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!

One Year Ago Today

I've been a bit sentimental (in a good way) lately just thinking about the past year since we made the move from the Bluegrass State to the Palmetto State. 

For some reason I can't go the grocery without an itemized list and I regularly forget daily tasks, yet I remember specific dates surprisingly well.  For instance, this day last year -- August 26, 2010.  We finished the drive to Charleston after stopping halfway the night before.  No longer were we visitors in a strange town, this day marked the moment that we began to call Charleston our home.  We arrived to the Embassy Suites which would be our residence for the next month where we were greeted by a sweet and encouraging package from the only local people we knew.  It was the day before Josh would start his new position.  I knew I planned to start my job search while he was at work.  I haven't gone back to read that post yet, however many of the details are engrained in my memory. 

As I reflect on the past year and all it has delivered, I am humbled and awed.  I can't believe how quickly the time has passed!  It has literally flown by..   Not a day goes by that we are not thankful for where God chose to move us.  We could have been moved anywhere and the opportunity we were given was Charleston - what a dream!

I have thought of the many things I love about this place.  I am sure I will forget some things that make my smile, but I want to capture a few I have recently given thanks for: 

* This place and its geography.  It's a beach town and water is everywhere.  That alone makes my day.
* Our sweet island - I always love returning to the line of palm trees and beautiful homes.
* The food.  My word, it's so wonderful.  I did work on losing some of those added pounds, so I'm trying to keep them off.  It's a struggle though because the food is so amazing.
* Having jobs we enjoy with organizations that have great impact in our community.   
* The people.  Regardless if they're natives or transplants, it seems the people here love Charleston for its charm and want to hold on to the unique, laid-back  and hospitable culture.
* Seeing and hearing the C17's fly over Charleston while taking off/landing from the Air Force Base.
* Seeing military people (mostly Navy & Air Force) dressed in uniform every time I go out to lunch.  There's something about this that reminds me to be grateful to not only live in Charleston, but also in a free country....God bless America and those defending our freedoms!
* Pretty much every type of shopping and entertainment is accessible. 
* Our precious little airport.  I might have thought it was shoddy the first time we flew in, but now I realize how wonderful and convenient it is! 
* The mild winters. 
* Coastal breezes and palm trees.....what a great combination!

With love from Charleston!

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! :)

The "Go With" Girl

Relatively speaking, I believe I'm agreeable and cooperative.  Sure, I am fully capable of covering a full spectrum of actions from planting my feet and refusing to move to leading the way to something else.  But when I think about myself over the past several months, I'd say I've pretty much been "go with the flow."  Nearly everything I knew and lived was turned upside down and changes were taking place all around and within me.  Definitely a learning and growing experience for sure, with ups and downs along the way.  Right before moving, I received several sweet gifts from friends.  One was a beautiful black and white hand-painted wooden plaque that says "bloom where God plants you."  I have a long way to go, but I can look back and see major progress.  For that I am grateful.

After we moved I told my husband I would follow him anywhere, going to the ends of the earth with him wherever he leads our family.  I don't know what that means for us long-term but I do know that resisting ideas is a sure way to be in the midst of them.  (The phrase "never say never" ring a bell?)  Of course the phrase "go with your gut" can have some relevance but is also not a guaranteed wise method of discernment.  Additionally, there are many things that I can't just "go with the flow" of the world.  If I did it would be at the expense of my values, faith and beliefs.  I have learned that as long as I stand strong in what really matters, it's much easier to "go with the flow" on everything else since I am firmly planted and rooted in a strong foundation.  Like an aged tree in the wind....flowing and moving, yet remaining rooted in the ground.

This "go with" mentality continues to bring many blessings.  While it is sometimes easy to get down and out about circumstances and why certain desires haven't been fulfilled, when I focus on the positives I can see how clearly blessed I am and how only God's perfect will can bring such blessings.

Sticking with my "go with" efforts, I am excited to say that I will once again "go with" my hard-working husband for another four-week rotation to Seattle.  We leave in a few days and I look forward to more adventures to come!  Also, I welcome any friends and family who might want to see Seattle during that time - I would love for you to visit and show you around!

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! :)

Our Space Needle Date

We had a great date night at Seattle's most recognized landmark, the Space Needle!  The evening was absolutely perfect and we couldn't have asked for a better experience!  To top it off, Josh had checked weather several days in advance and decided that last night (Tuesday) was probably our best option for clear skies.  For February in Seattle, he truly picked the perfect time!  Not only did we ride the elevator to the observation deck, we also dined at SkyCity Restaurant, a rotating restaurant looking over the city from 500 feet above.  This is where we were able to enjoy the sights and flavors of Seattle!

The views were incredible!  One particular thing that we chose to do was make our reservations for the first dinner seating at 5:15PM.  That was the the best decision because we saw it during daylight, sunset, and dark!  Perfect!  

The food was great!  With tourist attractions, it's always a gamble if the food is good or not; however, we LOVED everything and we know why this restaurant received the restaurant of the year award a couple of years ago.  We shared crab cakes as an appetizer, Josh had filet mignon and crab legs and I had peking duck for entrees, and then we shared a dessert!  The dessert thing was pretty funny because Josh is all about some chocolate cake and I'm all about ice cream.  We weren't going to get a dessert at all until my wise-guy husband discovered the option where he could get a hot chocolate cake that came with ice cream!  ha!  And to top it off [literally and figuratively] they had Makers Mark ice cream!  Seriously!  You know this Kentucky girl was all about that!  It was really good......anyone know if they make this in Kentucky (or anywhere else for that matter?!)!

If you're interested, you can read history and fun facts of the Space Needle.  One particular fun fact that I will point out and I think is so cool:

"In 1966 11-year-old Bill Gates, now Microsoft chairman and co-founder, won a dinner at the Space Needle restaurant offered by his pastor. Gates had to memorize chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew, better known as the Sermon on the Mount, and he recited the sermon flawlessly."

I think the following pictures can tell the story of our wonderful date night:

 

As you can see, we had the best time together as we enjoyed the Space Needle!  Here are some tips for those of you who might travel to Seattle and are thinking of doing this attraction.

1.  Do this attraction!

2.  Go for the gusto and dine at SkyCity Restaurant!  Yes, it's on the high-end of price, but it's so worth it!  So do what we have done and skimp and save in many ways, then go enjoy this place without restraint!  Trust me with this.....don't just go to the observation deck.  I promise that the views and experience in the restaurant are worth the difference! (and I am an extremely frugal person, kind of a tightwad to be honest, so trust me and do the restaurant too.....see #4 for further reason!)

3.  Make your reservations early.....as in days or weeks (in high tourist season) in advance!

4.  When you dine in the restaurant and spend the minimum (which is not hard to do), your observation deck tickets are included -- that's a value of $18 per person!  (which can go a long way toward your meal price)

5.  Depending on the time of year and the season, try to make your reservations where you get to see both daylight and dark while you dine.  Seriously.....this is one of the best decisions we made!

6.  They have daily specials (not cheaper, but a different and nice selection) that are not on the menu....which is what Josh ordered his meal from.  We didn't know this until we arrived, which is fine....but since I'm all about knowing info ahead of time, I would have called earlier in the day to ask what the choices were.

7.  Right now there is a $25 gift certificate (off a minimum of 2 entrees) for purchase on restaurant.com (after the coupon code I used, I paid $3 for it)....this definitely helps!  However, if Josh and I were going again we would stick to our usual behavior of sharing an entree when dining in a restaurant.  That is the only thing we would have done differently.....we would have split one entree instead of each ordering our own.  Add to that the appetizer and dessert, of course. Instead, they boxed up leftovers to go so I will warm those up for lunch today.

8.  It was also nice to go during a season where there are nearly no tourists in Seattle.  The place was not busy or crowded, so that was nice!

9.  The restaurant had a professional photographer come and make a picture of the table.  The cool part is that you don't even have to buy the picture from them.  If you want to order a photo you can or you can opt for the free email of your picture.  We did that and it arrived within minutes.

10.  The waitstaff was amazing!  They kept our drinks refilled and were very friendly.  Also, the waitress was so kind to take our picture multiple times.  On her own she came to us and said "The sun is setting, let me get another picture of you two!"  She grabbed my camera, put in on the right setting (on her own and without my instruction) and took the pictures!  I thought that was a very nice gesture!

*If you don't believe me and only care about the space needle for the views of the city and you absolutely refuse to dine in the restaurant......save your money and just go to the base of the needle to get pictures and then go to the Columbia center for the views.....Columbia tower is much taller so you can see more and it's only $5 per person.  But still, you should trust me and do what I already suggested! :)  

And since we have already been asked, this wasn't set-up as an early Valentine's dinner; however, I'm cool to go with that and say that we've already celebrated V-day!  That way we can just stay home since we return Friday night after nearly a month away.  :)

I am no tour guide, I am just really pleased with our evening and how much fun we had!  We knew it was a rare and blessed opportunity that we get to do this, so we took advantage of every moment!

Our trip is winding down and we have had a great time!  We are in awe of how blessed we are to share this opportunity together!  There are some things in our life that are far from perfect, but we have chosen to dwell on how we have been blessed by God and enriched through this experience!