Third Time's The Charm

I can't believe I'm writing this post already! This is the one time of year that anyone can count on me to blog.  Why?  Because it's our anniversary, of course!  And for some reason, I just love to sit down and look back through the pictures and remember that year and all that it held - there's always a down moment or sad memory, but mostly I like to focus on all the good stuff!  So here's a little reflection on the third year: as usual focusing on food, friends/family and travel (and maybe a touch of random)... THE GOOD STUFF!!

This year we haven't done as much "long distance" traveling as we were able to do previously, which is hard for me to think about in some ways because that is where a lot of my heart lies, but we have gotten to visit some closer places that have been unique and fun!  If you know me or even have just read my blog a little, you know that I enjoy going new places more than almost anything, so this is always a fun thing to write about!

We actually made 2 trips to the Bahamas this year ... and to think, I'd never even been to the Bahamas before that (nor was I all that interested in the Bahamas previously ... now I think I've figured out what all the hype is about!!)  Our first trip to the Bahamas was almost a full year ago - we went with our church on a trip to the Bahamas Methodist Habitat to help reroof homes that had been weathered and beaten down by storms.  I'm not sure if you knew, but Bahamas is right in the middle of the path of a LOT of storms so this was quite the undertaking!  There were about 15 people in our group ranging from ages 17 to 72.  I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the depths of the people in our church in Macon through trips like this because it helps me feel more connected here ... and helps me not to judge Maconites so swiftly and strongly.  There are some really amazing people in this town, and I am proud to call many of them family and friends! Anyway, we roofed about 5 houses between our team, and got to spend a little time cooling off in the afternoons at some truly magnificent beaches.

Our Bahamas roofing team

Some of the ladies standing on the bridge that overlooks both the Atlantic and the Caribbean!

Our second trip the Bahamas wasn't even a month ago and it was a completely different experience!  Thomas turned 30 on May 23, and as a gift to him (and a little to myself I suppose), I planned a long weekend trip to Andros Island, Bahamas for him to go fishing.  Several months back he had torn a magazine article about cool trips from his Men's Journal magazine and showed it to me.   I found it later and had the grand idea to take him on this island getaway for his birthday!  He has mentioned many times how much he wanted to try to fly us to the Bahamas, so it was the perfect multi-gift to him in a lot of ways!  And he really needed a chance to disconnect from work and life in Macon (me too!). We stayed at this really cool, friendly "fishing lodge" called Small Hope Bay.  I loved it there and we both are dying to go back ASAP - the customer service was awesome, the atmosphere was simultaneously friendly and laid-back, the food was extra tasty (with multiple dessert choices every night!)
without making me feel like I was totally doing the "blow it out of the water because I'm on vacation," and the views were to die for.  It was very secluded and so different from what I imagine the big resorts on Nassau to be like! As you can tell, I highly recommend it!

Peaceful sunrise

Prepping his line for bone fishing

Aaaaah the beach!

At Small Hope Bay

Relaxation at it's finest

We were also able to make our first (and last) trip to St. Louis in the plane.  That was quite the experience!  To make a long story short, we got caught in some serious storms, and landed about an hour drive/10 min flight away from our destination in a small town called Centralia, IL to wait out the weather.  Let me just be clear, we landed on a runway that was between corn fields and all I could see was a barn in the distance.  Small. Town.  Some local folks came by to see who was flying in and offered to let us store the plane in their hangar and to give us a ride to the nearest hotel.  We initially thought the storms would pass, but the longer I sat in that little plane needing to use the bathroom, the sooner it became apparent that we needed to consider a different option.  So we called back up our friend, Eric, and took him up on the offer.  He came and picked us up, and informed us he had been at a cookout at a friends house and asked would we mind stopping there for a while and letting him drop us on the way back home.  Who were we to tell him that he needed to leave his party early to take us somewhere so we shrugged and said, "Sure." (I also texted my sister with all the details I knew about where we were and who we were with in case we went missing.)  Turns out we enjoyed a fun night of food and drinks at the Mayers house, then crashed in their daughters purple bedroom with zebra print sheets.  The next morning, they cooked us eggs and drove us back to the airport to send us on our merry way to St. Louis!  True southern hospitality above the Mason-Dixon line!

The cornfields of Centralia

The whole crew having St. Louis BBQ

Dinner in St. Louis with Ellen and Matt

St. Louis Arch

The other short trip we were able to make was a Christmas gift to me.  Which got cashed in over MLK weekend.  It's one of my favorite things to ask for for Christmas: a date or some kind of quality time together, which Thomas has to plan thoughtfully, as a Christmas gift.   This year, he really did a great job finding something we both could enjoy! We flew down to Cedar Key, FL and stayed at a Bed and Breakfast in this small fishing town.  It was chilly at night and in the mornings, but sunny and pleasant during the day, and since it was "off-season" we were able to wander around the town and rest lots!  Perfect weekend trip!

Sunset in Cedar Key

Lovely Clear Beaches

It was Sadie's first vacation!

And last but not least (and not really in chronological order at all) ... I got to finally see Savannah!  I have been hinting for a long time that I'd like to visit Savannah.  I mean, I do live in Georgia for crying out loud, and have for 4 years now!  It only seems appropriate.  For my birthday in September, Thomas finally took the hints, and whisked me away for an overnight trip to Savannah!  He's a catch, right?? I still love Charleston the best, but Savannah was really lovely and I feel like with more time, I'd get to enjoy it's beauty and history even more!

Great Savannah sunrise over the river

Dinner at Olde Pink House

This year, I have also started doing a lot more crafts and baking as "side jobs."  I was inspired to do the crafty stuff last summer when I was on summer break for the first time in 2 years. Now THAT is a glorious feeling!  I got really into sewing and whipped up a few things in my excitement.

Lilla's hand-crafted mermaid tail and suit top

My burlap ruffle curtains

That led me into making the burlap door hangers, which are all the rage in Macon right now.  Which led me to opening an Etsy shop to try my hand at making a few bucks on the side!

Some burlap creations!

Then I discovered that I really enjoy making cakes (oh, and eating cakes).  So lately, I've been doing some fun cakes for friends' events!

A sampling of my cakes!

Which leads me to food!  This year, we have tried to keep up some of the healthy eating habits we formed last year when we gave Paleo a whirl.  Trying the Paleo diet really encouraged us in eating LOTS more vegetables, and it forced us to get creative with our veggies since we largely removed grains from our diet.  So last fall, we joined a local Farm Share with Babe&Sage Farms, which we LOVED!  Talk about getting creative!  I have never found so many ways to use a radish or turnip in my life! We also get fresh bread every week with our share, so we have been reincorporating some non-processed grains, such as sourdough bread and quinoa back into our diet sporadically.  Of course we still splurge and eat tortilla chips and pizza when we go out, but that just isn't the norm when we cook at home.  We are signed up again this summer, and I'll post a few pics for fun, but really the "meat" of that information is at my other blog, Leaving the Lazy Life (why do I have 2 blogs, I can barely keep up one?!?!)

Half in Augusta with training buddy Andrew

Thomas has also really impressed me with his continued dedication to fitness this year.  After that first half-Ironman that he completed just 3 days shy of our 2nd anniversary last year, I thought he was done. And here I am today, and he's already completed 2 MORE half-Ironmans and is training for a full in November!  At the age of 30, I guess he's proof that he really is like a fine wine ... only gets better with age (haha! or that's what he tells me!).

Post-half in Panama City Beach, FL

One thing we have done like CHAMPS this year is ... weddings!!  In 2012, we attended several weddings, and in 2013 we have attended 5 weddings so far, and have one coming up on the books! We're practically professionals by now! Some of the highlight weddings for me have been getting to take part in the weddings of 3 of my bridesmaids and 1 wonderful cousin! Unfortunately, I don't get to see any of these ladies on a regular basis, but I love that our relationships have still remained strong despite the time and distance!  What fun to get to celebrate alongside them!

Beautiful bride and friend Erin Weaver Smith

Adventurous friend and bride, Millie Graham Taylor

College buddy bride, Brooke Inabinet Veal

My cousin and bride, Joni Roberts Harrison

Thomas was also able to participate in weddings for 2 of his previous groomsmen, Adam and Chandler!  Both of these guys are real treasures, in my opinion!  They both have always made me feel so welcomed and loved of all of Thomas's friends, and have always gone out of their way to be kind to me, even when I was a newbie to the crowd!  Kelly and Laura are super lucky to have found them (but really, Adam and Chandler are even luckier to have snagged Kelly and Laura!).

In Charleston with friends for Adam and Kelly's wedding!

Laura and Chandler's wedding

**You know boys aren't NEARLY as good at taking pictures at their friends' weddings, so the pictures are from here and there!

We also managed to squeeze in a weekend of dancing and relaxation at my friend Meaghan's wedding in Jekyll Island - I had never been there and I thoroughly loved it!

My friend and fellow SLP, Meaghan Slonaker Rogers!

Meaghan's wedding was in Jekyll Island, so we made a weekend of it!  Gorgeous Place!

sunset on Jekyll

Marina dock at Jekyll Island

And finally, since we don't have any little bugs of our own to show off, I'll be sure to fill you in on our favorite pint-sized people - the nieces and nephews!! This year, our sweet family has grown to include a new precious niece!  She is the cuddliest little thing, and looks just like her dad, Matt Simmons.

Brand New! 

Can you get any sweeter???

Next in line is Emy Cate, who you may recall was just a tiny thing this time last year.  Well, she has grown up and is a full-fledged girly girl at the age of 22 months .. so almost 2! And I'm proud to say that she is growing to love me more every day.  Our relationship started out rocky (think, she cried EVERY TIME I came near her, which made for really entertaining pictures), but now she calls me on FaceTime about once a week and begs to talk to her Aunt Mamie.  Nothing makes me happier!

How she used to feel about me

How she finally feels about me now!

Then we have the queen of diva - Ande!  I don't know how, at 3 years old (just shy of 4), she can already be so prissy.  She changes clothes (or bathings suits, if we're at the pool) multiple times a day.  She loves to put on lip gloss and to carry a purse.  She even gets out of the pool every 10 minutes or so to reapply the tube sunscreen on her lips (which she also thinks is lipstick).  She is also obsessed with sunscreen and bug spray ... I'm pretty sure she thinks they're just regular lotion and perfume! She is going to be a MESS as a teenager!

100% Ande!

One of the two lone fellas in the mix is Bowden!  He is my original little baby!  Except now he is 4, and heading toward 5 way too fast!  Bowden is very quirky and funny.  I love to hear him talk because he always says the funniest, and most grown up things.  He was recently the Star Student at his preschool and had to make a poster all about himself.  These are the stats he included ... Favorite Things - Star Wars, Angry Birds, Cars, Thomas the Train; Favorite Color - Yellow; Favorite Foods - Donuts and Ice Cream (I'm with ya, Bowden!); Best Buddy - Madelyn; Favorite Things to Do - Go to the beach, Drive Papa's Tractor, Ride in his Uncle Thomas's Airplane.  And of course he included pictures of his parents, sister, and grandparents! What a fun kid!  I'm crossing my fingers that since Matt and Ellen are moving back south that I'll find them WAY closer so I can spend much more time with EC and Bowden!

Brave boy

Our next rough and tumble guy is Major!  At the age of 5, pushing 6, Major is the sportiest guy I know!  He loves baseball. soccer, football - if there is a ball involved, you better believe Major is out there playing it!  And he is really, truly very good!  I got to watch several soccer games, and he was handling the ball like a skilled player ... and scored almost all the goals for his team!  Major is also so sweet - he loves on baby Anna Cate and coos at her and rocks her.  It is precious to watch them together!

Major in his soccer gear with Uncle Thomas

And last, but certainly not least, our Lilla!  Good grief, I feel like this girl is almost a teenager already!  She will be 9 in August, but she is so mature, and loves to be in on what the adults are doing.  She is always informing us of what she thinks on matters! And she asks questions like, "Mamie, do you think this is pretty?" or "Do you like such-and-such?" and then sort of cut her eyes toward me to gauge my response - she really desires to be on par with what adults opinions are.  Crazy to think she was just a toddler when I met her!  Lilla is also growing more and more talented as a dancer ... she was a Toy Soldier for her first year in the Nutcracker performance, and I have no doubt that she will be playing the lead of Clara in no time.  And even though she puts on a tough front, rejecting all things pink and frilly, that Lilla is a girl at heart!

Prima Ballerina Lilla

What else can I say?  How can time fly so fast but also have last year seem like 10 years ago?  I guess life is funny like that - one day you feel like you'll never make it through your struggles, and the next you're looking back and saying, "Was that really a year ago?"  Thomas and I have both said that we feel like we're sort of in a unique spot right now.  We love so many things about our life, but also feel the need for some shaking and moving - you know, like maybe it's time to change things up a bit, but we're just not sure how!  Lots of big decisions to be made that potentially affect the direction of our lives so we want to be very thoughtful, serious and intentional about our decisions, but also kind of strange how we never know what life will hold so we don't want to spend all our time stressing over decisions that may not be set in stone anyway.  It's a fine line to walk, and I think year 4 will be one to watch!

With Love on Our Anniversary Número Tres ...