Our One Year Anniversary!

Today, my husband and I celebrated one year of sweet wedded bliss!

November 1, 2008

Happy Father's Day!!!

I am very thankful for a Heavenly Father who loves me so much, that He put is own Son on the cross to die for me, the sinner that I am. I am also thankful for the earthly father He gave me.

My dad is the sweetest man. He is kind, sensitive, strong, and funny! He is not closed-up, he tells me he loves me and gives the BIGGEST bear hugs ever!


We like to eat Peeps together and an hour can pass quickly when we talk on the phone. Even though we are hundreds of miles apart, I am always thinking of him, and cannot imagine my life without him. God has brought my family through so many things in life, and having my dad as my dad, has made it so much easier. My dad often worked two jobs to support our family. He is always going out of the way along with my mom, to make holidays extra special as a family.

When I got married, my Dad was determined to give me the wedding of my dreams....and he did. He worked so hard from decorating dozens of cookies with "S's" on them, to helping set-up the reception tent the day of the wedding. My dad is also so wonderful with his grandchildren. They light up his life, as I know he does theirs'. He would do anything for them, and has proven that in recent times.

Oh how I love my Dad!

Happy Father's Day to all the the great father's out there!

Day at the Pool!

Our nephews just love playing in the pool with Uncle Jonathan :D

They play so sweet!

I love this picture. It looks like C arson is having a serious conversation with Jonathan. C ameron looks like he's about to do a back flip!

Of course.....

Sarah A

When your aunt tells you not to wet her....we'll, you'd better listen!

Da-Da didn't want to get too close to a wet baby! :D

Although I miss my family...I do love my new family.

My Sweet Little Niece!

I am so amazed at how a sweet child can touch our hearts. My sweet little niece, SA, has definitely touched mine. We are about to celebrate her first Birthday!

She makes the funniest little faces....that just make me laugh so hard!

This is her "fish face."

I'm not sure what these faces are :P

She is so loving and so easy going.

I love her SO much!

Six Month Celebration

Last Friday, my husband and I hit our first six months of marriage. It has been such an amazing adventure since we have gotten married. The things that we have learned about one another are incredible. Just when I thought I knew it all :D

I have loved being Jonathan's wife these past six months. Has it been easy? No. But has it been wonderful? YES! The times it has been hard is when I'm having to learn more about MYSELF. It is very easy to get offended when I cook something he doesn't care much for. Or get tired of doing things around the house. Truth of the matter is, sometimes I don't even like some of the things I cook! I'm learning what dishes we like, and don't like. And when it comes to working around the house, I like to do it myself...the way I like to do it. It's just so easy for me to get the, "I do all the work around here" attitude, even though he offers. Don't worry. I don't get that way often...but it has crept up a couple times. The Holy Spirit quickly convicts me and I must ask for forgiveness from my husband. I love taking care of the home, so it's really my joy to do it!

The Lord has incredibly blessed Jonathan and I. He has provided so many things and wonderful opportunities for us. He as blessed us with a great church and church family. Even though we currently rent an apartment, we enjoy our home so much. It is our first home together and we know that God has richly blessed our home...even though we don't deserve it. Our friends and family were so generous to us in the gifts they gave us. I look around our home and so much of this we would not have if it weren't for them.

I love that I married my best friend. I love being at home from work before he gets home. I love cooking his favorite meals for him. I love how he says, "YES!" when he hears we are having pork chops!

I love our Bible Studies together every night. After we got back from our honeymoon, we began reading in the book of Genesis. I'll never forget giggling as he would read. I know that sounds so bad....but it was a happy giggle. He would read aloud and as he would read, "And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament," I could not control myself. It was just so new and hearing him read, I was like a little giddy teenager. We have come a long way :D It is so amazing to grow together...and to pray together.

I love how we sit at the table together even after supper and just talk. We talk about one another's day, and what we have planned for the rest of the evening at home. We definitely spend a lot of time laughing at the table as well. Our grandparents would send us to bed early for sure for "snickering" at the supper table :P

I love that even though Jonathan is head of the finances, he always wants my input on what I think. Sometimes I don't know, so he'll explain to me the situation and how it could work best for us. I think sometimes he just wants to talk about it, and I'm obliged to listen. :D

Being the "grown-ups" in our home, often means still being kids. We race each other up the stairs. We see who can find a book in the Bible first (we do this at church too....he gets a Texas-sized grin when he finds it first). And sometimes, just sometimes, we have cinnamon rolls for supper...or candy for breakfast.

Even after six months, I will look at my dear Husband and say to him, "Can you believe we are married?" He always says, "Yes," and grins. He is a wonderful husband. :D

The great thing about it, I know that the best is yet to come!

One year ago....

....Jonathan proposed! What a wonderful day that was!

I'm 24!

Just a quick "checking in" just to say "HI!" There has been so much going on since I've been "gone!" I just want you to know that I miss you! Thanks for those who have commented while I've been gone! True friends you are indeed!

This month I celebrated my 24th birthday! I can't believe it! Where has time gone!?!

This is me with my brother-in-law, Kevin. Our spouses are twins, and WE share the same birthday. Imagine that?!? It was meant to be :D

Of course here is me and my sweet HUSBAND! (AHH, still in shock!) :D

Miss you all and see you next week!!!

I Feel Old: My time to vent

Next month I will celebrate my 24th birthday. I know, I'm still a babe. However, I certainly don't feel young, I feel old, very old. I don't know exactly what it is. I just know that something needs to change.

All of my life I couldn't even mention "exercise" or "eating right" without someone piping up, "You're skinny enough, you don't need to exercise" or "You need to put some meat on those bones!"

Sigh. Did you know that it's hard being "skinny" sometimes? Please let me speak honestly here, I let you....now please let me.

I get tired of people looking at my plate and saying, "Is that all you're going to eat?" I like to get a little now and return later if I still feel hungry and get more. I don't look at other people's plates and say, "Oh my word, are you going to eat ALL of that?!?!"

I get tired of people (especially women) assuming I don't need to exercise because I am "skinny". Or that I don't need to eat right because I'm "thin" and can "eat whatever I want and not gain an ounce."

It's hard being "skinny" because others think that your life is just easier. I'm sure that overweight people get made fun of and are talked about much more. But please be aware, I've had my share of being talked about and poked at, especially in the ribs (which hurts).

I think the most common misconception is that people who are "skinny", men and women alike, are healthy. Did you know that even "skinny" people can drop dead of a heart attack?

The reason why I am writing all of this is to say that I'm going to change my unhealthy lifestyle, today.

I am tired of waking up feeling like I've been hit by a truck. I hate (strong word, but I think I can use it here) that I can't stretch without pulling something. Seriously, I have pulled muscles several times just by reaching in the back seat of my car, washing my back in the shower, or stretching my legs when I wake up in the morning. I have a constant pain in my rotator cuff that just won't go away......and I have.no.energy. Everyday I feel like I have run a marathon.

This is about to change. Onto the fun stuff!

Every Tuesday, I've going to have "Think Healthy Tuesday." A lot of people are jumping into "Think Thin Thursdays," I need my own version of this since I can hear it now.......

So anyways, every Tuesday I'm going to report back to you how I'm improved towards a healthy lifestyle.

My first plans are to:

Go to bed by 10, so I can get up easily at 7 (I'd eventually like to join the 6 o'clock club)
Eat breakfast every morning (a healthy one)
Drink water all day, limit to one "sweet" drink a day. I can drink milk anytime (Fat free).
Exercise three days a week for at least ten minutes each (I'm starting small so I'll stay with it).

Thank you for letting me vent. I need to tell my friends how I feel, I know you will understand AND help keep me accountable. I hope I didn't hurt anyone's feelings. E-mail me if I did, and we'll work it out :D I just really need some support right now :D

Let me know if you're interesting in joining in with me every Tuesday!

Honeymoon pictures Part 2!

Husband and Wife!
(By the way, I was determined that all throughout our honeymoon, we would take our own pictures of us together. Thank you, Camera Timer!)

The back of the beautiful historic hotel where we stayed our first night together!

Enjoying the hotel grounds before we left for Daytona.

What we woke up to every morning.

The condo consisted of three walls made up of windows. Beautiful!

Jonathan brought up my flowers from the car like this. The one of the left was my wedding bouquet. The one of the right was waiting on me at our honeymoon suite.

We thought we would spend a great deal of money here. We actually didn't :(
Our first day there was Election Day. I had knots in my stomach all day, especially when I saw signs like this. There are so many random/interesting things about this photo. I wasn't able to get the McCain campaigner in the picture. He and the Obama campaigner had been chatting. Isn't that sweet?
In 2005, when Jonathan and I met, we went to the mall and I took a crazy picture of him wearing a funny hat....it was customary that we do it again. :D
Being the "submissive" wife I am, :D, I had to have my crazy picture taken too :D
I expected this in Kentucky....but I guess anywhere in the South is fair game.
What I longed for in Daytona....time with my new husband and SLURPEES
(only available at 711's)!

More honeymoon photos to come!

Honeymoon pictures Part 1!

The beautiful trees at Fort Mantanza, St. Augustine. I loved these trees. This picture really does not capture the true beauty of these trees.

Me with the trees. (By the way, this is Jonathan's favorite shirt...he gave it to me, so I just had to wear it during our honeymoon :D)

Fort Mantanza....BEAUTIFUL!

The St. Augustine Lighthouse, in all her glory!


The VERY high spiral staircase. Look closely and you can follow it near the top!


The lighthouse "home". This is where the families who managed the lighthouse lived.

View from the top.
The beautiful bay from the top of the lighthouse. Notice the shadow of the lighthouse in the trees.

I wasn't so sure about being up there......

kinda frightened me....

....a little.

I discovered this gem in the museum....I loved it!