We're Back!

I cannot even put into words what a wonderful long weekend Hal and I had. It was just the break we both needed. We stayed in a beautiful hotel with a marvelous view, and soaked up the beautiful weather all weekend.

We got to Charleston about 2:00 on Thursday, after stopping in Columbia at our favorite burger spot, Salty Nut, for lunch. When we arrived, we couldn't check into our hotel yet, so we drove out to Sullivan's Island for a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful 75 degrees outside, so we really enjoyed our walk. We finally got to check in around 4:00, and were delighted with our room, and the beautiful view.

Check out the view from our room:

It was the beautiful (and busy) Charleston Harbor

This is our room, with a wrap around balcony. One side faced the ocean, the other faced the harbor. The balcony is where we spent most of our time.

Thursday night, Hal and I decided to get all dressed up and go downtown to celebrate our anniversary the right way. We had 8:45 reservations at Hank's. It was a wonderful seafood restaurant downtown near the market. The food and wine were fabulous, and it made for a romantic celebration of one great year together!

Here we had just left Hank's and we propped the camera on the top of the car. I wanted to get at least one pic of the 2 of us together. The way Hal has his hand, it looks like he's rubbing my pregnant belly, but I'm not pregnant. I think I was just that full...haha.

On Friday morning we got up and went to breakfast at a great little diner in Shem Creek called Alex's. After breakfast we made the hike around the harbor over to Folly Beach and to the Morris Island light house. The weather hit 81 degrees on Friday, so it was a perfect day to spend outside!

I was delighted to find out that they were finishing up the first phase of the restoration project on the light. (I have the lighthouse license plate, so I was glad to see my money was actually going to help it). The Army Corps of Engineers built some kind of dam around it so that it doesn't take a lot of beatings from the water. They also put lots of rocks under the light so that the rocks would absorb most of the shock from the waves and high current waters. Did you know that when the lighthouse was built in the 1800's that it was built 1200 feet from the shore? Because of erosion, it now stands 1800 feet out into the water.

Here's Morris Island Light, and you can see its replacement, the Sullivan's Island Light, in the background.

This one shows the crane and the boat that were doing the work.

On Friday night after a short nap, we went out to Vickery's on Shem Creek for supper. The weather was so beautiful, so we wanted to eat somewhere that had an outdoor patio. After dinner we went to Starbucks for a coffee and back to sit on our balcony. The balcony was so worth the extra money because we got to watch all of the ships come in and out. That might not sound too fascinating to you, but Hal and I really enjoyed it.

Saturday morning we woke up and it was so so beautiful outside. The wind was calm and it was already about 70 degrees at 9:00am. We put on our shorts and headed out to an early lunch. While we were eating lunch the weather turned a little sour. The wind picked up, clouds started rolling in, and it got cool outside. After a little bit of shopping, we decided it was too cool for shorts, so we headed back to the hotel to change. Lucky for us, our hotel was having an oyster roast, so we put on our jeans, and headed downstairs for some fun.

At the oyster roast they were selling buckets of oysters for $7. A whole bucket for only $7!!! Hal and I got a bucket and some "shuckers" and went to town on our oysters. They were SO good, I wanted to go back for a second bucket, but we had to save room for dinner. Between the 2 of us though, I think we probably ate 50 or 60 oysters! After we ate our oysters, we went back up on our balcony and enjoyed the band they had playing. They were called Mystic Vibrations and they were a reggae band. For about 3 hours we just sat on our balcony and enjoyed the day, even though it was a little cold.

Here is a pic of the harbor on Saturday morning when we woke up. The winds were so calm that the sailboats were hardly moving.

During the oyster roast the Coast Guard helicopter was doing drills out on a small island in the harbor. We got to watch them and it was pretty neat. I took a pic just as the helicopter was about to take off.

On Saturday evening Hal and I went to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Yamato. Again, it was great and we ate way too much. We were finished with dinner about 9:00 and didn't really feel up to doing much else, so we headed back to the hotel. I started packing, and we were in the bed by 10:00.

Sunday morning we woke up sad and mad that we had to leave. We laid in our bed until the last minute and walked out the door right at check-out time. After breakfast at IHOP, we headed back up I-26 West towards home.

We had an absolute blast, and neither one of us wanted to leave when we did. This trip only solidified in our minds and hearts how much we want to live in the lowcountry one day.

One more quick note: We ate a slice from the top of our wedding cake on Wednesday night, and to our surprise it was WONDERFUL!! I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical, but it really was great. You would have never known the cake wasn't fresh baked! Seriously, it was just as good as it was on our wedding day!

One year down, many many more to go!

Old Married Couple

We celebrated our anniversary last night like an old married couple would.

We really couldn't decide where to eat for dinner, because we are really celebrating at a nice restaurant in Charleston this weekend. We ended up going to Outback. After our early dinner we headed back home for the evening.

I forgot to take our wedding cake out of the frig, so we didn't get to have wedding cake last night. We are going to give it a try tonight.

We got home from dinner around 6:45 and both of us were exhausted. We laid down in our bed to rest for a few minutes before we got up to get some things done. The next thing I knew, I woke up and it was 8:00pm. Hal woke up about the same time, and we turned on the TV to watch American Idol. Neither one of us ever got up out of our bed. As soon as American Idol was over, we turned the TV off and went right back to sleep.

How eventful, right? Hee hee.

Its okay, the real celebration begins tomorrow in Chuck Town!

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I will be back to blogging on Monday! Happy Hump Day!

Oh Happy Day!

I can't believe its already been one year!

I love Spring Break!

Although I am working for three days this week, I am technically on Spring Break! I don't have class this week, and we are leaving for Charleston on Thursday, so I am feeling pretty great about it being Monday. Its just the start of a fantastic week!

Hal and I had a GREAT Easter weekend! I was off Friday so I got to spend some quality time with my sweet hubby. We went shopping, and just bummed around most of the day. It was absolutely wonderful to have a day off work without having to worry about WORK.

Saturday Hal and I slept really late. After we finally got up, Hal cleaned our cars and I stayed in and baked our pies for Sunday lunch. Once the pies were done, Hal and I got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather we had on Saturday. We went for a run, did some conditioning exercises, then took Layla for a walk. We sat on the porch until sundown because it was just too beautiful to waste the daylight.

Yesterday Hal and I woke up early, very excited that our Lenten fast was finished. We ate a couple of Girl Scout cookies for breakfast, then I made biscuits and apple butter to fill us up. We headed off to church where we took the last couple of seats on the back row. We were 15 minutes early. After the service started there was standing room only in the church. It is so wonderful to see how our church continues to grow!

While I am on the subject of church, I have 2 praise reports to share. First, we had 11 people get baptised Sunday morning! It was such an emotional time for our church family, and it was great to be there to share in the joy of the Lord. Second, our pastor was telling us that our church was going to be helping a new Women's Shelter that's opening in a couple of months. He said that he called the director and asked for their most pressing need. She told him that she needed two industrial size washers and driers. After hearing the need, he went and bought them, with the hope that the church would raise the money to pay for them. He needed $2,000 to pay for them. During the service yesterday he asked for a love offering to go towards paying for the washers and dryers. At the end of the service it was reported that in that one service our church members donated $2,130 towards the purchase of those machines. Isn't that awesome?

After church yesterday we went to my mom's to eat. She prepared a wonderful meal, and it was SO good! I made Kentucky Pie for dessert which was a big hit! Even though we were still pretty full, we went to Hal's parents for supper. They had another big meal prepared, and it was just more than I could handle. Needless to say, I was still full when I woke up this morning.

I did get to have a few sweet things yesterday since my Lent fast was over. I had a couple of girl scout cookies, a piece of Kentucky Pie and vanilla ice cream, 3 Starburst jelly beans, A LOT of sweet tea, and a piece of pineapple cake. I am sure all of that had something to do with the fact that I was full ALL day!

It was a great Easter weekend, and I am just squirming with excitement about this coming weekend!

First Day of Spring

Most of you know by now that Tuesday is our first wedding anniversary. We are pretty excited because we are going to be celebrating all next week! I have loved every minute of being married, and this past year has been the greatest year of my life so far. Here are 13 reasons I love being married:

1. After 4 years of staying up late so we could be together, its nice to be able to go to bed early and know that he's there, and will be there when I wake up. Thats probably my favorite thing.
2. I love that Hal loves to take care of me and provide for me.
3. We can jump in the car and go, anytime, anywhere, and we don't have to ask anyone first.
4. I love having our own home. Whether it was in our apartment or in our house, I love knowing that we have made a home together.
5. I get to spend all of my time with my best friend in the whole world.
6. I have always been very independent, but now, I love the fact that I have a partner for life. I know that I can depend on him and trust him with my life.
7. Hal and I are constantly learning and experiencing new things together. I love sharing all of my experiences with him.
8. I can be candid with all of my thoughts, and thats okay with Hal. Even if I'm saying something he doesn't want to hear, he still understands, and loves me anyway. I don't have to be fake or worry about what he's going to think. The same goes with him.
9. I am so comfortable with Hal. I don't have to be anything but myself, and he loves me still. Its such a relief to know that.
10. Hal has brought such a light into my life, a void that could have only been filled by him. Even our worst fights are better than the days before he came into my life.
11. We don't take life too seriously, so we laugh and laugh all the time. He knows me like the back of his hand, can finish my sentences, and even tell me what I'm thinking. I couldn't find that anywhere else.
12. I love that even after 5 years, 4 years of dating and 1 year of marriage, I still get butterflies for him.
13. I love that he's MINE forever.

Good week!

So far my week has been pretty fantastic! After having a littly pity party on Friday, I am really feeling much better. Things are already starting to look up at my job, and I had a talk with my boss, which also made me feel much better.

Today is really Thursday for me because I get Good Friday off. I am so excited that I only have one more work day in this week, AND tomorrow is the FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!

I have been LOVING my new iPod! I even listen to it when I am driving down the road. I know that sounds silly, but I just love it that much. I also love that I have a constant connection to the internet.

I had a test last night in Anatomy. I went to class pretty unprepared because I just haven't had time to study. I am happy to say, after 45 minutes of cramming, I made a 98 on my test. I think that was just the uplift I needed!

Hal and I have started talking about what we are going to do for each other for Christmas. I know, its 9 months away, but we always do this because we like to have a good idea by June or July. We have already decided what we are going to do, and I am so excited about it. I won't say just yet, but its something wonderful to look forward to!

I have been so proud of myself lately because I have cooked every meal at home, except for 2, in the last 9 days! Hal really likes it when I cook, and it saves us a ton of money when we don't eat out all the time. Tonight we are having breakfast for supper!

Lent ends on Sunday and I am pretty excited about having sweet tea for Easter lunch. This has been such an eye-opening experience for me, and I have learned a lot from my fast. I am hoping that my spiritual relationship with God will continue to grow after this experience.

I think that's all for now. Happy Hump Day!

Excitement!

I wasn't having the greatest day Friday at work. Everything seemed to be getting to me and I just couldn't wait to get home. Of course, my sweet, precious husband came through for me!

Hal left work around 4:00 and told me he had an errand to run, then he would soon be home. He got home, and he gave me my anniversary present!! Our anniversary isn't for 8 more days, but Hal can NEVER keep secrets. He just had to give it to me right then!!

I was so excited to see what it was! I am now the proud owner of:

the new iPod Touch!!

Okay, so I know most of you are probably gasping that it wasn't jewelry or something sentimental. Lucky for me, I am not into that kind of thing at all. This was the perfect gift for me, and my sweet hubby knew it. My new little contraption is not only an MP3 player, but also doubles as something like a palm pilot. I can access the internet, check my stocks, the weather, and even write blogs from it!

Oh, I am just SO excited about my new toy!

Happy Anniversary!

(this is the best pic I had saved on my computer)

I just wanted to wish Stephanie and Jonathan a VERY HAPPY 1st ANNIVERSARY!!

Can I be honest?

I need a pick-me-up, and I don't know what its going to take to pick me up! I am really struggling lately with a lack of motivation, and honestly, I feel like I am in a funk.

My job is really getting to me. I work in a small medical office and my title is "Office Manager." Well, that really doesn't make me feel good about myself, because I am the ONLY employee, other than my boss. Basically all of the daily ins and outs of the office are my responsibility. I bill insurance companies, schedule patients, answer the phone, order supplies, and so on. Its pretty much a secretary job, and I hate it. It pays the bills, though, so I don't complain most days.

Here's the thing, since I am the only one working in the office, anything that happens is always my fault, or at least thats how my boss sees it. I have to take the rap for everything. When I started this job, I was only hired as an "assistant" to the previous office manager. At the time, I had no previous experience in this field. Five months after I started, the previous office manager was fired, and I was left hanging, to learn the trade on my own. My boss has NO IDEA how to do my job, and if I were to die today, he would probably have to close his doors because money would no longer be coming in.

Because I bill the insurance companies, I carry all of the monetary responsibility for this company on my back. If I don't do something right, the money doesn't come in, the bills don't get paid, I don't get a paycheck, and I don't have a job. I HATE that kind of responsibility, and it really stresses me out. I never asked for that when I was hired, and if I had known this was going to happen, I probably would have never taken the job in the first place. The worst part is that I am alone pretty much all day, everyday. If I have a problem, I have to figure out a way to solve it on my own. I have no one here to help me, and no one I can call if I need help. About a year ago, when the other office manager left, I was pretty much thrown to the wolves, and left to survive.

I am really struggling because I just do not have any motivation to continue working. If Hal and I didn't need to save money, I would have quit a year ago. I am not a quitter, but I am way to inexperienced to have such responsiblity. Every single morning that I get out of bed, I try to think of some excuse not to go to work that day. This is so unlike me, because I am a hard worker. I am going to be quitting for good in August since I will be back in school full time. I am not sure I can make it 6 more months, though. Honestly, I just don't want to make it.

I have been praying about this situation, and patiently awaiting God's answer. I will continue to follow God's lead, but I am really struggling with the waiting right now.

On a good note, Hal and I went to small group last night and I really felt a connection with the scripture. It was something that I had been needing to hear for a long time, and it really opened my eyes. We got to play the Newlywed game with some other couples, and got to spend some quality time with our new church friends. I am so thankful for God bringing these people in my life.

Thankfully its Friday! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Weekly Menu

I wanted to do this to see how well I stick to it! Annie just did this, and I thought that I would try. I usually have a weekly menu set, and then end up eating out or eating sandwiches and not eating what's on my menu. Here's what we will be having in our house this week:

Monday - Chicken enchiladas. We have a busy night so I needed something quick and easy to fix. They are also really delicious!

Tuesday - I have class until around 8:00, so Hal will meet me after work and we will likely go to Lieu's before I head to class. I never cook on Tuesdays.

Wednesday - Tuna Casserole. I got a new recipe from allrecipes.com that calls for tuna casserole with egg noodles. I am a real sucker for egg noodles.

Thursday - Turkey Reubens with potato wedges. This is one of my favorite meals to make. Its so simple, but so good!

Friday - Lemon Dill Tilapia with a side of veggies. I got this recipe out of Southern Living and we LOVE it. It is SUPER easy, and tastes WONDERFUL!

Saturday - Its a toss up - either crock pot pulled pork BBQ or dinner out. We usually fly by the seat of our pants on Saturdays, so we will see.

I hope I can stick to this, I have to get groceries tonight to be able to do so.

Cute

The other night Hal and I were watching something on the Animal Planet channel. Layla was laying beside the couch watching with us, as she always does. Whatever we were watching had bears, cats, and foxes in it. Everytime the cat would cross the screen Layla would jump up and run up to the TV and then chase the cat as it ran off the screen. It even got so bad, that she started looking for the cat behind the TV and around the other side of the wall that the TV sits on. It was so hilarious and amusing to us, but quite frustrating for Layla. I just had to capture a picture of it, and I wanted to share it.

Happy Saturday!

Great Weekend Ahead!

Its been pouring rain most of the morning. Praise God for the rain. Gosh do we ever need it!

I am getting off work in a few minutes. My plans are to go home and crawl in my bed for a long nap before Hal gets home.

Hal and I have no plans and thats the greatest feeling. We will just be "cruising" through the weekend.

Hope y'all have a good one!

Just one prayer request:

Here in the Upstate of SC we had some pretty rough storms on Tuesday night, and in Greer one of the storms did a lot of damage. There was a microburst in one of the local subdivisions where one of my best friends lives as well as one of my previous high school teachers. The microburst did damage similar to what a tornado would do.

My mom told me that earlier today, a parent that lives in this neighborhood came into her office and was talking about all of the damage that was done to her home. My mom said she was quite pitiful because the damage was so severe.

This is one home in that neighborhood. It actually was condemned yesterday and the residents had until 7:00 pm last night to vacate the property. On this particular house, all of the front windows were shattered, and the roof actually lifted up off the house, and then sat back down.

Here is another house in the same neighborhood with lots of trees down in their yard.

Another pic from the same neighborhood. The car was turned over on its side and then you see all of the trees that fell on it. This same house, their out-building was turned completely upside down and all of its contents was strewn across the yard.

The people in this neighborhood have felt devastating effects of this storm and greatly need our prayer, especially the family who is now "homeless."

**pictures from goupstate.com

Thursday 13

I have really learned a lot from my Lent fast this year. I have never done it before and never realized how hard it would be. I have done my best to stick with it, and have prayed everyday for the Lord to help me through. I have to admit, though, that I am looking forward to a few things when Lent is officially over. Here are 13 things I can't wait to have on or after Easter:

1. SWEET TEA!




2. Girl Scout Cookies - we have 5 boxes in the freezer right now




3. my last couple of pieces of Godiva Chocolate




4. a Starbucks venti Mocha Frappuccino




5. the top of our wedding cake - our anniversary is 2 days after Easter!!




6. Marble Slab Creamery




7. Easter candy- especially the Reese's Cup eggs!




8. Starburst Sour Jelly Beans




9. Chocolate milk




10. Paula Deen's Kentucky Pie - I'm making one for Easter lunch.



11. Oreos and milk



12. Cherry Coke



13. Key Lime Pie - Hal and I are going to Hank's in Charleston, and I hear they have a great pie!

I really love desserts, and 40 days without anything sweet seems like a long time. Of course I will not have all of these in one day, and probably not in one week, but they are things I am looking forward to incorporating back into my diet slowly.

I love the outdoors!

Hal and I had plans to go to the gym tonight once we got home from work. I called him earlier and told him that I didn't want to go to the gym, I wanted to get out and walk at home. The weather is so beautiful here in the Upstate today.

I am thrilled that Spring is just around the corner. As I drive down the road, I see the tips of all the tree branches are pink with buds, and I get all excited inside. Spring is my favorite time of year.

I can't wait to get my Spring flowers planted, get our sod put down, and be able to enjoy this beautiful weather that God so graciously gives us.

I hope y'all are having a great hump day!

Wii Had A Blast!

Hal and I got back last night from our trip to Gatlingburg with our friends Loren and Chad. We really did have a great time, and as I hoped, got a lot of rest!

Friday night we got up there about 8:30. We had to drive up those curvy mountain roads in the pouring down rain so that slowed us down a lot. When we got there I cooked tacos really quick and we finally ate dinner about 9:00. After dinner we set up the Wii and I learned exactly what everyone has been raving about. Hal and I are thinking of making an investment in one very soon. After about an hour on the Wii, we decided to jump in the hot tub. It was so nice and warm but the wind was whipping outside, so we had to go back inside after about 15 minutes. The hot tub really made us tired, so we all hit the rack pretty soon after that.

Saturday morning we got up, and Loren and I made a big breakfast feast. We had french toast, grits, eggs, and bacon. It was so yummy. After breakfast and some more playtime on the Wii, we all set out for some Pigeon Forge fun. We only ended up going up the the Bass Pro Shops and out to lunch, and then we headed back in for the evening. As soon as we got back I got in the hot tub again and everyone else eventually joined me. After an hour in the hot tub, and 4 wrinkled bodies, we decided it was time for dinner. Since Loren and I had made such a big breakfast, we thought it was best that the boys do the cooking this time. They made us steaks, baked potatoes, and salads. They did a great job and it all tasted great. We ended up staying up until about 1:00 playing cards and Wii, before we decided to turn in for the night.

Sunday morning we got up really early, packed the car, and headed out for breakfast. We ate at IHOP, which I have been craving for a month now. After breakfast we headed over into Gatlinburg to ride the tram up to Ober Gatlinburg where we would ice skate. Hal had never skated before and he picked it up SO fast. He was a natural at it! He only fell once, and he only fell because he was trying to be fancy and do a spin. After a couple hours of ice skating we decided it was time to head back down the mountain to SC.

Our trip was really great, and the greatest thing was that we spent a lot of our time resting and relaxing at the cabin. I felt rejuvenated when I got home, so much so that I actually unpacked our bags as soon as we got home. If you know me, you know I NEVER do that. It was really nice to get away for the weekend, with no plans tying us down.

Here are a few pictures:

We learned how to box on the Wii, it was super fun and a great workout!

Hal learned to ice skate for the first time, and he was great at it!

Me and Hubby on the ice.

We had to take a "tram" up to Ober Gatlinburg...basically its a suspended cable car. Hal was terrified. Here's a view from the tram.

I didn't take many pictures actually, so this is all you get.

Frustration

I became quite frustrated on Thursday evening and I wanted to share with you why.

Hal and I had been preparing for about 5 days for our weekend away. We had lots of little errands and things to do before Friday to make sure that all of the loose ends were tied up before we left. We had been planning on boarding Layla (our dog) at the Petsmart Petshotel in Greenville since we started planning the trip. We wanted her to have a fun place to go where she wouldn't be stuck in a kennel all day.

On Monday I called Petsmart to make her reservation and ask them what I needed to board her. They told me to send over her shot record. Well I actually forgot about it until Wednesday, and finally remembered to fax it over. As soon as I faxed it over a lady from Petsmart called and said they had a question about one of her shots. They asked which round of Parvo Layla had last. They said that she would have to have 3 rounds to be able to board. Well since I am no veterinarian, I had no idea about "rounds" of anything.

When I got that call I immediately called the Spartanburg Humane Society where we adopted Layla. They do not have a direct line into their phones, they just have an answering machine that takes all calls and says that someone will call back as soon as possible. After I left 2 messages and the lady at Petsmart left 2, and never received a return call by Thursday afternoon, I was pretty furious. We were supposed to be boarding our dog in 24 hours and NO ONE ever called us!

From there, Hal and I got in the car and drove down to the Humane Society to get some answers. Here is what they told us: Layla had ONE Parvo round the day we adopted her, and they were SUPPOSED to tell us to bring her back in 3 weeks to get the 2nd, but guess what, they didn't tell us anything. And guess what else? NO ONE would board her for the weekend! The Humane Society didn't even admit that they had made a BIG mistake, and did not do anything to compensate us in any way.

Had this never come up, we would have never known that Layla was missing TWO Parvo shots, and we would have never gotten them. She could have died because of this, and we would have never known. The Humane Society didn't tell us ANYTHING when we adopted her, they just sent us on our merry way, without any further instruction.

We expect a place like the humane society, where animals are their business, to be professional and informing. They failed majorly. Petsmart and our vet's office, Dr. Patch, were both extremely accomodating, but when they found out about her shots there was really nothing they could do. Thankfully, Hal's parents were in town and took care of her.

I am still extremely frustrated with the humane society, and will probably not adopt another dog from there again. The quality of service is quite poor, and unfortunately the animals are the ones that suffer.

We did have a great weekend away, though! I will post more about that and some pictures later tonight or tomorrow.