So Ready......

Do you see these photos! This is what I cannot wait for! We are going to Callaway Gardens next weekend for a Ranger marriage retreat. As much as I would like to say that I am glad it is a retreat that will keep us in some classes during the day it will be a good retreat for Ben and I in other ways. We need to get away from the usual every day-to-day life that we live. It is nice just to get out of the city that you live in to drive a half an hour to a beautiful place like this and find peace and stillness!
Some definintions of retreat:
~an act or process of withdrawing especially from what is difficult, dangerous, or disagreeable
~a place of privacy or safety
~a period of group withdrawal for prayer, meditation, study, or instruction under a director
~a religious or spiritual term for time taken to reflect or meditate
I believe the last definition suits us the best this time. We have some decisions coming up that need to be made that will impact both of us. Ben and I are praying for wisdom, peace, patience, contentment and direction for what the Lord has for us. We want His best for our lives and want to see Jesus ALWAYS in our lives!
We plan on taking our bikes to get a few rides in and hopefully hit the pool. The azalea bowl should be in bloom and so many spring flowers will have their heads out seeking some sun! Ahhhh I just hope to have some lovely weather as well!

Welcome little ladies....

So a good friend back home had her identical baby twin girls this morning! I had to share them with you because they are so precious! I saw there photo and it made me want to be home to see them! I did get a bit teary eyed because they are such a wonderful miracle! Handmade by God and with his touch on their little lives! Many of you probably think that now that I have seen another photo (and got teary) of not only one baby but two that it would make me want to have one of my own....not yet please! So, welcome into the world little Penelope (6.7lbs) and Katie....yup that is right (5.8 lbs!!) Both are healthy and mom is doing well! Oh and I failed to mention that they are being welcomed as well but a 2 year old brother! My oh my Emily is going to have her hands full!!

Lots of date rides......

I finally got a road bike! We had been talking about it forever and the day finally came! We had been wanting to get me a bike so that Ben and I could do something "sporty" together! I like my running, spin class, and own gym workouts and he likes his mountain climbing, extreme sports, lifting and so on. We have been talking about what we can both do together that would entail having fun, getting exercise and being together! Well, since Ben already had a road bike we thought that it would be a good idea for me to get one too! We went to the bike store yesterday to just go looking and see if anything would be the right fit. We actually went to buy some spin shoes for my spin class so I could get a better workout! There are a ton of bikes there and good thing Ben knows what he is looking for because I had not a clue....just knew I did not want anything that had pink, purple or any other girly color to it! Could you imagine me on a pink or purple bike....not thank you!! Anyways, we found a few but Ben was not satisfied until he asked the man to see one that was higher on the second rack. Of course I was like...ohh I like the colors....until I saw the price! It was not the price that we had discussed before coming to the store! He later said that he tried to hide the price knowing that I would say that I did not need a bike of that $$$ amount. So, I took it for a spin and it was quite funny because I really don't remember the last time I had ridden a road bike! HAHA and now to put me on one that has way thin wheels....oh my! It was fun though and I could imagine myself cruising along the road with Ben and sloughing off these love handles that seem to cling onto me and never want to let go! Ben had to work on a homework assignment for his school so we went to Panera to use their fast internet and sip on some coffee. After much thought and deliberation and Ben telling me it was not a matter of the price tag but that it was a bike I will have forever, can andvance/improve on, use together and also use for future family fun we went back and got it! We got some good flyer miles which is a bonus! Also included in the package were these lovley padded black bike shorts!! Ummmmm can you give me a whoot whoot for I am going to be sporting some lovely spandex material!! One benefit to them is that the legs/thighs look a bit slimmer! :) We wanted to go riding today but it has been raining all day long! Does the weather man not know that I just made a purchase and want to use it??!! I will post photos later when Ben and I go out to bike of the whole updo and riding experience!

First day out....

This was the first day this year that we got to take the boat out! After having crazy weather last weekend it finally got in the upper 70's on Saturday! It was a beautiful day to just go out and smoothly glide along the lake. Well, Ben did have a fewe times of crazy driving and making some wakes for Mike and Kaylyn on their boat! Will and cute lil Olivia joined us and Olivia got a bit bored with the boys talking so she ate some sour patch kids and then fell asleep! I did not think the sun rays were going to be as strong as they were so I got some lovely pink skin and now am going to have to even out some funky tan lines! Oh what we do for some sun! All in all it was a fun day that was topped off by some yummy burgars the Isreal's house!

(One of the reasons I married Ben...for the boat of course! Haha)


(Olivia racked out)


(What they do best....chill and talk about work!)


(Ben looking handsome and me just waking up!)

For the love of pansies....

Ben and I were driving home from post the other day and I noticed that the trees were starting to get leaf buds and small bit of color to them! One particular tree stood out to me because it had purple buds that would soon be flowering into magnificent flowery branches! I cannot wait to see them and all the other tree in bloom here! It is weird to think that it snowed about 5 inches last weekend and not this weekend they are calling for highs in the mid 70's...hey I will take it!
Anyways, I wanted a new center piece for my kitchen table that had to do with spring! I went to Lowes and found some pansies that were on clearance! Poor little guys were on a cart of their own with a big yellow clearance sticker! They still looked good to me and maybe just needed a bit of TLC, new potting soil and some water! The basket is a little big and I still need to get some moss but I love pansies and how delicate they are. Did you know that you can eat the petal?? I have put them in salads before to add a little color!
In the little pot is a cute little pansy plant I found for 59 cents! He was too cute to resist! I found this little pot in my storage cupboard and since I have not used it since the original flowers were in it I decided to put it to good use!
So, that is my pansy story! If I owned a house I would have a yard full of flowers...someday! :)

Oh the beauty of a bathroom...

I love bathrooms and how quite they can be. I don't know there is something about them that is calming to me. I don't know if it is the tub, shower, conversations of what. Even if I just sit on the sink counter and Ben is showering, or getting ready for the day....to me it is a place of serinity and calmness. We have a tiny little bathroom so when I see photos of bathrooms that I love there is just something about them. I am sure that all this quiteness and peace that I enjoy now will someday be disturbed by little foot padding coming into "my" bathroom and calling out...mommy, mommy....hurry up, we want you to come out and play! I think that I may just have to set the rule that if mommy is in the bathroom it is her time and YOU WILL KNOCK before even thinking about coming in! Anyways, just a few ideas for my future bathroom.....

(I am a big believer in large free standing tubs....also in love with big windows)


(I would have these book cases on one of my walls)


(The old craftsman style hardware is a must!)


(and a double free-standing vanity is a must)

Our dream home......

Well, Ben and I have a dream of someday owning a house of our own. We did not buy in Washington because we knew shortly after we were married that we were going to be moving out of state. We also did not buy here in GA because we knew we were only be here for a short amount of time and also did not want to have to try and sell.
So, we dream and dream of what we want our house to be and when we will get a chance to own it someday!
We were in Lowe’s one day this past fall and thought that we would buy one of those house plan books. We fell upon one that was called Country Homes by Lowe’s Legacy series. Now, I am not into “country” homes but more into craftsman and classy homes. We were looking through it and fell in love with one house and its layout in particular. Just the way the outside looks made me fall in love with it. The inside is very open yet there are areas of seclusion and areas for quietness. It is just a tad over 2,000 square feet and Ben got to revamping it a bit and making it a bit bigger. Well, come to find out when my sister was messing around with it on her plan program back home that he had made it over 4,000 square feet!! Haha that is WAY to much house for us and even when we add to our family it will be too big! I enjoy a house that is spacious but not so big that you get lost in it! I also enjoy one story houses just to keep family close. This does have a little bonus room above the garage that we would finish off to use for a guest room or gym or some sort.
Our goal is to pay off our only loans which are the boat and truck. We are fairly close to this goal and once I start working it will be even sooner. We would like to then buy some property back in WA either on about an acre of land or the lake. Since we are in the grand career of the Army we won’t know for sure what is going on always so we would like to have and invest in the property until we know that we are going to be in WA for good!
Anyways, we love this house and know that someday (or we just will keep dreaming of it) we will be able to have it! God knows our future and our dreams and He tells us to DREAM BIG…..so that is what we are doing!

Crazy March Weather....

So, yesterday I woke up to go to spin class (an addiction of mine now) and the weather was in the 50's and humid...nice for February! On the way home from spin I thought that the rain and wind couldn't get any stronger! Alabama and Georgia do not have the best drainage systems so there was water everywhere! I was more watching out for the crazy drivers around me then the way that I was moving along! I made it home only to find out that we were to get flash floods and were in tornado watches! A friend text me later in the morning saying the middle school about 15-20 miles from our home had been hit and a church that was almost 162 years old had been leveled! You will see the photos that I have posted of both! Well, then about mid afternoon it all cleared up and ended up being in the 70's! Well, what do you know....we woke up to 30 degree weather this morning and it was SNOWING!! Snowing in GA/AL?? Are you kidding me....70's yesterday and snow today....and I thought that WA weather was crazy! At the time that I am writing this we have about 4-6 inches and it is still coming down heavy! When we went into church this morning they had a combined service but the people that were in town were going about 2 miles an hour (well I thought so) and there were not that many out compared to a normal Sunday morning! It was hilarious to see peoples reactions and hear how they had to go to the grocery store to stock up for the snow storm! Anyways, to wrap it all up it has been a few crazy days weather wise! We will see what tomorrow holds for us......hurricanes, ice storms, 80 degree weather?? You never know what you are going to get around here!


(The church that was leveled)






(When we woke up this morning)


(On the way to chuch)


(When we got home....but more snow to come!)