loving our 2nd home...

we consider marin county our second home for sure! it's definitely not HOME, but we do love it here! when we go HOME HOME it's always sooooo hard to leave, but once we get back...everything is okay!! dont get me wrong, we miss our families and friends back in alabama more than yall could ever imagine!

God has provided for us in so many ways though! we have great jobs and make great money! we have actually been able to save a lot of money! we are quite proud of ourselves! we have also made some GREAT friends!

one of our favorite things to do is go to one of the dog friendly beaches and let molly play! she LOVES the beach! one of the beaches (muir beach) allows you to build fires on the beach. the weather has been gorgeous lately, and we have taken huge advantage of it! it's always hard to tell what the weather at the beach is gonna be like. it's usually colder and foggier at the beach, but not the past couple weeks!! nicholas' birthday is thursday and all he wanted to do is play golf. he hasnt played in so long! i plan on going and being his cart girl!

my amazing hubby is taking me to vegas in february to see garth brooks at the encore theater! i have never been soooo excited about a concert. it's valentines weekend too, so we plan on doing some serious celebrating! it's also for my birthday! we are staying at the wynn hotel, and i have heard great things about it! we will be living in style for a few days! the downside to the trip is that we are gonna have to leave molly with a babysitter. i do have someone that i think will be able to come stay with her at our apartment. im already dreading leaving her! the only babysitter she has ever had is my parents...she adores her nana and papa!! im nervous about it! im afraid she is going to be mad at us and be depressed! hopefully she will be a good girl!

im also excited about going home for two weeks in march! we will be there march 16th-29th. we plan on spending a few days at his parents house in south alabama! i havent been there since last summer so im really excited about going down there! it's always soooo relaxing!

oh yea!! our families plan on coming to visit this year. my family is wanting to come towards the end of the summer! i cant wait for them to come! there is soooo much to do out here! it's going to be so much fun showing them around!!

our lives couldnt get any better right now! we are enjoying being together and experiencing life in such a great way! i LOVE being married and know i always will! i have the greatest husband in the world who takes such great care of me!

this is a totally random post...just thought id give a brief update! i'll try to do better!

God bless everyone!

*inspired*

i have been inspired by one of my best friends...sumer. she became a new mommy in april and started a blog that is very cute! i LOVED reading and catching up on hers and decided i needed to try to keep mine up better! although...i dont have a child, so i dont have quite as much to talk about, but im gonna at least try!

life as travel nurses is kinda over for now! lil update...after we left san francisco in july, we went to DC. we were there for 6 weeks and absolutely hated it! we are now back in san fracisco and very happy! we are both back at marin general hospital working per diem (basically we make our own schedule and only HAVE to work 1 day a week...and the money is great!). it's a pretty sweet deal! of course we are working more and really enjoying it! after our horrible experience in dc, we decided traveling was getting too complicated and unpredictable, but we arent ready to settle down yet! we love san fran and there's soooo much to do in california, so we decided to come back. i also made some great friends here!

we were able to be home for about a week and half before we came back out here. we left dc on sept 10th and it was a total God thing because that is the morning my grandmother passed away. it was great being home for a lil while. we are dying to get back!! we are both working christmas eve night and flying home on christmas day!! we will be home for 10 days!!

we signed a year lease on our apartment, so we will at least be here for a year. i think it will go by very fast bc we have lots to do and see! both of our families also plan on coming to visit! im also hoping my cousin sara and some of my friends are able to get out this way! we have settled in nicely and made it our TEMPORARY home. it does feel like our 2nd home! HOME is definitely on the lake in alabama with all of our closest family and friends.

speaking of friends...my best friend jamie (who is more like a sister)...had her baby a couple weeks ago. her name is lauren reid and i sooooooo proud to be her aunt bet! i am DYING to see her and cant wait to get my hands on her! i told her i would find her a good souvenir!

it's hard not being home for the holidays, but we are enjoying being together and will make the best of it. we ALWAYS get a real christmas tree, but this year we went to target and bought a cheap rinky dink fake tree. it totally works though! we have already put it up...i needed to get in the spirit! ive been trying to do some shopping, but it's like pulling teeth trying to figure out what everyone wants. i think its definitely gonna be different here for holidays than back home. ive been hearing of friends and family back home already putting up decorations and listening to christmas music. none of that here...except for department stores...its kinda weird! we are sooooooo excited about going home!! we plan to make it home more frequenly next year! i feel like im missing way too much!

so...i think ive rambled enough. thats mostly what my blog is! when i think of more things to ramble about i will update! hope everyone is doing well!! love and miss you all!

*sunny and sweet*

well...it's finally hot here! it was a nice 85 degrees today and beautiful! i enjoyed some quiet time by the pool with a jamba juice in hand. i am addicted to the razzmatazz flavor! i wanna start one in gadsden! it's healthy, all fruit smoothies!

the drama of the day...i took molly to get groomed. i took her to a place called perros grooming. a friend at work highly recommended these people bc they do a really good job with her lab. well...now i know not to take advice from someone with a large dog. molly's hair is a disaster! i literally had tears in my eyes after picking her up! she is notorious for her top-knot and hair bows. she now has NO hair between or around her poor, large ears. i took her in there top-knot and all and told them to trim her. they barely cut her body and then destroyed her poor lil head. i feel so sorry for her! she still her cute self, but im praying that her hair grows really fast! definitely a downside to traveling. i loved the girl that cut her in san antonio!

speaking of san antonio...i have really been missing texas lately! i miss the cowboy boots, country music, cowboy hats, hill country, texas wine, steak n taters, grapevine...pretty much everything about it! i dont miss it more than home but i miss it a lot!

i do get to put on my cowboy boots tomorrow though!!! my wonderful husband planned an amazing date for us! we are going to bodega bay...about 45 minutes north of here on the coast. we are going horseback riding!! i LOVE horses but dont have a lot of experience with them. i might be a lil nervous but im hoping i love it!

we are hoping we can extend our assignment here only because there is sooooo much to do here! we definitely wanna go to the redwood forest before we leave. we would also love to go to yosemite. there's just not enough time to do it all!!

this post is just a bunch of random thoughts, but hey...at least i updated! i will try to update about our horseback riding experience!

our lives lately...

so...i guess you could say that our life is pretty exciting! we moved to san francisco on april 7th and we took our time getting there! we had a great time on our road trip and saw a lot of beautiful scenery! on the 2nd day of our trip we stopped at the grand canyon! it was an incredible experience. we definitely wanna go back when we can stay longer and arent so tired! everyone should make the drive across the country once in their lives! we saw desert, mountains, snow, green grass and huge trees, 17 degree and 80 degree weather...all within a couple of days! it was quite exciting.

we currently live in san rafael, california (marin county). it is a beautiful place! we are surrounded by mountains and water. we are about 20 minutes from sonoma, 30 minutes from napa, 20 minutes from the beach and san francisco, etc. there's lots do do here!

we work at marin general hospital. it is a small private hospital so it's not quite as exciting as uab! the people i work with are great! it's kinda nice coming into a smaller environment...i have gotten to know everyone so well and so quickly!

i know i have been bad about updating this thing! we have been quite busy since we moved. if we arent working or sleeping, we are out sightseeing and having fun. i will definitely try to update with our exciting adventures! thanx for keeping us with us!

next stop....

SAN FRANCISCO!! it's official. our next assignment will be at marin general hospital in green brae california. it's about 20 minutes north of san francisco. we will be living in san rafael! we have heard that it's a great area. we will be living pretty close to the bay and we will have the pacific ocean on the other side! just wanted to get a quick update in. i will try to update more later!!

where do i begin...

i've been a slacker on keeping my blog updated! sorry!!

i finished up my assignment at cristus santa rosa children's hospital on march 12th. it was bittersweet! im really going to miss all of my friends there! they actually gave me a very nice going away party! i didnt expect it at all! i have made some wonderful friends here!

we've had to make some hard/complicated decisions within the last couple of weeks concerning our jobs/future! we were told that nicholas could have gotten out of his assignment if he simply gave a 2 week notice. what his lovely recruiter didnt bother to mention is that we would have to pay the large cancellation fee. we have had a really hard time with this agency and will NEVER work with them again! we asked them to give us a few days to try and figure things out and they did...luckily! we started praying extremely hard about what to do! we have seriously learned to put our total faith in God!! He is definitely taking care of us!

God answered our prayers this past monday! i was offered a job in green brae, california and a day later nicholas was offered a job at the same hospital. the start date is april 26th. he will continue to work here until april 20th. i have no idea what i am going to do with all of this time off! the hospital has been wishy washy within the past couple of days with my assignment. they think they over-estimated their nicu needs, but they havent given my agency a definite decision yet. we are hoping no news is good news! PLEASE pray that it all works out for the best!! that Gods will would be done!! so as of right now we will be moving to california at the end of april. green brae is 20 minutes from downtown san francisco. it is in between the bay and the coast. from what we understand it is a very nice, wealthy city. the hospital is marin general. a small private hospital. i am more excited about going than i am nervous! it is VERY far away from home!

i know people wonder why in the world we are doing this and sometimes it's even hard for us to understand why we are doing this BUT we know we are where God wants us to be! we are having a great time! we are seeing and doing things we would never ever do! we do miss home and we miss our friends and family more than anything in this world! we appreciate all of the LOVE and support they give us daily! i dont know what we would do without them!

thanks for all of your love and support!!!! we need all the prayers we can get!!

texas hill country...

amazing, relaxing, beautiful, wonderful, tasty...just a few words to describe our weekend in the hill country. we had the greatest time! me, nicholas, suz, and heath spent the weekend at a bed and breakfast in comfort, texas. suzy and heath arrived in san antonio on thursday, january 27th. we went to dinner at la mettierra, a mexican restaurant at the spanish market downtown san antonio. it was very tasty and lots of fun! they had great margaritas! that began our wonderful weekend of very tasty food!! we started the day of friday with brunch at the guenther house downtown. it was the best breakfast i have ever had! it is part of the old pioneer flour mill. they have ginormous biscuits and fresh jams...it was great!

after breakfast we headed to the hill country. comfort, tx is only about 30 minutes from where we live. we stayed at Riven Rock Ranch, an amazing bed and breakfast! it was up on a hill overlooking everything! we rented the 'east wing suite' in one of the cottages. it was great because we were the only ones in the whole cottage the entire weekend. we had the whole thing to ourselves! we each had our own bedrooms and shared a huge bathroom! it was beautiful! when we arrived to our cottage we were greeted with a large cheese and fruit tray with a bottle of wine from one of the local vineyards. it was a great way to start off our adventure! we enjoyed a glass of wine and took a lil walk around the b and b. there were deer EVERYWHERE...hundreds of them! each day we would see them standing or laying on the patio right outside our door. it is like a dream home!!

after getting settled in we decided to begin our wine tour. we started with comfort cellars which was just minutes from the b and b. the boys were quite hyper...when they get together the laughter never ends! it made for a very funny experience. after that we headed to sisters creek vineyard. we actually got to tour the winery...it was cool! after that one we went to singing waters vineyard. it was beautiful also. it was out on a large farm...the wine maker was there and he was very nice. it was actually just right up the road from our b and b. after visiting there it was about 6:00 and the sun was about to set. we made it back to the b and b in time to watch the sunset. it was amazing!

oh yea...i forgot to mention that of course molly was along for the trip as well. when we got back to the cottage we let her outside off of her leash...bc we were the only people there and there was lots of room for her to play. when we let her out the door...she took off and there just happened to be 2 deer standing in the backyard. when they saw us coming of course they took off and of course molly ran after them. i screamed at the top of my lungs and luckily she froze. i think i scared her pretty bad. after that we made sure there werent any deer around when we let her out. thank goodness she obeys pretty well. it scared me to death though.

we had dinner reservations at the restaurant there at the b and b that night. we had a special surprise for the birthday boys. we relaxed for a lil while and then got ready for dinner. the restaurant was beautiful. when the weather is warmer it is all open to the outside. they had an awesome outdoor fireplace...and of course they had a great fire going. they also had it all enclosed with heaters everywhere...it was quite chilly!! we had a great dinner! me and the guys all had steak, mashed sweet potatoes and cabbage. suz had pasta with shrimp...that were VERY tasty! it was all VERY good! we ended dinner with the waiter bringing out an incredible birthday cake for the boys. suzy ordered it from a local bakery and someone from the b and b picked it up for us. it was white cake, with strawberry filling and cream cheese icing. it had about 24 chocolate covered strawberries on top. it was literally the BEST cake i have ever had in my life!!!!! it was 100 times better than any wedding or birthday cake i have had! i might drive all the way back up there just to get a cake! we had an incredible first day! after dinner we went back to our cottage and crashed! we were all exhausted!

the beds were amazing! each room had a queen size bed with chocolate truffles on our pillows! they had robes and slippers for each of us...i must say, nicholas definitely took advantage of those! they also had bowls, treats, and bottled water for molly as well. molly loved having all the space in the cottage to play! we also took advantage of the fireplace. it was soooo cozy and warm!

i couldnt wait for breakfast on saturday morning! nicholas and i had never had the b and b experience before. we were treated like royalty! we walked to where we had bfast so we could take some pictures along the way. we were the only people at bfast both mornings! we started off with hot tea, coffee, orange juice, fruit with yogurt, and the best home made muffins and breads. our choices were an omelet (with lots of stuff in it), or eggs, sausage, and french toast. we got each and shared. it was amazing!

after bfast we went back to the cottage and finished getting ready for a long day of wine tasting. we headed to fredericksburg, texas. it was a beautiful drive! we began our day of tasting at about 11:45 am. we visited about 7-8 great wineries! we started the day off with our favorite...chisolm trail winery. home of jackass blush wine!! it is my favorite! we ended our day with a lil shopping and dinner at the brewery in fredericksburg. it is the cutest lil town! we got back to the b and b that night and decided that it might be a good idea to get in the hot tub. keep in mind...it was like 30 degrees outside, there's lots of wild animals, it was dark and we were basically in the middle of nowhere. to keep a long story short...the hot tub was definitely not hot. suzy was the first one in...she thought it had to be hotter than it was outside. it was a lil warmer but not much! nicholas and i followed and i regretted it big time! it was not warm enough for the 30 degree weather. heath was the smart one that didnt get in at all! it was a hilarious experience! i dont think we've ever laughed that hard in our lives! heath ran back to the car to warm it up and one by one we got out and ran as fast as we could to the car. it was the funniest, most perfect ending to a GREAT day! we slept like babies that night!

sunday...our last day! it was depressing having to get ready and pack our bags! none of us were ready to leave! once we were all packed up we headed to wimberly texas. heath and suzy took us to a couple of places they visited on their last trip to the hill country. they took us to one winery where they had tons of olive trees and they made fresh olive oil, preserves, and other things. it was really neat...the people just werent very friendly! after that we went to driftwood vineyards. that place was beautiful! thier vineyards were very large...i would love to see them with grapes on the vines! the winery is up on a hill overlooking the vineyard. i must say though...they had the best sweet red wine ive ever had! it was great! our last stop of the trip was 'the salt lick'. its a barbecue restaurant close to austin. there we celebrated heath's birthday! they have the BEST barbecue i have ever eaten!!! it was a great experience!

as you can see...our trip to the hill country was one of the best weekends of my life! we had an incredible time and had many great adventures! we will definitely go back one day...when we can stay longer! i strongly advise to at least go for 3-4 days! there is soooo much to do and see! the trip was short but i actually felt relaxed and rejuvenated when it was over. usually i feel like i need another vacation after a trip! we laughed soooo much! we were sad to see suzy and heath go! we have the greatest family...they go out of their way to come visit us!!

as of right now...LIFE IS INCREDIBLE!!!

bored....

so im sitting here at work bored out of my mind!!! i have one baby that required very little attention! i have been holding her quite a bit though because she is so darn cute. she's a former preemie so shes tiny! hearing babies cry around me reminds me that i do not want babies for a long time!!!! work is the best birth control by far!

anyways...nicholas surprised me with a new camera yesterday! we have been talking about getting one for a while and he decided the time was right. we have already seen a lot since we've been traveling and will see so much more! we needed a good camera to capture all of the special times! we got a nikon d3000. we have lots of learning to do on how to use it! nicholas is a great photographer...he will probly use it the most!

oh yea!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the best hubby in the world!!!! today is his bday, but unfortunately he has to work. i got off on his birthday and then he let his unit schedule him for it. he's silly! its okay though. the big celebration will be this weekend. we are going to the texas hill country to spend the weekend at a bed and breakfast with my sis and heath! we are soooooo excited! heath's bday is the 31st so we are gonna just have one big celebration! dont worry...im sure there will be lots of stories and pictures to share! cant wait for suzy and heath to get here thursday! we plan on having dinner thursday night for nicholas. friday morning we are going to have bfast at a place downtown that used to be an old flour mill. suz and heath have eaten there and they loved it! we plan on spending some time at the riverwalk that morning and then maybe hitting some wineries on our way to the bed and breakfast in comfort, texas. saturday we plan on hitting several wineries on our way through fredericksburg (the greatest place ever). ending saturday night with dinner at the salt lick (it's near austin). we may have a couple of small surprises up our sleeves for the boys while we are there! i hope its a fun birthday celebration for them! it was all heath's idea! cant wait to post about it! well...actually i can because then it would mean the trips over!!

the ViRuS from....

you know where!! the past couple of days have been rough!! my last real meal was tuesday night and that was the last time i was hungry! i havent been sick in a long time...or at least since my surgery! i forgot how horrible a stomache virus could be! we had planned on going to corpus christi on wednesday. we were so excited to about taking molly to the beach, but thats the morning i woke up not feeling well. we were also both very tired. working night shift does a toll on ya! i really knew something was wrong when i woke up and i wasnt hungry. i ALWAYS wake up hungry...basically im always hungry! i couldnt keep anything down. not even peanut butter...it's my favorite food! lets just say that i wont be eating it for a while!! anyways...i have the most incredible husband in the world!! he always takes care of me but he definitely did a great job of it the past couple of days! he got me cold washcloths, crackers, whatever i thought i could drink, he went to cvs thursday morning to get me pedialyte, sprite, and popsicles, he also convinced me that i didnt need to go to work thursday night bc i hadnt eaten in two days and i was very weak. i felt horrible having to call in and not go to work, but he was right. i could barely stand up i have been so weak. i tried some potato soup tonight and ate most of it. still havent felt hungry but i forced myself to eat. i do feel a lil but better, but not 100% yet.

if i do feel lots better by saturday i may try to work. it will put me working 4 days in a row though...i hate doing that. my sissy and heath are coming thursday though, so i think that thought might get me through an extra night. the bad thing about missing a night of work, is that we have to pay for part of our housing for that week. i know...it's really complicated. so basically i have to pay my agency for that night of work.

i just want to reiterate how amazing my husband is! he has been so understanding and so comforting! he has let me just lay in bed pretty much all day for two days...i feel like a horrible wife. thats the only place i could get comfortable. he has taken great care of molly. he even cut up my popsicle into lil pieces like my parents used to do when i was little. he's had to pretty much fend for himself. molly has been kinda confused, but i think she realized on thursday that something was wrong with me. i felt sorry for her. anyways...i do feel much better tonight! im still pretty weak though! nicholas and the Man upstairs are really taking care of me! that's all a girl needs!

knock on wood...

as of right now...life couldnt get any better! my license issues have been resolved and luckily i only had to miss 2 days of work! i absolutely love working at cristus santa rosa childrens hospital! everyone is very nice and my assignements are never too bad! they are very good to their travelers and they really appreciate us! at uab, i was used to having the sickest babies all the time! i do fear losing some of my skills but i really dont think i will! i do miss working at uab and cant wait to go back in a couple of years! nicholas is really enjoying working at the methodist hospital as well! we are excited that we are now both working steady/guaranteed hours, and that our paychecks will reflect that! now we can really start saving some money!!

molly is awesome!! we had to leave her for 12 hours for the first time last week and to be honest...i cried! i felt soooo bad leaving her! she is the bestest dog ever! she has a new favorite toy that she LOVES to squeak! its a soft bone that has pink hearts all over it with pink furry stuff around the edges. she is sooo smart too. she knows the name of all her toys...she always brings us the ones we ask for. i think she is getting more used to the apartment life now. shw doesnt really bark very much now. she does get very restless during the day when we have to sleep for work! its quite frustrating sometimes but we deal with it. she actually bothers nicholas the most when we are trying to sleep...lucky for me! she's always sitting on his pillow scratching him in the face. she will be going on our trip with us the end of this month to the bed and breakfast! i guess she will go wine tasting with us! she is soooo rotten! im too scared to leave her with a babysitter! i need to leave her at home with her nana and papa next time we go! they would love it!

we plan on going home towards the end of february for me to go to the doctor...just a check-up! so we will definitely be ready to see all of our friends again! it was great getting to see most everybody at christmas but it was really just a tease. it made us miss everyone sooooo much more! we will probly try to have everyone over or go to dinner or something!

we spent most of the day friday getting everything together for our california license. there's still a couple of things we have to do but they have been applied for, so please pray nothing holds up the process! we did have to send in fingerprint cards and thats what held up my texas license. since im a nurse...i wash my hands a whole lot and apparently i washing my fingerprints away. the lady that did them here sent a letter with my card saying that im a nurse and thats as good as my prints get, so hopefully the fbi will be understanding and just accept them! we plan on going to cali when we get done here. i really want to go somewhere beachy!! i really need a tan! we will obviously go wherever God leads...we just want to be prepared!

we miss our families TERRIBLY!! i am excited about getting to see my sis and heath on january 28th!! thats the hardest part about this experience! i am such a mommy and daddys girl...it's really sad! of course i talk to them everyday but it's just not the same! as far as we know everyone is doing great! we just miss and love them all sooooo much! all of you just know...we are having the time of our lives! i know i had a hard time in the beginning, but once i decided to grow up and be happy everything has been great! we are loving just being together! we are able to work the same nights which is great! we plan on going to corpus christi and austin on days that we are off! we are getting to do and see things we would have never done!

BY THE WAY...i have the most beautiful drives in the mornings and at night! the sunrises and sunsets are ALWAYS beautiful here!!!! they always remind me of the GREAT GOD that i serve!!

recently...

i have been such a slacker!! just been a lil bit busier here lately! we moved to san antonio on december 4th and we like it here so far! the first weekend we were here we did a little exploring and checked out the alamo and and the river walk! nicholas loved the alamo bc he is really into history. of course i love the riverwalk...lots of great places to eat and lots of cute shops! we also took a day trip to fredericksburg texas...that place is awesome! it is in the heart of the hill country and it's beautiful! we visited our first winery/vineyard and had a great experience! i found my favorite wine called jackass blush! its amazing! we are planning a trip to the hill country with my sis and heath at the end of january! we cant wait!

i started my job at cristus santa rosa childrens on december 7th! i really like it there and everyone is soooo nice! unfortunately i am having issues with my texas livense at the moment! it has been soooooo frustrating. my temporary license expired at midnight on december 30th and i was scheduled to work the 30th and 31st. i will not be able to work again until next week sometime. i had everything turned in on time so none of it is my fault...thankfully! it has just been a big mess! nicholas started working this week with the methodist hospital system. he will be working at the specialty and transplant hospital and the main methodist hospital.

we did go home the week of christmas and it was wonderful!! of course i did not want to come back to texas, but i did very well and havent cried at all! we had a great christmas with our families! the pardens came up to our house and stayed a couple of nights! it was fun spending time with them! my sis and heath were able to home the whole week too! of course we were pretty busy the whole week but it was just nice being at home! we really miss our house, families and friends!

we are getting more used to this traveling thing! we have both already become much stronger individuals and have learned a lot about ourselves! our faith in the Man upstairs continues to grow soooo much each day! He is really taking care of us! His mercy and His grace are incredible!

San Antonio!!!!

that's our next stop!! it is actually where we wanted to go in the first place, but it didnt work out! i have a job waiting on me at cristus santa rose childrens hospital. im am very excited about it, but a lil nervous at the same time! since i havent really worked in 3 months. i did work, but not in a busy setting like i am used to. i just hope all of my skills come rushing back to me! it is a level 3 nicu (the largest like uab), and has about 45 beds. please pray that it is a good experience. right now nicholas doesnt have a permanent contract (guaranteed hours). he does have a contract with an agency and will be working prn/as needed. although i do believe he will be able to work a good bit and we will be able to get the monthly stipend, which is really nice! he did have an offer from a hospital, BUT they were not going to let him be off for Christmas and that is a must! i believe it will all work out in the long run!

we have heard from lots of people that we will love it there! we also wanted to go to austin, and we will only be an hour south of there! we will be moving next friday! our housing has already been set up! we would love for anyone to come visit!!!! thank you all for your prayers...it's what gets us through each day!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

it was somewhat of a weird day today!! nicholas and i both usually work thanksgiving so we can be off for christmas. of course this year, i wasnt working.

we actually had our big thanksgiving last sunday at my sisters house in lafayette louisiana. nicholas and i headed down there last thursday when he got off work! we were soooo excited to get out of town for a few days...molly was too! my parents got there on friday with their yorkie allie. molly was sooo excited to see all of them! she was depressed the first couple days after we got back to dallas. she missed all the attention she got! we had an incredible, fun time while we were there! it was nice to rest, eat, and just be in the same room as my family! we were sad that we didnt get to see his family this week but they will be coming to our house for christmas! i did try to be a good wife today and prepare a small thanksgiving meal. we had leftover turkey and dressing from last weekend. i made green beans and sweet potato fries. i also made an apple crisp with icecream. we had a nice romantic, candlelit dinner before nicholas went to work! it was actually quite cozy and nice!

we have sooooo much to be thankful for this year! i am thankful for my faith and my relationship with the Man upstairs, my wonderful family, all of my friends who i miss terribly, but most of all my health! this time last year is when i had my first stomach pain experience. it was after i ate thanksgiving dinner at work! i was taking care of baby Gabe and i remember at about 3:30am i started feeling bad. i just thought it was something i ate. after a couple of days, i decided something wasnt right. we were actually having thanksgiving at our house with my parents and in-laws on saturday, but unfortunately nicholas and i spent the morning at the doctors office. that was when it allllll started. i feel like this year we are doing thanksgiving and christmas all over again for the very first time. our first holidays as a married couple were not normal!

we are extremely excited about being home (at our house) for christmas this year! my sister and heath will be in town the whole week of christmas too! nicholas' family is also going to come up and spend christmas with us! i could not be happier! i cant wait to have ALL of our family together, surrounding us! it will be our first christmas in our house. we will be going home december 20th, so it will be crazy getting all the decorating done as soon as we get there! i cant wait to decorate...even though it will just be for a week!

for the next week i guess i will just enjoy not working and start packing this place up! pray everything fits in our car! we have accumulated a few more things since we've been here! it will be interesting!

lots of catching up to do!!

first of all...thanks to my sweet daddy we currently have a computer. he is letting us borrow his until we can buy a new one!

i dont even know where to begin! it has been way too long! we only have one more week here and dallas and we are very excited about that!! we are so tired of looking at concrete and tall buildings! dont get me wrong, we have had a good time and interesting experience here, but we are ready for a change of scenery! the last couple of months have been MUCH better than the first! i actually choose to be happy each day and havent been depressed at all! one of the biggest things that has helped it that we found an incredible church to go to! it's fellowship church in grapevine, tx. we are going to miss it soooooo much when we leave! it is led by ed and lisa young, you may have heard of them. they write lots of books! i have been able to be a part of their incredible womens ministry called flavour! it's all about being a "warrior woman" for God! i have learned sooo much!

like i said...we only have one week left!! there are a few things i might miss about this place! i will definitely miss downtown grapevine...all the little shops and restaurants are so much fun! i will also miss three dog bakery...it's a little boutique/bakery just for pets. thats where i got molly's birthday cake! i will also miss Kroger...that's where i buy the BEST apples in the world! they are cameo apples. my mom and sister cant find them anywhere. i just hope our next location has them. that's all i can think of that i'll miss at the moment. really not much!!

i have gotten to work a couple of times at centennial medical center in frisco, tx. it was a great experience. it was a really nice private hospital. they actually have a concierge service for their employees. they will go get lunch/coffee, go to your house and walk your dog, take your car to the shop, pick your kid up from school, etc. im pretty sure they are the only place on this earth that does that. i think it's kinda crazy...but nice. i did have to work in a well baby nursery one day and it was terrible! i will never do it again! i spent 2 hours helping a mom breastfeed her twins. it was definitely an experience! im an expert now!

nicholas has enjoyed working at baylor grapevine, but is ready for something different! he is always so bored at work. he has made some new friends though.

we still miss home terribly! we havent been back once since we've been here...i cant believe it! we have enjoyed our time here in dallas. we have learned a lot about ourselves as individuals and as a couple! we have grown soooo much! i know i have already become a much stronger person than i was 3 months ago! i cant wait to see what God has in store for us!

back where i come from....

mom...this one's for you!! kenny chesney says it best!

In the town where I was raised,
the clock ticks and the cattle graze.
Time passed with amazing grace
back where I come from.

You could lie on a riverbank,
or paint your name on a water tank,
miscount all the beers you drank
back where I come from.

Back where I come from
is where I'll be when it's said and done.
I'm proud as anyone,
That's where I come from.

We learned in Sunday school
who made the sun shine through.
Who made the moon shine too,
back where I come from.

Blue eyes on a Saturday night,
tan legs in the broad daylight.
TV’s, they were black and white,
back where I come from.

Back where I come from
is where I'll be when it's said and done.
I'm proud as anyone,
that's where I come from.

Some say it's a backward place
narrow minds on the narrow way
but I make it a point to say
that's where I come from.

That's where I come from,
I'm an old alabamian,
I’m proud as anyone,
that's where I come from.

i had a little inspiration on my way home after dropping nicholas off at work. for some reason thats the only song i wanted to listen to! i am learning to like it here in dallas. it is just the biggest place i have ever been! i dont know if it's quite what we expected it to be! we were expecting more "country"...i think. it's great though and i am going to be happy wherever we are! there's just NO PLACE LIKE HOME!! by the way...'home is where your MOM is'. i love you mommy!

a beautiful lady!!

on monday after a weekend with my sis, we found out that granny (nicholas' moms mom) had passed away that morning. even though it is somewhat expected it is always a shock! thats when the crazy day from hell started! we immediately began trying to decide what to do and how to get home. oh yea...and what to do with suzy who was still at our apartment. bless her heart...we had to drop her off early at the convention center. really i dont think she minded. it was at the gaylord texan resort which is unbelievable.

back to our day. we started looking at flights. well for one person it was like almost 700 dollars...so for both of us and molly it would've been over 1500 dollars, which we do not have. unfortunately...our car was in the shop for the third time in 3 weeks (air conditioning problems). we had had a rental car since saturday. we asked about driving the rental car home. that was going to be an ungodly amount of money and not mention...it was a focus...not a very comfortable 10 hour ride! i started stressing out just a lil bit! we went to the car place and pretty much told them we HAD to have our car today! they said we could have it ready by 5pm. we were ready to go at lunch time!! long story short we headed out of dallas around 5:15pm...yes...rush hour. it took us over an hour to just get out of dallas. we made it to excel at about 4:15am on tuesday morning. it was a VERY long drive!

nicholas was VERY close to his grandmother! she is really the only granparent he grew up knowing. i had actually grown quite close to her myself! i loved her and she loved me. granny didnt like just anybody! i felt very blessed to be able to call her my granny! she was a beautiful, kind, caring, and very generous lady! one of my favorite memories of her was at our wedding. her just being there was a huge blessing, but she had such a wonderful happy time! she was so excited for us! she looked absolutely stunning!

she was also a very very funny woman!! she loved her bubble gum, snuff, gawdy jewelry, and gummie bears! her daughters, granddaughters, and great granddaughter all got to choose some of her jewelry to keep! i inherited some beautiful rings and earrings! i cant wait to wear them! she was a beautiful lady and she always had beautiful things! the gummie bears and bubble gum were pretty much all eaten during our visit! nicholas sent some snuff and gum to heaven with granny!

i was very excited about getting to go home...to excel for a few days. its terrible that it was for this reason though! although i knew i would have a hard time coming back. my parents were able to take off work and come down for the funeral. it was great getting to see them and spend a couple of days together! it was one of the greatest visits to excel i think we have ever had! mom and dad went on their first scout ride and had a great time! molly was also very excited about seeing her nana and papa! we really rested and enoyed our time with family. of course all of nita's family was there and some of pop's (nicks dad). it was great getting to spend time with alan and whitney!!

like i told whitney and nicholas...i dont know what it's like to lose a mom and i hope i never do, but i do know exactly what it's like to lose a grandmother who you are very close too! it brought back a lot of memories for me! it's hard to believe but it does get easier! i still dream and think about my grandparents all the time! they are a part of my daily life, but the grieving is gone! i still talk to them and i know they, and granny are now looking down on us, and they are VERY proud of us! that's encouraging! they were all such huge cheerleaders for us! i am sooooo blessed to still have one of my cheerleaders! i love my mawmaw and miss her very much! nita actually gave my mom a ton of granny's clothes to take to her! she takes her a few pieces everday to try on. when i asked mawmaw about them she was very excited about them! she told mom she is so blessed and will never have to buy clothes again! that makes me feel good to know that granny's beautiful belongings are being put to great use!

i already miss granny very much and i know there are a lot of other people that do too! she has a huge family! lots of brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, 2 daughters, and several great grandchildren, who all love her dearly! i know it's gonna be hard for a while especially with the holidays coming up! PLEASE pray for our family! nita was VERY VERY close to her mom and took amazing care of her! she will be greatly blessed and will have many many crowns in heaven!

*fun at the fair*

okay...the texas state fair has to be the biggest state fair in the country!! it was huge! my sister flew into dallas on friday september 25 to spend a few days with us before her conference. we had a blast! we went to the opening night of the state fair. the fair grounds is around the cotton bowl! of course i pulled out my cowboy boots and blue jean skirt for this event! it was fun eating fattening food like funnel cakes and nachos! they had fried butter, but we couldnt bring ourselves to try it. of course i just knew it would feel funny in my mouth! that's the biggest turn off, or maybe the biggest turn off is that it would clog my arteries and i might die. we also watched the pig races. i dont know what it is about pigs running in a circle that is soooo darn cute and hilarious! it was very entertaining! we didnt ride any rides bc they all went round and round at thousands of miles per hour...maybe not that fast. i dont do round and round and straight up and down, but i sure do love roller coasters! go figure. we did play some games. nicholas played lots of games! it was fun being a kid again! i wanted to win a texas longhorn and i did, so i was very happy! suzy got lots of pics so i will try to post a few soon! i love it when she comes to visit bc she takes all the pictures. if it werent for her we wouldnt have any!

me and suz went to the pool on saturday while nicholas watched football. it was a beautiful day! for dinner i had my first sushi experience. i didnt try anything raw, but it was good. some of it felt funny in my mouth but overall it was a great experience!

catching up...

i got lots of catching up to do! our computer decided to finally die! luckily our the office at our apartment has a computer i can use! i do have my iphone but it's way too much trouble to do anything on it that involves lots of typing!

first of all...i was reading my last post. i saw where i typed that grapefest involved TONS of wine. well it did, but i didnt mean that we drank tons of it. to be honest...we didnt drink any!! im too cheap to pay to try different kinds of wine when there's really only one kind that i actually care for, and i really dont like that one kind all that much. okay...glad that's cleared up!
secondly...i said i was REALLY enjoying just being a wife! well i am, but the housework and only the housework is getting kinda old! i love to cook and make a nice home for me and my hubby, but i HATE doing laundry and i HATE unloading the dishwasher! i am sooooooo ready to find a job and get out of the apartment every now and then! most people know...there is a CURSE in my family! not everyone has the curse, but for some reason i got it! thanks mom and uncle dan! i have to clean my house and wash the bed sheets at least once a week if not more! and i mean seriously deep clean! if i dont...im in a horrible mood! speaking of...today is the day!! (poop...i dont wanna clean!!)

the job issue still continues! i have peed in a darn cup more times this week than i please! okay...just 3 times, but that's enough! EVERYTHING has been done for every agency that i have been working with. hopefully no more paperwork for a few days! PLEASE PLEASE PRAY that one of them calls me soon and says they need me and i can start orientation! i have been informed that we will not be able to be home for christmas unless i get a job and make some extra money. there's no way we could afford to be off for that long in between assignments. we have applied for our permanent california licenses, so we are thinking we might want to go to another city in texas next assignment if there is a need. we will see where God leads! i continue to have more faith than i ever though i could! i know He will provide for us in His perfect timing. Maybe there is a reason God wants me to rest right now! even though i am tired of resting...i know there's a reason for it!

we have almost been married a whole year! i cant believe it! as most of you know...we didnt really have the typical first year of marriage! it all started out with me getting pretty sick and having to have surgery! yuck! it is getting close to that time! maybe God is resting and healing my body so it doesnt happen again! i do believe with all of my heart that God is still healing me. in more ways than one! we chose not to find out if my left fallopian tube is still viable...i have faith that God is still healing that part of my body. one day we will know, but there's no need to know right now!

we need your prayers! i definitely need a job very soon! we also need clarity on what to do after this assignment! you all know that i have struggle being away from home, and i honestly believe deep down inside that nicholas is struggling too! he misses being away from home just as bad as i do. he just handles it all a lil bit better. if he wasnt so strong, we would be a total mess! he keeps me from coming apart! thanks for listening!

i think im crazy...

or maybe im just a scaredy cat! it's 3am, im sitting on the couch, watching a hallmark movie thats 'on demand', molly is cuddled up in my lap (side ponytail and all), im pretty sure i just ate half a jar of green olives because i was hungry (no im not pregnant...i just like them), im tired, but nicholas is working his first night shift and i honestly dont wanna close my eyes. new place, new people...its kinda scary. so i guess i will just ramble for a lil while...

first of all...i have the most WONDERFUL husband in the world!!! obviously he makes me feel very safe...i am totally fine when he's here!! i have learned to accept the fact that i dont have a job at the moment...of course im still looking...but i am really enjoying being a wife right now!! i have had a much more positive attitude the last few days and they have been GREAT!

last friday we got out and went to grapefest! it was lots of fun! it involved TONS of wine, lots of good smelling, fattening food, good music (it seemed like every band sang at least 2 songs about alabama), lots of people, lots of shopping, it was GREAT! we had a good time! i ate a funnel cake for the first time in a long time...it was delicious!! i really wanted to go to the balloon festival in plano this past weekend but nicholas found out he had to work all weekend last thursday. usually i would have pitched a fit and been a child about it, but i was a big girl!! at least nicholas has a job! the state fair starts this friday and im really excited about going to that! i've never been to a state fair before!

oh yea...my sissy is coming into town this friday too!!! im sooooo excited! she is the best big sis! she has always taken care of me and she always knows what i need!

i've been cooking almost every night and it has been fun! it's fun trying to cook things with the limited amount of kitchen supplies i have here. we didnt bring a lot with us, so we went to walmart and bought the bare essentials. im learning to make-do! it is actually becoming a 'fun' challenge trying to do things around here! i can already tell this experience has been good for us! we are really enjoying being together...just us, literally...we know absolutely nobody!! we are learning to rely on each other and appreciate each other even more! i have also realized all of things i sometimes take for granted!

i got breakfast to cook in the morning for my hubby, so i guess i should lay down now! not go to sleep...just rest. im waiting up for him! goodnite!

He will restore me!!

i wanted to share a bit of my devotional this morning and a little bit of what i have been struggling with...especially the past 2 weeks!! a song that has been in my head for a while now goes as follows...

"i will cast all my cares upon You. i lay all of my burdens down at Your feet. and anytime, i dont know, what to do. i will cast all my cares upon you."

i remember my daddy singing this song when i was a little girl and i have never forgotten it!

i have realized here lately that i am not as strong of a person as i thought i was! like many people, i struggle with trying to do things on my own. well...im here to tell ya...loud and clear...it's soooo not possible!! i have given up on trying to do things my way!! one of my favorite quotes is, "let go and let God." this morning i chose to read 1 Peter 5. i want to share part of it with you!

v5. "...God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. v6. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time. v7. CAST ALL YOUR ANXIETY ON HIM BECAUSE HE CARES FOR YOU. v8. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. v9. Resist him, standing firm in faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. v10. And the God of all grace, who called you to His eteranal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. v11. To Him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. v14. Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ."

i dont even know where to begin! first of all...i humble myself before God and my heart is open and receptive to Him! for the past couple of months, anxiety has been my middle name. NO MORE! i am laying it at Jesus' feet.

i am done trying to find a job on my own, im done trying to be the strong one, i am done trying to be the perfect wife, im done trying to live my life on my own! God is in total CONTROL!! Philipians 4:13 says, "i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." It's not just me...it's me and the man upstairs! we are a team!! i believe that "where God guides, He provides." He has brought nicholas and i to dallas texas for a very good reason! He is going to use us in a very special way. i have got to learn to chill out and let Him use me for His purpose! with God's help i will find a job, i can be strong, and i will be the best wife that i can be!!

my mom reminded me of something a couple of days ago. she reminded me that i am way too blessed to be so worried and stressed out about things! boy was that a wake up call! she is soooo right! i do miss home more than anyone could ever imagine, but look at what we have been blessed with! we have a wonderful family, a wonderful home, and wonderful friends...life couldnt get any better! i am learning to accept the 'NOW' and have faith and great hope for the future!

this doesnt mean that i cant cry when i feel like crying, or miss my family and our house...i have just given total control over to my Savior. This is a great and fun time in our lives, but it is also a HUGE learning experience! verse 10 said, "And the God of all grace, who called you to His eteranal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." i by no means feel that i am suffering, but i have definitely been struggling! i will give God glory in every aspect of my life and in return He is going to restore me and make me strong!

thanx for listening...Have a BLESSED day!!