26 days

The final days are upon us. We have twenty-six days left until Exodus (as Adam likes to call it). So. Many. Emotions.

So, I have a lot of things to update the world on. First, Adam and I have both landed jobs in Athens, Ga! We are so thrilled and relieved to have these lined up before we actually move back home, especially because (more big news!) we've decided to buy a house! Our first house! This wasn't something we set out to do. In fact we had previously been contacting several agents about rental properties around Athens, but none of them allowed big dogs and they were all pretty pricey. I mean what were we supposed to do with our poor Marley Girl?? So those were quickly marked off our list. We then came across this sweet little house for sale and thanks to Adam's knowledge on mortgages, we realized we could afford to purchase this home and our monthly mortgage payment would be HALF of what we would have paid at any of the other rental properties. So Adam began digging and this quickly became a very realistic option. We're now under contract and have been approved on our loan. Who has two thumbs and could not be more excited?? --> this girl. <--

Our home. <3

Once we decided on Georgia and not Charleston, Athens actually wasn't even the plan. We had considered living closer to Atlanta possibly near Lake Lanier, but everything literally fell together so quickly and beautifully that now we realize Athens was the answer all along. God thumped our foreheads and then suddenly we noticed the giant blinking neon arrows pointing to Athens. These three very exciting bits of information have been in the works for a few months now but I was a little hesitant to break the news in previous posts because it was just a little too early. Of course things could still fall though even now -- we still haven't signed any dotted lines, but everything is looking very promising!

I feel like after all of our struggles over the past few years, God is finally handing us our "happily ever after." I think Adam and I both have felt stuck here in Birmingham, as if our lives have been stagnant for a long time ... and there didn't seem to be an escape. There was (obviously) no way we could speed the whole PA-school-process along any quicker but for so long now we've been ready for the "next thing." And we didn't know exactly what or where that was until recently. It's very hard to be excited about the future when you have absolutely no idea what it entails. But now that we know, now that we can finally see what's outside the tunnel, we are beyond excited. And I don't think I'll know what to do with myself once we have arrived. I'll most likely need a reminder that we do deserve the wonderful things that life is bestowing upon us, because Adam and I have struggled and sacrificed so much for so long to finally be where we're very soon about to be. It's all God's timing. I realize that. And although we faced God's challenge and practiced patience for Him, it definitely wasn't easy. My poor husband has put up with more than his fair share from me. I'm mortified at some of the things I've said or the ways I've acted towards him at times ... all in the name of stress. I am so SO thankful for my Adam. A lesser man couldn't have handled my seemingly-psychotic breaks. And if he can handle me during some of my hardest, saddest, darkest, scariest, meanest times, then I know our future is nothing but gold. ;) I am so excited to make this home ours, carry his babies, and grow old with this man who has sacrificed so much for me and us. He has my heart forever!

Whoa. That got sappy real fast. But it's the truth. School has been hard, and we've been pretty unhappy. I'm very glad things are really looking up for us. We have worked hard, and we do deserve it. So we'll graciously accept our "happily ever after" that's being presented to us on a silver platter and we'll joyfully use it to build the rest of our lives. Athens, here we come!

-- The End. --

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59 Days!

Shooo... It's been quite a while. Things are changing quickly which is a good thing. Also a scary thing because there are many, many loose ends, but it'll all come together.

Basically to catch everyone up on our lives lately, we're both trying to get jobs and we're looking for places to live. We're moving back home to Georgia. We thought about it, prayed about it, cried about it, and decided that as much as we love the idea of Charleston, it's just not where our families are and as it turns out, that's a deal breaker for us. It makes us both sad. Charleston was a dream for us for so long. I guess it's what kept us going during the hard times in school. We would day dream about our future there on the ocean and we'd feel better, even if just a little bit. But that's that. We're coming home. So anyway, we've I've been back and forth to and from home about a gazillion times trying to prepare for our future in Georgia, but we still haven't smoothed out all the wrinkles so that's all I'm going to say about it. I'll update more once we've got more definitive plans.

One of the more fun and specific reasons for going back home has included going to one of Lindsay's bridal showers! It was beautiful, and I was so excited to give her something that was kinda special and something we both loved! Unfortunately I don't have any photos from the shower. That's Lindsay's fault. :)

Not related to a visit back home, but just something fun, last Thursday Adam and I got out of the house to go see a Trombone Shorty concert! It was amazing!! We were both so glad to be able to go thanks to my amazing preceptor on my trauma and burns rotation!

He was very talented with the trombone and trumpet! I'm pretty sure this is a shot of him circle breathing. He literally played one note for like 3 minutes with circle breathing! It was seriously amazing and outrageous.

This is us after the concert. We decided to go to Walmart to pick up some pizza. Adam hates Walmart. Hence, his face.

On Sunday of this week we went to the Oak Mountain Fall Festival, but it turned out to be kind of a dud. :/ Oh well. I did, however, get a foot long corn-dog AND a fried snickers out of it! That was fun. :)

I guess that's about it for now. I'm getting worse and worse about blogging these days but I've got a lot going on at school and at home. I'm also trying to ween off my readers (all 20 of you) because I'm fairly certain after PA school, I'm going to retire Heads and Tales.

Anyway, happy fall, y'all.

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105 Days!

That's right! We're almost to 100's Night for PA school! Can't wait to be in the double digits ... and then singles. :) Adam and I are going to have to start looking for houses soon! Everything is moving so quickly and it's all so exciting!!

So, what have we been up to the last few weeks?? Well, we've been traveling home a lot lately, and the last couple of times we've gone out with Bryan and Whitney on their boat!

It's SUPER fun, and not gonna lie, being out on the boat is pretty convincing that lake life near family and friends can be just as fun as (if not more than) ocean life without family and friends near by.

This past weekend, Adam and I packed up and went out to Pensacola with the pups. We had a great time there, as usual. Here are a few pics...

Grabbing an appetizer on our first day at the beach

Dinner at Atlas on our second night

Adam and our rat-dog, Lucy

 Lucy's pensive pose

Marley's pensive pose. Both of these dogs need to be shaved badly. The good news is, that's happening tomorrow.

 Lucy just gets so worried about her humans being in the water! (This is her mid-bark)

 Our goofy blonde girl

Lucy, pooped out after a long day on the beach followed by a refreshing bath

Oh! And there are two big adventures from the beach that I forgot to share. First, we went parasailing! I had never been before, and Adam had only been once. The girl at the counter told us it was like being in a giant swing set high up in the air, and that's pretty accurate. I was secretly a tiny big terrified being that high up because I knew if I fell that would be it, but it was still a ton of fun. I wish we could have stayed up there longer!

Our second adventure we just happened to stumble upon. Adam had googled something along the lines of "fun in Pensacola" and suddenly found something that said "If you're looking for fun in Pensacola, then Rosie O' Grady's Dueling Piano Show is the place to be!" We agreed it would be fun and different so we cleaned ourselves up and were out the door. I'm not kidding you, we stepped off the streets of Pensacola and into a wild wild west parlor. It was frickin' awesome. And frickin' huge, too. This place had seven rooms and nine bars. The entire thing was decked out to be like something from a movie. It was super neat. Adam said it reminded him of Vegas, of course I've never been. All of the servers and staff had fun costumes that fit right in with the feel of the place. And they even had a magician floating around doing private magic shows for guests. We had appetizers for dinner, then headed a few rooms over to the dueling piano show. We stayed there for the rest of the night because it was so entertaining! As it got later and later, the singers got crazier and we really just had a great time! We will definitely be going back there again. It seems like every time we go to Pensacola, we discover something new about the city and we just love it.

The day after we got back, I went to Mom and Dad's for the week, and that's where I am right now! As usual, it's been wonderful catching up with family, haven't seen a lot of friends though.

Anyway, I had a very reflective intent for this post, but I'm really just not in the mood right now. Basically, I can most definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. It's shining very, very brightly. The light is so bright, in fact, that it's a bit difficult at the moment to see from where the light is coming exactly. But day by day, the other side of the tunnel begins to show itself just a little more. I've come to realize that no matter who is the smartest in our class, or the hardest working or whatever, we'll all make it out of the tunnel one by one, alphabetically, as we cross the stage and shake the hands of our faculty members. 105 days.

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Valentine's Day 2014

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, one day late! Adam and I had an evening full of sushi, silliness, laughter and wine. We were both really tired from our busy weeks, so it was an absolutely perfect evening for us. I thought it might be fun to take a few photos, but when we added the pups in the pictures, things became very difficult. So take your pick on which you think is the best. :)

This morning we went to a yard sale and purchased a few odds and ends. Several of the students in my program, both in my class and in the class below us, are going to Dominican Republic for a medical mission trip, and this yard sale was one of the fund raisers they have organized. So I picked up this fun jewel:

After I bought it I learned it was homemade. I think it's very cute, and it's pretty perfect for my personality. I've been wanting a stool for the evenings so I can sit at the counter and chat with Adam while he cooks us dinner and I think this is just perfect. I know it's something I'll enjoy way more than he will, but I figure eventually when we have a house, it'll fit perfectly in my super girly, super pink and fru-fru craft room. :)
Adam didn't completely lose out on the deal though. He bought a never opened Tom Petty CD that we listened to on the way home. I also got a pair of brown boots and a cute little Christmas ornament with a fun story behind it.
Lucy and Marley came with us to hang out, and Katie Stone caught this photo of Lucy. Silly dog.

This bag was for sale and we were testing it out to see if Lucy would fit in it, but we decided against it. It was a cute bag though!

This afternoon we're going to grill hamburgers with Lindsay and Jon. It'll be a fun evening of friends, good food and relaxation!

Oh. One more thing. Yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of our first date! How CRAZY! So in honor of that, I thought it'd be fun to share the story of how we first met. For those of you who knew us during the time of our wedding, this was the "How They Met" page. Enjoy! :)

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Her Story

Adam secretly loved me all along. But it all started in high school. I came in as a young, naive freshman and he was in his senior year. The moment he met me, he knew he loved me. He had to deny it, even to himself, because how embarrassing would it be to date a freshman?! 

Well, as the year went on, Adam couldn't help but call me and flirt with me like a silly little 5th grader. He pulled several pranks on me and during one of them, he practically begged me to go out on a date with him. Now, I'm not gonna lie. I was kinda smitten for the boy, so I was excited. Adam even confirmed this date in his last will and testament,  where he bequeathed  "one date, maybe more" to me . . .  I didn't get the date till years later.

After Adam's senior year, he ran off to the Air Force Academy. However, he wasn't gone too terribly long, because he absolutely could not stand being states away from me. When he came home, we went out on that date, and poor Adam has been hooked ever since! The rest is history.

It's that simple.

The Real Story

What is it about ditsy blondes? I'm not sure, but apparently Adam saw something. The way I recall it, Katie was definitely a typical 9th grade girl with a crush on a senior guy. The senior guy, we all now know to be Adam, really didn't have a clue. I mean, from what I remember, all of the young girls had a crush on him. Even Katie's best friend and maid of honor, Carly, admitted having a crush on Adam. I seem to remember that she would later grow to be semi-romantically involved with Adam's brother. But that's another story entirely. . .

Where was I? Oh yes. . . The real story. So, the popular senior, Adam, and the ditsy blonde freshman, Katie, met one day. It was obvious that she was immediately smitten. It might have been the luxurious dark locks, the penetrating hazel eyes, or the way he said her name. We shall never know for sure. What we do know is that she was enamored and flirted with him every chance she got.

One day near the end of Adam's senior year there was a party at his friend's house.  With no alcohol involved (they were all pretty innocent at this point) they decided to prank call some friends. How random was it that Adam's best friend, Bryan, happened to have Katie's phone number memorized? 

They proceeded to call Katie and somehow convinced her that she had won a date with anyone in the school. All she had to do was pick the person. After much pause, punctuated by embarrassing silence, she chose Adam.

Well, she never got that date while he was in high school. However, word got round to him about her request, and he decided to leave her "one date, maybe more" in his senior will. 

Fast forward 3 years. Katie's parents hosted a New Years party that Adam happened to attend. After much flirting he decided to take her out on that date. During the date, he promptly made an ass of himself as he slipped in the mud outside of DePalmas on Broad St. It wasn't really his fault though. He had on new shoes, it had been raining A LOT, and his date was absolutely gorgeous. Not the ditsy blonde he remembered from high school.

A few months later, Adam needed a date for a Valentine's Day dinner that his roommate was planning. At the last minute he called Katie. Of course she couldn't deny his charm and agreed to the date. That night was their first kiss, or so I'm told. They're not very forthcoming with that bit of detail. 

The rest is literally history. They dated, argued, threw fists, kicks, the occasional blade, fell in love, argued some more, and eventually figured out what they wanted. Each other. Now they're getting married. Who knew, right? Ditsy blonde + attractive, popular senior = match made in . . . well, they're a good match. 

Now you know the real story. Feel free to ask me questions at the wedding. I'll be the one with the cowboy hat.

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Desoto Falls, Unclaimed Baggage, and the Dog Park

Adam and I have decided we really want to try and enjoy Birmingham/AL since we only have one more year here, so this past weekend, we got busy doing just that!

Saturday morning we drove up to North Alabama, heading to a store called Unclaimed Baggage (more about that in a minute), but on our way there, we stopped to enjoy this beautiful waterfall called Desoto Falls.

We decided that had we been maybe 10 years younger, we might have been stupid enough to jump off the ledge and into the beautiful water below (well, had it been warm enough). Seriously, that water was so clear! It was pretty unbelievable. The whole environment was serene and romantic. It was my favorite part of the whole day for sure.

After we jumped back in the car we finished the drive up to Scottsboro, AL, grabbed lunch at a cute little old-school soda counter, and then finally made it to our destination. So, Unclaimed Baggage is the national center where all unclaimed bags from airports are shipped. It's pretty humorous that this place, where 7000 new items arrive each day, is found in this tiny little town. To be honest, we were a little disappointed with what we found there. Maybe not disappointed by what we found, but we felt like the prices were still pretty steep for used, possibly damaged goods. It was basically just a huge thrift store that was actually kinda expensive. Oh well. It was still fun to go and experience it.

Today we went to a doggie park, and despite what Adam's facebook post made you think, we took both pups. Lucy and Marley were both a little slow to engage with other dogs, but Marley certainly loved all the attention from the dog owners. And I loved giving attention to other dogs! Such fun therapy. :) Marley found a creek and decided it was calling her name. She stayed there for quite a while ... crazy dog.

Anywho, now we're back at the apartment preparing for next week. Adam has tomorrow off, but I don't. :( So to make up for it, I'm eating frozen yogurt covered in an Irish cream liqueur and toffee chips. Mmmmm.

Until next time friends! Have a great week.

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School's out for summer! ......SIKE!!

It always feels like summer break is just too short. Seems like last semester ended just a few days ago. Oh wait...IT DID. And we're already back to the grind, one week into summer semester. But that's ok because this summer is going to  be so FUN. As of now, I'm officially halfway through the didactic phase of PA school. So exciting!!
Here are a few pics of my PA school girls after our last final! Happy and relieved.

So, for my "summer break" Adam and I took the dogs to the beach. The weather wasn't very pretty most of the time there, but we definitely got some time in under the sun. Lucy does not like it when her family is in the water, but as long as everyone is safe on the sand, she absolutely LOVES the beach. We let her off her leash and she paced back and forth, back and forth along the shore line.

The first few days we were there, we took the dogs to the beach behind our hotel. We even saw a dolphin handing out around there! That was pretty neat.

 Hermit crab!

On the second day, it was raining and nasty, so we went to see The Great Gatsby. It was a pretty good movie, but Adam and I laughed at how we as freshman in high school were supposed to read that book and dig through all the language to piece out all the underlying themes and the significance of all the symbols. It really was a good movie, and we did enjoy it more than the original. :)

Our last night there, we went out for frozen yogurt and came across a whole bunch of high school couples heading to prom. They were out taking pictures near the water. We watched them pose and pucker until they walked off, which was funny to see because half the girls took off their shoes and they hadn't even gone to dinner yet. It made me think of my senior prom 8 years ago.

:)

Anyway, the last day was the prettiest day, of course. So we packed up and headed out to the beach. I got lots of cute pictures of the girls here. 

 Lucy running the beach like a maniac.

 She was so happy!

Anywhere Marley and Adam went, Lucy went too!

And a few of us.

After the beach, we went out for one more meal in Pensacola. We ended up at a SUPER cute outdoor "food plaza"-- if you will -- right near the downtown area. There were two food trucks arranged around an outdoor patio area with several tables and chairs. There were also palm trees and hanging lights. The atmosphere was really really fun.

Even though we didn't spend every available moment at the beach, Adam and I both absolutely loved being near the water. Things just operate differently in a coastal town. We're pretty certain we're heading towards the water as soon as I graduate and we're both very excited about it. We're thinking Charleston. We've only been once but from what we can gather, it seems like it's the artsy feel of Athens, the city we know and love, but on the water. Athens + water = perfection. So we'll see what happens!

This past week in school, this happened.

Don't worry. It was just for practice. And they cut it off right after. But I was happy to be a model ... I've never had a cast put on before.

And then this past weekend, we loaded the girls back up in the car and headed to Florida...again!

I think even they're getting tired of all the time we've spent in the car... but it was for good reason because we bought Adam a truck! We're so excited! :)

Shooooo! That was quite a bit to catch up on. The crazy thing is, we're headed back to Florida this coming weekend too. More on that next week! :)

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