Best Christmas Decisions 2010

Stay tuned for my future post about mine and Rob's first Christmas together and our trip to N'awlins 

Half a year later

6 months ago today I married the greatest man I've ever met. 6 months ago today we committed ourselves to selflessly serve one another through the love of Jesus. 6 months ago we said "I do until death do us part". And after 6 months I have never felt more in love and committed to the man I call my husband. He is more than supportive and loving. I could not ask for more in a husband, nor could I thank my God for sending me such an incredible man.
Happy 6 monthiversary to my awesome husband. Here's to many many more monthiversaries. I love you dearly!!

5 More

Tonight was Weight Watcher's night and guess who lost 5.2 lbs this week......!!!

THIS GIRL!!!

6.2 down and 27.2 to go!!!!!!!!!!!

Dream job

Every now and then I have an overwhelming feeling that I could be doing more with my degree and knowledge/experience with early child development than what I'm doing now. I love my children, but I desire to do more than just babysit and referee their arguments. Last night that overwhelming feeling crept up again. I started searching for schools that resemble the Child Development Research Center on UAs campus. It wasn't long before I found exactly what I was searching for. St. Andrew's Episcopal school. Out of curiosity I sent them an email telling them about myself and my degree. In the email I asked them what requirements they have for pre-k 3-4 teachers.
This morning around 9 am I received an email from the administrative assistant asking if I could come in tomorrow morning at 11 and bring my resume with me. Holy Moley!! I could not believe my eyes!! The first thing I thought after I jumped back into my skin was, "Sheesh, I gotta get crackin on typing up my resume. I have never written a resume or had a legitimate job interview.
So I got to writing. I had Rob's laptop beside me with his resume up and just started recanting all the things I have done in the past few years.
I am so excited about the possibility of being a for real teacher. I have never written a lesson plan, but with some proper direction, I think I could get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Please say a prayer for me tomorrow morning around 11. I have no idea what to expect but I am very excited for what could come of this. So far it seems pretty promising. They were awfully quick to respond.

UPDATE: I went in for my interview this morning and come to find out, the school isn't hiring, and doesn't really plan to any time soon. Um...what the heck? So come to find out, I wasted an hour of my day on this interview and rocked it all for nothing. The only thing they could offer me was a job as a substitute teacher. No thanks. She said that if they ever have a teaching assistant job open up then she will let me know. If only she had mentioned that in the email I sent her, then we could have saved ourselves a whole lot of trouble. Instead she wasted my time and her's to tell me that she doesn't have a job for me. Whatevs, yo.

A few of my favorite things

Oprah's not the only one who gets to share her favorite things with followers. Granted, I'm not giving any of my favorite things away, but I just feel like these things are so great that I think you should be interested.

1. My lovey dovey, favorite hubby (he LOVES that rhymn, believe me)
2. Cheesy-ness/awkwardness
3. 4-year-olds
4. Teaching 4-year-olds
5. My Mario; especially when he's sleepy
6. Craisins by the (6 oz) bag
7. Christmas decor
8. Dark nail polish
9. Cardigans
10. BOOTS
11. Skinny jeans (also jeggings)
12. Dresses
13. Leggings
14. Scarves
15. She & Him
16. Forever 21
17. Ingrid Michaelson
18. Weddings
19. Date nights
20. Photography (I more admire it than perform it)

I hope you all enjoyed a few of my favorite things. I could probably go on and on.

Goodnight all. Sleep well!

Let the weight loss begin!!

Tonight I am starting my second round on Weight Watchers. I did it a couple of years ago but didn't connect with anyone in my class (seeing as they were all old enough to be my parents) and I jumped off the wagon after just a few months.
I decided to try again because a) I did lose weight while on WW and b) I just found out one of my friends from Bible study leads a meeting in Jackson. She encouraged me to check her class out because there are a lot of young people in there. I expect I'll still be the youngest but they at least won't be the same age as my mom and dad.
Wish me luck. I really hope this time I can make a life change in the way I see food. I'll keep you updated during the process.

Update: I lost my first lb last week!! YAY!! I know it's just a pound, but that's just one of the many I plan to drop here in the next 6 months (or however long it takes).

A Sad Day in the Braswell World

Tonight our sweet Cleo said goodbye. She was almost 14 years old and was the sweetest, most loyal dog. We love our girl and are said to have let her go, but she was very old and sick and is better off now. Here are some pictures I took of my sweet dog sister last summer.

Here's to sweet puppies who start off as pets and end up as family!!

Thanks

HAPPY TURKEY DAY!!!

Here's to unbuttoned britches, happy hearts (and moms), and BLACK FRIDAY!! Be sure to tell your family and friends thanks for all that they mean to you. 

Thank you to all my friends and family for molding me into the person I have become today. I love you all very very much!

Now let's go shopping!!!

My Christmas Playlist for 2010

1. Merry Christmas Baby - Etta James

2. Christmas Tonight - Dave Barnes

3. Meet Me at the Mistletoe - Dave Barnes

4. Jingle Bells - Our very own 1005 feat. Anna Myers

5. Winter Wonderland - Ella Fitzgerald

6. All I want for Christmas - Ernie Halter

7. Christmas Love - B.B. King

8. Baby It's Cold Outside -  Ella Fitzgerald

9. You're a Mean One Mr. Grinch - Thurl Ravenscroft

10. White Christmas - Bing Crosby

11. All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey (don't judge, it's fun)

12. Merry Christmas Baby - B.B. King (yes again. I really like this one too)

13. On Santa's Way Home - Marc Broussard

14. I'll Be home for Christmas - Michael Buble

15. Mele Kalikimaka - Bing Crosby

16. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas - Harry Connick, Jr. 

17. Jingle Bell Rock - Matt Belsante

18. A Marshmallow World - Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin

19. Santa Baby - Eartha Kitt

20. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm - Billie Holiday

There's my Christmas list for the year of 2010. What's Your's?

I just gotta say...

I sure do LOVE my dearest, darlingest husband!! He is so good to me and we are one heck of a team. He's normal and I'm a weirdo. He thinks things through and I just go with it. He makes money, I spend money! What more can you ask for, I mean, really? 
He's the studliest stud muffin I know!
Alright. End of bragging post!

Can Facebook Ruin Your Marriage?

Every morning Rob and I watch HLN. Every now and then they have a very interesting story where they ask for the viewer's opinions. Today's story was about a pastor in New Jersey who urged the married couples in his congregation to delete their Facebook accounts because it could be putting their marriages in danger. 

I can't say that I totally blame Facebook for the demise of marriages and I can't say that they are totally to blame for unfaithfulness in marriages. What I can say, however, is that if a marriage is going through a low point, cruising through the Facebook pages of old boyfriends/girlfriends could lead to the temptation of beginning an affair (emotional and/or physical).
My own personal opinion is that when your marriage is good it isn't hard to remember why you're with your husband and why past is past. On the other hand, when your marriage is in the rocky stage it may not be so easy to remember why you married your husband and not some other man; It may be a lot easier to cloud your judgement about the reasons for breaking up with Bobby Joe or Mary Sue; It may be easier to excuse a little cyber flirting which may lead to much more concrete forms of an affair. 
Before I could say a married man or woman needs to delete their Facebook account, I would also need to add that it is a personal preference kind of thing. If you can be on Facebook and not feel the temptation to search for old "flames" or to contact them then you should have nothing to worry about. If you are able to see the past as the past and know that it's past for a reason, then you also should not worry. 
However, if you are going through a difficult point in your marriage and you would like nothing more than to receive attention from past flames then you should take a deep breath in and press the "Cancel Account" button. Old friends can just look you up in the phonebook. 
There is no friendship that is worth losing the trust in your marriage or putting your marriage at risk for failure. When you say "I do", you put everything else on the back burner (except of course your relationship with the Lord). Even when you are unhappy in your marriage, it remains the most important human relationship. Your commitment to your husband should not be dependent upon your "happiness", for happiness is a fleeting feeling. It is unreliable. It comes and goes with everything in life. This is something that we must always remember in our married lives.
Well, now that I have stated my opinion, I want to know what you think. Do you think that all married couples should delete their Facebook to steer clear of any possible temptation? Or do you think the deletion of Facebook accounts should only be considered when temptation presents itself?

Let the journey begin

Hello all! I am happy to report that we have arrived in Eugene, Oregon; home of the Oregon Ducks (aka #1 in the nation)!!! And it only took us 10 hours to get here. Also we've been up for 14 1/2 hours...yay!!! We are so happy and thankful to be here and in our fluffy beds.
We have been set up in a fabulous 2 queen suite with a 32" flat screen for Rob to play his video games and keep his sanity.
Tomorrow morning Rob goes in for a consultation with the doctor and anesthesiologist and then will go in for surgery some time in the afternoon. I will be sure to update the blog as soon as he is awake from surgery.
Thank you all for your prayers and love. We certainly appreciate it. We are praying and trusting in the Lord that this will be the surgery that takes it all away. Pray that God will guide the doctor's hands and decisions.

Update - 11/17
Rob was discharged from the hospital around 10 am pacific time today. He is feeling better than he did before surgery and all he has taken for pain post op is ibuprofen! Praise God!! We are both so thankful that this surgery has gone better than any other. We truly believe that this will be the end of Rob's struggle with pilonidal cysts.
Thank you all, again, so much for your thoughts and prayers. We are more than thankful and appreciative of all your support. Continue to pray for Rob as he will be in recovery for the next 4-6 weeks. We will be flying out of Oregon at 1pm (pacific time) next Tuesday, the 23rd. He has a follow-up this Friday morning and another one next Monday. I will update you on what the dr. says. I'm sure it will be nothing but good things.

Be blessed so you may be a blessing

I haven't blogged anything about this and I'm not sure why I just haven't. Anyway, Rob has to have another surgery for another pilonidal cyst. This is his 6th cyst and he has been in a lot of pain for quite sometime.
Last December he had surgery on this exact thing and even though it has been 11 months, the wound from that surgery never healed and remains open to this day. Because of that open wound this new cyst appeared a month or two ago.
After countless hours of research, Rob found a doctor who specializes in pilonidal cysts. As a matter of fact his father created a brand new surgery that has had a 96% success rate with patients who have suffered from 5 or more cysts.
The crazy thing is that this doctor is located in Eugene, OR. OR as in Oregon. Oregon as in across the country. Now don't get me wrong I love the northwest and this will actually be my 2nd trip to Eugene. It is just nuts that we are flying completely to the other side of the country for surgery.
Crazy or not, we're doing it and trusting that the God of all the earth will protect us and heal Rob's body. We have both received approval from our jobs to take the week and 1/2 off that it will take and we have scrounged up the $ it will take. Now the rest is in the Lord's hands.
With that said, I have to now tell you this. Yesterday I sent notes home to all the parents letting them know that I would be out for a week and a half and also letting them know why. Later that afternoon one of my kids, who had already left, came back to the school and handed me a card. I thanked him and sent him back to his car, not thinking it was anything more than a "we're praying for you" card. After he left o opened the card. Along with the sweetest note from his mom was $30. Worried I had sounded like a beggar I re-read one of the notes I had written. After reassuring myself that it did not sound like I was asking for $ I became very emotional. That $30 was simply there to say thanks. It was a gift from one sister to another and nothing more.
Now, I still haven't decided if I feel ok with keeping the money, but I do know that it was a very sweet gesture and I appreciate it a lot.
Beyond the money, the note she wrote me was probably the sweetest and most rewarding note. In it she expressed her thanks for how well I have taken care of Parker and how much he adores me. It was a very simple card but with so much heart.
In this job I have found a lot of parents who couldn't care less who's taking care of their child much less letting that person know that they appreciate their work. It is always a huge blessing to get to know the parents to the children. I love these kids and I'm going to miss them while we're gone. But I am more than ready to have my husband back in good health.
Keep us in your prayers and I will send updates on how he's doing while we're gone.

Pep in my step

I'm not exactly sure what has got me in such a great mood today but I have the peppiest pep in my step. Maybe it was the extended God time I had this morning, or maybe it was taking 6 bags of garbage to the trash compactor while successfully walking the dog at the same time, or maybe I'm still reeling from the happiness I feel when I meet with my small group for Bible study. Or maybe it's a little bit of all of it. No matter what is giving me this feeling, I am thankfully praising God for this blessing of a day.
Since moving away from all my friends and family days like today have been a bit rare. Not to say that my time here in MS has been miserable, it has just been different and in need of adjusting.
For the past year I have struggled with feelings of bitterness. Until last year I had never felt an ounce of bitterness in my life. So as you can imagine the taste of it on my tongue was a very unpleasant experience. When Rob and I moved to Mississippi I was determined to not feel bitterness towards the move. Every now and then it creeps up on me but I am fighting it through the power of Jesus Christ! I know that through Him I will learn (and have been learning) to fill my heart with contentment in being here.
God is almost daily reminding me of how great life is here for us. I have an incredible husband who adores me and leads me in the way of the Lord. We have found a church family that has provided us with a loving small group and we are beginning to grow closer. I have been blessed with a class of eleven 4 and 5 year olds who keep me laughing and smiling and I get to play and watch them grow everyday.
I am truly blessed and right now I am praying that I can become a blessing for someone here.

Memories in Music

Every now and then, I believe it is good for the soul to listen to some good music that brings back to you memories of your past; the good and the bad memories. 
One album, in particular, that without fail brings me back to 1st semester sophomore year (my favorite year of college) at UA is One Cell in the Sea by A Fine Frenzy. So many fall memories laced within the lyrics of that album. Memories of sitting by the river with a boy far too old for me, studying together after coming to the realization that we could never be more than friends, uncontrollably laughing when "Almost Lover" came playing through my earbuds and hoping he wouldn't look over to see why I am in hysterics. Memories of late night drive thrus at Arby's and even later late night talks with two amazingly crazy girls, dreaming about future loves and gushing over our Incredible Creator. Memories of driving around after midnight with the windows down and music blaring (typically with my amazing friend Gina and blaring "Embracing Accusations" by Shane and Shane). Memories of sitting in the Rose Tower parking lot fully engulfed in the infamous "If I perish, I perish" conversation with my best guy friend, Whaley. 
I'm not exactly sure why the fall semester of sophomore year brings me so much comfort in the memories, but something about it brings me happiness when I look back to it. Fall semester, specifically, was a time of such spiritual and emotional growth. I remember one night drinking a cup of coffee at around 9, which resulted in about 6 hours of digging into the Word of God and scribbling question after question in my journal. For the first time starving for more of God's truth.
And while it was a time of growth, it was also a time of darkness and loneliness. Much of which I have kept to myself, until now. It sounds funny (and it kind of is) but there were many nights when I would wake myself up sitting up in my bed talking to whoever was visiting me in my dreams. I remember the many journal entries asking God when it would my turn to find happiness with a guy; when would it be my turn to truly, whole heartedly love someone. I don't know what it was about that year that made me feel so ready to meet real love for first time, but I was certainly ready.
Something I realize now, but had no clue at the time, is all that spiritual growth I was experiencing was happening for a reason. All that loneliness I was experiencing was present for a reason. Little did I know in November, when I was asking God "When?", that he was preparing me for when He would say "Now". 
On April 2, I went on my first date with Rob. The most special date I had ever had. He put so much thought into it. And from the very beginning, and for the first time, I had a boy be completely honest with me. There was never any question in my head about his feelings for me. Absolutely no run around. Something I had never witnessed. His intentions were true and truthful. We spoke about God's purpose for our lives. We argued over predestination and agreed that we were to Go to the nations no matter predestination or free-will. 
I knew that this person was a man among the boys. I knew that together we could move mountains. More importantly I knew that it was with him that I wanted to learn what real love meant, even at the risk of another disappointment and heartbreak. Because in this situation the reward was far greater than the risk, and that I knew with all my heart. 
I guess the reason I feel so much comfort from the memories of the fall semester of my sophomore year is that it reminds me that from pain and suffering comes immense growth and strength. From great darkness comes greater light; from loneliness comes community. From the storm comes the rainbow.
Isn't it amazing the memories one album can stir up within us? With all that said, if you've never heard of A Fine Frenzy, go to Amazon.com and start off with their first album One Cell in the Sea. Once you've listened to that one about 1 million times, go back to Amazon.com and purchase their newest album A Bomb in a Birdcage. If that's not your style, figure out what is and make memories to go along with your personal soundtrack. 

Favorite 4-yr-old Quotes

Just to give a little background: most of these quotes will come from one boy in my class who seriously says the funniest things I have ever heard. I'll be sure to keep this one updated as my kids say more hilarious 4-yr-old stuff.

1. While trying to pack up his fish pillow after nap time: "I keep trying to put it in there, but it keeps swimming out."
2. After spilling his water on his pants: "I didn't spill it; it jumped out."
3. After I get onto the class for talking when they've been asked to stop: "I'm not talking"....welp you are now...
4. "Mrs. Caitlin, my eyes won't wake up."
5. "My throat is so hungry."
6. "My mom, my dad, my sister, and me are moving into a big house like yours. We're going to have a clipboard and boxes of markers just like yours." - I'm pretty sure he thinks I live at the school.
7. "Mrs. Caitlin, how do you know?" -kid, "Because I know everything" -me, "You don't know what God looks like..." -same kid. Owned.
8. "I was in heaven when I was a baby" -kid, "I was too. Maybe we were friends there" -me, "Ugh! No, you weren't there!" -kid. Owned. Again.
9. "When I can't find anyone to play with, I just play with myself."

To be continued....

Tuesday is the new Friday

I'm not sure if it was the incredibly lazy 3-day weekend that Rob and I took part in this past weekend or if I'm sure just getting lazier by the day, but tonight I have been DRAGGIN'. 

A typical day for me ends right around 6 pm. Praise Jesus that today my last child left school at 5:30 today because if he had stayed any longer I don't know that I would've made it home awake.

Rob and I finished supper (a very classy Krystal dinner) around 7 pm and I was snoozin' by 7:30. Geez! The only days I ever feel like this are Thursday and Friday nights.

Thankfully I woke up an hour later to the sound of Rob's Xbox turning on. Don't worry I'm a sweet enough wife I let him play his game. I kept myself awake by facebook stalking all my Tuscaloosa buddies and writing on just about everyone's wall I could think of. 

This post has absolutely no other purpose than to ask: Is it just me or does tonight really feel like Friday night? 

Sometimes the best BC doesn't come in a Pill

For starters, I finished my job at Banana Republic and started my job at First Baptist Ridgeland's Daycare/Pre-k. I have now completed my 3rd week with my kids and I still love it (it was at this time that I had already turned in my 2 wks notice at Banana, ha!). 

While eleven 4-year-olds can be a bit (okay a lot) much at times, I honestly couldn't think of a better job for me right now. If nothing else, they are definitely the BEST form of birth control there is. Especially after last Friday.

A couple of weeks ago the morning teacher of my classroom asked me if I could substitute for her Friday (9/3) so that she and her family could make their way to her Bro-in-law's wedding in Ohio. I told her, "Absolutely!" I did not know what I was getting myself into. 

Earlier last week I developed my traditional sinus infection (it's a bi-annual thing for me). It started off with just a slight runny nose. No big deal. But of course, as always, it got worse and worse every day. Wednesday I opted to call in sick because my body literally felt like a steam roller had flattened my body overnight. I also knew that if I didn't take Wed. off there was no way I'd survive Friday. 

Thursday morning I felt GREAT. I even felt good enough to take little M for a walk in the park. I went to school like I always do and still felt fine. I got home that night and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, at 6 am, (after sleeping with my mouth wide open all night), it felt like I had literally swallowed needles, scraping my throat all the way down. I felt worse than I did on Wednesday. Awesome! This is looking good. 

I have decided that there is something about Thursdays and Fridays that turns my sweet little angels into wild monkeys! Most likely it's the fact alone that it's Thursday and Friday and they're tired of being in school. All day Friday my kids were screaming, whining, tattling, smarting off, etc to me. I was amazed at their crazy behavior. I even tried to bribe them with the cookies I had baked for them the night before. I decided to give them a second chance after rest time (because I really didn't want to/need to take those cookies back home with me). 

Because I was there for 10 hrs, I got an hour long break during rest time. When I got back I asked the stand-in teacher how they did and she said that each one of them was knocked out as soon as their heads hit the pillow. So I decided that was enough reason for me to give them the cookies. I know that I really probably shouldn't have given them the cookies, but I baked them to celebrate our two September birthdays and I didn't think it was fair to ignore their days, especially when they were the only two that weren't acting wild. 

They were perfect little angels during all of snack time (wouldn't you be if someone had just stuffed your belly with delicious sweets?)! I was so excited for the rest of the day to go that smoothly. HA!

By the end of the day I had a throbbing headache, zero voice, and was literaly counting down the hours until I could go home, drug myself up with Sudafed PM, and go to sleep! Which is exactly what I did. 

I left the school right around 6, met Rob at a local Mexican restaurant, had a strawberry Margarita, went home, took a Sudafed PM, and was sound asleep on the couch by 9:30. Later that night Rob tried to get me up to move into our bedroom. But apparently I yelled "No!" to him enough that he gave up and left me on the couch (clearly I had spent too much time around 4-yr-olds that day). 

From now on, I will NEVER miss another day on my birth control. Granted I don't intend to ever have 11 children, but I still do not believe that I am anywhere near ready to have a (constant) child. I love kids, but sometimes, there is nothing better than giving them back at the end of the day for Mom and Dad to deal with the rest. 

More Faves

The Reception!!!

First Dance

Proud Parents

 Best man Speech

 MOH Speech (on the Blackberry haha!)

 Dad's Speech

 Mom's Speech (who cares about proper etiquette, it was sweet)

Boogy time!

 High school BFFs (and Step Monster)

 So sweet! 

 FOOD!

"What are you doing Rob?!" -Cj 

It's a steal, Dave! All You...

 and Ben comes outta nowhere and snags the win!

Girls' turn

Bethany's the winner!

Ben has always said he'd end up with Bethany...I guess it's a sure thing now

Time to go!!

And they all lived Happily Ever After

The End...or really, the Beginning...