Askin' All Them Questions..

I love the "Questions" song/video on YouTube. It never gets old, and I may or may not know all the words? Anyways, I stumbled across this little survey this morning on Facebook and decided to fill it out for Jack and him for me. Enjoy!


1. What is something your husband always says to you?

"Let's go!"He loves to go places, eat at new restaurants, and try new things. I'm more of the homebody. Also, "okay!" Anything I ask for or suggest he agrees to 99.9999% of the time.

2. What makes your husband happy?

Camden- his son. He loves that little boy more than anything! Time with our family turns him into this big teddy bear. I'd also say baseball. It's a close second.

3. What makes your husband sad?

In relation to #2, not getting to see Camden as much as he would like. Also, Jack is such a passionate teacher, and I know firsthand that it makes him sad to see his students not care and not try. It breaks his heart. He's even broke down crying in class before. His students KNOW how much he cares for them!

4. How does your husband make you laugh?

When he tries to dance. He has no sense of rythym. Lol.

5. What was your husband like as a child?

He was a little mischievous boy! He also talked and asked questions a lot, and now he is getting his payback for that!

6. How old is your husband?

He is 33! He will be 34 on November 9.

7. How tall is your husband?

Really dang tall. 6'2 or 6'3. But I love it!

8. What is his favorite thing to do?

I really can't pick just one thing here. Travel, be outside, play/watch baseball, and make other people smile. He also really loves running! (Weirdo.)

9. What does your husband do when you're not around?

Miss me like crazy and text me. Lol. We really are together most of the time, so honestly I don't know.

10. If your husband becomes famous, what will it be for?

Well we have applied to be contestants on The Amazing Race, so I think that would be a possibility.

11. What is your husband really good at?

What ISN'T he good at!? He is such a handy man and surprises me every day with things I would never think to be able to do. However, if I had to pick on thing, I would say he is REALLY good at cooking breakfast!

12. What is your husband not very good at?

Singing and dancing. He's quite lacking in the musical department. (Love you anyways babe!)

13. What does your husband do for a job? 

He teaches Algebra like a BOSS!

14. What is your husband's favorite food?

I honestly have no clue. He is always trying new foods and loves most everything he eats. (A true man.) He does really love barbecue though and has craved it a lot lately!

15. What makes you proud of your husband? 

What makes me proud of Jack is that he is always able to find positives amongst negative situations.  His positive outlook is contagious!

16. If your husband were a character, who would he be?

He would probably be one of the Avengers or Marvel superheroes.

17. What do you and your husband  do together?

EVERYTHING!!!! Except teach together. That's gonna be a new one this year. :(

18. How are you and your husband the same?

We are alike in many ways. We both love to travel, and we love to go new places. We have similar likes and dislikes. We both have such a drive to see our students do well and it's nice to have someone to vent to when they don't. ;)

19. How are you and your husband different?

I mentioned earlier that I am a homebody. Although I do like to travel, when I am home, I want to be HOME. I like to make the most of my mortgage. Also, I'm hesitant at times to try new things (as in foods.) He is very social and will try absolutely anything!

20. How do you know your husband loves you?

Well, I know he loves me because he tells me multiple times a day, and shows me by taking such good care of his family! He always makes sure we are happy and will do anything to keep us that way. It's also so awesome to hear other people tell me just how happy he seems and how his demeanor has changed and how they can tell just how happy he is with me. It's a great feeling for other people to notice things like that.

21. What does your husband like most about you?

He definitely likes my goofy sense of humor, and I'm sure he loves my curves. ;) lol.

22. Where is your husband's favorite place to go?

Anywhere with me and anywhere he's never been. I know he really likes Southern California- as in San Diego.



Now it's time for Jack's answers about me. Enjoy!

1. What is something your wife always says to you?

I love you.  How'd I get so lucky? Can you do me a favor? I miss baby Jonah.

2. What makes your wife happy?

Hopefully me. A clean house. The words bunny and poof.  Baby Jonah. 

3. What makes your wife sad?

Not listening to her, especially if she is asking you to do something.  Being away from her family. 
Her not feeling wanted/respected by her family.

4. How does your wife make you laugh?

Her quirky one liners/questions.

5. What was your wife like as a child?

Quiet,  kept to herself, but smart and intelligent.

6. How old is your wife?

28

7. How tall is your wife?

The perfect height(h)!  THERE IS NO H IN HEIGHT BECAUSE H'S ARE EW!  5'8" I think?

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

Facebook!  Take drives through the country with the windows down, go to the beach, see baby Jonah, go on vacations.

9. What does your wife do when you're not around?

Get in bed or on the couch and get on Facebook or pinterest!  She will sometimes clean when im gone.

10. If your wife becomes famous, what will it be for?

Becoming a professional blogger.  She is an amazing writer and she has an uncanny way of getting her point/view (s) across to readers. 

11. What is something your wife is really good at?

Arguing.  That is why I think she would make a great lawyer.  She is good at writing.  She is amazing at motivating students. 

12. What is something your wife is not good at?

Loading the dishwasher.  I always have to reorganize so that more can go in it.  Part of it may be my OCD too.  I wish she would see the good in situations more than the bad.

13. What does your wife do for a job?

Be my wife.  That is a job in itself. But she is amazing at it!  Oh, and she is a teacher and even more awesome at that.

14. What is your wife's favorite food?

Mesican.  She loves some chips and salsa!

15. What makes you proud of your wife?

EVERYTHING!  Proud of her confidence, proud of her intellegence, proud of her thoughtfullness, proud of her witiness, proud of her beauty, proud of her accomplishments, proud of her strength.  There would be less to type if this question was "What are you not proud of?"

16. If your wife were a character, who would she be?

Cinderella.  Two reasons.  1.) She loves Cinderella and 2.) She has been rescued from a broken heart and tough road.  She is now loved and cherished by her knight.

17. What do you and your wife do together?

EVERYTHING!  She is my best friend and I wouldnt want to do anything with any body else. 

18. How are you and your wife the same?

We finish each other's sandwiches!  We think alike.  We are almost always on the same page.  We like doing the same things.

19. How are you and your wife different?

I try to see the good side in everything and know that things happen for a reason.  My wife sees the worst case scenario and it tears her up which tears me up to see her like that.

20. How do you know your wife loves you?

Because she has stood by my side through tough times and great times.  She encourages me and supports me.  She does things that I like, sometimes, even if she doesnt like to do it (ie. Running).  She praises me when I accomplish something and she tries to lift me up when I dont.  She is my shoulder to cry on when I am feeling down.  She will listen to me when I need to complain. 

21. What does your wife like most about you?

My legs ;)  Hopefully my experience in situations.  My words of encouragement.  My willingness to do anything for her at a drop of the dime.  My respect for her.  My love for her.

22. Where is your wife's favorite place to go?

Anywhere warm.  She does not lke to be cold.  Preferably a beach, but Vegas, North Georgia, or Phoenix will also do.

My Mom Rides Roller Coasters

I remember when I was about ten or so our church youth group took a trip to Six Flags in Atlanta. My mom was one of the adults who always went on our youth trips. My thirty-something-year-old (yes, she is young!) fanny-pack wearing mama was going to Six Flags. I had never been before, and was kind of nervous. Would I fall out? What if the thing gets stuck? What if the seatbelt comes loose? I will never forget as long as I live just how scared I was as our group walked up to "The Ninja." I almost puked as we snaked through the lines and up to the platform. Just before picking the seat we wanted, my mom grabbed my hand and pulled me in with her. I was shaking from head to toe. She buckled us in and pulled down the shoulder harnesses. I was too scared to even move. I don't think I took a breath the whole way up the hill. Noticing this, mom reached over, grabbed my hand and with a smile said "Don't be scared Kaylabell!" When the ride was over I was so thankful. Mostly that it was over, but also thankful that I had a mom who didn't want me to be afraid. I remember that it banged her head around so much that it made her earrings poke her head and she was bleeding. Still, I was in awe. I have the coolest mom ever. My mom rides roller coasters.

We rode others that day- The Scream Machine,  Batman, Mindbender...but I will never forget how I thought my mom was SO cool. And by default, that made ME cool. It still makes me laugh that she and my dad have season passes to Dollywood, and that she rides the roller coasters there too.

In my short twenty-eight years, my mom and I have been on many other roller coasters together. She was on the "Overly-dramatic Middle School Hormones" one with me, bless her heart. She was the first person I told when I was accepted to college. Even though she didn't understand at times, she was on one with me all throughout college, and I'm sure she was SO happy when it was over, just as happy as I was getting off "The Ninja". She was the first person I called when I got my first teaching job, and I know she was excited to get off the "Teaching Job Hunt" ride I dragged her on every once in a while. She was on one with me the day Jack and I bought our first home. A really fun one was the day we told her we had eloped. That one really thrilled her. She loves to ride the "Dance Party" one. My mama absolutely loves to dance. Is she good at it? Not really. But she has a good time, and that's all that matters. The "30 Years of Marriage" one is probably her favorite. I know she LOVES being on that one with my Dad.



There were some that I liked more than she probably did. The "Let's Move to Nashville (With One Week's Notice)" one was pretty surprising and unexpected for her. Regardless, she hopped right on it with me. Then there was the "Kayla Ran Away...to Hawaii" one. That one nearly made her heart stop.



We've been on some super fun rides, but we've also been on some not so fun ones, and even some down right scary ones. Mom, do you remember that ride called "Rebellion"? That one was scary for me too, because I wasn't sure where it was going or when it would end. Remember "The Eating Disorder"? Lord you prayed us BOTH through that bumpy ride. The ones called "Heart Break" and "Depression" were pretty bad too. You didn't know how to fix that, and I'm sure as a mom it was hard to watch me on those, especially the times I had to ride it alone.Those were rough, and jerked us both around pretty hard. Thank you for riding those with me when you could.

Probably the scariest one I ever pulled you on was the one called "Ugly Divorce". That unfamiliar, unpredictable ride was the  worst one I've ever asked you to ride with me. You'd never been on one like that before, nor will you ever be again, trust me. Daddy has always been so good to you, has never laid a hand on you, or talked ugly to you. This, this was scary for us both. But I was so thankful that you reached over, buckled my seatbelt, pulled down my shoulder harness, and told me over and over, "Don't be scared Kaylabell!"  And even though I was scared, we still made it through. We got off that terrible ride, never ever to get back on.  You didn't have to ride that one with me, but you did. You didn't have to ride any of them with me, but we rode them all together, and so far, we've made it through every one. We haven't fallen out, we HAVE been stuck at times, but we always made it to the end together. Because YOU are the cool mom who rides roller coasters.

Growing Pains

I moved to Nashville in March 2011. I went straight from living in my parents' house for twenty four years and being within a ten mile radius of my entire family, to living in a whole new state by myself in just a span of two weeks. To say that it rocked my little world would be an understatement. Jack has lived in Nashville for a little more than ten years. He's a little more adjusted to the whole "no family around" thing, as his entire family is scattered across the United States.


I am so thankful for him and that through this crazy journey we came together. I truly don't know what I would do without him. Jack and I are SO incredibly close. Like, how did I previously make it for twenty-seven years of my life without him? We are close because really, we are all we have up here. We have to rely on one another. We have to sacrifice for one another and basically just figure stuff out on our own. We don't have the luxury of calling grandma if Camden is sick. We don't get a free babysitter if one of us has a dentist appointment or if we want to go out.


While this seems difficult at times, and often results in feelings of loneliness, frustration, tears, and vent sessions between the two of us, there are times when I feel like Superwoman. I've had to deal with stuff that most of my friends will never have to deal with. I don't have mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, or cousins at my fingertips or beckoning call. Yes, I have close friends up here who would do their best to help me out at the drop of a hat. But they have lives and family too, and sometimes they aren't there. Like when Jack and I had to move from our apartments to our new home- we had to do that all by ourselves, just the two of us. No help. At all. And it sucked. But as always, we relied on one another, communicated well, and it got done. We had to.


We do have some trusted support networks in our area, but again, they have families and children of their own to tend to. This leads to the feeling of being "un-needed." I get that feeling a lot. No one here needs my help. No one around here needs my friendship. Many people we know and are friends with in our community already have lifelong friends and family that are close by, so why would they call me? I am not needed. Sometimes I feel that no one at home needs me either. They've made it just fine for the four years I've been gone.


We have already started talking about how to handle the holidays this year. Last year, we spent Thanksgiving in Knoxville, Christmas Eve in Knoxville, and then Christmas Day with my family. We will probably just do the same thing this year because it worked out pretty well for us. But what happens when we have children of our own? (Lord willing!) Do they have to get dragged around here and there and never get to enjoy Christmas in the comforts of their own home? Will they get the opportunity to run down the stairs at OUR house to see what Santa has brought, or will it always happen at someone else's house? Not to say they'd enjoy it any less if it took place somewhere other than their own home, but still, it's the principle of the fact. I mean, what if one Christmas someone got the flu and we COULDN'T go home; the hassle of having to "hide" presents; the cost alone of traveling. The stress adds up, and so do the miles on our cars. Sorry if this hurts feelings, but I can literally count on one hand the number of times I've been visited by my family since I moved to Nashville. Man, it would be so nice to have the roles reversed now and then. However, I doubt that will change anytime soon with the pending arrival of the first biological grandchild. Cam is technically the first. I know it was my choice to move here- and it may sound like I'm being whiny and selfish, but I am being whiny and selfish. My blog, my rules.


I love my family more than anything, so don't think that this is a bash my family blog, because it's not. I miss them. I am missing the birth of my nephew, birthday parties, family get-togethers, funerals...I hate feeling left out. Again, I know it was my choice to move here, and really the career opportunity here makes up for some of it, but definitely doesn't replace it. Not really sure how to end this blog, because it feels like one long hissy fit. So, rant over. Carry on.

Obsession

Any person who is close to me or has hung out with me for an extended period of time knows that I have a terrible, no good, rotten, annoying habit. Sigh. I twirl my hair. Not just a little bit. Not just every now and then. Not just when I am nervous. I twirl my hair compulsively. My mom said I started doing it when I was two years old. All throughout my life I was told "Stop doing that or your hair is going to fall out!" or something along those lines. I said the other day that my hair has started falling out at an alarming rate. Now, those words from childhood are haunting me.


Here's how it works: I randomly select a small "chunk" of hair from the back or side of my head. I wrap said piece of hair around every one of my fingers- starting with the pinky. I wrap and twist and twirl until the hair is so tightly wrapped around my fingers that it's sometimes painful, and my fingers turn purple. My fingers are constantly sore from where I pull my hair so tightly around them. I'm sure you're thinking- just pull your hair up so you won't do it! Oh no. That doesn't work. Even when it's up I manage to pull tiny strands out of the bun or ponytail I'm sporting and I'll twirl those. I've even started doing it in my sleep.


And I confess to you today that this bad habit is getting much, much worse. The first step is admitting you have a problem..right?!


The weird part is that half the time, I don't even realize I am doing it. Only when my fingers hurt, I need both hands to do something, or someone tells me to stop is when I am aware of what I am doing. Jack absolutely hates it. It drives him completely insane sometimes. He knows I am not "stupid" but he has told me that when we are in public and I am talking to someone while twirling my hair, that it makes me come across as sort of ditzy. (Even though I DESPISE that whole Jessica-Simpson-over-the-top-obviously-acting-stupid thing.) Again, I am not even aware that I am twirling my hair some of these times, and I truly cannot help it. And I especially am not a ditz, thank you.


Today as I looked down at my pinky fingers and noticed they were "dented" and purplish, I decided to do an innocent inquiry as to what my deal is and why I keep doing this crap. So, I googled "Hair Twirling". This yielded me 1.58 million results. (OH.MY.GOD.) After searching through the first twelve or so, I had immediately self-diagnosed myself (I do this frequently. Thanks, WebMD) with a disorder called Trichotillomania. This disorder is when a person compulsively pulls their hair (check!), and may result in the person pulling their hair out (check!). What is even worse is that according to this site I looked at, it stated that "Women account for "70% to 90% of all cases." People have to wear wigs because of this. People get scalp infections from this. Some people eveb EAT the hair they pull out. EW. So much for a light-hearted internet search.


But it's not like I am intentionally pulling my hair from my head- that HURTS. I just mess with it to the point where sometimes a strand or two will fall out on its own. (I am now assuming it is due to frequent stress and tension that I cause...) I found another article called Am I Nuts? that was written by a psychologist at Yale. This psychologist absolutely insists that hair twirling is done in self defense and that it is a "body language clue to people around you." Hmm. I am guessing it is a subconscious body language suggestion for me then? It goes on to state: "What does your finger in your locks say? It says, 'Leave me alone! I'm reading.'" I can deal with that.


Still, am I crazy? AM I nuts? I am not trying to convey my emotions to anyone through twirling my hair. It's just a habit! It's comforting! So finally, I looked up nervous habits. I found this website about nervous habits. I could feel the Yin and Yang, smell the essential oils, and feel the deep breaths when I clicked on this page. (No offense to you essential oils folks. I'm actually considering trying them.) I found this statement: "Nervous habits related to 'hair' such as twirling or pulling hair, are often linked to the head or the crown chakra. This is about boredom, lack of concentration, consciousness, a desire to open the crown chakra and 'see' beyond. emotional problems" Oh. Yes. So it's saying that as I twirl my hair, I am in a state of peace or a trance, and am seeing beyond my many problems. Excuse me as I grab a piece of hair and tightly coil it around my fingers....

Stepmomster

On December 29, 2014, my life changed forever. I married the man of my dreams, and in that very moment I became a wife and a stepmother. I didn't just gain a husband, I gained myself a family. Let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE Camden to pieces. He is such a sweet, loving boy and BOTH his dad and mom have done a great job in raising him. He's only three years old, but already has impeccable manners and is too stinkin' smart for his own britches sometimes. Being that it is unlikely I will ever be able to have children of my own, Cam is the closest thing I have to a "baby." All forty pounds of him. I absolutely love spending time with him and Jack, and the two of them sometimes can make my heart just burst.


I want to say this in a way that doesn't hurt any feelings or make anyone mad, but basically, being a stepmom is really hard. I've only been at it a few months, but it's much different than when I was just a "girlfriend." I am responsible for this child. I need to care for him as if he were my own. I need to protect him from things that could hurt him. At the same time, there is a fine line I have to walk. He is not my biological child. There are certain things that I can't and won't do. I can't console him like his mom would. I can try, but it's probably nowhere near as close. If he falls and gets hurt or has a bad dream, ten times out of ten says he is not going to be screaming "KayKay!" I can't just plan a birthday party for his friends and family to attend. And as morbid as this sounds (please, bear with me!)- if anything ever happened to Jack, I wonder all the time if I would ever get to see Camden or still be a part of his life. It's not my decision, unfortunately. I WON'T punish him- that's daddy's job. However, I already (at times) see resentment towards me when daddy does punish him. Like, maybe if KayKay weren't here I wouldn't be in trouble.... He has a killer side eye.


We get jealous of each other. Am I a terrible person for admitting that? Probably... But it's true. There are times when Jack and I will be standing in the kitchen and I'll hug him or he will hug me, and immediately little man will rush over and try to get between us. He even cried once when he saw us hugging and said through his tears "I don't feel very happy." Wow. Heartbreak. I don't think I necessarily get jealous of him as a person- I love him to pieces! I just know my love for him and Jack's love for him are totally different. Do we both love Cam? Absolutely. But we love him in different ways. Again- he's not my biological child, so I DON'T have that connection to him. Already I find myself struggling with how I am supposed to handle these things. I know I should not take it personally- he's only three years old. But all to often I find myself wondering- Does it get better? Does it get easier?


Back in January I started reading several books about how to deal with the difficulties that come along with being a stepmom, how to deal with the ex, how to maintain a healthy marriage...blah blah blah. I'm not going to tell you the names of the books, but I will tell you that all of them were completely useless. The books all said the same thing: be OVERLY nice to the step-child, suffer silently through any emotional distress you feel, take medicine if you have to, and (gasp!) the most frightening suggestion of all- have your own baby with your husband so that you won't feel so left out and alone. WHAT THE WHAT?! That is just plain SCARY advice, and definitely not what I was wanting to hear. Being a stepmom doesn't mean having to be passive-aggressive. It doesn't have to mean suffering or dealing with pain or unexplained emotions you may feel. Right?!


I decided to do some research among my friends. Several of them are stepmoms too, and have been for much longer than a few months. I promised to keep their names completely anonymous, but did let them know I would probably use their answers for the purpose of this blog. I asked them all three questions:


1. What is the most rewarding part of being a stepmom?


2. What is the most challenging part of being a stepmom?


3. How do you handle those challenges?


Every. Single. One. had pretty much the same answers on the first two questions. It was FRIGHTENING how alike they were- like they had a big meeting before they all decided to answer my message- even though many of them aren't acquaintances.


ALL of them said that the most rewarding part of being a stepmom was the family aspect of it and
how it's awesome to see the kids interact with the father and stepmother in a positive way. It is rewarding to see them do something you asked them to do or taught them to do. I see this with Camden OFTEN. He is like a little sponge and absorbs knowledge in copious quantities. It is unbelievable to watch him learn. Just yesterday he was READING. READING! He got some flashcards in his Easter basket a few weeks ago, and he already has the numbers, letters, and basic sight words down pat. He's currently working on mastering his addition and subtraction facts at the age of three. Now, you may say "Well that's rewarding to see with ANY child" and you'd be correct. But this is CAMDEN. The boy I fix dinner for, tuck in to bed, and play Ninja Turtles with. He's our boy! Proud stepmom moments for sure.


Next question. All of the stepmoms also said that the most challenging part of being a stepmom is that you AREN'T mom. Kids will remind you of that verbally, physically, or any way they can to get the message across. Camden hasn't said the whole "You're not my mommy" to me, and I hope I never make him feel like he has to. There have been times where I've cried over some things he's said to me, but like I said- I remind myself that he's only three and not to take it personally because he is just processing his feelings like I am, just in a different way. Many of them also said that sometimes different viewpoints from the mother and father and lack of communication are very challenging. We've found this to be true also, but that being said we KNOW we all have Camden's best interest at heart.


Finally- the one question where every answer was different. Which- TADA!- I totally understand why. Everyone deals with things and responds to stressors in different ways. There's no "one right way" to be a stepmom, or a parent for that matter. Trial and error. Jack and I have decided that if there is EVER an issue about ANYTHING- we WILL talk about it. I will not "suffer silently" and hold in my feelings. First of all, if you know me WHATSOEVER you know that would and could never happen. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and my emotions are ALWAYS written on my face. I was born without a poker face. We've always had a great line of open communication about everything, which is why our relationship is so great. We've also talked about other ways to deal with our issues- spend a ton of time together as a family, but also there are times when daddy and Cam have "dude time" too. I don't want Cam to feel like daddy belongs only to me. He needs to feel special and loved in a way that only daddies can. For now, we are working through these issues so that when Cam gets older, hopefully there won't be many, and I won't be considered a "Stepmomster."

All that being said, I want to give a shout out to my grandmother (who does not have Facebook or even a computer) and my stepgrandmother. These women are truly amazing. Both of them have always shown nothing but class and respect when they're around one another at church events, birthday parties, or ballgames. They've never made any of us 234987 grandkids/great-grandkids feel awkward. My stepgrandmother has ALWAYS made us feel as though we were her own flesh and blood. She's always shown us unconditional love, has never spoke badly of my grandmother (nor would she ever because she is just THAT nice!), and she has taken part in all major life events. She didn't have to pick us up from school when we were sick, teach us how to drive (and drive well at that!), teach us how to cook (which she totally ROCKS at btw!), or just give us advice on how to handle hard times in life. You helped me through many situations WAY more than you will ever know. I love you Pam (aka Nana), and I am so thankful to have you as a "bonus" grandma!

Spring Break

Snap back to reality....


We were talking the other day and realized that we've only been in school for 7 and a half days in one month's time (including Spring Break). I have enjoyed the time off, but I am excited to get back in the classroom and finish out this school year.


Last week was our Spring Break. In the past four years I've lived in Tennessee I have YET to know why they take Spring Break before it's even technically Spring. Whatever. Anyitsstillcold, we had a good one nonetheless.


We had Camden the first weekend of Spring Break. We started our weekend running errands and playing at home while Jack attended a couple of AdvoCare meetings. We read books, played on the iPad, and watched (of course) Ninja Turtles due to the yucky rain and he didn't seem to be feeling well. Sunday was B-E-A-Utiful and everyone was feeling much better! Soccer was played, cars were washed, and we even did a little yard work. Future reference- Camden hates yard work. Even if it's something as simple as picking up sticks and putting them in the brush pile out back. He just wasn't having it.

We had baseball games Monday and Tuesday (lost them both- BOO.) Wednesday it was time to head to Georgia. We got there just in time to visit my sister and her husband before church. Jon was just about to cut the grass so I made him a Spark so he'd have the energy he'd need  get the job done. They have a new house and a HUGE yard.. He LOVED it. The next day he told us "I cut the grass, I cleaned the nursery, organized the closet, rode my exercise bike...I couldn't stop!" Needless to say he loved Spark! Thursday we ate lunch at Mossy Creek Elementary with my sweet Ryleebug. She made sure we knew EXACTLY what time to be there (11:17AM, KayKay). Little goof didn't eat a bite of her food except for her ice cream Jack bought her.

Fast forward to Saturday night- my parents very graciously hosted a wedding shower for us on Saturday. We decorated with bright, Spring colors and flowers. It looked super cute. It was a nice, small gathering of family members and close friends. Jack's parents were even able to drive down from Knoxville to attend, which was a nice surprise for us. Thank you SO much to everyone who did come. Jack and I truly appreciate you all being there. It meant the world to us that you took time out of your busy lives to spend a couple of hours with us while we were in town.



Rewind to Saturday morning- Jack and I wanted some "traditional" wedding pictures, even though nothing about us is "traditional" in any way, shape, form or fashion. We got all fancied up, and I picked up some cheap (Dollar Tree) flowers and made a surprisingly beautiful bouquet. My sister Carly did an amazing job with the pictures, and it could not have been a more beautiful day. We had several people ask us if we had another ceremony, but nope- these were just for photo-ops. We got married in December. :) Here are some of her amazing pictures (I know most of you have looked at them on Facebook already.) I just can't get over how good they are and how much I just LOVE this husband of mine.

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Disney Snowcationmoon

Y'all. I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of cold weather. Just ridiculous. Snow! Ice! More snow! More ice! 8763 inches of snow on the way! Puke. I couldn't take another second of cold weather. When I saw on Monday that we were supposed to get up to a foot of snow, I thought my brain was going to explode. I immediately hopped online and started looking at places to escape to before the snow hit us. I looked at Destin- rainy and cold. I looked at Phoenix- $800 for one flight?! Umm, no, thanks. So then we looked at Orlando- sunny, 80s, DONE. We waited until Tuesday to see how the weather was going to pan out. With the snow looking more and more imminent, we figured we were safe to book our getaway. We booked our hotel through Hotwire, and we knew we were getting a MINDBLOWING deal that we couldn't resist. We packed up, loaded the car, and were ready to take off at the first sign of flakes. We also decided to seem this our honeymoon. We didn't get one right after we married, so we figured this should definitely count as one. And since it was just like our wedding (very last minute, "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" kind of deal) it seemed quite appropriate.

Wednesday rolled around, and just after 9am they decided to release us from school early. When the clock struck noon, we were OUT! Bye cold, yucky Nashville- hello sunny, hot, humid Florida. We drove straight through, stopping only for gas and a potty break. We made it down around 1:30 in the morning and passed out. We woke up the next day to blasting sunshine and a heat wave. YES THANK YOU JESUS LORD. We put on our swimsuits and headed out to soak in as much sun as possible. We got a little sun, but I mostly loved laying there sweating, feeling the sun on my face, and hearing water splashing around. It. Was. Perfect. We've already decided that we are going to be THOSE snowbirds with a Florida home, or we are just going to retire here altogether.

Friday we decided to take on Disney- ALL of Disney. As in fourteen hours, all four parks. Doable? Yes. Crazy? Yes. Does anything about us surprise anyone anymore? Probably not. We got our park hopper tickets and took off! We strategized the night before about what parks to go to in what order, what we wanted to ride, what we were going to eat (yes, we are THOSE guys who meal prepped for Disney, lol), what all shows we wanted to see, etc.

We got to the park at 8:00am. Literally, the Aladdin lot, front row parking. FRONT. ROW. Already a great day. We hopped on a bus and went over to our first stop- Animal Kingdom. I've never been to this park, so I was SUPER pumped about going. We went to guest relations after being told by friends to get the "Honeymooner's Button." These were adorable and we got compliments and special surprises all day. More about that later. We knew we wanted to do a safari, so as soon as they let us in we booked it there after a selfie by the Tree of Life.  No waiting- no line! Awesomeness! The safari was AWESOME. We saw all kinds of animals up close and personal, and it was just a really neat experience. New fav! We also rode the Expedition Everest Rollercoaster and a Dinosaur ride. Again, no lines! I liked Animal Kingdom a LOT, however, it's basically a glorified zoo. We did everything we wanted there, so on to the next park- Hollywood Studios!

     

In front of Animal Kingdom

The Tree of Life

I've been to this park before when I was seven or eight years old and I remember being bored out of my mind. Much, much better as an adult. We had arranged our Fast Pass for the Aerosmith Rock n' Roller Coaster, which was AWESOME. We rode the Toy Story adventure ride (and waited only 15-20 minutes) which is an interactive game ride where you shoot at things and get points. Of course Jack won, and of course it was because I let him. (HA.) We caught the Beauty and the Beast show, which I loved, and then rode the classic Star Wars ride. The one thing we didn't do here- take a lot of pictures. Whoops. We checked off everything on our to do list there- moving on to Epcot!

Toy Story 3-D Adventure Ride

As said before- I went here when I was younger but was way too young to appreciate this park. As an adult- again, AWESOMENESS. We went STRAIGHT for the Chevrolet Test Track, (men, hehe.) it was pretty neat actually- you design your own concept car on a computer, then it's "tested" based on your designs. (Or at least they let you think it is.) Afterwards, we walked to all the different "countries" in Epcot and settled on a Pizzeria, Via Napoli, for lunch.  All day we'd been getting "Congrats!" Thanks to our buttons we wore. At lunch, they brought us a special (and free!) dessert and sang to us. Precious! We received congrats all day- to the point where it was almost annoying the number of times we said thank you in return, but it was fun and special nonetheless. It was also here at Epcot where Jack just happened to see a "Character Spot" and asked what characters were inside- it was Mickey, Minnie and Goofy! Also, NO WAIT! We walked right in and got our photos like a BOSS. I was in complete disbelief at the lack of lines. I know I keep saying that over and over, but DANG, how lucky can one get at Disney?!

Epcot Picture

Character Spot- STILL thrilled we got to meet three of them!

It started to get chilly and windy so we decided to book it to Magic Kingdom for a photo with my home aka the castle before it got dark. We made it just in time to get a castle pic before complete darkness set in. We got to do several things here because of no lines. We went to the Hall of Presidents, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Carribean, It's a Small World, Buzz's Adventures, and Space Mountain, which was the ride that we waited for the longest all day. (A whopping 25 minutes!)
 I've been to Disney several times and have waited HOURS for these rides. The windy, cooler day was the perfect day to go. Again, I'm still in wonder that we walked on to nearly every ride we went to all day long.  We finished up our last ride and went towards to castle to claim a good spot to watch the fireworks show. It was breathtaking, as always.

Classic Castle Picture

Now I'm going to play pessimist here. The whole fireworks show was narrated by Jiminey Cricket, and was all about a "wishes come true" concept. While this may be an outstanding concept for a six year old, why are we hammering that "If you just WISH for something, it WILL happen"?  If I "wish" for  my masters degree, ta-da! If I wish for a new car, ta-da! If I wish for a million dollars, TA-DA! I wished for it! I wished on a star! Where's my masters degree? My car? My  money? Why can't we teach these kids that hard work and dedication gets you to your goals? I know I certainly didn't get to where I am today because I wished on a star. Why can't we teach them that determination is what makes a wish come true, and that sometimes... (Gasp!) you DON'T and WON'T get everything you want! Hard to believe, I know. I've always wanted a Porcsche. I've always wanted a butler. Neither of those are ever going to happen, and I'm ok with that. (Plus, a butler would be kind of creepy.) But I digress. Let kids be kids and wish on stars and stuff.

Saturday we played putt-putt together. It's a classic and must for us every time we go on vacation. Jack usually wins, but again, it's because I let him, of course. I really just loved spending quality time with my husband. That's what a honeymoon is about right?!

Anyhow, we had a splendid time on our Disney Snowcationmoon. We were blessed with gorgeous weather, small crowds, and each other. The only thing I can think that would have made it better was of we could've brought Camden. I know it was our honeymoon, but the WHOLE time we were saying "OMG Cam would love this!" Or "Man Camden would go nuts!" We really missed the little guy a lot and already have talked about what all we want to do when we bring him back when he's a little older. On our 12 hour drive home yesterday, we made a hilarious video that pretty accurately portrays our road trips together. You'll find the link HERE- go watch! I promise it won't disappoint.