Day 27: Only pictures

Typical. Kelly's sitting up front with the hot water and both baby dolls. :)

 Me and Kelly--most likely before church

 Check out those bangs!!

 And those!

 I LOVE this photo! Kelly was singing to me.

 Also typical.

 This was too good not to share.

 Cheesy engagement photo. But still cute.

 Also typical.

 Love those wrinkles!

 One of my favorite photos of the 3 of us.

 Love these boys

 Halloween is my favorite

 Such a fun night at the Crawfish Boil in Birmingham

 One of my favorite people!

 Already missing Notasulga nights

So Long Sweet Summer

   Labor Day is behind us which means summer is as well. This summer was definitely atypical in many ways.  (1) For starters, it rained for weeks at a time. I find it funny that people habitually complain each Alabama summer about not getting enough rain, and when we get buckets of it, we complain about that too. I guess being dissatisfied is the human condition. (2) It was also atypical because I was working Mon-Fri this year. That was very different, but different isn't always bad. To tell you the truth, I had absolutely no summer job on the books last year and I hated it. Not working for months on end is one of those things that sounds fabulous hypothetically but is slightly boring in reality. (3) Lastly, this summer is set apart because I didn't spend an ample amount of time on Lake Martin. I thought I'd flock to the lake each weekend since I wouldn't be able to get my fix on the weekdays. However, my weekends were spent going elsewhere--probably because the lake isn't as much fun when it's pouring.

SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS

• I learned to sail. Okay, I'm not a seasoned sailor and definitely couldn't handle a great deal of responsibility, but I can help out nonetheless. It's so much!
• Anthony got to experience Nashville; although, we're going to need a few more weekend trips for him to get the full experience.
• Anthony started school at ACOM :)
• I moved back to Tallassee
• Kelly turned 30

  PLACES VISITED SUMMER 2013 (work included)

• Lake Martin :)
• Birmingham, AL
• Huntsville, AL
• Dothan, AL
• Hattiesburg, MS
• Biloxi, MS
• Pensacola, FL
• Panama City Beach, FL
• Shreveport, LA
• Jonesboro, AK
• Knoxville, TN
• Nashville, TN
• Myrtle Beach, SC
• Toledo, OH

Friday's Letters 08.30.13

Wow, it's been a while since I've pumped out one of these entries.

Dear Kelly and Troy:

  I hope y'all had a wonderful time on your trip to the Bahamas! Happy first anniversary!!!

Dear Kelly:

   Boy, you've had an eventful week--first wedding anniversary and 30th birthday. Happy birthday, old lady!!

Dear Jenkins Tire and Auto of Montgomery:

   Shame on you! You told me you were trying to bring integrity back to the auto industry. What a joke! I brought my car in for some break pads and rotors and you quoted me $3,000 for repairs to all these phantom issues. Well, the joke is on you because I was able to fix all of the "issues" with my car for $67.50. Good luck staying in business.

Nope, Nope, and Nope.

Dear Anthony:

   I am so proud of you for doing so well on your first two tests in med school! I get a headache just thinking about all the hours you've put into your studies. You're doing great, and I'm so very proud of you! :)

Dear Moving:

   You're no fun! Please be a dear and "move" along. Haha, see what I did there?

Dear Labor Day weekend:

   You're jam-packed, but you're going to be good! Besides the part of you earmarked for moving.

Dear Paleo Lifestyle:

    We'll pick back up next week. It's next to impossible to make you an actual lifestyle while I'm moving. I've been eating out twice a day for over a week, and there's only so many salads a girl can eat.

Dear Skunk:

    This is the week we're going to part ways. I've been dreading this for some now, but you're going to have a lovely home with the Manns. Don't pay attention to Kely's gruff voice--she doesn't mean anything by it. Troy is going to trash talk you constantly, but he'll secretly love you. And Jett--well, you're going to hate him. Don't worry, I'll be stopping by for visits often, and if it gets to be too tough, just remember this is only a temporary living situation.

Gonna miss cuddling with this sweet baby

He decided to lay on some of my sweaters as I was trying to pack them up.

Cat lady, maybe? I don't even care.

I Have a Bone to Pick with Pinterest

   This will be my last week living in Notasulga. Well, fingers crossed. Packing has been a bit of an issue, in that I hate it. One never realizes how much junk one accrues until it's time to pack it all up. And, that reminds me, I have a bone to pick with Pinterest. They have you saving all of this trash for these projects that never happen. Yes, I used the term "trash" correctly because that's exactly where all of those salvaged cereal boxes would have gone had I not saved them because Pinterest told me to do so. And maybe I'm the only person who pins a cute little craftsy project, starts collecting supplies, and then forgets about it because life either got too busy to be a DIYer or I pinned another project that stole my attention. I don't know, but I do know that packing would go a lot faster if I didn't have all this Pinterest-inspired junk hidden all over my house.

    I mean, it's because of Pinterest that my cute little guest bedroom was turned into my crafting room. Okay, well, I should have said my [would have been] cute little guest bedroom. I had these great plans to give it a bed-and-breakfast theme. I even went as far as to paint it a warm color, acquired a beautiful cream and blue quilt, and purchased quaint little decorations. Unfortunately, the only theme that room has going on is "junky". Maybe I could put a spin on it and say the decor is "condemned bed-and-breakfast". I've got that look down pat. Seriously, I have yards and yards of burlap (is that even cool anymore?), more felt sheets than you can shake a [hot glue] stick at, and +/- 50 jars of homemade jellies.

   So a big  BRAVO to all of you successful Pintrest-ers out there! I don't know how you have the time or storage space to accomplish your pins, but I admire you. Truly, I do.
 

Day 26: Something you read online. Leave a link and discuss, if you'd like.

     Many of you have probably read, or at least come across, My Husband is not My Soulmate by DC blogger, Hannah. If you haven't then here's your chance.

     I love this blog entry because it's raw and real. She caught a lot of flack--and a lot of praise--for her "unromantic" view of her husband and marriage. I say shame on those haters and thank her for being so honest and open.

Last weekend

   I got to visit Anthony this past weekend in Dothan. The stretch between visits lasted two weeks, and it was the longest span of time we've been apart. Two weeks was tough but doable. It seemed to fly by and drag along at the same time. Between being out of town for work and spending all of my spare time packing while in town, the two weeks went by rather quickly. However, while time was passing it seemed to lull due to missing him. Frequent phone calls and Skype dates got us through. :)

   He had his first test on Friday and did well. I joined him in Dothan on Friday night, and we went to dinner and met up with his classmates later in the night. He took me to a fun little spot in downtown Dothan that boasted $2 martinis and a fun reggae band.

   We loaded up and headed to the beach on Saturday. The weather was a bit iffy on the ride down, but thankfully, it cleared up once we made our way to the sand. He studied for his next text while I read two chapters of my book before falling asleep. It was nice. We had a great dinner at Billy's Oyster Bar before heading back to Dothan for a movie night on the couch. Side Note: If you haven't seen Identity Thief, remedy that stat. Haha-larious!

   I had to head back on Sunday for more packing (Gag!) and Anthony had to study for his upcoming test on Monday. (He did well on that one, too!)

   To say it was a perfect weekend would be an understatement! I'm already looking forward to being with him in Tallassee this weekend! :) :)

**I ordered a camera which should be arriving sometime in the next two weeks. I promise all future entries (once I get the darn thing) will include more pictures. Until then, enjoy the lovely links.**
 

Day 25: Something someone told you about yourself that you'll never forget (good or bad)

I have been told, on several occasions, that I smile a lot. And I have to agree. Generally, this statement is issued as a compliment, and I love to hear it. I have so many reasons to smile so I thought I'd share a few with y'all.

I smile so often because:

• I'm happy. Duh!  :)
• My parents paid a lot of money to ensure I had a smile worth showing off. I feel it's only my duty to show my gratitude by smiling as often as possible.
• There aren't enough smiley people in this world. I'm just trying to do my part and pick up their slack. After all, smiles are contagious.
• Smiles have the ability to brighten someone's day. Such a simple gesture can go such a long distance.
• I'm nervous.
• Smiling and laughter are universal languages--even little bitty babies smile and laugh. Smiling is a great way to communicate with others without ever having to say a word. Well, sometimes. Some people just want to talk your ear off, with or without a smile.