down it twice for every room to unclog it. Awful. So Ja did some research and yesterday we went to Sam's (with yet another stack of gift cards) and got a DYSON!!!!!!! I am so stoked. I finished washing all of our dishes while Ja put the sucker together. I have never been more attracted to him then when he turned that bitch on and it sucked everthing up! I even used my fingers to see if I could rake up some carpet and dog hair like I normally can and NOTHING CAME UP!! I was so excited!! So now we have a stocked and cleaned out kitchen and a brand new vacuum and we finally unpacked!!
Our wedding weekend was absolutely perfect. We had a blast and are happier than ever. I just want to say another huge thank you to EVERYONE who made that weekend what it was.
Through it all I have learned three things:
1. I am madly and passionately in love with my husband and I have never been happier. I am very proud and honored to know that I get to spend my life beside him.
2. I had no idea how sexy Jason would be to me with that wedding ring on his finger!
3. DYSON'S KICK ASS!!!
Jason and I are back to life, back to reality. Before the details begin to blur together I want to document as much of the weekend as I can. I have had people ask me how it was and perfect is the only word I can think of. People that weren't there aren't going to understand the level of perfection, but they'll get a good idea!! This is going to be a long one...
Wednesday - Ja and I both worked on Wednesday, but then were able to get home and clean the house and get competely packed up. I needed to leave a clean house so we could come back and not have to worry about anything. I knew, though, that once we got to Wilmington we'd be able to relax because most of the little stuff was done.
Our poor boys were getting so excited because they thought we were going to take a family trip, but womp womp, we were leaving them. Their Uncle Matt came and stayed with them Wednesday and Thursday night and then they were taken to 'camp' (aka the boarder) for Friday through Monday. Even though I missed them, they were in good hands!
We stopped by his parents on the way out of town and visited and then hit the road. We got down to Wilmington and unloaded everything and spent some time with Mom and Dad and Leslie and Will.
Thursday - Thursday involved some finagling because we had lots of people heading in different directions, but we needed someone to be at the house while Anna took her nap and the flowers were going to be delivered and needed someone to sign for them. Ja got up really early and went to the gym. He came back and we headed downtown. Leslie suited up and headed to The Loop to get her run in (she is training for the Cooper River Bridge 10k in Charleston!). Ja and I went to the Register of Deeds to get our marriage license (small minor detail for the weekend!!). Everything went well there and the weekend had a legal purpose!! We then took my engagement ring to Perry's Emporium to get it cleaned and re-dipped in Rhodium. Good thing the price of everything has gone up so it was ridiculously expensive!! Yay!! Ja's suit pants were the next order of business because we had left them to be hemmed. Once they were hemmed correctly the second time we were off to Flaming Amy's to have lunch with his mom and exchange the hotel baskets so they could be dropped off. We then went back to Mom and Dad's to divide and conquer. I jumped in the car with Mom and Leslie to head to the church and Ja and Deddy took the beer and wine to Angie to be iced down while Will stayed with a sleeping Banana Pants. At the church we hung and steamed my dress and Leslie's dress and worked on the candles that were put on the baptistry. Then we headed to Port City Java to drink a coveted Mocha Shake while we looked at ridiculously precious and way over-priced kids clothes. We headed back to the house in time for Leslie and Will to take Banana Pants to see some of Leslie's college friends that have kids. Deddy then broke out his new grill and Mom, Deddy, Greg, Ja, and I enjoyed steak and sweet potatoes. We also heard about Greg's wonderful day and him getting rowdy about how people suck at life. It was a riot. Then (per Leslie's advice) I decided to give my mom and dad their gifts (instead of leaving them on their pillows so I didn't have to deal with too many emotions) and everyone cried and laughed as Leslie, Will, and BP walked back in. We stayed up talking for a bit, then we all crashed hard - exhausted already.
Friday - Friday morning I woke up to Mom working on the bouquets. She single-handedly created all of the bouquets, boutonniere, and 'mussy-tussies'. I jumped in the shower and headed to the airport to pick up Mags and all of her skinny goodness!! We then called Patrick and were able to head to Mayfaire to spend some time with Patrick and his mom. That was a really great hour of just being able to sit and talk and sit still for a bit. Mags and I headed back to the house to grab some lunch and then we jumped in the car with Les to head to the nail place. Michelle met us for her first mani-pedi ever. We had just watched this the night before and it made it that much more hilarious. Michelle was determined that her guy 'HATED HER' because he wouldn't talk back to her. It was a hysterical hour and a half. After heading back to the house we all had an hour to get ready for the rehearsal. We all met at the church at 4:30 and were able to say hey and get our girly screams on and then we got to work. Jason's grandpa, Ed, had had a mild heart attack early Friday morning and so his family was crazily trying to be there for him and be at the wedding stuff. Everyone made it and we were able to have a great rehearsal. Then it was time to head to Hieronymus for an amazing rehearsal dinner. The food was great, the alcohol was thirst-quenching and the toasts were unbelievable. We were able to spend some good time with friends and sit around and enjoy each other, then it was time to get to the slideshow and toasts. My sweet, sweet husband worked for a lot of hours getting that thing together and it was amazing. Baby pics of me, baby pics of him, then pics of us together. Absolutely precious. Then the toasts started. Mike called John out and he went first. It was hilarious. He talked about some great memories of Jason (some embarrassing!) and then memories that I have been lucky enough to be a part of. Patrick was next as he recalled our first meeting and how scared he was of me in the beginning! Then my college girls, Kelly, Katie, and Michelle, read a poem that they wrote that was unbelievable. It was perfect and made me cry! Then the dads went and talked about how lucky we are to have such great families and how their excited to have the other family as part of their extended families. Then it was Ja's turn. Talk about not a dry eye in the house. He went through his family and my family and his friends and my friends and talked about what they meant to him and what they meant to me. He then told all of my people that he would take care of me. There is no way I can explain how amazing it was, so I'm not going to try. Hopefully we'll be able to have video of the weekend and you might be lucky enough to get to see it. After dinner we headed to Noni Bacca, which is a winery in Wilmington. I found it this summer as I was babysitting and I think it is so cool that we have an actual winery in the city limits. We were able to go with some aunts and the wedding party and friends. We got to taste some amazing wine and be in a place we can actually hear each other and it was just us. It was a wonderful night. Then it was time to go home and get some sleep.
Saturday - THE BIG DAY!!! I woke up Saturday morning with a huge smile on my face. I was going to get to marry Jason!!! I jumped in the shower and we began getting ready for the Bridal Brunch. Mags had stayed at my parents house with us, so we were all showering and getting ready. The guys were heading to breakfast at Golden Corral and then to UNCW to play basketball. The ladies got dressed and began to load the car with the attendants gifts. I had on my new Ann Taylor dress pants that Ja had gotten me for part of a wedding gift and as I bent down to pick up the box of presents...RRRRIIIIIPPPPP!!! Right up the crack. I had a split second where I thought about getting upset, but instead, I started dying laughing. It was hysterical. To make things better, Greg had taken my luggage to Ja, so I had nothing. Luckily I was able to magically fit into Leslie's pants and the problem was solved. Good story, though. Once I had my clothing situation fixed, we headed to Pam Fallis' house while Michelle drove Leslie's van to the hotel to pick up the girls. There we had some amazing mimosa's, muffins, fruit, and breakfast casseroles. It was such a nice breakfast and a good time to spend with my girls. I then gave them their gifts and mom gave me mine. Another bit of a cry fest. I then balled again as I told the girls what Jason had given me for a wedding gift the night before. We got some good pictures, then it was time to go get ready!! Leslie and I headed to Belk in Mayfaire for my makeup appointment. Sadly enough, they didn't have my appointment written down, but luckily they were able to fit me in. I was a little late for my hair with Johnna, but it all worked out. Johnna did a GREAT job on my hair and Leslie got her hair done and then we headed to the church. There we hung out in the bridal room and got ready. Since it was raining we had to be stashed in a stairway for a while, so once we all got ready and got some great pictures, it was time to head down the balcony. We hung out in the stairway for a while and got pictures and talked and laughed. It wasn't until we were walking down to start the ceremony that I got the least bit nervous. I walked into the foyer of the church and saw Deddy and he walked over and told me I was beautiful and gave me a hug. Then I saw Jeffro in all of his handsomeness and he smiled at me and immediately made me feel better. When it was Jeff Whitehead's time to walk he handed Tanner to my dad who held onto him for dear life until it was time for him to walk. Tanner was kicking and sliding around and was playing, but Deddy had the death grip on him. This gave me something to laugh about so I didn't have time to think about what was about to happen. When the last attendant walked they closed the doors so Deddy and I could get ready. The glass in the door is stained glass except for a few pieces that are clear. I took the few seconds to look through because I knew I needed to see Ja before those doors opened if I didn't want to lose it. I peeked and saw him and just had a calm wash over me. I knew I didn't have anything to worry about because I was going to be walking to him. He always makes things better. So I grabbed Deddy's arms and Greg started playing and it was time to go. P.S. Let me take this moment to brag on my Greg who did such an amazing job playing for that wedding. It made my heart smile to know that every note that was played came from him. It made the ceremony that much more intimate and amazing. So back to the walk. I have heard how quickly it goes and how you should take it all in, so when I was walking I caught Ja's eyes and then I tried to look around the best I could to see who was there supporting us. I was overwhelmed with the number of people I saw. I saw Ja (crying), I saw Mom (crying), I saw Leslie (crying), I saw Mags (crying), I saw Carrie (crying). I knew I had to find someone to look at if I didn't want to lose it, so I found Mike Queen who was just standing there with a smile on his face. We turned the corner and walked to our position. Ja said hey and told me how beautiful I looked. We were asked if we take this man/woman to have and to hold... and we both said, 'I will.' I like the twist on the traditional 'I do'. Then we said a prayer and Mike asked my dad who gives me away. He said, 'Her mother and I do,' then he kissed my cheek and took a seat. Then he asked Ja's dad who gives him and he said, 'His mother and I do.' Then we walked up the steps to the top. At that point the lights up front were brightened and the lights for the crowd were dimmed. The candles that were put in the baptistry became so bright there was an audible, 'Oooo!' We said our vows and we exchanged our rings and then Patrick did a reading that was awesome and during the unity candle we had Amber Vaughn sing 'When You Walked Into My Life'. She did an amazing job and it just added to the wonderfulness of thewhole thing. Then it was time for us to kiss and be announced husband and wife!! What a cool feeling that was!!! We walked back down the aisle arm and arm on our first journey of marriage!! God blessed us and stopped the rain for a little bit so that we could run out of the church with a giant pink umberella to get pictures. We then went to a few spots and took more pictures of just the two of us. Everyone thought we snuck off to do it, but I promise you that didn't happen!! Mike Queen even said something to me about that! I told him not yet...then I said, 'Inappropriate!' So yeah, I had a conversation about sex with my pastor standing in the church! We then headed back into the sanctuary for a few formal pictures. After that it was reception time, so we cleaned everything up at the church and everyone gathered their things, and then John, Ja, and I walked to Thalian. We immediately were taken in the Thalian theater and Sally conducted an AMAZING picture of us and all of our attendants seated in the theater. It is going to be unreal. Then we were introduced into the reception and I was blown away at the number of people!! We came into the Alan Parsons Project - Sirius, which is what the Bulls come into. It was great. We immediately blessed the food and got to eating. Ja and I started the line and the food was GREAT!! Angie did an awesome job! We headed to our table and tried to shove something in between talking to people. We then divided and conquered as we made our way around the room to talk to people. After that it was champagne toast and cake cutting and dances. We had a generations dance and Dinah and John Reece were the longest married couple with 43 years! Then it was time to get rowdy!! I got to spend a little bit of time talking to people and enjoying some beverages, but then it was time to rock out!! We had a dance party for the entire rest of the time! We did take time out to throw the bouquet, directly to Megan Davis!, and the garter, directly to Rick Parlow! We did the Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide, and Cupid Shuffle amongst other bouts of ridiculousness. The night truly was the party we had hoped for. We had our last dance to Don't Stop Believin' by Journey and Friends in Low Places by Garth. Our exit was planned out with sparklers and we ran through the sparklers and it was so pretty. Then Ja realized everyone had about 2 minutes left so we proceeded to 'leave' about 5 times. The highlight of the night, however, happened when I decided it was a good idea to ride piggy back for our final exit. First jump, no luck. So Patrick yelled out, 'Hike that thing up.' I got as much dress as I could and jumped with all I had. In that process I jumped onto Ja's lower back causing him to stand straight up and then my foot swung and kicked his knee out from under him. Yep, we fell on our ass!! Will got a great picture of Ja's legs STRAIGHT up in the air. Mom got a good one of my face because I saw laughing so hard I couldn't breath. Once we got up and brushed ourselves off, we ran through for the final time (I think Jeffro won the sparkler game with the longest lasting sparkler) and I gave my dad a hug and he shook his head and said, 'Only you!'. We got in the car and drove to the Hilton. Everyone else was heading to Level 5 and we didn't want to miss any of that, so we pulled up and jumped out with all of our stuff and headed to the room. Ja had gotten flower petals and laid them all around the room and on the bed. It was absolutely gorgeous. He laid down on the bed for a second and I didn't know whether or not we were going to roll around now or later and so I said, 'So what are we doing?' to which he replied, 'If I take my pants off, we're not leaving.' I told him he better buckle that belt because we're going drankin'!! Rolling around can wait!! So we walked to Level 5 and met with everyone and proceeded to party until about 1:30 am. Everyone was amazing that a) I wore my dress to the bar and b) we were still up and partying at 1am. We were having such a great time and we'd never have everyone in the same place again, so we wanted to take advantage of it. We had a lot of drunken monologues of love that were priceless. We had a lot of dance parties and a lot of drinks! We stayed as long as we could, but we were exhausted and said our goodbyes and made the walk back (only after stopping at I Heart New York Pizza for a couple of slices). We got to the room and immediately took a shower. By the time I had brushed my teeth and gotten ready for bed, I came out and Ja was asleep. I took a picture because it was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen. His left hand was above the pillow and his ring was shining while he was passed out from exhaustion.
Sunday and Monday - The rest of the weekend was awesome. We went to Wild Wing Cafe for lunch and Elijah's for dinner on Sunday. We were able to meet up with Greg and Michelle to retrieve Ja's phone and it was fun to rehash the weekend since Ja and I just kept talking and talking about how perfect everything was. We were able to relax and stay in bed and just be. It was an amazing way to recap the perfect weekend. Monday we loaded the car and headed to Mom and Deddy's to get the rest of our stuff. Mom had organized everything so we loaded our pile and took some of the food (including the banging cake we had!). We then stopped by Holly Tree to give Mom a hug and say thank you one more time before we headed out. Once we got home we spent some time with the boys and then tackled the gifts. We had a lot of gift cards and a lot of really great stuff. That night we headed to Target with a few of our returns and gift cards and loaded up on stuff we needed. It was awesome to get all of that stuff and only spend $1.04 out of pocket!! We came home and CRASHED. Didn't even take the time to unpack.
Tuesday - Monday night while we were at Target we came out and there was snow on the car. We looked at each other and said if this weekend is capped off with a delay or cancelled school...this is seriously going to be the most perfect weekend ever. We got a few calls at 5:30 to let us know we had a 3 hour delay. HALLELUJAH!!!! Going back to work was the LAST thing we wanted to do, so it was nice to have a few extra minutes of sleep to soften the blow. Tuesday night when we got home we headed to Bed, Bath, & Beyond for our second trip with returns and gift cards. We spent another good chunk and took it all home. I then decided at 10p it would be a good idea to clean out the old stuff and make room for the new. The kitchen looked like a disaster area. Everything was handwashed, the towels were washed and dried and things were starting to take shape. Still didn't unpack.
Wednesday - The one big thing we didn't have that I desperately needed was a vacuum cleaner. With two big dogs and cheap ass nylon carpet, vacuums fall victim at our house. Our old vacuum had to have a broom handle jammed down it twice for every room to unclog it. Awful. So Ja did some research and yesterday we went to Sam's (with yet another stack of gift cards) and got a DYSON!!!!!!! I am so stoked. I finished washing all of our dishes while Ja put the sucker together. I have never been more attracted to him then when he turned that bitch on and it sucked everthing up! I even used my fingers to see if I could rake up some carpet and dog hair like I normally can and NOTHING CAME UP!! I was so excited!! So now we have a stocked and cleaned out kitchen and a brand new vacuum and we finally unpacked!!
Our wedding weekend was absolutely perfect. We had a blast and are happier than ever. I just want to say another huge thank you to EVERYONE who made that weekend what it was.
Through it all I have learned three things:
1. I am madly and passionately in love with my husband and I have never been happier. I am very proud and honored to know that I get to spend my life beside him.
2. I had no idea how sexy Jason would be to me with that wedding ring on his finger!
3. DYSON'S KICK ASS!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
