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

Sarah Gets Married!

A couple of weekends ago we headed to Kentucky to see Sarah marry her love!  Sarah is a very special friend to me.   Not only is she a gorgeous friend, she is my sorority big sis and we were childhood friends.  Despite her family moving during our elementary years, we maintained friendship and that carried into sisterhood in college and beyond.

Josh and I flew from Charleston to Nashville, where we made quick stops to visit with his family and mine.  Then on Saturday morning we drove to Lexington (Big Blue Country!) for the wedding festivities.  It was a beautiful wedding and of course Sarah was a beautiful bride! 

Sarah & Alex during their vows

 No Alpha Gam wedding is complete without the candlelight song!

My handsome husband and I

Gotta get a pic with the beautiful bride!  I would say we've come a long way since the days and stages of awkward glasses, braces, and odd fashion! :)  

[Seriously, check out her shoes - they are fabulous!]

And a sweet pic with hot Mae, my former basement buddy and rockin' awesome friend!

The Alpha Gam girls celebrating with our stunning bride!

It was a great weekend trip and passed by way too quickly!  We enjoyed time with friends and family - although it was full of short visits, we had a great time (until getting to the airport and flight delays seriously took more time than it would have taken to drive the trip)! 

Congratulations Sarah and Alex!  We wish you a lifetime full of love and commitment!

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!

We Made It!

4 weeks

3 time zones

2 lovers

1 adventure

We arrived safely again in Seattle late Monday night/early Tuesday morning.  It was fun to see the Space Needle just before we landed!  We were welcomed by the typical Seattle rain upon arrival.  Our bodies are still adjusting to the time difference.  I am proud to say that I represented UK from coast to coast on Monday by wearing my UK gear!  Unfortunately my plane wasn't the one that did the C-A-T-S cheer in air, but I proudly wore my blue and white!

When I was putting our room together yesterday morning, it was very evident that we packed considerably less stuff than last time.  That might mean doing more loads of laundry - I'm okay with that.  The only thing that I realized that was forgotten is a swimsuit so I might buy one here. 

Same hotel, all is well, just not as quiet as last time.  I can definitely tell it's Spring Break because there are lots of families staying here and kids are around.  Last time it was obviously just business travelers during the week days.  The pool that was empty all day during our last trip was full of approximately 20 kids yesterday morning.  Maybe I won't buy a swimsuit. :)

Yesterday I received some news that a young woman (I knew her through mutual friends) passed away after a hard battle with cancer.  Only 35 years old and she left behind a husband and daughter.  My heart is aching for this  family.  In the midst of aching for her family, I am rejoicing because I know that Jesus rescued her from this terrible sickness.  I know she has been made perfect now.  I know this because I had the privilege of seeing her baptized last year!

I'm still sifting through some thoughts on my mind and in my heart.  I plan on writing about those.

Until then I'm going to thank God and be content right here, right now.  I hope you will too!

The offer still stands if anyone wants to see Seattle while we're here!  Book your flight and visit! :)

When you need an excuse to go to Chuck E. Cheese

When you need an excuse to go to Chuck E. Cheese, just borrow someone's kids!

That's exactly what we did Wednesday night!  After talking about it for weeks, we finally set a date with their parents to take the three R kids (ages 7, 5 & 4) on our own to Chuck E. Cheese.  We were pretty excited because we love these kids and wanted to do something fun and special with them.  In case you're wondering, we do not have "baby fever;" we just really love these kiddos!  I packed a bag with baby wipes, hand sanitizer, camera, a mini first aid kit, and a little treat for each kid - then we arrived at their home to pick them up where they were freshly bathed and so cute. 

We loaded up, buckled up and headed on our way.  It was during rush hour and there was a wreck on the bridge, so it took almost an hour to get there, but the kids were great travelers.  

We arrived at Chuck E. Cheese and held hands while walking in, got checked in with the same hand stamp (security feature at CEC that shows which kids belong to who, that way they can't be taken by strangers....brilliant!).  The lady who greeted us said "how nice of you kids to bring your parents out to dinner!"  The kids smiled and no one corrected her that we weren't the parents, but I took that as a sign that we must have looked normal and we didn't look like we shouldn't have kids under our care.  Does that make sense?  Anyway, I appreciated her comment.

If you can channel your childhood self, try to remember what it was like going to CEC.  I did that for a couple days prior so that I would be as prepared as possible.  I remembered going in, then our parents would place an order for food and tokens.  The sounds of the games are loud and other kids are already playing.  While the parents order, you want to run off and start playing.....but you have the wait for tokens first.  You couldn't care less about the food because all you want to do is play games and win tickets.  (On the drive, we asked multiples times "are you hungry?" and each time they all said "no."  Ha!  That was me about two decades ago!)  I believe this is the story of every kid at CEC! 

Josh placed our order and we quickly divided tokens so the kids began playing.  They were winning tickets and bouncing from one game to another.  The food arrived and we had to lure them to the table to eat.  Josh made sure hands were cleaned while I fixed drinks.  He served pizza and gave a blessing over the meal.  They were still thinking of the games, but were very good and sweet.  Everyone had to eat one piece of pizza before we would let them up to continue playing.  Dinner time didn't last long and then they were playing games again.  We ordered one more set of tokens and divided them again for more game playing. 

Tokens were running out and bedtime was getting closer, so the kids cashed in their tickets at the ticket muncher machine.  

Lots of thought was put into making the decision for which prizes to choose, but all were happy with their selection!

I think a good night was had by all!  But my favorite story of the evening was when we were leaving CEC walking together hand-in-hand when all three kids exclaimed "I'm hungry!"  I so saw this coming!  Good thing we had the leftover pizza in a carry-out box!  Since we had already gone outside, but Josh and I weren't sure if they should eat in their mom's car (plus the safety concern of them eating while we were in driving - we didn't want to take any chances on choking), so we just set down on the corner of the sidewalk and they finished off the remaining slices!  We had a great time giggling and enjoying these kids for a few more moments. 

I should also note that the 7 year old had to buckle the 4 year old in his car seat after I couldn't figure out how it worked.  She said "it's a good thing you don't have kids!"  Ha!  So true!

Loads of silliness filled the car on the drive home!  Made up songs about Josh, silly jokes, talking with the vampire teeth......sweet times!

We had a great night with these precious children and are thankful that their parents shared them!

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! :)

A Sweet Surprise & More!

This afternoon we received a special delivery!  The doorbell rang and we were greeted with a yummy chocolate dessert made by these even sweeter kids!  (Perhaps their mommy helped!)

Could they get any cuter?!!! Way to make our day, R Family! :)  (Verdict on this dessert......AH-mazing!)

Now we're backtracking to the beginning of this past weekend.  When Josh got off work on Friday afternoon, we were beach bound.  We grabbed a pizza on the way and enjoyed relaxing at the beach and throwing football for a couple of hours.  Why?  Because that's what you do when you live in a beach town! :)

Pretty sure this photo is capturing the moment when Josh was sending a photo text with an ocean picture to our family captioned "Just another day....."  (This coastal living thing never gets old.)

 Can you tell we're both loving life here?!!  :)

 It was both sunny and windy.

Saturday morning we decided to attend Daniel Island Park Day!  While walking there we had another gator sighting!  FYI, this is not a baby gator....it was grown for sure......just hanging out in one of the downtown DI ponds.

 

My new friend Ashley and me!  She and her husband have been so nice and welcoming since our first week here!  We are very thankful for their friendship!

Mr. P and me in front of the shrimp boat on the Wando River.

With all of these gator sightings, it's now odd to see them in the petting zoos.....however, the mouth tape is very reassuring for an up close and personal facial shot!

Here's Mr. P early yesterday morning before he met Mr. R to go paddle-boarding on the Wando River before church. I stayed at home, so no action shots of them going from one side to the other and back.  Proud of him for sure!

We were coming back home after church when Mr. P said "there's a gator on the bank!"  I was thrilled beyond words!  (And scared too.)  Thankfully I had my camera on hand and the gator was not camera shy this time!  It really is crazy that these creatures reside within a couple hundred feet of where we live!  (this one is also grown.....not a baby gator)

Life here is great!  Come visit us and our gator neighbors!  

With love from Charleston!