Top Ten Continued....4-1

To finish up 2013, numbers 4-1!

4. Trips

We were blessed to go on some amazing trips this year!  In April, Eddie and I went on a cruise with my cousin and her husband. We sailed to San Juan, St. Maarten, and St. Kitts on a beautiful brand new ship!

St. Maarten

St. Kitts

St Kitts

Top Deck of the Ship

San Juan

In July, Anna Kate and I were able to visit Houston, Texas to see my Dad, stepmom, and sister.  We were able to go to the beach, the zoo and relax! It was AK's first plane ride and she did amazing!  No tears at all!  Ever since, she has been obsessed with airplanes.

Selfies on the plane for entertainment!

Beach baby!  This kid could live at the beach!

No idea how many times this bucket got filled up!

At the Zoo

In November, I went to Houston alone to see my sister's recital.  She did an amazing job!

3. The end of my job at Landmark Properties.

I worked at Landmark Properties as the maintenance manager for exactly three years, I was hired and laid off on May 17.  I am thankful for my time there and the friendships I made.  I learned a lot about property management but I also feel my experiences there will translate into any job I take in the future.  I learned a lot about myself while working there; I found I have way more patience than I ever dreamed a person could have and I am pretty good at diffusing difficult situations. 

I really feel the end of my time at LMP was 100% God.  I never truly enjoyed property management and knew it was not somewhere I wanted to stay. I battled with where I wanted to go next in life and would never truly commit to a new road.  When I finally decided to apply to grad school I filled out the application on a Thursday and the following Tuesday they informed me they would be eliminating my position.  I was pretty nervous at first but after talking to Eddie he assured me we would be fine!  I feel like being laid off was more affirmation that I was making the right decision to find a career and not just a job.


2. Three year anniversary!

We celebrated our three year anniversary this year! Like any marriage we have had our ups and downs but Eddie and I often joke that we have experienced more in the last three years than some couples experience in 50 years. I told Eddie that it felt like we had been married 10 years instead of 3 with everything we have experienced. Eddie said, "Yeah by our 20 year anniversary we will be checking into the nursing home if we keep going at this rate."

1. Finding some direction

For the first time in a very long time, I finally feel like I have some direction.  I don't feel like I am just a wife or only a mom.  I am not working at a job where I am unhappy. I am not bitter and angry at myself about my body and the way it looks even though I know I still have a long way to go!  I know that I am doing the right thing going back to school for secondary education, God has showed me that in so many ways.  I am passionate about school and am truly succeeding at Piedmont!  All A's my 1st semester!  I am thankful for how far God has brought me the last 12 months.

I am really looking forward to 2014. I can't wait to start classes again next week and I am training for another half marathon in April with my friends!  I am taking a group on a mission trip to Peru in July!!  I am registering for a sprint triathlon in August! I hope 2014 is good to my marriage and I can learn to apply some of that patience I learned at Landmark!  I am definitely looking forward to the next 12 months with AK!  This is such a fun age to be able to spend extra time with her while I am in school.

Top Ten Continued...9-5

I know you have been waiting to hear the rest of my top ten things of 2013! Due to the excitement of Christmas, I am going to combine 9-5.

9. We added a few pets to our family!

 I know many of you are seriously thinking how can some silly chickens be part of your top ten list of 2013? We love our chickens!  We love having fresh eggs!  I really like that it is another aspect of showing Anna Kate every day responsibility, she enjoys going out and picking up the eggs, refilling their water and food, and swinging on their swing!

8. Samuel Evans Trial is over!  On June 21, 2012 I was assaulted in downtown Athens in broad daylight (9am). On August 30, 2013 he was sentenced to 31 years, 16 years to be served in jail and 15 years probation.  Below is the list of charges and how he was convicted:

1. Entering Auto - no verdict, they could not agree on this
2. Aggravated Assault - not guilty but found him guilty on battery - misdemeanor
3. Aggravated Assault with intent to rob - guilty - felony
4. Robbery by force - guilty - felony
5. Theft of a firearm - guilty - misdemeanor
6. Obstruction of an officer - guilty - felony
7. Possession of a firearm while committing a crime - 3 counts - not guilty on all counts
8. Possession of firearm by convicted felon - 6 counts - not guilty on all counts

I put this late on the list because while it was very important to me to have closure in this situation and I wanted Evans to pay for his crimes, I do not want this event to continue to dominate my life.  I feel that I have made huge steps forward.  I have forgiven him.  What he did was wrong, he is responsible for what he did but I forgive him. 

My advice to others?  Get off your phone and pay attention to your surroundings!

7. 13.1 miles.

In January of 2013, I could not run one mile without stopping.  I decided in March to run a 5K with Reychel in June and started a Couch to 5K app on my phone.  I even kept up my running on our cruise!  Then I started going to 5am Bootcamp and got faster and stronger!  I signed up for the Athhalf in October the week after the 5K and started training with several friends.  It took me 3:00:46 to finish but I finished and I wasn't dead last!  I am proud to say I did not stop running until after mile 10. I finished the race running the downhills and walking the uphills.  I signed up for another half marathon and my goal is to run the whole way.

6. Down 40 lbs!

In January I joined Weight Watchers and lost 40 pounds this year!  I got down to 40 before the half marathon and to be honest, since then I have not been as diligent with tracking my food.  I have made it through Christmas and all the sweets are leaving my house tomorrow!  I still have a long way to go but I feel a million times better!  I really can't wait to see how much better I will feel when I get another 30 lbs off!

5. Anna Kate turned two!

I really can't believe how big she is! We had a smaller birthday party this year but we had a great time! 

Top Ten of 2013 - Number 10

I realized I am terrible at updating this blog so I am going to sum up 2013 and start fresh for 2014!I really want to be more diligent about updating next year, so let's have a little practice and break down the top ten moments of 2013.

Number Ten - Piedmont College

I just finished my first semester of graduate school at Piedmont College and I love it.  I really enjoyed my years at UGA...living in a 10'x10' room, getting my first apartment, meeting some of my best friends, younglife, working for the equestrian team and other odd jobs... but as far as how I did in my classes,  it was a little pitiful.  I know some of the problem was being young, having a lot of commitments and I probably could have done better if I had put fourth a little more effort however, I am feeling so much more successful at Piedmont.  I know it is a combination of being older and more responsible but I really feel like the staff at Piedmont want you to succeed.  I do not feel the classes are any easier than at UGA, if anything they are more work!

I really love Anna Kate asking me, "going to school? Do homework?" She has been walking around with this jewelry box I gave her with some costume jewelry and she says "I do homework too". (I guess she wants to work with jewelry? lol) I really hope that by seeing me work diligently on schoolwork it will show her that with perseverance anything is possible.  

Friday's Letters 11.16.2012

Dear Friday, I have been waiting for you all week long.  This has been the longest week ever! Dear Anna Kate, Please stop waking up in the middle of the night for no reason....you have been sleeping through the night for 9+ months now, what is the deal??? Dear HOA meeting, WHY ARE YOU AT 8 AM TOMORROW and why do I have to be there??? Dear Thanksgiving, where did you come from?  It was August yesterday and now you are here.  I am not prepared!  Dear Radio Station, thank you for already playing Christmas music!  you have made my day today!

Elizabeth

What happened to October?

So I was catching up on some other blogs and ended back here and realized I haven't posted anything since September!!  Ummm, I hardly remember what happened in the last two month!  Let's do a photo recap, shall we?

Eddie and I went to the UGA vs Tennessee game!

 

 We made s'mores with Grandmother and Granddaddy

 

 We went to the pumpkin patch!

 I went to Jacksonville to visit one of my best friends Brittany 

and to watch the Dawgs crush the Gators!

 We went to the fall festival and dressed up as a garden gnome!

She wasn't impressed with the garden gnome outfit...

 We  I carved a pumpkin!

 We took family photos!

 

Let's see if I can do better for the rest of the year!

Friday's Letters 9.14.12

This is me committing to doing something at least once a week, so here goes!

Dear work, I am so happy a new manager was hired, maybe I will make it to daycare to pick up Anna Kate on time once this month. Dear husband, thanks so much for a night out last night.  That was really refreshing.  Dear Anna Kate, I know your teeth are coming in and that really sucks, but do you think you could eat something other than mac and cheese.  Dear Dogs,  I am very sorry for being a neglectful dog owner for the last year.  I am sure you understand with the fire and new baby why we haven't had as much time for you.  Things are changing and thanks for your patience.  Now that we have an invisible fence you can lay on the front porch all day long. Dear Christmas, I know you are still 101 days away but I am really excited for you to get here so I can decorate our new house and wrap presents for Anna Kate and for Santa to come down our new chimney.


 

2 years

I have probably experienced more in the past two years than most People experience in a lifetime. If it weren't for Eddie, I would probably be in the crazy house having a mental breakdown right now.

Two years ago I married the most supportive, caring, loving, hard working man I have ever known. He is an amazing father and husband. He is more than I could have ever asked for. We had an amazing wedding surrounded by our friends and family. You can read more about the wedding in the beginning of this post


We have been blessed beyond measure with our wonderful daughter and we have overcome tragedy with rebuilding our home and lives after the fire. We definitely don't have a perfect marriage but if we can survive all that we have experienced already, I think we can survive anything. I love you very much Eddie and can't wait to see what else is in store for us!