Life in Pictures: Vacation (Part 2)

We said goodbye to Ryan's family and left Fernandina on Friday (April 22) and made our way back to Graceville to spend Easter weekend with my family. I was beyond excited because since Abigail has been born, we have not spent an Easter together with my family. First on the agenda was some outdoor play with Marlee. I love this pic of Marlee. She wasn't happy with me because I kept telling her to stop and say cheese!

On Saturday, my mom and I went grocery shopping. The girls wanted to go so we told them if they stayed with Hannah, we'd bring them back a surprise.

Later, it was time for some fun in the sun and water. The water was still a bit too cold but the girls had fun running around in their bathing suits and being silly.

Before supper, we let the girls dye some Easter eggs. They had so much fun picking which colors they wanted to use and dropping the eggs into the cups. Abigail was a little too enthusiastic on the first one and ended up cracking her egg.

We had a really busy day. After supper we took the girls down to Heritage Village and took some pictures of them in the matching outfits Nana bought for them. Here are a few of my favorites.

The girls were troopers and did such a great job getting their pictures taken. I thought the results were great for a basic digital camera. One day, maybe, I'll finally get to own a DSLR and take my photography to another level. I'll keep taking pictures anyway.

After pictures, we went back to Nana and Papa's house and ate some cupcakes that I made, recipe courtesy of Paula Deen and the Food Network. I can't remember what they are called but in short, you mix one box of chocolate brownie mix according to the cake-like brownies. I used the dark chocolate brownie mix. Put cupcake papers in a cupcake pan. Fill papers up half way, then add a layer of peanut butter chips, finish filling up paper with more brownie mix. Bake according to directions on box. I added some cream cheese frosting to mine and they were delish!

After cupcakes, the girls got a bath and were ready for bed. We had to get to bed early because Easter was the next day! Blog coming soon!

I am Not a Runner (But I Hope to Be)

While I still have a few posts waiting on me to write them, I wanted to share with you my upcoming journey.

A year or so ago, I heard about a program called Couch-To-5K or C25K. It's a running program that is supposed to take you from a non-runner to running a 5K in 9 weeks. I AM NOT A RUNNER. I was doubtful, but several friends were doing it and it was working for them. So I decided to give it a try. I did the first day and thought I was going to die. I blamed the cold weather and gave up. Even in grade school, I hated being made to run in P.E. during the winter months. I hate that burn in my chest. I convinced myself I would take it up again when it warmed up some. We moved to Louisiana a month or so later and here we are.

Over a year has gone by and I haven't run the first time. I've had an on again, off again, relationship with exercise for a long time. In a recent post, I told you about making some different food choices and trying to be healthier. I have to say that I've done a fairly good job. However, vacation and moving, put a strain on my new lifestyle and often over the past two weeks convenience won over being healthy. I'm not proud of it, but instead of being defeated, I'm just going to pick myself up and keep going

. I finally made it to the grocery store on Saturday. I'm still not sure why I wait to go to Walmart until Saturday. It's practically a suicide mission. Anyway, I bought groceries, healthy options, of course and I also purchased Jillian Michaels JumpStart 14 Day Cleanse and Burn kit. I also ordered some running shoes online. I plan on starting the cleanse and burn kit tomorrow and as soon as my new shoes come in, I'm going to start the C25K program. I've already gotten my ipod charged and week one's podcast downloaded. I love that someone is going to be telling me when to walk and when to run.

So be on the look out for updates and so forth along the way.

Here is a picture of me today, Mother's Day. Hopefully, I'll be able to see a difference soon:

Life In Pictures: Vacation

A few weeks ago, we took a vacation to see family and friends. Stopping off in Graceville first to break up our driving time, spending most of the week in Fernandina, and then back to Graceville for Easter before returning home. Here is our trip in pictures:

Abigail with her Meme when we went to see Rio. It was a really cute movie.

 We were finally able to have family pictures taken while we were in Fernandina. A while back we won a free photo shoot with Brittany Brock Photography and on this trip it worked out for us. Please check out her blog and see what an amazing photographer she is. Some of our pictures are on there too.

My wonderful Mother-in-law took me shopping for my birthday. It was such a nice treat to be able to buy some new things for myself. We also stopped off at Teavana which is my new addiction :) Afterwards, we had a yummy lunch at Mimi's Cafe. If you ever get the chance to eat there you must try there corn chowder. Delicious!

We enjoyed a lot of family time with Ryan's family. This was the night we ate at Slider's. I just love Ronnie and Jonathan's faces. You can tell where Ryan and Jon get their craziness from, right? The only thing missing was Mimi...and Granddaddy. Such a bittersweet time.

A visit to the the Pippi Longstocking house was a must. They filmed "The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking" in Fernandina and this was the house they used as the Villa Villekulla. I was obsessed with Pippi Longstocking as a child and I LOVE that Abigail has taken interest in her as well.

Our last night there Ronnie and Lavoyne took us to Kabuki to eat. I LOVE Japanese food so it was an awesome treat!

What's the perfect way to end a vacation in Fernandina? With a cupcake from Bliss Cupcakery in Yulee. They were to die for!

For more pictures from our vacation, friends can check them out on my Facebook page.

Coming soon: a blog about Easter and the rest of our trip in Graceville.

Moving Day Blues

I feel like there is so much to blog about but I have just been so tired. Every time I sit down to try, my thoughts aren't coherent.

Last Saturday was my 28th birthday. It, by far, was the worse birthday that I've ever had. Why? Well, Saturday was moving day. We got a later start than intended, had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, I dropped Ryan off at the U-Haul place, dropped Abigail off at my friend Dana's house, and made my way back to Pearl River. Thankfully our friend Josh came over to help us. What I thought would take several hours turned into an entire day. Let's suffice it to say that, not everything that could have been done before hand had been done, even though I had tried my hardest and we didn't have all the help we really needed. Oh well.

Around 6:30 PM my stress kicked into high gear and I felt so overwhelmed with everything that still had to be done that I just broke down and cried in our near empty kitchen in Pearl River. I believe my husband was giving me the, "what in the world are you crying about now" look but being the sweetie that he is, he calmed me down and reassured me. I also hadn't seen my baby girl all day. It was my birthday and I was dirty, tired, sore, hungry, overwhelmed, and missing my mini-me like crazy. So, we made haste, finished loading up the last of the stuff in the U-Haul and headed to pick up Abigail.

With puffy, red eyes, hair that looked like I had stuck my finger in a light socket, dirty clothes, and a child who was already in her pj's, we made our way to McAlister's. Supper on moving day wouldn't be complete without a little drama to add to our stress but without getting into a whole other story, just know, that while we felt like we were dealt with unjustly, we did what was right even when doing the wrong thing would have felt much better. We finally made it to our new home sometime around 10 PM. At this point, nothing had been unpacked in the house, Ryan still had to unpack the last U-Haul load, and I had to make the beds. Thank goodness they had already been put together!

At about midnight, everything had finally been unloaded, Ryan and I were able to take much needed showers, and we laid down to sleep in our new home. It wasn't a very restful night but we endured, and morning came. The day started all over with another breakfast at Cracker Barrel, dealing with some stuff at the old house, and unpacking the new. Oh and taking the U-Haul truck back. We worked hard for several hours and then took a nap. My friend Dana picked Abigail up around 3 PM and took her over to her house to play with her kids. I picked her up around 7 PM, had some birthday cake Dana had made for me (such a sweet friend), and then came home to work some more. The new house had finally started to look like a home before we called it a night.

On Monday, it was back to work for both of us. We've done some piddling around the house during the week and I got some more stuff done today. We still have a bit to do but we aren't rushing. I think we all need to catch up on all the sleep we've missed but we're thankful to be together, living in a place the Lord has provided for us. There are things about the house/neighborhood that I'm not fond of but I have found that there are more things to be thankful for than there are to complain about. Here is a short list of the things I am thankful for about our new place:

1. Central-Heating and Air
2. Carpet
3. Washer and dryer inside
4. A park in walking distance of our house
5. Rent we can afford

So, while my birthday may not have been the best, Mother's Day is Sunday. Here's to hoping my hubby and child make up for the lack of birthday fun! Feel free to give him a hint! :)

Update: Moving

I've been itching to sit down and blog for the past couple of days but I haven't really had the time. I decided to go ahead and get a blog post in today before I call in a night. Be on the lookout for a post or two about our recent vacation and Easter but for now let's talk about...MOVING.

After all the weeks of the stress of not knowing what we were doing and where we were going, I had a good week off. I didn't think about packing or moving, or any of that stuff. But after arriving back in Louisiana on Sunday night, it has taken over my life. Well, at least for the next few days anyway.

My house is in a state of total disaster. I have been packing, organizing, sorting, etc. all of our JUNK! I shouldn't say junk because I am thankful for all that the Lord has blessed us with. But for someone who has moved a total of 5 times over the last 10 years, I still don't know how I have so much stuff. I guess adding a husband and a baby to the mix hasn't helped. :) Packing up your whole house makes the Amish lifestyle look so appealing.

I'm at that point where I feel like I've accomplished a lot but when I take a look around, it sure doesn't look like it. There is stuff everywhere. We had a couple of minor setbacks with moving today that added to my stress but everything worked out. I need to take my husbands advice more often, just breathe. Sometimes I forget something as simple as breathing when I'm under pressure. Deep breaths really do work to calm you down and relieve stress. Try it sometime.

Hopefully, Ryan will be able to move some of our stuff over and put it in place over the next couple of days. Our big moving day in Saturday. I would love to have everything done and be completely moved in and settled by Sunday afternoon. We'll see how it goes. Of course I'll post some pictures of the new place once everything is settled.

Life is Like A Roller Coaster, Baby

The wait is finally over. The official news is that we will be staying in Louisiana for at least another year.

To make a long story short, we were hoping to move back closer to family, either in Fernandina Beach or in Graceville. In the long run, none of our options worked out and we made the decision today to stay in Louisiana for the time being. I for one, even though disappointed, was relieved to finally have a decision. I felt like I'd been on this crazy, emotional, roller coaster, for the last month or so, and I just wanted off. When the ride came to a stop today, I can't say that there wasn't a moment of tears, but I rest in the fact that God is sovereign and in control.

Ryan did some paperwork with the realtor today on the apartment we want to rent in Slidell. We should know something soon. But unless something unexpected comes up, it should be a done deal. We really like the place. It's in a nice neighborhood, has a great backyard, and is in walking distance of a park.

Ryan's vacation starts Sunday afternoon after he gets off work. We'll drive to Graceville and stay with my parent's on Sunday night and then on to Fernandina to spend the week with Ryan's family. I'm really looking forward to spending time with family and friends next week. After that, it will be back home to pack and get ready to move across town. Continue to pray for us.

Waiting...

I wonder how much of our lives are actually spent waiting? We wait in line at the grocery store, bank, or drive-thru? We wait for a table at a restaurant or wait on people to show up for an appointment or an event? We wait on our spouses to get ready, we wait at the Dr's office, we wait for prescriptions to be filled when we're sick. Let's face it...we spend a LOT of time waiting. Some of us are better at waiting than other's. If I'm prepared for a wait, I bring a book or my NOOK, to occupy my time. If I forget, I usually annoy my brother with text messages while I wait. :) But how often do we get aggravated while waiting. Honestly, I'm not a very patient person, so if I have to wait longer than I think necessary, I tend to get agitated or upset. But what does the Bible have to say about waiting? Actually, quite a lot.

Hebrews 6:15 "And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise."

Psalm 40:1 "I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry."

Psalm 10:5-6 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,and in his word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning."

Isaiah 40:31 "but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint."

Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!"

Psalm 37:34 "Wait for the Lord and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off."

As you can see, the Bible has a lot to say about waiting. I have to remind myself of this everyday. The current situation that we are in has tested my patience and my ability to wait to the limit. I feel like all I've done for the past month is wait. I constantly have to remind myself that God's timing is always the right timing. But it's hard to remember that when you're up against a deadline. So at least for a couple more days, I'll be WAITING! No matter the outcome, I will rejoice in the Lord because He is good and His love endures forever!