The last few months have been full of the usual and some extras, so I’ll just take a few minutes to catch you up.

August was crazy busy with mostly work and a little fun.  We went “live” with our new computer charting at work, so I stayed busy with a couple trainings, plus some mental annoyance/exhaustion during the process, plus working a couple of overtime shifts since there was so much available.  It’s crazy that this was only a few months ago because it feels like we’ve been charting this way forever already.  It can be frustrating at times to always feel connected to a computer, but really it is less work for me as a nurse overall. 

At the end of August I took an impromptu solo trip to Virginia to see my sister Marissa and her family.  I just needed some mountains and some sister-time.    We had fun driving around the mountains and playing with the kids.

Then, my good friend and former roomie Tina got married!!  Gorgeous wedding!!

Labor Day weekend was the amazing 2nd Annual Reunion of my college best friends!  Jessica flew in all the way from Switzerland.  Carli, Rachel, and Jenny drove from all around Florida, and we reunited at my house.  We really didn’t do a whole lot – mostly just laid around and talked and cooked and ate.  Jess and Jenny are both pregnant, so we felt baby kicking and discussed baby names.  We dreamed about Rachel’s upcoming wedding.  We learned about this fun new life Carli is living in Jacksonville.  We went to the beach and drank Slurpees and took Jess to get all the foods she’s been craving but can’t get in Switzerland.  We shopped a little.  We took a step back from our everyday lives to reconnect and relax, and it was wonderful. 

The end of September brought another little reunion, this time with my nursing school friends.  Two of them, Rebekah and Casey, just got married last month, so several of us were together for Rebekah’s bridal shower.  The shower and the wedding were such a sweet times with sweet friends.

October was full of changes and fun times.  My sister Keri and her family moved back to Florida and have been staying with us since.  Her husband, Marc, accepted a job as the Family Ministries Pastor at a church in St. Pete, so they are staying with us while they search for houses and get adjusted.  Little Leah has been a blast to have around.  She keeps us all entertained for sure. 

Krystil and Kaley come over for dinner pretty regularly, and Leah just LOVES “baby Kaley.”  Kaley turned one year old in November.  Time flies!!  I am so thankful that I get to live close to my best friend Krystil and see Kaley grow up.

We celebrated a ton of family birthdays in October/early November. 

And for Halloween we volunteered at the Fall Festival at Marc’s church.  I helped at the medical tent for a while, and we used Matt’s truck as one of the “Trunk or Treat” vehicles where we handed out candy.  Matt went all out by dressing up as a pirate with a peg leg and even turning the truck into a pirate ship.

Keri and Marc did a jungle theme, and Leah was the cutest little elephant.

Thanksgiving was an adventure this year!  Keri, Leah, and I drove up to Marissa’s house in Virginia, with a one-night stop in Georgia to visit our Aunt Genny.  The drive was long but scenic and enjoyable.  Matt and Marc flew up to meet us a few days later, and then we were ALL there – mom and all the sisters and families.  We had a lot of people in one house, and it was a little bit crazy.  The kids loved the time to play together, and I loved being with all my sisters and kiddos.  Unfortunately, there was some sickness going around.    Shelly and two of her kids had strep, and Elijah was throwing up for 24 hours at one point.  I got a bad cold and lost my voice at the end, and actually just got on antibiotics for a sinus infection.  But everyone is better now. 

Leah just loooved the road trip.  Not.

I went to a place called Stone Mountain with Ben, the Smith kids, and some friends.  We climbed up a zillion stairs and got to play on a crazy steep rock face/mountaintop.  It was gorgeous!

The kids were adorable in their cold weather gear.

Nate said, “Uncle Matt’s gonna build me a BIG fire!”  And so Matt did. 

My mom babysat one day so the eight of us (plus baby Grace) could go on a grown-up hike.  We went to a place called Grayson Highlands, and it was beautiful.

Now we are back home and back to normal.  Well, as normal as they can get around here. 

I could never be a workaholic.  I worked 20 hours of overtime last week between an extra shift and a computer training I had to go to, and I am still recovering.  The money is nice, but my feet hurt and I don’t like how it turns a job I usually enjoy into something I dread.  Also, being around work more means I see more people and hear more work gossip and become more frustrated with the work drama, which has been at an all-time high lately.  I have learned to walk away/try to change the subject, but sometimes it is just exhausting.  I love my nights off.

I am terrible at sharing news with people!  Well, really what I’m terrible at is making sure I share important news with all the people who should hear it.  I could blame it on being busy or the fact that I just have so many family members and friends to include that I forget who I even told, but that is a cop-out.  I need to be responsible and intentional about these things.  So, for anyone who has not heard…  Matt got a new job!!  He applied last month for a position in another department at TECO, interviewed a couple weeks ago, and was offered the job last week.  He will be working in internal auditing.  It is cool because it was just one of those things that came along at the perfect time.  He took an Auditing 1 class last fall, then Auditing 2 this spring, all a part of his working on a 5th year of accounting classes so he can take the CPA exam.  This job was listed just as he was finishing that class, and he was uniquely qualified for the job, plus the added benefit of being from within the company.  With this job he will get great experience, be more involved with different aspects of the company, and have more opportunities to grow and advance.  Plus, it’s more moolah.  He will be transitioning over to his new department over the next couple weeks, and he is very excited about it.   

Another piece of news is that Matt got a new truck last weekend.  He is very excited about it.  He traded in the Jetta and got very nearly what we owed on it, and is now the proud owner of a 2007 Ford Explorer SportTrak.  It is black and nice and he loves it so much that when he came home from work the other day he spent 10 minutes washing off “all the bird poop!” from the hood before he even came inside after work. 

Also, more news…  This little cutie is here to visit:

I sure do love getting to see my babies!!

I totally get my motivation from having goals/plans.  My running has gone downhill lately, and I think it is mostly because I don’t have a current race/goal that I am training for.  The smothering heat and humidity are also part of the problem, but mostly it’s the goal thing.  I have decided my next goal is just to work up to doing a speedy 5K, but I have yet to sign up for a specific race.  Summer is definitely not race season here, so I am thinking maybe an early fall race.  Details to come once I decide.

I leave you with some pics of the pretty flowers popping up around the yard lately.

And my mixed herb garden which has turned into a basil garden.

Is it really almost August already!?

In early May, Matt and I spent a few nights in Orlando for a work conference put on by a tax software company that he uses.  We stayed a the Ritz-Carlton!  It was so fancy and nice, and we did not fit in, but we enjoyed it immensely. 

I don’t have any of the pictures I took during our stay because I accidently deleted a ton of pics from my camera, but let’s just say it was nice and relaxing.  We went a day early so we could celebrate our 1st anniversary early since I was going to be out of town for the real day.  We had a nice dinner, then spent the whole next day lounging by the pool.  It was fabulous!  The next two dinners were part of the conference, and I was invited along.  The food was good, and the company was great.  I really enjoyed getting to know a couple of Matt’s coworkers and family.  The last day of the conference was a half day, then everyone went to Disney!  I tagged along, and we had so much fun.  I wish I had a pic (or even better, a video!) of Matt riding Thunder Mountain!  He was hilarious – arms in the air, big goofy smile.  I love him.    I also got to spend time with three friends from nursing school that I never get to see – Christi, Rebekah, and Kim all came to visit me.  Great mini-vacay!

Two weeks later I was on a plane to Portland, Oregon!!  My sister Shelly was the matron-of-honor in a friend’s wedding out there, and I went along to help out with the new baby.  Shelly met the bride, Caroline, when they were 10 or so, and they grew up together in a tight-knit group of friends.  It was fun and interesting to see Caroline and her family and the other friends for the first time in so long – as a grown-up and not the much younger sister.  I loved spending so much quality time with Shelly, and I loved helping with the baby!  Grace was so sweet and cuddly the whole time.  Loved it!  (Shelly: I apologize again for deleting the pictures!!!)

I returned late at night on our anniversary, so I only got to see Matt while he was sleeping.    We still had a great anniversary celebration, though!

I worked a couple nights, then we were off again!  This time we headed to Brevard, North Carolina for a family reunion with Matt’s mom’s side of the family.  We drove to Atlanta first and spent a night with Josh, Mandy, and Luke.  Then, we all headed to Brevard the following morning.  I love driving those beautiful mountain roads.

Most of the reunion planning was done by Matt’s great aunt, Greta.  Her “excuse” for the occasion was to celebrate her 75th birthday.  Happy 75th birthday, Greta!  So glad we got to celebrate your 3/4 century with you!

Our time in NC was very relaxing!  We stayed at a nice Holiday Inn Express that had yummy breakfast (everyone’s favorite amenity), and spent our days with family.  We enjoyed getting to know some more distant family members during catered meals and game nights.  I think I played more cards/games there than I have in the past five years.  It was a ton of fun.

We happened to be in town during the annual White Squirrel Festival, so we also ventured out to enjoy some of the festivities.  First, Josh and I ran in the White Squirrel 10K!!  (No pics, but I am hoping to get my “finish” pics from my mother-in-law, Robin.)  The race went pretty well.  It was very HILLY!!  The last 1.5 miles was almost all uphill!!  Josh and I both missed our ideal “goal” times by about 5 minutes due to the hills, but it was still a great run.  My official time was 1:04:50, which is a 10:26 pace.  The last 0.2 was sprinted in – with Matt by my side!!!  He met me at the top of the last hill and pushed me on to the finish like the wonderful husband he is!  I am positive I could have broken 1 hour on flatter ground.  Just another goal to reach! 

We went downtown for part of the festival and enjoyed watching some of the boxcar races and some live music.

Note Josh’s race tee 

I got to see a white squirrel!

During one free afternoon, Matt and I drove up the mountain a little ways to see a waterfall.  It was gorgeous!

We kept driving up and went to Sliding Rock!  We met up with Ed and Robin plus Josh, Mandy, and Luke there.  Sliding Rock is a natural waterslide.  It was very crowded and the water very cold, so we just watched the many many people going down. 

Luke really enjoyed watching the other people slide down, but he wouldn’t go near the water.

Overall, the reunion was a blast.  We really enjoyed spending so much time with family and just being away for a while.  Looking forward to the next reunion!!

My sister Marissa and her family live in Virginia, about 4 hours from where we were in NC.  We had plans to meet up with them in the middle on Memorial Day.  We were planning to do a day of hiking and playing in nature off the Blue Ridge Parkway, which I was so excited about.  Unfortunately, it was pouring that day, so we had to change plans.  We met the Smiths in Charlotte at a kids’ science museum.  We spent all afternoon together and ate dinner before saying goodbye.  Such a fun day!!  I love seeing my sister and fam!!

Abi looks cute as ever with a new hair-do due to a little incident with the scissors:

Matt had fun exploring with the kiddos.

Elijah was just plain adorable!

Hannah the little fashion designer made a shoe out of duct tape at one exhibit.

Sweet big brother:

Sweet daddy:

Jacob and Hannah are so cute together.

Hannah and me in our giant sunglasses.  She says, “We look like bugs!”

Our NC trip was wonderful!  So much fun with family!

I did the math and figured out that I spent 14 nights at hotels in the month of May.  I also spent 11 nights at work, which totals 25.  That leaves 6 nights that I actually spent in my own bed (+the days between working).  I guess there are some benefits of returning to reality, namely a more normal schedule.

I’ve now been back at work for a week and feel exhausted.  Every night was busy this week.  My feet ache more than usual, but I think that just tells me I really need to invest in some new work shoes.  So looking forward to 2 nights off.

I think this is my longest post ever.  The longer I wait, the more there is to say!

Anyway, I have other adventures in Oregon and North Carolina coming up these next two weeks, so who knows when I will have a real update.  I just don’t have the time or energy to do a lengthy post right now. 

My 10K is next Saturday in NC, so wish me luck!  I have been training hard and covered the distance already; I am just nervous about the hills!

See ya when I see ya!

I became an aunt when I was 11.  Jacob is the oldest and will always have a special place in all of our hearts.  As the only baby around for a couple of years, he was extra-spoiled and constantly oogled over.  It was Jake that showed me that sometimes it’s worth it to look like a fool just to make a baby laugh. 

And now he is a handsome teenager.    Jake is such a sweet and helpful big brother and son.  He is very smart and very athletic.  He was even nice enough to be an usher in our wedding.

Happy Birthday, Jake!!  We love you and are so proud of you!

The beach!

Chillin’ with Uncle Matt:

Swimming at Papa’s:

Already into baby dolls:

And my little sister Anna turned 7 last week!  I can’t believe she is so old.  She is really looking and acting so much older these days.  Matt and I stopped by Anna’s birthday party at the bowling alley last weekend and had a blast with Anna and her little girlfriends – the theme was Girls Rock!  Happy Birthday, Anna!

A good laugh (and also sad):

 

And, Matt would like me to show the world our new backyard!!!  The sod is done, and he is so excited about it.  Sometimes he just stands and stares at it. 

 

A couple weeks ago I planted some herbs.  I have always wanted to grow my own herbs, but I guess I’ve just always been too lazy.  It’s really not that hard and takes very little maintenance, so I just did it.  I bought my planting supplies at Wally-world.

I stuck to three herbs: cilantro, basil, and oregano.  I love the flavors and actually use all three of these in my cooking regularly, so it will be a nice change to have the real stuff and not use the dried herbs or pay a ton of money for the store-bought fresh stuff.

I read some stuff online and decided to just plant all three types of seeds in one plant pot.  It literally took me 5 minutes.

I’ve been keeping the herbs watered, and the seeds are starting to sprout now.  I’ll keep you updated as they grow and get ready for use!

My other recent project was… to make homemade strawberry jam!!  I have always always always wanted to learn how to preserve food and make homemade jams.  I wish I had been able to learn from one of my grandmas, but sadly I missed that chance.  So, I decided to figure it out myself.  It is actually pretty easy once you have the right supplies and thorough instructions.

I found a very thorough two-part blog post on making strawberry jam on The Pioneer Woman’s site.  Then, I went to the store (Wally-world again) and bought the supplies.  It was a little bit of an investment, probably about $50 total including the ingredients.  Strawberries are really cheap now, so I got a 1/2 flat for $5, which was awesome.  The canning pot and other supplies can be used over and over, though, so I plan to get my money’s worth by trying out different recipes.  I also spent an extra $5 for the Ball book of preserving recipes.  I would definitely recommend this book.  I ended up using the book’s step-by-step directions and a recipe from the book.

Mmmm mashed up berries…

Heating up the jars…

Cooking the jam…

Adding seven (yes, SEVEN) cups of sugar…

Into the jars…

Heat-processing…

And, finally, nine beautiful jars of jam!!

Of course, I had to make them cute. 

It is so good!!  At first I thought maybe I just liked it because I made it, but Matt really loves it, too.  I have been eating it on sandwiches and toast and even in my oatmeal.

(Here it is on some store-bought naan, which is really not impressive.  I am picky about naan because I’ve had the gooood stuff in India before.  I think I am going to try to make my own naan soon.)

If you’ve never tried canning before, I would suggest you give it a whirl.  It is very relaxing. 

I am so proud of my sister Shelly and her husband Jon.  They are troopers.  This was supposed to be a home birth, but God had other plans.  Shelly spent several days in labor with trouble progressing.  They eventually went ahead and did a Cesarean and discovered that Grace’s umbilical cord was wrapped around her little body and around her neck.  God always knows the whole story and works everything for our best. 

Please pray for the family’s adjustment and especially for Shelly’s recovery.  She is still having very bad gas pain from the air that got in during surgery, and she also has very swollen legs and feet because of all the fluids during surgery and the two days prior. 

I made the two-hour drive up twice during the labor, but due to work I ended up missing Grace’s birth.  I went up for the day today and finally got to hold that precious baby!

Big siblings Lydia and Micah came to visit their new baby sister, too.  They are so adorable and sweet with her!  Nate didn’t come today since he is such a little busybody (he’s 2).

Our dad (Papa) was nearby for work and stopped in for a visit, too!

Grace was very sleepy all day today.  She looks so much like Lydia and makes the funniest faces both asleep and awake.  Here is a funny video we made while trying to wake her up to nurse:

Welcome to the world, Grace!  We love you!