Well that week just FLEW by! The bridal show on Sunday was a bust, but I got to eat lunch and catch up with Milly, so that was good. That day also marked Justin and my one year engaged anniversary. I absolutely cannot believe it has been an entire year since he asked me to marry him. If that isn't a testament of how fast time flies, I don't know what it. We're both hoping the next year will fly by just as quickly!
Valentine's day was just another day... People who are single or who are away from their loved ones never enjoy it quite as much. Some of the ladies in the lab got flowers from their men which filled up the entire front lobby with pretty smells :) I treated myself to a piece of my birthday cake since you just can't have a Valentine's day without something sweet!
I had a very good week (thank you Lord!) in the lab, in classes, and as far as my emotional state goes. It was positive and fairly relaxed, a nice change. Saturday marked the first day of my new endeavor...personal training. Kim has a good friend, Harold, who is a personal trainer at a local gym. He also does his own personal training on the side and comes to you! I decided to give it a try and he came to my apartment complex on Saturday. Since it was such a beautiful day, we decided to work outside. He trains with TRX which I had only seen before, but had never tried. To make a long story short, it kicked my butt. That was the hardest physical activity I have ever done and I thought I was either going to pass out, throw up, or die when it was over. Luckily, I did none of the three! If you're looking for a total body workout, this is the way to go. I never knew that you could have every muscle in your body sore at the same time, but trust me, it's possible! I probably look like an old woman as I'm moving around, getting into/out of my car, and especially walking down stairs. I guess you could say it "hurts so good...come on Harold make it hurt so good". I will be training with him once a week and he will be giving me "homework" to do between sessions. I'm very excited to get toned up and in shape for the wedding!
This coming week will hopefully zoom by because I get to see Justin on the weekend! We'll be meeting up in Marion again to spend the weekend being lazy. That's a great incentive to get through whatever this week throws at me. It should be another beautiful week. I hope you all are enjoying the pretty weather as much as I am!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
I'm Still Here...
I know, I know. It has been way too long since my last entry. Well, honestly, I have just been incredibly busy and I have not had time to blog! A lot has happened since the middle of January. Firstly, I can't believe it's already the middle of February. Exactly one year ago today, Justin and I got engaged! Wow, a whole year has gone by?!? Hopefully the next year will also fly in similar fashion.
So since my last entry, I spent one weekend in Marion with Justin in January. It was awesome to see him and to spend time with the future in-laws again. I also had a birthday...23! My mom sent me my favorite cake (lemon pound cake with buttercream frosting from Edible Art in Raleigh) for my birthday. I took it into the lab for the ladies to have a piece and then cut up the rest to freeze (16 pieces!!).
Things have been ridiculously busy lately. I am writing a lot, going to classes, doing stuff in the lab, and trying to survive along the way. Poor Essau has only been seeing me about once (twice if he's lucky) a week. I have had a couple of really rough days which are not fun. A lot of questioning, frustration, stress, confusion, and emotions. With the help of an incredible fiance who always listens, supports, and helps, a friend who lends great advice, and lots of prayers, I have made it through those days. That is not to say they're done with. On the contrary, I am sure there will be more of those days along the rest of this journey. I feel like it has been fairly smooth, but when the pot holes come, they're more like craters. This is by far the hardest thing I have ever experienced and I have never been busier or had to work harder. This is not an experience to love and enjoy in the moment, rather it is one that I will look back on and be grateful for. Now if I can just remember that when things get tough...
I am going to a bridal show today at the Knoxville Art Museum with my friend Milly. Hopefully there will be some dress vendors there since I will be purchasing my dress here in Knoxville. Some other exciting things to look forward to...a weekend with Justin in 2 weeks, Mom is coming in the middle of March for a few days, a friend of mine is getting married early April, and then later April Justin and I are having our official engagement photo shoot!!! I'll try not to let the updates go so few and far between, but can't promise anything! Hope everyone is well and 2011 is treating you well so far!
So since my last entry, I spent one weekend in Marion with Justin in January. It was awesome to see him and to spend time with the future in-laws again. I also had a birthday...23! My mom sent me my favorite cake (lemon pound cake with buttercream frosting from Edible Art in Raleigh) for my birthday. I took it into the lab for the ladies to have a piece and then cut up the rest to freeze (16 pieces!!).
Things have been ridiculously busy lately. I am writing a lot, going to classes, doing stuff in the lab, and trying to survive along the way. Poor Essau has only been seeing me about once (twice if he's lucky) a week. I have had a couple of really rough days which are not fun. A lot of questioning, frustration, stress, confusion, and emotions. With the help of an incredible fiance who always listens, supports, and helps, a friend who lends great advice, and lots of prayers, I have made it through those days. That is not to say they're done with. On the contrary, I am sure there will be more of those days along the rest of this journey. I feel like it has been fairly smooth, but when the pot holes come, they're more like craters. This is by far the hardest thing I have ever experienced and I have never been busier or had to work harder. This is not an experience to love and enjoy in the moment, rather it is one that I will look back on and be grateful for. Now if I can just remember that when things get tough...
I am going to a bridal show today at the Knoxville Art Museum with my friend Milly. Hopefully there will be some dress vendors there since I will be purchasing my dress here in Knoxville. Some other exciting things to look forward to...a weekend with Justin in 2 weeks, Mom is coming in the middle of March for a few days, a friend of mine is getting married early April, and then later April Justin and I are having our official engagement photo shoot!!! I'll try not to let the updates go so few and far between, but can't promise anything! Hope everyone is well and 2011 is treating you well so far!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
A Fresh Start
Well it's hard to believe, but January is already halfway over! WOO!! Already it has been an interesting month what with snow storms and ice mixed with below-average temperatures creating delay after delay after delay! I was not in Knoxville when we got our big snow which shut down UT (first time that has happened since the blizzard of the late 90s). I was in sunny Florida attending an International Embryo Transfer Society conference in Orlando. Jessy, Charlie (Schrick's PhD student), and I drove down Friday...yes...we drove. Let's just say I will never make that drive again if I have a choice. It took us about 10 hours with breaks for gas and lunch. Orlando weather stayed in the mid to upper 60s the whole time we were there which was such a pleasant change from 20s and wind chills!
The conference overall was a good experience. We attended a pre-conference symposium that featured about 10 talks on bovine-related ET/AI practices and new technologies. That was the best part of the entire conference since it related to what we study. The other days were full of talks, poster presentations, and meetings. While we were there, we ate out every single meal. I got tired of that quick, but the food was delicious everywhere we went (yes that includes Chic-fil-A and Pizza Hut). Jessy and I hit up the outlet malls one afternoon where I snagged three shirts from Banana Republic and a pair of trouser jeans from NY&Co (aka my favorite store). The last night we were in Orlando, we went to a restaurant/bar to meet up with the student chapter of the IETS (rightfully and humorously named the Morulas). It just happened to fall on the same night as the BCS National Championship game. We had every intention of eating dinner and heading back to the hotel, but ended up staying for the entire game! (we left the bar at 12:30 AM) It's been a long time since I've stayed out that late, but it was fun I had a yummy strawberry daiquiri!!
The drive back to Tennessee was interesting. I drove the first 4 hours or so until lunch. Charlie then took the wheel so as to navigate us safely through Atlanta. That was a trick and though the roads were in terrible condition and people driving by us were extremely dangerous, we made it through safe and sound. It was a shock to get out of the car in Knoxville, where it was about 20 degrees plus strong winds, when it was about 65 when we first got in the car. All in all it was a fun trip and I had a good time.
Classes started this Wednesday. I am taking a statistics class that is almost completely SAS-based. SAS is a computer program that runs statistical analyses for you (takes the headache out of doing it the old fashioned way). We are very lucky as students to have free access to it because it costs $10,000 a year to have the software for personal use. My professor is Dr. Saxton who is actually in the animal science department and is also an NCSU graduate! That will be a great class because I will definitely need to know how to use SAS for my research analysis! I am also taking a writing course called "Writing for Publication". My professor is awesome! He is really funny, very laid back, and is incredibly smart. We will each be working on our own writing assignments (thesis, literature review, grant proposal, etc) throughout the semester and will have a "coach" help us correct mistakes and to make suggestions. My third class is advanced reproduction which will most likely be a journal-club style class where someone brings in a paper each week and we discuss it.
On top of the classes I'm taking, I am also a teaching assistant for Dr. Edwards's class, Animal Reproduction and Lactation (hereby referred to as 320). Kim is the official TA, but since I will be Edwards's main graduate student next year and will most likely be the TA for 320 next Spring, I am learning absolutely everything that goes into this class. There is lecture twice a week and then a 2-hour lab on Fridays. We had our first lab yesterday and it went really well. There is a LOT of preparation involved when you have a dissection lab for 80 students all at once. The reproductive tracts have to be thawed about 3 days in advance. Once thawed, they are soaked in histological-grade ethanol overnight to "fix" them. The morning of the lab (7:00 AM) the tracts are taken out of the ethanol and put into water to soak for an hour or so. They are then put into empty buckets and transported to the lab on the Ag campus. On top of the tracts, all of the supplies have to be rounded up, packed up, and taken to the lab. That includes gloves, scalpels, hemostats, wooden skewers, rulers, plastic trays, plastic tablecloths, paper towels, disposable gowns, hand sanitizer, document camera, and cleaning products. Once at the location, everything has to be set up on the individual tables. (This all has to be cleaned up afterwards too) We had lots of help and the lab went smooth as butter. All the kids had a great time and learned a whole lot about female reproductive anatomy. I thought it was really neat that the first time they were exposed to this material, they had the tracts right in front of them so they could see/feel/touch/dissect the parts as we were going through them. I'm really excited to be a TA and to learn how everything works so I can do it again next Spring.
As you can probably tell, this will be a busy semester! I am going into it with the goal of learning as much as I can while having fun at the same time. I have a feeling its going to fly by and I welcome the fast pace! Until next time!
* P.S. tried yoga...didn't like it...scratch that one off the list!
* P.P.S. Here are some funny pictures of Essau's new friends.
The conference overall was a good experience. We attended a pre-conference symposium that featured about 10 talks on bovine-related ET/AI practices and new technologies. That was the best part of the entire conference since it related to what we study. The other days were full of talks, poster presentations, and meetings. While we were there, we ate out every single meal. I got tired of that quick, but the food was delicious everywhere we went (yes that includes Chic-fil-A and Pizza Hut). Jessy and I hit up the outlet malls one afternoon where I snagged three shirts from Banana Republic and a pair of trouser jeans from NY&Co (aka my favorite store). The last night we were in Orlando, we went to a restaurant/bar to meet up with the student chapter of the IETS (rightfully and humorously named the Morulas). It just happened to fall on the same night as the BCS National Championship game. We had every intention of eating dinner and heading back to the hotel, but ended up staying for the entire game! (we left the bar at 12:30 AM) It's been a long time since I've stayed out that late, but it was fun I had a yummy strawberry daiquiri!!
The drive back to Tennessee was interesting. I drove the first 4 hours or so until lunch. Charlie then took the wheel so as to navigate us safely through Atlanta. That was a trick and though the roads were in terrible condition and people driving by us were extremely dangerous, we made it through safe and sound. It was a shock to get out of the car in Knoxville, where it was about 20 degrees plus strong winds, when it was about 65 when we first got in the car. All in all it was a fun trip and I had a good time.
Classes started this Wednesday. I am taking a statistics class that is almost completely SAS-based. SAS is a computer program that runs statistical analyses for you (takes the headache out of doing it the old fashioned way). We are very lucky as students to have free access to it because it costs $10,000 a year to have the software for personal use. My professor is Dr. Saxton who is actually in the animal science department and is also an NCSU graduate! That will be a great class because I will definitely need to know how to use SAS for my research analysis! I am also taking a writing course called "Writing for Publication". My professor is awesome! He is really funny, very laid back, and is incredibly smart. We will each be working on our own writing assignments (thesis, literature review, grant proposal, etc) throughout the semester and will have a "coach" help us correct mistakes and to make suggestions. My third class is advanced reproduction which will most likely be a journal-club style class where someone brings in a paper each week and we discuss it.
On top of the classes I'm taking, I am also a teaching assistant for Dr. Edwards's class, Animal Reproduction and Lactation (hereby referred to as 320). Kim is the official TA, but since I will be Edwards's main graduate student next year and will most likely be the TA for 320 next Spring, I am learning absolutely everything that goes into this class. There is lecture twice a week and then a 2-hour lab on Fridays. We had our first lab yesterday and it went really well. There is a LOT of preparation involved when you have a dissection lab for 80 students all at once. The reproductive tracts have to be thawed about 3 days in advance. Once thawed, they are soaked in histological-grade ethanol overnight to "fix" them. The morning of the lab (7:00 AM) the tracts are taken out of the ethanol and put into water to soak for an hour or so. They are then put into empty buckets and transported to the lab on the Ag campus. On top of the tracts, all of the supplies have to be rounded up, packed up, and taken to the lab. That includes gloves, scalpels, hemostats, wooden skewers, rulers, plastic trays, plastic tablecloths, paper towels, disposable gowns, hand sanitizer, document camera, and cleaning products. Once at the location, everything has to be set up on the individual tables. (This all has to be cleaned up afterwards too) We had lots of help and the lab went smooth as butter. All the kids had a great time and learned a whole lot about female reproductive anatomy. I thought it was really neat that the first time they were exposed to this material, they had the tracts right in front of them so they could see/feel/touch/dissect the parts as we were going through them. I'm really excited to be a TA and to learn how everything works so I can do it again next Spring.
As you can probably tell, this will be a busy semester! I am going into it with the goal of learning as much as I can while having fun at the same time. I have a feeling its going to fly by and I welcome the fast pace! Until next time!
* P.S. tried yoga...didn't like it...scratch that one off the list!
* P.P.S. Here are some funny pictures of Essau's new friends.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
2011 Goals
So I'm not really into New Years Resolutions, but I have a few goals for this year. I might achieve them, I might not. We'll see!
* Run 500 miles
* Run 2 5K races
*Take Yoga classes ---> Tried it, didn't like it
* Take more pictures
* Ride more
* Get outside more
* Buy a wedding dress
* Plan a wedding :)
* Volunteer more
* Do a lot of research and learn all I can in this program
* Make s'mores over a real fire
* Go hiking
* Read Twilight series
* Finish reading Lord of the Rings series
By no means is this a finite list...I might tack on more as I go along.
* Run 500 miles
* Run 2 5K races
*
* Take more pictures
* Ride more
* Get outside more
* Buy a wedding dress
* Plan a wedding :)
* Volunteer more
* Do a lot of research and learn all I can in this program
* Make s'mores over a real fire
* Go hiking
* Read Twilight series
* Finish reading Lord of the Rings series
By no means is this a finite list...I might tack on more as I go along.
Monday, January 3, 2011
A Much Needed Break
Don't you hate it when you wait so long for something and then once it's here it flies by way too fast?
I spent the weekend of December 18th in Granite Falls to have Christmas with my grandparents. Justin had just returned from his Cowabunga trip in the Northeast and rode with my parents to meet me there. We had a great weekend with presents, chicken pie, and family time. On Sunday, Justin rode with me back to Knoxville to spend a few days before Christmas break. He got to meet Asher, who loved him (though he probably would've loved anyone after being abandoned for two entire days!). He went to the slaughterhouse with me Monday and spent the rest of the day tagging along with me in the lab. He watched me slice embryos, search for oocytes, and do some chores like checking incubators and washing dishes. We met my good friend Emily for dinner Monday night at Downtown Grill & Brewery where we enjoyed delicious burgers and lots of great conversation. We stopped by Mast General Store which is such a neat place! We then went into the Knoxville visitor's center where they were having their weekly Monday night bluegrass jam session. It was just a bunch of people sitting around playing bluegrass music with chords and words projected on a screen. That was really neat!!
Tuesday he decided to stay at the apartment and catch up on some Cowabunga financial stuff since he was the treasurer for the trip. We went to the barn to see Essau for a while, then came home and had my famous chili for dinner! Wednesday was the lab's Christmas lunch at a place called the Courtyard. It was everyone in our lab, Schrick, and two of his grad students, Roper and Mayfield. I had a few more chores to do that afternoon and then we packed up and headed to Marion.
We spent a few days in the mountains visiting friends, spending time with family, opening presents, making Christmas candies, and EATING. I had the most incredible SunDrop pound cake (which I now have the recipe for) along with peanut butter balls, candy covered ritz cracker and peanut butter sandwiches, candy covered pretzels, fudge, puppy chow, chips and dip, sausage balls, and other snackies of the sort. We did Christmas Eve snackies with Justin's Grandma Shirley and family and then opened presents at his mom's house. I got a pretty white fleece along with some cute pjs that say I <3 my boyfriend all over them.
We woke up Christmas morning and I helped Louise cook a spread of food for their traditional breakfast. All of the kids came over and had presents at "Pappaw's house". I got a great black vest with gray zip-in fleece, some really nice fleece gloves, and a clean cotton candle from Yankee Candle Co. It started snowing around 9:00 AM and by 10:00 when we left, there was about an inch on the ground. We drove to Raleigh in the snow, which ceased around the Greensboro area. We went straight to my parents house and hung out there for a few hours until my brother and Sam came over for dinner and presents. We had a yummy pork roast dinner with pound cake for dessert :) After dinner came the presents. I got a macro lens for my camera along with a pretty necklace, a t-shirt, and a few fun little other things. Sam's big excitement was a new bike from my brother. She reminded me of a little kid getting their first bike :) It started snowing in Raleigh around 9:00 PM which made it the first white Christmas since 1947!!
Justin and I went to his apartment that night to get snowed in!! The next week was very lazy and lots of fun. We had dinner with friends, spent some time at the barn, made lots of fun food like snow cream (my first ever), sweet potato pancakes, chicken noodle soup, and popcorn on the cob. It was incredible to sleep in every day and to spend a few days in front of the tv in my pjs. I feel bad for Justin who had to endure probably 6 or so hours of My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. "The Tut" (pronounced toot), as Justin calls him, was just about the only thing on and I love that show (I also don't get weTV in Knoxville)!! We watched a few movies, including Beauty & the Beast (which I got for Christmas from my brother) and DaVinci Code.
Spending all day every day with Justin was absolutely peaceful and was exactly what I needed. Even when we had nothing to do, just sitting on the couch together was enough. It is absolutely true what they say about absence making the heart grow fonder. We are so in love and though distance may temporarily separate us, nothing will ever keep us from loving each other. It was of course wonderful to spend time with my family and friends as well! I really missed them and enjoyed every minute of my break. My time in Raleigh made me miss home A LOT and going back to Knoxville Sunday after lunch was really difficult. There were tears, no doubt, and I was not loving life Sunday evening when I got home to a quiet apartment and when I realized I wouldn't be waking up in the company of friends and family tomorrow. But life must go on and I have a life here in Tennessee now that needs some attention too. If nothing else, this break has given me a drive and push to get through the next semester...hopefully I'll find more pushes to get me through the following two. Oh, so we're getting married 17 months from yesterday...All this David Tutera has gotten me really excited again about weddings!! My mom will be coming during my Spring Break so we can go dress shopping!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! :) :) :)
Here are pictures from the break. Enjoy!
I spent the weekend of December 18th in Granite Falls to have Christmas with my grandparents. Justin had just returned from his Cowabunga trip in the Northeast and rode with my parents to meet me there. We had a great weekend with presents, chicken pie, and family time. On Sunday, Justin rode with me back to Knoxville to spend a few days before Christmas break. He got to meet Asher, who loved him (though he probably would've loved anyone after being abandoned for two entire days!). He went to the slaughterhouse with me Monday and spent the rest of the day tagging along with me in the lab. He watched me slice embryos, search for oocytes, and do some chores like checking incubators and washing dishes. We met my good friend Emily for dinner Monday night at Downtown Grill & Brewery where we enjoyed delicious burgers and lots of great conversation. We stopped by Mast General Store which is such a neat place! We then went into the Knoxville visitor's center where they were having their weekly Monday night bluegrass jam session. It was just a bunch of people sitting around playing bluegrass music with chords and words projected on a screen. That was really neat!!
Tuesday he decided to stay at the apartment and catch up on some Cowabunga financial stuff since he was the treasurer for the trip. We went to the barn to see Essau for a while, then came home and had my famous chili for dinner! Wednesday was the lab's Christmas lunch at a place called the Courtyard. It was everyone in our lab, Schrick, and two of his grad students, Roper and Mayfield. I had a few more chores to do that afternoon and then we packed up and headed to Marion.
We spent a few days in the mountains visiting friends, spending time with family, opening presents, making Christmas candies, and EATING. I had the most incredible SunDrop pound cake (which I now have the recipe for) along with peanut butter balls, candy covered ritz cracker and peanut butter sandwiches, candy covered pretzels, fudge, puppy chow, chips and dip, sausage balls, and other snackies of the sort. We did Christmas Eve snackies with Justin's Grandma Shirley and family and then opened presents at his mom's house. I got a pretty white fleece along with some cute pjs that say I <3 my boyfriend all over them.
We woke up Christmas morning and I helped Louise cook a spread of food for their traditional breakfast. All of the kids came over and had presents at "Pappaw's house". I got a great black vest with gray zip-in fleece, some really nice fleece gloves, and a clean cotton candle from Yankee Candle Co. It started snowing around 9:00 AM and by 10:00 when we left, there was about an inch on the ground. We drove to Raleigh in the snow, which ceased around the Greensboro area. We went straight to my parents house and hung out there for a few hours until my brother and Sam came over for dinner and presents. We had a yummy pork roast dinner with pound cake for dessert :) After dinner came the presents. I got a macro lens for my camera along with a pretty necklace, a t-shirt, and a few fun little other things. Sam's big excitement was a new bike from my brother. She reminded me of a little kid getting their first bike :) It started snowing in Raleigh around 9:00 PM which made it the first white Christmas since 1947!!
Justin and I went to his apartment that night to get snowed in!! The next week was very lazy and lots of fun. We had dinner with friends, spent some time at the barn, made lots of fun food like snow cream (my first ever), sweet potato pancakes, chicken noodle soup, and popcorn on the cob. It was incredible to sleep in every day and to spend a few days in front of the tv in my pjs. I feel bad for Justin who had to endure probably 6 or so hours of My Fair Wedding with David Tutera. "The Tut" (pronounced toot), as Justin calls him, was just about the only thing on and I love that show (I also don't get weTV in Knoxville)!! We watched a few movies, including Beauty & the Beast (which I got for Christmas from my brother) and DaVinci Code.
Spending all day every day with Justin was absolutely peaceful and was exactly what I needed. Even when we had nothing to do, just sitting on the couch together was enough. It is absolutely true what they say about absence making the heart grow fonder. We are so in love and though distance may temporarily separate us, nothing will ever keep us from loving each other. It was of course wonderful to spend time with my family and friends as well! I really missed them and enjoyed every minute of my break. My time in Raleigh made me miss home A LOT and going back to Knoxville Sunday after lunch was really difficult. There were tears, no doubt, and I was not loving life Sunday evening when I got home to a quiet apartment and when I realized I wouldn't be waking up in the company of friends and family tomorrow. But life must go on and I have a life here in Tennessee now that needs some attention too. If nothing else, this break has given me a drive and push to get through the next semester...hopefully I'll find more pushes to get me through the following two. Oh, so we're getting married 17 months from yesterday...All this David Tutera has gotten me really excited again about weddings!! My mom will be coming during my Spring Break so we can go dress shopping!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! :) :) :)
Here are pictures from the break. Enjoy!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
ZOOOOOOOM!
These past few weeks seem to have flown by! That is by no means a complaint either :) I finished up classes and took my finals, all A's for my first semester!! Last Saturday was very busy and lots of fun. In the morning, my church here did a Christmas Brunch where homeless and less fortunate families and people come into the church, get their picture made, have a hot brunch, get some supplies (laundry detergent, soap, socks, food, etc), and pick up their picture. I was part of the candid camera team and got some great shots! We served over 700 people that morning!!
That afternoon, the lab ladies met up at Becca's house to have a gingerbread house making party! I had never done that before, nor had many of the ladies. It was so much fun and everyone had a blast! My house turned out pretty cute and is currently in my kitchen filling it with sweet gingerbread and icing smells :) We had a snow storm and I got Monday off, which was absolutely amazing. It snowed about 2 inches!! Asher and I spent the entire day relaxing, snuggling, reading, watching tv, etc. He was a very happy kitty :)
This morning I am on a 2 hour delay because we have ice on the roads. That's why I have time to write this :) OH! So Justin is on his cowabunga trip right now, which he is enjoying. They've toured dairy and beef farms, a buffalo farm, and are currently in Kentucky. They went to a horse therapeutic center yesterday and got to see Keenland track in the snow :) He comes home tomorrow (providing the weather cooperates). I wasn't supposed to see him until Christmas Eve eve in Marion, but yesterday driving back from the slaughterhouse an idea popped into my head, which I passed to him via text and which is now the plan! He (again, providing weather cooperates) is going to drive to Granite Falls to spend the weekend with us (me, my parents, my grandparents) for Christmas. On Sunday when I drive back to Knoxville, he's coming with me to stay here a few days. He will get to meet Asher, see the lab, meet my friends, see Essau, and hang out with me until we head to Marion for Christmas! We are both really excited and I am especially excited to have him here! It'll be neat to show him around now that I know the area and am comfortable in my surroundings. We will head to Raleigh the day after Christmas and I'll spend that next week there!!
I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday season, a blessed Christmas, and a wonderful New Year! It's hard to believe it's almost 2011! Stay safe traveling and I hope to see lots of friends when I'm in town!
Here are pictures of the gingerbread party and a few new ones of Asher
That afternoon, the lab ladies met up at Becca's house to have a gingerbread house making party! I had never done that before, nor had many of the ladies. It was so much fun and everyone had a blast! My house turned out pretty cute and is currently in my kitchen filling it with sweet gingerbread and icing smells :) We had a snow storm and I got Monday off, which was absolutely amazing. It snowed about 2 inches!! Asher and I spent the entire day relaxing, snuggling, reading, watching tv, etc. He was a very happy kitty :)
This morning I am on a 2 hour delay because we have ice on the roads. That's why I have time to write this :) OH! So Justin is on his cowabunga trip right now, which he is enjoying. They've toured dairy and beef farms, a buffalo farm, and are currently in Kentucky. They went to a horse therapeutic center yesterday and got to see Keenland track in the snow :) He comes home tomorrow (providing the weather cooperates). I wasn't supposed to see him until Christmas Eve eve in Marion, but yesterday driving back from the slaughterhouse an idea popped into my head, which I passed to him via text and which is now the plan! He (again, providing weather cooperates) is going to drive to Granite Falls to spend the weekend with us (me, my parents, my grandparents) for Christmas. On Sunday when I drive back to Knoxville, he's coming with me to stay here a few days. He will get to meet Asher, see the lab, meet my friends, see Essau, and hang out with me until we head to Marion for Christmas! We are both really excited and I am especially excited to have him here! It'll be neat to show him around now that I know the area and am comfortable in my surroundings. We will head to Raleigh the day after Christmas and I'll spend that next week there!!
I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday season, a blessed Christmas, and a wonderful New Year! It's hard to believe it's almost 2011! Stay safe traveling and I hope to see lots of friends when I'm in town!
Here are pictures of the gingerbread party and a few new ones of Asher
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Thanksgiving
For Thanksgiving this year, I got to fly home to Raleigh since I had just driven two days prior. The Knoxville airport is small, but very nice. I got through security quickly and anxiously waited an hour and a half to start boarding the plane to Atlanta. In Atlanta, I grabbed Quiznos and ate it as I journeyed to my terminal (on the other end of the airport). I also got a quick swirl cup from TCBY before boarding :) Mom and Dad picked me up in Raleigh and took me home!!
Thanksgiving morning I went up to the barn and rode Ivan bareback for 30 minutes at the walk since his foot was sore from a bruise. It was great to be back on him and nice to be at the barn. The rest of the day was spent helping mom cook Thanksgiving dinner. Justin came over shortly after lunch after feeding and milking at the dairy. Thanksgiving dinner was amazing, as always. We enjoyed delicious food and family and friends! Two new recipes that I shared were a peanut butter pie and a new sweet potato casserole (both recipes from Brooke). They were a big hit :)
Friday Justin and I went back to the dairy because he had to put some hay out using the bobcat. We met Margie, Mark, and Gillian Bowles for lunch at North Hills Club (where our reception will be). It was delicious! Justin and I love their family to death and we enjoyed catching up! After lunch, Lauren (the events manager) showed us the ballroom and a few photo albums of pictures from weddings there. It got me all excited again about our wedding :) That evening, Justin and I went to my parents house for leftovers. Again...delicious.
Saturday morning I went and got my hair cut at Bobby Jo's new place. She has been cutting my mom's hair for over 20 years and since Rita (she's been cutting my hair since I was born) was not in, I had Bobby Jo give me a trim. Justin and I then went to the barn where I rode Ivan again at the walk for 30 minutes. We cleaned up, had lunch, and went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 with mom, dad, and Tim. It was awesome!! After the movie, Justin, mom, dad, and I walked over to Lynnwood Grill which is next to the theater and had dinner.
It was great to see everyone at church on Sunday. I got to see a lot of my friends and got a warm welcome from everyone. Jeannie (my maid of honor) and her fiance met us for lunch afterwards at Carolina Cafe and Bakery where I had my favorite lemon poppyseed muffin along with some awesome loaded potato soup. It was great catching up with her and hearing all about her upcoming wedding next Fall. Now she'll be my matron of honor :)
Leaving Sunday was not fun. At all. Of course it was sad to leave Justin, to leave my parents, and to leave my home, but it was not helped at all by the fact that I was flying alone and that I knew no one would be there waiting for me when I got into Knoxville. The flight to Atlanta went smoothly. I grabbed Qdoba and headed to my gate to eat it. The plane we were to board had just come in internationally, so they had to do a security sweep and clean it. That took a very long time and we ended up boarding about 45 minutes later than normal. I got into Knoxville late and then was delayed further by a baggage jam...Finally I made it home to find an attention-starved kitty and my quiet little apartment.
This past week has been fine. Classes ended Tuesday and I had a final exam on Friday. I have one more next Thursday and then this semester will be officially over as far as classes go. I'm trying to stay busy, going to the slaughterhouse, making media, reading articles, and trying to stay focused. As the holidays grow nearer, I'm getting more and more excited about seeing family again. Although it won't be for nearly as long as I would like, it will be very nice to be around the ones I love for Christmas and to bring in the new year.
Thanksgiving morning I went up to the barn and rode Ivan bareback for 30 minutes at the walk since his foot was sore from a bruise. It was great to be back on him and nice to be at the barn. The rest of the day was spent helping mom cook Thanksgiving dinner. Justin came over shortly after lunch after feeding and milking at the dairy. Thanksgiving dinner was amazing, as always. We enjoyed delicious food and family and friends! Two new recipes that I shared were a peanut butter pie and a new sweet potato casserole (both recipes from Brooke). They were a big hit :)
Friday Justin and I went back to the dairy because he had to put some hay out using the bobcat. We met Margie, Mark, and Gillian Bowles for lunch at North Hills Club (where our reception will be). It was delicious! Justin and I love their family to death and we enjoyed catching up! After lunch, Lauren (the events manager) showed us the ballroom and a few photo albums of pictures from weddings there. It got me all excited again about our wedding :) That evening, Justin and I went to my parents house for leftovers. Again...delicious.
Saturday morning I went and got my hair cut at Bobby Jo's new place. She has been cutting my mom's hair for over 20 years and since Rita (she's been cutting my hair since I was born) was not in, I had Bobby Jo give me a trim. Justin and I then went to the barn where I rode Ivan again at the walk for 30 minutes. We cleaned up, had lunch, and went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 with mom, dad, and Tim. It was awesome!! After the movie, Justin, mom, dad, and I walked over to Lynnwood Grill which is next to the theater and had dinner.
It was great to see everyone at church on Sunday. I got to see a lot of my friends and got a warm welcome from everyone. Jeannie (my maid of honor) and her fiance met us for lunch afterwards at Carolina Cafe and Bakery where I had my favorite lemon poppyseed muffin along with some awesome loaded potato soup. It was great catching up with her and hearing all about her upcoming wedding next Fall. Now she'll be my matron of honor :)
Leaving Sunday was not fun. At all. Of course it was sad to leave Justin, to leave my parents, and to leave my home, but it was not helped at all by the fact that I was flying alone and that I knew no one would be there waiting for me when I got into Knoxville. The flight to Atlanta went smoothly. I grabbed Qdoba and headed to my gate to eat it. The plane we were to board had just come in internationally, so they had to do a security sweep and clean it. That took a very long time and we ended up boarding about 45 minutes later than normal. I got into Knoxville late and then was delayed further by a baggage jam...Finally I made it home to find an attention-starved kitty and my quiet little apartment.
This past week has been fine. Classes ended Tuesday and I had a final exam on Friday. I have one more next Thursday and then this semester will be officially over as far as classes go. I'm trying to stay busy, going to the slaughterhouse, making media, reading articles, and trying to stay focused. As the holidays grow nearer, I'm getting more and more excited about seeing family again. Although it won't be for nearly as long as I would like, it will be very nice to be around the ones I love for Christmas and to bring in the new year.
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