Oi

So, it's that time in our life. Yup.

It's so hard to be a grown-up sometimes. 

I don't even mean the trials part, because everyone has trials, no matter the age.

It's the whole money thing.

George and will be married for three years this coming October. We weren't planning on buying our first home until he graduates from Masters school in a year and a half. At that time we would go wherever her gets a good job, buy a house and settle down for a while. Maybe even start a family if I feel tickled enough to. (We'll see about that one . . .) Anyway, we've been looking at buying a home, but all I can see in front of my two eyeballs are dollar signs. I HATE debt and we don't have any (other than masters school loans, but who can pay for that out of pocket, really? We're not Bill Gates.)

I know it's stupid to be stressed out about money and buying a home. First world problems, much?

Don't get me wrong, we are so so so blessed. 

It's just a BIG decision. And we are so worried about making a mistake.

We went out with a Buyers Agent today (by the way, if you're looking to buy a home I highly suggest one. They can get into any house and they are free for time.) and found a house. I didn't expect to find a home. WHAT??? 

It's amazing what life steers your way.I thought we'd be in this apartment for two years. Who knows? 

We plan on deciding in a few days. I guess only time will tell. 

Home sweet home, or not?

Georgia on My Mind

It's a rainy day outside. Which is just fabulous. I love rainy days when you get to stay in bed all day. Although, I'm in bed all day because I'm sick . . . yet again. But I'm trying to look on the bright side!
I've been on this health kick since we moved here. Trying to exercise more regularly, eat better, take my vitamins/probiotics, get time outside and getting the right amount of sleep. But for some reason I just can't shake the sick bug! This is the fifth or sixth time I've been sick since we've moved out here. It's been seven months! Totally ridiculous, right?

Maybe it's because I work in kid's mouths all day or that I have horrible allergies and moving here has made them worse. Or maybe it's my lot in life. But I refuse to let it get me down!

So many good things are happening right now in my life and I am so blessed to be able to say that! I ended up going to the doctors yesterday at which I was reminding myself how thankful I am to live in a first world country with sanitary doctor's offices and modern medicine. (Even though I ended up getting a shot in my hip and almost passing out cuase I HATE needles and causing a huge fiasco - so embarrassing . . .) But, wow! There are so many things to be thankful for.

Let me be honest. George and I aren't all too keen on Georgia as a place to live forever. But we have been very open to taking advantage of experiencing this new place! The beach, the amazing storms and frequent rain we love so much. Historic Downtown Savannah is so close and so charming. Change is never easy. And although I adapt well and I love the idea of change, when it actually happens I get so freaking stressed out, I sometimes forget to enjoy the ride.

Besides the bugs, humidity, hot hot hot summer, and did I say bugs? There' s not much to complain about! So excuse me while I enjoy this rain storm. Because if, in a few years, we do make it home, I'll be saying how much I miss Georgia. Wonderful, hot, smelly Georgia. ;)

Life

George and I are sitting here watching our favorite movie -- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty -- and I can't help but think about my life.
I have wanted to travel the world and experience it for all it has to offer since I was a little girl. I have surpassed so many opportunities to do so because life steered me in another direction . . . and then another . . . and another . . . and another . . . anyway.
I am happy. So happy. And so very blessed.
But the heart always goes wanting. Especially when it has a thirst for wanderlust.
My dear dear husband knows how important travel is to me. He is working on getting an education in order to get a job to earn some money in order to provide for my needs as well as all the dreams I have inside my head. Too many dreams. haha
I think, sometimes, we get caught up so much in what we want, that we lose track of what is most important, or we surpass other opportunities for growth and learning.
Blessed as I am, I have chosen the right path for me, but sometimes I go spending five dollars here or twenty dollars there and think 'Awe, man! I could've put that toward our travel money!' But there are so many wants that are closer in reach. Sometimes it's hard to decide what we want more.
Thankfully the Lord has my back (and yours) and always reminds me what's most important.
Maybe someday I'll get that couch, or I'll taste that fresh Italian pastry whilst sitting on the steps of the Colosseum. But, for now, my adventure is here, in Georgia, with George (hehe . . .).
So for now I'll keep looking at my vision board. And then I'll look at my dream man. And I'll be thankful that at least one thing is for sure; when I get that new couch, or breath in that French breeze on the top of the Eiffel Tower, I'll be sharing it with the one thing that matters most . . .
My love.
My life.

It's My Party and I'll Eat Cake if I Want To!

Sup Kids?

Seriously, though, hey. :)

This is Cass comin' to you live from her love seat on the last day of her 21 year old life!

I'm about to turn 22! Paaaaartay!

I love birthdays. Not just mine, although any excuse to eat a brownie in my honor is by all means my pleasure. For real though, birthdays are awesome. Think about it just for one minute. On just one day every year you get to have a day where you have the opportunity to look around and realize how far you've come, and more importantly how far you have to go. And to be thankful for the people who have helped you get where you are, or who helped you realize where you need to be. And to thank God for this amazing opportunity to feel what it feels like to jump in the ocean waves and get salt in your eyes, to stand on top of a mountain and feel the breeze and look over a tiny portion of what he sees every second. To kiss someone and hold someone and eat food, good or bad. To roll the car windows down and sing to your favorite song or cry or laugh or feel so anxious you're going to die.

I am so thankful for tomorrow to celebrate another year of pulling through everything I've been through and taking a breath for myself for one small moment to celebrate the life I've been given.
Life is so short. And already, in the blink of an eye, almost twenty two years of mine has rushed by.
I welcome the next year of my life with open arms. There are still so many things I want to do and to see. Still so many things I want to feel and touch, and so many brownies that still need to make their way to my mouth.

So, tomorrow, for just one second, take a moment to celebrate with me. You don't have to celebrate me, but celebrate you, because you are awesome, and life holds so many possibilities.

Here's to what happens between this years and next years candles . . .
May it be an adventure worth remembering.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! What a lovely day indeed. I have been blessed with two wonderful women in my life who are amazing examples to me - My mother, and my mother-in-law. Last night George and I were talking about what kind of relationships we have with our mothers. George was saying that I probably looked at his mother as more of a friend. I agreed, but I have to admit I look at my mother the same way! All they are is our best friend. The ones who never fail us, the ones who always stick by us. Or at least, they should. And if you haven't had that kind of mother in your life, I hope there is some woman in your life who mirrors these qualities.
I have been blessed to have shared many laughs, cries, and lots of chocolate with these women. I am glad to call them confidant, advocate, friend, and mother. I hope to one day be as amazing as they are.
I found this jem today. Thought it was worth sharing. It's no wonder I grew up to love red and polka dots. Can I also just say my mother is totally rocking those bangs? Oh, the 90's!

In other news . . . George has officially finished his first semester of Masters School! High five, everyone. YES. This past weekend was a dream because I finally had my husbands full attention. Since we found out we were moving, I have been dying to get out on the town. We went out Friday night with some friends downtown Savannah. It was everything I hoped. We walked along River Street and danced to the music of an acoustic guitarist, we finally got to try the famous Leopold's Ice Cream, and we got to eat at Sweet Melissa's. I'm not supposed to eat ice cream, but I made an exception. It was delightful. So much so I took pictures (honestly, though, are you surprised?).

mmm.....chocolate...

and kisses. :P

Also a few weeks ago we went down "Alligator Alley." Its a part of the National Wildlife Refuge where there are TONS of alligators. It's pretty awesome.

Just chillin. Or warmin. HA! Okay, that wasn't funny, you're right . . .

Welcome to the swamp, kids.

This guy was HUGE. Probably about 20 ft. or so.

I can't get over all this Spanish Moss. It's so . . . charming?

Awe. 

There was a day a few weeks ago we went to Hilton Head beach. We looooove Hilton Head. Capri likes to eat the waves, which ends up in her getting sick, but she's learning to swim, and I'm slowly getting farther and farther out into the water. It's scary to me because we have a Great White migration that comes through, Jellyfish and Stingrays. The water also looks gross, but, the beach is the beach! It's lovely anyway.

Capri was just too cute. We had to take a golf cart from the parking lot. She enjoyed the ride.

Proof we were there too. 

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all my fellow ladies out there.

School is for Smarties

Masters school is HARD! Oh my. I say that and I'm not even the one enrolled in classes.
Despite our busy schedules, George and I have been able to get out and about a little bit more than I thought we would. But everything is so expensive!!! Hello world, when did you become full of price tags?
George is so busy. Most nights he either comes home about the time I'm heading to bed (if I'm not already), or he is staying up late trying to get things done. But he's done well! And after this week his first semester of Masters School will be complete!
So. We finally got a kennel for Capri. One fine Sunday we came home from church and she had bit the the toilet water pipe. Darn it! George called our wonderful and handy friend, Jared, to come fix it for us. Luckily the flooding wasn't too bad so we were able to soak it up with some towels. Need I say that we were panicking? No. I dare say I don't. We are so lucky it didn't flood more or we'd probably be paying for new carpet and water damage.
The next day we came home to this . . . it was all over the bathroom floor too. Along with some other stuff . . .

So that's when George finally caved and we got Capri her own little box of space. Let me just say how wonderful it is. There is much less mess when I come home from work and she is more calm. PLUS I don't have the constant urge to buy a spy camera so I can tap in and watch her while I'm away. There were so many days I was afraid she would eat something valuable. And there were so many days she did . . .
But we don't speak of those days.
Anyway. It's finals right now for George so about a week ago he took me out to breakfast downtown on Saturday. That morning was all the time he had to spend with me since his schooling has kind of taken over his life. Anyway, it was wonderful! We ate at Goose Feathers. It is a fun little cafe in the heart of old Savannah. The food was SO GOOD. We had a good time. There are so many hidden treasures downtown, I can't wait to find them all!
This is us . . . AWE.

We also went downtown with our lovely friends, Shannon and Paul, a couple of weeks ago and we had lunch at Vinnie Van Go Go's. It's a super fun outdoor pizza place. Everyone here is crazy about it. Probably because the slices of pizza are bigger than your face.

The smaller slices are the regular size.

We also drove down the charming Jones Street. But we were unable to get out and walk around due to time constraints. I am dying to get myself and my camera down there and do some serious documenting.

Ignore the lady and her dog. 

Also the sunsets - when your in the clear form the trees - have been so beautiful!

George actually asked to have his picture taken. I obviously obliged happily. He NEVER likes his picture taken. So even though you can't see his face. It's the reasoning that makes this picture wonderful. 

Capri is begging for my attention. Kids . . . :P

Have a marvelous Monday.

Sunshine on A Cloudy Day

I am so blessed.
We are so blessed. My little family. You know, the dog and us two.
I sat down to blog a couple of days ago and was unable to finish because some things popped up.
Boy am I glad.
It wasn't a negative post, but I was definitely not in my best spirits.
Since we moved out here, George and I have been through a lot. Our trials are not as heavy as others, but they are large for us. And although it is not to say that our little southern life is perfect, We are finally getting a handle on things. We've made it through this storm, now we are ready to power up for the next.
Life is on a constant cycle. Happiness - Trial - Calm - Happiness - and so forth. The thing is it's like that for everybody. The difference between us is how we handle our trials; who we rely on. That is what makes all the difference.
So, on this sunny Sabbath day, I am going to take the time to count my blessings. Because it's not the trial that matters, it's what you learned and what you do with that knowledge.
And today I am going to take that knowledge and basque in the sunshine.

I failed to blog about George's birthday. He is 25! What?! haha. A quarter of a century. Despite my efforts, I ended up with food poisoning. All night. Not pretty. He took good care of me and ran to walmart at three in the morning for some sickie-food. I surprised him with a homemade ice cream cake later to make up for it. I have the best husband. Excuse his tired eyes in this picture. We obviously didn't get much sleep.

I also . . . drum roll please . . . have a job!!! YAY! Pediatrics Dental Assistant! It will be an adventure. But for some reason it seems I never got my HBV shot, so I had to drive myself to the Health Department and get it all by my lonesome. I was so brave. (BTW: terrified of needles.)

We haven't gotten out and really looked around our new home much because we haven't had time. Or is hasn't been warm. So we've had lots of time indoors. Luckily we've made friends so we haven't gone crazy or gotten very lonely. Thankfully we also have this cutie to keep us company . . .

Capri

Please welcome the newest member of our family, Caprizie. We call her Capri for short. She is so sweet. She will be four months old in two days and brings us so much joy. 

What is it about dogs? They're the coziest friendliest companions. They're loyal. They're everything humans should be. She's our snuggly cutie pie. She's also a crazy woman  

(but don't tell her I told you so). 

We love taking her to the beach. 

Last Saturday was a pretty warm day so we thought we'd check out Hilton Head beach in SC. There were a lot of other dogs there and she played so well. George even got in the water will her a little bit. Everyone could tell we were from somewhere north. Everyone else was in coats, beanies, scarfs, gloves, and here we were running around all crazy in the water. 

Can't wait until the water's warm so we can play some more!

Road Trip

Well, folks, we've been here two weeks and we're not dead yet. Okay, considering recent events that may not have been entirely hilarious. I apologize. Getting here was, well, long. I don't think I could have picked a better word. My wonderful parents took their time and energy to help us move out yonder and we have so appreciated it. But oh my heavens, I'm never doing that again. Granted, it was fun to see places I've never seen before such as Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, ya know. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to drive on I10, since George and I are far south enough. This way we were able to skip all the storms. We had some silly things happen along the way. Obviously, or it wouldn't be a road trip. Road trip 101 as from the perspective of Cassady having undergone a 35 hour trip: 1. If you know how far you're driving that day, book your hotel so you don't get the last SMOKING rooms at the Super 8. You WILL DIE. And if you don't, figure it out or heaven help you. 2. Bring M&M's. Always bring M&M's. And if you think you have enough . . . buy more. 3. Get your car heater fixed. It doesn't matter how far south you think you're going. You will have a historical storm come through that will make everything feel like an icebox. Including the inside of your car. 4. Beware of southern drivers. 5. Texas smells . . . and is HUGE and FLAT. 6. Louisiana smells. 7. Georgia . . . smells. Okay, okay. So it wasn't all that bad. After spending the night trying to sleep in an uncleaned (Seriously. Hair all over the tub, floor hadn't been vacuumed.) smoking room. Which, to some people isn't all that bad. And I tried to be grateful for having a bed to sleep in in a warm building, but my gratitude was tested. And I'll admit, it was good for me. Anyway . . . After that sleepless night and driving for what seemed like was forever but was really only half way, we nestled in to this wonderful hotel and a wonderful Mexican restaurant (best Mexican food I've ever had, people.) and played card games and took a little break. I then counted my blessings. Moving here wasn't easy. And it hasn't been easy since we got here, either. But life isn't easy. It never has been. But we have what we need. We are happy. And I got my M&M's. Life is good. Even when you get into a car wreck and have to go to the bathroom but can't because your strapped to a stretcher and you think you're going to die and you can't decide which is worse, the pain in your head, or having to hold it for a half hour without being able to cross your legs but because of the car accident your car is totaled and you miss your movie and can't touch your head for a week and it hurts to move and sit and lay down and stand and then you get home from the hospital at two in the morning only to realize the tow truck took your keys and your car whilst you and your husband were trying to figure out if you should go to the hospital and you're locked out and you're really P.O.'d and all you do is cry because you just moved so far from everything familiar and then you realize it's okay because you're alive and breathing and have a home to go to, even if you are locked out until the ER key guy gets there . . . (Deep breath.) Yes, folks, even then . . . life is good. Anyway. We are loving Georgia so far. The people are nice. The trees are nice. The apartment is nice. And although the smell might not be so nice. For now, it's our home. Our wonderful, swampy, green home.

Here's to The New Year

Soooo. Here we are. I haven't really felt like I've had a purpose to blog in a long time, nothing to say worth reading. But here I am, standing by George's side, awaiting our first big adventure. Neither of us saw it coming. I feel like some of the biggest things in life, you don't, they kind of just creep up on you. Well here's to a Happy NewYear starting off fresh . . . In Georgia. 

A few months ago George started applying to graduate programs. We were pretty sure we were going to Texas and then one day this random school popped up and George called me up and said "I know it sounds strange but this is the school. This is where we're going." Of course I rolled my eyes and about six weeks later here we are! It's amazing how your entire life can fit into one little trailer. 

So here's to embracing new things in this new year. Here's to big and ventures, and small ones. Here's to loved ones, new, old, an the ones we don't know yet. Here's to being closer to one sibling. Here's to no real goodbye because families are forever. And here's to George and Me living it up in good old Georgia. Savannah, ready or not, here we come!!!