The Waiting Game

So that peace I had yesterday?

It's gone.  I'm a nervous wreck.

I think it's just that I really want this job.  I think it would be such an amazing opportunity.  But I'm trying to understand that if I don't get it, it's not the end of the world.  There are other jobs out there.  This is my first interview for an actual position, and there will be other opportunities if this doesn't pan out.  But understanding is easier said than done.

I should find out about it sometime this week or the beginning of next week.  For now, I'm waiting and hoping.

I did get to see some wonderful friends today!  We had an event for the college of education, and these are my wonderful elementary ed. friends.  We've been through a lot in the past few years, and I love each one of them dearly!

And in swine flu news...we might not be going to Mexico after all.  I personally don't want to get it, and I don't think Carnival Cruise Lines wants the lawsuits of taking thousands of people into swine flu central.  So, every cruise through May 11th so far has been changed.  We leave May 16th, so it's not definite yet, but our identical cruise leaving out of our same port (New Orleans) is getting bumped to Key West, Nassau, and Freeport.  I personally like these ports better anyway!  And...our original cruise was scheduled for 5 days...this cruise is being changed to 7 days!  This isn't definite for our's yet, but even though it might be a little bit of a problem for Noah to be off work for an extra two days, wouldn't that be awesome?!?

I got a good start on my next blog last night.  It's of a friend of mine from high school, and I really like it so far!  Check it out here!

I hope everyone has a fabulous end of Wednesday night/Thursday.  I'm going to spend mine trying to calm down and enjoying my last two days with the kiddos!

A Peace

The interview went great!  I really like the school, and I think I presented myself in the best, most true way I could.  I really couldn't have asked for it to go any better, and I'm at a complete peace about everything.  I would absolutely love the job, but I've heard a rumor that they are looking for more experienced teachers.  So if I get the job, wonderful, but if I don't, I know that I did everything I could!

I don't think I have ever had such a peace about something like this!  Like I said, I am an extreme worrier.  I think I've got to be in control of everything, all the time.  The truth about it is, I'm not, and now that I know that, I feel so much better about everything!  I know that God is going to put me where I need to be, so as long as I do everything that I need to do to present myself in the best way, I don't have to sit around and worry!  How wonderful!

Thank you for all of your prayers...they are so appreciated!

And thank God for sweet husbands who have these waiting for you when you get home from your interview :)

And thank God for sweet beagle puppies who chew on rugs.  Which, in his defense, is one of his toys (like really, we allow him to chew on it, and we don't use it as a rug anymore).  Hardy gets stranger every time I talk about him, doesn't he?

A Request...

I've been thinking a lot about the power of prayer recently.  In a strange way, I think it's been spurred by blogs!  Between Stellan's miraculous healing (he's OFFICIALLY out of the hospital, if you haven't heard), or Kelly's problems getting pregnant and Harper's sickness, I feel like prayer has really shown to work.  I'm an over-logical person (always have been), and I tend to have to have proof of something before I can believe it.  This has always been a huge obstacle I've had to overcome in my faith.  But there are so many miracles happening all around us everyday.

I don't think answered prayers always come in the form we want them.  I have to remind myself of this constantly, and this post by MckMama helped me understand it so much better.  She basically says that an answered prayer doesn't necessarily come in the form we might expect it or want it, but it is no less of an answer.  It is the answer that is going to follow His plan the best way, and always ends up being the right answer!

All this being said, I need some prayers this week.  I have a job interview tomorrow, and I graduate from college next Saturday (that is still a little weird to say!).  I am doing everything I can to have faith that God is going to put me where I will best serve those students and that school, but another one of my weaknesses - worrying - is not helping that situation.  I am very bad about having to feel like I am in control of every situation, but let's face it - I'm not!  There's only One that is truly in control of this.  I need prayer that I will know how to present myself to be in the best school for me.  I need prayer that I will have the wisdom to help those kids the best way I can.  Just please say a prayer that I go to the place that is going to help those around me the most.

It feels so good to finally write these thoughts down!  I love blogging more everyday!

Home Sweet Home!

We're home from our great weekend!  We went to Gulf Shores for the weekend to a friend's wedding, and I got my first Mullet Toss experience (one of those weird things you only know about and don't think is weird if you're from the South).  We started off the morning at the FABULOUS brunch held by the groom's family.  It was so pretty, and the food was delicious!

All of Noah's good friends at the brunch.

Me with a good friend of mine!  This is actually one of Noah's best friend's moms (did that even make sense?), but we have become friends through planning fun tailgates on the quad for Alabama football games.  She is a sweet lady who is so good to Noah and me!

At Mullet Toss.  It's an event held at the Flora-Bama every year, and is apparently a big deal.  They literally throw mullets (the fish, not the hair) down the beach and keep track of who throws it the furthest.  It sounds really redneck, but it was fun!  

After the famous Mullet Toss, we hung out at a friend's beach house.  Here's the guys playing horseshoes!

The main event!

Today, we did a good bit of laying around and eating in Gulf Shores.  We went to the Guy Harvey restaurant as we were leaving...which was DELICIOUS and I would recommend it to anyone!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I'll Be Right Back

This weekend, we will be out of town for a wedding, so I won't get to post much! Sad not to blog, but WAY excited to go where we are going!  I'm going to investigate the mobile blogger thing, so I may be able to update...stay tuned!

We have a beach wedding in Gulf Shores on Saturday. It's been awhile since I've been to the beach, so I can't wait. Apparently, Mullet Toss at the FloraBama is this weekend as well...I've heard it is fun, but have never personally experienced it, so I'm kind of excited!

For now, here are pictures of our last trip to the (south Alabama/Florida) beach...

This Probably Isn't Normal

This dog.  Bless him.

I am really not kidding when I say we love Hardy like a child.  We call ourselves mom and dad when talking to him, and we even have a voice with which we impersonate to each other what he might say back.  It's really quite pathetic.

But he's not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree.

I have never in my life seen a dog that didn't just naturally know to catch something when it was thrown at him.  He can't do it!  He also barks HYSTERICALLY when someone comes to our house, sounding somewhat like we are beating him.  He takes up at least half of the bed every night, he has 3-5 spots in our house that he marks (male dog owners know what I'm talking about) everytime he sees them, every stuffed animal he owns is not stuffed anymore within 2 days, and he absolutely cannot stand it when the rubber caps are on those little springy things that keep doors from hitting the wall when opened.  We find little white caps sitting next to the naked springs all the time.

He's strange.

But he also knows to give us big kisses when we get home after a bad day (which, somehow, he knew to do today, after I didn't have the best day in history), how to prance around adorably when he finds his favorite toy, how to cuddle up next to you when he's going to sleep, and how to give you a smile when you need cheering up.  When he's confused about something, he stops, sits down, and does that absolutely precious head turn that dogs do (which we've now named the "Hardy head turn").  And, as referenced by the video, he's got "lay down" and "sit" down to a science...when there's a treat involved.  Occasionally you can even get him to dance on his hind legs.

Like I said, we love him like a child.

Further Proof That I'm Cheap

Wednesday afternoons are just about my favorite afternoon of the week.  Why, you ask?  Well, to put it pretty simply, I have become an indescribably cheap person.  Don't get me wrong, Noah has provided really well for us and has a great job, but I am just awfully cheap!

What in the world does this have to do with Wednesday afternoons?

Weekly grocery store ads come out!  I am a super dork (and once again, super cheap), and I actually look forward to seeing what's on sale every week.  Every Wednesday afternoon, I sit down and make my grocery list for the week.  Noah makes endless fun of me for this, but it's just one of my little quirks!  I have no idea why.

We have a Winn-Dixie, a Food World, and most recently, a Publix probably within 5 miles of our house.  So, these are the grocery stores I use!  It actually becomes fun to make a game of how little I can spend to feed us every week.  I actually brag to Noah all the time about how inexpensive I can get each meal!  I just figure, why would you pay more for something when you don't have to?  I'd rather spend the money on cute things for our house, or new clothes, than food you're just going to eat and probably never think about again.

And yes, I've heard of the Deal Seeking Mom and all of those other websites that show you how to save a ton of money shopping at Walgreen's and other drug stores, but I just can't make myself get into that habit for some reason.  You have to WORK to get those deals!  But I have heard of people making money instead of spending money when doing their shopping at drug stores.  It's really interesting how people find these deals!

I'm off to clean my super messy house.  We will be out of town this weekend, so my cleaning time for the week has to be in the afternoons instead of the weekend this time!

PS - Another blog redesign finished today...I'm on top of my game! :)  Check it out at Allison's site!

Thought for the Day...

Four weeks from RIGHT NOW, this very second...

I will be in the middle of the Caribbean...

Eating irrational amounts of gourmet food (and not worrying about a single calorie)...

laying in the beautiful sunshine all day and doing nothing...

and THIS will be my home away from home!

My graduation present from Noah is a Caribbean cruise! We are going for 5 days starting May 16th. It is to Cozumel and Progresso. I COULD NOT be more excited! Our honeymoon was a cruise (hence all the pictures), and it was absolutely the best week of my life. I can't wait to do it all over again!

PS - I am finally done with April's blog redesign. I'm kind of proud of it, and I hope she is too. Check it out, and while you're there, check out her super cute family!

Monday's Complete Randomness

BIG Request:  If you read Mckmama's blog, you probably already know that Stellan (her 6 month old son with a heart condition)  will be going into surgery for a rare and pretty risky surgery sometime tonight or tomorrow.  I can't even imagine what she might be going through right now.  PLEASE say a prayer (or two, or three) tonight that the doctors have the wisdom and skill to best treat this baby, and that his little body stays strong throughout surgery and recovery.  If you've never read Mckmama's blog before, go see her here, and don't blame me if you get addicted like I did :)


I had a great first day back to school!  I missed the kiddos during spring break, so it was great to see them.  I don't know what I'm going to do when I have to leave them for good!


And, of course, I got to come home to this stud...




(I would normally be embarrassed to show our backyard with grass this long, but Noah just cut it A WEEK AGO...we can't make it stop growing! It looks like it's been a month.  Does anybody out there know how to make your grass NOT grow?)


He had a great time playing with his friend best friend, duck. He has had about 5 ducks since we got him, and he immediately rips the stuffing out of every one (like, within 2 or 3 days). We finally got tired of buying ducks, so Duck Five has been with us for awhile now...and it shows.






Noah is grilling the pork tenderloin I talked about last night as I type. He gave me a little sample, and it is delicious! I mean, doesn't it look good?




And...drumroll please...




The mulching project is finished (if you don't count the rocks that are still there...they will be gone this week if it kills me...)! I finally got a good picture of it today. We're so happy with how it turned out...the work was worth it!


I'm now going to eat that fabulous meal :) Have a wonderful night!

Another Makeover...

I think I finally have the blog look I like! Whether I like it or not, this one's staying for awhile, because it takes awhile to change everything and make the new graphics. I got the WONDERFUL elements kit I used to make this design at Designs By Krista. She is one of the many designers I have just fell in love with since I've been on this whole blog design kick! Check her stuff out!

It is incredibly nasty here in Tuscaloosa today. We FINISHED the flower bed project this morning before everything got nasty! I tried to get a picture, but it started pouring rain the second I walked out of my house to get the picture. I'll try to include one later on. I am very happy with how everything turned out...now just to get rid of the rest of those darn pebbles!

I am also trying a new recipe tonight.  There was a fantastic special on pork tenderloins at the grocery store this week (for those locals, Food World...it is going through tonight if you want to stock up!), and I had remembered seeing a recipe I wanted to try on Kelly Stamps's recipe blog.  It is here if you want to see/try it.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Boating, Take 2

Yesterday, we took our (sort of) new boat out again! We actually took lunch out this time, so we made an all day event out of it. After a few minutes of cruising, we found this WONDERFUL beach where there was nobody else, so we set up shop there! Little did we know we would not see A SINGLE OTHER BOAT all day...literally. Not at this beach, not going by this beach, nothing. It was fantastic and secluded, and I had no idea we could find a place like this right in our hometown!







We probably laid around for about 5 hours doing nothing, and it was great.

Hardy liked it a little bit more too! He discovered sand, and the fact that you can dig in it. He also discovered that you can drink out of a river! Big day for him.

Today's been a little bit more laying around. We watched A-Day today...which, by the way, I think is the most boring experience in Alabama football. But I decided to be a good sport for my husband. In honor of semi-football season, we made these beauties...



Barbeque nachos! The idea of these came from Corky's Barbeque at the Ole Miss games, which makes the BEST barbeque nachos I have ever had! A close second would be Big Bad Wolves (the place that sets up shop next to The Houndstooth on game days). SOOO good!

I am going to try to catch up tomorrow, since I have done ZERO for school since I've been out for spring break! Two more weeks of student teaching and I am a college graduate!!!!!

Fun With Makeovers

I have been SUPER busy the past couple of days! Between everything we've got going on with our flower bed makeover, and making over a few friend's blogs, Spring Break has definitely been full! I've had a blast making over April's and Allison's blog, and already have a couple more people interested in me making over their blogs as well! I mentioned earlier that I LOVE graphic design (dorky, I know), so this is the fun kind of work for me :) If you're interested in having me help with your blog, you can email me here!

We took a little break and went out on the boat again today. Noah has been planning to take today off so we could do something for awhile, so we had a really good time! I'll do a full post about this tomorrow.

Have a great night, and in honor of A-Day tomorrow, ROLL TIDE!

We're Halfway There...

***Updated: You can actually read the post now!  Note to self: Don't ever rearrange your photobucket account without updating the links on your blog :)

I'm officially halfway done with the big flower bed project today!

Not looking too bad, if-I-do-say-so-myself :)

And tonight, we went and ate quite possibly the best thing that has ever happened to Tuscaloosa food...

I love Mugshots far too much for my own good!

Noah got something new...a peanut butter burger.  I wasn't too sure about it until I tried it.  It actually wasn't that bad!  You better like peanut butter if you get it though.

Between working outside and being full of greasy food, I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight!  Goodnight!

Doctors and Flower Beds

Today turned out to be a busy day!

A few weeks ago, Noah got it in his head that we needed life insurance.  This whole process was new to me, but apparently you have to have a physical before they will approve you.  We actually had a doctor come to our house this morning to give it to us!  It was just basic stuff like getting weight, blood pressure, drawing blood, etc., but I had never had a doctor come to my house before!  It had a very 1950's feel :)

Hardy laid around most of the day...as usual...and I played with my new blog :)  You would really think

 it's Christmas for me.  I've always had a thing for decorating, and I know a little bit about html formatting, so this is the perfect thing for me!  I actually changed the whole layout tonight, so if you saw some things earlier that didn't go with each other AT ALL, I was probably in the process of changing it!

For the rest of the day, I worked in our flower beds.  Since we moved in, Noah and I have both HATED the pebbles in the front of our house, and always said we were going to put in mulch.  Well, the time has finally come!  I actually feel like I got something accomplished today out there...this is the before (with rocks everywhere from where we replaced shrubs this weekend):

And the after...

We put in rubber mulch so we won't ever have to replace it.  It is hard work, but I just figure I won't have to go to the gym this week!

I leave you with a view of my sweet boy doing...what else...sleeping.  He has this thing where he has to be touching some part of Noah or me anytime he is sleeping (his head is on my foot as I type this).  I guess here, he figured Noah's shoe was close enough :)

New Blog!

Lately, I have loved reading other people's blogs.  It is such a great way to catch up and find out what's been going on in friends' lives!  I am going to do my best to keep this updated.  I want to use it as a way to keep everyone updated as to what's going on in our lives, and as a "scrapbook" for us to remember!

I am officially four weeks away from being a graduate of The University of Alabama :)  It is a long time coming...I changed my major VERY late in college, and basically had to start over.  It was all worth it, because I love what I'm doing and can't wait to be a teacher!  Noah is doing very well in his job...it is demanding at times, but he loves what he's doing.

We just got a new boat!  It's not exactly new, really...it's over 20 years old...but it's new to us!  We're excited because it's our first boat and we've wanted something like this for awhile.  We took it out for the first time yesterday.  We had a blast, but I'm not sure about Hardy.  He shook and laid there most of the time!

I am on our spring break right now, so I hope to be updating this pretty often.  Have a great day!