Let's Catch Up!

Wow.  I can't believe it's been almost two and half months since I last posted.  I feel like I'm resettling back into normal life since I started my job with Rite Aid at the end of October.  Those first 3 months after moving to Athens were just weird.  It was hard to commit to anything or plan anything ahead of time because of the off chance that I would maybe start working.  The uncertainty of how long our savings would have to last made it difficult to ever spend any money on anything.  So, now that we've been here for five months life is starting to feel normal.  I feel like we actually LIVE here now.  Allan is gearing up to start the spring semester tomorrow after a few weeks off for winter break.  I've been working a lot and am really enjoying it.  We've made some friends and we feel really good about spending the next two and half years here.  So, what's been going on?

Lindsey and Nate came to visit!  We showed them Athens and had a great time at the UGA/Ole Miss game even though we lost.  It was such a fun weekend and we were really glad they got to come.  We loved seeing Julia and Scotty, too!  It was like a mini Ole Miss reunion. 

The Lamar Dodd School of Art had an open house and the different programs each had a theme for their floor.  The painters chose the Dood Ranch and all dressed up like characters from the wild west.  It was fun to see all the work Allan and his classmates have done over the semester. 

I joined a Bible study to meet more people.  We finished the book "Love Does", by Bob Goff.  The book was light and funny, but very challenging.  All of the stories are real stories from his life.  He and I are completely different people and some of the things he does I would never do, but I guess that's where the challenge was...  to think about situations differently and take more chances. 

Natalie, Andrew, and Ava spent two nights with us on their way to and from MS.  Ava is the cutest baby in the whole world and I wish we could see those sweet cheeks more often!  I can't believe she is already 1!

We had our first "orphan" Thanksgiving.  I had to work the whole week, so we couldn't make it back home to MS.  We missed seeing our families, but we made the most of it.  We made some good food that our mommas would've made and had our own little celebration.

We celebrated Allan's 30th birthday in Atlanta.  We saw the Bodies Exhibit, visited The High Museum of Art, and wanted to go ice skating in Centennial Olympic Park, but the rink was much smaller and crowded that I had imagined so we went the World of Coca-Cola instead.  It was our first day trip to Atlanta and we had a great time.  Atlanta is a great city to live close to, but I don't think I could handle the traffic on a daily basis.
 
We kicked off the Christmas season with the Christmas parade downtown.  The theme was a Charlie Brown Christmas and it was cool to see all of the floats.  Other Christmas festivities included a baking party with some friends and a concert at the Classic Center in downtown Athens.  The Athens symphony and chorus give a free concert every year and it was phenomenal.  This will definitely be a yearly tradition for us.

  
My parents came to see us for a few days the week before Christmas since my mom was on break from nursing school.  We did some Christmas shopping and showed them Athens.  We went to the aquarium Atlanta one afternoon and had a great time.  I'm glad they were able to come and see where we live. Allan's twin sister, Allison and her husband, Max, also stopped by after a trip to Atlanta to check out Athens.  Hopefully next time they can stay longer!

By some Christmas miracle I had 6 days off in a row the week of Christmas so we got to go home to MS for a few days!  We spent some time with my family in Byram and then headed to Oxford.  We got to play with Chance and Benjamin.  We got to see my dad's side of the family and all of their kiddos.  We got to go to FBC Byram and see some of the best people in the world.  We shot guns and watched Christmas movies.  It was really great to spend time with our families and get recharged. 

2013 is here!  In true pharmacy world fashion, the first week of the year has been absolutely terrible with changes in insurance policies and deductibles that have to be met, but eventually things will get back to normal and I won't be completely and utterly exhausted when I leave work at night.  This weekend I've been nursing a cold and haven't done much at all but watch television.  Yesterday Ole Miss won the Compass Bowl!  This was the best season we've had in awhile and I'm prouder than ever to be a Rebel!  We've also been catching up on season 2 of Downton Abbey.  Season 3 starts tonight and I can't wait!  There is still hope for Mary and Matthew! 

I have to start doing this more often.  I like being able to look back on everything that has happened over the year.  Sometimes I can barely remember what I did a few days ago much less a few months ago.  Obviously, I've left out some details of the last few months, but these were the highlights.  I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and that your year has gotten of to a good start!