My joy comes with the morning

ok, so my joy usually doesn't come until late morning. This morning it came at about 11:50...right after I realized it was officially the weekend. I am feeling so much better than I did yesterday. It was just one of those days.

Do you remember this magazine? Korey bought it for me as a Valentine's gift. Well, I thought maybe I would share a few of the pages I tore out of it before I filed them away. It really helped me to feel better to look through it. Just because you can't sleep, it doesn't mean you can't dream.

I wish I had a faucet like this. First of all, how pretty is that!? Second of all, I would be able to fill pots with water even if my sink was full of dishes...not that my sink would ever be full of dishes...

I love this table.

Oh my gosh! There are so many things I love in this picture! I can't even begin to tell you how much I love love love this stove/oven. I love that it's blue and brassy and antique looking. I love that there is a faucet above the stove and that it almost looks like a fireplace (Although I would probably have it in stone or brick instead of the white.) If you look at the very top of the picture, you can see the rough wooden beams that line the ceiling. I would love to have a ceiling lined with old wooden beams one day. 

ok now I have to tell you something about wooden beams that makes my whole heart smile. Mine and Korey's first Christmas was spent in this little rental house in Gainesville, GA. It had wood paneling in the living room on the walls and on the ceiling in between wooden beams. I went out of town with my dad to a dental meeting one weekend and I had mentioned that I was sad that we didn't have any Christmas lights. It was the first time we had spent a night apart and when I came back Korey had decorated the house as a surprise. It was so unbelievably sweet. There were lights on the roof and lit trees in the yard and lights in the little window, but the best surprise was when I walked inside. I have never seen so many Christmas ornaments in all my life and they were all hanging from the ceiling. Apparently, Korey's grandmother used to decorate the house by tacking her handmade ornaments to the ceiling. It was hands down one of the sweetest things that Korey has ever done for me....and of course I never managed to get a picture of it. Needless to say, this is where I get my soft spot for wooden beams. 

I think this is so cool. This is the butcher block from an old french butcher shop. I am one of those people that has to throw away at least half of anything I cut on a cutting board because it magically ends up on the floor. It drives Korey crazy and I am convinced that it is because my cutting board is much too small. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I would love to one day have a room like this. I know this is supposed to be a kitchen, but I would prefer to use something like this as a mud room/laundry room off the side of the house. Not that we will ever really have a house big enough to warrant having a mud room, but I would love to have a big laundry room.

Let me just say that I love to dream about these things, but I understand that they are only things. I don't want to be misunderstood. I am very content with where we are right now and feel very blessed to have all that we have been given, even if we don't have a mud room/laundry room. In fact, right now our laundry room is a screened in back porch and our dryer sounds like we threw a garden gnome in it before turning it on. These are all just things and things do not bring joy, relationships do. For me, my relationship with Jesus Christ brings me more joy than anything in this world, but that doesn't mean I don't want things, and it doesn't mean I don't like designing my dream kitchen. I don't think Jesus would mind it if I had a big mud room/laundry room, and a beautiful kitchen, and if He does, I will gladly give those dreams up. Until then I will sit and tear pages out of magazines and then thank the Lord for my crappy washer and dryer before I lay my head down at night. 

So tell me, if anyone is reading this, what do you want in your dream home? I would love to know.

A sad day

Today was a sad day. I don't know if you have those, but I do. Not often mind you. In fact this is the first one I've had this year, so there. Are you convinced that I'm not depressed? Put the phone down....slowly.... and just feel blessed that you're not having one too. Or if you are, at least feel a little better that you're not having one alone. Because I'm having one. Today is a sad day.

I'll tell you how I can tell. It's a sad day because nothing has really gone wrong and even so, I'm feeling a little down. I woke up early and studied and did well on my midterm and things in lab didn't go perfectly but not poorly. Korey and I have our days like any normal couple, but ultimately we are incredibly happy and blessed and strong, and today wasn't one of those days for us. I guess I could try and blame my parents, but it's my mom's birthday so that wouldn't be very nice.

If I could pin it on anything, I would say it's probably due to stress. Dental school is one continuous string of stressful situations. Don't get me wrong. I love the work, but it is work and it is neverending. I can't wait for the day when I will think about a day off and be able to think of something that sounds fun to do besides sleep and staying in my pjs all day long.

As I write this I am counting my blessings. It may be a sad day but I have a wonderful man to share the details of my life with, and a home thats warm at night and food in my fridge and shoes on my feet...well not now actually, but i could have them on my feet if they weren't lying in small piles around the house. And I have the opportunity to learn and the ability to make it through dental school and do well, even if I don't do perfectly.

And I wish I could eat chocolate and listen to sappy music and slow dance in the dining room or watch sad movies in bed wrapped in my down comforter. I will have to settle for counting my blessings and listening to some Patty Griffin while studying for radiology, and since it's a sad day, I just might eat a little chocolate.


 I feel better already.

Valentines Day

I love my Valentine. 

And I love Valentine's Day. I love any holiday that celebrates loving each other. Yes, I am married, so obviously my celebration was centered around my husband, but I don't think that has to be that way. There are a lot of people out there to love and I wish that when I was single I had focused more on celebrating the loving relationships that I had rather than to be sad and focus on the one loving relationship that I didn't have. So many wasted opportunities for fun. When I have kids, I fully intend to let them know that lesson that I learned the hard way. I also fully expect them to have to learn it on their own. Anyway, enough of that.

We had a pretty low key Valentine's Day. Low key but not low quality.

We didn't have the money to go out to a nice restaurant and to be honest with you, I didn't even mind it. I am not a crowded restaurant kind of person. I tried to set the table so that it would be romantic using things that we already had around the house. The big "Love" pitcher with the flowers in it was a gift from my in-laws. It decorated the food table at the rehearsal dinner and the frame is actually of our wedding invitation that was designed by one of my best friends, Sarah Murray. I was wishing for some rose petals or something to scatter on the table when I had the idea to just pick random flowers out of the arrangement since they're artificial and then put them back post Valentine's. I went around the house gathering candles and we ate by candlelight. It was very sweet and one of my favorite meals that we've eaten together. It was so much fun. So much fun in fact that I hope we always take the time to eat dinner by candlelight at least one evening out of the year, even when we have the money to go out to eat. 

 

Korey gave me a godiva chocolate bar and made me strawberry cupcakes which are my favorite...in fact I've eaten 2 of them today. (Don't judge me!) He also bought me a magazine that I like. 

Funny I know, but I'll just go ahead and own my quirkiness. I like to look at home magazines...I may even rip out the especially awesome pages of said home magazine and put them in a file labeled "dream home." It's so much fun to plan our future home together, even if we never end up with some version of my dream home folder. It's just fun to dream about.

I got him some reeses pieces...and I dressed up for dinner...and set the table...so that counts right?

In any case it was a good day, and I'm glad I got to spend it with my best friend. He is my family and I wouldn't trade him for the whole world. 

Building a snowman/snowlady

OK here is my very first tutorial. Every blog that I read has at least one tutorial and so I guess I must join the ranks of the do-it-yourself-ers... So without further ado, this is how we build a snowman/snowlady in middle GA.

The first step is the most difficult in that it requires not only that you climb out of the perfectly warm and wonderful bed you've been sleeping in, but that you also must convince your dear, sweet husband that it is a good idea for him to get out of bed as well and help you. It will help if you remind him that he is the one that said last night that the snow will probably be gone by noon, because this is middle Ga. Warning: he will try to tempt you by saying things like, "Let's just stay in bed and cuddle and watch episodes of Lost on the computer." Just keep reminding yourself that this is middle GA and it is rare that we get to play in the snow.

Out of cozy, warm bed = halfway finished

Once you've bundled up and made it outside, you can start rolling the snow to make a big ball for the foundation/legs/dress of your snowman/lady. Once you have three of these you can stack them.... Just be careful because if you set one down too hard it will all crumble.

Pause for a moment of reflection and to take a picture of the beautiful blue sky.

Gather random stuff from your kitchen/dining room/Valentine packages from your mother for the face while your sweet husband gets some sticks to make the arms out of.

Try not to eat too many Valentine candy corns. You haven't eaten breakfast yet. 

While you're trying to put it all together, you can fully expect to get pelted by a few snow balls. Let's face it. You were the one that said it would be fun to have a snowball fight in the first place. (I didn't get any pictures of my retaliation. It's hard to hold a camera and throw a snow ball at the same time.)

Then you can take turns getting your picture taken with your masterpiece.

Finally, you can dust off your feet and go back into your warm house where your sweet husband can make you an awesome breakfast of grits and eggs. And just because you're an awesome wife, you just might put your pajamas back on and crawl back into bed so that you can cuddle and watch Lost on your computer. Sometimes a girl has got to sacrifice.

It's a hard knock life.

Enjoy your snowmen/snowladies....and fully expect them to look like this in less than 12 hours.

It's snowing!

It's started snowing this afternoon while we were at the gym.

It was a lot of fun to watch, but it didn't seem to be sticking to the ground. 

But then....an hour later

It started to accumulate

And now we are covered up with pure white snow in middle Georgia....and it still hasn't stopped.

God help those who choose to brave the roads 

(especially since no one can drive well on a good day here anyway).

I can't wait to see what it looks like in the morning! I'll be dreaming of snow balls and snow men...and snow skiing...ok maybe not skiing. 

I think I'll make some hot chocolate to celebrate!

Galway Girl

Ok so no way can this be considered a "real" update...but I just felt the need to say, I cannot stop listening to the song "The Galway Girl" by Sharon Shannon. Ok, I know that you could probably do an Irish jig to it (notice I said you...not me....most likely Kelley actually. Kelley if you are reading this, start jigging. It'll help me blog) Anyway, I saw the movie PS. I Love You yesterday. Saddest. Movie. Ever. I think I cried through most of it. Marriage has made me so soft. They play this song in a pub in the movie and it makes it sound all cool and rockstar-ish and I wish wish wish it was on the soundtrack for the movie, but it isn't so I'll just have to stick with the irish jiggy version. Honestly, to me it's still just as lovely.

I'm listening to it right now...with my headphones on....as my husband requested....He doesn't jig either.

Not Me Monday...

ok. I got this idea from this blog. Which I love to read so of course you should check it out, even though this lady has no idea who I am and Korey says that makes me an internet stalker. (Get a grip Chris Hansen. He's only kidding.)

So, anyways, I thought I would try out "not me, monday" Basically you just admit to doing something awful by stating it like you didn't. Easier to swallow...er....spit out that way I guess. Here are some examples... of course they are completely made up....who would do these things? Not me, I did not eat two cupcakes at Bible study tonight and grab a third for "Korey" and had to call my sister so my mouth would be too occupied to eat his on the way home...nope, not me. I would never say that I was going to study and then obsessively check facebook and my blog to see if anyone actually reads this thing every 3.2 minutes because surely someone has updated...not me, I would never do that. I would never weigh myself in the morning and then take every stitch of clothing off and weigh again...and then pee and weigh again...and only count the third weight...Who does that? Not me....I would never eat 4 day old mixed up peanut butter and jelly that I stuck in the fridge with no lid on....no bread....straight out of the spoon...that I left in it...4 days ago....not me. I would never be that gross....

So now that you know how it works, I'll give it a shot.....

Nope...Can't think of anything....Not me.....

One day

This weather lately has me dreaming of the future...in between studying for Perio and Operative of course...

In the distant future I hope to have one of these

and a few of these

maybe one of these (only next time I hold one and decide to post it on the internet, I'll try to put a little makeup on.)

a bunch of these

but not this many....

and maybe if Im lucky one of these

especially if the view looks like this

but in the meantime I'll settle for some of these in the near future

and, thanks to Destiny, in the VERY near future I'll be having some of this

and some of these (of course this is the google image representation of the ones that I made that were obviously made....er...photographed by Ms. Carrie L. McClain... who felt the need to copyright this picture...of brownies)

in fact. I'd better get ready to go. Dinner is at 7:30...

I can't wait

In my heart and in my head

Ok finally a post without a picture of a gourd. Honestly, I was getting sick of posting them and I know that all of you who read this (both of you are really nice for humoring me by the way) were probably sick of reading about them. I have just 4 more to deliver and then I promise the word gourd will not grace your screen on my account for quite a while.

So today I've been feeling very crafty. Not in the sense that I'm scheming, but in the sense that I want to make something....and I don't want to study. I know that's a horrible thing to say, but it's an honest thing to say. I am all quizzed and tested out this week and unfortunately, I still have two more quizzes to prepare for. It will happen. I will study, but I don't want to. That's the point I'm trying to make. So earlier I was cruising around the web looking for a project to get started on. I found this cake and these brownies and these cookies...and then I realized that I had procrastinated enough and it was time to get back to the grindstone....

Tonight I went to dinner with some friends and then went to the informational meeting for a medical mission trip I'm going on this summer. We're going to stay on the Amazon river and minister the people of Peru. I am very excited because I've never been on a mission trip before and I know that it will be a great opportunity to help people and see things I would not be able to see in the dental clinic at MCG, but I will admit that there is an element of fear for me. Will I be able to raise the money to go? Once I go will I be able to do any good with the little knowledge I have? Will I get sick on a boat on the Amazon river, so far away from the people I love and the capitalist healthcare system I hold so dear? When I read back on those questions, they seem kind of trivial but there is a very real part of me that is a little nervous about going. I'm just being transparent.

So here I am and here is my heart. My crafty, difficultly motivated, worried heart.

I wish I was here instead.