A lot has happened for Matt and I in the year and a half since I updated the blog (I know, shameful). Instead of writing paragraphs and paragraphs that most people would not have the time or desire to read, I am going to attempt a photo story of sorts. There is no way I can adequately cover the last year and a half, but at least I can hit the high points.
1) God answered a major prayer during the fall of this year (well, I guess last year, as of today), by providing Matt and I both with teaching jobs. I was fortunate to retain my job at Sparkman, and Matt was hired to teach 8th grade world history at Ed White Middle School in Huntsville. Though Matt's job has been challenging at times, he is so thankful to have found a place in education again. Matt doesn't really take a lot of photos, so I don't really have any of him relating to work...oops.
A few of my coworkers during Homecoming week. This particular day was business on top/party on the bottom.
The English Department at the faculty Christmas party. If it isn't obvious, there was a tacky theme :). I am so fortunate to work with so many wonderful people. I legitimately like every single one of these crazy folks!
For the first time in seven years, the Sparkman volleyball team made it past the Area Tournament! I was so fortunate to work with these girls this year, and I am so proud of all that they accomplished. Though we fell a bit short of our goal this year, I have high hopes for the year ahead. Go Lady Senators!
2) During the end of 2012, and throughout 2013, Matt and I made lots of time to spend with friends. Nothing is more important to Matt and I than our relationships, so we try really hard to never let our friendships fall by the wayside. We are extremely fortunate to have incredibly close friendships from college, as well as a core group of friends from our church in Huntsville. Most of the fun things in which we found ourselves involved this year related back to one of these two groups. I didn't take any pictures with our church friends, but check out some of our adventures with friends from college below.
Many of our college friends frequented Madison for visits this year. Matt and I love when they come to visit. Matt snapped this photo at Pie in the Sky in August.
Every year our college friends gather for a reunion weekend in Tuscaloosa. This year, we all made the trip to T-Town for the Alabama/Arkansas game. Though there are a few missing from this photo, I was so glad to see those that were able to make the trip.
Rock the South concert in June! Once again, Matt is behind the camera. Despite the fact that we were at a country concert, I think he enjoyed himself.
3) Of course, we also made time for family too...
Our little family at Rock the South! Love my husband! Ignore the sweaty faces...it was so hot!
Family Christmas 2012. Somehow we managed to avoid a pic this year. This is one of the sillier picks we took last year, but it is also one of my faves.
Cousins (mom's side of the family) at Ethan's wedding in August.
Christmas in California with Matt's family, 2013.
4) We moved into a house!! Though my husband probably could have been happy in an apartment forever, I think I would have lost my mind if we had had to spend another year living that closely to other people. With our change in employment status, we decided to move into a rental house this year. Being nontenured teachers, we know that our job situation is tenuous, so we haven't decided to buy just yet :). Despite the fact that our current house will not be our permanent residence, I love our little home so much! The extra space is wonderful, and I love that friends can now stay with us without having to sleep on the floor. An added benefit, is that we can no longer hear our neighbors! I have enjoyed decorating, relaxing, and entertaining in our new space. Since Matt and I are still accumulating furniture, I don't have any pictures to display, but look for those in the coming months!
5) We've done a bit of traveling. While we still don't have the money to travel as much as we'd like, Matt and I have still tried to fit a few new experiences/locations into the past year and a half. When we got married, we made a promise to one another that every year of our marriage we would visit a new place. So far, we have been able to stick to that promise, even with a limited budget. This year, we road tripped across Louisiana and Texas. We had a great time visiting with college friends along the way and checked out various sites in Natchitoches, LA and San Antonio and Austin, Texas. We also just returned from visiting with Matt's family in California. Despite the fact that we were sick most of the trip, we enjoyed the time with the Staggs clan.
Matt and I at The Hermitage- Spring Break trip to Nashville. It was so cold!
Duck Commander Headquarters- June 2013- Monroe, LA
The house where Steel Magnolias was filmed- Natchitoches, LA- June 2013
The Riverwalk- San Antonio, TX- June 2013
The Alamo- San Antonio, TX- June 2013
Kings Canyon, CA- Christmas break 2013
Inside of a giant Sequoia in King's Canyon National Park- Kings Canyon, CA- Christmas break 2013
6) We have been bombarded with weddings and babies. Over the course of the last several months, Matt and I have been bouncing between various wedding and baby showers. I guess we are just at that stage of life! Despite the busyness and expense of it all, we have enjoyed celebrating with many of our friends and family members.
Erik and Shannon's gender reveal party. They welcomed baby Joshua in early December. Looking forward to many more showers and births among friends in the days ahead!
Leigh Ann got married! College friends at Lee Lee's wedding in September. Love this girl!
My brother's wedding in August. This picture is just my dad's side of the family.
While the aforementioned list is not exhaustive, it should serve as a pretty solid synopsis of the last 18 months of our lives. Now that you know where we've been, it's time to talk about where we are going. I've never been one for resolutions, since I can never keep them, but Matt and I do have a short list of goals that we would like to accomplish in the coming year. Primarily, we would like to see our lives change a little less (see the blog title). Our first two and a half years of marriage have been full of change, moves, and uncertainty, so in 2014, I'm saying "In with the old, out with the new!" Don't misunderstand me; I am completely open to new experiences and endeavors, but one wish that I have for 2014 is a bit more stability. I would like to stay in the same place for awhile, while living in the same house, and working the same job. Change can be exciting, but when you have faced nothing but change in the last few years, a bit of sameness can be refreshing.
Another goal that we have for the coming year is to simply be more intentional. While that may sound vague, we generally just want to live life with a bit more drive and focus. For example, in the new year we would both like to get in to better physical and financial shape, become better at our teaching/coaching responsibilities, acquire skills pertaining to keeping up our house, serve others both locally and internationally, etc. All of these things are within reach for us, we just simply need the willpower and motivation to accomplish them. Those two things do not always come easily when working full time.
I have no idea what 2014 has in store, but I am excited about the year ahead. I hope that each of you had a wonderful 2013 and that 2014 brings blessings beyond what you could ever dream of. Happy New Year!
