Alpha Gam Always

Today is Day 1 of Sorority Recruitment at the University of Kentucky.  I remember that jam-packed, overwhelming day like it was yesterday.  But it's been slightly longer than just a few days or few years since I experienced that pivotal moment.  In fact, it's been a decade.  Ten years, folks.  Ten. Whole. Years. since I woke up for my first morning living on Big Blue Nation's campus. 

I simply can't believe how fast the time has flown.  The memories made.  The season of life has come and gone, yet leaves many fond memories, cherished forever friendships, life lessons learned, and t-shirts.....yes, many many t-shirts.  Many of which I have hung on to because I simply can't let them go - after all, they were the staple of my college wardrobe.

Not only does the realization of ten years passing since this significant event in my life bring obvious reason for reflecting and reminiscing, I have smiled even more so knowing that a very special person is going through the same thing today.  You see, she was only 8 years old when I had this experience in the early 2000's.  And now the time has come for my beautiful, smart and talented first-cousin Allie!

Yes, I know, she's gorgeous!  And she's super sweet too!  There's no doubt in my mind how I would love for her to become my "sister" as well.  However, I'm not being forceful on that - after all, I want her to choose the best sorority for her (although I won't say I'm not wishfully hoping for a certain set of letters!).

I have probably been bugging the heck out of her with my frequent text messages checking in on the day....and I have also stalked her Facebook profile just in case I could catch a glimpse at any part of her experience - and she and her roomie are adorable in their dorm room (which happens to be at the same university, in the same dormitory, and on the same floor that I lived in)!  While Allie made these decisions for herself and some were by "chance," I simply can't help but thank God for this sweet divine moment that I'm feeling as I know just what Allie is feeling, thinking, and seeing at this very moment. :)

Seriously, I'm just beside myself with excitement for her!  Streams of tears (happy sentimental tears, that is) roll down my cheeks as I type this post.....so proud of Allie and her many accomplishments, excited that she's going through UK's recruitment week, knowing that her life will be changed forever in a matter of just a few days.  It's about all I can do not to jump in my car and drive to Lexington, KY and sit on her little twin bed in her shared dorm room and laugh with her and cry with her and ask her so many questions about her first days as a college student....all while trying to impart some wisdom from my own experience.

I also think how my own experience did not include text messaging (let alone a smartphone), no digital camera, nor Facebook.....goodness, the dorm wasn't even "wireless" - I remember how impressive the "ethernet" was compared to the slow speeds of my family's internet service in rural KY.  All this makes me laugh as I feel so old! 

My heart is swelling with excitement and thankfulness of my own experience and the start of Allie's collegiate years still to come! 

Gotta go.....just heard a text message come through! :)

On the Road & Relationships

Happy 2012! :)  I haven't posted in a very long time.  Honestly, I had many ideas for posting and would sometimes log in with the intention to post, only to see the photo in my last post and decide I loved it too much.  (perhaps a little slow to change?!)

Since that last post in October 2011, there have been so many exciting things going on and thoughts and revelations and moments and trips that I should have captured in print and shared for the few of you out there that read this blog.  But alas, I just kept on keeping on living this blessed life.  Pictures pile up, life happens, and special moments soon become memories.  It has been a cycle, but not a vicious one.

Maybe I'll catch back up someday, but for now I can recap the last couple of weeks.  In the past two weeks (well, two and a half now that I'm settled back in), I have traveled over 2,500 miles on my own through eight states in two different rental cars and completed three audiobooks....and that doesn't include the round trip flight I took from Charleston, SC to Nashville.  I traveled to two weddings, a baby shower, a Mothers Day family gathering, countless work events, visited friends, new babies of friends, family, and friends whom I count as family; yet I won't dare try to count the numbers of loved ones I've seen lately.  There was one stretch in the first week where I channeled my inner Goldilocks and slept in five different beds over five nights.  I've laughed, I've cried, I've gone through way too many drive-thrus and pumped so much gas it's probably hazardous to my health.  And somehow I only missed two days of work.  Sure, I'm worn out from it all....but it's a good feeling of tiredness because while I know I haven't done it all just right, I can rest in the fact that I've given it all I had.  Relationships with friends and family are extremely important, they reap many rewards, but one lesson I'm learning as I grow older (and wiser) is that they don't keep themselves going.  They take investments of time and effort. 

But now the time has come [well, almost].  It's a moment I've been waiting for.  Through the absolutely wonderful times I've had the past two weeks, I am looking for a fun adventure this weekend....getting to spend the first full weekend with my husband since Easter.  And that's putting it pretty lightly since I haven't mentioned that he has been attending grad school since January, worked second shift the month of April, is putting in crazy amounts of overtime hours, and has had extensive work travel in Seattle, San Antonio & Cincinnati during the semester.

My hard working husband takes care of our family and makes our adventures possible.  I am so grateful for him and how he leads us.  He is extremely caring and protective of me, which I'm extremely okay with. ;)   In the midst of his recent jam-packed schedule, he made the effort to book all my hotels and rental cars (not based on the cheapest choices as I would have arranged, but with my safety and comfort as priority), he took money out of the bank so I had cash on my trips (he knows I wouldn't do this on my own), and he has been earning awards and recognition at work.  His work ethic and humbleness are models to strive for.  Multiple times each day I am overwhelmed with the blessings we share and I can't believe just how God laid out this path for this life of joy with this man.  It's not about the stuff he does for me  -- not at all.  These are just recent examples of how he goes over and beyond to show love for me on a regular basis and even during hectic times.  He seems to naturally understand that our relationship takes time and effort.  I guess I'm a slow learner because I'm just now really starting to understand how vital they are to maintain.

I pretty much can't put into words how I feel about my husband and our family and friends.  I'm so thankful - a blessed girl for sure!  So I don't get too sentimental, I'll leave with a few fun photos from the last couple of weeks:

Amy's Wedding in Cincinnati, OH

Catherine's Baby Shower in Northern KY

My work trip to Norfolk & Virginia Beach, VA

 Jillian's Wedding in Lexington, KY

A little update!

The time has passed like WHOA over the past couple of months since I last posted!  We had a great trip #2 for a month in Seattle (although I didn't re-cap that trip), then made it back to home sweet Charleston just in time for Easter!

Since then we have been blessed with many visits from family and friends!  Very exciting times for sure!

I really have been extremely busy enjoying our city, showing around loved ones, working on my tan, and becoming employed!  I know.  Stop. The. World.  I have a job!

It's actually a really long story but I am going to spare the details for now.  I'm a college recruiter!

Add to the excitement of my new job, Josh left over a week ago for Seattle Round #3......but he had to go without me.  :(  I miss him tons and can't wait to have him back in a couple of weeks!  Seriously, I am ready to have him here with me - this reminds me how blessed we are that I was able to accompany him for the first two one-month trips.  So grateful.

I definitely realize how much he does to take care of us.  Not only financially, but in so many ways.  Just having him around makes me better.

My goal is to be well-adjusted to my new job by the time he returns!

We've had a lot going on.  This is just a small update of the big things!

Take Me Home Tonight

After nearly a full month in Washington, we are homeward bound today!  If all goes as planned, we should arrive back around bedtime.

We will be traveling the majority of the day and will cross through three time zones before arriving back to our island home in South Carolina.  This has been a great trip and we would do it all again for sure!  We are excited to be back home, but we have loved our stay in the Pacific Northwest and look forward to coming back!

For our last night in town, we enjoyed dinner at Etta's last night with Josh's cousin and his sweet wife.  The boys were very young when they last saw each other but both moms reconnected them so we finally found a mutual time to meet on this trip.  We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and time with them at this famous Seattle restaurant!

Here's wishing us a great and safe trip from the West to East coast!  

And onto some very important news......Baby Jameson Jon Newton made his grand debut yesterday!  Congrats Carly and Jon - we are so happy for you two and look forward to meeting the little man! :)

Christmas Thoughts Mind Dump

1.  It's been nearly two months since my last blog post.  However, life has been very eventful and has been full of blog-worthy posts.  Maybe I'll catch up on those updates soon.  While I hate that I haven't documented life well over the past couple of months, I really have a fondness for that sweet gecko who was pictured in my last post.  :)

2.  Over the past four nights, my husband and I have slept at four different places representing two countries, two states, four cities/households. 

3.  We left our coastal Carolina home over a week ago and enjoyed five days in beautiful Playa del Carmen, Mexico.  The trip was amazing, despite the fact that we were involved in an airport fiasco trying to return home.  We were stuck in the Houston airport for hours upon end and finally were able to get "home" by getting on another flight that was headed to Alabama (as opposed to our actual destination of Nashville, TN), where Josh's brother Jason was sweet enough to drive and pick us up during the middle of the night.  That's true love fo sho!  We are very grateful and probably would still be stuck in the Lone Star State if it weren't for Jason.

4.  The snow made for a beautiful White Christmas, but I'm ready for it to melt and warm up now.

5.  Last week's road trip from Charleston included way too much fast food.  On a positive note, we don't do fast food near as much in Charleston as we did when we lived in our KY home.

6.  This has been a crazy year with our move, Josh's new job, adjusting to a new city, still trying to sell a house in another state, my job search, one grandfather being moved to a skilled nursing facility, and the recent deaths of both my great-grandmother and great aunt.

7.  We have an upcoming trip to Seattle planned due to Josh's job training.  We decided that this was an opportunity that I couldn't miss, so we look forward to traveling to this northwestern city in a few weeks.

8.  I purchased a pair of jeggings a few weeks ago and while I was shameful at first, they have become one of my favorite pieces of clothing.

9.  Due to many of our items being in storage in KY we didn't have any Christmas decorations this year.  That includes having no Christmas tree.  I did paint our pumpkin in Christmas colors and we displayed Christmas cards, so we had a little bit of Christmas spirit in our Carolina condo.

10.  Christmas cards are one of my absolute favorite parts of Christmas!  I absolutely adore receiving them!  This year we did a card showing the beauty of our new town.  Here's our card:

 

11.  I failed to have the mail service stopped before we left on our two week trip.  I hope the postman still delivers even if it means our mail is stuffed like sardines.  I also hope to arrive back to many Christmas cards waiting on us.  I plan to keep our card display up for months into the new year. 

12.  My mom is a magnet to stray animals, therefore a new pet has recently been added to the family.  Josh and I are already in love with her sweet face and love for cuddling. 

13.  Josh and I both agreed that we had a great Christmas day yesterday.  We did quite a bit of running around to see different family members, but it was a great day full of quality time.  This year we put less focus on the gifting and I believe that the entire family had a much more enjoyable time hanging out and enjoying each other. 

14.  We still will celebrate my Dad's birthday in the next few days.  He is a Christmas day baby and we always have some family birthday time for him.  However, we are going to do something fun and give him his gifts later this week, which we look forward to doing.  We did manage to have some of the Mexican waitstaff to sing a Spanish birthday song to him last week! 

15.  We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Birthday Celebrations & the Shrimp Game

May is a huge birthday month in this family!  Since Mr. P and I both have little brothers with the same birthday, we have done some celebrating this week in honor of them!

Wednesday night was a fun time in Nashville at The Melting Pot celebrating Keeton's 21st!  So yummy!  Everything was perfect except the fact that Mr. P was on an overnight business trip in a stupid state north of here.....he was definitely the missing piece and I was glad to finally get him back home last night.

The Yin-Yang Chocolate.....dark and white....definitely the best of both worlds!

Tonight Josh and I went back to Nashville for a yummy Japanese dinner at Kabuto's in celebration of Jason's birthday!  The meal was yummy and it was fun to celebrate Jason' birthday at the Hibachi grill!  However, they played that stupid shrimp game and I was the chosen catcher.  Does anyone else know which game I'm talking about.....where they save a few shrimp and pick a diner to "catch" the shrimp in their mouth after the chef throws it?  Well, those who know me well know that I absolutely despise this game with a pure passion.  I refused to play and the chef kept insisting, so finally decided to just take it for the team and try to be a good sport.  And of course I had on white, but thankfully no mess was made!  Is it just me or does anyone else dread this moment? 

 Brothers!

Spongebob!

Cute pic with the birthday boy!

Happy Birthday Little Brothers!

Believe it or not, Mr. P and I each have a younger brother and they have the same birthday (just different years)!  We love our little brothers dearly and want to take the time to wish both guys a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!  Our brothers are so very special to us, in fact, the two of them  stood up with us at our wedding over two years ago.  So instead of a Best Man & Maid of Honor we had a Best Man & Gentleman of Honor.  

Happy Birthday Jason & Keeton!  We love you!

One of my favorite pictures from our wedding:  My Mr. P between our two brothers!  This is taken just a bit before the wedding ceremony:  Keeton, Josh & Jason.  This one is framed on our mantle because I love it!

Surprise Birthday Party for Mom!

The invitation:

Mom and Daddy

Our Sweet Moms!

We Love our Family

The new beverage dispenser! :)

Mom with her longtime friend Pat!  They cheered together in high school!

The tired host and hostess at the end of the night!

We celebrated Mom's 50th Birthday with a surprise party at our house on Saturday evening, May 8.  She was surprised until they pulled into our neighborhood and Mom saw all the parked cars!  How funny!  We tricked her into thinking they were coming to pick the two of us up so that we could all go out to dinner together.  I must say, we were believable so that helped her be surprised!

I am so thankful for family and the opportunities to celebrate special occasions such as birthdays, holidays, etc.  We were happy to host the event in our home and we're definitely glad that she was surprised and everyone had a great time!

The Joys of January!

I thought that January was supposed to be a slooooow month that's full of lots of "nothing."  

However, January has been a busy month for Family P!  

We started off celebrating the new year in not-so-warm-and-sunny Florida.  Although the temperatures were less than desirable, we had a great vacation and also celebrated two amazing years of marriage!

Mr. & Mrs. P on Vaca in Florida......the first time I've ever worn a North Face jacket on the beach!

We returned home to even colder temperatures, but enjoyed celebrating Papa's 81st Birthday.

Papa and Mom on his Birthday!

We also had a great time getting back together with my LBG Class for a social at Mariah's.

A few members from the great LBG Class of "09!

Then a snow came that nearly closed down Bowling Green!  Just kidding, but that's how we react to the Winter weather around here.  And I'm a perfect example -- I believe the world should stop til Spring!

Our snow-covered home

Then we celebrated MLK weekend (although I was the only one who actually had a work holiday on that Monday) in Banner Elk, North Carolina as we skiied Sugar Mountain.  Mom, Daddy, Keeton, Jason, Josh and I traveled together and had a great time -- with lots of yummy food too!

 

*Excuse the hodge-podge of pictures.....I did a terrible thing when I was "playing" with my new camera.  Long story short, I managed to delete a good portion of pictures from our ski trip and Josh's birthday.  Only my friend LL could realize the true severity of this situation and how my heart has a missing piece.  Grrrr!

And after the ski trip, we returned for Mr.P's Birthday the next day!  I had a great birthday idea for him, but weeks before his birthday he instructed that I better not even think about doing a party.  (This is sad news for someone who loves to plan such occasions)  However, considering that my man isn't into the party scene so much, I decided since it was his birthday we would do something more low-key.  I still had some element of surprise involved because he thought it would just be us doing dinner with our parents and brothers....but to his surprise, I did extend the invitation just a bit to more family.  Everyone had a great time, including the birthday boy himself!

My Mr. P with other Mr. P's -- his Dad & brother!

A local family was led to do something for the Haiti Disaster Relief, so I was pleased to get to be a part of their benefit event.  Since I work at the American Red Cross, I represented the chapter and the funds earned that are sent to Haiti.  The event was an evening of concerts featuring popular local bands.  The event raised over $13,000!  What a great way to have fun and support a worthy cause.  God bless the people in Haiti - I pray for their recovery!

Some of the ARC ladies working the tickets/contributions table prior to the concert. 

"Skip Bond & The Fugitives" was the last band performance of the night and the lead singer wearing this kilt earned $500 toward the Haiti Relief Benefit Fund!  Men of all ages will fall for a dare! :)

Unfortunately, my weekend plans did not include the sisterhood reunion in Lexington of many of my sorority sisters.  :(  I was so sad to miss this gathering but I definitely look forward to our next scheduled time together -- I plan to be there 100% -- it's not fun to miss out!

We did have a little delivery arrive at the bike shop that we picked up.....our new mountain bikes!  I know this picture appears upside-down, but it's actually the bikes hanging from hooks in the garage ceiling. (I failed to get a picture before they were hung.)  We took them for a quick spin, but it's so cold outside so we couldn't do it long.  We are looking forward to hitting the road (perhaps the neighborhood for starters) and burning some calories.

Our bikes stored in our garage.  Josh and Daddy hung the hooks and now the bikes fit perfectly!

Speaking of "burning calories," Family P has gained weight since "two became one."  EEK!  It came on slowly, so at first it wasn't a big deal.  However, we're both ready to take charge of our health and we're encouraging each other.  I've started back to going to the gym in the mornings before work.  Just a few days in and I'm already seeing a bit of improvement in my energy, alertness, and overall well-being.  Hopefully this trend continues and I don't burn-out as I previously have done.  I'm just thankful to have become concerned while it's still manageable.  It appears that I have gained about 8-9 pounds since we were married two years ago.  That might not seem like much over that amount of time, but it's bad news bears as far as I'm concerned.  Feel free to offer advice, tips, and encouragement!  I really don't have a bad diet, but my job requires so much sitting.....and I am certain that is exactly what has led to my gain.  I am doing cardio and strength training at the gym.  I'm no expert at all, just doing what seems right.  I feel like a "plan" would be great -- like a written workout of how many minutes for cardio, how many sets and reps, etc.  I need to do some more research in this area -- if you happen to know a good resource to share, I would appreciate it.  I know I could hire a personal trainer, but that is not something we plan to spend money on right now.  Mr. P also began his plan of action which also includes cardio and strength training.  This is not a New Years resolution, rather a decision that was important to make for ourselves.

I made this picture of the three remaining cupcakes left from Josh's birthday dinner.  For fun, I stacked them up and took a picture and then I tossed them in the garbage!  I'm not one for wasting food, but it was a smart decision to rid them of our home to help support our new health, fitness and nutrition goals.  If only it were always that easy to get rid of excess fat!  :)

Cupcake tower

The rest of this week and weekend remain fairly busy for us and the weather is calling for a big snow.  Oh geez.....I better join the rest of BG in stocking the pantry with lots of canned foods!  (Really.....I so need to do a grocery trip!)

Wishing you a blessed week!

Two Year Anniversary!

Today is our two-year anniversary!  Wow, how the time flies!  In honor of this special day, I'm posting a few pics from our wedding.

 

 

We married on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 at 3pm at Union Station Historic Hotel (the same place we were engaged six months earlier!) in downtown Nashville, TN.  We chose our date because we wanted to wait until Josh graduated from school in December but we didn't want a holiday wedding.  So January 2 was the first choice and we took it because we didn't want to wait any longer!  It was a wonderful day and this has been the best two years of my life! 

We had a small private family wedding ceremony with only 38 people ( I think that's the number) total in attendance.  We each have a younger brother and they stood with us, which was very special.  Our family performed all of the ceremony music and we were really able to enjoy the event and spend time with everyone.  Three and half weeks later we had a reception with extended family and friends!  The style of wedding and reception we chose was perfect for us and we cherish every moment, as well as the amazing love and support we've received from our family and friends!

Happy Anniversary to Mr. P!  I love you more and more every day!

God Bless America!

Happy Veteran's Day!  

I am so very thankful for the freedom we enjoy in our country and I pray that I never take it for granted or forget the price that has been paid!

I want to especially recognize my grandfather, Thomas M. Hayes "Papa," for the time he served our country in Korea in the early 1950's!  Yesterday it was my pleasure to honor him for a nice lunch and hear some of his stories and look at his pictures from when he was an active member of the Army.

Please remember to thank a veteran (and active duty members as well) -- not just one day a year, but every day!  Remember them in your prayers, encourage them, THANK THEM!

Here's some pictures from our lovely lunch yesterday:

When I was in high school, I made a scrapbook for Papa using photos from his days in service.  His vision is now extremely limited, but he was looking through pages, never complaining about anything!

 

Excuse the poor quality -- it's a picture of a picture!  This is Papa while he was an active serviceman -- he is so handsome!

 

Josh and I with Nanny & Papa after enjoying lunch!

 

Mom enjoying the day honoring her parents!  Papa fought for our freedom, while Nanny was a young wife who took care of  everything back home.  They went nearly 2 years without seeing each other -- I can't imagine! I miss Josh dearly after only 2 days apart!  Thank a service person.....and their family!

 

LET FREEDOM RING!