Prayer Requests

Roy, my grandma's husband, is really sick. He is such a great man and I feel so bad for her. They called called two nights ago and told her to get to the hospital quick- they didnt think he was going to make it. He is staying at a hospital about an hour from my grandma, so we all took it really seriously. He made it through the night, but they are not sure how much time he has left. It just breaks my heart. He has done so much for my family and is such a good man. An amazing heart. He has taken such great care of my grandma too. Please be praying for him, that the Lord does His will. Please be praying for my grandma too. I cant imagine losing one love of my life, let alone two :(. And then also his children and everyone he has touched. It's just a very difficult time for all. My mom, brother, and sister were able to go visit him last night and said he seemed to be doing better. He was talking to them and understood what was going on. He was upset he was missing his bible study. He does have MRSA and a blood infection, so we are not sure what all the means. So again, please keep him in your prayers.

Johns Cousin, Sarah, is also going through a difficult time. She is currently in the hospital having tests run on her for her seizures. Her and her husband have been through so much in the past two years. Please just pray the doctors are able to get the information they need from the tests so they can help her get better. Please also pray for strength and patience and healing. I cant imagine going through what they are at such a young age.

John's job- We are both very thankful for his job. However, we are also both close to our breaking point with the hours and everything else. Please pray the Lord gives us some direction for him and a new job.

Christina and the baby!- She is very close to her due date- only a month and a half! Pray for a healthy mommy and healthy baby :D

My Rock

I mentioned life has been super stressful lately, well I heard this song on the radio today and it's exactly how I feel. John is always my rock and I love him for it. Sometimes I really do feel like I might crack if it wasnt for him. I sure do love that man :D

"Sometimes it feels like, I'm gonna break
Sometimes this world, gives more than I can take
Sometimes, sunshine gets lost in the rain
And it keeps pouring down
It just keeps coming down. 

This life would kill me If I didn't have you
I couldn't live without you baby
I wouldn't want to
If you didn't love me so much
I'd never make it through
'Cuz this life would kill me
This life would kill me if I didn't have you. 

You are my heart, every breath I breathe
I'm safe in your arms, you rescue me.
When I'm weak, you're strong
If you were gone I don't know where I'd be
You were made for me
(You were made for me) 

 
This life would kill me If I didn't have you
I couldn't live without you baby
I wouldn't want to
If you didn't love me so much
I'd never make it through
'Cuz this life would kill me
This life would kill me if I didn't have you"

Thanks for always being my rock babe :D

Mustang Updates

Last Tuesday I had a half day at work. So John and I had plans to run some errands and go to lunch. However, the accident report finally came out on our car! We obviously switched gears to deal with the car (pun not intended! HA!). We only had a little bit of time before John had to go to work. I got on the phone with her insurance company and they proceeded to tell us they had dropped her back in September. UMM WHAT? I started crying on the phone. That insurance lady felt so bad for me. haha. We spent the rest of the time John had trying to figure out what our next step should be in dealing with the car. We were extremely frustrated and thought it was going to cost us a fortune. Stuff like that is just so unfair.If you make the decision to drink and drive, you should have to deal with the responsibility of fixing your mistakes. After a few hours of being upset, John actually got a call from a different insurance company she has and they started the process of getting an estimate on our car. THANK THE LORD. Just thinking of the fees we were going to incur and the money we were going to be out gave me a headache. 

We also got an estimate on the car finally. The initial estimate was $7000 worth of damage. The place that is going to fix our car (recommended to us by a bunch of different people) cant even look at it until March 1st. Which I guess is good because that means they are really good at what they do, right? They said the first thing they are going to do is take the car apart and look at it thoroughly and then let us know what else, if anything, is wrong with it. Then we'll need to get the insurance company back out there and blah blah blah. At least the process has started. 

They also gave us a rental car and took the information down for John going to the doctor, his medicine, and time missed from work. So we will see what we need to do after the next estimate. Hopefully, it stays as nothing major. I think we've decided we would rather the car not be totaled. It also looks like we may be able to get something for the diminished value of the car if it's not totaled- since we could never resale it for what we could have accident-free. Since the insurance company has contacted us, everything has been pretty smooth. Hopefully, it stays that way! Say a little prayer! :D

Last Week's Favorites;D

Life has been extremely stressful lately. With everything going on, it can be hard to focus on the positive and be thankful for all the blessings. So I'll focus on the positives in this post:D

1) Dutch Blitz! Kristen and AJ taught us this game and we LOVE it. It's a pretty cheap game too, so of course we bought it. It's not as fun with just 2 people, but it's a blast with more than 2! Highly recommend this game.

2) Perfect Tortilla shells- John isnt one for infomercials or the products on them, but we both kind of really wanted this. We had an Amazon order that we place last week and he snuck this into the order for me:D Made my day! haha. So we had taco salad bowls for dinner this past week. YUMMY! :D If you get these- they do shrink some, so I would get the bigger shells- I used 10 inch shells and they were fine, but small. 

3) Cheddar Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta, Garlic- Almond green beans, Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes- Um. YUM. Seriously, everything about this meal was amazing. The pasta is a weight watchers recipe- so it wasnt TOO bad. The green beans and sweet potatoes werent too bad either! I decided to make John a nice meal one night he had off as a thanks for being so awesome to me all the time. I really did luck out with him :D 

4) Favors and Decorations- my sister's shower is next weekend and I went and got all the supplies for the decorations and favors- I'm super excited to make them! I'll post the stuff here when I'm done! :D

 

5) Walking Dead- I LOVE that it's back on!

6) Sushi w/ Jennie and Jordyn- Friday night John had a guys night so I went to get sushi with Jennie and Jordyn. I havnt seen them since we moved back and it was great to catch up. It's amazing how big Jordyn has gotten!! She is such a big girl now and so very sweet. I look forward to spending more time with them :D 

7) Organized!- I'm getting there! It's definitely a work in progress in our apartment. But I've started :D I've had piles of papers laying around the apartment for weeks that needed to be filed. So I busted out my life binder (I named it this- it has all of our important documents in it from car information to health insurance to our passports. Pretty much our life. haha) and organized and filed the documents that needed to be filed. I also created a section for the Mustang and the accident. Then I created another binder with our current bills, meal ideas, and budget. I felt super organized after this! 

8) Carter's Eye-Carter The thing above Carter's eye started to come off. He was scratching it and then John helped him and what looked like a scab to us came off. So we took him by the vet and took the pieces too. She ended up saying its not a big deal and gave us some medicine to give him. $100 dollars later and fighting to not pay the exam fee again, we left. I'm so glad he doesn't have to have surgery, but these prices are crazy. We need to find a new vet. I really like the vet, shes super nice, but TOO expensive! (I mean $45 to look under a microscope for a second is ridiculous). 

Anyway, I know this is a bunch of days late, but have a great week!

Friday Favorites!

I havnt done these in forever! However, I feel mostly caught up now- YAY! So I'll shall start these again and try to keep up with the blog regularly now. Yes, these are a day late, but everything has been late- so really these are more on time then everything else has been....right? lol

1) LUKE! Luke came to town last weekend. We hadnt seen him since about Krystal and Josh's wedding, which was almost 3 years ago. crazy. It was fun to hang out and catch up. We also got to go to dinner with Mama Schlimme and Whitney!

2) Prison Break- I am now addicted to this show. It's fabulous and I wish I could just stay home all day and do nothing but watch it. haha.

3) Valentines day- John actually had the day off! So when I got off work, we got to go to dinner and hang out. We didnt do anything super special, but just getting to spend time together made the day wonderful. 

4) Wedding Dress Shopping- I mentioned we went this past weekend- it was so much fun to get to see my sister try on dresses and really  nice to spend the day with her and my mom. While we were waiting on Sherry to try on different dresses, I did realize that I am so thankful to be passed that point in my life. I loved every minute of it and I am loving every minute of planning Sherry's, but I'm glad to be past it. haha

5) Kristen and AJ- We have gotten to spend so much time with them lately! It's been so nice. We hopefully started a new trend where we take turns cooking dinner for each other. They've already cooked twice for us! It's time to return the favor. They also taught us a new game, that we may or may not had to buy immediately we liked it so much. It's called Dutch Blitz. SO. MUCH. FUN.

6) My staff in Miami- This one is kind of old, but it didnt really fit anywhere else. I love and miss them so much! It's nice to know they feel the same about me too. They put my picture up on the duty board. A bunch of me sent me a picture text showing me and I think I cried every time. Then whoever has been forwarding my mail, has been sending me messages on the back. So sweet. I'm honestly surprised so many of them still text me. It's really nice though. LOVE YOU GUYS!

7) SNOW! It's snowed a few time here now. Today it basically poured snow. None of it stuck because it was 60 yesterday, but I dont think I've ever seen such big snow flakes. It snowed most of the day, which made it really pretty to look outside. Very cold though to show apartments in- but really pretty nonetheless. lol

Anyways, happy weekend everyone :D

Carterbutt

My life would just not be with same without Carter. He is just the best dog ever. And the cutest. I may be a little biased ;D. I did want to give a few updates on Carter:

Carter got to see his first snow this winter! It was SO funny. John was at work when it started to snow, so I got him on facetime so he could see Carter react to the snow. At first Carter started to bark at it. Then he growled because it was on his frisbee. He dug at it frantically to get the snow off. LOL. Finally, he went and played in it and LOVED it. He also tried to eat it as it fell from the sky. A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! 

hmmm...

 Not so sure about this...

 

MOM...I just want to play! No more pictures!

 He was trying to eat the snow as it fell...

My baby also has a growth on his eye:( It has been around for about 3 weeks and has just gotten bigger, so we decided to take him to the vet. I got lucky and a few weeks ago a vet close to where we live came into my office at work and handed out her information and some treats. They also do doggy camp- SCORE! I looked them up and the Brier Creek location will be their 2nd location and it's new. Great reviews and not expensive for camp either. Then when I was clipping coupons on Sunday, there was a coupon for a free exam to the same place! YES!

So we made an appointment and headed over there during my lunch break this Friday. Of course I had my Carter book (with all his information in it)- I'm one of those moms. But I dont care. Judge me all you want- I'm organized and know what I'm talking about. haha I fear for my human babies one day. LOL. Anyway, it was almost time for his updated shots anyway, so we were able to knock out everything in this trip. Kind of pricey, but a lot of it was first time stuff for camp. Which I'm really glad they are so careful about what dogs go in there and how healthy they are. I feel very confident that he wont get sick going there.

Vet summary:

• He's super healthy
• Has great teeth for being 2!
• Is a little heavy (my chubby puppy!) haha. He needs to lose about 5lbs. (Join the fam)
• and she has no idea what is on his eye

She took a picture of it and sent it off to her veterinary friends and to the State vet school. She said it didnt look dangerous, but to keep an eye on it. Sounds like when it comes time for his first dental cleaning, they may remove it. She also said his dead tooth didnt seem like a big issue right now, but we would need to pull it at some point (but we knew that already). 

I also really liked this place because the exam fee (which was free for us this time! yay coupons!) is good for a year. So if anything is wrong with him and we have to take him, we wont have to pay another exam fee. We did in Miami, so I think this is great! haha :D 

Carter has also been going to hang out with grandma and grandpa some. They will come pick  him up or John will drop him off. It's so cute to me. I love how much they him and I love how much he loves them. It's also great for a change of scenery for him some days and great exercise- he keeps them busy! Definitely a plus to being so close to family now!

So my baby is doing well :D However, it looks like it's time to pick up running regularly again so we can both lose weight! haha 

Happy Valentines Day from Carter! :D

 

Woodstock...

So, I've been really, really excited to post this blog update. However, not so much now- which I'll get to.

John and I decided that it was time for us to get another car! There were actually a few reasons we decided to get a car. 

1. We could have made do with one car for longer- but it really was becoming a pain- and we have been sharing for 5 years now! haha. 
2. When we do buy a house, we will need two cars, and we would like to be out of debt when that happens so we decided to go ahead and buy now and pay it off before then. 
3. Our biggest reason for buying now though was to build John's credit. He doesnt have a lot and we will both need good credit get a good loan for house. 

So lots of pre-planning going into play here AND we get another car:D  So we spent weeks researching and deciding on what type we wanted. We decided that John wanted a sports car and my requirement was that it was a convertible. I have ALWAYS wanted one. Maybe it's a little impractical, but we also decided that we have done really well with our finances and we really want to be excited about the car we got. We have plenty of time to get a car that's more practical. I want to look back on my life and say  "we were responsible, but we also had a lot of fun" :D Plus, we have the Tahoe for when we have babies. haha.

Sooooo we got a Mustang GT Convertible! It is yellow with a black racing stripe. We also named it Woodstock since our Tahoe is Snoopy. lol. Of course it is a 5 speed. After we purchased the car- it was in Hickory- we took turns driving it home. We are really good sharers:D We were both in love with it! SO much fun to drive. We may no longer be out of debt, but it's totally worth it. Great car:D 

EEE!

OH YEA! :D   

 IT'S OURS!!!

 Carter loved it too! With the top down he got to sniff while sitting! haha

Of course we went to our families houses when we got back in to town:D And we went and showed AJ and Kristen since AJ is a huge mustang lover too :D Of course everyone was shocked, but excited for us. We kept joking that we were sending a statement that we really didnt want babies right now. lol.

Well, the bad news- more like absolutely horrible, terrible news- is that not even two weeks after we purchased the car a drunk driver t-boned John. Thank the Lord he is was okay. I dont even care about the car- it is just a thing that can be replaced. Of course it's going to be frustrating process, but as long as John is alive, all will be okay. 

So the story: Sunday night after dinner, John was headed back to work when the accident happened. The girl decided to take a left through a median and in front of some bushes, so John couldnt even really see it all happening. She hit John right under the gas tank and ripped the bumper off. It sent John sliding through the intersection. Praise the Lord nobody was coming through it to hit him. She then continued to go through a body shop parking lot and hit 6 more cars. It was a miracle that nobody was injured at all. The cops kept telling me how lucky we were because a 100th of a second earlier and John would have been dead. I just cant even imagine. We learned after speaking with the cop that she was underage and had been drinking and said her GPS told her to turn there- SERIOUSLY?! She was arrested and taken to jail for a DUI. I was so angry, she's lucky I didnt get a chance to see her because I may have punched her in the face. She almost took the most precious thing in my life away from me. My mind seriously cannot even comprehend not having John in my life. In fact, when he called to tell me that he had been in an accident- I just assumed he was rear-ended. Never crossed my mind it could be more serious. 

Sad day...

I feel so blessed that the Lord spared John. We went home that night and just held each other. We can always replace the car- but we cant replace him. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it. I also realized that night that if he had died, that one of my biggest regrets in life would be never having his child. I cant imagine going through this life without his kids. Even if I had to do it alone. Luckily, that's not the case. But it did make me realize that I may be more emotionally ready for babies than I was before. Not that we are ready overall or anything, but I guess I'm starting to get there. That's a whole other discussion. haha. Anyway, so glad that he's okay and here with me still. It's amazing how quick things could have changed. So please make sure you tell your loved ones how much they mean to you! things could change in a second.

 

We are still waiting to hear back from the police to get her insurance information. For some reason, they didnt give it to us when the accident happened. Maybe because she was hauled off to jail? who knows. But my insurance agency said by law it was our right to get it. Since we didnt though, we have to wait for the accident report to come out. When I called about it, there had been a mistake made on it and it was sent back to the officer to fix. So we are still waiting. I am anticipating this being a HUGE headache of a mess and everything taking forever. My poor car is just sitting in some tow yard right now :( I want know what is wrong with it. Is it totaled? Is it not? Is the damage minimal? Are we going to end up needing a lawyer? Too much to think about. Not only all of that, but I made John go to the doctor for his back. So we need to file the doctor's visit and the medicine and the time he missed work. Such a mess. Oh well, I'm just thankful it wasnt worse. 

Now we play the waiting game...

Life in Brier Creek thus far...

John and I LOVE living in Brier Creek. It's such an up and coming area and there is so much around us. So much shopping, restaurants, and pretty much anything you can think of. I do wish it was closer to everything else- but we make do. After being 850 miles away from friends- I think we can spare 30 minutes to drive to see people. haha. It is a pain for other people to drive out here though :(. 

Our apartment is slowly but surely coming together. Our kitchen is tiny, but I think we finally found a system in there. We still have lots of organizing to do, but we have tried to control the mess to the guest room. haha. It's a quaint little apartment and is really perfect for me, John, and Carter. I think Carter loves living here. I think he misses his dog door, but we try to take him out a lot. We've already noticed that since it's SO much more quiet here- Carter gets very excited about little noises and animals outside that he didnt usually care about. haha.

 

I'm sure I'm sure I mentioned the space behind our apartment before- we call it Carter's yard. Its nice to have the big open space back there. We play lots of frisbee back there. It gets muddy back there easy- which has been disappointing. I'm hoping when it warms up, the area will dry out so we dont have to wipe carter down so much in the future. It takes forever right now! Carter has become obsessed with frisbee too, so there really is no avoiding the area right now. He is too cute:D There are also a lot of dogs in the complex, but unfortunately he hasnt gotten to meet many of them :(. Maybe he'll make some good buddies soon? We did find a doggie day care that we need to try out and take him to. It will be good for him. 

Our apartment does tend to also get a lot of spiders. I guess it's because we back up to the woods. I'm surprisingly not really scared of them anymore. haha. I just kill them and move on with it. However, one day I was getting ready for work and I saw this guy waiting for me in the kitchen

He was HUGE. HUGE! it was terrifying. I started shaking and even after I killed it, I shook for a good hour afterwards. That darn spider ruined my day too. It was like a bad omen or something. haha. Luckily he hasnt had any friends come looking for him. Just small spiders for the most part. 

It has been a huge adjustment not having all the perks of dorm living. Lots and lots of cleaning- haha. Which luckily, I dont mind at all. I do however, hate cleaning the shower. The tile grooves are killer to get in! ugh. I miss the cleaning lady back in Miami. I knew I would and I miss her more than I actually thought. haha. It's also been an adjustment not having the dininghall too. I LOVE to cook! So it's been fun planning meals and cooking. However, it gets tricky having different schedules. When I cook, I usually eat it that night then and then John has it the next night for dinner. It can be challenging sometimes. Especially, when he is off one night and I cook a meal for us then and then I forget he needs food to take with him the next night too. I'm still working on finding a routine. Hopefully though John finds a different job soon and we can go to having normal dinners together.

The area around the complex has also been nice to go running around. There isnt really anywhere IN the complex to run- but I run down to the country club and run through that neighborhood. It's beautiful and it's fun to look at all the big houses. I think Carter likes it too- lots to smell!

Anyway, Brier Creek has been treating us well. It's nice being close to family and somewhat close to friends again. I feel very blessed to be here and I'll miss this area when we do finally buy a house!

Christina's Baby Shower!

A few months back, my sweet, beautiful cousin Christina called to tell me she was PREGNANT!!!! and of course I wanted to throw her a baby shower as soon as I found out. It's the first baby on my mom's side of the family- so it's kind of a big deal! She was able to pick a date of January 26th and was able to come all the way from Chicago. A lot of the family lives here or in driving distance, so it was good for a family baby shower. 

I threw the shower with Kim- who lives in Clayton. She is my uncle's dad's wife (say that 5 times fast! hah!) but she is SO sweet and was such a joy to plan this thing with. She has a huge house and offered to host it there. So we split up the tasks and got to work! I made all the invites by hand :D Christina is having a baby GIRL! :D and her colors are yellow and gray and theme is baby elephants. SO adorable. So I stuck with that for the invites- which is also why I made them- easier than finding something already done. haha. 

Me and Kim! 

 

The invites

We also decided to feed everyone lunch since a lot of people were driving in from out of town. So we settled on some hor'dourves and lasagna for lunch. Kim also made this amazing coffee punch. I seriously could have downed the whole thing myself. I MUST get that recipe!

Some of the food

 The yummy punches

I also wanted to do something creative for the shower so I made a diaper basket! It was actually all supposed to be made out of diapers, but I figured she could use an actual basket too- so I filled it full of diapers and topped it with goodies for her and the baby. It was super easy and a lot of fun to make:D The basket is wrapped in receiving blankets and I tried to make most stuff I put in it useful. 

 The basket in the beginning stages..

 The cute lollipops made out of baby wash clothes and baby spoons
 (thanks Krystal!)

 Almost done!

 At the party :D

So when the day rolled around I showed up early to help set up- but of course Kim is amazing and had already done everything. She stuck with the yellow and gray theme and actually found baby ducks that went with it! Everything looked amazing. After everyone arrived, we took some pictures, dug into the food and just had a great time chatting with everyone. Since it was a family shower, everyone knew each other so it was nice to catch up. 

The adorable decorations

 

baby ducks!

 The cake Aunt Rhonda made

 

all the presents!!!

 The amazing Cooper family :D

After lunch we played a trivia game- which turned out to be hilarious. And then I gave everyone a birthday card to write to the precious baby for future years to come. I saw this on a website and thought it was a neat idea- especially since it was all family and the child would know each of us when she read the card. So each person gets an age and a card and writes to the baby for when they turn that age. SO cool! Christina said she had a cute box to put them all in and would pull them out each year for baby Hoagie! Next was present time!! Christina and baby Hoagie are going to be stylin! She got TONS of stuff. Such a blessing for sure. It kind of got me in the baby mood! (I said KIND of;D) 

 I LOVED THIS! Christina' s aunt made it for her.

 And Mawmaw's quilt. LOVE it.

After presents we dug into cake and ice cream. My Aunt Rhonda, future Grammy, made the cutest cake! and it was delish. :D We spent the next while just chatting again. Then it was time to say our goodbyes. Such a great event and it was so much fun getting to honor my sweet cousin during this very exciting time in her life!

Christina and the soon to be grandmas!

 

Me and my beautiful cousin :D 

Congrats again Christina-Face!

Sherry Berry

So I was going to do a "My life in January" also as an update, but too many HUGE things happened!! So I'll start with the first one: 

MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!! 

Yes, you heard that right :D My sweet sister met Aaron in August and they have just hit it off great. He is a great guy and has been getting her to try things she normally wouldnt do- like hike! I still cant picture her hiking. haha. But he treats her really well. Well right before the New Year he proposed!! 

 He gave her his grandmas ring- so sweet :D

They are both Jehovah's Witness, which has caused some drama in the family. Which means instead of asking my mom or brother for my sister's hand in marriage- he actually asked me. My stance is that while I dont agree with their beliefs, she's still my sister and I want to love her and be there for her. Especially, through something so exciting as getting married. I hope in a way that it shows Christs love. But she's my sister and I want to be apart of her life always. 

So, they have planned this thing fast and she is getting married April 27th! AH! So crazy. It's hard to believe my baby sister is so grown up now. Shes rocking out all the wedding to-dos too- she already has all the invitations done, favors, some of the decorations, and most things planned out. My sister has never been super organized, so it's interesting to see her be UBER organized for this.

A few weekends back she had an engagement party. Aaron and some of her friends surprised her with getting her family, his family, and a bunch of her friends together to celebrate their engagement. SO SWEET! they did it at Mellow Mushroom in Burlington. My boss let me leave a little early so me, Chris, and my mom (john had to work) could get there on time. The party was fun! We got to meet his family and talk with them for a long time. I also met up with the other bridesmaids and we started some planning. Currently, we are in the process of planning her bridal shower and bachelorette party. They are both going to be March 9th since the wedding is so soon and she doesnt get much time off work. I'm excited because its so fun to plan this type of stuff and my mom is finally getting into it too:D I'm really glad for Sherry that she is. 

The sweet couple

 Most of the family and friends

 Our family!

 

The cake

 

The bridesmaids! :D

This past weekend we went wedding dress shopping!!!! She looked gorgeous in everything she tried on. We went a ton of places and had it narrowed down. She decided to sleep on it and when she woke up she knew the perfect dress for her and went and bought it!!! SO excited. It's gorgeous and I cant wait for everyone to see her in it :D I will also be making her veil- which im stoked about. The one she liked was $175 dollars- thats insane. So I'm going to get my craftyness on and make one for MUCH cheaper. Such a fun time. 

Anywho- this totally deserved it's own post!! CONGRATS SHERRY AND AARON!!!

My life this past December...

Goodness! I know it’s been a very long while since I have blogged. We’ve had just a few life changes and events that have prevented me from writing ;D. I am going to do my best to update you the best I can. I think the most fun way to do this will be through pictures! Let me start off by saying it has been a real whirlwind but I wouldnt change a thing!

First, John and I ended our journey in Miami with a bunch of fun outings:

Duffy's-one of our favorite sports bars- we watched the State game and then went out afterwards:D

Check out that view:D

THE HEAT! :D We decked ourselves out so we could show our support here too!

After the game we walked over to Bayside and got some drinks, 

listened to music, and people watched.

Of course we went to the beach. *sigh* one of the things I miss the most- especially in this cold weather.

I got to go out with my staff- not as their boss! haha. They are the best. They also made me a box full of cards and pictures. It was beyond sweet and made me cry (duh). At dinner, they told the waiter it was my birthday. haha. they are one of the things I miss the most.

All the staff members that came to wish me goodbye- amazing group of people.

After a bunch of fun lasts, including a lot of cuban food (duh), we loaded up another trailer and headed back to Raleigh. Our last 13 hour drive. I cried as we pulled out and I can still envision Miami on that day. Right before we left, some of my staff- Josh, Danny, and Tyler, came and said their final goodbyes. I love those three guys and miss them like crazy.

Of course we did that trip in one shot. haha. We had to get back to Carter! He was so happy to see us and of course spoiled rotten when we got him back. haha. We crashed that night at the Martins house and then got up and headed to our new home. 

 Carter was not amused as we unloaded the trailer. haha

 LOVE HIM! words cannot describe how much I missed him!

We spent the next few days unpacking. Then Monday I started my new job! It just so happened to be resident appreciation week, so I got to meet a lot of the residents throughout the week. It was nice. It was incredibly busy and I was very overwhelmed with the new job. I love it! but it's a lot more different than I anticipated. haha

The next weekend my mom moved. So we went to her house that weekend and helped her pack up her house. A very exciting time and incredibly exhausting also. Sunday was split between helping mom pack and John's grandmas 80th birthday!! We celebrated by taking her out to lunch as a big family and then did cake at her house :D

Mr. Martin and Grandma!

I love these two!

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

The next week John started his job at WRAL. Our schedules were and are complete opposites :( which has made it incredibly hard to make the transition to NC easy or find furniture! Let alone get to spend some time together. We are very thankful, of course, and have had to get creative when it comes to settling in our new home. haha. 

The holidays were also thrown right in! Which was very exciting and again very exhausting. Too much going on at once can make for one very tired Anna! haha. Our second weekend home in Raleigh, Krystal and Josh came to visit for the holidays and brought Bailey!

  

Carter loves his girlfriend! Even when she takes his toys...dont worry- he stole them back. They took turns looking at each other pathetically. It was adorable.

 We opened presents before we went out to the State game one night. Carter and Bailey got to open theirs too! (Dont you love all our furniture? Or rather lack there of? Haha. We only had our Christmas tree up and beach chairs for a long time.)

 And we celebrated Carter's birthday! I cant believe my boy is 2!!!

 Aunt Krystal made him and Bailey Red Velvet Cupcakes for dogs!

 

Present time!!

  

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARTER!

 

  

Then we crated them together and left for the game. They were surprisingly very good!!

 

GO PACK!

 

 At some point we all went to Big Boss and hung out. It was another great night :D

 

Next came Christmas! Of course we found time to spend with both families. Unfortunately, we both had to work some, so we got creative again :D We celebrated early with Johns family and then spent Christmas with mine on Christmas day. Which included both sets of my grandparents for me! John only got to see part of them because he had to work :(. 

Of course Carter got some presents!

 and Grandma cuddled with Carter

 John got a sweet flying helicopter that Carter really wanted to play with!

 and of course they all took turns cuddling some more. haha

Of course John and I were beyond blessed with gifts this year again. 

But were really happy to just be home with family :D

  Carter wished everyone a very Merry Christmas too!

 Christmas at my Mom's- Mawmaw and Pawpaw!

We enjoyed each others company

 Just hangin out...;D

Soon after Christmas, AMERICAN AQUARIUM HAD A SHOW IN RALEIGH!!! :D So we got the gang together and went out for sushi and then to the show. ALWAYS a good time.

 I adore these two!

 My sister and her boyfriend came too!

 LOVE this band!

 

John and I spent every free minute we had looking for furniture. We went a good month without couches and a table and chairs. Furniture shopping was extremely fun, but again, overwhelming!! We found an amazing dinging room set off craigslist that we got an amazing deal on! The couches were also a good deal, but are place holders until we buy a house.

I cant even tell you how many tables we looked at. This had everything we wanted though! Cherry wood, pub height, and 8 chairs! All for an amazing price and it's in GREAT condition.

 Here is Carter checking out the couches the day they came home. He's decided he doesnt like the pleather though and stays on the floor. haha. We ended up with some black "leather" couches. A couch, love seat, and recliner. All for $300! It'll do for now! :D SO glad to have something to sit on other than beach chairs. haha.

 

And that brings us to New Years! John had to work :( but we had our usual get together at Hutch's so he could come after he got off work. One of my RAs, Josh, was actually able to come to the party! His mom lives in Cary, so he was in town for the holidays. Small world for sure, but it was nice spend some time with him. It was incredibly weird mixing my two lives though! We had a wonderful time!

Me and Josh! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  

Again, love these two! :D 

That pretty much rounds out the end of my 2012. SO much happened and I am so very, very blessed for all that the Lord has provided to us. December was a VERY eventful month, to say the least!