exhausted...but grateful!

so yesterday for the challenge i was supposed to call someone i havent talked to in a while--but i ended up visiting with people i have seen/talked to in a while!
we went out to eat with christina,kierstin,chad,carter,patrick and angela,mamma lisa,and the spruells for christinas birthday! i hadnt seen any of them,or really caught up with neen in a while--lifes been so busy! so we had a great time at dinner! :)

today im supposed to take a picture of something im grateful for, so heres goes ;)




my husband :) he's sitting on the couch catching up on Heroes cause he missed it,so adorable! got all shy when i tried to snap his picture :)--i am most grateful for him, i dont know where i would be without him. he is my everything :) we've had our fair share of hard times,but they made us so much stronger--and theres no doubt in my mind (and never has been) that he is THE ONE for me. i cannot picture my life without him in it, or with anyone else. i look forward to growing old with him :)


well todays my friday...*sigh* i dont work again till monday. i really hope i find another job asap. joey and i have been applying like crazy every single day so i really hope we both hear something soon. pray for us!
tomorrow we have lunch with father paddy, my RCIA class, thursday is our Mass class, Saturday is the fall fest at church which we're both working allllll day (9-4) and then that night we're going out with the Sotos to see Snow Patrol and Plain White Tees play. busy! (whats cool about that concert is our song is plain white tees and their song is snow patrol! we hang out with them once a week and have since joey got home, theyre becoming family! and we realized they were married exactly 6 months after us! we're Feb 5th and theyre Aug 5th! love them!)

i really need to clean tonight so itll be nice with Father comes tomorrow...i just feel like being lazy!

sad times at YHC (young harris college) -- drama central over there with greek life. it bothers me so much. Zell Miller had the right idea when he was president but freakin Cathy Cox is messing it all up. im all for it being a 4 yr school,but now some freshman got it approved to have Kappa Sig (national frat) come to YHC. if you want national,go somewhere else. yhc is special for a reason. its all about tradition. our brother/sisterhoods are NOWHERE else BUT yhc and thats part of what makes it so special. not to mention the actual WORK you do for your letters, the bonds you get with your bigs,littles,and PB/PS...it looks like the downfall for all our organizations there. then they go and tag Kappa Sig all over the Phi Delta rock...not cool. its in uproar. my FB status is blowing up all about it. tons of alumni and currents are not happy about this (to put it lightly) i just with there was something i could do to help. Phi Delta is dear to my heart,always. some people may read this and think 'its just some sorority whats the big deal?' but it IS a big deal,and you just wouldnt understand unless you experienced it.
sad sad times for yhc, i hate it so much. ugh!

*PD Dingleberry SOTY #49/94 2006*

off i go to enjoy my husband and pups and relax! (and maybe finally get some cleaning done!)

blessings...

this is perfect for the challenge--esp for me; just last night i was saying how i envy some people and theres a million things i wish i had! for todays challenge, im supposed to write a list of all the blessings i currently have:

-my husband
-my family/friends
-a home
-my puppies
-food in my fridge
-clothes to wear
-heat/AC
-a job
-all the nice material things: coach purses,computer,iphone,camera,nice jewelry,ect
- a great relationship with God
-the fact that my husband went to Iraq 2x and came home safe
-my neice and nephews
-good health


i defintley take for granted all the wonderful things i DO have that some people dont, so its nice to look back and really take an inventory. greed/envy is a terrible thing! i AM thankful for all the things i DO have, and the things i wish i had? its not like i NEED them, theyre all wants-nothing crucial.

so thank you God for blessing me SO MUCH in my life :)



today we're loungin around with the pups and makin breakfast, Mass @ 11 and then our first pre-marital thing at 1:30. after that not much planned. lazy day! dreading opening tomorrow...yup ha ;)
Tanya comes in to town SO SOON and i am so excited to see her, i defintiley wanna try to see her as much as possible while shes here. i cant wait to meet chase either! her,me,and brittany all planned a girls night at the Hyatt in ATL--itll be alot of fun :)

off to enjoy my 'fancy coffee'!! ;)

Negative Nancy

so today for the gratitude challenge i am supposed to give thanks for something negative in my life..this is a hard one?

i guess...im thankful for my job at the gym. i DREAD waking up at 4am, complain about it, fight sleep the whole morning at work, spend the rest of the day exhausted...it sucks! BUT im thankful i have some sort of job right now. yeah my days got cut and i only work 2 days a week...yeah i dont make a lot of money...yeah,i hate waking up at 4am,ect--but at least joey and i are not BOTH unemployed. im still bringing in SOME sort of money.


yesterday we had Elman and Vicky come by to hangout for a few during the day and then went to the grocery store, joey made chicken for dinner--hes so awesome :) he just threw some stuff together to marinade it with and it turned out SO yummy! afterwards i made cookies and the Sotos came over to hangout! :)

today we have zero plans but may run a couple errands,and go visit my mom--shes still doin good! just really tired.

anyhoo im off to make coffee and play with my puppies!

*Grateful* its Friday!

im supposed to write about something im grateful for today. lets see...i woke up not too long ago,made some coffee,just got done cleaning...

today im thankful for Tanya :) my room mate from college,fellow army wife, and one of my bestfriends.


she is stationed in Germany (army) with her husband (who is currently in iraq right now) and their new son who was born in july. i cannot even fathom being in a foreign country,alone,giving birth to my child, all while my husband is in iraq. i went through a deployment but i was surrounded by family, had no children...i just cant imagine. i look up to her for that, she is incredibly strong,super positive,and very loving. shes always there for me,and im always there for her-even despite the time difference and hectic schedules. if you had told me when we first met that we'd both marry soldiers, become army wives and best of friends,end up hanging out in germany together,ect...id have never beleived you! i feel that we both have grown so much in the time since we met,and have remained close even despite the distance and the few times we've seen eachother over the years. i am SO proud of her. i miss her so much,and i wish we were neighbors! or at least in the army stationed somewhere together ;)
she comes home next month and i cannot wait to see her,and meet my little nephew Chase :) i cant beleive shes a mommy!

so tanya--today, i am grateful for YOU. i love you girl,and i am always here for you, no matter what :)

(*The Rickels & The McGraws in Germany 2008*)


today we dont have a whole lot going on. i just got done cleaning and i think im gonna help myself to another cup of my 'fancy coffee' ;) Elman and Vicky are both coming by at some point today to hangout so thatll be good, and ill head over to see my mom at some point-shes doing great!

hope everyone has a great friday!


(*When we first met at Young Harris College in 2005!*)



(*April 2009 at her baby shower here in GA!*)


(*Tanya and her baby boy--and my awesome nephew who i cant wait to meet--CHASE!*)

ABC's and a trip to the airport!

well tonight we went to the airport to see Anna and Troy on their layover from England to Arizona--we all ate dinner at the airport and had a couple hours to spend with them, it was so nice! thats only the 2nd time ive spent time with my dear sister in law!
my mom got to leave the hospital today too, woo! i know shes glad :)

today for Day 2 of the Gratitude Challenge I'm supposed todo the ABCs of things im grateful for, so here goes! (* www.gratitudechallenge.com *)

A: America-- i love my country,despite SOME things i dont agree with *such as OBAMA* i really wouldnt wanna live anywhere else. im also an extremley proud Army Wife :)

B: Books-- im such a book nerd. reading gives me such pleasure,its my favorite hobby. i always have my kindle with me,and at least one other paperbound book.

C: Coffee-- love me some coffee! theres just nothing like a hot cup o' joe int he morning, ESP in bed! i love drinking coffee in bed, i dont get to do it often but when i do i LOVE it. i love putting whipped creme on my coffee too :) i call it my fancy coffee and joey makes fun of me ;)

D: Delilah-- the newest member of our little family! i love my baby girl, she brings such joy into the house and we couldnt have asked for a better pup-shes got such an awesome personality and SO loving. i fell for her the minute i laid eyes on her!

E: Evenings in-- i love going out, with friends or on a date night, with family whatever. dinner movie...good fun! but i also LOVE evenings in with my husband. just him and me and our pups, cuddlin up and watchin a movie or just bein lazy, silly,laughing. SO much fun.

F: Family-- i love my family, *and yes this includes my inlaws!* my family has always been there for me despite any dysfunction lol, i dont know where i would be without my parents, my mom is my bestfriend and i will always be a daddys little girl. my in laws are fantastic and i couldnt have been blessed more!

G: GOD-- i am becoming stronger and stronger in my faith and it is SUCH a good feeling. **i finally made the decision to become Catholic,and take my first communion on Easter** i feel closer to God than ever, and its such a fantastic feeling to be doing it alongside my husband.

H: Husband-- i just plain ol adore him. he is my bestfriend,my everything. we've been tested to the limits and come out together,stronger,and more in love. i literally cannot see my life without him in it.

I: Internet-- this was my bestfriend while joey was in Germany,and then deployed to Iraq. if it wasnt for that we wouldve never gotten to talk,and i wouldnt have been able to see his sweet face on webcam.

J: Jesus-- i love him, and can never explain the feelings i have when i think of him dying on the cross for us, for me! i recently watched 'The Passion' and i cried through most of it. Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice.

K: Kierstin-- my god daughter. she has my middle name :) Kierstin Michelle. i adore her, and i have since the moment i saw her. i cant beleive shes going to be 7! she is such a bright, loving, caring, silly crazy little girl! i cant help but smile when im around her,and i think of her often. id do anything for her. Neen (her mom,my bff) has done an incredible job raising her, i hope im half the mom she is, and i feel so honored she asked me to be her god mother so many years ago. (*love you meep!*)

L: Love-- as the beatles said 'Love is all you need'; what is there in life without love? i cant even imagine. i am SO grateful for the many kinds of love i have in my life, especially the love of God, and the love I have with and for my husband. i cant imagine my life without those two.

M: Military-- God Bless those who serve. as i said, im a super proud army wife-my heart swells with pride for my husband. my real life hero. i wish people really stopped to think what service members really do for us. its an incredible thing.

N: Night-- as simple as this seems, i love night time. things are quieter, the stars come out. i love looking at the stars and am thankful i live in a place where i can see them every single night. (not to mention im def not a morning person!)

O: Opening at the gym-- yes crazy i know, waking up at 4am, working from 5-1 ...my FB statuses definiley reflect how much i dislike it! BUT i was thinking today...it really is a great alone time for me. everything quiet,theres not a whole lot of members working out, im the only staff there till about 9...i get to reflect,pray, think,read,study--whatever. i get to just wind down and spend some time in the quiet,in a life thats filled with busy schedules and lots of hecticness!

P: Payton/Peyton-- my neice and nephew! 6 months apart--i adore them both! they are such happy kids, and i fell in love with both of them the moment i met them. (i also got to see Payton born which was an incredible thing to experience). it makes me think about being a Mom,having my own kids. i love seeing joey interact with them. seeing both their first steps,first words..and incredible thing to witness.

Q; Quiet-- this word has come up alot! i guess because i dont get a whole lot of it, that when i do, i soak it in. i usually use this time to work things out in my mind,and pray. lots of praying lately. alot of times i get distracted or lose my train of thought when i pray, so i take advantage whenever i have quiet time and talk to God.

R: Roses-- another simple thing. its my absolute favorite flower. they are beautiful to me, i love getting them, looking at pictures of them,smelling them,ect. it brings a smile to my face--something so simple!

S: Sisters-- i never had sisters, but have been blessed with so many; my phi delta girls, my friends, my incredible sister-in-laws, my claire-in-law! Neen,VIcky,Tanya,Brittany,Courtney,Becca,Anna,ect ect ect i have so many God has given me,and am grateful for each and every one.

T: Topsail Island-- ive only been once, but absolutley fell in love with it. what a beautiful,peaceful,relaxing place. i never wanted to leave. i was so happy,laid back and carefree when i was there.

U: Unlimited Texting-- definitley a good thing! i use it daily and am SO glad there is such a thing! i use it more than the actual phone! its a great way to keep in touch with friends and pass time, and again a tool i used when joey was away in Iraq-so i could talk to him always no matter where i was or what i was doing.

V: Vicky!--shes been a great friend, she truly helped me through my deployment with joey,always letting me be the third wheel and including me,letting me cry and vent to her, going through the hard times--she was always there and that deployment wouldve been so much harder without her. im so glad i can do it in return for her now that Trevor is deployed,and shes doing SO great,i am SO proud of her.

W: Wedding-- i am lucky enough to have 2! last february we had a small JOP ceremony when joey was home on leave from iraq,and this february we get to have our catholic ceremony! so exciting :) and what a way to celebrate our one year wedding anniv!

X:

Y: Young Harris College-- this is where i found life long friends, sisters, and where i truly found out who i was as a person. i learned alot in the time i was there,and cherish it deep in my heart. YHC will ALWAYS be a fond memory for me. i miss it dearly and think often of the amazing times i had there. besides the good friends and good times--its an incredibly beautiful place. so peaceful. its hard not to think of God there when you're surrounded by all that beauty.

Z: Zzzz-- SLEEP. i cherish it when i DO get it! my sleep schedule is so out of whack from opening the gym,and just always being so busy. i look forward to it when i do get it, and the nights i sleep hard, and dont wake up once? AMAZING feeling! *i look forward to sleeping in tomorrow!*


sadly i was drawing a blank on X...sorry! :( i wrote all of this earlier at work today and this is the first chance i got to get to a computer! wanted to get it in before midnight hit and i had to start working on day 3 of the challenge!

loving this challenge so far--i suggest everyone givin in a go! :)

off to bed for me. my husband is already snoozin and i wanna go join him and dream sweet!

God is Good.

Lifes been hectic (seems to be the theme with my blog!)

My mom had surgery Monday, she had a gastric sleeve done (KINDA like gastric bypass)--so i was at the hospital from about 445am-8pm on Monday, went to work Tuesday then back to the hospital, worked today--its been hectic! Moms doin GREAT! she should be home tomorrow :)

i just got back from RCIA, still loving it. God has been speaking to me more and more in the past few weeks, my relationship with him is doing nothing but growing. theres some stressful things going on in my life, and im trying as hard as i can to 'let go,and let God'--just pray my little heart out and put it all in his hands. i know everything will happen as it should.

i have to open tomorrow,work till 1, and then tomorrow night we're all going to the airport! Anna (my SIL who lives in England) and Troy have a layover in ATL for a few hours so we're going up there to see them and eat dinner with them :) very exciting!
other than that we dont have any plans for the weekend. i know claire and nick are trying to plan a weekend to come visit next month and im so excited--i miss her so much! i SO wish we lived closer.

speaking of claire im totally copying her :) i JUST got done reading her blog and shes doing this: www.gratitudechallenge.com
God is doing work here! the past 2 days have been heart wrenching for me, and i think it was perfect timing to read her blog and see that site.
SO! day 1 tells me i need to express WHY i accepted the challenge and what i hope to achieve from it, and that is this: i want to do this, to look on the bright side of things-be grateful and appreciative of the positives in my life and stop focusing so much on the negatives. i hope by the end of this i learn a good lesson, feel refreshed and refocused :)

theres tons more i want to update on--mainly religion related ;) but im just exhausted. i think im going to go have some milk and cookies and cuddle with my hubs and pups before bed!

keep my mom in your prayers, and me and joey--we both need jobs asap!

Date Night!

its been busy busy!

we are absolutley loving having Delilah (aka 'Lilah')--she is SUCH a sweet puppy with such an awesome personality. i absolutley adore her :)



this past weekend-- Saturday we had a Sibling Day with Courney,Becca,and Zach! we were all over at our place cooking out,drinkin beer,and just catchin up-it was nice :) i hope we can do it more often!
Sunday Joey and i got up and went to church. i really enjoyed it :) i cant explain the feeling i have of reconnecting with my faith, and doing it WITH my husband. God has been on my mind daily since we got back from Michigan. i LOVE it. my RCIA classes are going great (going tomorrow night!) and im loving all the reading/learning im doing, its opened my eyes and heart so much! i cant wait to learn more and soak it all up. After church sunday we at lunch with his mom (after coming home and playing with the pups some!) and then the 3 of us went to the Monestary in Conyers, it was so cool! ive never been before! we got a couple pictures to hang in the house of jesus and mary, i got a crucifix for my chain along with some other small things--very cool :)

im done with work for this week...they already found someone for my wed-fri shift so i started only working 2 days a week this week. im REALLY praying ill find another job asap. keep your fingers crossed for me :(
tonight we went on a double date with Neen and Chad- at Taco Mac!

so much fun, then we came back here to our house and hung out some more before Chad had to go to work (hes a cop!)--it was a ton of fun and im glad we all got together, hope to do it again soon!

what a day

we got our puppy today! FINALLY!!! she flew in this morning while i was at work so sadly i couldnt go with joey (and work was SO LONG for me because i was SO excited!)

this is when joey first got her at the airport :) she had a hard day between the flight and car ride, new people and new home! after a little while she started warming up though!



potter not so much, ha he doesnt want much to do with her. i actually just got home and joey said they were sitting on the same couch-BIG improvment! im sure theyll be fine after a day or two :) she is SO sweet, such a sweet puppy, likes to sit with you, loves being petted and just has the sweetest personality! she is the PERFECT addition to our family and exactly what we were looking for :)

tonight i left for a couple hours to go to my first RCIA class at St.Stephens--for those who dont know its a class that goes till Easter, once a week, for people thinking about or planning on converting to catholicism. i havent completley made up my mind yet--but if i decide not to at the end of it at least ill be educated on my husbands faith. i really...dont think MY family will be happy about it. just an inkling i have. BUT like i said, no decisions made yet so i guess ill just cross that bridge if/when it comes. the class went well, and i saw a couple familiar faces which was nice! joey was going to go with me but i told him to stay with the pups since its still so new for them both, so my MIL went with me tonight so i wouldnt have to go alone (which i appreciated ALOT!). so we'll see where this class takes me!

we also got our first registry gift in the mail! SO EXCITED! our bedding!!! i love it! Mama Lisa,Steve,Aunt Linda,Uncle Wiley,Mema,and Granddaddy sent it to us! ive already washed the sheets and put them on and set up everything!





very exciting :)

while in Michigan i managed to pick up a cold :( im all congested and stuffy and sore throat n junk, it stinks! i hope i get over it soon but it seems to just be getting worse :(

thats all thats new for now! im going to enjoy my husband and our two awesome pups before headin to bed! :)

Labor Day in Michigan

what a weekend!

Friday night we had the Sotos over to hangout, went to bed around 1145--woke up at 4 on saturday and took off from ATL around 7 to Detroit.

It was joeys grandma's 80th so alot of the family went. Saturday was a CRAZY day! all her kids were there which i know meant the world to her:




we had a great time with everyone :) we had a big dinner Saturday night, and Sunday a big portion of people left. We went to mass,and then spent the night kicked back relaxing!



Everyone else left Monday so Joey and I were the only ones left! we went to the mall and shopped around,just a relaxed day. joeys uncle even let him drive his mustang! needless to say joey was beyond excited,and that was probably his favorite part of the trip ;)



today we went to the airport, BARELY made it...THEN they lost our bag. our ONE bag with everything in it, of course! apparently they said theyd deliver it to our house by 8 tonight...we'll see. long day today-i cant beleive its already 4. we still have to go get potter from my grandparents. THEN TOMORROW....PUPPY!!!! :) i am SO excited, joeys going to get her while im at work so i have a feeling work will go by VERY slow for me tomorrow!

im thinking about taking the RCIA classes at St.Stephens--i havent made up my mind yet whether or not ill become catholic BUT figured it wont hurt to educate myself either way. that starts tomorrow night--so ill be interested to see where i end up at the end of it!

long weekend! busy! but so much fun, i love the Soignets so Im glad we got to spend so much time with them. it was great to get to know grandma brown finally,and the rest of the family too! i AM glad to be at home but it was sad to leave at the same time. exhausted! so now i guess we'll be lazy for a bit,and then finally go get Potter!

Ramen! mmm!

so this is how weird i am...

i was flippin through netflix lookin for something to watch,and came across a random brittany murphy movie id never heard of: The Ramen Girl


AFTER watching this random movie--i was craving Ramen, REAL RAMEN! i always thought Ramen was just the random noodles you cooked in the microwave--NOT! so since then ive been dyin to try it, but finding a place around here was HARD. finally found one off of Lawrencville-Suwanee that was GREAT. like 6 bucks a bowl,and made exactly how they make it in Japan. joey and i couldnt even finish,we were STUFFED.


the flavors were incredible, the noodles made on-site everyday from scratch, the guy told us the soup cooked for some insane amount of hours--everything from scratch and authentically Japanese. LOVED it!



i was scared to try it, but anxious to...dove right in and LOVED it. definitley a new favorite :)

today i had work,and then i went to get a MUCH needed mani/peddi with vicky :)
tomorrow i have to work, and we gotta pack for our trip! tomorrow night we're hangin out with the Sotos, which is becoming a weekly thing and i just LOVE them. early Saturday morning we're headin to the airport to fly out to Michigan, we'll be there till Tuesday morning--going to see family and celebrate Joeys grandmother's 80th! itll be fun to see everyone :)
we get home tuesday and then WEDNSDAY we get our PUPPY!!!! i cannot wait to finally get her!

other than that not a whole lot going on, starting to get back into wedding planning, working on gettin a shower together (woo!) working and just enjoying life together :)

cookin' up a storm!

i had another successful meal tonight! woo! :)

i got the 'cooking for two' cook book and its been GREAT! now all i need is some oven mitts (so i dont catch another towel on fire..whoops...ha) and an apron so i can stop getting my clothes nasty every time i cook! i registered for both at bed,bath,and beyond buuut i might just go ahead and get 'em since i need 'em now--ill have to ask hubby!

im hoping this week flys by! so much good stuff coming up! friday we're hopefully hangin with some friends, then saturday we leave for Michigan! then when we get back (Tuesday)...we get Delilah! im so excited!!!

i got my hair cut today,ive been trying to grow it out but got kinda bored with it--STILL trying to grow it out, just got it trimmed, but got side bangs! never done it before but im likin it so far, joey likes it too which is always a plus :)

anyhoo im gonna wrap this up so i can snuggle on the couch with hubs and watch a movie! gnight all! :)