Spring Break Ski Trip 2015

For the third year running, we've been able to travel up to Salt Lake City, stay with family friends, and have a blast skiing.  Skiing is one of our favorite activities because we can do it together.  I match him run for run, until the end of the day, when I go to the little coffee bar and wait for him to come back from going down a few Black slopes or through the trees!

A break from school has been long-awaited this semester, as it's Adam's toughest load of courses.  He had Friday off, plus the following week, so we left JAX on Thursday afternoon.  There aren't any direct flight from JAX to SLC, so we booked a flight that went through Dallas.

I realized on our way to the airport that our flight was delayed by 30 minutes, and with only 50 minutes in between the flights that were in different terminals, I called the airline and chatted with them.  They confirmed that we would miss our flight, so they booked us on a new flight the next morning, and we got to see Papa, Mom and Anna when we stayed in Dallas for the night.  (I swear I did not plan this!)

Once we got to Salt Lake City, we rented our car, got our ski gear and set out to our family friends, the Apgars.  They are quite the hosts, and welcomed us with fajitas, chips and guacamole and margaritas.  A Texas welcome!

We skied Saturday at Brighton, which is one of the smaller ski resorts in the area.  One of the things we love most about coming to SLC is that you can choose a different place to ski every day!  Brighton allows snowboarders, so there were a few to contend with, but we both later agreed that this was our favorite of the two days of skiing.  Saturday night, we joined the Apgars for dinner out where their friends were playing in a band.  It was a fun night listening to live music of good cover songs from the 60s and 70s.  Glen thought it was fun to play the "Who sings this" game, but I didn't get a single one of them right.  Ha!

SLC has not had much snow this year, so that was kind of a bummer, but we made the most of it and enjoyed "spring skiing," as they call it, which is a completely different feel than our usual January/Winter skiing.

Sunday we skied Alta, and it was 58 degrees at the mountain base, and 43 at the top.  Suffice it to say that they weren't ideal conditions, but again, we made do.  Alta is steeper and has a tougher terrain.  We had a fun day, but preferred Brighton.

Dad introduced me to this ski app called Ski Tracker, and it was cool to see how we skied in Alta!  I forgot to start it until after I'd done three runs, but it still gives a good picture of our day.

  

We'd planned on skiing Monday, but with the snow conditions the way they were, it didn't take much for us to rethink that plan!  We slept late, visited the Olympic ski museum and had lunch in town.  Adam hiked later that afternoon and really enjoyed it.  I really enjoyed hanging at the house, working just a bit and watching a movie.  We're both happy doing our own things, too!

Tuesday started bright and early at 4 a.m. for us, as it was the only flight that day that didn't involve going to California first, before coming back and heading towards the East Coast.  (The joys of using airline miles!  But hey, we got free flights, so...the joy of using airline miles!)  We made it back through DFW and had plenty of time to make our connecting flight, and arrived back in JAX today about 3:30.  It was a long day of travel, but we sure enjoyed the trip, and coming home to Rye Dog was quite fun!

My friend Becca stayed at the house with him and also brought her dog, Nugget.  She's all of 7 pounds, and they are good little buddies.  Her family lives about two hours south, and she was already planning on making a trip home this weekend, so she took Rye with her.   Their family lives on 4 acres, and Rye thoroughly enjoyed his very own spring break with a cow dog, a lab and even a cat!

Adam's got the rest of the week off, but has a few tests to study for next week.  Here's to a relaxing time for him and a short work week for me! So grateful for time off to spend together.  I can see the end of the semester in sight.  Seven more weeks to go!

Finding my Sweet Spot

I have some major catching up to do from the 4th quarter of 2014, but I did want to pop in to our blog today and write this down so I don't forget it.  I told Adam tonight at dinner that today felt like I'd found my sweet spot.  Today I was able to do the things that I'm best at, all in one day, right here in our community.

It's as if, after eight months of living in a new place, I can say, "Ok!  This is why I'm here!"  And I'm grateful for it and don't want to forget it.  So it's with a grateful and humble heart that I write these things down.

Church Meets Social Media
First, I went to a meeting at our church here in Jax.  Our pastor had asked me if I would come in and talk to the staff about how to utilize social media effectively.  I prepared a presentation and came in ready with suggestions and best practices for their social media outlets.  (It's a service I offer to my paying clients called "The Vault."  It's definitely business, but it makes me giggle to have such an official name.)

It was cool to be taken seriously for my job.  (I know that the people who hire me take me seriously, but because I don't see them in person on a regular basis, it's always a bit of a surprise to me.)  I love our church, and I love helping them out.  The staff is very cool, and I enjoy being around them, so that was a great way to start the day.  (Plus they had donut holes.  #winning)

Then I came home to work from home, which I love, and got to check off several items on my to do list.  Feeling productive is invigorating!

Social Work & Fighting the System
There are a few of us at church who have taken this lady named Kathy under our wing.  She just started coming to our church about four months ago and came up to one of our pastors after the service to ask how to become a Christian.  We've been working with her on studying the Bible, social cues, and my good friend Becca helped her get a job at Publix (my favorite grocery store).

We've celebrated each step of the way with her, and it's amazing to see how unconditional love can be lapped up for the first time.  Kathy's nearly 60, and she's had more than her share of tough situations in her life.  To top it all off, her mother has Alzheimer's.  I have a special place in my heart for families dealing with dementia and Alzheimer's.  I know firsthand that it is a horrible disease.

I've been working on getting Kathy's mom some care, as Kathy isn't quite "all there" to do it herself, plus I've seen that it's incredibly draining to be the sole caregiver for someone with that disease.  Today after spending two weeks on the phone making calls, I was able to get her on the waiting list for funding for a nursing home facility.  A social worker has been to their home, and she is currently in adult day care while Kathy works.

It was such a huge victory, because working through the system is a complete and utter nightmare.  I cannot imagine how someone without resources (like a computer and internet, which I completely take for granted), can get any sort of access to care.  And yet the waiting list is long, so obviously someone has figured it out.

We have support from our church and several people there, it's just a matter of calling, filling out zillions of forms, having the doctor fill in forms,  and being persistent.  It has taken a ton of time, research and effort, but to fight for someone who otherwise doesn't have a chance makes my heart sing.  To make headway in such a ridiculous system felt like such a win, even if we have a long ways to go and many obstacles ahead of us.

  

Celebrating the Birthday Guy!
And finally, I was able to put together this wall of card for Adam's 30th Birthday!  I thought having this happiness to come home to would be a great way to celebrate the last night of Adam's 20s.  I had so much fun checking the mail these last several weeks as I waited for friends and family to send birthday cards.  And the mailman delivered!  I love celebrating in a meaningful way, and I think this definitely hits the spot.  Out of the 60+ people I emailed, over half responded, which is a huge win in my book!  Adam's opening up a few at a time and savoring them all.  Each card makes us both smile and laugh.

(Rye is so smart, he showed Adam which card was his, and even wrote out a little message!)

All things considered, it's been a great day, and I hope I can continue to find ways to create days like this in the future.  And to have one of these days at 28, and not after I retire (ha!), is pretty encouraging, wouldn't you say?!

October at Home in Jax

October brought more time away from home, but I managed to make the days in Jax count, filling them as much as possible with time spent with Adam, friends and fun activities.  Here's a look...

I've never written down monthly goals, but I thought I'd give it a whirl.  Even if I didn't accomplish them all, seeing them and referring back to them helped me.  I think I read 4 books (I'm going for 52 for the year, but I'm not sure that's going to happen).  Numbers 2,3 & 4 I didn't accomplish.  And I did complete numbers 5, 6, 8, 10 and 12.  So I'd say for my first round of very ambitious goals, I did fairly well.  There's always next month!

This is my view while I work, most days.  I love working from home, and Rye dog loves it, too.

My good friend Becca came over with her new pup, Nugget.  She's about 4 pounds in this photo.  Rye and Nugget got along swimmingly.  

Is she not the tiniest thing you've ever seen?!

One of the two weekends I was home, I set out to accomplish some projects.  First up was painting our door red.  It was originally that color when we moved in, but after six months it had begun to fade to pink.  We've discovered that the rental company has used cheap paint throughout the house, and I think this was no exception.  After an afternoon of painting, my bright red door makes me smile every time I look at it!

We got our flu shots after church one Sunday and sent my parents this reminder to get theirs, too.  :-)

The student pastor & his wife at our church had a baby this month, so Becca and I, plus a few others went over to welcome this newest addition.  I love brand new baby snuggles.  (And yes, that's the student pastor.  I think God makes most of them nutty on purpose!)

Getting my baby snuggles in!

This sums up at least the first part of October.  I'll be back with a few more updates!

Sarah and Shay in Savannah in September

The third weekend of September, I met my high school friend Sarah for a weekend in Savannah!  It's only 2.5 hours north of us, so it was a perfect little getaway.  Sarah spent a couple years there for grad school, and she was a wealth of information for all the great spots to visit!

Sarah and I have been friends since we tried out for Drill Team at the end of 8th grade.  She was going to be starting high school at TCA that next year.  We've literally been friends ever since.  She is a wonderful listener, a go-getter, a planner and an incredible chef.  I am so blessed to have friends like this!

I loved the historical charm surrounding the city and the Spanish Moss that hung from the trees.  The first thing we did was take a tour on the historical trolley ride, which was hop-on, hop-off, and it was so neat to hear all that has happened in Savannah.  I would definitely recommend this activity!

For the rest of the weekend, we basically ate our way through the city.  Savannah is so walkable, based on a grid pattern (totally my style), and is easy to navigate.

We took a little stop for drinks & an appetizer at the Olde Pink House, and it was so cool that I decided my family needed to eat there for Thanksgiving!  I made reservations on our way out.  :-)  (In the photo below, Sarah's friend from grad-school, Dana, joined us for the weekend, too!)

We grabbed ice cream at a famous shop that I can't remember.  It did not disappoint.

Sunday morning, we ate brunch at the Mansion, and all three of us shared different dishes.  It was absolutely delicious!

We stayed at the iconic Thunderbird Inn, and I didn't know they had Krispy Kreme donuts in there until I left on Monday morning!  I grabbed some for the road.  (Can you say sugar high?!)

It was a wonderful weekend celebrating friendship in a historical town.  I can't wait to go back!

Ordinary September Days

September was a big month for us, with visitors, our anniversary and my trip to Savannah, but there were a lot of ordinary days in there, too.  Those memories are just as special, and I don't want to for get them, or take for granted the beach that is only 30 minutes away!  So here's a little photo dump of the "regular" days around here.  (And most of them have Rye in the picture.  Because we're obsessed with our dog.  He's the best.)

Saturday Selfie

Sic'em Bears.  (Rye's new trick is to "Sic'Em," and it's so stinking great.)

Baylor Game watching at the Flagg's house.  Rye got to come, 

and you can see that he made himself very comfortable!

Rye LOVES his Aunt Becky & Uncle Aussie!

We were invited to a birthday lunch for a friend at church, and we enjoyed it.  It was so nice to be included!  This is Nathan, the worship leader who I sing with.  The bearded guy next to him is our ministries pastor, Rob and his girl, Becca, who is my newest friend.  We love our church!

Since I work from home, I try to get out around lunch time, even if it's just running to the library.  Rye loves to go for car rides, and he's come to expect a mid-day drive.  

One Friday night for our date night, we went out to the beach and took a walk with Rye, and ate at Panara Bread for dinner.  We enjoyed the beach and the porch dinner at Panara!

Beach Boys.

Sometimes at the end of the workday, now that the weather has gotten less-hot (not cooler!), Rye and I will sit on the porch and wait for Adam to drive up from school.  It's a great way to decompress after working at a computer all day, and it's always fun to greet our favorite guy!

Well.  This is anything but ordinary, but this is where I work.  Mom took this photo for me to put on my Merit Media website, and it's been a good out-of-the-box challenge for me to get it set up.  I'm grateful to be able to work from home and do a job that I was really cut out for.  It's so much fun!

Celebrating 3 Years of Marriage

We celebrated our 3 year anniversary on 9/24, and it was a very happy day!

My new friend Becca (from church) is a hairdresser, and I asked her if she would trade curling my hair for dog sitting her new puppy some time.  :-)  It was fun to get pampered and to meet little Miss Nugget!  (She is all of six pounds.)

As is my usual tradition, I wore my wedding shoes on our anniversary.  A very happy reminder of that special day.

Adam came home from school with roses for me before we left for dinner!  We headed out to Maggianos for dinner, a special place to us, since our rehearsal dinner was there.  (Special thanks to Mike & Norene for the gift card!  It was well spent!)

 We'd agreed that in lieu of gifts, we'd do a silly card & a serious card.  It was great.

Our waitress was very, very chatty (too much?), but she did ask us if we were celebrating something, and she treated us to an Apple Crostini for dessert.  It was truly delicious.

When I asked our waitress to take a photo for us, she didn't like the nice, wooden pillar I'd picked as a backdrop because of a light there, so she had us move and gave us this as our background!  I was so flustered I didn't even think about it, and now we have a great photo with crazy legs coming out of my head!

Here's our annual selfie.  Hopefully I can find the other two years where we're doing this, too!

What a year it's been!  We've moved (twice), quit jobs, started school, started a company, changed churches and everything in between.  Here's to the start of year four, and I'm hoping that we can at least stay in this house and not move for a while longer!  I love you, AMP!

September Visitors!

We ended up getting two sets of overnight guests in September, and I am so thankful!  Mom found a great deal and offered to come the third week in September.  It was a quick trip--only 44 hours--but we made great use of our time together!  It was just what my little heart needed, and I'm so thankful that she came.

I picked mom up about 9 p.m. on Tuesday night, and we stayed up until midnight talking.  Adam was still awake when we got home, and so we all three hung out.  Mom brought a toy just for Rye, and of course, he loved it.

Mom offered to cook for us on Wednesday night, but I asked if she would treat us to dinner instead!  Since most nights are spent cooking & then cleaning up the kitchen, I thought it would be more enjoyable to go out to dinner.  We went to Carrabba's and enjoyed every bit of it.

This seems to happen with all of my friends, but when your mom comes to visit, they find things that you just "need," and then proceed to purhcase them for you.  It's a really great deal!  :-)  Mom and I had a ball shopping at Marshall's for the empty nook in the mudroom and also a few finishing touches on the mantle, where I'd just put a new mirror to help reflect more light.

And in case you're curious, Rye is definitely a fan of this happy little spot.  Isn't it cute?!

(These night time photos don't do it justice, but I think you'll get the idea.)

We headed back to the airport on Thursday afternoon, just after we'd found the chair for that corner.  (Phew!)  Mom's plane was delayed, so we stopped at Chili's near the airport to grab a bite to eat and get in a few more (thousand) words.  I loved every minute Mom was here, and I'm so glad she came to visit.  I only cried a little when she left, because we had more visitors coming in three short days!

Papa & Jonita arrived on Sunday afternoon, after they'd spent nearly a week in the Atlanta/Savannah/Hilton Head areas.  We had Austin & Rebecca over for dinner that night with them and enjoyed a great meal of grilled pork chops, thanks to chef Adam.

I think I get my night-owl-ness from Papa, because if I had it my way, I'd stay up 'til Midnight and sleep until 10.  Sunday night after everyone left, I played 5 Crowns, a new (to me) card game with Papa & Jonita.  Then, Papa and I stayed up and worked the USA Today crossword puzzle on his iPad together, and I snapped this selfie.  :-)  I called it a night at 1:30 a.m., but I'm not sure when Papa went to bed!

Yep, just hangin' out with Papa and his iPad!  Papa & Jonita are very tech-savvy, and they had a few questions for the grandkids, but they are way beyond basic things.  It's so fun to help them and be able to talk to that kind of stuff with them.

Monday, Austin invited us to lunch out at the PGA Headquarters/Sawgrass, which is where the Players Tournament is held each year.  Papa, Jonita and I joined Austin for lunch in the clubhouse and enjoyed time out on the patio.  It was fun to see Aussie in his work atmosphere, and we enjoyed having the four of us at lunch.  

Jonita saw me cooking the night before with old hot pads that were Adam's, so she wanted to take me to Bed, Bath & Beyond to get some new ones.  I did not object!  (I like the old ones because they're soft & broken in, but she had just gotten some new ones that were the Calphalon brand, and she assured me that they were really great.  Indeed, they are!  I'm enjoying using the new ones in our kitchen!)

Monday night, we went out to the lot where Austin & Becky are building their new home, and got to see where they'll be living.  It was great to see the other houses in the neighborhood and see all the different finishing choices they'll have.  They're on a great corner lot, and I know their home will be beautiful.  

We finished the evening at Salt Life for dinner, where I'd never eaten before, and it was delicious!  I love this group shot of all six of us.  A year ago,  I couldn't even imagine this as an option, and look...here we are, in Jacksonville!

Papa & Jonita left on Tuesday to go back home, and I will say that I cried a lot more after they left.  (No offense, Mom!)  I think I'd just been on a "visitor high" and it hit me that I didn't have anyone coming, and plans to attend Baylor Homecoming were a good six weeks away.  But I got over it and time has flown by.  I'm so grateful for our visitors and the fun that we had!