I've been in a horrid funk lately. I've wanted nothing more than to sit on my couch all- day everyday, bemoaning the smallest things. After realizing that I seriously needed to shake off my bad vibes, I have been trying my hardest to find things to do that make me happy.
Well if you look really closed into this strange dark- tinted photo you'll notice 2 things. 1) A majestic tiger poised perfectly in the background, regally raising his bulbous head. 2) I'm surrounded by 3 of the sweetest, spunkiest, and my most favorite little boys in the entire world. Or universe or galaxy or whatever.
My sweet Colebug's class went on a field trip to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, when they asked if I would want to go, I knew the only answer worth giving would be yes. As Cole rounded the corner and saw me waiting with his family (who also went on this trip) his face lit up as if I was Santa Claus! I knew it would be a great day.
Quotes of the day:
Cole, referring to petting a fish, "If you touch a pet fish you'll turn into a mermaid, right Dub?"
WL, looking through binoculars, "I just saw a ostrich's butt crack!"
Cole, after I said I hope they could travel the world, sighs, "I wish I could spend the night in the forest."
And I won't say what WL said when we saw a fat pig-like creature laying down with legs spread and genitals bulging out! Children are the funniest.
(The past 2 pics: Kelly was not a fan of the boys hair parts, but it sure is sweet to me!)
The whole gang! And here is the previously mentioned pig- like animal ;) Kellan was just fascinated.
I figured I mine as well keep up the blogging, I’ve blogged more this month that the last two combined. And this is only post #5 of the month. Woops. So if you read what I wrote last, it was featuring the celebration of our second wedding anniversary. However, I never really got into detail about how we did so.
Graham and I, as you might have guessed, love to travel and experience new places. We had previously decided that my birthday (in October) and our anniversaries (in April, obviously) were just far enough apart that we would try to plan trips around those time frames. Originally we discussed Vegas or Anaheim as a few get-away options. After contemplating even more, we remembered (insert embarrassed emoji) about our trip to Salt Lake City in June! And two huge trips less than 8 weeks apart didn’t make sense, so we scrapped those plans to look for new ones. We threw out other possibilities: Tampa, Panama City, but finally Graham said, “Well hey, what about Atlanta?” I grew up in Georgia, but never really experienced the touristy things in the ATL, so the more we talked about we decided: why not?
Two days before our anniversary, Saturday morning, we left. Our plan was to arise at 5am, leave straight for Stone Mountain. Of course though, we slept through our alarms and finally got on the road at 9am. We downloaded an audiobook to keep us occupied and loaded the car down with snacks before we left. After getting stuck in traffic right as we were on the outskirts of the city, we finally made it at 3pm.
The actual fee to enter Stone Mountain was the $15 parking fee, not too shabby. There were lots of different excursions going on, but we decided to keep it simple by only purchasing tickets to ride the sky lift. I, being a person of questionable character, was completely comfortable with going in the lift right until it came time to step in the doors of the claw-like contraption. Naturally, everything was fine, the view was beautiful and I was happy to forgo the 1.3 mile hike to the top. From that vantage point we got a spectacular view of the tops of Atlanta, we ran into a couple of rebel flag wavin’ folks and Graham marveled at the greenery growing from this humongous rock. After a decent amount of time staring of from afar, we ended up catching a ride back to get ready for the lasershow! Realizing we waited too late to get really good seats (and that we didn’t come prepared with blankets, chairs, coolers and the like) we finally sat down on a large boulder (haha) which wasn’t too bad. So for whatever strange reason, when Graham told me there was a lasershow, I thought he meant a fireworks show, and I didn’t figure it out until the words “LASERSHOW SPECTACULAR” was broadcast over the rock’s carvings of the Confederacy in colorful lasers. Woops! The show was extremely good, very different from anything I had seen and it kept a nice theme throughout.
After more crazy traffic as we attempted to leave, we worked our way deep into the heart of downtown to our hotel. Graham was bursting at the seams to get to the place he booked- the Ritz Carlton. Typically we wouldn’t splurge on a very pricy hotel but he managed to get a fantastic corporate deal from his work. It was extremely nice! We did feel sort of out of place because it was so flashy. At one point we sat in the elevator wondering why the door wouldn’t close when, after we walked in and out of it two different times, a doorman showed us that we had to flash our room card towards the controls to prove that we were supposed to be there. Very fancy, but we felt like dorks! Graham informed them of our anniversary beforehand, so we were placed on the 17th floor (the highest I have ever been), were give a bottle of sparkling cider and had 4 chocolate covered strawberries with a congratulatory note from the hotel. It was very, very nice. Thanks Ritz!
On Sunday we (guiltily) decided to go to a Braves baseball game due to their weird scheduling. Graham and I are both fans of the team, but really it’s more like supporting them without having watched a game in fifteen years (insert second embarrassed emoji). After getting on the Marta, we were transferred to a bus, then finally delivered to Turner Field. We had decided to scalp tickets, to see if we could get them any cheaper than the online purchases. After battling it out with three crazed scalpers, including me nearly hyperventilating as two fought over selling us seats, we had bought 2 seats in the top section for $25. Not too shabby. As we entered the stadium (it is called a stadium right? Ugh) I retold Graham the story of my first Braves game experience, which happened in 3rd
grade where my school had sent me for reading so many books, with a glint of admiration in my eye. It seemed like so long ago, I was really gearing up for another good time. They were playing the New York Mets for the day, which was fine because like I mentioned, we don’t keep up with baseball. We cheered when a lucky homerun was scored, we hissed when the Mets were at bat. After 7 great innings with a tied score, a newbie pitcher allowed 3 walk-ons which ultimately led to a 4-3 win for the Mets but we were not dismayed, after all we had pizza, cotton candy and a jumbo hot dog! It was so fun that we kind of decided to start watching baseball more consistently.
Later that evening we decided to go out to eat but couldn’t pick a place. Eventually we decided to get something local and walked across the street to Meehan’s Public Place, an Irish restaurant. Let me tell you, if you’re in downtown- go. It was so yummy!! We started off with the tiniest slivers of fried pickles (currently still dreaming about). Graham had a huge burger and I had some yummy mashed potatoes. Since it was more of a pub there were several large televisions showing the Yankees vs the Red Sox that we watched. We were so into it that we went back to the room and finished it up. So, irony, we watched 2 professional games in 1 day- while we hadn't watched even one in over a decade.
As we woke up on Monday we were like “wow, two years today, just wow.” Because time flies, ya know? So as we checked out of our hotel, we decided to keep our car in the valet since there is usually lots of traffic downtown with little parking. We planned to walk but the valet insisted that get a ride with them in their Cadillac. Well, if we must ;) So they drove us straight to the true heart of downtown. We decided on the Georgia Aquarium over the Coke Factory- though one day I shall go- since an overwhelming amount of people voted we go there instead. It was sort of expensive, I thought, $40 bucks a person. Now that I have went, I can say it was so worth it.
There is way too much to list that we actually did, but our favorites included: riding on a conveyer belt as a Whale Shark swam over our heads, getting splashed by dolphins following their show, the sea star touching station and, my most favorite, the interactive penguin exhibit! Seriously, ya’ll, those penguins were so sweet!
After spending several hours lurking around the aquarium, at 3 we decided to head home. We voted against the valet service, no cash on hand, and ended up getting caught in a downpour! Eventually we arrived at the Ritz, aka the classiest place ever, looking like drowned rats as we asked for our car with no way to tip. Hashtag fail. After a smooth drive we arrived in Jacksonville at 8 o’clock, decided to grab a good old anniversary meal at Carrabba’s and were home by 10. Ugh, every single time we travel somewhere I find it amazing how much the world has to offer. And now, the countdown is finally on for both of us to go to Utah and Idaho together!
Graham and I
walked around the local park by our house for a long, long time last night. We
talked pretty extensively about our future, everything that might happen. Both of us have felt very
restless as of late. We’re approaching our anniversary and that big 2
is leering at me constantly. It makes me feel unsettled. It makes me think that
we are soon to leave our Newlywed stage behind. I’m gearing up for something, I
think so anyways.
As we talked it
was strange to attempt to plan a future when there are so few things we can
control. Some efforts are strictly out of our hands. Specifically relating to G’s
work, for instance, when will a promotion come? The next raise? Will we have to
move for him to get his dream position? Lots of unanswered questions have been
running through our minds.
Work, school, a
home- we have thought and talked and prayed about each, and still don’t have
all of the answers. Sometimes we butt heads and can’t reach a mutual agreement.
It’s hard to be an adult with all of the options but have none of the answers.
Oh to see into the future!
So what to do?
I think we are at
the stage of our lives where it’s sink or swim. Do or do not. What other time
in our lives will we find ourselves young and without many commitments? I really
do think God is getting us ready for new things for our family, just my boy and
myself. It could mean new jobs or a real house, maybe even relocating… I don’t
know. But I think I finally am ready to tackle something new.
Cheese alert: Grateful every day for my life with him!
A few months ago, I reached out to my cousin Jamie who was recently engaged to offer my services in decorating. It was decided that I would be in charge of all table centerpieces in the social hall. For those who know me, few things make me happier than working on a craft and seeing it successfully executed. After months of planning, salvaging and gathering up all the right items, I think it fit the theme just right; it really was a cute "simple country wedding."
Special thanks goes out to the bride for letting me do whatever I wanted, my family for following all of my demands when it came time to decorate and for everyone who complimented everything. It was so much fun to do.
I hope it was everything you wanted Jamie :) Congratulations to you and Rusty! Here's to wishing ya'll a lifetime of happiness.
While the majority of people I know mock Jacksonville, I have to stifle the urge to roll my eyes. To me, while this ain't the Hamptons, it's still ideal.
Just think- when you need go to Walmart and they're out of your favorite toothpaste, a 10 minute drive to the next store is the solution. It's nice when you want to go out to eat for a date but don't want fast food (or Ruby Tuesday's, Douglas' option, yuck). A large gathering of people can be guaranteed for any major event. And one of the most important parts, when you want to spend a day at the ocean just take a drive down Beach Blvd. to arrive promptly. See, I love each of those things- they were problematic in a small town. But perhaps my favorite thing about this city is when family gets to come enjoy everything with me.
This week is Coffee County's spring break so I've had a few meetings with some beach bums. It's been really nice to get out of the house for some fun, I'm sick again so I tend to hangout exclusively at home during those times. But these guys have really helped me go and do. (Unpictured- Mama, Aunt Tracey and Granma Alice; love you three.)
I've been in a horrid funk lately. I've wanted nothing more than to sit on my couch all- day everyday, bemoaning the smallest things. After realizing that I seriously needed to shake off my bad vibes, I have been trying my hardest to find things to do that make me happy.
Well if you look really closed into this strange dark- tinted photo you'll notice 2 things. 1) A majestic tiger poised perfectly in the background, regally raising his bulbous head. 2) I'm surrounded by 3 of the sweetest, spunkiest, and my most favorite little boys in the entire world. Or universe or galaxy or whatever.
My sweet Colebug's class went on a field trip to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, when they asked if I would want to go, I knew the only answer worth giving would be yes. As Cole rounded the corner and saw me waiting with his family (who also went on this trip) his face lit up as if I was Santa Claus! I knew it would be a great day.
Quotes of the day:
Cole, referring to petting a fish, "If you touch a pet fish you'll turn into a mermaid, right Dub?"
WL, looking through binoculars, "I just saw a ostrich's butt crack!"
Cole, after I said I hope they could travel the world, sighs, "I wish I could spend the night in the forest."
And I won't say what WL said when we saw a fat pig-like creature laying down with legs spread and genitals bulging out! Children are the funniest.
(The past 2 pics: Kelly was not a fan of the boys hair parts, but it sure is sweet to me!)
The whole gang! And here is the previously mentioned pig- like animal ;) Kellan was just fascinated.
I figured I mine as well keep up the blogging, I’ve blogged more this month that the last two combined. And this is only post #5 of the month. Woops. So if you read what I wrote last, it was featuring the celebration of our second wedding anniversary. However, I never really got into detail about how we did so.
Graham and I, as you might have guessed, love to travel and experience new places. We had previously decided that my birthday (in October) and our anniversaries (in April, obviously) were just far enough apart that we would try to plan trips around those time frames. Originally we discussed Vegas or Anaheim as a few get-away options. After contemplating even more, we remembered (insert embarrassed emoji) about our trip to Salt Lake City in June! And two huge trips less than 8 weeks apart didn’t make sense, so we scrapped those plans to look for new ones. We threw out other possibilities: Tampa, Panama City, but finally Graham said, “Well hey, what about Atlanta?” I grew up in Georgia, but never really experienced the touristy things in the ATL, so the more we talked about we decided: why not?
Two days before our anniversary, Saturday morning, we left. Our plan was to arise at 5am, leave straight for Stone Mountain. Of course though, we slept through our alarms and finally got on the road at 9am. We downloaded an audiobook to keep us occupied and loaded the car down with snacks before we left. After getting stuck in traffic right as we were on the outskirts of the city, we finally made it at 3pm.
The actual fee to enter Stone Mountain was the $15 parking fee, not too shabby. There were lots of different excursions going on, but we decided to keep it simple by only purchasing tickets to ride the sky lift. I, being a person of questionable character, was completely comfortable with going in the lift right until it came time to step in the doors of the claw-like contraption. Naturally, everything was fine, the view was beautiful and I was happy to forgo the 1.3 mile hike to the top. From that vantage point we got a spectacular view of the tops of Atlanta, we ran into a couple of rebel flag wavin’ folks and Graham marveled at the greenery growing from this humongous rock. After a decent amount of time staring of from afar, we ended up catching a ride back to get ready for the lasershow! Realizing we waited too late to get really good seats (and that we didn’t come prepared with blankets, chairs, coolers and the like) we finally sat down on a large boulder (haha) which wasn’t too bad. So for whatever strange reason, when Graham told me there was a lasershow, I thought he meant a fireworks show, and I didn’t figure it out until the words “LASERSHOW SPECTACULAR” was broadcast over the rock’s carvings of the Confederacy in colorful lasers. Woops! The show was extremely good, very different from anything I had seen and it kept a nice theme throughout.
After more crazy traffic as we attempted to leave, we worked our way deep into the heart of downtown to our hotel. Graham was bursting at the seams to get to the place he booked- the Ritz Carlton. Typically we wouldn’t splurge on a very pricy hotel but he managed to get a fantastic corporate deal from his work. It was extremely nice! We did feel sort of out of place because it was so flashy. At one point we sat in the elevator wondering why the door wouldn’t close when, after we walked in and out of it two different times, a doorman showed us that we had to flash our room card towards the controls to prove that we were supposed to be there. Very fancy, but we felt like dorks! Graham informed them of our anniversary beforehand, so we were placed on the 17th floor (the highest I have ever been), were give a bottle of sparkling cider and had 4 chocolate covered strawberries with a congratulatory note from the hotel. It was very, very nice. Thanks Ritz!
On Sunday we (guiltily) decided to go to a Braves baseball game due to their weird scheduling. Graham and I are both fans of the team, but really it’s more like supporting them without having watched a game in fifteen years (insert second embarrassed emoji). After getting on the Marta, we were transferred to a bus, then finally delivered to Turner Field. We had decided to scalp tickets, to see if we could get them any cheaper than the online purchases. After battling it out with three crazed scalpers, including me nearly hyperventilating as two fought over selling us seats, we had bought 2 seats in the top section for $25. Not too shabby. As we entered the stadium (it is called a stadium right? Ugh) I retold Graham the story of my first Braves game experience, which happened in 3rd
grade where my school had sent me for reading so many books, with a glint of admiration in my eye. It seemed like so long ago, I was really gearing up for another good time. They were playing the New York Mets for the day, which was fine because like I mentioned, we don’t keep up with baseball. We cheered when a lucky homerun was scored, we hissed when the Mets were at bat. After 7 great innings with a tied score, a newbie pitcher allowed 3 walk-ons which ultimately led to a 4-3 win for the Mets but we were not dismayed, after all we had pizza, cotton candy and a jumbo hot dog! It was so fun that we kind of decided to start watching baseball more consistently.
Later that evening we decided to go out to eat but couldn’t pick a place. Eventually we decided to get something local and walked across the street to Meehan’s Public Place, an Irish restaurant. Let me tell you, if you’re in downtown- go. It was so yummy!! We started off with the tiniest slivers of fried pickles (currently still dreaming about). Graham had a huge burger and I had some yummy mashed potatoes. Since it was more of a pub there were several large televisions showing the Yankees vs the Red Sox that we watched. We were so into it that we went back to the room and finished it up. So, irony, we watched 2 professional games in 1 day- while we hadn't watched even one in over a decade.
As we woke up on Monday we were like “wow, two years today, just wow.” Because time flies, ya know? So as we checked out of our hotel, we decided to keep our car in the valet since there is usually lots of traffic downtown with little parking. We planned to walk but the valet insisted that get a ride with them in their Cadillac. Well, if we must ;) So they drove us straight to the true heart of downtown. We decided on the Georgia Aquarium over the Coke Factory- though one day I shall go- since an overwhelming amount of people voted we go there instead. It was sort of expensive, I thought, $40 bucks a person. Now that I have went, I can say it was so worth it.
There is way too much to list that we actually did, but our favorites included: riding on a conveyer belt as a Whale Shark swam over our heads, getting splashed by dolphins following their show, the sea star touching station and, my most favorite, the interactive penguin exhibit! Seriously, ya’ll, those penguins were so sweet!
After spending several hours lurking around the aquarium, at 3 we decided to head home. We voted against the valet service, no cash on hand, and ended up getting caught in a downpour! Eventually we arrived at the Ritz, aka the classiest place ever, looking like drowned rats as we asked for our car with no way to tip. Hashtag fail. After a smooth drive we arrived in Jacksonville at 8 o’clock, decided to grab a good old anniversary meal at Carrabba’s and were home by 10. Ugh, every single time we travel somewhere I find it amazing how much the world has to offer. And now, the countdown is finally on for both of us to go to Utah and Idaho together!
Graham and I
walked around the local park by our house for a long, long time last night. We
talked pretty extensively about our future, everything that might happen. Both of us have felt very
restless as of late. We’re approaching our anniversary and that big 2
is leering at me constantly. It makes me feel unsettled. It makes me think that
we are soon to leave our Newlywed stage behind. I’m gearing up for something, I
think so anyways.
As we talked it
was strange to attempt to plan a future when there are so few things we can
control. Some efforts are strictly out of our hands. Specifically relating to G’s
work, for instance, when will a promotion come? The next raise? Will we have to
move for him to get his dream position? Lots of unanswered questions have been
running through our minds.
Work, school, a
home- we have thought and talked and prayed about each, and still don’t have
all of the answers. Sometimes we butt heads and can’t reach a mutual agreement.
It’s hard to be an adult with all of the options but have none of the answers.
Oh to see into the future!
So what to do?
I think we are at
the stage of our lives where it’s sink or swim. Do or do not. What other time
in our lives will we find ourselves young and without many commitments? I really
do think God is getting us ready for new things for our family, just my boy and
myself. It could mean new jobs or a real house, maybe even relocating… I don’t
know. But I think I finally am ready to tackle something new.
Cheese alert: Grateful every day for my life with him!
A few months ago, I reached out to my cousin Jamie who was recently engaged to offer my services in decorating. It was decided that I would be in charge of all table centerpieces in the social hall. For those who know me, few things make me happier than working on a craft and seeing it successfully executed. After months of planning, salvaging and gathering up all the right items, I think it fit the theme just right; it really was a cute "simple country wedding."
Special thanks goes out to the bride for letting me do whatever I wanted, my family for following all of my demands when it came time to decorate and for everyone who complimented everything. It was so much fun to do.
I hope it was everything you wanted Jamie :) Congratulations to you and Rusty! Here's to wishing ya'll a lifetime of happiness.
While the majority of people I know mock Jacksonville, I have to stifle the urge to roll my eyes. To me, while this ain't the Hamptons, it's still ideal.
Just think- when you need go to Walmart and they're out of your favorite toothpaste, a 10 minute drive to the next store is the solution. It's nice when you want to go out to eat for a date but don't want fast food (or Ruby Tuesday's, Douglas' option, yuck). A large gathering of people can be guaranteed for any major event. And one of the most important parts, when you want to spend a day at the ocean just take a drive down Beach Blvd. to arrive promptly. See, I love each of those things- they were problematic in a small town. But perhaps my favorite thing about this city is when family gets to come enjoy everything with me.
This week is Coffee County's spring break so I've had a few meetings with some beach bums. It's been really nice to get out of the house for some fun, I'm sick again so I tend to hangout exclusively at home during those times. But these guys have really helped me go and do. (Unpictured- Mama, Aunt Tracey and Granma Alice; love you three.)
