Showing posts with label love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. Show all posts

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Days 15 and 16

Once again, I am playing catch up on the weekend! I will try and do better next weekend!

Day 15: I am thankful for the date night that Stephen and I had on Friday night. Our church sponsors these every so often, and all the parents get to drop their kids off at church for a few hours of free babysitting and then go on a date! We went to Outback and had a yummy dinner and loved spending time together while having conversation that didn't revolve around a toddler. :)

Day 16: I am thankful for the fun day we had as a family. We got several chores done in the morning and then had lunch at Chic-fil-A and let Charlotte play on the playground before going shopping at Target, where we got gifts to put in our Operation Christmas Child box. I love Saturdays when we can all just relax and spend time together as a family.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Day 6: Let It Rain

It has been a rainy day, and while I sometimes think of rain as a huge nuisance, today I am thankful for it. I love the sound of rain hitting the windows or lightly drumming on the roof. I love the way it makes the streets glisten. I love the way the air smells right before it rains. Without rain, we wouldn't appreciate the sunlight nearly as much. Without rain, there would be no rainbows.

I also have some fond memories attached to rainy days. I wrote about this at length in an earlier post, only a year after Stephen and I had been married. What struck me when I went back and reread that post is this sentence: "And while we've been dealt several times of physical rainfall, thus far we've been incredibly blessed not to experience that metaphorical rain of hardship, rain that seeps into your soul and causes you to take cover." I almost laughed when I read that because we've definitely seen our share of hardship since then, most of which occurred in the last year. But I am grateful for the difficult times we have faced because they have strengthened our faith and also strengthened our marriage.

Tonight, as I listen to the rain fall outside, I praise God that He will always provide shelter during the storms we face.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Day 3: Wuv, True Wuv

This was one of those weekends where I happened to be gone for a majority of the time. Yesterday, all of the morning and a portion of the afternoon was spent at choir practice. Today was another choir practice and then assisting with children's choir, and before that I went to run a few errands. This meant that Stephen was with Charlotte for most of the weekend. I am so very thankful that I am married to a man who is not only a good husband but a good father.

I knew I loved Stephen when I married him, but my love for him has only grown as I have watched him parent Charlotte. He is such a loving, kind, thoughtful, and fun father. He is often far more patient with Charlotte than I am, and nothing brings me more joy than seeing the two of them laughing together.When I was sick last year, he bore the brunt of the work at home and was practically a single parent, but he never complained or even acted like he was tired. He was my rock during that time, and I can't imagine going through the past year without Stephen.

I am so grateful for how God has blessed me with my husband. I pray that I will never take him for granted.




Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Life is Crazy

Crazy busy, that is. I started a new job not too long ago, and things really got in full swing this week (possibly more about that later, but I'm too tired to explain right now).

Last week Stephen and I went on vacation to Atlanta and Chattanooga to celebrate our 5th anniversary (yay!), and poor Charlotte came down with a double ear infection and bronchitis the night before we left (boo!). We ended up having to take her to urgent care because she woke up with a fever of 103, and that's when we found out she was sick. We were really pretty shocked because she'd had a great weekend and had been sleeping and eating well. After debating canceling our trip, we ended up shortening it on both ends, but we still managed to have some fun together! A few pics:









Charlotte is doing better but is still not 100%. If you recall, she just had tubes put in her ears in NOVEMBER, and one has already come out. Tubes typically come out anywhere from 9-18 months after they're put in (sometimes even longer), but Charlotte doesn't settle for average, so hers came out early. :) And wouldn't you know it that the very next week after one of them was out, she ended up with the ear infections? I am afraid we're going to have to redo the tubes sometime in the near future. Our bank account is already weeping. ;) It's been very frustrating because I feel like she is always sick, either with an ear infection or a cough, and I want her to be healthy! Fortunately, God has blessed us with a real trooper, as Charlotte is her happy, bubbly self almost all of the time, except when she's either tired or hungry (and who isn't grumpy when tired or hungry?). 




What's new in everyone's lives? Catch me up!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

How We Met

In honor of Valentine's day, I thought I would share how Stephen and I met. Some of you may already know this story if you've been reading this blog for a while, but I know there are many who don't know, so here you go!

Stephen and I knew each other while attending Union University, but we didn't really hang out much; we just had some mutual friends, so our social circles crossed occasionally. (One time I drove him and another friend to a movie, and Stephen was singing some song. I asked innocently, "Who sings that song?" When he replied with the artist, I said, "Let's keep it that way, okay?" I was a real gem.) Stephen graduated from Union two years before I did but got a job working in the library, so I still saw him every now and then. Once I graduated, however, the only time I saw him was when were both in a wedding of some friends of ours.  I then moved to Knoxville to attend graduate school in August of 2005, and Stephen was still working at Union.

While in grad school (or maybe before, I'm not quite sure), I created a MySpace profile. (Remember MySpace? Haha.)  MySpace and Facebook both helped me procrastinate writing lots of papers in grad school, and one day in April 2006 when I was on MySpace, I received a message from Stephen. He had come across my profile and said hello and just wanted to see what I was doing and where I was now.  So I wrote him back and filled him in on the basics, he wrote me back, and then we began corresponding on a daily basis, often with multiple emails. We found several shared interests, and it wasn't long before I began looking forward to hearing from him and wanting to know more about him. What's crazy is that not long after we first started writing each other, one of our mutual friends from Union wrote me and told me she had a wild thought: I should marry Stephen!  Hmmm...

After almost two weeks of writing, I gave him my phone number (somewhat nervously and hesitantly), and he called me not long after that. Though I was worried that we wouldn't have much to talk about and that it would be awkward, we talked for three hours, and it was the easiest thing in the world! Our phone conversations continued, as did our writing (we each have upwards of 130 pages of emails saved in Word files), and it was pretty obvious that we were both very interested in pursuing something beyond friendship. After discussing it and praying about it, we began dating with the purpose of seeing if we could envision a future together. Even though a long distance relationship was not ideal, we made it work. I made several trips to Jackson to see him, and he came to Memphis several times to meet my parents and other family members when I was home from school for the summer. I also went to Illinois and met a bunch of his family when his grandfather passed away.  I was sorry to meet them under such sad circumstances, but it was great to meet his family.

I knew very early in our relationship that I wanted to marry Stephen, and he apparently felt the same way because we got engaged a mere three months after we started dating! I certainly don't recommend that time frame for everyone, but for us, it worked. There's the old saying,
"When you know, you know," and we definitely knew it was meant to be.

I am beyond blessed to have Stephen in my life, and my love for him has only grown, especially now that I am able to see the role he plays as Charlotte's father. I love you, Stephen!

And I sure am glad Tom invented MySpace. :)

Monday, February 15, 2010

Valentine Festivities

Would you believe that as I am writing this, it is snowing AGAIN? For those of you not aware, I live in west TN, and snow just does not come around that often. If it does, it is just a light dusting and often doesn’t stick, but this time makes the third time in a month’s time when there has actually been snow on the ground. While this snow is nothing compared to what the states up north are getting, I’m sick of it all and ready for spring!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Stephen and I started celebrating Valentine’s Day on Thursday night by going out to dinner. We figured the restaurants would be less crowded on a weekday than when it got closer to the actual holiday. Romantic, right? :) We had planned to go to a local BBQ place, but when we got there the credit card machine wasn’t working, so we left. We ended up going to Chili’s, and we splurged and got ribs and shared a dessert (Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie, and yes, I am aware of how many calories are in it).

Then on Friday at work I got a lovely surprise–two dozen red roses! Sadly, I took pictures with my phone and have no idea how to transfer them to the computer, but believe me when I say they are the most perfect roses I have ever seen. All my coworkers were oohing and awing over them, and it was so fun! He also got me some perfume (Lucky You). I have the best husband! Friday night we saw The Blind Side, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

On Saturday morning we packed up the car and headed for Memphis. My mom’s birthday is on Valentine’s Day, so my dad was hosting a big family dinner at their house that night to celebrate. That afternoon we met up with my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew to get a family portrait made. The last one we’d gotten made was almost 3 years ago, so we were definitely due for another one! Our photographer was a little kooky, but we got some shots that turned out well. All of the grandparents then came over that night for dinner, and we all had a great time. I love being with my family!

Sunday morning was church, and after eating lunch with my parents, Stephen and I headed back to Jackson. I took care of the laundry and went grocery shopping, and then the weekend was pretty much over. It went by fast, as always, but I am so thankful for my sweet husband and my family!



How did you spend your weekend?

Thursday, November 19, 2009

A Walk Down Memory Lane

I stole this from Heather, and it works out well because it answers the first question she had: How did Stephen and I meet?


1. Where/how did you meet: We both went to Union and met there because we had some mutual friends, but we didn’t really hang out or anything. I did drive him and some other people to see Star Wars: Episode 3, and apparently I insulted his singing (with the old "Who sings that song/why don’t we keep it that way?"comment). He remembers this, but I don’t because of course I never say things like that. :)

2. How long have you known each other: Um, I’m not exactly sure, but I am going to go with 6 or 7 years.

3. How long after you met did you start dating: A long time. Though we probably met in 2001 or 2002, we did not start dating until 2006, when I was in grad school at UT Knoxville and Stephen was working in Jackson. Stephen found my profile on MySpace, sent me a message, then I replied back. Before I knew it we were messaging several times a day, then we started talking on the phone and the rest is history. :)

4. How long did you date before you were engaged: Not very long! We started dating on May 5, 2006 and got engaged on Aug. 4, 2006. I’m sure some people probably thought we were crazy, but we just knew it was right, and we didn’t have any reason to wait. You can read the engagement story (and more about how we started dating) here.

5. How long was your engagement: Too long! I had to finish my second year of grad school, so we didn’t get married until June 2, 2007, 10 months after we got engaged.

6. How long have you been married: 2 years, 5 months, and 17 days. :)

7. What is your anniversary: June 2, 2007

8. How many people came to your wedding reception: I think about 150.

9. What kind of cake did you serve: The wedding cake was alternating layers of french vanilla and carrot cake, which is my favorite kind of cake. The groom’s cake was an amazing chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and strawberries on top. It was soooo good.

10. Where was your wedding: Carahills Estate in Eads, TN (aka, The Middle of Nowhere). You can read my post about our wedding here.

11. What did you serve for your meal: Since our wedding was at 1:00 p.m., we served hors d’oeuvres. I didn’t eat much of it so I can’t remember exactly what we had, but I know there was a chocolate fountain. :)

12. How many people were there in your bridal party: 4

13. Are you still friends with them all: Yes, though we don’t keep in touch as well as we should.

14. Did you or your spouse cry during the ceremony: I cried a ridiculous amount, through most of the vows.

15. Most special moment of your wedding day: Getting married to Stephen would have to be the highlight. :) I also loved that Stephen’s dad, who is a pastor, performed the ceremony. I might be a little biased, but I think it was one of the most meaningful wedding ceremonies I have ever heard.

16. Any funny moments: You can read about the infamous wedding present I gave Stephen here.

17. Any big disasters: Not at the wedding itself, but we did get ourselves locked out of the car while eating dinner at TGI Friday’s in Jackson. I had a minor meltdown in the parking lot because we were on our way to Nashville, and we couldn’t get in touch with anyone because everyone still had their phones off after the wedding. Finally, Stephen’s coworker Paul came by and took us to our apartment, where I ran inside and found a spare key.

18. Where did you go on your honeymoon: Chattanooga, TN. We stayed in Nashville at the Embassy Suites on Saturday night and then drove on to Chattanooga Sunday morning. Chattanooga is one of my favorite cities, and we had so much fun.

19. How long were you gone: 5 days

20. If you were to do your wedding over, what would you change: I would make absolutely certain that we got pictures taken with everyone! We didn’t get pictures of us with our grandparents, and that really breaks my heart.

21. What side of the bed do you sleep on: The right side. It’s weird, but in our other apartment, I slept on the left side.

22. What size is your bed: Queen

23. Greatest strength as a couple: Our friendship. Stephen and I are each other’s best friend, and we genuinely love to spend as much time as possible together. We have so much fun together, and we can be completely ourselves. He brings out the best in me.

24. Greatest challenge as a couple: My inability to handle conflict. I tend to shut down if we are disagreeing about something, instead of trying to talk through it.

25. Who literally pays the bills: Stephen

26. What is your song: "Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons

27. What did you dance your first dance to: We didn’t dance at our wedding. We did dance to Michael Buble in Stephen’s kitchen on one of our first dates, though. :)

28. Describe your wedding dress: The dress I wore was the first dress I tried on. My mom made me try on others, but I knew it was the one. It was a strapless A-line gown with a thick fuschia band at the waist and a gorgeous train trimmed with the same color fuschia. Here's a view of the back, which I loved:

29. What kind of flowers did you have at your wedding: I LOVED the flowers at my wedding. My bouquet had roses and stargaze lillies, and the bridesmaids had daisies and roses. Take a look:

30. Are your wedding bands engraved? No, they aren’t.


Feel free to fill this out if you're married. If you do, link to your post in the comments!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Two Years

Two years ago on this date, I married the love of my life. And I haven't looked back since. Stephen and I have learned a lot from each other, have grown together, have shared our lives with each other. Even though it hasn't always been perfect, I've always held confidently to the truth that on June 2, 2007, we both promised to love each other forever, no matter what may come, and with that firm commitment and our faith in Christ, we'll face each day together. I know that the only change in my love for Stephen will be its increase, for I find new things to love about him all the time. Each day that we are married is a blessing, one I hope never to take for granted.

Stephen, you are God's gift to me, and I cherish all the moments we have had and all the memories we will make in the future. I love you, always and forever.

Friday, June 27, 2008

Rain: A Love Story

Rain has followed mine and Stephen's courtship from the beginning. Take the following examples:
1. We had planned to have a picnic on our first date. It rained. So we saw Mission Impossible III and had our picnic inside instead.

2. 3 months later, Stephen had planned to propose to me on a bridge at Natchez Trace State Park. It rained. He proposed to me in his apartment. It was still beautiful. I still said yes. I still love him.

3. On the afternoon of our wedding, as we were standing in the parking lot of TGI Friday's, locked out, it rained. We still made it to Nashville's Embassy Suites, our stop for the night (and it was an awesome hotel).

4. When we went to St. Louis to celebrate our first anniversary and excitedly walked up to the entrance of Six Flags, it rained. When we came back the next day and had ridden just one ride and were in line for another, it rained. We simply donned our totally awesome St. Louis Cardinals ponchos, watched people with looks of envy pass us, and waited it out.

5. Just last week, Stephen and I took his parents and our parents to a Redbirds game. We had front-row seats right behind home plate. I don't even really like baseball all that much, but even I thought it was amazing. Three innings in, guess what happened? It rained.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm supposed to learn from all of these rainy experiences, except to remember that we choose how to respond to everything that happens to us. In each of these situations, we could have stomped our feet, shaken our fists at the heavens, and bemoaned our bad luck (and I probably did some of that), but did we really lose anything? No. Every time, we ended up enjoying ourselves anyway. And while we've been dealt several times of physical rainfall, thus far we've been incredibly blessed not to experience that metaphorical rain of hardship, rain that seeps into your soul and causes you to take cover. We praise God for that now, and it is my fervent hope that even when our happiness is clouded by trials, we'll still praise Him. He is constant, though all around changes. And even when we do face those times, I have no doubt that while we may come through it soaking wet, we'll be the better for it. Think about all the benefits of rain: Without rain, we wouldn't appreciate the beauty of sunshine. Without rain, we wouldn't see rainbows. Without rain, grass wouldn't grow and flowers wouldn't bloom. Without rain, crops would die. Without rain, our world be a lot more grim.

If rain means a better us, bring it.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

One Year Down--Many, Many More to Come

On April 6, 2006, my life changed forever.

But I didn't know it yet.

On that day, I received a MySpace message from a guy named Stephen Mount. I knew him from college, and we had some mutual friends, but we hadn't seen each other in a few years, so it was a surprise to hear from him. However, I responded to his message, and after a flurry of emails and endless phone calls, we were a couple. And I was completely smitten. I knew early on that I loved him and I would marry him, and he must have too, because just 4 months after that first email, he asked me to be his wife. I thought at the time that August 4, 2006 was the happiest day of my life, but then our wedding day came, June 2, 2007, and I couldn't imagine being any happier or more in love than on that day.

But I was wrong.

Every day, I find I fall a little more in love--become a little happier--just waking up next to the man I call my friend, my confidant, my love, my husband. He makes me laugh, dries my tears, soothes my fears and calms my worrying, gives countless hugs, serves me, looks after me, protects me, places me first. There are many things I love about Stephen Paul Mount, but one of the things I love the most is the way he loves me (selfish, huh?). He loves me unreservedly, unselfishly, unwaveringly. I know there is nothing I could do that would cause his love for me to wane because on June 2 he committed to love me always and forever. In making this commitment he is making a choice to love me every day, even when I am terribly unlovable, and I in return choose to love him always and forever.

In realizing Stephen's love for me, I realize the extraordinary love that the Lord Jesus so freely and graciously lavishes on His children. If I am secure in Stephen's love for me, how much more so should I be secure in God's love? And yet I doubt and forget and worry. It is no accident that Paul in Ephesians draws a parallel between Christ and the Church and a husband and wife. The marital relationship comes the closest to reflecting God's immense, extravagant love for His people, yet even the love between spouses cannot compare to the depths and the riches of God's love. What a precious gift we are given, that we are able to love! But we love only because He first loved us. God created marriage first and foremost for His glory, and I long for Him to be glorified in us.

Stephen, how grateful I am that you sent me that first fateful email, and how grateful I am that each day is a gift because you are in it. I love you, forever and always.

"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you." ~Psalm 33:22

Thursday, February 14, 2008

A Perfect Valentine's Day Quote

"I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you."
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning

I absolutely feel this way about Stephen. I can't believe that we've been married for almost 9 months and together for 21. I am so thankful for him and thankful that God chose to bless me with him.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Day 31: The Least of These

She was in 8th grade, and she liked Clay Aiken and Beyoncé and (strangely enough) Avalon. She also loved to "style" my hair, which usually resulted in my wearing a side ponytail and her giggling profusely. Her name was Erica, and she was my Little Sister. I met her through my roommate, who had worked with Erica through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. When the program closed due to lack of funding, my roommate kept seeing Erica, and when she was getting ready to graduate, she asked if I would be a mentor to Erica. Eager to "make a difference," I said yes.

I had no idea what I was getting into.

Sometimes she'd talk about her family, but not often. What I did know saddened me. She lived with her mom and older brother in her grandmother's two-bedroom house in the "rough" part of town. Her dad had disappeared years ago. Sometimes he sent birthday cards, but most of the time he forgot. Her mom was rarely around, her brother often out of the house, and her grandmother quiet and distant.I would pick her up once a week and take her to the mall (her favorite store was the music store), or to the park (she liked walking the trail), or to my dorm, where we'd watch Disney movies and make cookies. Often I'd help her with her homework. ("No, Erica, I'm not writing that paper for you, but I will help you get started.") I wanted our time together to be fun and positive and encouraging.

Often it was just difficult.

Maybe it was because of her home life, or maybe because she missed her dad. Maybe she just enjoyed it, but for whatever reason, Erica liked lying. The first time we hung out, she told me that the night before her house had been raided by the cops, who were looking for a man who had murdered someone. Erica said they'd found his shirt in her room, and she was scared they thought she did something. After a panicked call to her mom, I found out the story was completely untrue. Not only that, but she'd told the same story to my roommate more than once. After a few meetings, I became a pro at deciphering which stories were true ("We had pizza in the cafeteria today.") and which were false ("We went on a field trip to the bowling alley.") What puzzled me is that most of her lies were not about serious things, like the cops raiding her house, but were about things like school field trips or parties or boys. At first I didn't no how to respond to her, but after a while I began calling her on her lies, then asking her to tell me what really happened at school. Soon she began calling me every day, sometimes multiple times. If I wasn't there, she'd leave a message, then call again 5 minutes later.

A few months into our relationship, I began crying out to God to help me with Erica. I was in over my head, and I was having a hard time loving her. How could I love someone who lied to me? How could I love someone who tried to shoplift in the mall when she was with me? How could I love someone so unlike me? The answer was easy:

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)

"Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" (Matthew 22:37-39)

As I began praying for Erica, praying that God would help me to love her I was reminded of God's love for me. How could Jesus love me, when I so often shunned Him? How could Jesus love me, when I often placed everything else in my life above Him? How could Jesus love me, when I was so completely unlovable? The answer is that Jesus is the Lover of the Unlovable. That includes me and Erica, and as I learned that, my love for Erica grew.

I wish I could say that at the end of our time together, Erica was a changed person. She wasn't, not completely. She still lied, but a lot less frequently. She'd ask me questions about God ( more than she asked me about sex), and we prayed together.
The last time I dropped her off, the day before I graduated from college, I said, "I love you, Erica." She smiled and said, "I know."

There are lots of girls and boys just like Erica, children that come from homes very different than the ones I imagine a lot of you did. And they need people in their lives to love them, to show them hope, to listen to them. Big Brothers Big Sisters is one way to become personally involved in the life of a boy or girl. The commitment is small, only one or two hours a week, but the potential for impact is huge. According to the BBBS web site, children who are in the program are:
* More confident in their schoolwork performance.
* Able to get along better with their families.
*46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs.
*27% less likely to begin using alcohol.
*52% less likely to skip school.
You can look for a Big Brothers Big Sisters program in your city, and if there is not one, there are other ways to find children who need mentors, whether it's through a church or a community organization. There are so many needs in the world, so many that often they seem overwhelming, but this is one need that you could meet, in your city, on your street, one child at a time.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Tales from the Honeymoon (of the G-rated kind)

I'll try to keep this brief, but you all know that brevity is not one of my best qualities. Stephen and I went to Chattanooga, TN, one of my favorite cities, for our honeymoon. Stephen had never been there, and I was excited for him to experience it. We left from Carahills on Saturday and headed to Nashville, where we would spend the first night at The Embassy Suites, but first we stopped in Jackson to eat dinner, since both of us had eaten very little at the wedding. We had a yummy dinner at TGI Friday's, even though it was pouring rain outside, but the winds of misfortune were blowing our way. As we were leaving, Stephen couldn't find the keys. We went back to our table to make sure they hadn't fallen out there, then we traced our steps all around the restaurant before going to the car. I was hoping hoping hoping that they wouldn't be where I thought they were, but sure enough, we got to the car and there they were: on the front seat. We were locked out. On our wedding day, on our way to the honeymoon, in the rain. Lovely. I of course handled the situation in a completely appropriate pathetic fashion. I cried. I had a spare key, but it was in our townhome. Fortunately, I had the keys to the townhome with me, so if we could just find a way to get home, we could get the spare and be on our way. Of course, everyone we tried to call had been at the wedding, and they either had their phones off or on silent. Next step: call AAA. I have had to use my membership a few times, and they've never been all that speedy in responding, so I was not very hopeful. Sure enough, the man informed me it would be an hour to an hour and a half before a locksmith could come. This did not make me happy, so I cried some more. Finally, Paul, Stephen's friend and co-worker got Stephen's message and came to our rescue. He took us to our place, where the spare key was right where I thought it was (amazingly enough), and we were then on our way. We toyed briefly with the idea of just staying in Jackson for the night, but decided to go on to Nashville, and I'm glad we did. The Embassy Suites was really nice, our room was dark and quiet, and they had an amazing complimentary breakfast buffet in the morning.

I wish I could say that was the last of our misfortune, but there were a few more surprises in store. I wanted to get Stephen a present for our wedding, and while at Hallmark I saw this:


My mom had gotten us one called "Together" for an engagement present, and I thought this one was so sweet. I gave it to Stephen on our wedding night, he opened it, and then looked at me, puzzled. What he opened was this:


Yes, that's right. I got the wrong box! What's most annoying about this is that an employee handed me this box after I showed her the one I wanted. I couldn't believe it. I was upset for a minute, but it was so funny we couldn't help but laugh about it.

On Sunday we got to the Marriott after enjoying a delicious seafood lunch at Easy Seafood Co., and we headed up to our room. Excitedly, I opened the door, and then said, "This is not going to work." They gave us a room with 2 beds! So we hauled all our stuff back down to the lobby, and we got a new room with no trouble.

Thus concludes this week's edition "Honeymoon Misfortunes." More on our trip later.

Monday, October 9, 2006

235 Days

Long distance relationships stink. (Stephen and I are fine. There's just a lot to be said for a physical presence when one is in need of a little comforting, and Stephen and I both needed that today.)

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Reaching the Limit

Today I did something I have not done yet in grad school: I dropped a class. I was supposed to give a presentation on a book today, along with having about 300 pages of Bleak House read, and it just wasn't going to happen. I've been working like crazy trying to catch up since I got mono, and I'm worn out. I've gotten very little sleep this week, I'm tired all the time, and I'm so stressed out that yesterday I felt like I was going to be sick. This is NOT conducive to a full recovery from mono. When I first came back to school, I debated dropping it, but I decided to try and stick it out. I did okay at first, but it seemed like the minute I finished one thing, something else was waiting to be done. It's like I couldn't breathe. Then last night around 2 am when I was trying to finish my presentation, I just sort of lost it. After talking to my dear friend Emily (my fabulous maid of honor), I decided that my mental and physical health is more important than trying to prove to myself that I can catch up on two weeks' worth of Dickens novels. When I think about it, the one thing that was keeping me from dropping it earlier is pride. I didn't want my professor to think of me as a quitter, and I didn't want to think of myself as one, either. But you know what? In ten years will I even care about this class I dropped? I probably won't care about it in one year. The important thing is for me to know my limits and forget about any concerns I have about what people will think of me. I've reached my limit. It's time to rest.

The silver lining to all of this? When I got back from campus today I checked the mail, and I had a package from Stephen! He sent me the 6th season of Gilmore Girls on DVD! He really is the greatest thing to ever happen to me. Girls, wait for your prince. He'll come when you least expect it.

Friday, August 18, 2006

Are these not lovely?  Guess who sent them to me.  It probably isn't too hard to figure out.
Only 14 more days...





The name of the arrangement?  "Hugs and Kisses."  How cute is he???

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Today I finally got the response about my engagement to Stephen that I'd been anticipating: "Wow, four months? Are you sure about this?" However, it was from a girl in the department who doesn't know me all that well and didn't know I was dating anyone, so I really didn't mind it. I just told her that yes, I was sure, and that when it's right, it's right. And it is. I expected more people to have similar reactions, but on the contrary, most say things like, "I'm so happy for you!" or "That's so romantic!" or "I didn't even know you were dating anyone!" or "I need to join MySpace!" (That last one was my favorite.) Granted, they could all be saying something different to each other, like, "Is she crazy?!" I have to say, I'll be sad when there aren't any more people to tell. It's so fun to be giddy all the time, but I suppose if I were this giddy for the next ten or so months I'd become slightly unbearable to be around. Perhaps a little "deflation" is good for everyone.

Friday, August 11, 2006

Down to Earth

EDIT: I got a signal! And I have class rosters! I can't wait to meet my students on August 23!

I'm back in Knoxville, and that means no more Stephen. It's especially sad tonight because it's storming, and apparently the cell phone towers aren't working because I have no signal (my Internet works fine, though, so we're chatting). We have talked on the phone every day for months, and today we can't. I know it's trivial, but it's all we have. Waaaaah.

I had a ridiculous amount of mail waiting for me. It would have been fun to open, if 98% of it weren't just boring bills. Oh well.

Monday begins orientation week at UT. I'm excited about meeting all of the incoming MA's, and I'm glad I'm no longer one of them. It's nice to know the ropes and not have to be wondering what's going on all the time. I hope I can help make them all feel welcome. (And I hope I can finish my syllabus before classes start! Ugh.)

Tuesday, August 8, 2006

June 2, 2007

On that wonderful day, Stephen and I will begin our lives together here.  Click here for more pictures that my mom took when we went to scout the place.  To view our (unfinished) wedding site, go here.  (Sign our guestbook if you want!)


To see what my wedding dress looks like, go...never mind!  That will have to wait, I'm afraid. :happy:


I think I'm excited about just everything these days.  It's a nice feeling.

Monday, August 7, 2006

It's Really Happening

Today I think I realized that I actually am getting married. Probably because my mom and I went and looked at a wedding venue, and I found a wedding dress!!! It was the first one I tried on, and after trying on about 7 or 8 other ones, I knew the first one was it. I didn't even intend to try on wedding dresses today; my mom and I just stopped by the store to look at bridesmaid dresses, which we also found. I'm so so excited!! The only people who are going to know what it looks like are my parents and my bridesmaids. I want everyone else to be stunned by my beauty. Hehe.

We loved the wedding venue and are more than likely going to book it, but that means giving up the 7/7/07 date because that date was already taken. The good news is we're probably moving the date up to early June, which means waiting less time, and I think Stephen and I are all about that. Once we've finalized the date and location, you can be sure I'll post the details on here. We're still tweaking our wedding site on theknot.com, but when we get it finished I'll post a link. (If I can find out what the link is, that is. I can't seem to figure out how to tell people to get to our page. Jenny, do you know?) And since I'm sure not all of you want to hear *every* detail about my wedding, I'm thinking about starting up another blog that Stephen and I can devote to purely wedding stuff. We'll see.

I think that's about all on my end. I'm exhausted! Trying on wedding dresses is draining! (But oh-so fun.)