Two For One Wells

Country Come to Town....

2012-02-12T22:05:00.000-05:00

Well folks, we are back from the Big D. And honestly, I think "Big D" is an understatement. I'm thinking more like "Gigantic D" or "Humongous D". I really did feel like a country girl come to town. Tallahassee was a huge "upgrade" for me when I moved from Brookhaven, MS, but Dallas makes Tally look like a little village. If I had a nickel for how many exits and turns we missed, our first month's rent would be paid. The roads were CRAZY and there were just hundreds of neighborhoods!!! Thanks to our fabulous realtor, Helen, we were able to get around town and find something.

So after 2 full days in the car, and looking at over 15 houses, we settled on an adorable home that has a 6 month lease, so we can hopefully buy our own house soon!

It even has a fenced in yard for Little Buddy. The comical thing is that it was the BIGGEST yard that we came across, and it is .25 acres. One house that we looked at had a "yard" that was essentially the size of a large puppy pad; just enough room for Manny to squat and come back in the house. We left that one pretty quickly. Little adjustment from living on +500 acres.

Jeremie and I were almost delirious last night by the time we got finished with everything. We ordered To Go from Chili's, went to the hotel, and ate our food on the bed in our pajamas. Isn't that sad...in a town that hosts famous restaurants and we ate eggrolls and sliders. Sigh.

Anyways, aside from the house hunt stress, we are excited about our new city. There is every restaurant and store you could ever think of. We did manage to squeeze in our first ever trip to IKEA and it DID NOT disappoint. That place is unreal; J even enjoyed it, mainly because they sell wood, so maybe he'll build something. The suburb that we will live in also has a precious downtown, which reminds me of Thomasville.

I have to admit, it was nice to get back to Tally, which I refuse to stop calling "Home" until the last item is packed and I am driving out the driveway for the last time. But you know what they say...Home is Where the Heart Is....and this is my heart:

Goin' to the Big D and I DO Mean Dallas!

2012-02-08T23:05:00.001-05:00

HELLO WORLD. Well, there has been reason for my absence from the Bloggersphere. We've had a little drama in the Wells household. A couple weeks ago, I came home from my Bible Study group and Jeremie immediately lowered the boom....He'd gotten a promotion......which most people would be excited about...which is why I was confused by the devastated look on his face. The kicker was that the new position would be in....Dallas, Texas! Cue the WATERWORKS. The thought of moving away from our church, our friends, my job, and further from our family was heartbreaking! The news just kept getting better and better when J told me we had till Friday to decide and would have to move by March.

After crying for a good hour or so (and I am NOT a pretty crier...think puffy, red face) Jeremie and I said a tearful prayer and watched a couple episodes of The Office to try to cheer us up. FAIL.

So the next days few days were spent praying, weighing the options, and you got it...more crying. We even pulled out the good ole dry erase board to visualize the Pros & Cons. Manny even got a vote, which was an item on the "Cons" side: leaving Sexy Lexie, his lovely Collie girlfriend.

I am not a huge fan of change, OR lack of a plan. So I was really praying for discernment of God's voice and a clear understanding of what His will was. I clung to the fact that He goes before us in all things and is a faithful God. A book I read last year said "God, in His wisdom, softly draws the curtain of His love across the future of our lives and lets us live day by day." Love this!

Later in the week, while talking to Jeremie's mom, she reminded me of Psalm 139, which was actually read in church a couple weeks ago......it says "All of the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:24).

So after a long week, J and I realized that God was telling us the same thing, even though it wasn't what we really wanted to hear. That being said...we're goin' to Texas!!! Now that the initial shock is over, I am excited to see what God has in store for us in Dallas.

There are no words for how much we have loved our time in Tallahassee and cherish all the people, experiences, and memories we have made here. It will always be piece of us. But luckily, "a man's ways are in full view of the Lord, and He examines all his paths. " Proverbs 5:21.

Jeremie and I have always said that as long as we have each other, we can go anywhere. So here we go! Tomorrow, we actually leave for the Big D to look at some rental homes. The good news is that:

Tallahassee's Miss America(s)

2012-01-18T21:50:00.000-05:00

There She Is.......So this weekend some of my girlfriends got together for a super girly Miss America Viewing Party. It was a blast! Our party was complete with crowns, sashes, scorecards, and Miss America themed food. (Our group has a "Go Big or Go Home" mentality.)

Our pageant contestants were:
Miss State (This was me of course)
Miss Communications
Miss Fits
Miss Behave
Miss Demeanor
Miss Fortune
Miss Take
Miss Conception (She's actually pregnant!)

Practicing our "Surprised" faces!

Harassing the winner in true pageant style...give me that CROWN!!!!!

The food fit for a Queen consisted of:
Na-cho Crown Cheese Dip
World Peace Pizza Dip
Bombshell Brushetta
Pageant Punch
Add-a-Cup Cakes
Talent Show Taco Bread
And The Wiener is...Little Smokies
Perky Pineapple and Swimsuit Strawberries
So Berry Sexy (chocolate covered strawberries)

The pageant was totally comical. It was quite ironic for the 8 of us to be shoving our faces while we mercilessly judged extremely fit girls in bikinis. The talent competition was even more ruthless since we had a dancer, piano player, and singer in the room to point out their every mistake. But hey---those girls chose to be judged, so judge we did. We had Miss Oklahoma picked win, but somehow Miss Wisconsin took the title. Too bad she wasn't wearing water proof mascara.

Nevertheless, we had a great time and are already thinking about themes for next year.....80's Miss America???

The Wells Weekly: New Year, New Resolutions....

2012-01-16T20:56:00.001-05:00

So I realize that it's officially MID JANUARY, but let's face it, we all feel like Christmas was yesterday. So I'm already behind on posting my New Year's Resolutions.....I hope that's not a sign of how dedicated I will be to them. Anyway, I have WAY too many things that I want to do this year to actually take it seriously, so I am not going to kick myself for not tackling every single one. But just for fun, here are my resolutions/hopes/ambitions for 2012:

Things I really want to accomplish:

Do my devotional/quiet time in the mornings before work
The typical "Get in Shape"......seriously...really...10 Year Reunion in 6 months!
Grow in my prayer life
Go to Italy!

Things that I would like to do but will probably not accomplish:

Finish my Wedding and Honeymoon scrapbooks (um, yeah, those events occurred 2.5 years ago)
Learn how to coupon
Learn how to use my Nikon camera (so many buttons!)
Actually cook recipes out of my cookbooks
Keep my car cleaned out (usually full of....junk...)
Keep my purse cleaned out (usually full of receipts..and.junk)
Keep the pantry more organized
Pinterest projects!

So if you see me around, feel free to be my accountability partner and inspect my purse....just warning you...there may be a sharp object or small animal......no telling.....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:04:00.001-05:00

Well, we wrapped up the last of the holidays! Christmas was wonderful....we were lucky to have several days off to relax and spend with our families. Before we headed to Mississippi, we had our annual Wells Family Christmas here at the house. I cooked a nice dinner and we opened gifts. Here are a few highlights..

Manny obviously racked up on puppy toys and tested each one out for about 5 minutes until he settled on stuffed Santa Claus. Jeremie's gifts included the Jack Cristil book, a MSU steak brander, a discipleship book, and some camo that he picked out. I got some clothes, a necklace and a new big tote bag, since mine is about 5 years old and won't zip anymore. I picked it up the next day (it had just come in) and the ladies in the little store were horrified that I was picking up my own Christmas present, especially since I didn't let them wrap it. I immediately went home, packed my stuff in it, and we headed to MS.

It was great to be in MS for a few days and see our families. We are so lucky that our families only live 30 minutes apart. I still can't get over the fact that Jeremie & I didn't meet until college, but we grew up just down the road from each other. In fact, shortly after we met, we realized that his sister also went to my high school & that his mom & my aunt were bridesmaids in each others' weddings!!! Small world!

Now that I've chased that rabbit trail.......the first stop was Jeremie's parents (now Nona Cate and Papa Mitch) where we caught up and got some sweet time with Baby Judah. Next stop was the Taylors for a family get together on my Dad's side. Then back to The Wells for Jeremie's dad's family's side. (Get the drift?) Christmas morning is always spent at Jeremie's grandparent's where we ate a fabulous breakfast (in our pajamas) and opened gifts. Lunch was spent at my Grammy & Big Jack's and we rounded up the day back at the Taylors where we opened more gifts and usually fall asleep in the recliners/couch. In the meantime, Jeremie and I split up for some quality time with our respective families. I usually manage to squeeze in a shopping trip to Hudsons. : )

A few of the moments we caught:

Uncle J loves Judah. He was tired from his first Christmas.

Jeremie came back from the woods bearing mistletoe....so sweet.....

Christmas was wonderful and went by too fast. Before we knew it, we were headed back to Tallahassee to ring in the New Year! And that we did. We hosted a bonfire for our Sunday School class, complete with s'mores, fireworks, and yes, our very own 2012 Ball Drop from the balcony.

I know you think this was a pricey piece of entertainment, but don't fret, it's just my exercise ball wrapped in white trash bags and Christmas lights....

The boys were completely entertained by the "pyrotechnics", especially this 30 foot flame from the Donaldsons burning Christmas tree. Oh, the dear boys....

Now it's time to kick off 2012!!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

The Christmas Revue

2011-12-29T15:45:00.000-05:00

.....And no, I did not misspell "review". One form of the definition of "revue" was "theatrical entertainment"and I'm pretty sure each Christmas activity we participated in was theatrical and entertaining...so here goes.....

We kicked off the season with our third annual trip to Thomasville for Victorian Christmas, with our friends, Tiffany and Ryan in tow. This year did not disappoint and was full of beautiful decorations and entertainment. One of my favorite things is the live Christmas Nativity/skit which reminds me of our Christmas play we used do at church every year. (We'd essentially dust off the old trunk with the angel & shepherd costumes...and instant Christmas play.) It was adorable. Even funnier was that Tiffany and I got "shushed" by a little boy in front of us.....we just couldn't stop laughing at the donkey kicking the heck out of its handler behind the barn.

Jeremie's favorite thing about Victorian Christmas is the roasted corn that you smother with butter and your choice of spices. Unfortunately, both boys seemed to choose too many spices and were having a hard time eating their corn. But they seemed to be enjoying it anyway.

The next day we made our second annual trip to the Lawn Mower/Golf Cart Parade in Havana. Havana is much smaller than Thomasville, but no less entertaining. The Donaldsons joined us and we had a good time shopping, watching the parade, and just being plain silly.

Don't ask me why there was a helicopter on display at the Lawn Mower Parade...all I know is that it made for a hilarious picture.

After the parade, we made our way to another party at our friend's John and Susie's. Unfortunately, I have no pictures from this party. It was a cookie swap, so I may or may not have been stuffing my mouth the entire time. Too busy too take pics.....and there wasn't really anything left to take pictures of anyway. Nevertheless, we had a blast with The Andersons, The Bushes, & The Colavecchios.

My office Christmas party next on the docket. They surprised us and took us to the Publix cooking school, which was a blast! We made crawfish etouffee, gumbo, crabcakes, oysters & my personal favorite: homemade ice cream with pecan praline caramel sauce! Can't say that I could make everything again, but it was a really fun experience.

Wasn't a fan of touching the raw oysters....

I am blessed with great co-workers! We all keep each other on our toes....

Moving right along to one of our favorite events, the Tacky Sweater Christmas party. Our Sunday School class is not afraid of a little competition, so Jeremie went all out and impersonated "Cousin Eddie" from National Lampoon Christmas Vacation. He found the hat, the green corduroy pants, the thin sweater....it was hilarious. He took away the Most Tacky award, which, I guess is something to be proud of. I sported an Old World Santa sweatshirt that Mom made about 20 years ago. Good times.

These boys are taking Tacky to a whole new level.

And with that, I conclude this years Christmas Revue. Until next year!

Deck the Halls......

2011-12-20T23:51:00.002-05:00

Decorating for Christmas is so much fun! The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is turn on the Christmas tree. It just feels so festive to me. (And maybe it has something to do with a girl's love for shiny stuff.) Here is a peek at some of our decorations.....

I try to decorate the mantel different every year. This year, I bought the gold sleigh & reindeer from one of my co-workers. She has been using it for years, so I was happy to give it a new home. Unfortunately, it's so big, all the reindeer wouldn't fit on the mantel! I was happy how it turned out.

Jeremie's Aunt Deb gave us this for my Christmas Shower before we got married....I love it!

Santa was another Christmas Shower gift.....he looks so jolly!

My natural bouquet...trimmings from the tree and furry looking stuff from the yard...

The MSU Tree....my mom put this tree together when I was at State. We add an MSU ornament every year...as you can see, it's getting pretty full!

Jeremie gave me this ornament with the Chapel of Memories (where we got married) for our first Christmas...very special.

Christmas Bully....Manny does a double take every time he passes him...

O Christmas Tree!

Hands down, this is J's favorite decoration. If you don't know the story of the Oh-so-tacky snowman head, this was a gift to us from our friends Bryan & Emily. For their first Christmas, Emily told Bryan he could pick one thing out to adorn her elegant tree....never imagining he'd hunt down a Styrofoam snowman head in the store. We picked on them so much about their story, so when Bryan found a twin snowman head last year, he got a KICK out of gifting us with our own. The ONLY reason I allow it to stay up is because it's just so darn hilarious.

Merry Christmas!

The Wells Weekly: Family Photo Session

2011-12-17T23:18:00.000-05:00

Last week, our friends David & Melissa doubled as the family photographer and came out to the house to snap a few shots. (This was prefaced by a delicious breakfast pizza the Donaldsons sponsored.)

Here's a few of my favorites.....

The Wells Weekly: Winter

2011-12-07T21:41:00.001-05:00

I absolutely LOVE this time of year, and all (or most things) that winter brings. I do admit, the other morning was a chilly one, and when I got up to take Manny out, opening the door was bone chilling! So I'm pretty sure I was whining about having to get out of the warm bed. The moment I opened up my devotional that morning the verse was: "You made BOTH summer and winter." (Psalm 74:17). Wow and oops all at the same time. Funny how God will set you straight real quick. (You can't tell me he doesn't have a sense of humor.) Anyways, here are some more things I love about winter:

1. Winter clothes: I love sweaters, boots, hats, gloves....so warm and cozy!

2. Fa-la-la-la Lifetime: A girly Christmas movie every night starting December 1.

3. Hot chocolate: I have a cup probably every other day. With marshmallows.

4. Christmas Events & Parties: Victorian Christmas in Thomasville. Live Nativities. Cookie Swap. The Lawn Mower Parade. Tacky Sweater Christmas Party. I love them all.

5. Soup season: Cold weather calls for hot soup. Jeremie & I have cooked chili, taco soup & beef stew the past few weekends. We eat it until it's gone. : )

6. Operation Christmas Child: This actually happens in the middle of the November, but I still consider it a holiday activity. Jeremie & I have been doing this for years, even when we were dating. Every year I find myself essentially sitting on the shoebox to make everything fit. I totally wish I could see the sweet child that receives it. The neat thing is that they've added a feature where you can track your package to see what country it goes to! Can't wait to find out. If you you've never heard of this go to: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/

7. Winter College Football: Rivalry games are played; shocking upsets ruin the rankings. And the debate begins on whether a College Football playoff should be instituted as opposed to a "bias" BCS system. Happens every year. Don't know why the ESPN announcers are so surprised EVERY year.

8. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation-need I say more?

9. Real Fires in the fireplace: I know the gas logs are easy & clean, but there is nothing like a real fire. My dad is the MASTER at a big fire, and we used to spend a lot of time in front of the fire doing our "thinking pose." (One foot up on the hearth, one hand leaned against the mantel, then stare into the fire. And THINK.) Jeremie can make a mean fire too; in fact, too good sometimes. Last year, I was brushing out my hair and felt a chunk of VERY short hair on the very top of my head. (Think Alfalfa from Little Rascals.) Long story short, we finally realized that I was singeing my hair off by sitting in front of the fire too long! (The evidence was the smell of something burnt one night.) My hairdresser assisted in the recovery.

10. Christmas Tree Hunting: The last 3 years, Jeremie and I have gone to Tallahassee Nurseries to pick out our tree. The place is so charming and the trees are hanging, not bunched up in a net laying on a sidewalk. The workers will even take it out and twirl it around for you if you wish.....Jeremie is very methodical about his choice tree; I love watching him choose.

*Disclaimer: I know that when people think of Florida, the automatic mental picture is palm trees, sun, and sand. To much surprise, the Florida panhandle is not as tropical as you think, in fact, we are under a freeze warning tonight!

Hope everyone is enjoying the season as much as I am!

The Wells Weekly: Thanksgiving

2011-12-03T17:05:00.000-05:00

Whew...can't believe Thanksgiving was just last week! Everything has moved on so quickly to Christmas that it seems like a lifetime away! Thanksgiving was fabulous and busy. I spent four nights in four different places! Fortunately, since our families live so close, we get to make our rounds to everyone. (Quick rounds, that is.)

Round 1: Jeremie's family: We got to spend some sweet time with Judah, who has already gotten so big! He had his 1st set of shots the day we got home, and he was NOT happy. Fortunately, I got lucky and when I held him, he settled down......since I didn't want to mess up a good thing (wink,wink) I held him a looong time.....and reluctantly handed him over to Uncle J eventually....

We finished up Round 1 by eating lunch with Jeremie's family. It was great to catch up...everyone is so spread out now..so we have to talk 90 to nothing to squeeze in everything....

Round 2: My family: Then we headed to Hattiesburg to visit Grammy & Big Jack, and my aunt & uncle were there as well. I couldn't resist Grammy's famous cornbread dressing, so I loosened up my belt, and took the plunge. (And there was just enough room to squeeze it a Farm Cookie or 2.) After that, Steven, Amy, I went to see Puss n' Boots, which was totally hilarious! (I found myself trying to talk in a Spanish accent frequently afterwards.) We loved it and it was fun to have a siblings only outing.The next day I caught up with Grandma & Papa and our conversations spanned from cooking failures to our faith...gotta love it....

Round 3: Black Friday Shopping: I honestly cannot believe Mom & I braved Black Friday, but boy did we have a good time. We tossed around the idea the night before as we were eyeing the $19.99 boots at Belk, but I knew there'd be no point, as there would be nothing left by the time we got there. Well, at 5:30 a.m., I got up to take a bathroom break, and Mom peeked in my room and said she was going to hit the town. So I decided..what the heck...I can sleep later. I definitely didn't look like a rock star, but I wasn't going to impress. I was going to conquer. And that we did. There were millions of boots left and the crowd wasn't bad at all. In fact, we were probably a lot safer going at 6:00 a.m. then getting tazed and trampled at 3:00 a.m. We had a great time; it's been forever since Mom & I did a shopping marathon.

Round 4: The Battle for the Golden Egg: After shopping and recharging, Amy, Mom and I left for Starkville at 6:00 Friday night! I wanted to see some of the cute new shops, and Jeremie and I never have time when we go. So Saturday we got up early and hit the town. Starkville has changed so much; it makes me feel so old. Then again, it's been 5 years since we graduated...hard to believe.

Jeremie and Dad rode up to Starkville together that morning, so we met them for some cheesesticks at the grill and headed to the game! The weather was terrible but the stadium was rockin! We are no fair weathered fans, so we covered up good and cheered the Dawgs to a 31-3 victory!!!!! Nothing like beating Ole Miss.....

This little guy was not letting the rain get him down either; he stood in the middle of the sidewalk and high-fived people as they walked by....adorable...this will probably be our child one day....

Round 5: SEVEN.HOUR.RIDE.HOME.

Will You Marry Me?

2011-11-21T21:06:00.001-05:00

Sigh....the beautiful question Jeremie asked me 3 years ago today that wasn't even a question at all. What I thought was a trip to The Junction to set up our tailgate tent for the Arkansas game turned into Jeremie on one knee in front of the Chapel of Memories. I was TOTALLY stunned! Fortunately I get to re-live the moment any time I want since J hired a photographer to catch the moment. (Infinite points for him...)

Our 2.5 years of marriage have been a BLAST and such a blessing. Don't believe all the crazy "ball and chain" jokes you hear....if you marry your best friend, it's awesome. Not to say there aren't challenges....merging two lives together is not easy...but at the end of the day.....you are together.
In honor of the famous proposal 3 years ago, J surprised me with this tonight:

In addition to the flowers and chocolate, I didn't take a picture of the deer steak, fried green tomatoes and mashed potatoes that we had for dinner.... : )

I know it sounds kind of silly to make such a big deal of an "Engagement Anniversary"...and we don't do this every year. (I had NO idea J was going to spoil me with goodies tonight.) But if you know anything about our dating history, we dated about 4 years and were so ready to be married. But every time it seemed like we were getting closer (with jobs, financially, etc.) something would get in the way, and our engagement was delayed about 2 years later than we had originally hoped. It was a frustrating time for us, but honestly, it drew us closer together and closer to God. And eventually, He began to open all the right doors at the right times (just love how He does that). So for us, the engagement was a big step forward we waited for a long time.

BTW, J is totally bragging about how many points he gets for this, and also how many points his guy friends are getting points deducted for this......At this moment he is cuddling with Manny and whining about how I didn't get him anything.....For better or for worse, right???

The Wells Family Nacation

2011-11-18T19:01:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, we took off a couple days of work and took a four-day-long "nacation". And no, I am not misspelling vacation. There are vacations, there are staycations, and this one was a "nature" inspired trip, so we called it a "nacation". We wanted to get away for a few days, but didn't want to spend all weekend on the road, didn't want to go somewhere too exciting where we felt pressured to tour a bunch of stuff, and also wanted to bring the little buddy along. Lake Blackshear fit all the criteria:

Lake Blackshear was a 2.5 hour drive through the most beautiful back-country roads lined with cotton farms and pecan trees. On the way, we experienced all things southern by eating fried chicken in a town that is "Home of the Syrupmakers", stopped at a country store that had homemade jerky, and believe it or not, saw a deer hanging from a billboard about to be " field dressed", if you will. I'm not even going to get into Jeremie's encounter with a lady named Skeeter in the Dollar General. Anyway, the remainder of the weekend was fairly uneventful. We did a lot of hiking with Manny, who had himself a ball, and was so tired, he was snoring like a person at night. Of course we watched a lot of football and had some delicious meals at the restaurant at the resort.

The little buddy was so happy to join in on the fun. Just like a man, he closed his eyes and stuck his tongue out for the picture.

Jeremie just couldn't resist climbing the tree.......can't take him anywhere...

We did spend some time in Americus, about 30 minutes from Lake Blackshear. It had the most adorable downtown, with so many beautiful historic homes and buildings.....and just look at what intersection we found.....here's to you Dad....

The beautiful Windsor Hotel....I think built in 1890.

The highlight though was most definitely the quality time J & I got to spend together. Words can't express how blessed I feel to be married to my best friend who makes our marriage his top priority. Even after 6 years of being together, hanging out with him never gets old. Looking forward to many more getaways with my wonderful husband.

Agghh.....the sunset at Lake Blackshear....I look at this and think: We serve a Mighty God.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-05T23:31:00.000-04:00

Our friends hosted a costume party for Halloween last Saturday, so we dressed up as Woody & Jessie from Toy Story. We always enjoy dressing up....Jeremie initially acts like he's really not into it, but when it comes down to it, and there's a costume competition at stake, he's says he may as go big or go home. (Hence, he was making spurs for his boots the day of the party.) I have to thank my dear sister in law for letting me borrow her handmade Jessie outfit. Jeremie's was fun to put together and I learned how to use fabric bond from spending a morning ironing the cow print fabric on a vest we found a Goodwill. I think our costumes turned out great. Yeehaw!

The party also included Halloween Trivia, Candy Corn Relay, and Name That Candy (blindfolded). Boys vs. Girls, of course. I have to admit, the boys won this time, as Brandy (see Belle from Beauty and the Beast below) identified butterscotch chips as chocolate chips. There was an eruption of cheers from the boys as we lost....and they aren't letting us forget it. We'll get them next time, Brandy....we still love you.

We had a great time......

Just for fun....here are a few "blast from the past" pics from our former Halloweens together.....so funny to see how we've changed.....

2008.....about a month before we got engaged....

2006........I know...what was I thinking...blonde hair?

And that's right...this is 2005! About 6 months after Jeremie and I met!

Oh the memories....hmmm...what should we be next year????

The Wells Weekly!

2011-11-01T22:25:00.000-04:00

So I'm a little late getting this edition out....last week was fairly uneventful, other than the fabulous costume party we attended, which I'll post about later. So just a few thoughts for now:

1. IT'S NOVEMBER!!!! Where did this year go? Can I get an amen??? Although, November means that Thanksgiving is around the corner, which means seeing our families and eating all my favorite holiday dishes, such as my Grammy's amazing cornbread dressing. It also means that Christmastime is NEAR!!! I'm ALWAYS ready for Christmas. Before we know it, J and I will be lugging our THIRD Christmas tree up our two flights of stairs and I'll be rushing to get our photo Christmas cards out like I do every year. Can I get another amen?

2. I started reading through the Bible in a year.....last August...Obviously, I didn't make the deadline. So I'm trying to get back on track. The Old Testament sure is hard to follow sometimes, especially all the genealogy. Thank goodness for commentaries.

3. J's Shining Moment of the Week: Instead of a hilarious comment, I will share a dear story about what J did last Wednesday. I had a particularly busy/stressful day last Wednesday and topped it of with a dear ole trip to Wal-Mart. I have to admit, I was in a FOUL mood when I got home and J returned from hunting. My first sign of "foulness" was when J asked what was for dinner. When I dryly replied "cereal", he asked what happened to the tacos I had mentioned earlier. I assume I gave him some sort of "foul" look, because the boy GOT BUSY making tacos while I viciously scrubbed the dishes that had overflowed in the sink. He sensed my mood and sweetly told me I should go sit on the couch, relax, and watch "The Middle". After a few minutes of relaxing and yummy tacos, I was healed. I love that J can tune into my needs and help me "recover".
Single ladies: marry a man like this.

4. More points for J this week: He hung the hammock we bought in Nicaragua: I see a lot of books being read in this spot...

5. Speaking of Nicaragua, we had a Nicaragua Reunion party on Friday. It was so great to see the team again. What a special bond we have from an amazing trip. I still feel so blessed for having that opportunity this year.

6. I am done with the 30 day shred and started a new Zumba Dance workout today. I'm not a natural but I tried to shake it as much as I could and Manny said I did pretty good. : )

7. Since I don't have many exciting things to blog about this week, I'll end with a favorite verse of mine: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to HIS will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-we know that we have what we asked of him".
- 1 John 5: 14-15

The Wells Weekly!

2011-10-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

So far, I'm doing GREAT keeping up with The Wells Weekly, and I'm quite proud of myself. It feels like a weekly homework assignment, and I ALWAYS do my homework. So let's start with the first assignment: posting more adorable pictures of my nephew.

Uncle J loves his Judah......

So does Aunt K.....NOTE: adorable MSU hat in background that we picked up in Starkville....

"Raise your hand if you love Aunt K the most!"

It was great to see Lauren & Gray. It is amazing how natural they already are as parents. Watching Lauren as a mother was beautiful. Made me not ready.....but looking forward....to being a mama. For right now, I will be happy to learn from her and spoil Judah.

So this week was pretty low key, which was fabulous. We were exhausted from our 14 round trip to Starkville. So here are my random thoughts from this week:

1. Jeremie's Comment: Come to think of it, I probably will always have a spot for Jeremie's random comments each week, because he says the most interesting things. Here's how it went down on Monday: I had just finished a big shopping trip at Wal-Mart (which I DESPISE), had loaded the car down with 274 bags, and was worn out. I called J to tell him to pre-heat the oven for dinner (loaded potato night-one of our favorites) and this is what he told me: "Katie, I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything you do for our family. I know you hate Wal-Mart, but I thank you that you go anyway and make sure our family has everything we need." With a tear in my eye, I graciously thanked him. But he went on to say: "In appreciation of what you do, I got you a gift today.".......Another potential tear on my part as I asked what this gift was. He proudly says "A Lock-On Tree Stand!" Oh, you should have heard my cry for joy! What I was secretly wishing for!!!! hahahaha....NOT really.

Jeremie continues to tell me he got it for free because we had bonus dollars for Dick's Sporting Goods on our credit card. To set the record straight, I did appreciate J's purchase because I do go hunting and he knows that I get nervous in cheaply made tree stands. This one has a bar that pulls down in front of you (to prevent you from falling out), armrests, AND a footrest. My hubby has an eye for luxuy....right? hehehehehe....

2. I had a fun time with friends this week. Tuesday, I went to a 31 Event Party, Thursday, my friend Morgan came over to help me bake a cake, and Friday, a few of us hung out at my friend Tiffany's pretty new house. Morgan is 17 and can cook circles around me. I don't know if I'm just slow, or if I talk too much, but she had stuff thrown in the mixer before I could even crack an egg.......

The cake turned out amazing and we had a GREAT time. I even conned her into wearing an MSU apron. Will definitely be having more cooking sessions with Morgan.

3. I got in touch with my crafty side and made an adorable fall wreath out of burlap. It took me three weeks.....but I finally finished and I love it!

4. It was like Christmas at our house this week. Jeremie sold his old bow and bought a new one. So that came in, some more ~~junk~~ hunting stuff that J ordered to make him smell like dirt or deer or something came in, and of course, my very own Lock-On Tree Stand showed up at our front door another day.

5. Saturday was THE PERFECT fall day. I love the cooler weather. It inspired me to cook chili while I watched football. J hunted with his new toys. Later he built me the first fire of the year. HAPPINESS.

6. We really are blessed with our friends and church here in Tally. We are starting a 1 John sermon series, which has already proved to be amazing and VERY thought provoking. We had a prayer session this morning with our class and literally went around the room and prayed for each other's specific needs. It was really powerful. LOVE how God has surrounded us with these people.

7. I totally enjoyed my Sunday nap today. If you don't know me, I take a nap EVERY SUNDAY. Thanks, Dad, for instilling such values in me.

8. I haven't posted a picture of the little buddy in a while. He is still the apple of our eye. And totally spoiled. Our friend David actually snapped this one....

Have a wonderful week!

The Wells Weekly.....

2011-10-16T11:30:00.001-04:00

Jeremie and I are on the LONG trip back from Starkville after another sad loss slipped through the Bulldawgs' hands....literally....we had a slight issue with catching the ball yesterday. And kicking field goals. And scoring when we're on the 7 yard line. But ANYWAY...we still had a great time being in Starkville, seeing friends and family, and eating at our favorite restaurant of all time, Anthony's, in West Point, MS. A little tailgating and a traditional trip to the sidewalk sale at The Lodge (MSU store) completed our trip and now we're on our way to see our baby nephew Judah! Jeremie and I are already arguing and threatening on who gets to hold him first.....will update with who comes out on top with that one.

Here's some other highlights from this week:

1. Mom & Dad visited last weekend on their way back from their vacation to Charleston, which I was totally jealous about. We had a great visit with them; Mom and I talked non stop, and Jeremie showed off all his food plots to Dad. Manly bonding time at its best.

2. We had chocolate fondue with Melissa & David @ The Melting Pot. If you know me, you know how I feel about chocolate; it was amazing. I managed to compose myself and not embarrass Jeremie & our friends by licking the remaining chocolate out of the bowl.

3. Jeremie and I sited in the rifle I'll be hunting with this on Wednesday. I did pretty good after J noticed that I was closing my eyes right before I pulled the trigger (anticipating the kick.) Shooting guns is fun; I don't know why some people are so afraid of guns. A person properly trained in gun safety is 1,000 times more safe than a 16 year old with a new driver's license.

4. Jeremie concerned me with a comment he made this week. I've been working on a fall wreath I saw on Pinterest. I finished one of the flowers the other night and while J was putting supper in the oven and held it up and asked him how it looked. He said: "It's looks good! Came out great!" So I set the flower down on the table and continued cutting some more burlap on the floor. About an hour later, Jeremie walked by the table and said "Hey, that flower looks GREAT! You did a good job!" When I gave him a confused look and reminded him he had already seen & commented on the flower, he said "Really? Hmm...don't remember that; it's like I just saw it for the first time." We laughed so hard that he actually responded properly earlier to me asking him about it, but really was paying no attention at all. Really makes me worry about all those times I ask him if my outfit looks good........

5. Thursday night we went to a benefit for the Pregnancy Help & Information center, which offers counseling, classes, and other types of assistance during pregnancy for mothers & fathers. They also use this service as a ministry to spread the gospel and we were amazed at some of the stories. They have assisted over 1,700 new mothers and provided 2,500 parenting classes in Tallahassee in this past year. We were really impressed with their organization. They had a comedian at the benefit named Mike Williams, who literally had us in stitches the entire time.

6. My new favorite show on TV is Revenge. Thank you, ABC for coming up with a new show that is not reality show and has a story line with a twist.

7. On the way to Starkville on Friday night, J and I got past Montogomery (about 5 hours down the road) and realize we forgot our football tickets. My heart skipped a beat. Luckily, we had a friend with some extras, and were able to attend the game.

8. Did I mention we get to see Judah today?

That's all for this week....until next!

Meet the Newest Family Member......

2011-10-09T22:29:00.000-04:00

As most of you know, J and I became an aunt & uncle two weeks ago! Labor Day weekend we showered our little nephew, so I thought some before & after pics would be fun......

All the baby clothes were SO ADORABLE. Judah will definitely be stylin'!

But the most stylish of all was the onesie I found that says "My Aunt is Awesome".....I think it'll be his favorite.

Lil' Mama twenty days before Judah arrived.

Judah Wells Strickland arrived September 23rd, 2011 at 4:51 p.m. He was 7 pounds 2 ounces and the cutest thing I've ever seen. Truly had tears the first time I laid eyes on him. It was amazing to finally hold the little person we've been praying about the last 9 months. He is perfect!

Judah has already been told that Uncle J and Aunt KT will be spoiling him to to pieces.

Papa Mitch & Nona Cate are PROUD of their new grandbaby.

I hope to have updated pictures next week! In the meantime, Aunt Jen did an amazing slideshow of some more pictures taken during Judah's first week of his new life: Judah Week One

Looking so forward to watching Judah grow and fulfilling my duties as an aunt!

The Wells Weekly

2011-10-08T17:58:00.000-04:00

Fall time has proved itself to be busy as usual! I'm going to try to do better at updating the blog more often. I love how several of my friends have a weekly themed blog like "Thoughts for Thursdays" or "Wordless Wednesdays, but I could never come up with a catchy little title like that till this week. I was driving down the road one morning and it hit me: The Wells Weekly! So here's my first attempt at a giving a "nutshell" version of our lives within the last week.

1. Last Friday J and I finally took time to go out on a date, by ourselves! We went to Liam's in Thomasville. It was very good, great atmosphere and great service. Probably gets a 6.5 out of 10. Entrees were just okay. J got tuna, which just confirmed that you should only order tuna when you are at the beach. I got snapper, which had a lot of bacon flavor. Can't go wrong with bacon. But our favorite thing was the cheese expert. That's right, they have a cheese adviser that asks you what you like and brings you those types of cheeses. If you know us well, you know what big cheese nerds we are. But the best thing was the quality time with my hubby.
2. Monday I had a coffee date with my dear friend Hannah Webster, who went to Nicaragua with us. She is 16 years old and such a jewel. If we have a daughter, I hope she'll be like Hannah. She is at such an exciting time in her life; I love hearing about her thought process about all the future decisions she will be making. Somehow a midst all her activities, she makes sure she is serving a leadership role in the youth group at church.
3. We had a sword swallower come to our church on Wednesday. It was incredible. He actually appeared on America's Got Talent a couple years ago. Made my stomach say "thank you" for never trying anything that crazy. AND he had an amazing way of communicating the gospel through his swallowing....think "Sword of the Spirit...Ephesians 6:17....Everyone has a ministry, right?
4. I am on day 27 of the 30 Day Shred workout program. Haven't lost much weight, but definitely feel better. The goal is my 10 year reunion in June. Yes, that is FAR away, but let's be honest ladies- at your 10 year reunion, you want to be one of two things: 1) Adorably pregnant so your weight doesn't matter anyway 2) So fabulous and in amazingly better shape than you were 10 years ago. Since we are waiting on Option 1 for another 2.5 years, Option 2 is my only choice.
5. It is almost hunting season and Jeremie couldn't be any happier. He has been working on all types of hunting "arts and crafts" and vigilantly preparing his food plots with the tractor. (Which really should be a whole blog post in itself-the tractor work has including hitting the satellite with the tractor, getting the bush hog stuck between two trees, and losing his keys for an entire week due to the fact they fell into the engine of the tractor.) This week, I came home to random groceries on the counter: syrup, apple juice, apple sauce, black eyed peas, raisins, and other un-identifiables. Sure that he did not eat all these things for lunch, I asked him the purpose of the random groceries and he gets a sparkle in his eye and pulls out a gallon sized ziploc bag of a mixture that he says is essentially a trail mix recipe for deer that he found online. Emphasized that it was much cheaper to make than to buy. He was so proud of himself. But hey-I make wreaths-he makes deer snack packs. To each his own.
6. I've been praying about what type of study I need to get myself into next. Well, God answered when my friend Tiffany asked me this week if I wanted to join her in a T-Group (or Transformation Group) which is a study focused on Discipleship. It's a year long study; looking very forward to it! Tiff and I have surveyed our husbands if they think we can be transformed.......the verdict is still out. : )
7. If you are looking for something extra to put on your prayer list this week, pray for a team from our church that is in Ethiopia serving on a mission trip this week.
8. The Bulldawgs won today.

And this concludes the Wells Weekly! Happy Saturday!

Nicaragua: The Mission

2011-09-06T22:51:00.000-04:00

I know it's been almost 4 weeks since we got back, and I'm just now getting around to blogging about our trip. Honestly, sometimes it feels like we got back yesterday. It also felt like we were gone much longer than a week. It's been hard to start blogging about the trip because there is just so much to tell! I feel like I need a whole day to write enough that would do it justice. And really it can't be expressed in words or pictures anyway, so I'll give it my best try. It was one of the the most amazing experiences of my life. (And I'm pretty sure Jeremie will say the same.)

First of all, I want to thank all of you for your prayers during our trip-they were definitely felt--starting with my anxiousness about flying. If you know me, you know how much I don't like to fly, but I truly felt no anxiousness about the plane ride. In fact, I actually enjoyed it, especially since we got bumped up to First Class from Atlanta to Nicaragua because one of our team members, Barry, is like a GOLD MEDALLION Delta member. I suggest taking one on a mission trip if you ever go on one.

We arrived in Managua, Nicaragua's capital, and met up with Oscar, the missionary we were staying with and another church team from Gainesville. We hopped on a bus for a 2 hour ride to our destination, Leon. The dramatic bus ride should have been a hint to how dramatic the rest of the week would be. The traffic laws there are "recommended" not "necessary" so we had several potential high speed head on collisions. We were stopped a couple times by the police, cattle crossings, and picking up a bag that had fallen off the top of the bus. Then as we are trucking down the road, the sliding van door slings wide open, which Oscar was leaning against. Someone grabbed him for a miraculous save.

Leon is the second largest city in Nicaragua with several old beautiful cathedrals and towering volcanoes as a backdrop.

The first night we went to Oscar's house to eat and meet the ministry team and interpreters that we would be working with for the week. (And I have to put a plug in for the amazing cooking team that cooked for us all week....authentic Nicaraguan food, like handmade tortiallas, oh yeah.) Then we got some much needed rest for the big week to come. Based on Oscar's quick summary of what we'd be doing, we quickly realized the word for the week was definitely FLEXIBILITY. We'd been told this during our mission trip training; but you can't fully appreciate the word until you live it!

I won't give a day by day play of what we did, mainly because it would take twenty pages; we stayed so busy. One of the days we went to a soccer/baseball field as there were several tournaments going on. We mingled through the crowds with our interpreters to minister, which I have to say was quite intimidating. This was the first time I'd come across a culture where I was the minority.....and it was rare to speak English. So it was even that much harder that I was trying to talk about Christ. But we relaxed a little bit and ended up playing with the kids, which was a ministry in itself. I'm not sure who had more fun-them or me. They were SO EXCITED to play with us, and would throw a frisbee back and forth for hours if they could have.

The first Sunday we were all looking forward to going to the church that Oscar works with. On the way, Oscar informed us that he needed 2 people to give their testimony in church, and by the way, while the preaching was going on, we were going to be teaching a few Sunday school classes. Audible gasps were heard throughout the bus, and only 1 person volunteered a public testimony. Jeremie had been told he was to give his on Monday evening, so he wasn't feeling quite prepared yet. But he bravely spoke up and immediately started sweating profusely. (While I prayed for him the rest of the ride there.)

We parked the bus and had to walk a few blocks through an open market to get to the church which was really amazing. I've never had to dodge pigs and donkeys on my way to church, except for experiences with live nativities. As we are walking, the interpreter tells Jeremie there'd probably be around 50-100 people there, that's including kids. Well, when we walked in, we quickly realized it was closer to 300 people. (More sweating.) But God definitely worked through Jeremie as he calmly and courageously proclaimed his testimony through an interpreter. As you could imagine, I was holding back tears. (Or maybe that was sweat.) Worship there was amazing; not only were the Latino sounds awesome, but it was SO JOYFUL. Some of the songs we did recognize, so J and I just sang along in English. While the preacher was praying, all around us people would be praying aloud, and even though I didn't know what they were saying, it was amazing to know we were all glorifying the same God. I do know that I heard "Gracias" over and over again, thanking God for so much. I was already convicted, being that my prayers are rarely a lot of thanking, but mostly asking. There were a lot of people that were saved during the service and we even got to see a few baptisms. I love watching baptisms.

Teaching the Sunday school classes was definitely a challenge, but again, God just worked through us. We weren't as prepared as we could have been because we didn't have specific activities in mind. So we ended up going off the cuff and teaching them Jesus Loves Me in English and doing simple skits, like David and Goliath and The Lost Sheep.

Walking through the market to church

A Nicaraguan home in the country

We did several feeding programs, which usually consisted of going out (to the middle of nowhere) to and feeding 80-100 children. The ministry that we worked with has over 50 pastors that work do similar feeding stations daily to feed a total of almost 10,000 childern PER DAY. That is amazing and something only God could accomplish! We would take the food with us, which consisted of lots of vegetables and potatoes and cut up everything when we got there. The ladies with the ministry team just kept piling up stuff on the tables and we just kept cutting.....but stopped in our tracks when they threw the bowl of chicken heads and chicken feet on the table. At first I thought they were just playing a joke on the poor Americans, but quickly realized these parts were seriously included in the soup. They use EVERYTHING except the beak, comb and trachea. So I took a deep breath and let them teach me how to cut it properly and went to choppin! Jeremie couldn't believe I did it; he was proud. The funny thing is that the chicken was a treat to the kids that day, because they typically just get a rice type soup. the soup was cooked in a HUGE bowl over a fire. The kids had to bring their own bowl for the soup, many of which we would consider throw away Gladware. Definitely made me think about the TWO sets of china I had at home. Seeing the kids line up behind the big iron pot with their tattered plastic bowls made me just choke back tears. While the soup was cooking,we would play with the kids. We played ball, blew bubbles, painted faces, fingernails, etc. We also told a story from the Bible, sang songs, made salvation bracelets, and prayed together. Another tear-jerking moment was at one station while I was painting a little girl's fingernails. I noticed she was wearing a bracelet, so I pointed to it and told her "Muy Bonita" (very pretty) just to give her a compliment. Later she came up to me and put the bracelet around my wrist. I tried to tell her no, but she was so joyful and proud to be giving me something. Another one of my favorite feeding stations actually had a small church on the site. We did our usually routine of cutting up veggies and chicken heads for the soup and played with the kids. One little boy I played with would copy everything I would do. We were playing with a nerf football and I'd through it under my legs, over my head, or spin and throw it, and he'd attempt the same move. So cute. We also blasted some awesome Latino music and one little boy would just bounce to the music; so of course I had to join in and we shook it to the Latino worship music together. Jeremie also had QUITE the following after teaching the boys how to play American football and taking pictures of them doing the Heisman pose. After eating, we piled into the church complete with pews made by 2x4's, and many of the family dogs joining us in the church to hear the Word. (So adorable) Doug, the leader of our group, preached with an interpreter and there was more worship music and dancing. These people were ALL ABOUT incorporating dancing into their worship, which I was totally down with. I have never sweat so much in my life, but it was so much fun to be glorying God without refrain. Another feeding station was located inside the city dump, which is the home for over 200 families. This place really made my jaw drop, as it was definitely the most poverish area that we went to. The landfill was really unbelievable and we learned that the people that live there actually fight to determine who gets to go through the first trash delivery of the week. They dig for anything with any value; for example 22 pounds of plastic earns the $1. It was really unbelievable. Unfortunately, I got pretty sick to my stomach at the dump and spent the rest of the time on the bus while everyone cooked and played with the kids.

Visiting the feeding stations was so eye opening. Of course, it made me realize how MUCH we have and take for granted. I know this sounds so cliche, but you really don't know how much we have until you see how much others don't have. But in contrast to their poverty and lack of "stuff" they were gracious, and full of hope. They were ecstatic just to be loved on and would literally hang on us all the way to the bus when we would leave.

One of the churches and feeding stations we attended

Cuttin chicken heads!

Little boy who lives in the dump

Jeremie's fan club

My little buddies....the one in the blue shirt stole my heart, cause he liked to dance!

The newest load of trash coming into the dump

Another day we went to visit a couple high schools and by donating 4 soccer balls, we were allowed to go to several classrooms and share the Gospel. I thought it was amazing and such a blessing that it is actually "allowed" for the teachers to stop class and let a mission team talk about Christ---can you imagine asking permission in America to walk around the school and talk about God? This was another flexible moment as we were quickly teamed up into small groups and asked to share our testimony with the students. I don't think I've ever even shared my testimony in front of a large group, so the fact that my first time was in front of a large Nicaraguan group was a quite intimidating. But again, God provided the words, and after a few times, I got more comfortable with it. During our visit, we invited the students to attend a youth service that night, and a few actually came and accepted Christ that night!

That day we also visited the hospital, which was quite a sobering experience. It was far from the white, clean, pristine hospitals we are used to. If there was air conditioning, I didn't know it, and there was no such thing as a private room. We went to several rooms and prayed with people there and handed out clothes and toothbrushes, which were a HOT item. The nurses were thrilled to get them.

Our last day, we took the day off and went shopping in the market and to the beach, which was absolutely beautiful and a great way to kind of decompress and reflect on the week before we came back to America. The beach was beautiful, and of course, J and I had to represent MSU on the Pacific. Taking it to the People.

I don't know who was more blessed on this trip, the people we came across, or ourselves. I learned so much. There were a few main realizations to me though: one was that God is glorified to the ends of the Earth; you can't stop it. A majority of the time, it felt like we were out in the middle of nowhere---but communities were still worshiping Him. The other main thing I took away was that joy cannot be suppressed or defined by circumstances. It is not an emotion; it's a decision and a skill that God teaches us, like Paul talks about contentment in Philippians. The people we came across had next to nothing but were still thankful for anything.
I also was absolutely amazed at God's power on this trip. There were so many things I was so anxious about: the traveling itself, staying healthy, giving my testimony, and sharing the plan of salvation to people that didn't even speak my language. And before this trip, I wasn't even sure I was ready to go on a mission trip, because I didn't feel like I was an adequate or an "experienced" enough Christian to do this. But WE weren't the ones doing the work anyway-God was. I realized that God WILL use you-everyone has a different skill set that He will empower. His Word will not return void.

I know this post was long, and I really feel like I am just skimming the top of the trip. We literally have over 2,000 pictures, so these are just a select few. I'm sure I'll be posting more with stories I left out! But I'll wrap up with a verse that I use to help communicate my testimony, and one that really came alive to me on this trip:

Romans 5:1-2 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

The Miracle at Lake Wells

2011-08-23T22:31:00.000-04:00

Sunday I tagged along with Jeremie, David, and Ron for an afternoon of fishing. I would brag about the 7 fish I caught, or the 3.5 pounders that David & Ron caught. But Jeremie really stole the show when he got out of the boat and stood on an underwater log to hand grab the fish he caught that was tangled up in the log. We realized it eerily appeared like Jeremie was walking on water. (What a show off.) David The Photographer caught the moment, and thought of the appropriate verse from Matthew for a little biblical fun.

Nicaragua or Bust!

2011-07-27T22:44:00.000-04:00

It's finally here! Jeremie and I are leaving for our big adventure to Leon, Nicaragua on Friday! Believe it or not, I have fit ALL my luggage needed for one week into a carry on! (See gray bag in front.) And to top it off, I believe Jeremie has actually packed more than me. Our check in baggage is being used for bibles, crafts, sports equipment, and 499 Dum Dums. (Jeremie at 1 at the packing party at the church last night.)

I was taking a picture of our luggage and look what black & tan piece thinks he's going.

We are traveling with a team of 8 from our church, but meeting up with another team from a church in Gainesville, FL when we get there. We will be staying with a missionary, Oscar Correa, and his family who live in Leon permanently. We are getting very excited and look forward to spreading the gospel to a place that needs a lot of hope and love right now.

Leon is the second largest city in Nicaragua, but stricken with poverty and need hope and God's provision in their lives. Many of the people we will be visiting live in plastic or cardboard homes, and we will even be visiting a city dump where over 250 families actually make their home. There, we will be helping with a feeding program and working with the children. We will likely be coming across about 1,500 children (no, that is not a typo) through VBS activities, school assemblies, and sports camps, which we hear are VERY effective in getting the kids involved as a way to share the gospel. There have been many other activities mentioned, but from what we hear, we'll probably be "winging it" a lot of the time with what our next task is!

These New Testaments have English on one side and Spanish on the other! Below that is a "story rug" with a picture squares that take you through the Bible. It is actually very fun trying to match the pictures with the stories. Jeremie really wants to come up with a Twister version using this rug. Right hand: Moses. Left foot: Samuel. I can see it now.

Anyway, if you'd like to see more about Nicaragua & Oscar's work there visit: www.internationalimpactministries.com and click on Nicaragua.

Specific Prayer Requests for our Trip;

Please be in prayer for the people that we will "clearly" proclaim the gospel, "make the most of every opportunity" and our conversations be "full of grace". (Colossians 4:3-6)
Safe travels there and back. (We will return Friday, August 5.)
That God will work through language barriers & literacy so we may reach the Nicaraguans for Christ
That God will be glorified on this trip and our pride/human nature will not get in the way!
Pray that the people will come across will have open hearts-many have probably "heard of God" but do not understand what it truly means to have a personal relationship with him and that "by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:8)

Thank you all-we are blessed to have friends and family that we know will be covering us in prayer while we are gone. If anything, I KNOW that the entire community of Indian Springs, MS is praying God's ear off! .

"Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should" Ephesians 6:21

"...that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation amount all nations." Psalm 66:2

I Heart Saturdays......

2011-07-09T19:41:00.000-04:00

This morning we hit up the Dog Park with friends David & Melissa and their pups, Lexie & Stewart. Then they all got baths at the Humane Society Dog Wash. A nap on the couch just made sense...............

Florida Fun......In the Sun...

2011-07-02T21:11:00.000-04:00

Summer is here and Jeremie and I have been spending much time in the Florida sun. Memorial Day was complete with a new kiddie pool. Intended for Manny, but I think J and I enjoyed it more. I spent most of the afternoon laying in it and reading a book.

The sun AND the Bulldogs were HOT HOT HOT at the Super Regional game in Gainesville. We attended Game 2, which was going pretty rough for the Dawgs, but in the bottom of the 9th, Vick Vickerson hit a home run for the win. Sad Gators everywhere. As we all know though, we were beat out in Game 3 and the Gators went on to the World Series. Still proud of our Dawgs for fighting hard.

Happy, but dying from heat exhaustion. At least we got a seat though. The last Super Regional we attended (hosted in Starkville was so crowded I had to stand on an ice chest for 4 hours. Totally worth though-we made it to the World Serious that year.....

ALWAYS take a picture of the scoreboard.....

Cowbells were NOT allowed in Gainesville....for good reason...FEAR THE BELL!

Last weekend for my birthday we headed to Daytona Beach for a much needed getaway. I had won a silent auction several months ago for a two night stay, so we decided to cash in on it. We arrived Friday night and had a birthday dinner on the balcony which consisted of appetizers from Bonefish and cheese that J had picked up at the cheese shop in Thomasville. (Yes, we are officially cheese followers.) It was great to spend some quality time with my hubby and as always, he made sure to make my b-day very special.

Saturday was spent laying out on the beach followed by another fantastic meal at The Chart House. Everything was incredible, but the award goes to the Chocolate Lava cake which is hands down the best dessert I've ever had. They tell you to order it early, as it takes 30 minutes to prepare. Too bad it only took 90 seconds to eat. I would attach a pic, but it went so fast, there was not time for pictures. I. LOVE. CHOCOLATE.

On the way home, J even took me to the outlet malls in St. Augustine for a little shopping. A man after my own heart: Beach, chocolate and shopping.

Another year older....looking forward to what God has in store this year......

Run for the Roses!

2011-05-29T21:14:00.000-04:00

I'm backing up to a few weekends ago to our trip to Thomasville for the Rose Show. Thomasville apparently is the Rose Capitol, so we figured we'd check it out. There was also a car show, which Jeremie most enjoyed. I went into the tent with that held the "rose contest". There were so many beautiful flowers, but my favorite was a pink one, called "Hot Princess". Imagine that. : )

Another recent "rose event" was the Run for the Roses party our church had Mother's Day weekend. The Thursday before, Melissa, Patty & I had a "hat making party" at the house, which was so fun. The dining room table was full of feathers, flowers, and rhinestones. (Jeremie chose to be out of town that night.)

Mom and Amy came that weekend, so it was a blast to get all dolled up. I entered my Key Lime pie into the pie contest, and as delicious as it looks, I didn't go home with a ribbon. : (

All the ladies really got into it and there were so many pretty hats.....Mom actually got a few votes for her! Next year I'm going to have to step it up.

The Taylor Girls

Me, Patty, Melissa

Katie Parrish, Me, Tiffany

Playing Catch Up....

2011-05-29T20:40:00.000-04:00

Since my blog still has a Easter background, I figured it was time to update! My friend, Melissa, and I were talking yesterday about when we were "little girls" keeping diaries, we'd always write: "Dear Diary, SO SORRY it's been so long since I've written!" This cracked us up, because, in essence, who were we really writing to???....but I'm glad to know there is someone with the same diary mentality as me. Maybe there's some "Diary Fairy" out there somewhere, just longing for us to update the little frilly notebooks we kept under our mattress. (It's not there anymore, Mom...don't go looking.)

Anyway-so last weekend we traveled to Mississippi as Jeremie was serving as a groomsmen in Josh Jefcoat's wedding. Jeremie and Josh met at Jones and have been great friends ever since. The wedding was in Newton, about 20 minutes from Kelly, so we stayed with her and Keith for the weekend. It was GREAT to spend some time with her and catch up. In true Mississippi form, we hung out at the creek, and took the dogs, so Manny had his first creek experience & swimming lesson. He LOVED it and was covered in sand, and proud of it.

The wedding was beautiful....I thought I was going to be a wallflower since I didn't know much of the wedding party, but I ended up seeing all kinds of people I knew. I never get tired of going to weddings because I love to see all the different ways of decorating and such. This tailgating spin of the Groom's Cake/area was ADORABLE.

The Dynamic Duo.....

I always think that going to weddings is going to make me jealous that mine has already taken place, but to the contrary-it just reminds me of how perfect our day was for us and how much I loved the little touches it had. Okay-so maybe I'm a little jealous of wearing the pretty dress, but what girl wouldn't want to do that again?

The rest of the week was full of hard work as usual, but I had my eye on the prize for Thursday......the CHOCOLATE PARTY that I hosted at the house. The Women's Ministry at our church has a group called "Cuisine Queens" and we alternate eating out and cooking at someone's house each month. Whoever's home it's being held usually gets to picks the theme...we've done appetizer theme, soup theme, squash theme....well, it's no secret what my favorite food is, so I established a long time ago that chocolate would be the featured ingredient at my home! The party was a blast and we had soups with cocoa in them, cupcakes galore, and even a salad that was covered in CHOCOLATE balsamic vinegarette. Now I could become a vegetarian for that!

This long weekend has beem long awaited and we have spent some good times with friends. Friday evening we took cheeseburgers to our friends Ben & Adriana, who was admitted into the hospital earlier this week with some complications to her pregnancy. She was due in July, but ended up having to deliver the baby last night, but the good news is baby and mama are happy & healthy. We can't wait to meet Baby Sofia. And we are sure our cheeseburgers are the culprit......she's been in the hospital since Tuesday, we show up Friday with cheeseburgers and has the baby the next day.

Another incredible event happened yesterday...... wait for it.....I went to the NEW HOBBY LOBBY! There are no words for how excited I was. My scrapbooking obsession can now be fed. While a few of us girls attended this grand event, the husbands went fishing, who regularly sent us photos and videos of the fish they were catching and their encounters with the alligators. I wonder if they would care if we sent them photos of the scrapbook aisle and videos of the fabric department???

Church was great today, with an incredible message from John 12. Church was followed by a Sunday nap, Taylor family style: get in bed and just hibernate. I probably wasted a good part of the day, but it was worth it. Mom, Dad, thank you for instilling the "Sunday Nap" gene in me. If anything, it helps me to keep the Sabbath holy. : )

Ode to the Mamas....

2011-05-19T00:08:00.000-04:00

So Mother's Day was a couple Sundays ago and I've been meaning to salute the mothers in my life via blog.

This Mother's Day, Mom & Amy visited Tally, which was really special. It was great to spend some quality time with my mama! Doesn't matter how old I get, there's something about hugs from your mom that are like no other. Thanks Mom, for always being there and putting our family's needs above yours.

Below is my favorite pic of all time of me and Mom...doing our signature "Triple Kiss" on my wedding day. (I can't tell you what a triple kiss is....if I told you I'd have to kill you.)

To my "Mother in Marriage":

Jeremie's fabulous God-fearing mother who could pray up snow storm in the middle of July. If I told her every day what an incredible son she has raised, it still wouldn't be enough. Mama Cate has prayed us through all the seasons of our relationship and Jeremie values her advise so much. He LOVES. HIS. MAMA.

More favorite pics below: Left: Our rehearsal dinner....Right: Groom & Mother of the Groom

The GRAND-MAMAS: And boy are they grand. We are blessed with such amazing grandmothers. From the Left: "Grammy", my mom's mom; "Grandma" my dad's mom, and "Grandmother", J's grandmother on his mom's side.

When I was born, I looked so much like Grammy, I could've been her daughter. She's a spunky Cajun lady who knows how to throw a party and cook the world's best gumbo. Always there to provide the "magic pillows" for a great nap, or a shoulder to lean on, Grammy is a nurturer at heart.

Grandma, my email partner, and one of my #1 Blog Followers, was always the "Hider of the Eggs" on Easter and took me to choir practice every Wednesday! Watch out for her deviled eggs; they're the best. She loves a "deal", so this is likely where I inherited my love of shopping. : )

Grandmother Mathis refers to Jeremie as her "Sunshine", and there is one word to sum up how Jeremie & Grandmother feel about each other: Adoration. Each thinks the other hung the moon. : ) All family events are held at Grandmother's house, who amidst the 50 family members present, always seems to cook each person their preference of eggs on Christmas morning.

And to my "Honorary Mamas" who have stepped in as mamas over the years when needed:

Mrs. Alyce. If you've met her, you know how special she is. Her and Mom are like sisters, and sometimes scare me when they get together. ALWAYS providing a good laugh, she's known me since I was born, and s treats me like one of her own. She is the creativity behind the gorgeous wreaths at our wedding....

Mrs. Carol Trussell: Neighbor and mama alike. Always there to keep me on my toes, she put up with all the practical jokes me and her son played on each other, which oftentimes included ran-sacking her house or front yard. She's another prayer warrior who I'm glad is on my side. : )

To wrap up my Belated Mother's Day Salute, below is the poem that I wrote for my mom and gave to her the day before our wedding. It's hard to express how special my mom is to me, but I found it easier to do when rhyming! It's pretty amateur, but I figured I'd post it anyway!

Mother of the Bride

Not often I’m lost for words,

And don’t know what to say,

But how do you thank your mother enough

On your wedding day?

“Mother of the Bride”,

Is the title you will be,

But what it actually means,

No one will ever see.

You tucked me into bed

With a triple kiss each night,

And worked on all my costumes

Until you got them just right.

If I had a bad dream,

In my bed you would stay.

And at every piano recital

You held your breath while I’d play.

For all my school projects

You came up with a scheme.

And at every birthday party,

There was always a theme.

It’s our annual Piccadilly trip

After camp on the way back.

It’s making sure at recess

I always had a good snack.

You hung all our stockings

Each year in their special place

You held me as I cried

With tears running down my face.

All the times we’ve prayed,

About God doing His will.

And your very wise words:

“Sometimes He just wants you to be still”

So the title “Mother of the Bride”

Comes with no fortune or fame,

But today it is the title

That only you can claim.

Because it’s more than dressing up

To say you give me away,

It’s your unfailing love you give me

Each and every day.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

TWO Years Ago Today.....

2011-05-09T21:08:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's already been two years since I became Mrs. Wells. What a magical day day it was. Like I told Jeremie today, the wedding really seems like yesterday, but then again, I can't imagine what life was like before we were married. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful husband. Praise God for blessing me with my best friend and partner in life.

Hoppy Easter

2011-04-28T01:06:00.000-04:00

Jeremie and I stayed in Tally for Easter since he was on call. We missed being with our families, but it was still a special weekend and I tried to make it the traditional Easter with a big meal and Easter baskets. (Set out on the hearth, just like my Mama did every year!) Friday night was the Good Friday service at our church which was amazing. They had a large table in the middle of the sanctuary with the Lord's Supper laid out. It was a great time of prayer and preparation for the Easter weekend. Sunday morning service was equally amazing but different atmosphere.....Warren (our worship leader) was ROCKIN'....as usual....and David gave an awesome sermon about the meaning and significance of the veil being torn by Jesus' death on the cross. I'm not well versed enough to expand on how incredible this message was...but you can listen to it at http://www.icelebrationmembers.org/

Anyway.....so I forced Jeremie to take pics when we got home from church..he looked so handsome in his suit and my FAVORITE pink shirt of his. When I told him how good he looked, he returned the compliment with...."You look beautiful....like the risen sun".....that was the quickest comparison he could make in regards to the orange in my dress.....then we realized the irony that it was Easter...so this comment was not to be confused with "The Risen Son"....we laughed all the way to church.

Manny was even dressed up in his new Springtime handkerchief. This is his friend Tom.....

The Easter meal menu consisted of:

Pork loin, butter beans, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing salad, creamed spinach and sweet tea. : )

Dessert was Mandarin Orange cake which is Jeremie's favorite that his Grandmother makes. I had to call her to get the correct recipe and it turned out good. Even Manny got a lick off the spatuala. Which came back to haunt us later.

It was a great Easter holiday with our little family.....

A Night Of Mystery.......

2011-04-24T22:51:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we went to a murder mystery party! I have always wanted to go to one, so I was excited when we got the chance. The theme for this party was "Las Vegas" and my character was "Mimi Martini", a cocktail waitress and Jeremie was "Ace High", a high roller. We were assigned our characters a few weeks ago, and had so much fun shopping for our outfits. Believe it or not, but most of both of ours came from Goodwill! Even J's sear sucker suit, which cracked me up. J had a great time accessorizing with the bowtie, rings, cigar, Mimi Vice sunglasses, and even the fake $5,000 bills that he left hanging out of his pocket. (A lady a Dollar General actually stopped him coming out of the store trying to tell him his money was falling out of his pocket!) I even glued some plastic glasses to a tray to finish of my waitress look.

We had already been given some information about our character, and when got to the party, we were given more info plus some paper cash in case we needed to "pay up" for secrets......

My character was a money lovin' waitress who was in love with Ace High (and his money.) Although, Ace had supposedly lost a bet to "Hustling Haley" the night before and wed her in the casino chapel.....

Our friends Melissa & David were "Precious Trump", the casino owner's daughter, and "Paul Piano", the casino entertainer. Take note of his glitter microphone that he carried around all night.....

Precious Trump was dating Jack Black, one of the casino dealers, which is totally against casino policy.......She had to pay me some cash to keep me from spreading her secret to her father, Ronald Trump, owner of the casino.....I told him anyway....which I also got cash for....sorry Melissa...

Jessica & Alex (on the right) were "Senator Justice and Mrs. Justice". Senator Justice was apparently involved in some suspicious activity that would harm his campaign.....and ignored his wife...making for a very bitter woman........

As we were mingling around the room, the lights suddenly went out and we heard a thud!!!! When they came back on, much to my despair was Ace High on the floor--murdered!!! They taped off the scene (literally with masking tape...hilarious) and we got more info about what our character knew about going's on in the casino and what info we were looking for.

Since Jeremie's character died, he turned into the FBI Agent on the scene and presented us with all the evidence to make the decision about who we thought the murderer was.....just as I thought-- it was that Hustling Haley! Awards were also handed out to best dressed, which was Elvis, and Drama Queen--which went to......drumroll please.....Mimi Martini!!!! I'm not sure how I feel about winning the Drama Queen award, but I guess I can't deny my inner cocktail waitress.

The fun didn't stop after the party...one of our party favors was scratch off lotto tickets, and we won the big money on one of them....$2!!! So the boys wanted to stop at a gas station to cash them in, but were rejected. (Apparently you have to mail it in.) This gas station had probably never seen anything like Ace High and Paul Piano. He actually did take the microphone into the gas station and made the poor clerk repeat herself in the microphone when she said she couldn't cash them in........

We had a blast dressing up, cracking the case, and meeting new friends.

Viva Stark Vegas!

2011-04-24T20:29:00.000-04:00

Catching up on the last few weeks of life....Jeremie and I recently made the 7 hour trek to Starkville for Super Bulldog Weekend. We packed in as much festivities AND food that we could. Saturday we hit up the traditional sidewalk sale at The Lodge where they have all things MSU and I almost spent our month's savings. With a little niece or nephew on the way, it opens up a whole new world of shopping. No one will wonder where this baby's loyalty lies.

We met up with Debbie, Amy, and Mary Perry for lunch at......the Grill! Mary and I realized that we have not seen each other in over a year which is just plain blasphemy.

Then we headed to the baseball game, which we won't talk about, but we enjoyed the socializing anyway. Well-the girls did---poor Jeremie was surrounded by 3 women most of the day, but he was a good sport. The Maroon & White game was next, which gave me just enough a taste of football that I am now ready for the season again!

That night we hit-up Old Venice-another Starkville classic, complete with crawfish rolls and pizza.

Sunday kicked off with the BEST donuts in the world in my opinion--Shipley's. We ate our breakfast on campus and met up with the dynamic duo (Amy & Roxie) to walk around campus and take some pics. Manny got his first tour of MSU and looked like he really enjoyed it.

Campus is always beautiful--but springtime is just breathtaking; the lawns and flowers are impeccable. It was great to be back at the place that has served as a backdrop for all the 4-H camps, where I got my education, met some of my best friends, and most importantly where Jeremie and I fell in love.....

The Simple Life....Camping with the Clendenins

2011-04-20T20:51:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago we met up with our favorite fellow honeymooners and went camping with Bart & Jenn near the Suwanee River. In true form, the weekend started out with some drama when Manny jumped out of the truck and immediately ran over our neighbor's site and engaged their dog in a fight UNDER their RV. And also in true form, Bart jumped right under the RV and yanked Manny out while I screamed at the top of my lungs. (If you recall, our last visit with the Clendenins involved a squirrel on the loose in our house.)

After the dog fight, J and I decided we should get settled in and put up our tent. We were quickly embarrassed by the size (or lack there of) our tent was in comparison to the Clendenins. Bart hit the nail on the head when he said it looked like their tent gave birth:

Their Tent

Our Tent

After we discovered there was a huge gash in our brand new air mattress and J went to Wal-Mart to get another, we finally settled down to some grilled hamburgers and veggies. I wouldn't really call our camping the "simple" life, because we definitely didn't go hungry. We had pancakes, french toast, sausage dogs.......

Saturday we went canoeing on the Suwanee River which was a blast. Even Manny buddy got to go on his first river trip. The water was so calm and we even stopped at a place that has a natural spring that used to be a resort 100 years ago. It even had it's own railroad and people would come to from all over to experience the "healing waters" of the spring. There was still some of the stone walls from the resort. It was really amazing. We even saw some "friendly" critters along the way....

The camping resort had a neat craft village and ice cream stand that we also hit up. Saturday night was a wildly competitive round of Phase 10 that was won by....I hate to even say this...Jeremie.

We had so much fun with Bart and Jenn-we feel like we have known them forever and are so excited about their new addition that is arriving in September! So the next get together will have one more in this picture...

Game Night, Girls Day & Gobblers

2011-03-27T21:15:00.001-04:00

So I had a few random things to blog about and figured I'd squeeze it all into one....

The other night our Sunday School group got together for a little friendly competition. Actually, the Christmas Carol Pictionary with this group got a little ugly, so I expected no different.

The night was of course complete with a ton of food, and we proceeded to split into our Girl/Guy Teams. The first game was Family Feud on the Wii. I used to watch Family Feud all the time, so I was pretty confident. I will admit, the boys were impressive. As embarrassed as I am to say this-"hitting the buzzer" and typing your answer was the hardest part! If you've ever used a Wii remote, you understand! Of course the boys were not humble about their win.

The next game up was Taboo-the one where you are given a card with a word and have to hint to your team what the word is without using particular related words, that are listed below the one you are trying to get them to guess. Girls completely dominated at this game....possibly because we are so darn good at talking. ; )

One of the of funnier parts of this game to me was when it was Jeremie's turn. Jeremie's word that he was trying to get the boys to guess was "Nap". So the first hint that came to mind was "This is what Katie does for like 3 hours every Sunday!" And one of the dear guys yelled: "TALK!" As if that wasn't insulting enough, Jeremie next hint was: "It's what Katie's doing right now!" ...and the next answer yelled was: "CHEATING!" At this point, my feelings were almost hurt. (Not really.) Someone finally got the point and yelled "Nap" without any further humiliation.

The Guys at a Victory Brunch the next day: Jeremie, Alex, David, Charles

The girls also took a shopping trip recently to Thomasville, which is an adorable town about 30 minutes from Tallahassee. It reminds me of a larger Brookhaven with its cute shops and old fashioned buildings. We had lunch at a neat little deli, and even went wedding dress shopping, as one of the girls is engaged. This was so much fun and made me totally jealous that I have already gone through the whole ordeal. I absolutely loved my dress and can't imagine wearing anything else-but come on, girls NEVER get tired of trying on pretty dresses. Jessica, Melissa, and myself had to settle for these beauties.....(wink,wink, we grabbed the tackiest ones we could find.....)

We also found some rad rhinestone glasses....

The Dominators:

Jessica, Brandy, Patty, Christina, Melissa, Amanda & Ada

My last random posting is a salute to the beginning of turkey season. Jeremie got a new shotgun for his birthday and put it to good use on Monday morning, as he killed his first turkey! For those wanting details, it had a 9 inch beard! We are lookin' forward to some fried turkey soon.

I am ready for my turn now.......we had some shooting practice on Friday afternoon which went pretty well if I may so so myself. Here turkey, turkey.....

This Week's Verse

2011-03-22T22:06:00.000-04:00

"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."

-Isaiah 40:8

The Birthday Boy!

2011-03-15T20:54:00.001-04:00

Jeremie's Birthday was a couple weeks ago and we had quite a homemade birthday party. We have been so busy lately, plus his b-day was on a Monday, so we decided to keep it simple. VERY SIMPLE. See bar piled up with the glamorous birthday meal:

That's right, you see a Triple Dipper from Chili's (complete with southwestern egg rolls, buffalo wings & cheesesticks), sliced cheese & salami platter, and some hot pepper jelly over cream cheese with crackers. For all of you out there judging me for coming up with the most terribly random menu, let me point out that this is what J requested. If you know J at all, you know he loves his "apps" (appetizers). We called it the Smorgasbord....which by the way, totally reminds me of the rat in the movie Charlotte's Web that ate too much at the fair and ran around singing that song "Smorgasbord, Smorgasbord..." Jeremie and I sing it when we have such random food pairings.

That comment just made me google the work Smorgasbord, which brought me to an actual definition:

Smörgåsbord (Swedish pronunciation: [ˌsmœrɡɔsˈbuːɖ]) is a type of Scandinavian meal served buffet-style with multiple dishes of various foods on a table, originating in Sweden.

Gifts were opened and we finished the night off with DELISH cupcakes from The Cake Shop in Tally. I didn't want to get stuck with a full cake, so I got 4 different flavors:

Italian Creme, Chocolate Strawberry filled, German Chocolate and Turtle. There are no words for how fabulous the cupcakes were. We split them so we could try all 4 and were both covered in icing by the time it was said and done.

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Hubby and Best Friend.

This week's Verse...

2011-03-15T20:50:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I'm a little late posting this week's verse, but here it is:

"Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. "

-Matthew 7:24

One Lucky Pound Puppy

2011-03-06T18:06:00.000-05:00

So today is our little buddy's one year anniversary! Since Manny was a pound puppy and we have no idea when his birthday is, today is the closest thing we can celebrate.

I had been wanting a dog for a long time, and kept trying to convince J we NEEDED a dog. (As if we NEED anything.) I guess J finally figured that if I we were going to get one, he'd better have a say in it, so he looked online and found "Manny" who was at the Bainbridge Humane Society.

Here was the original picture:

I also found a few dogs at some different shelters online, so one Saturday, while J was on call, I went on the dog hunt. J sent me out the door with these instructions: Don't bring back a dog that is yeppie, a shedder, and NO CHIHUAHUAS.

So I went to the Leon & Thomas County Humane Societies and saw some cute pups, but none that I connected with. I actually "trial tested" a couple, one who wouldn't give me the time of day, and the other who shed so much white fur that it looked like a bomb of fur went off in the room.

So Bainbridge was my last stop to see what this Manny dog was all about. I walked in and was led back to the kennel. Manny was across the room, in the second row of kennels, but the second I walked in, he turned around and looked at me; I immediately saw him, walked straight to his kennel, opened it, and knew we had our dog. Didn't even look at any other dogs. I asked Manny if he was a yeppie dog or a shedder and he told me no, so I took him home to his new daddy. : ) (He actually lied about being a shedder.)

For the first few days, Manny was quite shy and walked with his tail tucked between his legs. Fast forward a year later and we have the most social, spoiled pup, who thinks everything is about him. He LOVES running around the property, cuddling on the couch, and every now & then, manage to get himself on the bed. There is not a shy bone in his body.

NOTE: Yes, Jeremie and I have a million pillows on our bed, and no, we do not have enough matching pillowcases to accomadate our love for a million pillows.

We love our little guy; he has been such a great addition to our little family. He has brought us a lot of joy!

Babies Aren't Us

2011-03-03T21:40:00.000-05:00

Okay-so I was going to title this post "Babies R U" since it's about babies, but I figured my mother would be so excited and fall out of her chair thinking we had a little one on the way! (Sorry Mom)

So the news is out that we are going to be an Aunt & Uncle. I couldn't be any more excited. As soon as we found out I was looking at little mini-person clothes and the soft blankets in TJ Maxx. I cannot wait to have a little niece or nephew to spoil! We were informed today that our little mustard seed has graduated to a grape size. I CAN'T WAIT!

We also have several friends who have had little ones recently or have them on the way. My friend Amanda just had an adorable baby girl, Paige, and we threw a shower for her in January. All the little clothes were TOO CUTE, but she was equally excited about the Diaper Genie.

These are my sweet Tally girlfriends. Adriana on the right (also pregnant with Baby Sofia) then Amanda, and Susie on the left. Susie and I will happily serve as aunts.

I'm sure we will get some great practice from all these babies....... but I doubt any amount of practice will be enough for another Wells in the world. One word comes to mind: PAYBACK.

Our moms are smiling and nodding as they read this.

This Week's Verse....

2011-03-03T21:34:00.000-05:00

As I mentioned last week, J and are doing a 13 week scripture memorization challenge......

This week's verse was a little longer:

Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joint and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

Ringin' in the New Year @ the Gator Bowl

2011-03-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

Okay-so I'm starting to catch up! We're up to New Year's now!

We had a fabulous New Years, as we headed down I-10 with many other Bulldawg Fans to watch the Gator Bowl. At first we were a little dissapointed that we didn't go to the Peach Bowl, but our 2.5 hours drive compared to a 5.5 hour drive to Atlanta was quite nice.

We arrived in Jacksonville just in time for the Gator Bowl Parade, which was actually much bigger than I expected. We got to see the Famous Maroon Band and it was awesome hearing the cowbells echo through the downtown streets. (Our opponent was Michigan, so not too many folks made the long haul to the Sunshine State. P.S. Michigan fans now hate cowbells.)

I was pumped up about New Year's Eve, because we got to get all dressed up and go to the "Dawg Pound Party" which was at a really nice convention center. We got to see several of our friends, which was a great time. I have been complaining for the last two New Years that we have stayed home. The party was great, but to be honest, I missed our homemade New Years complete with bottle rockets, sparklers, roman candles, and tanks (my childhood favorite.)

So on New Year's morning we were up & at em ready for our Gamdeday Breakfast. (We stayed at an adorable Bed & Breakfast for which Jeremie got big points for. ) We ate with some very nice Michgan fans and met some fellow Dawgs, Mr. & Mrs. Thad Harrell, who we are forever grateful to. See, Thad had a parking pass, but no clue how to get to the stadium. So he struck a deal with J that we could ride with them and take advantage of this extremely close parking as long as J drove their car to get us there. As crazy as it sounds, jumping in the car with people we only met 15 mintues prior is not strange for me and J. I mean, we still vacation with people we met on our honeymoon....(Love ya Bart & Jen!)

Anyway, so we make it to the stadium in about 15 minutes and wave to the other people in miles of traffic paying $150 to park 2 miles away.

Now-let's get to the important stuff-we DOMINATED the Wolverines. They left with their tail between their legs. It was incredible. The scoreboard says it all...

The was definately MORE COWBELL. Thanks to Cate for my new favorite MSU Shirt.

And after a long game and lots of cheering, we definitely needed some R&R at the B&B......

By the way.....this place was called The Inn at Oak Street if you are ever in Jacksonville and want a great place to stay. It was the true Bed & Breakfast experience with all modern amenities. And in a trendy neighborhood with lots of restaurants and shops......

Psalm 119:11

2011-02-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Jeremie and I helped with a youth retreat for our church this past weekend called Disciple Now. (Will do full post later.) The curriculum was a kick off to a 13 week program for memorizing scripture-1 verse per week. Memorizing scripture is definitely something I need to work on, so I am looking forward to the challenge.

This week's verse:

"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."

-Psalm 119:11

2011-02-22T20:03:00.000-05:00

Okay-So I realize this is my 3rd Post about Christmas, I'm getting there......

Another fun even we went to was the Lawnmower Parade in Havana, which is a small quaint little town about 10 minutes away. It was HILARIOUS. There was a band, arts & crafts booths, and the main feature was the parade. The parade solely consisted of lawnmowers & golf carts, which, mind you, were judged SEPARATELY. As you can see, some people went all out and others...well I think just pulled out of the yard, threw some tinsel on the ole Snapper, and headed to town. : )

Manny had a good time in Havana, and if it were up to him, he would have been in the parade. The more attention the better.

Anyway, Christmas was fabulous. We were blessed to have a few days with our families to catch up and have some real quality time. Hunting with Dad, shopping with mom, and lots of time by the fire made it complete. My dad makes the best fires and my mom makes the best taco soup, so you see why we love going home. : )

Below: Jeremie and I on Christmas Day-how appropriate. I have on pink MSUgetup and J has on flannel pajama pants that have bulldogs on them and say "Bah Humbug."

Other family fun.......

And what is Christmas Day without a nap?.......

So one of my goals while I was home was to clean out my closet. I spent 16 wonderful years in the pink room on Luther Carter Road. Therefore, there was still "debris" left in the closet from my childhood, and I was getting a strong feeling that Mom & Dad had better plans for the extra space. Cleaning out a closet sounds about as boring as watching paint dry, but honestly, it was a blast. Mom sat on the bed and watched the fun. I found SO MUCH STUFF from my childhood. Let's just say I had a thing for stuffed animals and had a large BIN full of any species you could think of. Cows. Sheep. Cats. Penguins. Sharks. Gophers. Giraffes. Squirrels. Donkeys. Polar bears. Moose. If that isn't sad enough, I remembered most of their names and where each animal came from. The most special was finding Simba, who was my favorite and went everywhere with me. He is now at Jeremie's parents' house making friends with his favorite childhood stuffed animal, Monkeyshine.

The picture below is just a select few that I could fit in my arms. I also want to point out the unicorn poster, porcelain doll, and china for my "hope chest" in the background. My room was the traditional girl's room. It was pretty fun taking a step back in time.

I was pretty sad that Christmas was over and it was time to take down all the pretty decorations.....Till next year.

My Valentine

2011-02-16T00:21:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was none other than Valentines Day. I'm a helpless romantic and love Valentine's Day! Jeremie sent me beautiful flowers at work that I am still enjoying!

J also cooked fabulous steaks, potatoes, & veggies, and had chocolate AND key lime pie. A hubby after my own heart. A few years ago I tried to bake a fresh strawberry cake for J. One word: DISASTER. Ladies-if you remember the movie Sleeping Beauty when the 3 Fairy God Mothers were trying to bake the birthday cake-this was the exact situation. The layers were sliding off and the frosting wasn't even worth eating. (Yes, I ruined frosting.) So probably a great idea to let J handle the desserts.

Anyway-we used our lovely Vietri china and lit candles. It was a wonderful and relaxing Valentines. Couldn't imagine it any other way. I am ONE. LUCKY.GIRL.

Just Catching Up....

2011-02-15T21:09:00.000-05:00

Okay-so I do realize it's the middle of FEBRUARY and I haven't even blogged about Christmas. But, I have no shame-I love Christmas so much I will still blog.

Another party we hit up was our Sunday School Christmas party, which was a tacky sweater party. It was incredible!!! I went to Goodwill and picked out some fabulous Christmas sweaters.....apparently J didn't feel like he was tacky enough, because he stole some plastic snowflakes off a wreath and SEWED them to the sweater in a Christmas tree shape. And added some bells. (It was awesome to watch him shake & jingle.) He almost won the tacky contest, but got beat out by Jessica, who rocked a puff paint sweatshirt and side pony tail. I think he's already planning next year. We had a great time and the party was complete with lots of food and a rousing game of Christmas Carol Pictionary, Boys Vs. Girls. No matter what you hear, the girls dominated.

Before Jeremie and I left for our Mississippi Christmas, we hosted our own Wells Family Christmas. We opened our gifts and gave Mannylicious his stocking stuffers. His stocking consisted of Pupperoni and 5 dog toys. We layed them on the floor, and one by one, he played with them for about 10 minutes. He loved his first Christmas. We had a blast. I love my little family.

I also want to talk about our Christmas tree for a minute. My fab friend Meg posted about some special Christmas ornaments, so I will copy her idea, if she approves. (Said approval will be requested later. She was my Matron of Honor.....she can't leave me now.)

Ornament #1: The Engagement Ornament. Sweet Mary Perry sent me this ornament shortly after J and I got engaged in 2008. I love it.

Ornament #2: The Newlywed Ornament. I bought this ornament for our first Christmas and forced J to put it on the tree WITH me our first Christmas. He of course agreed last year, but stayed on the couch this year. The things we do for love.

Ornament #3: The Wedding Cake. Jeremy Ely's mom gave us this ornament for our wedding. It is gorgeous. And delicate. Therefore, contrary to Ornament #2, J is not allowed to touch this ornament.

Ornament #4: Biltmore Santa. I bought this on our vacay last year at the Biltmore. I decided that I would buy a Christmas ornament as a souvenir when we travel to cool places.

Ornament #5: Christmas Manny. I mean, our dog had his own stocking, he had to have an ornament. DUH.

Ornament #6: Meet Mr. Mouse. This used to be an ornament, but it's so old the string fell off Mr. Mouse's top hat, so he was sort of "nestled" in the tree. Mr. Mouse was my FAVORITE ornament as a child. I have no idea where he came from or why I was so obsessed with a mouse with a top hat. But then again, I also don't know why I wore platinum colored pleather pants in 7th grade......the things we do as kids.....

I can't wait to add more special ornaments to our tree as the years go by.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!!!!

2010-12-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

Well, the time is here and it's no secret that I LOVE Christmas. The Monday after we returned from Thanksgiving holiday, we set up our tree. I do love that my hubby insists on a real tree. It is fun to pick out and makes the house smell great. I used to chastise my own poor mother when she began using an artificial tree. I grew up 4 miles from a Christmas tree farm so each year, my family would go "stake our claim" on the best tree on the farm each year. As we got older, it was harder to get everyone in the same place at the same time. Then one year Dad cut down a tree from our yard to serve as the Taylor Family Tree. Well, trees look much smaller in the outdoors, but when we brought it in, it was probably 19 feet tall. So we had to cut some of the top off, which resembled more of a Christmas bush than a tree. So my mom finally resolved to the fact that that a 1-2-3-TREE was the way to go, and at times I don't blame her.

Since I had a Christmas shower before we got married, I was already hooked up with all things Christmas. I LOVE getting all this stuff out, and believe it or not, for those of you out there....I remember what you gave me, so thank you!

This weekend we went to an event called Camillia Christmas in Maclay Gardens, which is a park here in town. It is beautiful with the enormous live oaks lazily hanging down the paths that were lined with candles. They served hot apple cider and had carolers. The you ride back to where you parked on a trolley and all the kids in our trolley broke out singing Christmas carols. Adorable.

Saturday I went to a Christmas tea sponsored by the ladies ministry at our church, which was incredible. Hung out with some special friends and heard a great speaker who really put things in perspective about Christmas.

Disclaimer: Mary & Meg-no, you have not been replaced. It's just a coincidence that I have a red headed and blonde friend here in Tally!

Saturday night was a Christmas party at our friends John & Susie's and the theme was COOKIES. Yes. My kind of party. Everyone brought a different kind of cookie so I gained approximately 12 pounds.

I just love this time of the year and what it means. I do love the parties, decorations, and all the hoop-la, but the feeling of JOY seems contagious this time of year. What more to celebrate that God sent HIS son to dwell among us and teach us His ways.

Dawgs Vs. Cats

2010-11-16T21:36:00.000-05:00

Jeremie and I also traveled to Starkvegas for the Kentucky game on Halloween weekend. Great time. It was great to tailgate with Mom, Dad, Amy and Mr. & Mrs. Jones. We finally made it close enough during the Dawg Walk to high five the players & coaches. That's right, Brignone, Relf, Ballard.....and my personal favorite, Manny Diaz. Best looking, I mean, best coaching Defensive Coordinator out there. J said that I more clutched his hand than high fived it.

Notice the FOCUSED look on Mullen's face. He's the man.

Tailgating never gets old....I just love how serious SEC fans are about their tailgating....check out the "graveyard" that included tombstones of teams we beat so far......

The weekend included a big win, cheesesticks, Shipley's donuts and a trip to the lodge. Good stuff.

"Dawgs Drown Gators in the Swamp"

2010-10-17T21:59:00.000-04:00

Personally, I think that is a fantastic headline, if any newspaper would like to purchase it from me.

Well, my positive thinking from my previous post apparently worked. We had a blast watching the Dawgs' big win in the Swamp. If you watched the game, you know it ran down to the last few seconds. With about 30 seconds left and a Bulldog lead at 10-7, the Gators attempted a 42 yard field goal, and you know the rest of the story. J stood in amazement while I tackled him like a lineman and hugged MSU strangers sitting around us. (I don't consider any MSU fan a stranger though.)

The stadium was SO QUIET as we were walking out, with the exception of one jingling cowbell that someone sneaked in. Beautiful sound to our ears.

The tailgating experience was a great time. Beautiful day, pretty campus, good company, and the Gators were quite friendly.

Friday Night Special

2010-10-15T18:16:00.000-04:00

There are 4 Things to Celebrate Tonight:
-It is Friday! For all of you in South MS, join me in singing the redneck song "It's Finally Friday!!!!"
-We have a new laptop!!! I no longer have to tear J away from his Fantasy Football scores and Genespage just so I can get online! I hope this means more blogging!
-Tomorrow J and I will see the Dawgs upset the Gators AT THE SWAMP!!! Yes, I say that confidently so I will convince myself that we will win. If any of you Bulldog players are reading this, we are praying for you. Seriously. We ask God to bless our food and bless the Dawgs. Is that wrong? We are attending the game with some good friends here in Tally who are split: one is a Gator, on is a Seminole. Should be interesting...SOMEONE is going home unhappy tomorrow. Hope it's not me and J. If we lose, I'll just make up a good excuse, like Alabama fans.
-We are eating homemade lasagna. It is incredible, mainly because J put about 4 cups of cheese in it.

Pondering Time.....

2010-08-01T18:03:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the Wells. I promised I'd keep up better with the blog. Two weeks isn't bad....baby steps.

We haven't had too much drama in the Wells household lately-just the usual work, come home, eat, go to bed, and repeat. Some dear friends of ours were contemplating this the other day and thought it was funny how in different "seasons" of your life, you measure time differently. When you're a kid, everything is in "9 weeks"....every 9 weeks, that dreaded report card for your parents to sign, then the coveted SUMMERTIME...which actually felt like a really long time. Week after week, camp after camp. Then you get to college and everything is measured in semesters: the Fall or Spring semester. That's it. If something was difficult, you knew it'd be over in less than 4 months, no questions asked. At the end of that time, you either had a glorious long Christmas or Summer Break, and even a fall and spring break in the middle, as if college kids are that burdened.....

Then you begin a career (our current season) and everything just runs together. It's not divided into 9 weeks, or semesters until there is relief, just a 5 day repeating sequence when you work like a dog and pray for the weekend. The weekend flies by, and you start over again. No Spring, Fall, Summer, Christmas break. I typically don't even know what season it is, I just notice that I need to start wearing more or less clothes, depending on the weather.

I hear that the next season in life is when you get pregnant (sorry Mom & Dad, I'm not pregnant) and you speak in weeks. We have a good friend who is expecting and I asked her about this the other day. I told her that when I am in conversation w/ a pregnant person and excitedly say "How far along are you?" and they reply something like "22 weeks"....I have absolutely no idea how long that is. Give me something broken down into months or fractions, otherwise I have to pull out my phone calendar and start counting. My friend laughed and explained that the doctor visits are broken down to specific weeks, so hence the baby lingo.

Nevertheless......I am blessed to have my routine repeating schedule. Very thankful to have a job, and a wonderful husband who makes coming home to the best part of the day......

Inlaws & Outlaws.....

2010-08-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

My sweet In-Laws visited the other day on their way back from an incredible road trip vacation. J and I thought we were the masters of state-hopping, but they put us to shame-I think they visiting like SIX towns. Their last stop was Savannah, GA, which is quite charming and Tally is the halfway point from their neck of the woods. It was great to see them; I wish they could have stayed longer. I made my new recipe for "Taco Pizza" and we caught up on their amazing vacation.

Now, I know she looks sweet, but you can see where my hubby gets his competitiveness......

Love you Mitch & Cate!

I'll stick with the theme and tell you Jeremie's In Laws will be visiting this weekend for Mom's second annual birthday trip to Tally.....Looking forward to seeing ya'll!!!

Now......as for Outlaws...we have seen those around Tally as well....I think this picture speaks for itself.

Better Late than Never......

2010-07-11T18:56:00.000-04:00

I realize I've been neglected our blog for quite some time now. I apologize, because I love when others update THEIR blogs....and check them frequently. I feel sorry for all you 4 readers that might have been checking it...and now have probably given up on me!

Of course I'll blame it on our busy life, as if it's any busier than the average American, but most of all, I'd like to give a shout out to our turtle speed internet. Makes for difficult blogging. But that's what you get when you decide to live in the middle of nowhere, where the only place to receive an internet connection is from a satellite in space....more middle of nowhere.

Anyway, we've been enjoying spring and summer in Tallahassee. Everything is in bloom and beautiful. I would say our most interesting happening recently was our anniversary vacation in April. (Yes, I'm in denial that it's July already, so I still consider April "recent".)

Instead of the average vacationer that goes to one place, stay's there for a whole week, and lays by the beach, we try to see just how many miles we can put on our car and how many states we can go through in this short period of time. We left Tally and head for Starkville for Super Bulldog Weekend. This is almost a religious experience for Jeremie. Even though the 7 hour drive was not technically on the way to Asheville, NC, there was no question that we were going. We should get extra points on our Bulldog Club membership for this. Anyway, we had a great time in Starkvegas, got see some State sports, friends, family, and do I even need to mention ate Cheesesticks at the Grill. (The NEW grill-very nice!) Jeremie and I even went for a walk around campus and went into the chapel, which was the first time we'd been in there since we said our vows....Ya'll know me...I cried...

Being on campus never gets old.

We then headed to Gatlinburg, TN. (Another 5 hours.) There, we ate as much pancakes as we could, found an incredible pizza place, and went to Ripley's Believe it or Not. I realize this isn't a romantic venue for an anniversary trip, but we had a blast....

We also hit up Dollywood, and I braved (stomached might be a better word) all the roller coasters. J and I love looking at the pictures after we get off the rides. He looks like a kid on Christmas. LOVES it. I on the other hand look like I am doing my very best not to loose my lunch on the person in front of me, God bless them. The funny thing is that I really do enjoy them. I'm just not the hold your hands over your head type of person. If SOMETHING goes wrong, I WILL be the person still clinging to the safety bar for dear life. I feel like my approach still gives me a small chance to live if the cart gets stuck upside down in the Ring of Fire.

Anyway, after Gatlinburg, we headed to Asheville, NC, which was supposed to be a 2 hour drive but was more like 4. We took the scenic route, which was incredible. Can't really go past 30 MPH, but the mountains are so beautiful, you wouldn't want to. (We even saw a little bear on the side of the road! )

The only negative thing: being a MS girl, I packed appropriately for the end of April: tanks and shorts. It's close to 95 degrees by that time of year in the South. Well, it was like 42 degrees at one point on our trip, so we had to hit up Belk for some warmer items. (Not that I minded shopping though.)

We stayed in a beautiful hotel in Lake Lure about 30 minutes outside of Asheville. Charming. It was about 5 minutes from where they filmed Dirty Dancing, for all you fans. The first day we went to the Biltmore, which is something EVERYONE should see. Not just for girls. It's amazing. Jeremie's activity pick was whitewater rafting, which was a blast. When he told me the river we were going on, he said "Don't worry, the biggest drop is only 40 feet, but it's not all at one time." Of course I immediately starting yelling and about called the place to cancel. Of course he was joking...... We also went hiking at Chimney Rock Park which was breathtaking. Totally showed me how out of shape I was, but a good time.

The ride home was long, but that goodness for books on CD. And Krispy Kreme. Jeremie and I tallied the states we'd been through, and it was 5. We pretty much visited the Southeastern Conference.

We had so much fun and it was wonderful spend some quality time with my wonderful husband who loves to travel and see new things just as much as I do. I am blessed.

A Year Ago Today......

2010-05-09T19:24:00.000-04:00

We became Mr. & Mrs. Wells! What an incredible day it was! Jeremie and I have had an amazing year full of change, but lots of fun. I love being married to the man of my dreams who also happens to be my best friend.....We've had a blast and I look forward to all the years to come.

The Gobbler at our Roost....

2010-04-11T19:33:00.000-04:00

So J and I had a pretty excited morning today. J got up about 7:30 to take Manny out, and came back to bed, where I was already starting Part 2 of sleeping in. (We typically get up about 8:30 or 9:00 for church.) We sleep with the windows open when it is cool, and about 2 minutes after trying to go back to sleep, we both hear a turkey gobble outside and immediately sit up in bed and give each other the "Did you HEAR THAT?" look. We both agreed it was time to go hunting, so we hurriedly threw some camo on, each grab a gun, and headed out the door. We sat down about 100 yards from the house, and within about 20 minutes, here comes the gobbler. Too far for me to shoot though. So the bird roamed around towards where J was, but too far from him as well. (He did execute a Rambo-esque crawl on the ground to try to get to the turkey, which I could tell made him feel so manly man) We got back together, re-situated (moved closer, but I didn't crawl) and J started calling again. The turkey came right in front of me, so I took a shot. Turkey flew off. No, that's not supposed to happen. Yes, I missed. I'm admitting it on this blog, so please do not ask how I missed or taunt me about this. J has taken well-care of that today.

Nevertheless, we had a great time and J was thrilled since he's really never called up a turkey before. (I think he also enjoyed wearing his new fancy turkey vest and using his calls. It's like how I feel when I sport a new purse.)

We also think it's incredible that we live somewhere that we can hear a turkey gobble while we're laying in bed.....and walk out the door to hunt....!!! Who gets to do that?

And to think my dad is about to drive 12 hours to Missouri for turkey hunting.......

Oh Savannah!!!

2010-04-11T17:51:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, we celebrated J's 30th Birthday in "The Hostess of the South": Savannah, GA. We had a great time, it is such a charming town with so much history. The town was a planned city, so it has all these beautiful squares every 3 or so blocks that are adorable. If you didn't know, Forest Gump was filmed in Savannah, one of these squares houses where he sat on that famous bench. Look familiar?

We stayed in what was supposed to be a haunted hotel, went on several tours, and must I even mention, ate like kings and queens. One of our favorite places was St. John's Cathedral, which was absolutely beautiful.

Being the traditional person I am, I wasn't going to let J get away without having an official birthday party including unwrapping gifts and birthday cake. We toted all the gifts up to our hotel room that our families sent (might I add were carefully wrapped in duck tape) where we celebrated. Thanks to all who sent gifts to complete the party.

Personally, one of my favorites was the caramel apple covered with pecans. J like the Ice Cream at the creamery. Like, I said, we don't go hungry. We had a great time......

Three's Company.....

2010-03-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

There is much to blog about, but I think most everyone is most interested in the new addition to our family-Manny.

Our new black and tan Aussie mix is our new pride and joy. We adopted Manny from the Bainbridge Humane Society. Bainbridge was the third shelter I went to, and when I walked in and saw that little sad face and wagging tail, I knew Manny was our guy. (BTW, Jeremie had originally found a picture of him online, which led me to Bainbridge......I know J will point out that HE found Manny.)

Here is our Little Buddy.

Since Jeremie was on call the day I went Puppy Shopping, he gave me specific criteria to follow with picking out a new pooch. NO shedder, NO "yappy" dog, and NOTHING with the name "chihuahua" or "pit bull". A short "interview with Manny proved that he was a little shy, loved belly rubs, and licking your face. I loaded him up, picked up all things puppy at Wal-Mart, and took him home to his new daddy.

Manny already loved his new home and was "marking his territory" everywhere. Much to our pleasure, none of this marking happened in the house.....

That evening we had dinner at a friends house who have 2 much larger dogs, but they all got along great and by the end of the night, Manny was making him self at home sitting on THEIR dog's beds and eating their dogs food.....

We went bed in complete bliss that we had landed a no barking, no shedding, a good socialite dog. THEN....squealing, barking, whining, crying, and every imaginable noise a dog can make emanated from Manny's crate. He was going nuts. Not knowing how long this would last, my only thought was "this was a big mistake." The good news is that Manny's fit didn't last long and he is now sleeping quietly.

Jeremie absolutely loves his little buddy. Jeremie has actual conversations with him, they go on long walks in the woods together, and even cuddle a little. (Should I be worried?)

I tell Jeremie that the reason he loves Manny so much is that he's just like me, in a dog form: We love to eat, sleep, cuddle, and get lots of attention. We'll keep you all posted on our child often....

Things Got a Little Squirrely.....

2010-01-21T12:42:00.000-05:00

This was an email to Meg and Mary, but they got such a kick out of it, they insisted I post it. Pretty good story from a couple weekends ago:

J found a baby squirrel in our wood pile Friday night before our guests arrived. He’s pumped. (Actually, I think he was just trying to get me pumped, b/c a few minutes later he told me he broke a piece of my Vietri china.) He puts the squirrel in a box with a towel and puts the box on the dinner table. That’s right, rodent on the dinner table. Jenn and Bart cautiously asked if we were having roasted squirrel.

Anyway, after dinner, J and Bart decide they want to rig up a pen for the squirrel to play in. So they get our mesh net hamper turn it upside down and DUCK TAPE it to the box. Everyone knows a squirrel can chew through mesh, but the boys didn’t listen to me and Jenn.

The new pen is put in our bedroom. Later, the boys go in there to give him some milk and cut a “trap door” (sounds so McGuyver) and low and behold, Houdini, (what we named the squirrel afterwards) had disappeared. So they shut the door to the bedroom and we hear banging and running like a bull in a china cabinet. Just like the Chevy Chase movie. They are successful and catch the squirrel. Scared the poop out of it. Literally.

Like boys that haven’t learned their lesson, they put him BACK in the box, but reinforce it with more duck tape. Before we all go to bed, we check on Houdini, and as J is looking for him, I see the little rodent run across my closet!!! J pushes me out of the bedroom, shuts the door, and him and Bart go to work again. Successful. (I’m gonna really see how good he is in a greased pig contest one day.) Jenn and I are cracking up.

The boys are disappointed with their rigged up pen and go downstairs. We hear more banging and drilling. They come back with one of my nice blue storage tubs that now has drilled “airholes” in it and a real “trap door”. Houdini is now challenged.

Houdini is also nocturnal. In the middle of the night, I wake up to LOUD scratching, and squirrel barking, if you will. I was ticked, and very afraid that J’s rigged storage tub would not be successful and I was going to wake up to a squirrel in my pajamas later in the evening. Luckily he didn’t get out.

Not so luckily, Houdini didn’t make it through the weekend. We don’t know if he was sick already or what, but bottom line is J and I already killed our first pet.

Don’t think we’re ready for kids.

A Very MARRIED Christmas

2010-01-01T22:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas season as newlyweds has been so much fun for us! I LOVE Christmas and couldn't wait to get all my stuff out to decorate. Of course, the first adornment had to be the tree. Which MUST be real. Jeremie believes fake Christmas trees are a sin. So we headed to a plant nursery here in town, where we strategically chose our first tree, I stole some branches for decorating, and off we were, just like Chevy Chase with it tied to the truck.

The living area of our new place is actually on the 2nd floor, so the two of us lugging a very full 7 foot Frasier Fur up the stairs was quite entertaining. I decorated, and Jeremie watched, informing me of places I missed, that looked like they needed an ornament. : ) He actually got in the Christmas spirit and decorated the balcony while giving me a great rendition of Jingle Bell Rock. Here is our work of art.

And here is Jeremie in the Christmas Spirit.

Not really sure where he got the idea to pair a Cabana hat with a Wyatt Earp scarf. He always keeps me entertained.

Jeremie's parents also visited in December, just in time for the Victorian Christmas Night in Thomasville, which is a really charming town about 30 minutes from here. Now these people love Christmas. They shut down the entire downtown and have carriage rides, a live nativity, carolers, fake snow, and of course, lots of food. We had a blast.

BTW, this was the Snow Princess in the rug shop in town.....I hope she's ready to relinquish her place on top of the Rug Mountain, because I think I want to be the Snow Princess next year......beware honey....

The next day we took them to the Tallahassee Car Museum, which should really be called the Hobby Museum, because they had a collection of every topic you'd ever imagine. It was so cool. There was everything from the first Model T off the assembly line to the Batman car used in one of the movies. It was like stepping back in time, literally; they even had a car like the one from Back to the Future!! We had a great time. It was great to have Cate and Mitch at our new home!

Christmas came around quickly, and we headed back to MS. We were able to spend lots of time with our families: breakfast in pajamas at Jeremie's grandparent's and traditional lunch with my family at Grammy and Big Jack's. The next night we had my mom's second annual "Souper Saturday" where I got to see my dad's side of the family. (And load up on about 7 different types of soups..hey, it's Christmas.)

The holidays makes us thankful for our loving families, good health, and God's grace. He's been so good to us, and we look forward to what he leads us to in the new year.

Thanksgiving Menu: Roasted Rebels and Golden Eggs

2010-01-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

In the nick of time, we started moving into our new place on a Saturday and left to go home for Thanksgiving on Wednesday night. I would hardly call it "moving", more like "dumping". With twice the stuff, and half the help, moving was quite exhausting. We did con some friends of ours, the Christmas family, to help. We promised them food. Works every time. Don't know what we would've done without them.

Anyway, we managed to scramble up enough clean clothes to visit our families, who hosted the first cooked meal we'd had on real plates in a week. Very nice. I was GREAT to see our families and be back home for a few days.

With our new head coach (Dan the Man), and over-rated Ole Miss season, there was no way we were going to miss the Egg Bowl, clean clothes or not, so we squeezed in a quick trip to Starkville. Mom and Dad joined, which was a lot of fun.

If anyone missed it, the Dawgs MAN HANDLED the Rebels in a 41-27 victory. It was awesome. The cowbells thundered as Mullen assured everyone which " only Mississippi team on the rise" is. We loved it. Go Dawgs.

Hectic, but Happy

2009-12-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

Since my last post, we've had quite some changes take place!!!! We went into November fully expecting own our first home for the holidays. To make a long story short, the house we were going to buy fell through, leaving us ONE WEEK to find a new place to live and move. (Someone already had our apartment rented immediately after our lease expired in November.)

This of course caused a famous emotional breakdown, which just happened to occur over a dinner of roast and potatoes. After I burst into tears, Jeremie gave me the reassuring: "the foods really good, honey" look. I assured him I knew the food was good, but I was just frustrated and didn't feel like starting all over again looking for somewhere to live. But we didn't have a choice, so the next day we reluctantly (and bitterly might I add) started looking for rental homes. We refused to live in another apartment; we enjoy the outdoors too much! Jeremie and I rode around town that Saturday rolling in self pity that we had to house hunt again. We were tired, disappointed, and most of all, very grumpy. We were not unhappy with each other, just the situation. (Later, we reminded ourselves that a house is a material thing, we should be counting our blessings, instead of whining...)

Later in the week, we found a couple possibilities, and for the mere fact that we wanted to go home for Thankgiving (which would require us to move that weekend) we decided to settle for a house in the middle of town, and sign a six month lease until we figured out what step to take next. It wasn't our optimal choice, but the alternative was homelessness! Time was ticking away, and we only had a few more days to find something and move. On Thursday, during another close-to-emotional-breakdown at work, I stopped what I was doing, told God I couldn't worry about it anymore, and asked him to just take care of it. About 30 minutes later, a work friend of mine called and we got to talking about our house situation. He told me he had something in mind for us, and said he'd call me back in a few minutes. Next thing I knew, Jeremie was heading out to meet him and the owner of the possible rental. This is what he found us:

Needless to say, we were pretty darn excited. The cabin is on a man's property who owns about 400 surrounding acres. There is a pond, live oaks, and according to Jeremie, most importantly, a "Man Cave" downstairs. We felt relieved and BLESSED. Jeremie pointed out that the situation should remind us of how out of control we are, and how in control God is!

We love being out in the country and having so much room to "play". The picture above is before we moved in, so I have "re-decorated". We like to call it "Lodge Wells"......

In the Mix......

2009-11-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

With a few random items, this will be a mixture of a post.

A few weeks ago, we headed to "God's Country" AKA Starkville, for Homecoming. It just happened to be our 5 month anniversary, so it was very strange being back on campus for the first time since the wedding. Passing by the chapel almost brought tears to my eyes. J and I took some time to walk around campus a little while and eat some yummy cookies a the Bakery.

Gameday was actually very chilly and muddy as it had rained the night before. But you can't keep a real Bulldog away; we still set up our tent and tailgated as usual. Between Meg, Mary, Amy and I, of course we didn't go hungry! We had a great time and it was awesome to see our friends.

On a different note, life here in Tally is great. The more we are here, the more we love it. We've met some great friends, found an awesome church, and are also part of a small group that is studying a book called "The Reason for God." It is really great and is opening our eyes to how important is to share our faith with others,the power of prayer, and an awareness of others' needs. The group makes us feel like family, and is really helping us grow.

Tally is a neat town in the fact that it's the capital, but has a small town feel as well. People are very friendly and welcoming. The old live oaks are a beautiful back drop, and if you drive just a few miles out, you're in the country. I was headed to a land auction the other day, and had to stop the car to let these ALBINO deer cross the road. It was crazy!

That being said, we do miss our friends and family very much, so feel free to visit!!!!

Bigger is Better

2009-10-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

Whew! I am majorly behind on my posts! Between our jobs, trying to buy a house, and life in general, we've been pretty busy. Work and home buying negotiation wouldn't make for the most excited blog, so I'm devoting this blog to my sweet husband, and all you men out there who really think Bigger is Better.

Since being married, I've noticed that my husband has a "liking" if you will, for oversized stuff.

We'll start with our latest purchase, Jeremie's dream TV. Granted he's researched for a year about what kind he wanted, he finally announced one day after church that we should head to Best Buy to make the "investment". After I quizzed him if he had prayed about this, or if it just had to do a little bit with the start of college football the upcoming weekend, he assured me that he'd saved up and waited long enough. So with a twinkle in his eye like a little kid on Christmas, we bought the Big Boy. Jeremie was literally singing a little chant as we loaded it up in the truck. I have to say, I've now become ADDICTED to HD. We spent about 3 days switching it quickly back and forth from Regular to HD, and you'd think the TV had pulled a rabbit out of a hat, you should have heard the OOOOO'SSSS and AHHHH'SSS. Take a look at the difference.

Jeremie also has a regular laptop, and also a computer that he takes to clients to show them their product, all for an easier viewing experience. : ) Granted, it is nice to watch stuff on, but still cracks me up at what men can come up with.

And last but not least, what I would think is one of Jeremie's HIGHLIGHTS of the year, (besides getting married, ofcourse) is the unveiling of MSU's Jumbotron, which I like to call the TV in the Sky. Of course, since Ole Miss was building one too, we had to make our just a few feet bigger. Ha. It's pretty awesome and sometimes I find myself watching it instead of the field.

My last manly salute to my hubby is from a few weeks ago, when we went to Mississippi. The house we are hoping to buy has a little over an acre, therefore, lots of mowing to do. Jeremie's dad graciously donated their old riding lawnmower to the cause, and J would have nothing else but to go back through Richton on the way back to Tally to pick up his new toy. We arrived in Tally around 9:30 p.m. Not wanting to leave it out on the trailer, J fired it up and drove it off the trailer and THROUGH our apartment parking lot into the storage garage. Note, we pretty much live in the middle of town; it was hilarious. I'm sure our neighbors wondered what the heck was going on and appreciate the loud noise. Judging by the grin on his face, J was already happy with his new man toy.

A Newlywed Reunion

2009-09-12T22:56:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, Jeremie and I headed down to St. Augustine, a town we were looking forward to visiting ever since J moved to Tally. Since we are big history buffs, the Nation's Oldest City was definately on the list of things to do.

To give you some background: While on our honeymoon, we were headed out for a snorkeling trip and a spotted a guy with a shirt that had a Nintendo-esk picture of a bride and groom on it that said "Game Over". Jeremie and I though it was hilarious, and we got to talking to the fellow and his new wife, who had gotten married the same day as us. Low and behold, we were all the way in Negril Jamaica, and our new friends, Bart and Jennifer, were from St. Augustine. We had a great time hanging out in Negril and agreed to visit each other in Florida.

So we took them up on that offer a couple weeks ago and headed down there. My dear friends that have only my best interest at heart, were a little questionable that we were going to spend the whole weekend with people we'd only "met for a few days". They asked "What if they're crazy???" "They could be on America's Most Wanted for all you know!" The funny thing was that Bart & Jennifer's friends were asking them the same thing! I just laughed and assured everyone that these were the type of folks you meet and feel like you've known forever.

After delicious banana pancakes, Bart & Jennifer gave us a great tour of the town. We visited the old fort, which was amazing, and walked around the AWESOME market downtown. We also visited where they got married, and must I even say, we ate like kings and queens. (Bart & Jenn share our love for food.) We had a blast and I don't think there was a silent minute between the four of us, other than when we were sleeping. They are such a fun couple. Below are some of our pics from the trip.

House Hunting, Church Search, and a Wii we go......

2009-08-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

Just to catch you up on our everyday, I'm going to do montage of a posting, so try not to lose me.... ; )

One of the most excited things for us starting out as a new married couple has been our "church search". There are so many great churches here in Tallahassee, and J and I want to make sure we find the right one where we can serve the Lord best. We have literally been to probably 7 churches. It has actually been really neat, because every church has such different "personalities". And it's also given us the opportunity to hear some awesome preachers, again, all different. One actually broke out in a baritone version of an old church hymn smack dab in the middle of his sermon. It was hilarious. One particular church gave us a loaf of bread for visiting. Now THAT'S a church after our own heart. Haha..just kidding. The preaching was equally great there and we met some amazing people, who actually invited us to lunch afterwards. They have 3 PRECIOUS children, with number 4 on the way. Another couple joined us that has a 10 month old. There was screaming. There was jumping. The 10 month old actually climbed out of her high chair ONTO the dining table. She looked safe to me, so I just let her crawl around. I really would've caught her if something happened, but the mama told me, no, she's really not supposed to crawl ON the table and she laughingly told me she wouldn't call me to babysit. Ha. I really did offer to babysit, but made sure they knew I don't know how to change a diaper. But the 6 year old assured me she would teach me. After a fabulous and fun lunch, I left the extra brownies I made on the kitchen table for the kids as our friends walked us out. The next week I got word that while we were outside the dog actually jumped ON the kitchen table and ate all the chocalate brownies. We probably won't be invited back. We went home exhausted and in complete agreement that we are NO WHERE close to wanting a child. Sorry Carol.

ANYWAY........I really don't know how I got into that story. But, bottomline is we are excited about the church that God will lead us to and can't wait to get involved.

Now to a random topic that I mentioned in the last post, which is our new toy, the Wii!!!!! Jeremie and I have wanted one for a long time, and with some of our wedding gift cards, we made the big purchase. It is SO MUCH fun. The first night we played, we were so sore the next morning, we felt bruised. Pitiful. We don't have many games right now, but tennis and bowling are our favorites. Jeremie likes the boxing, which is quite entertaining to watch, b/c it obviously makes him feel like Rocky. When I heard him yelling "Adrianne!!!!!!" in the living room the other day, I yanked out the video camera, which I will upload the footage soon. You have to see. It's like the boy won the big gold belt. Hands in the air, sweat running down his face. Sometimes I sing "Eye of the Tiger" just to humor him. It's great.

Just for all of you who have read that we've spent our gift cards on camping gear and a Wii, don't worry, we really have used the bulk of our gift cards on our china and traditional wedding items. I can't wait to entertain with all of it. Some of the Vietri is still on the way.

Another main issue in our lives right now is house hunting......which is proving to be a little more difficult than we expected. Our lease runs out in December, and we are both tired of apartment living. This town is pretty large, so there's just so much to look at. This weekend was our first real time to go into homes and look, and we didn't really end up with any contenders. Two of the homes we looked at smelled like a mixture of smoke and wet dog. Another one had a power line complete with transmitors in the backyard, and another one was so close to the neighbor you could shake hands through your bedroom window. We drove home tired, discouraged, and frustrated. We needed a good laugh. A smile. And this man riding down the road did just the trick. Took from J's phone.

Nuff said.

The Taylors Visit Tally!!!

2009-08-11T20:18:00.000-04:00

Wow. I've been terribly neglecting the blog! We have been staying busy, especially last weekend; we had our first company....

The running joke when we got married was that no one could visit us until August. (It has literally taken us that long to find a place for/hide all of our stuff.) Well, just guess shows up on JULY 31ST........Lee and Carol!!! hahaha....Actually Mom's birthday was August 5th, so we let them slide.

Mom and Dad arrived on a RAINY Friday afternoon. The 5 hour drive had definately done them in, so we calmed them down with a fabulous meal. Jeremie cooked cream cheese & jalapeno stuffed porkloin, and I made "smashed" potatoes, squash, and bread. Delicious! After we recovered from the meal, we challenged Mom and Dad to a pleasant bowling game on our new Wii. (More a/b that later.) Beings that Mom and Dad have never played a Wii before made for quite a funny crash course. Mom was noticeably better than Dad at the bowling. Now, if you know anything about my family, especially my Dad, everything is a competion. Second place is the first loser. So after some more practice, we played wives against husbands. The husbands won, and that's all I have to say about that. (Jeremie would yell if I didn't report that.) Just to level the playing field though, I destroyed him in tennis. It was actually sad. Ha.

The next day we headed to a plantation about 30 minutes from here called Pebble Hill Plantation. It was absolutely gorgeous! The plantation was purchased as a "summer home" in the early 1900's. This modest summer home was 31,000 square feet! Our whole apt. was the size of ONE of the 19 bathrooms. That's right. 19. The plantation was complete with amazing stables, schoolhouse, gardens, etc. Check out the pics

I was literally about to eat that horse by the time we left I was so hungry. So we headed to Harry's, one of Jeremie's and my favorite restaurants. Recharged and regenerated (okay, I admit, we all took a short nap) we decided the next competitive event was going to be goofy golf and go kart racing at Fun Station. Goofy golf was great, even better, because I was again,
completely embarrasing my husband in front of all the other families. Who knew I was such a good putter? Actually, Dad was beating everyone, but again, losing is not an option. As we made it to the last hole, I counted up the score. I was ahead by several strokes, and J discouragingly made his way to putt. I was pretty much telling him he played like a girl when he hit a hole in one! A little intimated, but not worried (as I had pared most of my shots)I hit the ball. And again, and again and again and again. That's right, 5 times. My crappy ending let J beat me. I was so enraged that I almost counted the score again. I hate losing to Jeremie b/c he will never let you forget. But this week the preacher spoke about pride, so I'm trying to re route my thoughts. ; )

Sunday was church and after that Dad, Mom and I headed to the Tallahassee Museum. It was a really neat place that was mostly outdoors with anything from a wildlife walk to snakes to a mini farm. We got to see foxes and panthers and bears, oh my! (Just had to say it) It was a good time. Our favorite interests include nature and history, so it was perfect.

Mom and Dad are fun and it was great to spend some quality time with them. It was great to see family and actually really strange to have our family come visit US in OUR home. Jeremie and I are usually meeting in the middle at our families' homes. We still can't believe that not only do we live in the same town but the same house!!!!! Marriage is still so fresh and it's really amazing. I feel like luckiest girl in the world every day.

Never a Dull Moment.....

2009-07-11T22:08:00.000-04:00

Jeremie and I have surprisingly kept a low profile this week, probably because Jeremie's been gone all week! So I'll update on the most recent event in our life, which was last weekend, for the Fourth of July.

Jeremie and I love celebrating all the holidays, and the Fourth is no exception. We wanted to be in the sun, near the water, like all Americans. Since we don't really have any friends here to mooch a boat off of yet, skiing or tubing was out of the question. So the closest option was floating in a tube down the river. We found a great place to go about an hour from here, that boasts of beautiful nature and crystal clear water that will lazily take you downstream for about 4 miles. So we loaded up and headed there just in time to get in between a group of about 100 high school students and 20 Florida State students who were there to PARTY. In fact, I think their party had already begun, and it was only 9:00 a.m.

Jeremie and I "upgraded" to the "Cadillac" tubes (that's right, we're not cheap) so we would have an even more effortless float. We dropped off in the river and the adventure began. We quickly learned that our upgrade was a complete waste of money. Our high class tubes, if you will, were so extremely large that they were too heavy for the "lazy float" we envisioned. It was CONSTANT paddling, as the sweet little river was crooked as a snake. Every time we got relaxed for a couple of minutes, we'd be floating off into the brush where God knows what was waiting to bite or eat us. (Flashes of the movie Anaconda were going through my head.) Jeremie was also "spotting alligators" which totally freaked me out. The other floaters with their cheap Wal-Mart tubes were making fun of us and we knew it. As if we hadn't worked hard enough, we came to a place in the river that had a fallen tree across it. And I don't mean a limb you can avoid. The options were: get off your tube and CLIMB over the tree or go under water and swim under the tree. I opted to climb over. Jeremie, always the challenger, swam under. I cleared the tree like a cat, no problem. The problem was getting back on the tube, b/c the water was so deep that there was nothing to push off of. Everytime I got half way on, I'd slip off, and it would flip over my head. (If you are imagining this in your mind, yes, I look an idiot.) Jeremie thought it was humorous, which made me even more mad. The longer I couldn't get on my tube and control it, the closer I became to the gator waiting for me in the brush. So, like any normal girl, I freaked out. I tried jumping on the tube viciously, with no success. We were now in shallow water, and feeling the gooey mush touch my feet freaked me out even more. I was a mess. Flip flops went flying. Sunscreen was gone. Jeremie was yelling. I even lost my swimsuit cover. By the grace of God I somehow got back into my tube. But I was exhausted, mad, and DONE for the day. Jeremie was embarrased. He gave me a lecture about how to "chill out" and survive in moments of distress.

By this time, we had met the larger river, which was a much more pleasant floating experience. I actually felt like this could salvage the day and my sanity. We were finally able to relax and enjoy the nature. Ya know, listen to the birds chirp, the flow of the water, and most entertaining, the stories of our fellow floaters in front of us. They were aparently comparing tattoos, updating on who got what and where. One of the young ladies in the group described the quality of her "first husband's" tattoo, but her friend quickly trumped her and stating that HER friend had showed her his latest tattoo and it was "the best jailhouse tattoo I've eva seen" .......

Jeremie and I looked at each other with the "did we hear that right?" face.....

The trip was not quite what we expected, but certainly entertaining and a hilarious memory. If you've never floated down the river, just do it once in your life. I can promise you, it'll be an unforgettable memory.

.

Our Life Lately....

2009-06-28T14:15:00.000-04:00

We've been quite busy over the past couple of weeks, and have much to catch up on! Last weekend was Father's Day, so of course we made the trip home to see our dads, also known as "Big Lee" and "Pops". Jeremie and I are both so blessed with the kind of dads that would pretty much do anything for you. The kind that move you into a new apartment a good 5-10 times in your life, air up your tires before you go on a long trip and let you keep your JUNK that you've accumulated over the past 25-30 years in their house. (I'll get to that topic again later.) Anyway, bottom line is we have some great dads, and thank God for them. (Sorry Moms, we were in Jamaica for Mother's Day. We'll tribute you next year..... wink wink.)

Also, we had the joy and blessing of attending one of Jeremie's friend, Chad's baptism. Chad was a groomsman in our wedding and Chad and him have been friends ummm....since birth, probably. The baptism took place at Chad's family's house, and our brother-in-law, Gray performed the baptism. It was beautiful and awesome to celebrate such a turning point in another Christian's life.

Sunday came all too quickly, and before going to church, we found ourselves, yet again, loading up stuff that was leftover at my parents that needed to go to Tallahassee. As I kept adding boxes to the stack, I noticed my sweet husband was getting a bitter attitude about the added inventory. With every box I picked up, he would ask me: "Now Katie, what is in there, do you really NEED that? Have you missed it over the past 6 weeks?" I not so politely told him that Lee & Carol's was not my house anymore, and I couldn't just leave my junk there just because we didn't want it to crowd OUR apartment. He innocently, but sternly replied: "Well, I just know my life has been turned upside down in the past few months, and we just have to get rid of some of this stuff." That's right, he said those exact words. The moment they came out of his mouth, he knew how WRONG it sounded. Sweetness didn't think about how I have quit a job, moved to Tally, started a new job, and got a new name, new husband, new phone number, and new address all in a matter of 3 weeks. My mom busted out laughing as Jeremie and I stared at each other wondering who would budge first. He finally agreed to just suck it up and load the car if I promise to throw away stuff once I start unpacking. Deal. Then we headed off to church, which is EXACTLY where we needed to be after such a morning. ; )

Back in Tally, Jeremie had to quickly turn around and head for Tampa on Monday morning. He was gone Monday and Tuesday night, which I didn't like at all, but took advantage of, so I could muddle through all my "junk" and turn J's life right side up, if you will. Below are before and after pics that any home improvement channel would be proud of. Before is actually how our apt. looked when we got back from the honeymoon. It has slowly evolved to the aftershot you see now.

Jeremie was shocked and loved my makeover.

The next day, Wednesday was my birthday, which was spent working and waiting on 5:00. I came home to a sweet card, and a big bag of scrapbook stuff! The ultimate gift. J knows me well. He took me to a great Cajun restaurant called Poboy's and for dessert The Melting Pot for some chocolate fondue. Wow. I think I actually scared J, because I was lapping up the chocalate like it was about to grow feet and jump off the table. It was delicious. Right before I started licking the bowl, Jeremie said it was time to go! hahahaha....We had a great time.

A Very Perry Wedding.....

2009-06-18T15:08:00.000-04:00

I am no longer the newest newlywed in our group. This past weekend, our sweet friends, Mary Brown and Stan Perry tied the knot. Friday kicked off with a great bridesmaids luncheon, with food fit for a queen. Meg and I pretty much drowned everything in white gravy, while everyone else ate fruit. I got to meet the rest of Mary's family which was great.

Just like my wedding, after a nice and relaxing luncheon where we were honored, we then were slaves....haha....Just kidding, Mary, it was fun. The rest of the day was spent decorating the reception which turned out beautiful. We had just enough time to make ourselves look human again and headed to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner which was amazing! Stan's dad cooked grilled chicken, cucumber and tomato salad, stuffed zuccini, and my personal favorite, apple dumplings for desert. As you can tell, after J and I got married, I'm quickly becoming fat and happy.

Much like ours, wedding day was wide open. Interesting activities included me brushing Mary's ring with toothpaste and toothbrush (that I believe was Stan's), Emily (Mary's sister) misplacing Stan's ring, and Mary's mom slamming her arm in the door so hard we thought it was broken. We tried to hide most of the chaos from the bride as she got ready.....nothing should come between a bride and her beauty.....

But, by 6:00, bride and groom looked amazing, and the wedding went perfectly. Hopefully the guests could not hear what was going on at the alter, because between me and Mary's crying it sounded like a doctors office in flu season. I just couldn't believe it was actually Mary's wedding day. We'd talked about it almost every day for 5 months, and it was finally here. From the wrong color dresses to the wrong sized dresses to incorrect wedding invitations, Mary was definately thrown some curve balls during the wedding planning, so she deserved the best.

The reception rocked! There was a great 2 -man-band that played some awesome music, so we threw off our heels and cut a rug. (And of course ate LOTS of food.) After we got the bride distracted, Kelly & Keith Hayes, Hunter & Meg Jones, Lindsey & Alex Boggan, and my new hubby and me "adorned" their going away vehicle with balloons, ribbons, and paint on the windows to make sure everyone would know "Stan the Man" and "Mary Perry" inside were "Just Married." It was fun, but the minute I walked back in Mary gave me that look and said "Katie-Beth....what have you been up to????" Darn.....nothing gets by this redhead. They loved it and drove off looking forward to their Jamaican honeymoon.

Which I wish they would just get from already, I miss my everyday chats with my friend........

Our Very Bulldog Wedding

2009-06-16T19:53:00.000-04:00

Our wedding was absolutely amazing, and we can't believe it's already been a month ago! Jeremie proposed in front of the chapel on campus, so ofcourse we had to get married there! (Besides the fact that we are a little obsessed with MSU.) Our wedding weekend started out with a trip to Mugshots when all of our family got to town on Thursday. I was very upset because I had to watch everyone eat delicious hamburgers, while I tried to behave myself so I could fit into my wedding dress. (Don't worry, I've made up for that missed hamburger.)

Friday started out with an awesome Bridesmaids Luncheon at Three Generations Tea Room, where I saluted all my lovely bridemaids. Then I put them all to work. And I mean work. Decorating the reception (at the Palmeioro Center) even included an 8 foot ladder, staple gun, painting, and a galvanized tub. (Disguised with a beautiful tablecloth, and BAM, you have a cake stand.) After decorating, we were off to the rehearsal, which also proved to be a challenge, as we tried to fit our bridal party of 17 on the alter. Jeremie warned his groomsmen, that whoever stood closest to Jeremie better be willing to marry me, because if he split, than I WOULD marry the next man in line. I kept telling him I was GOING to marry someone in the chapel on May the 9th, whether he showed up or not! : ) The rehearsal dinner followed, which was at the M-Club. (Where else would you have your rehearsal than overlooking the football field.) The dinner was amazing and complete with a slideshow of me and Jeremie growing up, toasts from our families, and ofcouse, cowbells.

Wedding day began immediately at 6:30 a.m. when I sat straight up in bed and thought: "AGGGHHHHH!!!! IT'S MY WEDDING DAY!" It was so surreal. In one way, it felt like another day of planning because I'd been planning so long, but as I was steaming my veil a couple hours later, I felt the reality of it. While I was at the salon getting hair and makeup done, I'd have a little crying attack every 30 minutes or so. But quickly, a team of professionals (aka Bridesmaids) fanned me viciously until I pulled it together.

Jeremie also got up at the crack of dawn at 5:30 a.m. and woke his parents up to go get breakfast. (Ofcourse that's the first thing a man thinks about on his wedding day.) He continued his all day eating fest with cheesticks at the Grill as I was laboring over hair and makeup. Nice that guys don't have to spend endless hours getting ready or worry about fitting into their tux.

God cleared the rain clouds just in time for us to start pictures. Jeremie and I had agreed to see each other before the wedding in order to save time and settle nerves. (Best decison we ever made.) So the photographer set up in a pretty spot beside the chapel for just me and Jeremie to meet. I walked out of the back door of the chapel and saw Jeremie for the first time. It was amazing. Except for the part where my dress got caught in the door. Did I really think I could get through a door with 8 feet of fabric following me??? Really? After the photographer rescued me, I was able to hug my groom. Another surreal moment. Jeremie had waited for this day for so long, and here it is!

The ceremony was beautiful. Walking down the aisle with my dad was so special. As we were saying our vows, I really couldn't believe we were actually standing there getting married. It went by so quickly. And as we waited to be announced husband and wife, all of a sudden Jack Crisitl's (famous MSU announcer) voice came over the speakers and said "Let's wrap this one up in maroon and white! I now pronounce to you Mr. and Mrs. Jeremie Wells!" Jeremie and I literally shrieked with suprise and excitement. We had no idea about it, and it was incredible and one of a kind! Props to the Maid of Honor (my big sis) for such an amazing and unforgettable exit. We rang our cowbells and it was offical, we were husband and wife! We rode off in a horse and buggy to our reception where we visited with family and friends and Jeremie SMOTHERED my face with wedding cake. (Which was fine with me, it was very yummy.) BTW, it poured down rain during the reception.

God POURED his blessings out that day; I couldn't ask for anything more. Thanks to all family and friends who put up with my bridezilla moments and bent over backwards to make our day special. Couldn't have done it without you.

As Jeremie and I were getting into the truck to ride off, the chapel chimes (which for some reason hadn't rang all day) sounded that it was 10:00. So romantic. As if that wasn't special enough, they continued to then play the fight song. Now, that's wrapping it up in maroon and white.

Eric Lee Photography has posted all of our wedding pictures at:

http://www.pictage.com/client/event.do?event=628835

Yeah Mon Honeymoon

2009-06-07T19:26:00.000-04:00

I'm working backwards on our blog until I can get caught up, so we're on to the honeymooon.

Jeremie and I flew out of Jackson airport at 6 AM the morning after our wedding. We were exhausted. I was hungry. (But I'm always hungry.) And we were looking rough. Actually I was looking rough. Jeremie's little princess bride had transformed to a no makeup, droppy eyed, messy haired wife. May as well show him the truth early. Jeremie was the empitame of a honeymooner with his checkered shorts, polo, and cabana hat. (I hate when he shows me up.) After our Houston layover, a sausage biscuit, AND glazed donut from Shipley's (couldn't decide so just ate both) we headed to Jamaica where there are no problems, mon.....

The resort was FABULOUS. When you walked into the outdoor lounge you immediately overlooked the pool and the beach. Goregous. Our room was equally as fabulous with huge bathroom, porch and hammock.

The resort had 5 restaurants to choose from each day, all you can eat. We got appetizer, entree, and desert every meal. Breakfast was a buffet of anything and everything you'd ever think about eating for breakfast. I ate about a 1/2 pound of bacon every day. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore. Everyday.

There were also several activities during the day to do. Glass bottom boat, snorkling, catamaran cruise, shopping in Negril, and ofcourse J and I took part in all. We didn't sleep past 9:00 any morning. J's mindset was "Katie, why would you come Jamaica and sleep????" My silent answer was "Because I've been planning a wedding for 6 months you idiot." But I drank my coffee and was a good sport by 9:15 or so. Snorkling was quite an adventure b/c to J's disarray, I'd never been snorkling before. And he really didn't bother to ask me that until we were in the water and I treading as hard as I could with the 20 pound flippers swallowing salt water like it was candy. I had no idea how to breath out of that tube. Finally, my frustrated husband realized his sweet new wife was about to drown, and quickly instructed me I had to put the device IN my mouth to breathe out of it.......

The catamaran cruise was also adventurous; we sailed out about an hour to some caves and cliffs, and jumped of the boat to swim in the ocean. They had a huge slide that went off the catamaran and into the ocean. All us adults on the boat turned into 8 year olds again and couldn't get to the slide fast enough. Everyone loves a slide, I don't care how old you are. So we went off, I loved it, and decided to go again. The second time, I noticed my ear hit the water especially hard. That night, it felt like someone had stuck a dagger into it! Long story short, the pain continued into the next day and we ended up having to go to the doctor. Let me tell you, a doctor in Jamaica is not cheap. She diagnosed my problem as busted blood vessels and inflammed ear wall. Nice. J didn't talk to me for about twenty minutes. Especially after I told him the experience was worth it.

The remainder of the honeymoon was really relaxing, and was spent laying out, and ofcourse eating. (J wouldn't really let me do anything out of the ordinary after the slide incident.) We met some awesome couples that we enjoyed hanging out with, and took in some awesome views. It was much needed quality time and relaxation after stressful wedding planning. Jamaicans really do have no worries, and say "Yeah Mon" like every other word. It was the trip of a lifetime and made if very hard to come back to the real world.......

Over the Hills and Through the Woods

2009-06-04T15:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, the second weekend of marriage for most newlyweds is probably spent sleeping late, watching TV, maybe taking a few gifts back, and really just basking in the glory of not having to plan a wedding. Not the Wells Family. Jeremie and I decided about a week ago that we needed a new hobby. Since we both love the outdoors, we quickly decided it should be camping. The next day Jeremie bought a tent, and we used some of our Wedding Wal-Mart Gift Cards for all things camping. We got lanterns, cooking supplies, bocce ball set, fan, hatchet, citronella candles, and the list goes on and on. We booked our trip at a state park about an hour away, called Torreya State Park. It appealed to us for its "majestic views" over the "mountains of Florida". (The mountains of Florida ended up kicking our butts during our 4 mile hike. Great pic, Jeremie.)

Friday after work we pulled out of my office parking lot so quick I think the tires squealed. We got to the camp and was greeted by "Ranger Howard", who told us to "look out for these little jokers" as he pointed to a picture of a Copperhead snake. I gave him a death stare, and he assured us if we stayed on the main path we should be okay. Jeremie and I quickly set up camp, with J's focus being on setting up the tent and using his new mini hatchet to make a fire, and my focus on how to make it "pretty" and when we were going to eat. I decorated with MSU tablecloths as Jeremie lit up the grill. We had sausage dogs, smores, and hit the hay. Or should I say the grass. Sleeping bags were not as cozy and romantic as I envisioned. I woke up in the middle of the night needed to go to the ladies room, which was a good 300 yard walk from the tent. As soon as I got settled back in, I felt something crawling on me and I went to swatting, hitting, and throwing my sleeping bag around. I probably smacked Jeremie in the process, and when he finally fumbled to the flashlight, we discovered there was a wasp on my pillow. Ranger Howard did not warn me about those........

The next day, we decided to take a "nice little hike" which turned into 4 miles of the steepest terrain I've ever seen. And I've hiked in Colorado. What the heck? We are in Florida. We should be at sea level right? We should have know better when the website boasted the "mountains of Florida". After we recovered from the nauseau of a tough workout (you can tell we're such athletes) we took a tour of an old plantation house in the park. Ofcourse, our friend Ranger Howard was the guide and kept using my height (or lack thereof) as an example of how short the plantation owner was. "Why were the windows so low?" "Why were the stairs so short folks?"

"Why was the desk so small?" "He was only 5'1" folks! Just like Katie!!!! hehehe" OK-WE GET IT! I'm starting to dislike Ranger Howard at this point. (He made it up to us later by giving us a jar of Tupelo honey.) We enjoyed the piece of history and moved on to other important things: Ribs, baked beans, sausage, grilled pinapple, and corn on the cobb. We Wells don't go hungry. Sleeping that night was fairly painless, mainly because we were exhausted from playing Moses that day.

The next day we packed it up and headed back to Tally. We had a great time, but I was glad to go home to our soft bed, air conditioned home, hot shower, and absence of insects.

Getting Adjusted

2009-06-02T13:17:00.001-04:00

Jeremie and I have had QUITE a month. I have quit my job in Brookhaven, gotten married in Starkville, honeymooned in Jamaica, moved to Tallahassee, and started a new job.

Jeremie's bachelor pad is now a newlywed nest. I have chanaged the bedding, taken the Golden Bulldog statue off the mantel, and moved him to the guest bathroom. He might actually be adjusting more than me. : )