Just another old married couple...

I honestly did not intend to let this much time pass before posting again, but life for us has been fairly uneventful during the last month. We are officially an old married couple! Matt has settled into a routine with school, and seems to be having a pretty solid semester thus far. Cross country season is now officially underway, and since Matt is coaching, the majority of our Saturdays will be spent at meets. I am very thankful that I can tag along to most of these events, since we do not get to spend much time together during the week. So far I have enjoyed going to the races, though I am definitely missing Saturdays in Tuscaloosa. Fortunately, Matt and I are trying to find tickets for games that fall on days when he does not have a meet.

Things for me have changed very litte, and I still have more free time on my hands than I would prefer. Though a full-time job has yet to present itself, I have been getting a fair amount of substitute work in the Madison City and County systems. These jobs have been a Godsend, because they do not only get me out of the house, they also provide us with a little extra money to help us through the month. Though I could probably find a part-time job in retail or waitressing, everyone has encouraged me to stick with subbing. Since being in the schools regularly is the best way to get my foot in the door, subbing is truly my best option. The fact that the work is so sporadic is a bit frustrating, but I am praying for patience and for an opportunity to arise as a result of my time spent in area schools.

Matt and I are continually asked how we are enjoying married life. To give the short answer, it's great! I can't speak for other newly married couples, but Matt and I simply enjoy spending time together. We have had a lot of fun participating in various school functions and finding things to do in our new town. Matt has also been a huge help in household matters. I brag on him frequently, but he deserves it! He has been eager to help me with the cooking (okay, well, he pretty much does all of that!), the cleaning, and various other chores. The fact that he has such a servant's heart has definitely endeared him to me even further. We both have made a concerted effort to put the needs of the other before our own, and though we sometimes fail, I think it is a large part of the reason that things have been so smooth for us thus far.

We have also had many prayers answered over the course of the last month. As I mentioned earlier, my sub work is slowly picking up. This in and of itself is a HUGE answer to prayer. Though I still sit at home a few days each week, subbing has helped to break up the monotony in my day to day life. Being in the schools has also been a great way for me to network, and I am so thankful that so many teachers in  both systems are willing to go to bat for me. Another prayer that was answered this month, is that we seem to have found a church home in Huntsville! If you have read my other blogs, you know that leaving our church in Tuscaloosa was difficult for the both of us. We met virtually our entire group of friends at Calvary in Tuscaloosa, and it is also the place where we met and were married. Calvary was also the church where Matt came to Christ, as well as the place where we spent the vast majority of our time during our college years. There are so many incredible people in that church, and we were very cynical about finding a church in Huntsville that would even remotely compare. After visiting 6-7 churches in the Huntsville/Madison area, however, I think we have found a pretty good fit! The church that we have attended the last several weeks is HUGE (roughly 3,000 members), and initially we were very intimidated and turned off by the sheer size of the congregation. After attending a Sunday School class at the church, however, we realized that this is the place God intended for us to be. Of all the churches we have attended, Willowbrook is the only church that has a class for young married couples who are yet to have children. Though this may seem like a small thing to some, this was a huge thing for us. Since we left such an incredible group of friends in Tuscaloosa, we really wanted to find a Godly group of friends in Huntsville to essentially "do life" with. We quickly realized, after visiting a few churches, that we had a very tough time relating to young adults with children. Matt and I do not have to worry about potty training, babysitters, or feeding schedules at this point in our lives, and we had a hard time making conversation with those who do. For these individuals, their children pretty much dictated their schedules, as well as their conversation topics. The couples that we met with children were incredibly kind and welcoming, but Matt and I wanted to find a group of people who were in our stage of life. We wanted friends who could easily hangout on the weekends or who would understand the issues that sometimes arise in our new marriage. Fortunately for us, we found what we were looking for at Willowbrook. We love out Sunday school class and have enjoyed getting to know all of the couples, even though most of them are Auburn graduates! I do not want to give the impression that we chose a church based off of a group of people, because the group was only a small part of the reason that we have continued to return. Both Matt and I have been impressed with the overall vision of the church, as well as their commitment to missions and doctrinal teachings. It has been wonderful to finally find a place to plug in again!

The past two months have gone by so quickly, and before we know it, the holidays will be upon us. Matt and I do not have a lot planned for the next month or two, but we do have a few things to look forward to. As of now Matt and I are seriously considering making the trip to Tuscaloosa for the Vanderbilt game, and potentially others. Regardless of which games we make it to, it will be wonderful to be back in Bryant Denny and visiting with friends. In our attempt to visit every SEC stadium together, we are also planning to go to the Alabama/Ole Miss game. We are hoping that a few friends will join us on the day trip to Ole Miss in October. Matt has Fall break in less than a month, so he and I are considering taking a weekend trip (location yet to be determined) during his time off. We have a voucher for a free two night hotel stay, so we could probably take a trip at little cost to us. Matt has been trying to come up with fun things for us to do since I am homebound most days, and I love him for that. Wherever we go, it will be nice to get out of Huntsville for a few days. Another thing on the horizon is my dear friend Brittany's wedding! Brittany and I have been friends since we were toddlers, and she was one of the maids of honor in my wedding in July. I can't wait to stand beside her on her big day! I am definitely looking forward to the festivities surrounding her wedding. Below is a picture of us (and two other friends from high school) at her first shower.

Brittany will make a beautiful bride, and I cannot wait to celebrate her wedding on October 21st! Weddings are much more fun when you do not have to worry about the stress of planning!

Matt and I returned Monday from a trip to the mountains with my mom's side of the family. Most of my mom's extended family is from the Knoxville area, so we make the trip for family reunions each Labor Day weekend. It is always fun to stay with 15+ people in a cabin, and it is also great to spend time with family that we only get to see once a year.  My mamaw is one of ten siblings, so you can only imagine the number of people that show up each year! On the whole, it was a fun and relaxing weekend.

Hopefully the next time I update this thing an entire month will not have passed. Hope you all had a great Labor Day! Until next time....

Lately...

It has been a few weeks since I have gotten around to updating the blog, and as strange as it sounds, everything and nothing has happened during that time. Matt and I are basically settled into our tiny little apartment, and I am starting to accept the fact that we simply aren't going to find a place for everything. Though most everything has been put away, we simply do not have enough storage for all of our belongings. His stuff + my stuff + wedding gifts + one closet in the entire apartment = lots of Rubbermaid tubs stacked along our bedroom wall. Though it bothers me that everything can't be stored out of sight, I am thankful that everything is pseudo-organized. We have spent a lot of time during the last three weeks organizing, hanging pictures, and taking care of the load of paperwork that comes with getting married. Our apartment is not completely finished yet (I am still debating on which pictures to hang, where to hang them, etc), but below are a few pictures of what we have done thus far. 

 Our little dining room table was donated to us by one of my dad's coworkers. 

It is very small, but fits perfectly in our dining area. Mom had the chairs 

reupholstered earlier in the year, so of course our fabric of choice was hounds tooth!

These pictures were among our favorite wedding gifts, and are currently 

hanging on one wall in our dining area. Our sweet friend, Matt York, digitally

retouched and framed shots of some of our favorite spots around 

Tuscaloosa. For those of you familiar with the city, there are two shots of the

stadium, one of Manly Hall, and another of City Cafe. We are glad to have a piece of 

Tuscaloosa hanging in our apartment in Madison.

Wide shot of our dining area ( I REALLY wish we could paint the walls!).

Getting everything to fit into our kitchen was a nightmare! Given

our limited space, however, I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.

These two pictures, which are hanging in our hallway, were also wedding gifts.

Marilyn Hunter, mother of our friend Austin, took a few of our engagement and

national championship pictures and created digital scrapbook pages for us. 

Hopefully I can figure out how to do this for myself eventually!

Our living room! This room, as well as our bedroom, is still a work in progress.

We are hoping to add more to the walls in the next few weeks!

Our bedroom is probably the room in our apartment that is furthest from completion, so I will be attacking that project at a later date. I will try to add pictures of that room, as well as our completed living room, as soon as they are completed.

Paperwork has also consumed a lot of our time in the last few weeks. I seriously did not realize how many documents contained my name until the time came to change it. Matt and I have had to change our insurance, banking situation, car tags/titles, licenses (he FINALLY has an Alabama license), and my Social Security information. Making all of these changes was incredibly time consuming, and I am so glad that we have everything taken care of! 

Amid the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks, we have also had a lot to celebrate. I turned 24 on July 24th, and we had a blast celebrating in Madison with friends from Tuscaloosa. I am so thankful that our group of friends is making such an effort to stay in touch, despite the fact that we are now spread out across the state. The next weekend, we were able to accompany our friends Scott and Laura to Handy Fest. Scott and Laura, both of whom were in our wedding, were searching for a band to play at their wedding reception. The trip was a success, and they found a band that I am sure all of their guests will love. Matt and I can't wait to be a part of their big day! This past weekend was a whirlwind as we traveled to Tuscaloosa for my graduation ceremony. Though I actually completed my degree in May, our ceremony was postponed for three months due to the tornadoes of April 27th. Friday and Saturday were exciting days for those of us who were receiving our diplomas, but it was heartbreaking to watch the parents of the deceased students receive diplomas on behalf of their children. The ceremony was definitely more somber than others I have attended, but I think it was a step in the right direction for the city and all who were affected by the storm.

Looking Back...

I am officially a resident of Madison, AL. On Saturday of this week I moved the rest of my things out of my apartment in Tuscaloosa. Turning in my key was a much more emotional process than I had anticipated it would be. I grew up in Moulton, but Tuscaloosa, in many ways, feels like my home. This move, though my fifth in four years, was not about changing apartments or roommates. This time, I was leaving for good. No more Alabama football Saturdays, mid-week City Cafe trips, or late night hangouts. No more endless nights in Gorgas Library, Wednesday nights at The Well, or lazy days on the Quad. No more fighting for parking, wasting time in The Ferg, or asking the question "Where are you from and what's your major?" My college years are officially over. 

Last semester was a tough one for me, as I was finishing my internship, taking a class, preparing for master's comps, and planning a wedding. Most days I could not wait to get out of Tuscaloosa. Now that the end has officially arrived, however, I would love nothing more than to relive portions of the last four years. Tuscaloosa gave me my husband, lifelong friendships, and a church home that showed me what it truly means to follow Christ. I am a better person for having spent four years in this town. As I look back, I can't help but to think of the people and events that made the last four years some of the best of my life.

We have had the privilege of watching so many of our dear friends tie the knot while 

in Tuscaloosa. Here we are with Leslie and Anna-Kate Oglesby, two friends who said "I do"

three weeks before our own wedding.

I am so blessed to have so many close female friendships in Tuscaloosa. We have all grown so much together

over the last four years, and I know that these friendships will withstand distance. I am secretly 

hoping that they all end up in the Madison area :).

After the tornado of April 27th, I was blessed beyond measure by the hearts of my sweet friends.

To be able to gut homes, deliver furniture, and clean-up debris for almost two months with these

people did so much for my faith and my friendships. Those few weeks in Tuscaloosa, while heartbreaking,

were among some of the most spiritually fulfilling of my life. This event was also affirmation that I want

to make myself more available to long-term mission opportunities in the future.

Pasadena!!!! Okay, well, this shot was actually taken in Laguna Beach. One of the highlights of my 

college years was making the trip to Pasadena to watch the Crimson Tide play for the BCS National

Championship. I wish I could relive this once in a lifetime trip over and over again. Roll Tide!

Football Saturdays were hands-down the most fun days in the Fall. Most students complained

about having to arrive to the stadium three hours before kickoff, but I secretly loved it. Without

complete and total boredom, how would you ever get shots like these?

For me, gymnastics was basically the football of the Spring. I probably would not

have cared as much had my best friend/roommate not been one of the most 

amazing gymnasts on the team. Regardless of why I went, it was always so much

fun to cheer on little Ricki!

 Over the course of my time in the college ministry at Calvary, I was given the

opportunity to go on missions trips to Boston, Massachusetts and Cheyenne,Wyoming. These trips

provided me with a way to see a different part of the country, while also allowing me to put

my feet to my faith. I had the time of my life serving along other members of my church on both trips. 

The picture above is the Cheyenne team on one of our off days.

I could literally import dozens of Facebook albums to my blog in an attempt to showcase all of the memories that I made while living in Tuscaloosa. If I did that, however, most people would probably not read my blog (not that many people do anyway :)), and it would still not do justice to my time spent at UA. As I look forward to my life as a wife and a teacher (hopefully), I can't help but to look back on my time spent in the place that provided me with both my husband and my career. While I will be returning for graduation in two weeks and a few football games this Fall, my drives Southward will be much less frequent than before. The University of Alabama is now in my rear view mirror, and while I can't help but to be a little sad, I am excited about what the future holds. Thanks for the memories Tuscaloosa!

We're Home!!!

We never thought we would jump onto the blog bandwagon, but here we are!  Since many of our close friends and family members are spread out across the country, we wanted to provide them with an avenue to keep up with our adventures as newlyweds, and, in life in general.  Given the craziness of the last several months (finishing school/work, tornado, wedding planning, wedding, honeymoon, moving, etc.), we wanted to be sure to take the time to chronicle this stage of our lives. The last several months, while fun, now seem to be such a blur. We definitely wish we had taken the time to write down at least some of what was transpiring. Better late than never right? For starters, we got married!

Matt and I at our reception with two of our dearest friends in Tuscaloosa.  We are so honored that they chose to be a part of our wedding party!

Many of you who walked through the wedding planning process with me know how resistant I was when it came to planning our big day. Though wedding planning was not exactly my cup of tea,  (sorry to those of you who had to badger me into doing it at all!) I could not be happier with the way things turned out. Everything was absolutely beautiful, and Matt and I loved spending time with friends and family that we are rarely able to see. Here are a few more images from our wedding day: 

Just a few of the people who have greatly impacted our lives since we have been in Tuscaloosa. A greater group of friends we will never find.

Our beautiful AND delicious wedding cake from Mary's Cakes and Pastries in Tuscaloosa. I am definitely looking forward to another slice on our one year anniversary.

Dad making the hand-off. Unfortunately, very few of our friends and family members have uploaded wedding pictures to Facebook. I can't wait to see all of the professional pictures, as well as those taken by other guests! Hopefully I can add a few of those when they are made available.

We were so very fortunate that one of our wedding gifts turned out to be an all expense paid trip to Hawaii! Matt and I spent one glorious week on the island of Oahu where we hiked, hit the beach, and checked out all of the touristy stuff that the island had to offer. Though adjusting to the time change was brutal, it was wonderful to finally have time to relax after an incredibly exhausting semester.

Matt before our morning hike to the top of Diamond Head.

The beautiful beaches of Oahu. I would love nothing more than to spend another week soaking up the sun in Waikiki.

The view from the top of Diamond Head. We were even blessed with a rainbow!

Obviously, the images above only show a snippet of our trip. We loved every minute of our honeymoon, and hope to return to Hawaii as soon as finances allow. I would recommend a trip to the islands to anyone!

Now that the honeymoon is over, Matt and I are attempting to settle into our new home, as well as take care of the mountains of paperwork that come with marriage. I would post pictures of our new apartment, but it is not yet up to my standards (Matt says it never will be). Once everything is in its place and pictures are on the walls, I plan to share a few snapshots of our humble abode. Thanks to all of you who made our wedding and honeymoon possible, and to those of you who have assisted us in the moving process. We could not have done it without you! More to come as soon as time allows....