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! 

Weekend Fun and New Opportunities

The last 10 or 11 days have been somewhat of a whirlwind.  Two weekends ago we had our first overnight guest!  This is always exciting for me.  The best part is having the entire house super clean for a couple of days.  Allan thinks I'm crazy, but I like being a good hostess.  My long-time friend, Scott, was headed home after spending a few days up north and stayed with us one night to break up the drive home.  He got to meet and hang out with some of our new friends in Athens.  It was really fun and we can't wait to have more visitors. 

That same weekend, Ole Miss beat Auburn!!  I can't imagine how much fun it would have been to be there.  Did you know that it was our first SEC win since Oct. 2, 2010?  We lost 16 SEC games in a row!  I didn't realize how bad we actually were.  Hopefully we can keep it up!!  Before the game started we went to the Lickskillet Arts Fair downtown.  I had in my mind that it might be like Double Decker, but I was mistaken.  It was fun, but small.  The highlight of the fair for Allan was the macaroni-and-cheese food truck. 

We've been visiting FBC Athens pretty much since we moved here.  This past week they hosted families through Interfaith Hospitality Network.  I think this program is excellent and is exactly the type of program the church should support and be involved in.  I worked at the Day Center one morning which didn't require much more than being there.  For me, getting involved in volunteer opportunities within the church has been a great way to meet people.

Saturday we took a little day trip to Ellijay, GA.  They are famous for their apple orchards.  It was our first time to pick apples.  It wasn't necessarily cheaper to pick your own apples because you are paying for the "experience", but it wasn't too much more than buying apples at the store.  We fit 21 apples into our bag that cost $10 + $4 to get into the orchard.  The orchard had a country store where you could buy all kinds of jams, honey, produce, and baked goods.  We opted for the fried pies (apple for me, strawberry/cream cheese for Allan) and a muscadine slushie.  So good!  After picking apples we headed toward downtown Ellijay to check out the Apple Festival.  There were a few arts and craft vendors and we looked in a few of the shops.  It was a cute little town that I'm glad we took the time to visit. 

In the last week I've made a change in jobs.  Rite Aid offered me a full-time, salaried position with benefits.  I went to an interview, accepted the position, filled out all paper-work, and have officially been hired.  I go in tomorrow for some computer training modules and I start on Thursday.  I'm really excited.  It's been 3 months since I have worked and I am  ready to get started here in Athens.  I hated to leave my previous job before it started, but unfortunately it was not full-time and had no benefits.  This is going to be a good thing and I'm grateful that this door was opened. 

Yesterday,  I had to drive to Marietta to fill out some paper work for the new job so I decided to make a trip to Ikea in Atlanta since I was close.  We need furniture for the master bedroom and a couple of bookshelves for the "office".  I've never been to an Ikea, so it was definitely an experience.  I was shocked at how big it was.  I was very glad that I had already done my "pre-shopping" online.  Three hours later I finally made it to the check out line.  We will be getting our new furniture next Thursday!

Tonight we are going to a neighborhood gathering.  A family down the street is cooking 8 pots of chili and we are all carving pumpkins.  We haven't been very good at meeting a lot of the neighbors so hopefully this will be a good opportunity to do so. 

Have a great week, friends!

Fall Decor

It's time for me to go back to work.  I've resorted to crafting.  Our new house has a fireplace, so I needed something festive to spruce up the mantle. 

 My first creation:  pumpkins made out of a roll of toilet paper wrapped in strips of burlap with sticks from the yard as the stem and tied up with a copper colored ribbon. 

 Next up are the chevron printed pumpkins.  I wanted them to be perfectly lined, but painting a chevron on a pumpkin is not nearly as easy at it seems.  I used masking tape and spray paint.  They're good enough I suppose. 

 Finally, I dotted another pumpkin with some black glitter glue and tied another one up with a black toule bow. 

 This fall decor will be great until it's time to decorate for Christmas!!  

M-I-Crooked Letter-Crooked Letter-I...

It's been about nine weeks since we made the move to Athens.  We both have been missing home, so a trip to Mississippi was in store.  Allan cut class on Thursday afternoon (shame, shame) and we headed to Byram.  Every time I go home to Byram there is always something different about it.  It's a growing little city!  This time, it was sad to see Super D closed.  That place holds a lot of great memories.  It was my first real job and was the place where I decided that I wanted to be a pharmacist.  Who gets to work with all of their best friends from high school at the same place?  Fun times indeed.  We were in Byram Thursday night and all day Friday.  Pooja came over to hang out for a few hours.  We had a good time chatting and catching up.  I miss her!  The only thing I miss about pharmacy school is seeing my friends!  My mom made a feast Friday night that was suitable for Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner.  Some of my aunts and uncles came over and it was great getting to see everyone.  I'm glad momma got to take a break from the craziness of nursing school to spend some time with us. 

 Saturday, we made the trip to Oxford for game day!  I miss the Grove!  Unfortunately, the weather wasn't so great and we spent a majority of the day huddled under the tent, but where there's food and friends, there's always fun.

Ann Katelyn and I

Allan and I with Lindsey, Julianne, Julia, and Chris

A glimpse of the Grove on game day

After being rained on and freezing.  Lucky for us, Chris is always prepared.

I was poorly prepared for the cold, rainy weather, but thankfully we had an Eagle Scout in our midst that brought enough sweaters and jackets for everyone!  Thanks, Chris!!  The rain moved out just as the game began.  We played so well!!  I really thought we would win against Texas A&M, but they scored the winning touchdown in the last minute and a half of the game.  It was so disappointing.  Oh well, I've grown to expect the heartbreak associated with Ole Miss football.  One of the best parts of the game was half-time.  Being an alumna of The Pride of the South, I always enjoy listening to the band and I always think they do great, but I have to say, the Aggie band was phenomenal.  I couldn't look away.  It was seriously the most entertaining band performance I've ever seen.

The team charges the field after Joel McHale from "The Soup" starts the Hotty Toddy cheer

Sunday, we had lunch with Craig and later took Daisy on a walk to the Square.  Lindsey was sweet to let us stay with her in our old house.  The thing I love most about that house was the location.  One of our favorite things to do was walking Daisy to the Square.  We took a few pictures at the pumpkin patch at St. Peter's.  Later that afternoon we headed to Allan's parent's house for dinner.  It was good to see everyone.  We especially miss playing with Benjamin.

So, a 1000 miles and 17 hours in the car later we are back in Athens and exhausted.  Allan went straight to class and Daisy went straight to her place on the couch.  I've been unpacking and getting things back in order.  Hopefully I will start work this week!  I'm ready to hit the ground running!

I knew today would be a good day

I woke up this morning with a feeling that today was going to be great.  Why?  Because we met our quota of bad things in the early morning hours.  At about 3am the barking began.  Daisy acted like someone was trying to break in and chop us up into tiny little pieces.  We could not figure out what in the world was bothering her.  The aggressive barking continued in spurts throughout the night.  Needless to say, we slept very little last night.  This morning we figured out what all of her hooping and hollering was about.  Someone either drunk or very sleepy plowed their car through our mailbox.  They completely took out the post, mailbox, and bricks surrounding the landscaped area.  What a mess.  Hopefully the property owners take care of stuff like this.  The second culprit of Daisy's psycho bark fest involved a living creature trying to come down the fireplace.  This morning as I was having breakfast the commotion started up again.  It was really freaking me out.  Something was trying to get in and it wasn't Santa Clause.  I hope a bird is not trying to build a nest.  What should we do?!?!

So, because the night was so eventful I just KNEW today would be great!  I had an interview with the Health and Wellness Market Director for Walmart today.  It went well and I am happy to say that I will officially be working for Walmart!  I will start out as a floater doing fill-in work until a full-time position opens within a drivable distance from Athens.  I am so excited to start working again.  This housewife stuff is not for me.. oh, and we have bills to pay.  God has truly blessed us.  His hand has been in every aspect of our move to Athens.  He is constantly reminding me that there is no use in the excessive worrying.  He always provides.

Yellow Snapdragon

I've been a crafty little lady!  I bought a desk from the Habitat for Humanity Restore here in Athens.  I sanded it down, cleaned it up, and painted it.  For $18 + paint + 5 hours of work I have a brand new desk!  It's going upstairs in our "office" room.  I really didn't want to go out and spend a ton of money on office  furniture when it may be easier to buy something cheap, use it for the next few years, and then donate it when we move again. Typically, I prefer more neutral colors for the home, but I always like to have one room with lots of fun colors.  Check it out!

Before

After

We are still on the look out for some used bookshelves.  This is my pinterest inspiration.  The backboard of the bookshelves will match the desk. 

Pinterest Recipe Successes

Greek Dip:  I made this on Labor Day for a little get-together with some new friends from church.  It is really yummy and healthy!  It's a layered dip and here's the order:  hummus on the bottom (I use store bought, but you can make your own if you are feeling like a rock star), next is crumbled feta cheese, then top with a mix of chopped cucumber and red bell pepper.  You could also add black olives, but I'm not a huge fan.  Use whatever ratios you prefer.  I serve it with whole wheat pita loaf toasted and cut into small pieces.  It is very easy to make and requires little preparation.  Enjoy!

Bruschetta Chicken for Two:  Tonight for dinner I tried out this recipe.  It was fantastic and I can't wait to make it again.  Ingredients: 

     1.  1/4 cup of flour
     2.  1 egg beaten
     3.  2 chicken breasts
     4.  1/4 cup parmesan
     5.  1/2 cup crushed garlic croutons (italian bread crumbs would probably work too)
     6.  1 tbsp melted butter
     7.  1 large tomato diced
     8.  1 tbsp basil
     9.  1 tsp minced garlic
   10.  1 tbsp olive oil
   11.  salt and pepper

Cover chicken in flour and then egg.  Place in dish.  Combine 4-6 and cover chicken with mix.  Bake at 375 until chicken is done.  Combine 7-11 and cover chicken with mix.  Cook for 7 more minutes and you're done!