This one's for you Keisha...........honeymoon pictures :)

Our honeymoon was nothing short of fantastic. We had absolutely fantastic weather and enjoyed a mix of sightseeing, stamp getting, and relaxation in the sun. While I could go on and on I wont. I will just leave you with these wonderful snipets of our week in paradise.

A different but still blessed Christmas

This Christmas certainly was a different one. With my family still adjusting to holidays without my Grandmother and on a much tighter budget and Aaron's family spread out for the holiday season this year things were certainly different. Another wrench in "normal" plans was the snow storm that hit just days before Christmas.

Despite all of the unusual circumstances this year our first Christmas together was wonderful. We celebrated Christmas eve with my dad's family, a miracle in itself considering my Poppa Bone's recent surgery. Christmas day was celebrated here at our house with my immediate family. We really relaxed and enjoyed each other. The day after Christmas my family did leave the house to go to Asheville to eat out and see a movie. After the movie we all stayed up until it was time for my dad to take my brother to the airport. Sunday held yet another Christmas celebration with Sean, Christal and Cooper. We certainly are blessed with amazing family and friends!!
One special highlight of our Christmas week was Zach coming up from Texas. He came on Tuesday and left very early Sunday morning. Every day while he was here we played games and stayed up WAY later than normal. It was great to soak in every moment and to spend time relaxing instead of running around.

Wedding slideshow

I know that many of you have been waiting a long time to see wedding pictures so I'm glad to be able to post a link to the slideshow our photographer made for us! Hope you enjoy looking at what was captured of our special day.
www.reginaholder.net/giese

My heart is heavy tonight

My heart is very heavy tonight. Nearly all day off and on I have thought about my grandmother. How she is in a MUCH better place, how I miss her, how I managed to get through my first year without her, etc.
On top of that I have been thinking about my grandfather. He was admitted to the hospital yesterday with chest pains and now tomorrow he is facing open heart surgery. My family is thankful that it was caught now (the docs said if it had not been he probably would have been dead within the year) and that there is the capability of fixing things. My grandfather is scared and even with the best outcome tomorrow will be facing a long road to recovery.

Please sweet friends be in prayer for my family tonight. We are thankful to have Jesus to turn to and trust that we are in his hands, but this is tough. I dont want to walk this road. Not this soon.

a bit of this and that

I have not blogged in forever. Life has just been busy. Despite not having a full time job I am staying pretty busy. I am amazed at all of the various activities that now fill my days. Since I am tired (and also needing to work some more on cleaning and organizing) I am going to give a quick recap.
Since our wedding/honeymoon I have been in Abby's wedding, worked out with mom and Fran, started further purging and simplifying our stuff, bought new furniture, started going to a new church, became the nursery/preschool director for the new church, practiced my soccer mom skills driving various kiddos around, watched lots of dancing with the stars, etc etc etc. The list just seems to go on and on.
Most of the time I find myself very busy but blessed. Recently Aaron and I both have spent time talking about how blessed we are. God has not even come close to forgetting about us. We do not have every single thing we want but our needs have definately been met. I continue to be amazed at how God works in the details. He is ever so faithful to provide.

I hope that as things become more settled I can get back into a regular schedule of blogging and recording our lives. I will also post a recap of our honeymoon (I still have to dig thru and edit the pictures). I also want to post some thoughts on this first year without Grandmother, next week will mark one year since she went to be with Jesus.

At long last...a wedding post!

Our wedding was perfect! The whole day was wonderful. God provided me with a sense of calm and peace that passed all understanding. All day long people kept commenting on how calm and happy I was. The joke by the end of the day was don't worry about asking Rachel, she'll just tell you "its all good". Over and over I kept being surprised by myself and how calm I was. All I can say is that I know it was Christ being with me and carrying me through that day.
The morning started off with the ladies getting our hair done while watching a couple of chick flicks. I then calmed my mother down before getting into my wedding dress. Things after that happened in a weird state of uncanny calm and crazy rush. I barely remember hearing music as my dad walked me down the aisle. (Funny note: I had to ask Abby afterwards what music was played during the wedding b/c I didn't know nor hear it) My dad and I both tripped a bit over my dress as we climbed up the stairs and then the ceremony part of everything began. I remember hearing my dad choke up a bit as he turned to walk off stage. I remember focusing on Aaron and Alan throughout the ceremony. Before I knew it the ceremony was over and we were out on the porch, alone--as husband and wife.
Our reception was fantastic and fun! We visited with people as best we could, we took pictures (lots and lots of pictures), we even managed to grab a bite or two to eat. It was so much fun for us to watch everyone esle have TONS of fun. The photo booth was such a hit! As soon as I can figure out where I put the cds I will add some of the photos from the photo booth. One of the fun keepsakes we have of our wedding day is a scrapbook made from the photo booth pictures--each page being made by our friends and family for us. They are great fun to look at!

I loved nearly everything about the whole day. We felt so loved and blessed that day. I felt beautiful from head to toe (loved my dress more than I remembered when I bought it). I loved seeing my family and friends and being able to celebrate our special day with them. I loved seeing my dad so dressed up and so proud of his little girl (knowing that there was a part of him that day that was wishing I wasnt so grown up). I love thinking back and remembering how beautiful and perfect everything was. The tables, cupcakes, flowers, etc were beautiful. My mind is overwhelmed when I think about all of the work that my family along with Wanda and Devon did to make everything just right for us.

We are blessed my friends, so very blessed. Our life is not perfect but we are so blessed.

We should be getting wedding pictures back in the next couple of weeks. I will share them when I can. Also, I will post pictures and a quick recap of the honeymoon as soon as I can.

We're back!

We are back from our honeymoon which was as fantastic and wonderful as the wedding! We have unpacked, washed clothes, and managed through our first days of married life together. Hopefully before long I can sit down and blog a bit about our wedding and honeymoon, complete with pictures. For now I leave you with the knowledge that we are back and doing well. We are enjoying figuring out married life one day at a time.

And we're off!!

We had a perfect wedding day (I will blog about specifics later!).
We are off for a Hawaiian adventure!
Pray for safe travels.....talk to you soon!

It's finally here!!!!!

I"m getting married tomorrow!!!
I'd post more but I'm to exhausted to think about it....love to you all!

Half and Half

Not that I havent known it for awhile now (some would argue quite awhile) but I'm getting married in a week! A week, one week, seven days.....wow!
It's funny to realize that we have been together for so long and have even been engaged for so long and the day is finally coming. I sit here this morning knowing that my life is about to change in a BIG way. As I think about it I find myself dealing with two major groups of emotions/feelings---on one hand I am excited, anxiously anticipating and on the other I am OCD thinking about all of the details and feeling a different type of anxiety over the ceremony and formality of the big day itself.
In the end I know it will be beautiful and we will be married. I just want to soak up these last few days of what I now know as my life. I want to slow down a bit and remind myself (once again) to enjoy the process.

As we enter into these final days/moments before our big day I ask that you pray for us. Specifically for me. Up until yesterday I have spent most of my time dreading being in front of people on my wedding day, I dont like to have people watching me. But yesterday as I faced the stresses of this process my heart began to ache. The ache that I felt was not a new one, it was the ache of missing my Grandmother. For the first time I not only knew she wasnt going to be there with me but I felt it. I missed her in a whole new way. Please pray that I do not allow that ache to overcome me, it is not what I want nor what she would have wanted. I miss her and I always will, this day and this time need to be looked upon with joy not sorrow.

Matters of the Heart

Over the past month I have spent more time worrying and talking about my heart than I ever thought I would be before the age of 50 (at least).
Not too long ago my mom and I started working out with a physical trainer. While I would not consider myself to be in tip top shape I didnt ever imagine that I would be struggling either. Within a few days of working out my trainer commented to me that she was worried about my heart racing after a short time on the treadmill. I wasnt really worried about it because I felt fine and had no symptoms.
Fastforward a couple of weeks and my trainer was still worried so I mentioned it to my doctor. My doctor checked all she could in her office, didnt seem too concerned, but decided that we would have things checked out just to make sure something didnt get overlooked, so she ordered a stress test.
I completed my stress test and received another "your heartrate does go up a good bit, but I'm not sure it's anything to worry about". Right about the time I was beginning to feel relieved and started to put the whole process behind me the heart doc said "I'd like to order an ultrasound of your heart just to make sure we arent overlooking anything I cant see".
Now under normal circumstances I would be grateful for the detail in checking everything out but right now it is very overwhelming. Overwhelming on several fronts:
1) They're talkin about my heart---scary stuff!
2) I have a wedding to plan here! No time to spend worrying over heart conditions. I need to worry over what flowers I'm going to carry and who is playing during the service---not what's going on with my heart.
3) Taking time out for heart appointments cuts into my wedding planning, sleeping, and social life.
4) My insurance runs out at the end of the month, in exactly 4 days. This creates problems in scheduling appointments in time so that I can still be covered and not have to pay a fortune.
5) Speaking of paying, since I am no longer working now is not exactly the best time to be paying hundreds of dollars to go to the doctor and also leaves the question of what expenses might come with the results of these tests (as in long term care if problem is found).

Hopefully I will get some results from the ultrasound very soon (praying for good news), waiting is not easy!!

I am very grateful for the prayers and encouragement my family and friends have offered me and I am trying my best to trust in God. Trusting God during the bad times as well as the good...not always easy.

Two weeks and two days, 16 days, 384 hours

...................until our wedding day!!!!!!
While the big day is quickly approaching my to do list is ever growing! I am amazed at how many things are still left to be done. When I lay down at night my mind is usually racing with all of the things that are left to be taken care of. I have stayed up WAY too late over the last couple of weeks looking at bridal bouquets, picking out pictures/songs, emailing various people involved, writing thank you notes, etc.
I can understand why I have heard so many brides say they are ready for the whole process to be over and that they just want to be married.
Throughout the last year I have really tried hard to enjoy the process of planning a wedding. I dont want to wish certain seasons of my life away. I dont want to live each season wishing for the next. I want to (as much as possible) enjoy planning a special day to celebrate our wedding with family and friends. I want to be honest when I tell people I'm excited about the wedding, excited to be getting married. I am excited to be getting married! We have waited a LONG time for this special day!
I am very excited to see everyone who is coming to join us for our special day. I cant wait to all of the things we have been planning over the last couple of months come into realization. I cant wait to be married :)

planning and seeking

While my last post was only a few weeks ago it feels like it has been forever. I have been quite busy with all things bridal. We have had two showers, engagement pictures, and multiple appointments around various aspects of wedding. There have been days where I have felt very overwhelmed and other days where things seem to be falling right into place. More than anything I am trying my best to enjoy this process. I want to look back on this time as a busy but good time, not another stressful point (Lord knows this last year has held enough of those).
On another note I am still waiting for the Lord to show me what it is I am to spend my time doing during these next phase of my life. I have had a few leads come up but nothing seems to be fitting just right or has worked out so far. I am praying that over the next few days I will receive some clarity from the Lord on which door it is He wants me to walk through. I know what my desires are but I also know that I do not want to miss what the Lord has for me.
Only 24 more days until the wedding!!!

Grief

Grief has a funny way of creeping in when you least expect it to. Earlier this week I found myself alone on the beach and wasnt sad in the least. I knew I had the time and space to deal with anything I wanted in any way that I wanted but the tears etc just never came.
Then there is tonight. I stayed up late to finish a book I started yesterday and as I closed the book this overwhelming wave of grief hit me. I got out of bed and came into the living room so that I wouldnt wake Lynn and also to get something for my dripping nose.
In the blink of an eye I miss nearly everything about her. I want her to come and hold my hand, run her hands through my hair, tell me she loves me and how proud of me she is. I want to walk with her on the beach, to share the joys of our upcoming wedding, to plan what we're going to eat for dinner, to sit and rock on the porch together. I want her to be here on this trip with me, to be there as I come home from trips and listen to all of my adventures. I miss her so much! I am amazed at the physical pain I feel in my chest as my heart hurts.
I know that she is in Heaven, finally healed and happy with Jesus, but on nights like tonight that does little for my wounded heart.
Right now I just want her back. I want what we used to have.

Beach Therapy

From the get go of this trip I have had mixed feelings. This is the first trip I have taken since my grandmother passed away in November. Trips were our thing, we went on nearly all of them together and when she couldn't go with me she tried her best to pay for part of my trip. With that being said I was not sure I was ready to take a trip without her, especially with Lynn who was the third sidekick, my other "funny lady".

Right away in the car we both admitted we were having mixed feelings about things but felt as if we needed to do this. One way or another we would make it through this new normal together.

It has helped somewhat that Lynn's friend Donna has made the trip with us. It is definately different and I still miss my grandmother something fierce.

I am grateful for the opportunity to make this trip with people who will allow me to process this as I need to. It has been nice to do things at my own speed (esp. since life has not done a lot of that this past year).

So far we have laughed and cried, played cards, walked on the beach, swam in the pool and enjoyed some great food and rest.

Turner love!

The last part of my visit to GA looked much the same. I did not get anything posted because we stayed very busy! We swam, chilled and simply enjoyed one another. The kids and I left Wednesday mid-day to come back up to NC. Once we were back in NC we unpacked our stuff, said hey to Aaron, and then headed off to the playground. The kids spent that night with me so that the next day we could go to the......pool....of course!!! Late in the afternoon I managed to pull them out of the pool so that we could head out and meet Mimi.
Super Bradley! (Not sure what made him put this on the night before we left but it was too cute)

The kids spent Thursday evening with Mimi. Friday morning I drove out to pick up the kids for the Folkmoot parade. We met up with Keisha and her daughter on Main St. We enjoyed snacks and water as we waited for the parade to start. Our friends Bruce and Amy joined us with thier daughter and Amy's mom right before the parade started. Overall everyone enjoyed the parade. The adults and bigger kids really seemed to get into it while the two little ones never really seemed interested.

After the parade we ran a few errands and rested before Outdoor Movie Night at the church. We all had a blast setting out our chairs and blankets to watch the movie. The kids layed there the whole time and did not make a peep! They were so cute laying under the blankets together. I hope they are always as close as they are now.

The next day we went back to the pool for one more round of swimming before heading back to Mimi's.

I'm not sure if I will see the kids again before they go back home but I have really enjoyed the extended amount of time I was able to spend with them this summer! Words cannot express how much I love those two kiddos and how blessed I am that they love me like they do in return.

I can't wait to see them in the wedding!

Turners day two

Today was not quite as busy, in its own way. The kids and I all slept late and enjoyed a quiet mid day around the house. Bradley and Megan played on the wii for a bit while I read. After awhile we decided to head on down to the pool. There are two pools here in their development--the "big" pool and the "little" pool. The "big" pool is slightly larger and has a water slide. Yesterday we spent our time at the "little" pool so today we ventured out to the "big" one. After several hours of splashing around we headed to Target for some pool toys, goggles, and snacks. Once we were finished shopping we headed straight back for some more pool fun. Around 8:30 Amy called to see if I had left town with the kids and to tell us that supper was ready if we were interested in coming home to eat.
These kids bless my heart so very much. When I finished eating Megan looked at me and asked me if I wanted to color some more. She said "I just want to spend time with you". Never mind the fact that we have spent every waking moment together for the last two days. How sweet it is to be loved like this!! (Anyone else just start singing?)
We ended our evening by watching National Treasure 2.
Now I'm off to spend some time hangin out with my late night gal.

**Sorry about the lack of pictures today. Most if not all of the pictures that I took today were with the water cameras we bought at Target.

Multiple posts

I posted three times today. So if you are interested in "all" (ok, some) of what I have been up to keep scrolling on down.

Turners day one

Since I knew I would have lots of pictures to share with you I thought I would try to post a bit each day about what we are up to on my visit down to GA.

I was LONG overdue for a trip down to visit with the Turners. It had been nearly two years since my last visit.......wayyyyyyyyyy too long.

After a quick visit down to the gift mart with Mom earlier in the week it worked out for me to be able to bring Amy back down again on Saturday evening.

This morning we woke up and went to church then lunch. After lunch we came back and chilled out around the house for a bit before heading to the pool. The evening was spent inside due to a thunderstorm. Since we were inside we passed the time by eating, coloring, and watching tv.

Here are a few of the highlights from today in pictures.

These pictures are from Bradley's "state" championship games (ended up being a double header). He played so well! I was so proud of him.

4th of July

The fourth of July was full of great fun!

To celebrate the day we went over to Spunky and Keisha's for a wonderful meal with friends. After a fantastic time of fellowship and food we all loaded up and went over to the lake to watch the fireworks.

Thanks Spunky and Keisha for a great night!

These two were such sweeties--and super cute too!

Prayers needed

Friends,
My family needs your prayers right now. I dont want to go into details just yet but please be in prayer for us as it seems that life could really be changing. Just to ease minds--this is not health related.
Love yall!

Fun with Friends

I appologize right now for the crazy pictures, I couldnt get them to go straight for me for some reason.

Since I am no longer working and the construction/remodeling at Grandmother's is slowing down I have finally had a few moments to spend with friends.

Several nights ago my friends Brandon and Jennifer came over with thier girls to play in the sprinkler and hang out. We had a great night of fun together!

On the last weekend in June we drove down to Old Fort for Jonathon and Rena's wedding. We had a great time and enjoyed getting to see our Chrysalis friends!

This past weekend my former college roommate, best friend and "sister" came up for a visit. We had a great time catching up, wedding planning, and hanging out together. I can't wait for her to come back in just a couple of weeks!!

Tomorrow I am looking forward to a fun day of family and friends as we celebrate the Fourth of July! The coming weeks will also be filled with many visits with friends. I will be sure to post often including pictures. Happy Fourth of July everyone!

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to my Daddy!

I love you!

Friday's Fun

I am excited for all of the fun that is going to be happening tomorrow! In the morning I am going to get up do a few productive type things then head towards Cherokee to see some of my family that is camping there. I am looking forward to a day where I can hang out with family I don't see often and relax. Maybe I'll even take a dip in the pool.
In the afternoon I will head back to Waynesville to pick up my keys (I left them in my aunt's car earlier today--oops), take a quick shower (maybe), and then meet my mom and some other dear friends for an evening of girlie fun. I'm not sure what we are doing when we get together but our final destination will be Chonda Pierce. Fun, Christian, giggly and girlie.
Hopefully I will have pictures to post soon. I am tired of blogging and not being able to add updated photos!

Also to come--Birthday shout outs to some of my favorite people!!

updates and a few thoughts and goals...

I met my goal on Friday for being out of my classroom and turning in my key. The whole day Friday was so surreal. I packed my last load in my car and fought back the tears as I closed that chapter on my life. I dont know if God is closing the chapter on teaching for me for a season or for good. I am doing my best to place my trust in Him who loves me and has a plan for me.

This weekend didnt really feel any different from any other except for it was the first one in nearly a month when we were not moving stuff from one location to another. It was so nice to relax and enjoy life at a much slower pace. Aaron and I managed to get several things done so the weekend was not a total loss.

Today I have kicked back and relaxed much of the day. While I have the time to simply sit and do nothing I am feeling the urge to try and get a few things knocked off of the to do list. Maybe I can get a few things done.

A few summer goals (I am hoping by posting them that I will be more accountable to them):
*get back in shape
*finalize wedding plans
*find work for the fall (hopefully kiddos to watch)
*clean and organize this house

broken

Tonight while I should be working on a number of things (nevermind it is after 12 already and I have to "teach" school tomorrow, possibly without an assistant, I feel the need to post.
For days now I have looked at my blog and felt like I should update so that people can read and discover that I have accomplished many things off of the ol to do list found in the last post. But I never could seem to find the energy. This past month (well year to be more precise) has been simply exhausting. Never in my rather young life have I felt so drained day after day. While I could go on and on tonight I simply come to you broken.
I am broken over what has happened in my life this year. As I started to pack up my professional life yesterday, I opened the first cabinet and sat staring. Then I began to cry. I was so frustrated and overwhelmed with all that I had to do and the little amount of time in which to do it. I was also frustrated with the ending or perhaps delaying of a dream I have carried in my heart for nearly my entire life. Even as I sit here typing all of this out the tears roll down my face. I am broken friends. I do not know where God is driving this crazy train I am on and sometimes I even wonder if I want to continue the ride.
This week is turning out to be so much harder than I ever imagined it to be--and it's only Monday.
Please pray for me over the coming weeks and months. I am trusting that the Lord will show me His will and point me in the direction I am to go. I am also trusting that He will restore peace and joy in my life.

Movin on up...

Well, I'm not moving up per say, just to the other side of the lake. This weekend I will be moving as much stuff as possible into the house that Aaron and I will be renting for the next year. NO, we will not be living together....at least not until September. The plan is for me to move in now, get settled, have a place to move my school stuff as well as wedding gifts, and then Aaron will move in in September.

Life has and will continue to be super busy crazy for the next couple of weeks. For the record here is a quick recap of what is going to take place over the next couple of weeks:
*Finish up teaching: complete with assessments and c. folders and kiddos
*Move my house this weekend
*Go to Charlotte to order wedding bands and visit IKEA
*Organize my classroom into things I might use while out of the classroom, grade specific stuff, etc
*Bridal shower at school
*Revisit the guest list for the wedding and order invitations
*Move out of my classroom
*Organize and learn how to live in a new place

After June 12th (the last day of school) things should start to calm down a bit. At least thats what I'm hoping for. I'm hoping for a few days of rest before I have to kick my behind into full blown wedding mode. If anyone wants to come and help with any of the above items or wedding stuff please let me know!

While I have spent some time reading blogs lately I have neglected to update my own. Life at work continues to have its ups and downs. I took several days off last week to stay with my friend's girls while they were in the hospital having their fourth child.

Here is a picture of the newest addition.

I went back to work on Friday but was not very productive as I had hoped to be. It was nice to get caught up with everyone though. I also enjoyed the fact that it was an early dismissal.

Then Saturday came and I was hit with the worst sickness I have had in years. I woke up that morning with aches and pains all over. Not long after the fever came. Things only got worse as I proceeded to get sick from having too much mucus in my stomach. For the past two days I have done nothing but sleep and move from the bed to the couch. I had to take today off since I was running a fever and couldnt be around my kids. Not to mention my throat still hurt and I couldnt talk much at all. As of right now I have had very little fever and am feelin pretty decent. Things must have been pretty bad because even the cat stayed away from me until today. While I am looking forward to getting back to work so I can finish my assessments I am not looking forward to having to work a full day on my weakened system. That and I havent done a lick of planning since I have felt like poop.

Greater Things have yet to come...

Tonight I sit at my computer blown away by how blessed I am. A few days ago I stood in my kitchen opening my Easter basket and I pulled out a slip of paper saying that I had tickets to go see Natalie Grant on Tuesday night. My first reaction was how cool, quickly followed by "now that complicates my plans for the week". Little did I know how much I would need this evening of worship and personal affirmation.

It seemed like tonight's entire message (from all 4 singers) was meant for me. It was by no accident that I was attending that particular concert. Nearly everything that was said/sung spoke directly to my circumstances. I was blown away by the number of times I found myself being spoken to by God; reminders of His promises, both old and new. It was wonderful to be reminded yet once again that God is not finished with me yet. I am so thankful that He holds my future and not myself. Most of what I heard tonight was not new, but it is different when you hear it from the one who loves you and created you.

I cannot even begin to tell you how tangibly I feel the peace, joy and hope of Christ at this moment. Since Thursday when I received my answer as to my job status for next year, I quickly felt the peace that passes all understanding come over me. I do not know where I am going from here or what the future holds. I do know who holds my future and that He has greater things in store for me. Praise God!

Lots of fun with friends and cows!

Natalie Grant!

Carrying a heavy load

For many reasons I have kept one of the biggest sources of stress off of my blog over the last couple of months. I am now getting closer towards the answer that will either determine the end of this stress or send me into a whole world of unknowns. Today as I write I am asking for prayers.
Please pray for:
*Those making this decision
*My stress levels--may they not be too high nor may the impact on the rest of my body continue
*That God will prepare me for whatever the future holds and make me ok with the decision made.
**That God will grant me the desire of my heart--concerning this situation. He knows what it is I am asking for.

I will admit friends, I am scared. I am struggling with letting go and letting God. While I know I have no control over the situation I still struggle with what the outcome might be. This next week is going to be a stressful one for sure.

On top of my own struggles and stress this coming Sunday a parent at my school is taking her daughter who has battled with cancer for just over a year off of life support. This mother lost her parents, grandparents, and baby sister to a horrible tragedy almost 10 years ago; then lost her house in the floods several years ago and is now having to let her first born go be with the Lord. Please pray for this family as they let this little one go from this earth. Also, please pray for our school community as we process this loss as well.

26

In honor of turning 26 today I thought I would post 26 things you may not know about me or might just find interesting.

1) I once lived in a purple palace.
2) The word phlebotomist makes my skin crawl. I don't really like their job either since I hate needles.
3) I cant stand Sprite or Seven Up, reminds me of being sick when I was little.
4) I have a female cat named Bob.
5) I am obsessed with list making, specifically to do lists.
6) I have also become addicted to blog reading though I stink at updating my own.
7) I love to have my toes painted but only like my fingers done if they are done professionally.
8) I have nicknames for almost everyone I love.
9) If there were benefits involved I would run an in home daycare so I could play with little ones all day, every day.
10) Happy Hour at Sonic really does make my day!
11) I have several OCD issues, most of them relate to cleanliness and all of them involve my own stuff not other peoples.
12) I still get excited like a little kid over my birthday every year. I love to celebrate, hear from those that I love, and eat birthday cake w/buttercream icing!
13) I love to travel, especially with friends and family.
14) I miss my grandmother more with every passing day.
15) I am horrible about deleting emails, right now I have nearly 800 in my inbox.
16) I love to cross stitch, and crochet though I never seem to find the time to do either of them.
17) I would love a digital SLR camera.
18) I can walk on my knees.
19) I didnt get my drivers license until I was 19, and after my freshman year of college.
20) I have been to 9 different countries, a few of them more than once.
21) Sweettarts are my absolute favorite candy, especially the Chicks, Ducks, and Bunnies.
22) I have donated my hair 7 times now. I plan on donating at least 3 more times, probably more.
23) I read really quickly and have been known to finish an entire book in a day or two.
24) I love to swing.
25) I have been a Mountaineer since the sixth grade.
26) I am getting into healthy eating, but draw the line at soy milk and tofu.

Where have I been?

So I realized a few days ago that this blog would be a whole lot more fun if I actually wrote on it..updated it. I am hoping to include pictures. I know I have said that before but I would really like to get back to it. I need to work on taking the card out of the camera, putting them on the computer and then actually doing something with them. Goals for another day...

Life has been busy....if you really want details call. Too much to type :)

I am SOOO ready for Spring Break. I have major spring fever, mostly related to travel. I need to get out of Waynesville. Anyone want to go somewhere?

Just a little bit of evidence of God's love this week:
**Positive comments from my lead teacher about my efforts at work
*I won a door prize at my workshop tonight b/c I was the only one in the room who has a birthday this month. And on top of that it's purple!!
*Getting to meet, hold, and feed baby Braydon

Only 2 more days til my birthday!!
(15 more days til Aaron's birthday and 177 days until we get married)

a look at the numbers..

As of today:
*20 days until my birthday!
*33 days until Aaron's birthday!
*195 days until our wedding!

a bit of snowday stress relief...

This afternoon I took some time, stepped away from my work and went outside to play in the snow. It is amazing what some peaceful white snow and an amazing fiance can do for you! Here are a few pictures of our fun outside in the snow!

Here is a quick glimpse of our feet next to each other. Aaron was surprised my feet are so big...guess he is still learning new things about me!

I love this pic! Isn't he handsome!?!

officially concerned

I dont want to go into much on here but I did want to let those of you know who love me and pray for me that I am officially concerned right now. Based on some news I received on Friday I am going to be changing some of the things I do and working my little tail off. And most importantly praying without ceasing, and asking those that love me to do the same. I do not know what the outcome of this will be and truth be told it is scary. I am doing my best to trust that God has my best interest at heart and knows the outcome, but it is not easy.
Please join me in praying for the following:
*Favor
*Direction
*Calm nerves/positive attitude
*Return of joy/self esteem

I do not know when the end of this trial will be or what the final outcome. I will pass along any additional information as I am able. I thank you in advance for your prayers.

continuing to learn life's lessons...

Much of my life lately has involved teaching. Now that may sound a bit dumb since my job is teaching first graders. But I am learning that often I am being the one taught and not always the one teaching. Through many different circumstances Christ is showing me that I am not in control (hard to believe I know...). The lesson continues with one of conviction and humbleness, two less than easy pills to swallow.
While I dont want to go into things on the web. I am grateful for the prayers of those that I love and also for the fact that Christ is in control of my life. I am learning to daily, moment by moment, lay everything before Him.
I am blessed. So very blessed to be loved by an Almighty Savior and some amazing family and friends.
Keep praying friends, this journey is not over.
And please let me know if there is any way I can pray for you.
Love and blessings!

t is for tired

Tired is the one word that has described me over these last few days. For a number of reasons my body is worn out right now. I wanted to post a quick note to let everyone know that I am still around...and longing for the days to get caught up digitally, but for now I must head to bed. Hopefully I can find some time in the next couple of days to get caught up on some of my to dos and want to dos. Love to all!

sneaky!

While I am at school I have only a few options of the sites I normally visit that will make it through the insane firewall here. So why am I able to get on today? Who knows! But hey, I am and for that I'm excited. :) I have only a few quick moments before my kids come back from P.E. all sweaty and stinky. Just enough time for a mini (and really random) update on what I've been up to. Life has been very busy. Things at work are going better right now. I am finally finishing up with conferences (thank you snow) and moving onto more exciting things with my free time. This past weekend we celebrated my little friend Deseray's birthday. Ah to be 7 again. Since it was in the low/mid 60's we were able to celebrate outside at the lake. Aaron and I only have one semi free evening this week, which is fun but also very tiring. Tonight is our new life group--Fireproof your marriage. This study is based on the movie Fireproof and hopefully will give us a lot of wonderful advice to starting off our marriage on the right foot with Christ as the head.
Well...thats all the time I have for now. Sorry for the scatterbrained randomness of this post!

hangin with mr. cooper!!

A couple of weekends ago I was blessed with the opportunity to go down to Winston and visit with some of my favorite people. I left that Saturday morning and drove down the mountain. The main reason for that visit was not to spend time with my bestest friend but to spend time with the most wonderful nephew one could have!
Awhile back I mentioned to Sean and Christal that I would love to come down and stay with Cooper one night so that they could go out on a date with each other. As I talked more and more with Christal, defining plans I could tell how excited they were for the opportunity. While I know that they genuinely appreciated the offer and were excited by it, it was I who received the blessing. I LOVED having the opportunity to love on them and spend time with the ever adorable and heart stealing Cooper man.
While Sean and Christal went on their progressive date I spent precious time with Cooper, soaking in all of his sweet smiles and new developments. We ate, sang, played, read stories, and simply enjoyed each other. I was so blessed to have the opportunity to spend time with him. To be trusted with his care. After he fell asleep I spent a few moments watching him sleep and thanking God for the blessing of such a sweet young man.
The rest of the weekend was filled with wonderful Giese conversations and some Abby time!
I cannot even begin to express what a blessing this trip was for me!!! I loved having the opportunity to love on those that I love. Ain't God good?!

a few quick thoughts

I dont have long tonight, b/c I am soooo very tired. We had a great superbowl party yesterday, more to come on that later. I really wanted to hop on here and put down some quick thoughts so that I could return to them in the next couple of days and expand upon them.
More to come on the following:
*Winston trip
*Superbowl party
*Wedding planning updates
*25 Random things
Who knows what else friends. I'm a bit too tired to know what else I logged on to write tonight. Off to bed.

days off

So far this week I have had two days off (without children). Tomorrow is another teacher workday. While not all of my coworkers are excited about the time off I am thankful for the time my Lord has provided me with to not only rest but also get caught up on paperwork before our report cards go out next week. I do have a few assessments to finish up during the next few days but I feel certain that all things will be accomplished in time.
And until then I am enjoying the extra snuggle time with my hunny! I hope that you and yours have enjoyed the recent weather and stayed warm.

Snow day!

After many days of snow forecasts it finally looks like today might actually amount to something white for all to see. Hooray!!
I was very unproductive at work today as it was VERY cold in my room and I could see the snow falling off and on from my door. The only thing I can successfully say I completed was my parent conference at 3:00 this afternoon. After that was over I put on my jacket, loaded my stuff up, and left. Driving home was like riding through a Winter Wonderland. Snow was falling very quickly all around me. Things just seemed quieter and calmer.
I felt the anticipation of a day off building. Fortuanately Haywood County schools did not make me wait long and called me before 7:00 tonight letting me know that I could sleep late tomorrow!!

Thank you Jesus for snow!

It's been a good day...

This morning Aaron, Zach, and I loaded up the car and set off for the Big House. We got there right as they were working on creating the prayer vigil banner and agape bags. For the first few minutes we walked around enjoying those that we had not seen in a LONG time and trying to find our place again amoung the happenings. Within minutes I turned to see the two men I brought and whom I love dearly, down on their hands and knees drawing on the banner. Ah, I know that my smile could not compare to the one my holy Savior was giving at that sight. I had a wonderful day serving others and spreading the love of Christ. After lunch we made about 7-10 different agape items to share with these 4 caterpillars over the weekend. Thats a lot of love for 4 men. Exciting to think just how much God loves us--that he would put together a whole weekend for just 4 people!
On our way home tonight I got a call from Mom saying it was snowing at home and for us to be careful. I felt like a little kid when I saw the snowflakes start hitting my car right as I got off of our exit. The only thing that could make it better would be the forcast--snow for the next 3 days!!

six years!

Six years ago this evening I went out to dinner with a friend, and came back his girlfriend! After several hours talking and hanging out on the playground I remember getting back to the room that night telling Abby and then hopping onto the phone to call Sean and Christal.

These past six years have been full of their ups and downs and have included several different degrees of long distance. We have laughed, argued, cried and loved. Overall I can say that I am more in love with him than ever before. I cannot wait to begin this next stage of our relationship as husband and wife!!!

I love you sweetie!!!

S is for...

snow (well........here's to hopin for it ;)
sweetarts
superbowl party with friends (you should come!)
sleepy sleepy teacher


i know this is one super short list but i am one super sleepy gal and i simply cant think of anything more......haha!
hopefully i can update with something more important and informational soon