our first place

we're slowly moving into OUR FIRST PLACE!!! grant's already pretty much moved in, and when i went to visit and job search in atl on monday, i got to see it. it was awesome: big empty rooms with boxes and random lamps on the floor never felt more like home.  grant and i were standing there, holding hands, in our first place, wandering through empty spaces talking about what we want to put where and how it will look. who knew an empty apartment in atlanta spells h.o.m.e.?  we are so so blessed, and we are fully aware of how lucky we are to have each other in our new place. i can't wait to get married and really call it home!! 

www.thelodgeontheriver.com 

bachelorette weekend

well. the bachelorette weekend at the lake with my faves was AWESOME! seriously. we had the best time. someor all of the following may or may not have happened: skinny dipping, jumping off the top of the dock, getting in the hot tub, counting shooting stars, playing a game i loved, playing a game i hated, getting stranded on the boat (so so funny!), hoppin' on the jet ski, opening presents, dancing to rap music (omg... who knew that many white girls knew those lyrics. ha!), spending quality time with my girls, praying for me, grant, my job, and our future. all in all it was incredible. oh, and did i mention the food? mama carpenter really hooked us up! leen brought the food--coolers full of it! italian, breakfast casserole, sammiches, ridiculous dessert truffle thing (aka death by chocolate), petite fores (delish!), and chips... did we talk about the chips? we girls ate about a bag and a half a day... mary brought the alcohol and nida brought the cloves. don't worry. it was awesome. the food was great and we had a blast. i felt so loved and blessed. i have the best friends in the world! thank you kathleen, hannah, ashley, nida, heidi, megen, carrie, and mary. and we missed you: maggie, steph, coco, emily, kelly, laura, alice, and lindsay. we're SO having a lake reunion every summer. get ready!

weekend fun

this weekend was packed with friends, family, parties, and quality time. it was awesome. friday night grant and i went to crescendo auction, which was really fun, and met up with ashley and mason for dinner and auctioning. i think we might've actually almosted bidded on several items, but out waves went luckily unnoticed! the saturday am (very early am, btw) grant, mama, grandmama, and i headed to athens, alabama for a tea that gma's 157-year-old friends had for me and grant. it was sweet. seriously. old women plus one handsome man plus presents equals fun. it was hilarious. we left that party only to return to a full house in huntsville. a college bff of my mama's drove all the way from fairhope to meet grant and go to the mother-daughter lingerie shower some friends hosted for us in huntsville. she stayed and played until party time at 7.00. while mama and i were sharing stories and hearing advice--while i got some sweet unmentionables--grant and mason had a play date at bridgestreet, which is awesome, btw, if you haven't yet gone. the party lasted until 10.30, which was delightful. then grant and i got to hang out and goof off. sunday began with company at 9.00am, a huge breakfast, and a quick siesta before we 4 (grant, me, mama, and daddy) went to the 2.00 matinee performance of hhs' Les Miserables. stahler's in it. it was AWESOME. i can't even begin to describe it, but rest assured, it made me laugh, it made me cry, and the talent and stage set were so incredible i often forgot it was a high school performance. if you can make it to a show, GO! wow. then we ate lunch at one of grant's fave restaurants in huntsville, and headed back home. grant and i got to chill out one last time before he drove back atl today--i stayed and am driving back tmrw am for class. it was a hectic weekend. and most hectic weekends = no sleep and no quality time. but this weekend was different. it was exactly what we needed. God is so good to give us what we need when we need it. grant is moving into OUR appartment tmrw! he'll be all moved in before thursday, which marks the beginning of his bachelor weekend with the boys in st. simons and my bachelorette weekend with the girls!! we both can't wait! we are so blessed with the coolest friends! as for school and work, i'm hoping to hear back from some places i applied to last week and hope to set up interviews for the first week in may. and school: my last hell week is this one. by thursday when i'm with my faves nothing school-related will matter, b/c that will all be said and done, praise the Lord. tho the weekend was fun, i'm so tired, so i'm out. but i'll try to write more consistantly in the future. ciao.

Babies, bands, and jobs!

it seems like everyone is having babies! hannah and aswan, kelly and john (future in-laws), dr. albertson (advisor), etc! babies are a gift and i can't wait to be an aunt! yay!

a few wedding updates.

i'm so excited b/c grant and i have finally picked out our wedding bands. and grant moves into our future home april 21st! yay! we're talking about all the stuff we're bringing together and how we'll set up our new place. it's all very exciting!

jobs!

please pray that i find a job in atlanta or something. i'm currently employed but unhappy working under a boss that stresses me out and lacks organization. i need something that will contribute to the joint account (we have no money;) but will also allow for me to be full time in graduate school. ideally, a temporary part-time job until december that will become full time upon graduation, that's not too far from home and is (full time) salary-based with benefits rather than hourly and sucky. you know. we all have a bottom line. i just want to meet it and be happy and be a newly wed and be a good wife and a good student all at the same time.  i know God will provide, but the dollars and cents of it all is overwhelming sometimes. 

romance

i am presently consumed with the notion of romance. it seems that i've just discovered it, yet it's been around us all the while without our knowing--in the little things, the details--changing our lives without our attention.  sure, there are the obvious things--grant loves me and has romanced me like none other, to no end, and with no comparison--but there are smaller things than intentional gestures. a letter in the mail. surprise concert tickets. one single text message that matters most all day. taking care of my puppy when i need it the most. making me laugh. giving a hug. i feel overwhelmed with the possibility of love. love in friendships. relationships. old ones. new ones. family. future. fellowship. neighbors. strangers.  it's overpowering if you think about it.  but then again, isn't that they way God intended it to be? romance, the stuff that knocks you off your feet? takes your breath away? when you discover it, when it finds you, when you open your eyes to the incredible story we're all apart of. my only hope is that, for as long as i can, i will retain this heightened sense of awareness that love is all around us and that the author of our love story is wooing us unceasingly with romance.

frustration

oprah is frustrating me and is leading millions astray in her new age "global community," the largest "church" in the world.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FhqBsyCxao&feature=related

www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDeLYSu8RPE&feature=related

roll call!

let's see... i'm overwhelmed with school and this is why:

april 1: group presentation

april 2: presentation of research

april 6: 5 page paper due

april 8: 20 page paper due

april 9: create group project power point

april 9: edit 22 page group paper

april 10: group project presentation

april 18: group assignment due

april 21: two assignments due  

april 24: group project and presentation

april 28: group presentation 

april 28: 20 page research paper

whew! i'm just keeping my eye on the prize:
BACHELORETTE WEEKEND with my LADIES!

augusta engagement

we had the very best time in augusta this weekend!  our families got to hangout for the second time (they met at our huntsville engagement party) and we got to play with old friends and new family. yay! some of my very favorite people were there: kathleen, hannah, coco, and maggie. and two of grant's guys came too: michael and tony. it was awesome. plus my 89  year old grandmother made the journey (6 hours) from huntsville with my 'rents! she got to chat it up with grant's nana--they were, of course, instant bffs. we got tons of gifts. seriously, i'm not sure everything will fit in our cute little apt. but i can't wait to set up our home and try!  grant and i just feel so loved and incredibly blessed.  i really couldn't ask for more.  now i'm off to writing thank you notes for all the gifts...! xoxo