Jefferson Bethke

This guy is awesome and is truly living for the Lord. He is very talented and I believe that he is doing a great job trying to get His message across. Check out some of his Youtube videos if you have never seen any!

Sex, Marriage, and Fairytales...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4OK9DmLpCY

Why I hate religion, but love Jesus....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY&feature=player_embedded

A new week

This week has already felt like it has lasted forever! I have been really busy at work, which is why I didnt get to post my verse for the week. I have been kind of stressed out because I really enjoy my weekends and time off, but starting this past Sunday- I work every day until Feb. 16th. That's a lot of work! Not only that but this Fri, Mon, and Tues- we work until about 9 or 10 each night on top of the regular work day. Why? Well we have RA selection and then next weekend is Sportsfest. So I decided that even though I am going to be super busy (and try not to complain about it all the time) I would make an extra effort to focus on Christ. It's easy in a normal week to not focus on Him, so I figured during a busy week I'll have to make an extra effort. So my verse is:

"For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus or Lord" Romans 8:38-39

I feel like it will be good to remember Christ's love these few weeks while I am swamped and since this verse says NOTHING can get in the way- well I thought it just fit :D

Friday Favorites

YAY for another Friday already! Here are my favorites from the week :D

1) Carter- he can always make my day better! One night this week I was laying in bed and reading Gone with the Wind and he jumped up on the bed and snuggled into my arms- it was adorable :D we ended up falling asleep like that. :D Another favorite with Carter this week is him and the hair dryer. He is scared of it so I have been playing with him with it in the AMs. He jumps around and barks at it- it's seriously hilarious :D

2) Finished Gone With the Wind!!- I am super glad to be done with the book- but sad for two reasons. 1) the ending was awful. 2) I always feel sad when I finish a book because I feel like I am losing a friend. pathetic, i know. but it's true. haha Overall, I LOVED the book! Just mad at the ending. haha. John also surprised me and bought me the movie!!! And the new book is now Hunger Games!!

3) The weekend- John and I had an awesome weekend this past weekend. We went to the beach again on Saturday and tanned some- it was actually really hot and the water felt amazing (a little cold at first, but then you get used to it :D). Then we went to Wet Willies and had a few drinks and got something eat. We ended up hanging out there for awhile and people watching. It was really relaxing and a nice change of pace. It seriously felt like we were on vacation. I guess thats one of the nice things about living in Miami :D Sunday we watched some football and then went on another date (gasp!) and went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the playoffs. We truly had a nice weekend :D I wish every weekend could be that nice! haha.

4) Patio- I got UM to redo our patio this week. I am super excited because it was in dire need of a facelift. They put down a bunch of small rocks to fill in the holes Carter dug (I asked for large ones) and I just know Carter is going to go crazy digging them up now. Ugh. Oh well. We'll see what happens. haha.

5) Pedometer- I picked mine up this week- I am SUPER excited to start the program :D Not really sure why. haha. just am. I started wearing it to see how many steps I normally get in a day. Some days it's only like 5,000 steps and then others is well over 10,000! I'll have to make sure every day has 10,000 :D

6) Not Counting Calories- Its pretty freeing. Still scared I wont lose weight this way, but I can already tell it's helping me be less obsessed with it. I was reading the girls blog again and she did count calories until she reached the weight she wanted, so I may go back to that, but for now I need to continue what I am doing to learn to not be so crazy obsessed :D Also- sometimes I make rash decisions really quick (who me?! haha) and it may not always be the best decision. Not counting calories may have been a rash decision, but I am glad I made it because it's helping me not be crazy :D

7) One Tree Hill- John and I finally started trying to catch up :D While the show has gotten worse and worse over the seasons, I've seen them all and I have to finish out the series! I still love the show- cheesy or not :D

Happy Friday!

Recipes

So over the past 2 months I have been able to try a few different recipes- I found the first recipe off pinterest (of course) but that led me to an awesome sight called Skinnytaste.com. This site has some AMAZING recipes that are low calorie and healthy! Some of the ones I have tried have been really yummy and some of them-meh. Here they are and my opinions of them all :D

1) Baked Onion Rings- These were OK. Nothing beats a real onion ring though. I'm picky because they are one of my favorite foods. They were kind of tasty though. I would consider trying them again.

2) Creamy Mushroom Soup- I thought this was delicious. It is a crock-pot recipe, which are my favorite! However, John thought it was a little bland. I could see what he meant- I think I would add more spices to it and maybe some more veggies? Not sure- but it was yummy to me :D But- Im obsessed with mushrooms. :D

3) Crock Pot Pasta- When the dining hall closed for winter break, I was able to cook a lot more! Which I like- I just cant pass up free food when the dining hall is open. Anyway, that's why you see a lot of Crock Pot recipes because I still had to work :D This one was just okay- I thought it was too salty.

4) Chicken Pot Pie- I actually got this one off the back of a Bisquick box. It was really easy and really yummy. John LOVED it! I found this recipe, which is the same thing :D It's really not that unhealthy either.

5) Chicken Ropa Vieja- this was probably my favorite dish I made. Another crock pot recipe too. Its a traditional Cuban dish when made with beef, but chicken is just as good and healthier. I just made rice for it to go over. Delicious!!!

6) Asian Noodle Pasta- I got this recipe from Krystal:D You basically bowl noodles (I used soy sauce instead of salt or oil to keep the noodles from sticking together) while those are cooking, you cook a bag of stir fry on the stove top and you add an Asian sauce- she actually gave me the sauce, and I dont remember the name, but I am sure you could experiment with something on the Asian food isle. Anyway, then you mix the noodles and veggies together and add more sauce to your tasting. It is super delicious :D

7) Zucchini Chips- I actually made these with squash and I forgot the cheese! shame on me! BUT they were still VERY delicious and super healthy!

That's it for now- I have high hopes to cook some this weekend too :D

Inspiration

So this morning, while I should have been working (I actually did get a lot of work done!) I snuck on pinterest for a moment. HA. A moment on pinterest? yea, right.

Sometimes when I go to the site- I have to log on- duh. Well before you are made to log on, you can see some awesome things that people have pinned. Then I log in and cant find them anymore! It breaks my heart. Well today I clicked on one and opened it in another browser before I signed in. I am a genius!

There is a point to this story. I promise.

The link I happened to open up led to this girls blog: http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/

I started to read her story and WOW- what an amazing story. She's lost 135lbs. You heard me right! 135lbs! Her blog shares how she started, how she got there, recipes, and that loving yourself is more important than any number on a scale or how many miles you run. I cried at parts (are you surprised?) and I laughed, but mostly I learned a lot.

I learned that I need to love myself the way I am now. I need to enjoy my life. I am SO tired of counting every calorie and hating myself when I mess up. Do I want this weightloss journey that has lasted my entire life to be over- yes, but maybe it doesnt all happen in the next 4 months (hah! like that was going to happen anyway). Maybe I dont panic when John and I go on a date and order an appetizer that tosses me over my calorie count for the day. Maybe I dont freak out when I dont go running one day, when really all I want to do is sleep in. Maybe I readjust how I plan to lose weight.

What if I ate healthier, actually ran like I planned on (I do enjoy it now), and didnt eat SO much on the weekends? What if I dont let one mess up be my downfall for the entire weekend? I am GREAT during the week. The weekends are what kills me. Honestly, I think that once I have gone over my calories for the day, I just give up. I get bored, I get lonely, and I really just love food. BUT what if I didnt analyze EVERY calorie that goes in my mouth? What if I stopped talking about losing weight all the time...GASP!...can I actually do it? Maybe I pick the foods I really love and find a way to make them healthier? I know it can be done- this girl did it! and lives it everyday.

I honestly cant imagine my life without talking about losing weight. Without counting each calorie I put into my body. I want to be free from these thoughts. They haunt me day and night. They also haunt John because he has to listen to me :(

So my new plan is to have the strength and courage to NOT talk about losing weight all day and night. To NOT count my calories, but at the same time be mindful of what I am eating and how bad or good it is for me. To try new recipes that will be healthy for me. To run about 5 times a week. To not fall apart when I do eat something that "im not supposed to" and to not let that unravel all my hard work. My new plan is to break free from dieting and never losing weight and changing my lifestyle. I really want to enjoy my life and not freak out all time and not be obsessed with losing weight (yes, I still am aiming to lose weight, but I dont want it to be the focus of my world).

I am TERRIFIED though. I said it before- this has been my life for as long as I can remember. Can I do it? On that note my verse of the week is Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

So with the Lord at my side and inspiration from Andrea, I am going to try to have the strength and courage for this new adventure!

Friday Favorites

I am SO glad it's Friday again! Even if it has been a shorter week- it still felt super long.

1) Bball- Any time NC State wins and UNC loses it's a great day and week!! NC State won their past 2 games and played pretty well! I am excited to go to the NC State game v. Miami this weekend! Let's pray for a win- otherwise I'll never hear the end of it at work.

2) Beach!- I mentioned this already, but it really was a highlight of my week. I LOVE the beach and any time I get to go- it's a highlight :D

3) Blockbuster- the Blockbuster that we use when we rent movies is closing. So their entire store is on sale! They had some really good deals, so let's just say we were able to add a lot to our collection without spending much money :D

4) Ring- we took my ring back to Zales this week to get it resized so it would (and not spin around my finger :D) and it came back in 2 days!!! YAY!

5) 50 calorie orange juice- I LOVE orange juice, but it's really not calorie friendly. But recently they came out with a new one that is only 50 calories for 8 oz. AMAZING! John bought it for me :D and while you can tell it's not exactly the real thing- YUMMY! :D

6) Walking ‘Canes program- So UM is very into health initiatives and supporting a healthy lifestyle for their employees. Well they invited all their employees to participate in a walking program where you track how many steps you take each day, using a pedometer they give you. If you meet their requirement and track it each week (it's a 12 week program) you get points. You also get points if you lose weight. Whoever gets the most points, the top two employees get free airline tickets. YAY! Well I do a lot of this anyway (or at least I am trying) so I thought- why not?! If I win, that's awesome- if not, so what. It's sort of a motivator though and I think it will be neat to see how far I walk each day.

Apparently, the Surgeon General suggests that most individuals can significantly improve their health by performing 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. And despite popular belief that this activity must be “exhausting” and time consuming, research indicates that by walking 10,000 steps a day, most people can achieve this recommendation by the Surgeon General. So yay! Maybe this will really encourage me even more to lose weight :D

On a not so happy note- I stepped in a fire ant bed and got my foot eaten up pretty good. It burned like it was on fire (guessing that's why they are called that). My foot has been swollen for the past 2 days :( Also, our anti-lock break system went out. And to fix it will cost us a pretty penny :( Guess that's life though...

Have a happy weekend!

Verse for the week

My focus this week will be on this verse:

"Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." 1 John 3:18

This week I will really focus on showing my love in all that I do. I think it's important to live by example anyway, so this is a good focus and reminder to have for the week :D

Happy Tuesday!

the long weekend :D

Yay! for 3 day weekends :D You all know I loves these not only because there is an extra day off, but because that means only a 4 day work week! And we are all workin' for the weekend anyway, right?

This past weekend was very relaxful :D Friday night we started our weekend off by relaxing around the apartment, John played xbox and I read my book, and then we went out to Titanic and had a few drinks.

Saturday, we slept in- YAY! went and ate some breakfast and then watched our basketball game. YAY! For a BLOWOUT! :D Afterwards, we took Carter to the dog beach! I love that he loves the water now because we can just throw his ball or Frisbee and he'll go after it- we dont even have to get in. We always come prepared to get in, because sometimes he likes to leave his ball in the water and just because I feel safer that way. lol. We had not taken him to the actual beach since he was real little, so he was excited. We figured he could play with some other dogs and swim. There werent that many dogs out tho :( I guess because people think its cold? I'll admit it is a little chilly, but great weather to hang out on the beach and let the dog play!

Carter enjoying the sand :D

Pretty pic with the sun setting :D

I mentioned there were not that many dogs there, but there were a few. And Carter loves to play! there were two guys at the beach with their dog and they got there the same time we did. Great! our dogs can play together. or so I thought....Who brings their dog to the beach or the dog park and doesnt let or want them to play with other dogs? These guys. I just dont get it. The dogs exhaust each other and get to socialize. I was annoyed. Anyway, we were playing in the same area and they had a Frisbee. Well Carter loves Frisbees and loves other dogs, so he kept trying to go after it and play with the dog. He just didnt understand why he couldnt play :( The guys kept moving further and further down the beach. And Carter wasnt listening very well- he would take off through the water and swim/run all the way down to the other dog. It was frustrating. All of it. Hopefully as it gets warmer, more people will start bringing their dogs out and he can play with some of them. And we can practice training in him to listen better with other dogs around.

Anyway, off my soapbox. The rest of Saturday we hung around the apartment, I went running with Carter, did some laundry, read my book (John played xbox), and then we learned one of the new games we got for Christmas. It's called Carcassonne-its a strategy game sort of like Catan. Very nerdy, but a lot of fun! We also watched NFL playoffs. Not a bad Saturday night if I may say so myself!

Sunday we slept in and were completely lazy again. We also took Carter to the dog park to play. I think my favorite thing about Sunday was not fearing work the next day. LOL. We played games, watched some Modern Family, and of course I continued to read and John played some xbox :D

Monday we slept in a little, but we had plans to go to the beach and didnt want to leave to late. So we ate some bfast and headed out the door. We got down to South Beach around 12. It was a little chilly and I ended up keeping my jeans on- but I got a sun burn on my face and where my bathing suit wasnt covering! Crazy! We ended up staying for about 2 hours and then left because it was really windy and when the sun went behind the clouds, it was a little too chilly. John and I ended up spending the rest of the day relaxing it away. We also got some Chinese for dinner. I was really excited about the Chinese because we hardly ever get it. Then I remembered why. It was disgusting and I still feel gross from it. haha.

All in all though it was a great, relaxing weekend :D Now I just need this one to hurry up! haha

Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey

For my staff development welcome back activity, I took my staff to the circus! I had not been since I was about 8, so I was pretty excited. I piggybacked off of Leslie since she was taking her staff and I was having a hard time finding something that wouldnt cost an arm and a leg. She warned me that Peta was picketing out front of the circus. Do not hate me for saying this, but I think Peta can be crazy, so it didnt really bother me any.

Anyway, off we went to the circus and I luckily did not see the picketers! However, while the show was going on I heard all about them. I decided that I would look it up later, but enjoy the show while I was there.

Honestly, I was a little disappointed in it all. I think that's because I went to Cirque du Soleil not that long ago and they do all the same stuff (way better) just without the animals. I was really excited about the animals too. I mean who wouldnt want to see elephants and tigers?! But the elephants looked SO sad. and the tigers hissed the entire time. The ringleader for the tigers seemed like a really mean man and I almost wanted the tigers to eat him. The show was also REALLY long. It was still pretty neat, just not what I expected. It was nice to spend some time with my staff and that's really the point.

I did manage to take a bunch of pictures!


TIGERS!!!!

Human Canon on fire!

The elephants!


When we left I made the mistake of looking up Peta's website and looking at what they had to say. And honestly, if I had done that first I would have probably gotten back on the bus and not gone to the show. I told you before that I think Peta can be crazy, and I still do, but they had video of what the Ringling Bros do to their animals and it made me sick to my stomach. No wonder the animals were so sad looking. I am so mad I spent so much money on the show. Unless they make some major changes to how they treat their animals, I will not go back. Too sad.

Orange Bowl!!

I mentioned on my Facebook that John and I got FREE tickets the Orange Bowl!!! We didnt know until about 6:30 that night, but we decided to go anyway. WHO WOULDNT WANT TO GO TO A BCS BOWL FOR FREE?!

Our thought was how many times in our life will we 1) go to a BCS bowl? 2) get free tickets to one? 3) live close enough to decide at the last minute to go? Even though we both had to work in the morning we decided it was worth it to be tired!

One of my colleagues, Phill, was the one who called. His pastor had given him extra and he invited us and Nate, another colleague. Phill said he was on his way to get us since kick off was at 8:30. We ran to change and FAIL. I dont own anything orange and I was planning on pulling for the Tigers. Yikes. I need to fix that! I learned that I favor the green of the UM colors. I ended up wearing black and red (always sporting the pack :D). Really I was cheering on the ACC.

We were finally on our way and traffic was horrible! And not because of game day traffic, but because a state trooper rammed into the back of another car. haha. You dont get to see that too often! Luckily, we still made it in time for kick off :D
We didnt end up sitting in our seats because they were SO high up and there were tons of empty seats lower than ours, but we were still pretty high up there. However, I kind of liked it because I could see everything going on very well. The first quarter was great, then West Virgina just dominated.

After the half we decided that if West Virgina scored again and Clemson didnt answer, we would go. The score was ridiculous and it was FREEZING. Yes, in Miami. With the windchill it was in the 30's. Guess what happened? We ended up leaving. haha. Sad day for a blow out of a BCS bowl, but I am still super excited we got to go to one!

Oh, we also got to see Train perform during half time. They were okay, a little disappointed, but glad I got to hear Drops of Jupiter live and there were fireworks!
Train!


We had fun. Sorry, Clemson for the blow out...

Tim Tebow

There is obviously a lot of buzz and controversy going on over this man. A lot of people loving him and a lot of people hating him. And a lot of people jumping on the "Tim Tebow Bandwagon".

I watch A LOT of football and have for the past 8 years. I also worked very closely with a Gator fan in grad school and now I work at the University of Miami. I hear his name a lot. However, I never really paid attention to who he was or what he was doing. I just knew he was a really good football player. I didnt like him or hate him- I just never really thought about him.

After he was drafted I heard his name more and how he couldnt make it in the pros. Since then there has been a TON of media on him and I finally started paying attention. You can say I joined the bandwagon if you want, but I have come to love this man. Not because he is a great football player, but because he honestly lives his life for the Lord and he doesnt care who knows it. There will always be skeptics on his faith and if God is "on his side team" but doesnt the Bible state following and standing up for Him would bring oppostion and challenges? I think Tim Tebow knows this and continues to live his life the way the Lord would have him live it anyway.

John was watching a something on him the other day and it was about how he wore a microphone for an entire game. You can hear him singing praise and worship songs as he is warming up and on the sidelines. That is just amazing to me. Some people may think he is showing off, but I think he just loves the Lord that much. And what does it matter what any of us think anyway? All that matters is he is doing what he is called to do.

I encourage you to read the following articles:
The first is about Christianity and Tim Tebow- A great perspective!
http://randymann.net/2012/a-christian-perspective-on-tim-tebow-316-and-the-gospel/

The second: WOW. Just WOW. What an amazing human being that not only loves the Lord so much, but that truly cares for others. What a great ministry. This made me cry.
http://espn.go.com/espn/story/_/id/7455943/believing-tim-tebow

Anyway, I am totally a Tim Tebow fan now. Not because he has been winning, but because he stands for what he believes in, in front of the entire world. He is spreading the good news and reaching a lot of people by doing so. Thanks Tim Tebow for being a great Christ Follower. You inspire me.

Friday Favorites

It also happens to be my 200th post! I cant even believe that! :D

1) Loans- We have now paid down my student loans so they are in the teens!!! That is a HUGE Thank you Jesus!!

2) Gone With the Wind- I am now 1/3 through it and I LOVE IT! There are some parts that are really slow, but I just cant get enough of it. It makes me also want to be super southern.I also wish I could wear those big hoop dresses they wear! *Sigh* I think I would have fit in well back then! haha

3) NC State Bball- UM plays NC State in Feb and we bought our tickets today! I am SUPER excited because it's the first time basketball or football have come to UM! LETS GO PACK!!

4) Long weekend- John and I both have a long weekend coming up. There are not many words to describe how happy I am that it is Friday AND a 3 day weekend! WOOT!

5)Christmas cards- I got all of ours in the mail today. I just thought that people didnt love us anymore. haha Stupid campus mail!

Happy Friday and Long Weekend Y'all!

2011 Review

So my best friend did a year in review and it was a neat way to read about the major life events her and Josh went through during the year. So I decided to do one too! Thanks Krystal for the idea! :D

January
We started our New Years with friends and then the day at the farm!

I also started my new job as Interim Area Director of Mahoney
February
Jennie Baker gave birth to a sweet baby girl- Jordyn Grace!

Work was insane. RA Selection, Sporstfest, and Conferences took up all of my time.

We also moved. Again. For the 3rd time since we moved to Miami.

March
We adopted the cutest little puppy in the entire world :D Our wolfpack became 3!

We had a lot of visitors: Hutch, The Chases, and Julie!

John also turned 25!!
April
John and I paid off our first car.

I interviewed for the permanent Area Director postion and got it.

Brad and Mitch came to visit!
May
This month was filled with Puppy Kindergarten and P90x

June
John and I celebrated our 3 year anniversary.
I cant believe we have already been married that long!
John and I also celebrated being in Miami for 1 year.
July
We took a long vacation home! A much needed vacation :D
We went camping and saw waterfalls!!
We celebrated my father's life, since it had been 1 year since he passed
Danced to American Aquarium
Introduced Carter and Bailey and they instantly became best friends :D and we toured NC State and took a bunch of pictures with our new families.


Celebrated July 4 with the Fisher family- all 24!
The Brinns came to Miami!
August
Filled with RA Training and Opening- I dont ever have much of a life this month.

John also got a new job!

September

Finished my first 5k run!

FOOTBALL! We both live for this every year! Carters first game!

Celebrated my birthday early with a Brad Paisley/Blake Shelton Concert

October
I turned 26

Visited the Kinlaws in Maryland!

November

Went home to celebrate Thanksgiving with our families, ran my first 4 miles,

AND attended our first home football game in 2 years.
4 Mile run
Tailgating for the game!
December
Celebrated Carter's first Birthday and Christmas!

Looking back, there are so many things we were able to do and so many places we were able to see. John and I are truly blessed and I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us!

Vacation Part 5- Friends

Friday after we left the Martins we headed down town for lunch at Coopers. One of the best southern bbq places ever! We were meeting Brad, Jennie B, and Jordyn there. I always have to see Jennie and the sweet little one when we are home because 1) I love them to death:D and 2) Jordyn gets bigger every time I see her and I need her to remember who I am :D

So we ate lunch and caught up! Jordyn is hilarious. When she picks up a credit card she smiles SO big! and she does it EVERY time. It's like she knows what it is. Scary! haha. Watch:




TOO FUNNY! Anyway, lunch was fun and I hate that it's never long enough!
Love these ladies!
After lunch we went and played some disc golf with Brad! I miss playing disc golf. I was excited about getting to take Carter too. Whenever we were in college we couldnt wait to have a dog to take with us. However, it was waaay too difficult. He's too much of a puppy still. I ended up letting the guys finish playing and I ran with Carter in the baseball field.
After disc golf we went back to Brad's and hung out until dinner time and then got ready and went out. We went out with Brad, Jenny, Steve, Kristen, AJ, Sherry, and some of her friends. We had a really good time! Kristen and AJ let us ride in their convertible with the top down. haha. It was a little cold ;D
Crazy kids in the back of the convertible!
Saturday we got up and grabbed some lunch at Smithfields-SO delicious! I literally gained 5lbs while I was home. Well worth it though! Anyway, then John and I headed to Hutcherson's house. We were meeting up with Krystal, Josh, Chris, and Bryan to go to an NC State basketball game! We also dropped Carter off. First we let him and Bailey play for a little bit and they exchanged Christmas and birthday presents. TOO cute. Then we crated them next to each other (they were really good!) and we headed off to the game.

I was SO excited about the game! John had gotten us some REALLY great seats. Courtside!! We also hadnt been to a game in forever. It's not the same as it used to be, being in the student section and all, but we had a lot of fun. We also made it on the jumbotron a few times! (john just happens to know the director. haha)
Our seats! not bad...
Mrs Wuf!
After the game we went back to Hutcherson's to get ready for his New Years party! I honestly cant believe how fast this past year went!! Anyway, we had a few more friends come over and had a really good time. After the ball dropped and everyone did their smooching, I made everyone go around and say one thing they wanted to accomplish this year. I am such a dork :D It was fun though. Carter and Bailey played the entire time. For HOURS AND HOURS! Which was good because Carter was EXHAUSTED for the entire car trip home :DWe spent some more time with everyone and then headed to bed since we had a 13 hour drive the next day. YIKES.
Some of the ladies :D
John and AJ
Kristen and Chris
Me and my boo!
We also put birthday hats on the puppies to celebrate Carter's bday. lol
Playing tug-o-war with each other. Very cute!
The next morning we got up and went by my mom's on our way out. Mom and Mawmaw made a huge breakfast with sausage gravy (like always) and it was DELICIOUS! It was also nice to Mawmaw and Pawpaw and my Aunt Rhonda. I could have stayed and talked with them for hours. I really miss all of them a lot. We could only stay for a little bit though, long enough to eat, open the presents they gave us, and give kisses goodbye.

Then we headed back to Miami. The drive really wasnt that bad- Thank goodness. We took turns again and made it home about 10pm, which was great timing! Unforutnatley, John had to work the next day:( but I had it off so I did laundry and unpacked for us. After John got home we relaxed for the rest of the day, which was nice.

Overall we had an amazing, relaxing vacation and I cannot wait for the next one! LoL :D

Vacation Part 4- Family!

The day after Christmas we were originally planning on spending the day with my family since my Mawmaw and Pawpaw were coming to visit. We usually do Christmas with them on Christmas Eve, but they decided to come a little later this year.

However, on the 26th when I woke up, I had a few calls from my mom and brother. They told me that Pawpaw had been taken to the hospital that night. It's okay- he's alright! BUT he had some chest pains and they thought he was having a heart attack. He wasnt, but praise Jesus the pain made him go to the hospital (he's never been for himself- ever!). It's really a blessing in disguise. They still dont know what caused the pain, originally they thought it was something called Pleurisy, but they are not sure now. Anyway, they were able to run a bunch of tests on him and found that the bottom two chambers of his heart were collecting blood :( It was irregular and because of that they put him on a blood thinner. He'll have to be on it for the rest of his life, which is awful, BUT at least he is okay. They said if he hadnt had the pain that caused him to go to the hospital it would have been very likely he would have had a heart attack or stroke. Now the blood thinner will help prevent that. SO glad he is okay. I honestly dont know if I could have taken it! And my poor mother! Lets not think about that..

We decided to spend time with my family that day anyway and we went over and played games and ate dinner with them. We had so much fun! I am pretty sure that I made John hate the game scattergories- but I LOVE it! :D

Tuesday we went and played some disc golf with Brad, but it was raining so we just spent some time at his apartment instead. Then we headed back to John's parents house and watched the bowl game with his dad. They let us invite Brad, Jenny (his girlfriend), and my brother over and we all watched the game and had a good time together. YAY for a win!! GO PACK! So glad we represent the ACC! :D John also got to wear his new NC State Jersey he got for Christmas :D

Wednesday we ran some errands and then it was back to my families house to spend some more time with them. Again, we had dinner and played games. I dont think I'll ever get sick of games. We always make Johns family and my family play with us whenever we get a chance!! I think both families were done with games when we left. haha. Anyway, my mom made some homemade lasagna and it was DELICIOUS! I seriously ate WAY too much. After my moms house we went and dropped Carter off at John's parents house and went up to WRAL to check out the new set. Then we went and hung out with Brad at his apartment for awhile. It was nice to catch up with him. Spending time with him is always one of our priorities when we come home because he is really one of mine and Johns best friends :D

Thursday we ran some more errands and started packing. Friday and Saturday were going to be spent with friends so we had to say our goodbyes to our families on Thursday. We stopped by my moms house after errands to bye to my mom but when we were there we found out that Mawmaw and Pawpaw would be coming on New Years Eve and really wanted us to stop by on our way out of town on Sunday morning, so we agreed. So no goodbyes there yet. Then we headed to John's parents house to eat dinner and hang out with them before we had to say goodbye to them too. It's always nice just hanging out and sitting around with them. Very relaxing.

Friday morning we loaded up and said goodbye to his family. It was SO sad. I hated taking Carter away from them. He didnt even know it was coming. I think he still wonders where they are now. As soon as we pulled away, I started crying too. I just miss them so much when we are gone and I knew it would be at least 6 months before we made our way back to visit again. UGH.

Anyway, we had a ton of fun with both of our families. We can never spend enough time with them, but for once I felt we got to spend a decent amount of time with both families on our trip. It was also EXTREMELY nice of Dad Martin and Julie to dogsit so much while we ran errands and such. Carter ADORES them all and really just cant get enough of them and it's really cute watching them all interact with him. They totally spoiled him, but that's what grandparents and aunts are supposed to do right? I cant even imagine what it will be like when we have a human child. lol. I do appreciate all they helped out with, because it was a nice break for Mama!

We love and miss you already families!!

Vacation Part 3- Christmas!!!

We actually started our Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve by going to the Christmas Eve service at Asbury. We always go with Johns parents and this year it really made it feel like Christmas. It's not cold at all in Miami, so it's a lot harder to get into the holiday spirit. I love the service because it's such a great time to reflect on the real reason for the season. It's very easy to get caught up in everything else, so it's nice to reflect on Christ's birth and all God sacrificed for us. What a true blessing that I dont deserve. :D

After the service we got to see a lot of old friends and even some of our old campers. That made me feel SO old! We ended up seeing a few in random places throughout our visit home and it was just crazy to see how old they have gotten. A lot of them were in or headed to college! After that we headed home and ate a delicious Christmas Eve dinner and then that's when we celebrated the pups birthday :D All around a great start to the season!

Christmas morning I got up early and got ready for the day. Since I knew my present was going to be something pretty, I wanted to make sure I looked extra pretty when I opened it! I'm a dork, I know ;D. After everyone got up (around 8am), we went downstairs and opened presents with the Martin family. The Martins really spoiled us! We were truly blessed with all that we got this year. Honestly, I would be happy with just spending time with them!!! Dont get me wrong though- I am VERY thankful for all that they got us. Of course John made me wait until last to open his and when I did, I saw this:

and then I opened this:
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THEY ARE PERFECT!!!!! I just couldnt believe it. I've wanted something like this for a LONG time, but never thought I'd get it! I seriously have the best husband in the world! They are both rubies, surrounded by white sapphires, and then the ring has diamonds down the band. OH. MY. GOODNESS. It takes my breath away every time I look at them. I cant believe I am lucky enough to have something like this!! :D I love my hubby :D He clearly went out of our budget, so I felt kind of bad (easy to get over though!) so I am going to have to do something really special for him some time soon :D Needless to say I was glad I got all dressed up for the occasion!

After we opened, we let Carter open some of his. Again, SO cute to watch! We also dressed him up :D
LOOK AT THAT FACE!

Our next stop was Grandma Martin's house. That side of the family gets together for lunch every Christmas. This was where Carter played with John's cousins for hours. It was awesome :D Jonathan, one of the little cousins, kept asking permission to take Carter out and play with him. It was super cute. They played hide and seek and Carter chased them all. Carter became best buds with Jonathan and followed him everywhere he went. ADORABLE! It was also nice to have someone to watch over Carter so we could visit with his family :D We only get to see them really once a year, so it's nice to catch up with them. We ate our first big meal there and of course stuffed our faces. YUMMY!

After lunch, more presents, and visiting, we were off to my Grandma Brinn's house in Jacksonville (were not thrilled about driving so much after having just driven 13 hours the day before, but it was important to us to see our grandmas. It was also the only day we would really have to travel far and we knocked it all out in 1 day). About 2 1/2 hours late we got to my grandmas house and got to see my family, grandma, and roy. They got to meet Carter for the first time. He loved his great grandma! He jumped right up onto her wheelchair. I scolded him for it and then grandma scolded me. lol. She told me that he could do what he wanted because it didnt bother her and she would tell him when enough was enough. LOL. After hellos, it was time to eat again. I barely had room, but who can pass up another Christmas meal!? AND grandma made banana pudding, which is my all time favorite dessert (only hers though!). After dinner we exchanged presents with my family (we were really spoiled this year), visited some, and then headed home. We were exhausted! Of course I forgot to take pictures :(

We had such an amazing Christmas day though! It was so nice to get to spend time with so much family all in one day. I very much look forward to seeing them all again!