Second Guessing

So....I know many of you have not been happy with me, and I know a few of you were beginning to think there was something wrong with your Internet connection. Your connections are fine. I am just a huge slacker. I know we have totally left everyone hanging for a couple of months. At first I got behind with the blog due to our move and all the craziness involved with the new house. Then, most of the summer I just simply didn't feel up to it. Lately, I have been so incredibly busy I can't even think straight. I don't even know if I can begin to catch you up and I promise I won't go on and on about how busy things have been. I especially won't talk about how fast time flies either. Hopefully you haven't abandoned us and will check one last time to see if I have updated yet (only to be amazed that there is actually a new post).

I have heard through the grapevine that you are wanting to see pics of the house. I don't blame you. We are currently working on "operation decoration" and I promise pics will come soon. We absolutely LOVE our house and could not be happier. It is nice to actually have our own home. So comforting.

I have been settling into my job at Clarksville Academy, a private school here in Clarksville. I accepted a full time position earlier this summer. I am soooo out of my element in 5th grade (I'll just be honest). It is getting easier and I am beginning to get a good grip on the curriculum, but I miss the younger ones. It is also quite an adjustment to return to work after having stayed home for 2 years. I am slowly adjusting...key word being slowly. I tend to be a perfectionist and don't know if I will ever learn that I can't do everything perfectly, or everything period. I am having a hard time doing anything but working and that makes me so sad. I just don't know. I love the actual teaching part, but all the other headaches that go along with it....I just don't know. I think this is the first week I haven't had a major breakdown.

I say none of this for sympathy or to be dramatic. It is just how things have been going. I have maybe cooked two meals since school began (I have the most amazing husband EVER). My house is a little dusty. I just sent birthday presents to my two sister-in-laws last Friday, September 4th. Their birthdays were the 15th and 22nd of August. I haven't returned my friend Julie's email from the week we were on vacation (last week of July). I did not run one single mile this week. I come home from school, eat dinner, work some more and pass out in exhaustion. It is now Friday night and I am laying here in bed watching TV while my husband is attending a "hail and farewell" dinner that I am too exhausted to attend myself. My list goes on and on.

I really tried to focus on what I really wanted to do while I spent 2 years away from teaching. I felt like maybe it was a chance to try something new, but was not exactly sure what that was. I was never really sure if I wanted to go back to the classroom or not, and as other things in my life have not exactly worked out like planned (not that life should be planned), I decided maybe I should go back to teaching full time. It has been and still is a rough beginning. I know things will get easier and with God's help I will get through it all. As for my future with teaching...I am being totally honest when I say I am not sure what will happen beyond this year.

Wow! I probably sound super negative huh? I didn't mean to turn this post into a sad sob story. I guess it is just how I am feeling tonight. I really am fine and hopeful most days. I am hoping for a restful weekend. I was so tired this afternoon I thought I would fall asleep driving home from across town. That is sad! I promise to try and be better at posting and we'll update you on the house soon. I hope you all have a restful weekend too!

Having a Ball!

Well, I have slacked a bit. I didn't get to post last week. And I had been doing so well! Last week was absolutely crazy. I began the week with a super breakdown- crying and everything. We have so much going on! But the week got much better and by the end of the week I was laughing at myself for being so stressed out. I have so much to tell you! Where do we begin?

School is going well (aside from my breakdown last Monday night). I finally got a working computer in my classroom on Thursday. This was a huge source of stress to me. No computer + lots of grades to input= major stress! I feel like I am settling in and getting the hang of everything. I am actually enjoying teaching this age group and the course materials. I am also super excited because next week is Spring Break!!!

We had a great weekend. My mom called on Thursday and said that her and my dad wanted to come and help us pack up our house. (more on the house later, but we will be closing ahead of schedule). I was all for them coming, but totally in denial of the fact that we needed help. Boy am I glad they came! Not only did we get a lot packed, but we were able to sneak in a little fun too. My dad hadn't been to our house here yet and so it was fun to have him here with my mom. They are awesome! My dad mowed our lawn for us while we packed inside. I really am blessed with a great mom and dad. Here is a picture I took of our silly kitty during our packing.

We also had our first Active Duty Military Ball on Friday night. This is the first dining out I have been to since Joe was in ROTC at Mizzou. I ended up finding an awesome dress- on Thursday night(the ball was Friday). This was also a source of all my stress earlier in the week. It was fun to get my hair done and get all dressed up. We enjoyed dinner and had a few laughs at all the "arminess" going on. It was a pretty good evening all in all. I am sure we will get quite used to these types of functions! Here is a picture of Joe and I enjoying the evening.

Our house is fast approaching a finished state! We are super excited. Have I told you how ready I am to move in? Another good thing about my parents coming, especially my dad, is that they got to come with us to our weekly viewing of our house. For some of you that don't know, my dad is a St. Louis Union Carpenter and a very particular one at that. We had to take him along so he could give us an inspection. Pretty much everything passed, and like I said he is picky (in a good way). He gave us some tips and pointers, and noted a few things we may want to have the builder fix. We are glad he could have a look at it.

It is looking like we will be able to close a little sooner than we were originally contracted. It looks like we should be able to get a close date of April 17th. We also locked in our interest rate last week!! So exciting- 4.875%!!! We are very happy with that. Other things that were finished this week... cabinets are installed, sod is down in front and back, garage door and opener, painted walls, and our deck has been built. The electrician should be coming this week as well as the plumber. The only thing we have left to choose is our closet designs. We are to meet with the "closet man" soon to nail down how we would like our closet to be organized. I am sure we will be paying extra to add some more useful shelving. I can't believe how fast things are moving. I am so thankful we have a head start on packing and we should get a lot more finished this week. My plan was to pack tonight, and so far I have gone to the grocery store, went for a run, made some cards and sat on the couch. There is always tomorrow right? Here are some of the latest pictures.

Progress

We have a ton of pictures to show you!! We went to see the house on Saturday and boy am I starting to get really excited! Things are really coming together, and now you can finally begin to see what it will all look like. We now have a driveway, porch,sidewalks, and our column was installed on the front porch. They began all the trim work, the staircase railings are all installed, and our mantle is all but painted. It all seems to be coming along pretty fast so we are hoping they will finish a little ahead of schedule. We'll see. Here are the latest pictures... it is a mess in there! It actually stresses me out to see it so dirty and messy (I know.. I have issues!).

I also had a big surprise this morning when I got to school. I was walking in and found out I would be taking over today because Katie (the teacher I am taking over for) went to the hospital in the middle of the night to have the baby! I panicked for about 5 minutes and then somehow pulled myself together. We got a lot squared away last week, but a few loose ends are still there and I kind of had to wing it. Luckily I am good a winging it and thrive well under pressure. It turned out to be a fine day.

I do feel a little lost at this school though. The classrooms are kind of separated with outdoor entrances to most- so it is a like a little campus. My classroom is very isolated so I feel very far away from everyone and all the major happenings. I am sure I will get to know everyone and get used to it all though. I have two 7 th grade Life Science classes, two eighth grade Earth Science classes, a 6th grade Health Rotation class, and a random high school Fitness class. It should be an interesting couple of months and I am looking forward to growing as an educator and professional. I am sure I am about to learn things about myself I never knew before! I hope ya'll have a great week!

Busi-ness

Wow! This has been one busy week. I started my new job at Clarksville Academy this week. I have not totally taken over, but I am working very closely with the teacher that I will be filling in for. She really thinks she will be able to make it until the 20th or so, but we will see. In the mean time I am observing and soaking in all I can from her. We actually have a ton in common and I am enjoying "hanging" out with her. I am pretty relieved for us to have clicked so well. I am extremely nervous about teaching 7th & 8th grade Life and Earth science. I hope I can do it! It is so different to only have the kids for an hour at a time, and I am finding it has taken me the entire week to get to know the kids names. I am also adjusting to being in a private school setting. Things are going well and although I am freaking out a little, I know things will be fine in the end. I know it all is going to fly by, but I am so tired! I haven't been sleeping too well this week on top of working full days. I'll be sure to keep you all posted on how things are going.

Other news this week...we got to pick our cabinets, flooring and hardware for the house. It was really hard to choose it all! I almost would have preferred to have it selected for me. Too many decisions! I am getting more and more anxious to move in! All of the drywall was finished last weekend and we are pumped to see what they have gotten done this week. Here are a couple of pics from our visit last weekend.

This is the Kitchen...

They finished the siding!

A look at the loft area and kitchen from the living room.

That is all for now, but we will post more after our visit this weekend. I can't wait to see what they have accomplished. I think we should have a driveway and sidewalks! Exciting!

Just for Fun...An Interview with Jill

Here is your chance to read a personal interview with none other than ME of course! Thanks Mae for the questions and enjoy!

1. Who was your favorite literary character when you were a kid? Why?
I have so many literary characters I love in general being an elementary teacher. There are a few from my childhood that I particularly remember. One of the characters I remember most from a very young age was Eric Carle's, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I used to LOVE to look at his illustrations. I loved the pages where it shows everything he ate. I of course loved the last page as well where he turns into a beautiful butterfly. It is just one of those books I remember from a very young age. I also loved and read all of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. The differences between her life and ours always facinated me. I also loved the fact that she was a real person.

2. What is your favorite food?
All food! It is true, I rarely meet a food I don't like. I love eating (I usually joke that this is the reason I run). I love cooking. Food is a passion of mine. I love making meals for people and watching them enjoy it. I also enjoy eating out! Joe and I often joke that eating out is our hobby because it is just about the main thing we spend our recreational money on. I have so many favorites. If I had to pick an ethnic category I would have to say Italian. In general I love good home food such as potato soup and macaroni and cheese. I can also go for a yummy curry dish from an Indian restaurant. I could really go on and on! (Is that sad?)

3. Where do you want to retire?
Hmmm. This is a tricky one. I would want to be by family of course. I am really not sure I have thought about this at all before. Now I am stressing out because I need to plan for my retirement! I might have to get back to you on this one later.

4. Who do you admire?
I have many people who have touched my life in so many ways. I have awesome and inspiring parents, grandparents and friends. I have the most amazing husband. I don't know how he can be so patient with me and love me so much. I am truly blessed with an amazing marriage. (I don't know if I really answered that question!)

5. If you were invisible, where would you go?
I think being invisible wouldn't be all that fun. I am a very social person and need human contact. I do think there could be benefits though. It would be kind of fun to spy on people and listen to their conversations. Most of all if I were invisible I would go wherever I wanted!

"Hail and Farewell"

Here it is... the newest picture of our house.

Are you tired of the updates yet? I know it doesn't look much different than the one I posted for last week, but you can see it much better now without all the scaffolds and piles of brick. We went by to look on Saturday and it was very cold and rainy. The wind was blowing pretty hard too. The brick is pretty much finished on the front of the house and the parts that aren't bricked will be sided. The brick was already chosen before we bought the house and we weren't sure if we would love it or not. We have decided that it looks pretty good. On the inside things pretty much looked the same except they started on the duct work , outlets and wiring. They have also installed some plumbing as well as the tubs and showers. It was fun to see things already in place and Joe and I walked through the house planning and discussing things for quite a while. We finally succumbed to the cold and couldn't stand it anymore. We are so ready to get settled into our new place and make it home-y.

Not much else has gone on this weekend. Friday night I accompanied Joe to a "Hail and Farewell" at one of the local restaurants. For those of you who are wondering... this is where new officers are welcomed into their unit and those who are leaving are recognized for their service. As you can guess Joe was being "hailed". I didn't really want to go because we really don't know anyone. Joe didn't really want to go either, but was obligated to attend this formality. Originally I was going to be gone, but since I was in town I got to go. He told me it would be over pretty fast and they were to serve dinner. It ended up taking a lot longer than we thought. It was yet another fun introduction to the real Army (it is still hard to believe sometimes!). It was kind of awkward, but I did meet one wife that was super nice and Joe already knew her husband. We of course also visited with Ed- the PA Joe is replacing (he was being "farewelled"). He is a super funny guy who is not afraid to tell you what he thinks. That makes conversation interesting let me tell you! The actual "hailing and farewelling" was quite comical. Their commander made up some funny stuff about the guys when he was introducing them. When Joe and I went up (yep, i had to go up in front of 70 people I didn't know also) he said he would be nice because Joe was a married guy. They gave me a unit pin and a beautiful rose. The pin is super Hooah...complete with the unit insignia and heart shaped. Here is what the insignia looks like...Joe's unit is called "Widowmakers"- nice huh? Just imagine it all heart shaped and pinned on my collar. I think the winged skull is a nice touch. I need to find something great to put my pin on don't you think? It was one of those experiences very unique to the Army and I am sure we will remember it always.

Well that is all pretty much the excitement that has been our weekend. Also making it a great weekend was of course another Mizzou win, but I am most thankful for some good quality time with my awesome husband. I hope you all had a great weekend too!

It has been a long week!

As you can see in my title this has been a long week for me. I have felt lousy all week and Joe has worked late every night. That makes for a not fun week! I am feeling much better today so hopefully we can have a good weekend.

We traveled to Springfield last weekend to meet our precious new niece Hannah, and of course visit with Emma, Kevin & Mandy. Emma has really stolen her Uncle Joe's heart and she is the best big sister ever! He really enjoyed playing with her! She is such a cutie. Hannah is just so sweet! She is such a quiet baby and of course beautiful. We can't wait to watch her grow too. We love all of our nieces! We really enjoyed our visit and always enjoy spending time with our family.

We got back late Sunday night and Monday we went out for a bit to see the progress on the house. To our surprise they were bricking the front and all the windows and outside doors are in. Very exciting, but those brick layers were in the way and I couldn't get a great picture. Hopefully this weekend we can get a closer look without all the scaffolds being in the way. We are hoping to take another trip through the inside as well. Unfortunately it looks further along than it is. Pretty soon the outside will be complete with much still left to do on the inside. I am trying to be very patient. I guess that is about it for now- just a little update. I'll have more to post this weekend (an interview with Jill and of course more house pics!) now that I am feeling better. I hope you all have had a great week and a great Valentine's Day!

Excitement

I can't believe how beautiful the weather has been! I am so sad that it probably won't last much longer, but I am determined to enjoy it while it lasts!

It has been a good week so far. I have not been called to sub so far this week, which actually makes me happy. I feel like I am actually caught up on things and that is a great feeling.


Not much else has gone on this week. Our biggest excitement came on Saturday when we drove by the house. It was great to see that the roof was on and we could see the stairs were in place...it was exciting. We climbed on in where the front door will be and even went up stairs. If I hadn't seen the other house I wouldn't have known what everything was, but somehow we could identify each room/area. We even found some changes that the builder was making- like a built in for the TV in the bonus room, and another linen closet upstairs.

Here is a look at the front.

Here is a look from where our entryway will be.

Here is Joe in our bonus room.

Needless to say, this was an exciting venture for us to actually be able to walk through the house, go up the stairs and know that it is ours. Hopefully we'll have even more progress to show next week! I'll try to write some other posts not containing house pics. I feel like that is all I write about lately, and it is, but that is the most interesting thing we have going on at the moment! Bear with us, we are first time home buyers and very excited!

The Verdict is in!

We have been in touch with the owner of the house we rent over the past couple of weeks due to their pending foreclosure. She told us they were waiting on a judge to hear their case and hopefully he would rule in their favor and they could keep the house. We found out on Friday the judge ruled in favor of the owners and they will get to keep their house. This is good and bad for us. We are relieved because we will not have to move until our house is ready, but it kind of stinks because if our rental property was foreclosed on then the Army would move us. Now we still have to move ourselves, but I am glad that the owners did not lose their house. Either way it worked out well for us.

Not much else has gone on around here. We actually had some snow and ice last week, but nothing compared to those just North of us. It was so beautiful outside. The ice did do some damage here and many trees fell prey to it. Joe took some great pictures in our backyard. We had a great weekend too. For some reason the Army was off on Monday so Joe had another long weekend. He gets another one in a couple of weeks, and we are super excited to be traveling to Springfield, MO to meet our new niece Hannah! We can't wait to see Kevin, Mandy & Emma too.

Some of you may already know, but my latest news is that I will be heading back to the classroom this spring. I have been given the most awesome opportunity to take over a maternity leave position at a private school here in Clarksville. I will be teaching 7th & 8th grade Science! I am very nervous about it, but I know just a day back in the classroom and I'll be fine. I have missed teaching and being in the school atmosphere. I am reminded of how I felt when I first began my job at Pilot Grove. I feel excited yet nervous. The maternity leave does not begin until March, but I will be subbing starting this week as needed around the school. After not teaching for a couple of years I am curious to see if I want to actually go back to the classroom. This opportunity will definitely help me decide if I want to pursue a job for the Fall. We shall see :) The job will go through the end of the school year, and Tracy (my principal friend from church) says there is a D.C. trip with the kids in May. Sounds fun to me! I will keep you posted on how things pan out.

Here is our latest pic of the house! We were pleasantly surprised to see how much they got done despite the yucky weather. We are trying hard to only go over to see the progress once a week. It is so hard! I am anxious to get in it and get everything settled in. It is nice to know we won't have to move again for a while. Pretty soon you will be able to see what the outside will look like. Exciting stuff! I guess that is it for now. We hope you all are having a great week!

Sold!!!

We are so excited to announce that we have bought a house!!!

Kind of...I guess it isn't much of a house yet, but hopefully by April we will be living at our new house on Southwood Drive. It was never our intention to "build" a house and really we aren't. We happened upon an open house in the neighborhood and the realtor explained to us that the one we looked at was sold, but that the builder was already using the same floorplan on a different street. We LOVED the house so we decided we would wait for it! The fun part is that since we have bought it so early we get to pick out the flooring and cabinets. We plan on keeping you updated on the process and we will post a pic each week of the progress the builders have made. Joe and I are excited as we finalize our financing tomorrow, and prepare to be homeowners. I am still a little nervous about the whole thing, but I think I'll have plenty of time to get used to the idea. We feel extremely blessed to be able to purchase our first home. It is going to be nicer than we feel we deserve. Here are pictures of us signing our contract.











Here is your first look at our new house! The foundation and brick surrounding it were the only things finished when we put down the contract on Thursday. By Saturday they began framing! Like I said will post a picture a week so you can track the progress with us. We already got to make our first choice- wood burning fireplace or propane gas. Important stuff!

Everything since August 27, 2007

So I haven’t blogged in awhile, as you can see from the title. Obviously much has happened since then and I by no means really intend to cover it all. I’ll start with recent things and see where we end up. First of all, we have a contract on a house, but won’t close until March (hopefully!). In the mean time we’re waiting on a settlement between the bank and the owner of the house we rent to find out if we have to move before our house is finished being built (see Jill’s post below for details). I think we should find out this week.
As I’m sure you all know, I’ve also started my new career as an Army PA. I’m assigned to headquarters troop, first squadron, seventy-fifth armor regiment, second brigade combat team, with the 101st Airborne Division. Abbreviated that is: HHT, 1/75AR RGT, 2BCT, 101st ABD. Here’s a little background info for those who don’t know…troops and companies make up squadrons and battalions (cavalry and infantry respectively), squadrons and battalions make up brigades, and brigades make up divisions. I am the primary care provider for a squadron of roughly 450 personnel. I see clinic on a daily basis and run the aid station (clinic) when we are in the field. I also have a role in logistics as far as deciding what medications and medical supplies the unit needs. And I have a role in training our medics, which I believe we have around 25. A few nice things about the job are that I’m not directly responsible for anyone else and I don’t fall under anyone else besides the Squadron Commander (top dog) and the Brigade Surgeon. So in general I can just do my thing and not worry about too much “Armyness.” I’m committed for the next three years, which will include a deployment in the next 12-18 months (Afghanistan most likely). We’ll see what happens after that.
Graduation was nice. We had a small ceremony because only five of us were graduating. I didn’t really feel like I was finished until I passed my board exam a couple of weeks ago though. I scored a 589. I have no idea what that means beyond it’s passing, but it sounds like a great score doesn’t it? Now the only thing I’m waiting on is to be credentialed by the hospital. Once that happens I’ll be on my own. Exciting, but a little scary. I feel like I could use a few more years of training! I don’t know if I’d ever really feel prepared though. I’ll leave it here for now so Jill can tell you more about the house we bought and post a picture. I’ll try and post more regularly from now on. Actually I’ll have to do one about the Dining In I attended on Friday which served as my introduction to the Cavalry. Good times!

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy Stuff!

Life is about to get a little crazy. At the beginning of the week it seemed as though things were going well...a little too well. We both had that thought on Wednesday morning and sure enough something not so good happened. Joe came home on Wednesday to a letter taped on our front door. The letter stated that the house we live in has been foreclosed and that we needed to call the realtor in order to arrange "cash for keys". What? Crazy! For some of you that do not know...we rent a house through a realtor here in Clarksville. The owner has an agreement with them, we pay the realtor and they pay the owner. Evidently the owner has not been responsible with their money- I mean our money (which is very frustrating). The bank wants us out of this house by the 2nd of Feb. in order to receive a cash settlement. Basically the foreclosure makes our lease void. Joe is busy today trying to figure out our options as well as our rights. We are a bit stressed as we thought our lease would be up March 31st. We began the house hunting process and found "the one" on Monday. We actually put a contract down on it last night and are waiting to hear back from the builder. The downside to this house is that we have to wait for it to be built. It is planned be finished April 30th. So we can't move in right away and we have to leave here right away...crazy! Joe checked with the housing office on post and they said that the Army will move us because our rental was foreclosed on - which is great news! They should also store our things for us for at least 90 days. We still have to hash things out with our realtor, but it looks like we will probably find a small, furnished apartment to live in for the next 3 months as we wait for our house to get done. We know God is with us and everything will work out fine. We know that somehow this is probably turning out for the best and in our favor, but it will make things a little crazy! Keep us in your prayers and we love you all!

New Beginnings

I am starting this new year off with a bang! Two posts in one week. Will there be a third? Of course this is the beginning of a new year, but it also marks the beginning of a new career for Joe. He is very anxious to get started, but unfortunately he has to first pass the PANCE. He has been studying in the evenings again (not fun for me) and will take it next week on the 14th. Say a prayer for him. He HAS to pass!!!! Again, he WILL be posting soon but I just couldn't wait to post this picture for you all! I made him pose sporting his new rank and new patches before he headed off to officially report to his commander on Monday. He was laughing at me, but I felt the need to capture the moment. I thought it would make a great scrapbook page. Anyway check out his new tracks. Aren't they shiny? Not to mention that cool screaming eagle on his arm, huh? Don't be jealous. The army isn't all that glamorous. Lots of hard work and sweat! Hooah!

We've Been Busy

I know... it has been a long time. We have just been so busy! I know this is always my excuse, but it is always the reason I get behind on our blog. A lot has happened since our last blog so try to keep up!


Our biggest news is that we are now officially going to be Tennesseans for the next 3 years. As many of you know we were awaiting the Missouri Guards decision to keep or release Joe to Active duty. We found out around Thanksgiving that they had decided to release him. We really felt like this was the best choice for us right now. We are thankful to God as we know he has once again answered our prayers. Joe and I are excited to begin looking for a house during January and for Joe to begin his career as a PA. He received a promotion to Captain and is now sporting some fancy new "railroad tracks" as they call them. Along with his promotion comes a raise and for that we are very excited (and thankful!). Other big news of course is that Joe is done with PA School!!!!!! We could not be more excited for this new chapter of our life to begin. As far as all the details of where he is assigned and so forth...I am saving that for him to tell you. You can expect a blog from him soon! He'll fill you in on all the graduation and "army"stuff.


In November I traveled to Wichita, KS to help Mae and Ian out with their precious little girl Isabelle. I spent a lot of quality time holding my new niece and helping Mae prepare for the rest of our family to arrive for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had the best Thanksgiving. All of Joe's family was able to make it. We always have so much fun together. I am so blessed with great in-laws!




We also had a busy few weeks leading up to Christmas. Joe's birthday was on the 18th and his graduation was on the 19th. We ate at Maggiano's in Nashville for his birthday. It is so delicious! His mom was also able to come down for all the fun. Here is a picture of Joe with his enormous banana bread pudding. I don't think he even finished half of it! He's a handsome 29 if I don't say so myself!

It was the first Christmas Joe and I have had a tree in 3 years! So we bought the biggest one yet! I loved our tree this year. We kept it simple with colored glass ornaments and white lights. I spent most of the day today taking it down and I have to say it was sad. We traveled home to Farmington for the holiday. We must have been so good this year because Santa was good to us! On Christmas Eve we enjoyed dinner and opened some gifts with my parents and grandma. On Christmas day we went to my Aunt Brenda's in St. Louis for dinner and all the festivities. I hadn't seen most of my family since last Christmas so it was great to catch up and see everyone. It was exciting to catch up with my cousins Carey and Amy. Carey lives in CA now and Amy lives in New York. They are gorgeous!


Dinner was yummy as usual and our "Rob your neighbor" game was a blast. I love Christmas!


We celebrated our 6th anniversary on the 28th. Joe had a great anniversary planned for us at the Opryland Hotel & Resort. When we arrived they had no record of our reservation and did not really try to make anything up to us. Joe even had a reservation number and everything. They could not find it. We felt so silly and like they thought we were making it up. So we left embarrassed and with a charge on our credit card that they had no record of charging. It pretty much ruined our anniversary. I felt really bad for Joe. All in all we feel blessed to have 6 wonderful years together and I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for us. I think that is about it for now. Maybe this post will get some people off my back (you know who you are!). We wish everyone all the best in the upcoming year and I have resolved to be better at updating our blog. Seriously!