Last Summer Getaway!

Chad and I went on our LAST summer getaway this weekend!  We wanted to get out of town just one more time, so Chad planned the weekend for us.  He did a great job!!  We left Friday morning early and went to Birmingham.  We were stuck in standstill traffic for almost two hours leaving Tuscaloosa; going only three miles in that amount of time before everyone was rereouted off of the interstate.  By the time we finally made it to Birmingham, we were about two hours behind our orignial schedule so we headed straight to the Summit to eat at one of our favorite restaurants, Chuy's, for lunch.  It has the best Mexican food!!  We spent the afternoon shopping at the Summit, and even did a little bit of Christmas shopping.  As we left the Summit, going to our hotel, which was about a mile away, we were stuck in stand still traffic yet AGAIN due to another car accident.  It took us an hour and a half to go about a mile.  We checked into our hotel and changed for dinner and then headed back out for the night! 

We held our breath for the weather to be nice Saturday so we could spend the day at Alabama Adventure.  Thunderstorms were predicted, but luckily, the weatherman was WRONG!  Yippee!  We spent ALL day Saturday at Alabama Adventure and had a BLAST!  We had no idea that it was there, near Birmingham, until Chad researched theme and water parks last week for our getaway.  We rode EVERY ride, including a HUGE wooden roller coaster!  I have not ridden a wood roller coaster since Liberty Land in Memphis, several years ago.  Many of the rides reminded me of Opryland and Liberty Land and we made sure we rode every, single ride!  After spending hours in the theme park, we changed into our swimsuits and headed for Splash Beach!  It was so much fun!!  We went down one water slide several times and would get out and get right back in line.  It was soooooooooooo HOT yesterday and we had to constantly get more over-priced bottled water, but had an awesome time.  We stayed at the park until almost closing time and drove back last night.  We were so tired on the way home, and had to talk most of the ride to keep from falling asleep, but it was worth it!  If you have not been to Alabama Adventure, I recommend it!  It is definitely worth going to if you want to get out of town and do something different.  Not to mention, that it is SO close to Birmingham, which we love.

I wrote this almost a month ago and am just now posting it... can you tell I've been BUSY??? :)

Relaxing Few Days

The past couple of days have been very relaxing and fun.  My parents spent last week at the beach and on the way home Sunday, they stopped and picked me up.  I went back to Memphis Sunday night for my dentist and doctor's appointments on Monday.  I knocked both of those ordeals out by lunch time and then met my dear Southwind friends, Maggie and Debbie, and a new Southwind friend, Maeve, for lunch.  It was the only time I've had a chance to visit with them since our wedding!!!  That was WAY too long to wait in seeing them!  Maggie and Debbie are such WONDERFUL friends and I miss my classroom being next to them, so it was great to see them!  After lunch I ran some errands and picked up things I needed before heading back to Starkville. 

My mom brought me back to Memphis Monday afternoon so she could spend a couple of days down here.  We got home Monday evening and Chad had already cooked out and was getting dinner ready for us!  We enjoyed a nice dinner together just talking and laughing before we hung out for the night.  The next day, my mom and I went to the pool and did a little shopping!  We had a blast!  Later on in the afternoon we went to Chad's two softball games and then to Stromboli's for pizza.  What a fun night!  My mom and I went back to the pool the next morning and hung out before she left in the early afternoon.  It was such a relaxing couple of days and just what I needed!

So... I typed this over a month ago and never posted it!  oooooooooppppppppppsssssssssss!

I've decided (actually, it was Chad's idea!) that as much as I love to travel, research different cities, and be "on the go", that I would start a Travel Blog.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am not an expert by any means, but I do LOVE to travel!!  I have been to nine different countries, and countless states in the U.S.  I have been on many adventures from riding horses through the Rio Grande, climbing pyramids in Teotihuacan, visiting the Eiffel Tower, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, to riding horses through a rain forest with monkeys in the trees.  There are so many places on "My List" that I want to go to, but have loved most of the places that I have been to in the past! 

For now, I am going to start with places that Chad and I have traveled to just this summer.  The summer is going to be my starting point just because those places, hotels, restaurants, etc. are fresh on my mind.

If anyone is going somewhere and want to know if I have been there for tips, just ask, and if so, I will write a blog entry about it to help you. 

Check out my NEW travel blog at:  http://travelsbyateacher.blogspot.com/

Hoping for a stressLESS end to the summer this year!

Do you ever think back on something and think how in the world did I do that or make it through that?  As I have worked in my classroom off and on this week and gotten TONS done in just a few short hours here or there I can't help but to think back to this time last year... I knew I was getting married October 2, moving to Starkville (at some point) and thought I was teaching first grade in Memphis (for my fourth year) with the hopes of getting a job in Starkville at some point, even if just subbing at first.  All of that changed within hours of each other and everything in my world, as I knew it, changed.  "They" say the most stressful events in a lifetime are (these are not listed in any kind of order):
* a death
* a new job
* getting married
* moving
* a divorce

Chad and I had the first four of these happen within weeks of each other, so you could say, we were stressed.  Chad and I were at his parents' house for his grandfather's funeral the week before inservice started in Memphis when I received a phone call about a job opening in Starkville.  I got this call the day Chad and I were planning on leaving Missouri and my interview was scheduled for the next day, a Friday.  So, we left Missouri and drove to Memphis, picked up clothes for my interview, and headed to Starkville.  We got to Starkville late that night and I was a little nervous about the interview.  I went for the interview the next day and felt great about it and was told they would get in touch with me the first of the week.  I went back to Memphis, went to inservice that Monday at Southwind, and got a phone call during a meeting and stepped outside to take it.  I was offered the job at Sudduth.  I went back into our meeting and nodded at my principal and mouthed "I got the job."  She smiled at me and made an announcement to the faculty, that I had just accepted a new position that went along with me getting married and was a job that we had been praying about since last spring.  She looked at me and said into the mircophone that I was making the right decision in taking the job and that I was free to pack my room and shortly my friends/colleagues would come help me.  Her encouragment was so appreciated.  After two of my best "teacher" friends in the world and I cried for awhile, I went to my room, looked around one last time, and then just started taking things down, cleaning out cabinets and my desk, after calling my mom and telling her.  She sprang into action and rented a U-Haul and met me at school where we loaded everything up and said my good-byes with more tears.  I drove to Starkville that night with a bag of clothes that would last me the first week of school and would get more things that next weekend when Chad and I went back to Memphis for a wedding shower.  I got to Starkville late that night and started at Sudduth the next morning.  We had inservice that day, and my parents met me at school later that afternoon to work in my room and then Open House was the next day where I tried to work in my room, along with my parents and Chad, in between meeting students' parents.  As luck would have it (sarcasm), school started the very next day and my room still felt half done.  It was ready for my students, but didn't feel like I had it how I would ideally would have.  School started and then that Friday, after school, Chad and I went back to Memphis for our Around the Clock shower that Saturday night.  We drove back to Starkville early Sunday morning, and then I worked on school stuff until way after midnight that night. 

The next few weeks flew by in a blur as I was still trying to get my room how I wanted it, teaching a new grade, a new school, trying to meet people, missing my Memphis friends and my "teacher friends" that I was used to working with and being close to, get adjusted to moving in a rush to Starkville, and still finishing any wedding details that was fast approaching and going to Memphis or St. Louis every weekend for showers.  So, our life was insane at the time.  Don't get me wrong, I was and am very thankful for my job, but at the time, my life seemed upside down and the wedding was at the top of my list, rightfully so.  We couldn't wait until October came and we were married, our Mexican honeymoon was here and we could just relax, and the thought of life's pace slowing down seemed like an unimaginary thought at the time, but we dreamt about it. 

So, just sitting here tonight, I already feel "ahead of the game" being able to get into my classroom before my students.  We are not planning a wedding, getting settled into a new apartment in a new town, both of us starting brand new jobs, leaving our families and best friends, and not moving with a minute's notice without it sinking in what was happening.  I was prepared to move in October, but once school had started, the idea of actually getting a job seemed so small.  This time of year got me thinking about all of those things and how out the five most stressful events in a person's life, we accomplished four of them within WEEKS and some MINUTES of each other. I feel that Chad and I are prepared for the upcoming school year and are ready to take it on!  We are hoping for a stressLESS end of the summer and fall this year!

Did I blink and miss summer?

I know, I know, as I have said a lot lately, I am a t-e-r-r-i-b-l-e blogger!!  I have not had a chance to blog this summer.  We have been out of town SO much that when I am home, I am washing clothes, cleaning, or just relaxing or reading or at the pool.  Our summer started off busy with Bible School almost right off the bat.  I wasn't able to help all week, but I did go when I could.  The Thursday after VBS, we left for Florida for David and Tiffani's wedding and were gone until the next Wednesday.  Then, we left the Monday after that for Youth Camp in Mobile.  We got back on Saturday and the Tuesday after that I left for Memphis and Chad came on Thursday.  While I was in Memphis, I got to go with my oldest and best friend, Hillary, to help pick out her beautiful wedding dress!  We had a blast!  We then picked out bridesmaids dresses.  That Satuday, Chad and I left for New York and were gone until the next Saturday.  That was an awesome vacation!  We went to one of my "teacher friend's" wedding in Memphis Saturday night and drove back to Starkville after that.  Then, that Tuesday, Chad left Children's Camp.  He was gone until Thursday afternoon.  I just physically could not go... I was drained from everything this summer and stayed here to rest and work in my classroom.  I would much rather work in my classroom off and on two or three weeks before school starts instead of the last week.  The last week, I want to be savoring everything there is about summer: staying up late, sleeping in, going to the pool, going to the gym when I want to, reading late into the night, whatever I want to do!  I know come August, much of that will have to stop, so I believe the last week of summer should really be SUMMER.  That brings us up to this weekend.  Can you believe that??  It is so hard to believe that it is the middle of July!  Why does summer always go by so quickly?!?!  I can't fathom it. 

This weekend has been exactly what Chad and I both needed though.  Yesterday, Chad was nice enough to go to school with me and we painted a shelf in my room, hung things on the walls that were too high for me to reach, hooked up my computer, and random things like that.  We got a lot accomplished.  Then, after getting ready for our date night, we went to Umi for dinner, the movie, and LoCu for dessert.  We call it LoCu because we always call it YoLo after the yogurt store in Memphis that is similar.  Local Culture is just too long of a name in our opinion, so we go with LoCu.  Much simpler.  Today, we went to the pool until it got dark and started to rain so we came in and ate lunch until the sun came back out and then went back to the pool until 7:30.  It was a very relaxing day!  As I speak, our pizza is being delivered!  We rarely eat pizza and it's even more unlikely that we order pizza, so we decided tonight would be a Dominos Delivery night!  Better go while the pizza is hot!

T-5 Days Till Florida



Yes, that's right... in 5, FIVE, cinco days Chad and I will finally be on our way to Florida!!  It seems like we have been counting down for this forever!!  We are heading out early Thursday morning for our exciting 13 hour drive to Port St. Lucie for Chad's cousin's wedding Saturday.  We are going to stay in Jensen Beach and enjoy a little time on the beach with Chad's side of the family before the wedding weekend festivities begin.  We have not seen Chad's parents since January and haven't seen his sister and her family since Christmas so we are pretty excited to see everyone!  Saturday we will head to Disney World and spend the next few days there.  If you know me well, you know how much I LOOOVE Disney World!! Main Street USA is one of my favorite streets in the world, along with 5th Ave and Michigan Ave. :)

I am so ready to start packing.  At first I thought it was a little early to start packing and then I thought, why not start??  I don't have to actually put my clothes in a suitcase yet, just put everything I want to take in the spare bedroom.  So, that's exactly what I started doing!  I haven't finished because I love packing and deciding what to wear when, but I plan on finishing later tonight.  Then, I get to help Chad with his packing!  I've already started a list for him.  This just helps take a load off for the first of the week when I'm getting everything else ready to go and cleaning the car, right?  I've printed our hotel and dinner reservations for the week and have those ready too, which I made in January...  

I know this week I will be like the children in that old Disney World commercial when the kids can't sleep and the little boy whispers to his sister that he "is too excited" to sleep and then the dad whispers to the mom that he "is too excited to sleep".  That'll be Chad and me the next few days. 

The picture for this post was taken right after Chad and I got engaged at... Cinderella's Castle at The Magic Kingdom!  Can't wait until we are there again and this time we are MARRIED!  YaY!

Life is Good Today

I know, I know, many of you are wondering if I did indeed make it through the end of the school year because I have not yet blogged about it being... SUMMERTIME!  The truth is, I've been enjoying summer SO much that I just haven't had time to blog!  My days are spent working out, lying by the pool, relaxing with Chad, grilling out, going to the ballpark for Chad's softball games, and working some throughout the week at Vacation Bible School.  I've even managed to squeeze a day of fun shopping with my parents in there too!  My first OFFICIAL, full week off from school has been FANTASTIC!  This is one way I know how bad I am at blogging:  Today at the pool, I asked Chad what we did last weekend because I couldn't remember.  He told me he couldn't remember either and if I was a better blogger, we could just got back and read about our weekend!  That's sad for us at 26.  A little while later we remembered that last Friday we went to the Veranda for dinner and Saturday, was spent at the pool of course and then we grilled out and went to see Pirates of the Caribbean.  The thing about summer is, my days all run together!

I'm so ready for Florida this coming week, but after that I am hoping time will just stand still or atleast slow down some so that summer can somehow manage to last longer than two months.  Wouldn't that be nice?!  Summer goes by way too quickly, and this summer, Chad and I will be out of town almost every other week between vacations and camps so I know the time will fly by even faster!  For now though, I am just loving the fact that when I wake up (most mornings) I have nothing that I HAVE to get done right away!  That is one of my most favorite feelings, after the feeling of an upcoming vacation.  I hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far too and this incredibly HOT weather!

Happy Summer!

Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read and always have a list of books that I want.  My FAVORITE authors are: Nicholas Sparks, Mary Kay Andrews, and Karen Kingsbury.  Any book by those three authors are ALWAYS amazing! 

Well, the book I read this weekend was Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury.  I always love anything she writes, but this book was just awesome.  I think EVERY teacher should read it, and really, any person in general should read it!  It is a story of looking past someone's appearance and really knowing and understanding what is in their heart.  It talks of taking the time to speak to people outside of your "click" and how a smile just might make a person's day or be encouraging to that person when he or she is going through a hard time that noone else may know or understand about.  The book talked of how everyone struggles with something and has their own song if we allow them to "unlock" it and set it free.  This book is a MUST READ and you should go get it this week!!  It was so inspirational!  After you read that and immediately want another KK book, you should get Leaving.  If you can't find them in Starkville and want to start reading them right away, let me know and I will let you borrow mine.  Either way, you MUST read it! :)



WOW, I've been a TERRIBLE blogger!



WOW, I can't believe it's been slightly OVER a month since my last blog!!  Where has the time gone and are we that boring that I haven't had anything to blog about??  Actually, I feel as if a lot has happened over the past month, and I have thought about how that would make a great blog, but just never got around to actually  blogging about it.  So, I apologize to anyone that is reading this, if I do in fact have any "readers".  Let's see, where does the list of past events start?  Is it with:

- the terrible tornadoes that came through the South and we had to stay late at school on a Friday afternoon?
- Saturday school?
- power outage and how Starkville and surrounding areas were pitch black except Lowes and Kroger?
- Memphis the two days before Easter and Chad and I cooking our first Easter meal?
- the pool opening and our fabulously, fantastic lazy weekend spent at the pool, playing tennis, golf, and cooking out?
- trip to Memphis and our yard sale?  AND getting to see Hillary and Jason?
- being a proctor at the middle school and how glad I am that I was called to teach elementary children!
- going to Oxford?
- how cold it was today, the middle of May when it was 90+ degrees, near 100 last week?
- how I am moving classrooms for next school year and have been going through, cleaning, and packing anything and everything that was in my room that belong to me or teachers from the past 30 years that was left in there?

I think that's about all of it in a nutshell... now I very well may have left something out, but I think that's pretty much it!  Our life has been busy, but fun, and we are counting down till SUMMERTIME!  Well, I should say, I am counting down till SUMMERTIME!  Chad is counting down till he doesn't have to make the bed or my lunch each day.  What we BOTH are counting down to is our Florida trip and New York trip this summer.  We are so looking forward to getting away and enjoying our vacations and time away from everything else and out of town! 

Hopefully, my blogging skills will get better once life slows down after school is out for summer.  Did I mention that I only have 4 1/2 days left?  :)  Who's really counting?? HA!  Every teacher in America!

Tupelo on a School Night

My parents, Chad, and I have been talking about meeting in Tupelo for dinner for about a week now.  We thought sometime this week would be a good time to meet.  Monday after school, I called my mom to see what she was doing and my dad answered and said they were starting to head in the direction of Tupelo and wanted to see if we wanted to meet them.  They had been trying to call both Chad and me, but for some reason, neither one of us had a call from them.  Weird.  Anyway, I called Chad about ten times to ask him about it and he never answered.  I called the church then and asked to speak with Chad and ran the idea by him.  The news was saying the weather was going to get bad that night with severe storms starting around 5 and lasting pretty much the entire night.  Chad told me to check it online to see and weather.com said the same thing.  It was getting dark and very windy outside by this point.  But, when Chad got home, we decided to go to Tupelo anyway and headed out a little after 4:30.  We didn't run into much rain at all and am so glad we went!  We met my parents at Outback for dinner and then ran to Old Navy.  My parents left from here to get back home, but Chad and I ran into the mall for what we initially intended to be a few minutes, but didn't leave the mall until around nine.  We got back to Starkville a little after ten and even though we were pretty tired, we both were glad we went.  It was something different for a Monday night and really fun! Between D-Now last weekend and Saturday school this weekend, yes, I said SATURDAY school, we don't have much time to do anything for us in our "free" time so going to Tupelo was a great idea!

D-Now Weekend

This past weekend, Chad and I spent with the youth group for Disciple Now. Yes, we know it was Super Bulldog Weekend, but other than actually living in Starkville, Chad and I have no ties to the school.  I am a Gamecock that grew up and still watch the Memphis Tiger.  Chad is a Mizzou fan, so like I said, we have no ties to the school, other than living in the same town.  So, life went on for the Hammontrees last weekend, and we had D-Now.  The weekend was awesome!  Friday night, we kicked off the weekend playing games and having fun with the youth that came (it was an AWESOME group!!) and then had a Bible study before the girls and boys going to their designated houses or places to sleep.  Chad's seminary roommate, Zach, came in town to be the guest speaker and to preach on Sunday morning so after the youth were all set for the night, the three of us headed to the Grill for dessert and the listen to the great band that was playing.  We drove Zach around a little of Starkville before heading home for the night.  Saturday morning, Chad and Zach got up and got going to pick the girls up their house and get ready for two more sessions of the Bible study.  I stayed in for the morning to finish PD 360 for school and go to the gym.  I met the group at lunchtime at the church and we all piled in to the 13 passenger fan and went to the skating rink.  As luck would have it, really only a few of us knew how to skate and the rest of the group played Spoons.  I decided to take advantage of the extra exercise found in skating and skated a good portion of the time.  I also love to skate!  After skating we went for sno cones and played at the park.  It was such a nice day that we hated to stay inside for all of it.  We picked up the pizzas while we were in town and went back to the church for dinner and Saturday night's service.  Afterwards, the girls went back to their host home and the boys stayed at church for the night.  Chad, Zach, and I went to Local Culture before finishing the Starkville tour (I know what you're thinking, two nights of the tour?!?  We were so tired Friday night that we split it up!) before heading back home to rest for Sunday.  It was a great weekend and we all had so much fun!  After spending more time with the youth group and the girls there this weekend, I cannot wait until camp this summer!

Small Town Saturday Night

Last Saturday, after Chad and I went to Columbus for the Spring Pilgrimage, Chad had to go to church for something.  I stayed in town and ran some errands while he was out.  When he got back it was nearly 7 o'clock, and neither one of us was hungry for dinner.  We get pretty bored down here often and were hoping to find something to do besides eating... especially because neither one of us was hungry!  We decided that we just rode around for a few minutes, a great idea might come to us, we might see something super exciting along Highway 12, or a miniture gold place or something would pop up out of thin air for us to do.  The few minutes came and went and we had zero ideas for our Saturday night plans.  We were in the mood to do anything, so we really weren't too picky; the only restrict was not eating.  We were headed back home to just play tennis or go to the gym, when asked me if I had my camera.  I said, "I am not going around Starkville to take pictures of random things."  Chad said, "Okkk, I was thinking more like taking pictures of things A-Z in order."  This strangely sounded extrememly fun to me and I got a burst of energy and said, "LET"S DO IT!"  We headed home to get my camera and change clothes as the weather was getting cooler.  We were both pretty excited about this adventure and started out strong.  Our pictures began at Autozone.  As it turns out, I was slightly hungry by the time we got to C, but not hungry enough for a big meal, just hungry enough for COLD STONE! 

We took the pictures in order, so are you can imagine, this took us no time at all.  It took three hours.  When we were on "M", I thought I was going to fall asleep going to the next location, but I forced myself to stay awake because you really can't quit in the middle of a game like this.  So, three hours later, I take Chad's picture at Zaxby's and we head home.  Oddly enough, once we got home, I did get another burst of energy and put all of the pictures on facebook for the world to see.  Other than being super tired at the end, it was a really fun "date night" for us and pretty creative!

Six Months

It's been awhile since my last post.  I kept telling myself I was going to post, but one thing lead to another and I just never got around to it!

So, here I go!  I'll start with last Saturday.  Last Saturday was our six month anniversary and the weather was gorgeous.  Chad and I wanted to get outside and do something fun and different.  Well, not too long ago, while flipping through Southern Living, I ran across the "Spring Pilgrimage" ad for Columbus.  After doing some research online, I decided that, weather permitting, this might be something fun for us to do while we live in this area.  Last weekend, being our only partially "free" weekend in awhile and in April, we headed out to Columbus for the Spring Pilgrimage.  We went downtown and signed up for the Double Decker bus tour of "Historic Columbus".  The tour took us by historic houses, not inside the houses, but showed us the houses and around the town.  We are pretty sure our "tour guide" made half of the stuff up as he went, but needless to say, it was a fun time!  The weather was just perfect, so after our tour, we ate lunch downtown and just explored the downtown area.  We went in different stores along the way and visited a couple of antique stores before heading back to Starkville.  It was a really fun outing.  I'm not sure that we will make it back for the 76th Spring Pilgrimage, but we sure had fun at the 75th!



6 Months!!!!



This Saturday is our 6 month anniversary!!!  I cannot believe Chad and I have already been married SIX MONTHS!!  It has FLOWN by!  It seems like we were just starting to plan, then everything fell into place for October 2 in just about one day, and then our showers began, and then it was the weekend before the wedding and we were in Memphis going over last minute details and dancing on the driveway with my parents while the CD of our first dance was playing on the car CD player.

I remember so clearly the Wednesday night before we got married; Chad and I left after church and headed to Memphis, getting in around 11 that night.  We sat up late talking to my parents about the wedding and opening any gifts that had been brought by the house or my mom had gotten from gift shops we registered from.  That was such a fun and exciting night.  The next day, Chad and I went for our last session of pre-marital counseling, to get our marriage license, and to pick up our engagement picture to take to the rehearsal dinner for the wedding party to sign.  We couldn't wait until that night when friends from out of town came in and to go downtown with our bridesmaids and groomsmen to the Rendezvous, walk around Beale Street, and then out for cheesecake.  It was so much fun all of us piling into the trolley and going down to the train station to show everyone where the reception would be, just two days later!  Friday, the day before our BIG day, we had the Bridesmaids Luncheon and then to treat my dear friends to manicures and pedicures.  Not long after this though, it was time for my mom and I to go get our hair fixed for the Rehearsal Dinner.  This was such ANOTHER fun time with our family and friends.  This is when it really sunk in to me that we were getting married.  The rehearsal made it all feel real and at the same time, a little surreal.  More of our friends were in town by the time we were finished with dinner and we met them at The Peabody to hang out.  It began getting late and after everyone had left, Chad and I exchanged our wedding gifts.  This too was so exciting and special for us and so crazy to think that in twenty-four hours we would be MARRIED!!

The big day came, and my parents and I got up and went to breakfast before going to the church and train station to check on everything.  I was getting a little nervous at this point, but once I saw everything in the church and how beautiful it all looked, I could not wait until 7:00 and to marry Chad! 

Now, let's fast forward to today, March 31, 2011, with our six month anniversary just two days away.  Wow!  I feel like we have already done so much together and been through so much in just six months and have so much planned for the next few months that we can NOT wait.  It's still so hard to believe that we live in Starkville too, but I must admit, it is starting to sink in more and we are getting more used to it .  I'll be honest, in the beginning, it was definitely a "culture shock" for us, but we are adjusting more and more each day!   It was such a big change from Memphis to Starkville, not having our amazing friends and family right around the corner, having new jobs, and of course, a new marriage.  It has taken some time, but we are feeling more and more at home now.  I am so thankful the warm weather is here and summer is around the corner and Chad is thankful baseball season is here! 

The past six months have been better than either of us would have dreamed of and we have become even closer and even better friends each day!  We are loving our life and can't wait for the next six months to start! 

Check back later in the weekend for first of next week to see how our "six month anniversary" was!



Pollen... GO AWAY!

GROSS. GROSS. GROSS.

What else do I need to say?  There is nothing good about pollen, the looks, the color, the way it covers  your car, when you touch it or even walk outside, you immediately feel like you need to wash your hands.  I am ready for a good rain to settle the pollen and get the air clear and my car white again!

To be fair to pollen, I did do a little, but not much, research on the "benefits of pollen".  I didn't come up with anything more than "researchers have reasoned" that pollen is good for your health and boosts your immune system.  I don't really buy their "reasoning" when I am an sneezing constantly and it starts up the second I walk outside.  The only benefit I see is in taking nighttime allergy medicine that makes me drowsy and sleep better.  :)

So, I don't know if there are any pollen lovers out there, but if you do love pollen, please let me know what the benefits are.  If you don't like pollen, pray for rain!

Happy sneezing to all and to all a yellow car!

An Act of Congress

Oh what a day...

As I told you all earlier in the week, two major things on my agenda for spring break were to get a social security card with my new name on it and new driver's license.  Monday morning I went to Social Security almost right when they opened and didn't have to wait too long.  I had everything there with me, driver's license, marriage license, current SS card, and whatever else was needed.  It didn't take long at all for me to get the ball rolling and was told that my new card would be here within two weeks.  I told the lady that I wanted to get a new driver's license and asked if there was anything I needed from them to do this.  She told me no, all I needed to do was wait 24 hours and my new name would be in the system ready to go.  Sounds easy enough, right?  Wrong.

Tuesday I ran to Memphis for the day for an appointment and to spend the day with my mom.  I drove there and back Tuesday so Chad and I couldn't get to the DMV yesterday.  We decided we would around lunch time today that way we could both wait and both get it done.  Chad and I pulled in to the DMV at 12:30 and went in, even though there was a line to the door.  We knew it would probably take a long time, but this is something that I have to get done and breaks are really my only chance.  When it was our turn to go, forty-five minutes later, I told the lady  that we needed new licenses and that we had moved here from out of state.  She told me there were a few things we needed in order to do this:

- A driver's license.  Check. 
- A lease or mortage.  Check.   
- Our old licenses.  Check. 
- Our social security cards. Check.
 
I told her I had my current one, but had applied for a new one Monday and was told it would show up in the system within 24 hours for me to get a license.  I told her I had asked them for any paperwork needed proving this and that the DMV would need and was told no.  The  DMV lady asked if we had gotten married recently and if that was why I was changing my name and said that I had to go back to Social Security and get a printout and come back.  Chad and I just looked at each other like "are you kidding me??"  I don't think the air was on in this place, it was crowded, people hovered over you, some were wearing flannel pajama pants with houseshoes, and some brought their entire family.  This is a family affair.

By now it was 1:15 and we left the DMV and headed to Social Security.  I explained to the police officer at SS why I was there and what had happened.  He knew exactly what I needed and told me what to ask for.  Thirty minutes LATER when my number is called, I finally got a printout to take BACK to the DMV.  Chad and I decided that we should take a lunch break before we go back and stand in a line with no air and a big crowd.  This will also give us a chance to fill out the paperwork from the DMV.  With a little more energy now and possibly more patience, we head back.  This time, there is NO LINE!  Yippee! 

The lady remembered us and I gave her all of the paperwork.  She started on mine and then looks up and asked me, "Where is your marriage license?"  I said, "at home."  She asked me earlier if we had recently gotten married and NEVER mentioned needing that!!  She told me I needed to go home and get it and she would be working on Chad's paperwork while I was gone.  So, I head home for our marriage license and I asked her twice if there was anything else I might need. 

Thirty-five minutes later I pulled back in to the DMV and ran back in there.  Thankfully, there was not a line this time either.  This time they do have two people working, but NO LINE.  They needed that person two hours ago and I would've liked to have told them that, but anyway back to the story.  Chad had text me while I was gone and told me to bring my glasses, so I did have those luckily.  As I go up to the counter and the lady re-starts my paperwork, I asked Chad if he was able to get his taken care of.  NO.  He only had one contact in that day and failed the vision test so he could not get his license.  Really????  After all of this!!!!  I didn't know whether to laugh, scream, or cry.  At this point, it is just getting ridiculous.

I put my glasses on for the vision test and pass and went back to stand in line.  I thought to myself, if I fail the vision test, I will just keep my TN license and forget this!  The door keeps opening and they are starting to get a crowd again.  Instead of people stopping at a marked spot (that isn't there, but should be and I would like to recommend that also!), the couple behind me stands, literally on my heels.  I still have to get information to the lady and I have this couple hovering me and remember there is NO AIR.  I kept looking at Chad, pretty annoyed with the crowd,  the heat, and people at my heels, when finally the lady is finished with my paperwork and I can get my picture made.  I then went back to the "waiting zone", standing by the door that is, and wait for my name to be called.  This fortunately, is the fastest part of the whole process.

If anyone else is need of a new license from out of state, be prepared... it is an act of Congress.

To you, my new fellow Mississipians, I hope Starkville treats me as well as Memphis has after three trips, three and a half hours, and a day of my spring break to become a local citizen.  Please Starkville, make us proud. 

Time for a Break

I cannot express how excited I am that it is spring break.  I was in need of some time off and time to relax, and to be honest, a little me time.  It's funny how breaks always come at just the right time.  During the week, our schedules are so busy and hectic that it is hard to just sit down and relax.  Now, I'm not much of a "sitter-downer" as it is, but there are times when I would like to sit for ten minutes or so and just be.  There is always something we need to do, either for my job, Chad's job, going to the gym, cooking dinner, laundy, whatever it is, and this week I just want to sleep in and catch up on some rest.  I will still cook dinner, still go to the gym, but there is nothing that HAS to be done at any particular time.  I may be able to go the gym one morning, mid-afternoon, or at our usual night time, but no matter what, it's ok!  I have the WHOLE day to me!  One of the best feelings today was knowing that I am off tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day and so on!  It's such a feeling of freedom knowing that I can relax for a few days and then get ready to finish the year!  I feel like Christmas break I caught up on rest to last until now and now spring break needs to be used to catch up on rest to last me until May.  I keep telling myself, "I think I can, I think I can."

We have such busy schedules the next few weeks and really starting now and lasting throughout the summer.  I love staying busy and getting out and about, but there are times when I just love staying in and watching a movie or even dare I say it, going to bed early!  We don't have big plans for the break and normally I love planning a spring break trip and this is the first time I have not gone anywhere over spring break in I don't know how long.  However, I am excited about doing nothing for a few days.  I know I won't really "do nothing" because that just isn't me, but it sounds good, right?  My parents are coming later in the week (unless they decide to head to Tulsa to cheer on the Tigers) and we are going to Jackson to do a little shopping.  I do plan to get a few things done such as get a new social security card and driver's license, which I have not yet had time to do so that is going to kick my day off tomorrow.  It's hard to find time to do things like that because those offices are only open Monday thru Friday and are closed by the time I get out of school, so here it is five and a half months later when I officially or should I say "legally" become a Hammontree.  Also on my agenda are a manicure and pedicure!  That will be filed under the category of "me time" over the break.  I just love taking a good book and relaxing in the pedicure chair with the massage on.  Who doesn't love that?

The picture with this post is from last spring break at the Cardinal's spring training in Jupiter, FL. 

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know (if anyone is reading this) that it is spring break and I want to shout it from the rooftops.  If you hear a big "YIPEEEEEE!" it's me. 

New York Movies

I absoluetly LOVE New York!  Chad has never been before so we are planning our trip complete with all of the tourist attractions, Yankees game, Broadway play, 4th of July fireworks on the Hudson, and great restaurants.  As we are planning for our trip this summer, Chad decided that we should start watching NYC movies... this weekend!  This weekend we kicked off our movie "challenge" with Hitch and Two Weeks Notice.  Once again, my vote for You've Got Mail was vetoed.  Maybe next weekend!  There are so many great New York movies, from the movies already mentioned to Serendipity, Spiderman, When Harry Met Sally, It Could Happen To You, Ghostbusters, Ninja Turtles, The Devil Wears Prada, and the list could on and on!

We need in help in watching the BEST NYC movies there are.  So... tell us, what is your favorite New York movie?

Great Weekend

It's been awhile!  I wrote this post last week and never had a chance to post it!  What a great weekend Chad and I have had!  I am not ready for the weekend to be over.  Why is it that weekdays seem to drag on and on, but weekends fly by?! 

We started the weekend off by going to see Unknown Friday night and then to dinner.  Unknown was good, very intense.  It was different than either of us thought it would be, but still good.  Saturday we slept in, ate breakfast and then went to Columbus for the morning.  The weather was perfect so it was a great day to get out and about.  We came back to Starkville early afternoon and decided to go play golf.  I drove the golf cart and would stand out in the sun in hopes of getting a little color while Chad golfed.  I putted a few times from the green, but just for fun.  We decided to call it "getting back into the swing of things" and considered it a practice round.  This was a blast and we were out there a couple of hours before returning back home to get ready for the youth group "Wii Want to Play Night" at our house.  This was a LOT of fun!  We had a great group come and enjoyed hanging out with each of them.  We had fun from eating Rotel, playing Wii, to watching Dominos order tracker online!  That cracked the youth up for quite awhile. 

Sunday after church, we came home ate lunch and then started working more on our vacations to Florida and New York this summer.  We cannot wait for our trips, even though our summer is pretty much packed!  We booked our flights to New York earlier in the week so today we booked our play tickets on Broadway and Yankees tickets.  We have started making a list of everything we plan to do.  You know me and how I love to play travel agent so we are trying to get everything ready to go and planned!  I cannot wait to keep planning our trips and really cannot wait until we get to enjoy our vacations this summer!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Valentine's Day

I've been meaning to post about our Valentine's Day for a few days now, but the past week has been so exhausting and last Monday I started to get a sore throat.  So, here I am now, just posting about Valentine's Day!

Chad and I started a tradition to cook chicken and mushroom fettucine alfredo for our Valentine's meal and continued with that this year.  After our Valentine's weekend in Jackson, we decided that on actual Valentine's Day, we would stay in and continue this tradition and just enjoy being at home together.  When I got home from school Monday, Chad was still at work, but had come home on his lunch break (lucky!) and fixed our table for dinner, complete with flowers and candles!  It looked great!  He came home a little early (again, lucky!) and we decided that we would skip the gym today and just go for a walk outside because the weather was so beautiful, spring-like!  So, we went for a long walk then came back and began cooking our dinner.  We cooked the pasta, made the salad, and cooked French bread, using many of our serving pieces we received as wedding gifts.  We were so stuffed after dinner that we decided to open gifts.  Remember, Chad had already gotten two of his four gifts so he opened the last two after dinner.  I gave Chad Vineyard Vines shirts, a Vineyard Vines belt, and a book.  I bought him the wrong book though so we have to swap that!  Oops!  Even though Chad took me to Jackson shopping, where I found lots of spring clothes and gave me flowers, he still ordered me a pair of Tory Burch flip flops!  I was so excited!  Now, I just need a pedicure one day soon so I can start wearing them! 

We debated which movie to watch for a little bit.  We couldn't decide between You've Got Mail and The American President.  The American President won.  About halfway in, we decided it was time for our dessert, so we paused the movie and set up our ice cream sundae bar, complete with chocolate and caramel syrup, sprinkles for me and cherries for Chad.  We made delicious sundaes and ate them while we finished The American President.  It was fun and relaxing just to hang out at home and put everything else aside and just be together for Valentine's.

Valentine's Weekend

Happy Valentine's Day!

Isn't fun to celebrate holidays?!  I LOVE it!  Chad and I kicked off Valentine's weekend by heading to Jackson (MS) Friday when I got off work.  He planned the entire weekend for me, and let me tell you, he did GOOD!  He didn't tell me where we were going until early in the week and still didn't tell me all of the plans until later in the week.  We got to Jackson right at dinner time and went to dinner at Bonsai, a Japanese steakhouse.  Chad and I love hibachi grills so this was perfect.  Bonsai was awesome.  It had the same great food as a regular steakhouse, but you got TONS more food!  I think the rice amount was doubled and I got around 16 shrimp!  It was delicious.  I could not even come close to eating all of it.  It makes you feel guilty about leaving those delicious shrimp though, but Chad took one for the team and finished them off for me.  He left more rice than I did, which could be my favorite part of the entire meal.  After dinner, we did a little shopping.  The weather was great so we just parked and walked around the outdoor mall in Flowood.  We closed the mall and headed to our hotel for the night to rest up for Saturday.

Like I said earlier, Chad did good, so he left all of Saturday open for me to go shopping!  We got up and got going to be at stores really when they opened because there were so many places to go.  The weather was gorgeous so we parked once again, this time at the Renaissance at Colony Park, and walked around.  It was a perfect day to be outside walking around... and shopping!  I am already in spring mode, so finding spring clothes made my spring fever even higher.  We love Five Guys so we took a lunch break there, which had a line out the door by the time we left.  Everywhere was packed because the weather was just so great.  We spent the afternoon at the Renaissance before heading back to Flowood to finish our shopping and make a quick and painless stop at Marble Slab for some ice cream cones.  The ice cream was delicious, but who knew that only one person was working and it would take close to 40 minutes.  After finishing our ice cream cones and a little people watching, we headed back to Starkville. 

We finished our Valentine's weekend with a fashion show of my new clothes, popping some popcorn, and watching a movie.  Oh, and I forgot, Chad opened present 1 of his V-day presents!  He opened one Saturday, one today, and will open his last two presents tomorrow!  The good news is, as much fun as we already had celebrating, we still have VALENTINE'S DAY tomorrow!  This was just the beginning!  Stay tuned to read about our Valentine's Day!

Life As We Know It

Well, not too much is going on in the life of the Hammontrees down here in Starkville.  We are just staying in our routine and looking forward to warmer weather.  It's the time of year now, where I quit wearing coats thinking that will make the weather automatically warmer... it's a mind thing, right?! 

Our days pretty much follow suite every day, I get up early while Chad continues to sleep and then right before I leave, Chad gets up and makes my lunch for me.  Every day!  This is awesome.  I hate making my lunch and always have; I'm not sure why, it doesn't take much time and I pack the same thing every day... turkey sandwich on wheat bread, a pack of 100 calorie cookies and 100 calorie chips and water.  Never changes.  But, luckily for me, Chad does do this every day!  Today, there was a nice surprise in my lunchbox though!  Chad wrote me a note saying he loved me and hoped that I had a great day.  My students were quite impressed with this as I exclaimed happily and shared my surprise.  I try to tell the boys these things so maybe one day they will turn into gentlemen, along with chewing with their mouths closed, holding over their trays while they eat, not drinking all of their milk in one sip, etc.  This is what we call... Mrs. Hammontrees Etiquette lessons at lunch.  Who knows if they are really listening to me or not!  After school our routine continues.  I am usually home before Chad so I will start dinner and then clean, start laundry, or read for a few minutes until Chad gets home.  I don't really "sit" well, so I am always on the go doing something.  After dinner we just hang out and talk about our day, maybe watch an episode or four of The Office until time for the gym.  We love going to the gym together and try to every day with the exceptions of Wednesdays.  Wednesdays I don't get home until late and then it is almost time to leave for church so gym time does not really fit in then.

This weekend was wonderful!  I was out of school Friday due to weather so Chad and I slept in and made some heart healthy pancakes and boiled eggs for breakfast.  It was great!  The night before we had a feeling I would be out of school so we ran to Red Box and rented three movies just in case I was out Friday.  We watched one Thursday night and saved the other two for Friday.  After breakfast, we read for a little while and then watched a movie.  We went to the gym that afternoon and then came back to relax some more.  We ate lunch around 4 and then read for the afternoon before starting another movie Friday night and ate oatmeal around 8 for our dinner.  We had a very lazy and relaxing day and loved being able to go to the gym in the afternoon instead of at night.  Saturday, we slept in and then went to Tuscaloosa for the day.  We were in the mood for a little Chick Fil A, Outback, Target, TCBY, Barnes and Noble and much more so we headed out Saturday morning.  We spent the entire day in Tuscaloosa and had so much fun!  Chad and I love taking trips, even day trips, just to get out and about together.  Sunday, we got back in our routine and went to church, La Terraza for lunch and then spent the afternoon making football shaped sandwiches and cookies for the church Superbowl gathering after church.  We had a blast this weekend and are looking forward to our Valentine's Weekend Getaway this weekend!  Chad is planning it all so check back soon!

I am ready for spring so I thought if I posted a picture of us in West Palm Beach last spring, spring might hurry up and get here! :)  Isn't that how it works?

Bittersweet

As many of you know, my sister, Tracy, and I have been trying to sell our house the past few months and the market has been moving slowly.  We loved our house and it was a great house for the three years that we lived there.  Tracy has lived there a little longer though because I got a job in Starkville in August.  We recently received some GOOD NEWS though!  We now have a contract on our house and are supposed to close the end of February!  We are praying that everything goes smoothly and this contract works out.  As much as we hated to sell the house, we have to for all of us.  Chad and I will be happy to stop paying some on the mortgage and Tracy will be thrilled not to pay as much as she has been paying since we Chad and I got married.  I know my parents will be ecstatic not to have to do our yardwork along with theirs!  As far as that goes, it's a win-win for everyone!

Chad and I went to Memphis over the weekend to help sort through everything in the house.  As much "stuff" as we have down here, there was still plenty more in Memphis too!   It seems as if every time we make a trip to Memphis, we bring a carload back with us!  After several trips of unloading last night, we think the majority of my things are now down here.  I have spent the day unboxing and organizing.  It's amazing how much fits into an apartment and how creative you can get organizing it all! 

This is a bittersweet time because we loved the house, but we are so excited to have a contract on it.  That is why it wasn't quite as sad as I would have expected.  The sadness may hit later though once it really is not longer our house.  On the upside of down, we all had another great weekend with family and loved being back in Memphis.  The weather was gorgeous and I now officially have spring fever.  It was a last minute trip and a very fast trip so we did not get to see everyone that we would have liked to have seen.  We spent a lot of time bubblewrapping, taping, sorting through things, and boxing it all up.  We did mangage to squeeze some Target time in, a tiny bit of shopping, and of course, we never missed a meal either!

Reverend Chad Hammontree

Well, now that you are all caught up in "the story of us", we will fast forward to the recent happenings in our life.  This past weekend, Chad's parents and my parents came to town for Chad's Ordination.  They all got here at almost exactly the same time Saturday.  Chad and I had been looking forward to this weekend for a few weeks now and were so excited that we could all be together because it was the first time since our wedding that we could all be in the same place.  We had a wonderful time Saturday night going out to dinner at Harvey's and then back to watch the Memphis basketball game.  It was an intense game!!  Our den was quite a sight at all of us sitting around watching the game.  By the end of the game and overtime, we were all screaming at the game, not just the Memphis folk!  Luckily, Memphis won the game in overtime!  Go Tigers Go!!  After the exciting game of Memphis beating UAB for the tenth straight time since 2006, we ate dessert, chocolate pie and apple pie, both with ice cream!  Of course, after eating out and then eating dessert, you start to feel guilty and feel that you need to work out, so what do we do?  We pull out the Wii and demonstrate my personal trainer Wii game to our parents before a little bowling and golfing!  The fun doesn't stop Saturday night though.  Sunday, all of us head to church and then to Cappe's for lunch.  My sister, Tracy, and her boyfriend, Chad are waiting there to join us for lunch and for the day!  We had a great lunch at Cappe's before coming back to our house.  The boys decided to watch football for the afternoon so the girls decided to show Tracy around Starkville.  About ten minutes later (the tour is complete... :) ), so we began our errands to Dollar Tree and Tuesday Morning. 

Sunday night we went back to church for Chad's Ordination.  It was really special that our families were in town and able to share this with us.  I am so proud of Chad!  The service was really moving and meaningful to all of us.  We are lucky to be part of such a loving and welcoming church.  My parents, Tracy, and Chad had to leave almost immediately after the service to head back to Memphis so we said our good-byes at the church.  Chad's parents were able to stay Sunday night so we headed for a quick dinner after church before returning back home to hang out some more. 

This weekend was so much fun and we enjoyed every part of it!  I am EXHAUSTED from the weekend and can't seem to catch up on rest!  I guess we will continue to play the game of being exhausted and getting rested again, because like we said, our life is crazy and busy, but we are having a blast!

Starkville, MS

How Did We Get to Starkville?

Chad graduated from Mid-America Seminary in Memphis in December 2009 where he began looking for a job to be a Youth Minister.  I was teaching first grade in Memphis at the time where I had taught since I graduated from college in 2007.  We were pretty open to Chad finding a job anywhere, but were hoping it would be close to Memphis, especially because we were not yet married and all of our friends are there.  Chad was offered the job as Associate Pastor/Student Minister the end of May and moved to Starkville in June.  I applied for jobs in Starkville in May right after Chad took the job, but kept hearing there were no openings.  So, the summer was spent with both of us going back in forth between Memphis and Starkville.  It was the end of July before we knew it and school was just around the corner.  I went back to Southwind and had my classroom ready when I received a phone call about a second grade position open in Starkville.  Chad and I were in Hillsboro, MO at the time and drove from there to Starkville and I intereviewed the next morning.  I received the call offering me the job when I was at inservice at Southwind.  With lots of tears and hugs, I packed up my classroom of three years and left the most incredible school, that was really the only place I knew.  I headed to Starkville late that night where I began the next morning at 8:00 a.m.  My parents drove the U-Haul to Starkville the next morning and we began to not only set up a brand new classroom, but tried to move more things into our apartment.  Although, I miss Southwind and my "teacher friends" dearly, I am thankful I have a job in Starkville and love second grade.

Chad and I make it back to Memphis as often was we can to see my family and our friends and welcome them anytime down here too!  Let us know if you want to visit and we'll put you on the calendar!

Mexican Honeymoon!

Chad and I went to Riviera Maya for our honeymoon.  We left early the morning after we got married and spent the week in Mexico.  It was a fabulous honeymoon.  We enjoyed going to the beach and the pool every day, eating delicious meals, touring the city, and exploring the resort property.  Our resort was beautiful and the ocean was crystal clear.  One of our favorite parts of the resort, was that is was adults only, so no children were on the beach!  We would have loved to have stayed even longer, but eventually, we had to come back to reality.

A Perfect Day

On October 2, 2010, I married my best friend.  We had a perfect wedding.  I could not have planned for anything to go better than it did; other than it was too windy for me to have pictures taken outside!  Oh well!  I am ok with that being the worst thing that happened.  I had so much fun in the Bride's Room with my mom, sister, and great friends before the wedding.  We spent the afternoon there getting ready and couldn't wait until I heard the words, "It's time."

What can I say about our wedding day, other than it was perfect and so much fun!  We had a blast and continue to talk about it all the time.  The ceremony was beautiful and just like I dreamt it would be.  It went by so fast and before we knew it, we were being sent off to the reception.  The reception was just as perfect!  We had our reception at the Historic Train Station in downtown Memphis with a Mo-Town band, lots of dancing, beautiful flowers, and delicious food!  We danced our first dance to "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You".  Afterwards, I danced with my dad to "My Girl" and Chad and his mom danced to "What a Wonderful World".  Then, we walked around and tried to talk to as many guests as possible and thank everyone for coming.  After much more dancing, it was time for us to be sent off on our honeymoon.  All of our friends and family lined out of the train station with sparklers, where we walked the line to our Cinderella-lit carriage to whisk us off to The Peabody.  We looked through the carriage and waved to everyone as they shouted their good-byes and congratulations to us.  It truly was a perfect and magical day that we will both treasure forever!

Bridesmaids Luncheon and Rehearsal Dinner

We began the Friday before our wedding with the Bridesmaids Luncheon.  We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and time together before we went out for manicures and pedicures.  I loved spending time with my mom and monther-in-law, my grandmothers, aunt, and my fabulous friends that include my sister and my new sister-in-law!

Our Rehearsal Dinner was so much fun!  Thankfully, all of our friends were able to be in town to celebrate with us and enjoy the night.  We had a blast at dinner and then we all went to the Peabody to relax and hangout with not only the wedding party, but our friends that had traveled all over to celebrate with us.  I don't think we could have picked a better time of year or place to have our rehearsal!

Wedding Weekend Festivities!

Chad and I are fortunate enough to have such wonderful friends and such loving families in our lives.  Many of our friends were able to come into town a couple of days before our wedding to celebrate with us.  We began our wedding festivities with dinner at the Rendezvous and hanging out in downtown Memphis.  We had a blast spending time with our best friends!

Just to Catch You Up

We're Engaged!

  My parents, Chad, and I went to Florida over spring break.  We spent the first three days of the trip in West Palm Beach, where we were able to sightsee, go to the beach, shop, and eat good seafood!  We also went to Jupiter, FL and Port St. Lucie to see the Cardinals spring  training games! 
    Although the first part of the trip was a blast, Chad and I were still extremely excited about the next few days that we would spend at... Disney World!!  We arrived in Orlando on Monday night and went to Downtown Disney for dinner and to walk around before retiring for the night a little earlier than usual so we would be ready for the Magic Kingdom the next day. 
    Tuesday, we awoke early and were on one of the first shuttles to the Magic Kingdom.  We planned to spend the entire day there.  The day was spent riding rides, waiting in lines, trying to get as many fast passes as would allow, and then riding rides for a second time when needed.  We had our day planned out, or so I thought!  After dinner, we would watch the parade and decide if we should go back for more rides.  Chad mentioned seeing the fireworks that night after the parade and I wanted to ride Space Mountain one more time.  After the parade, my parents said they were going back to the hotel and my mom told me to keep her camera with me.  I kept saying I probably wouldn't need her camera, even though I had taken numerous pictures that day, my battery should still be ok for a little bit longer and I doubted I would take many more pictures.  My mom kept telling me to take hers just in case my battery went dead so I decided to take it.  I love pictures and would have hated to miss what was in store for later that night!  Chad and I decided to ride Space Mountain once more and literally ran through the park to get there.  Chad still talked about the fireworks and how he wanted to see them.  I asked if he wanted to skip Space Mountain and just watch the fireworks instead.  Chad was torn between the two, but we decided to wait for the ride.
    After Space Mountain, we had to go to the Christmas shop and pick up ornaments that we left there to have the year painted on them and Chad asked the lady in the shop if the fireworks were over.  By this point, I felt terrible about having missed the fireworks and thought, wow, Chad really wanted to see those!  Chad suggested that we walk through Cinderella's Castle since we had not yet done that.  He took off running, jumping, and skipping to the castle.  At one point I joined in because how often are you really at Disney World.  Something about it does bring the child out in you! It did not take long to walk through the castle and we stopped and Chad asked me to take a picture looking down Main Street from the castle.  I asked him if he wanted me to find someone to get our picture and he told me no, the street was all he wanted.  I took the picture and when I turned around, Chad was down on one knee with a ring box out.  I don't remember his exact words because I started screaming.  After some tears and hugs Chad yelled she said yes!  We had a small audience who cheered and took our picture right after he proposed.  Chad later told me that his original plan to was to propose during the fireworks, but I think he did it perfectly!  It was a magical night!