First Week of School

Weekend before first week of school: Jarred and I took a date night to Oxford. Dinner and a movie. . . We saw The Butler, which we both thought was really good (I teared up multiple times!)

 

 

We also went to Atlanta to meet up with my parents at the Coke factory.

 

And then supper at the CNN center (they had never been! so it was a fun experience :) )

 

 

Sunday afternoon we had a lunch with our Sunday School class followed by volleyball and games. We're thankful for the couple of Sundays we've had with CJ as our teacher, and now look forward to having Carolyn as our new teacher!

 

Monday morning. . . . first day of school! Jarred's first day ran smoothly (better than he expected!). But I gotta say, the full week wore him out! Thankfully, his McNeese classes don't begin until this Tuesday.

Here's two of the things I've heard around town about Mr. Griffin: 1. he's strict 2. he's a student's favorite teacher 

 

And over in the elementary school. . . . I helped Mrs. Griffin in kindergarten. I hadn't been in a kindergarten class since I was a kindergartner, so I had a new perspective. I have a whole lot of respect for elementary teachers after that experience! But really, it was alot of fun hanging out with the 5 year olds this week!

 

By the time the weekend got here, the sun came out!! Well, at least on Friday and Sunday, but that's good enough for me!

 

I was so glad Lindy invited us to go out to Lake Wedowee! We got to go tubing with Lindy's best friend, Mandy's, son. This is probably one of the most adventurous three year olds I've seen. He LIKED getting thrown off the tube and going "bumpy". It sure was entertaining.

 

. . . . . Lindy and Hudson tubing . . . .

 

This afternoon, I was thrilled for Jarred to come out on the water. It was really such a great day to be out there . . . . felt like the beginning of fall weather (my favorite season!) and hardly any other boats around.

 

 

And when we got home, Jarred made a DELICIOUS home-cooked, southern dinner. And after cleaning up, I made a new wreath. New home = time for a new wreath.

 

 

Here goes week 2 of school. . . . .

Feeling settled

A few days ago, my parents came to visit us in Clay County. Jarred and I cooked lunch for them, showed them around, and then spent the afternoon at Cheaha (highest point in Alabama).

 

 

Then, last week Jarred and I surprised Dad by showing up in Macon to celebrate his birthday. Here's a picture from his one year old birthday. . . .

 

In Lineville, I've been the learning the ways of a small, country town. So far this week, Martha has taught me to sew (curtains, pillows, and tablecloths). . . . . .

..... Carolyn has taken me to pick apples, figs, and beans. We canned strawberry fig preserves, and I made apple butter. . . . .
This whole experience was thrilling to me.

 



 

And. . . . I helped cook dinner for church last night. Basically, I just did what I was told in the kitchen and learned to make several things including rolls from scratch and a yummy butterfinger pie. I was amazed by the ladies in the kitchen with their organization (cooking for so many people!) and their "cooking wisdom" I like to call it.

 

At home, we're finally feeling settled. Everything is put away and has a place. We've hung pictures on the walls and are hoping to start painting sometime soon. I can't say how much I'm loving living in a house. The other day I was cooking dinner while watching Jarred outside cutting the grass. The setting just made me so happy.

 

Also, our house is on a little road right in town. So I've been able to walk to the bank and grocery store (when it's not raining!). Also, Jarred and I have been taking walks through town after dinner some. I'm absolutely loving it.

 

Two things Jarred wanted in our house: a study and a coffee station. He has all his books displayed in the study now (no longer mixed with my Karen Kingsbury and Nicholas Sparks). And a coffee station in our little breakfast nook in the kitchen.

 

 

Update on school: Jarred has had in service all week. He met his students today when they came to get their schedules and lockers. Monday is first day of school. Also, he starts his last semester of grad school in the next couple weeks.

Southern Hospitality

Jarred and I have been showered with gifts and sweet words since we moved to Lineville. Seriously, it has made the move so great, knowing that we are settling into such a wonderful community. Here's just a few of the things we have been grateful for:

A "pounding" from the sunday school class at LBC (Lineville Baptist Church). I had never heard of a pounding, but I'm a big fan now.:)

 

And. . . . . . the neighbors (Beth & Ramona) brought over some food too!

 

Carolyn Colquett and Anna Cleveland put together some nice plants for our new home. They're so nice, I'm just hoping I keep them alive!

A friend, E.Z. came over and cut our grass. Such a blessing.

 

 

And what else has been going on. . . . . .

 

We've been getting settled into the house. We've hit a few yard sales this weekend (I'll share about that furniture in a later post). And hung pictures on the walls today. Tonight, we're hosting our first dinner.

 

 

And the other day, while we were waiting for our house to open up, we met Mom, Dad, and Joseph in Auburn for the day. Thankful to be so much closer to them now!

Leaving Lake Charles

The time between when Jarred found out he got the teaching job in Lineville until moving day (yesterday) flew by. We've been enjoying ever bit of our last few weeks in Lake Charles with our friends.

 

Tried out Paddle Boarding on the lake at sunset. It was a beautiful sunset, and then got cut short when a random thunderstorm snuck up on us. LC weather tends to be like that. So after that first strike of lightening, we booked it across the lake back to the beach. Kinda scary.

 

 

We had a fun night out with friends at MacFarlane's followed by a game of putt putt. The girls did have a few hole in ones ;)

 

And then the goodbyes began. . . . . .

Ms. Bessie has become a dear friend since she first visited Chick-fil-A at Grand Opening. We sure will miss her.

 

Our Sunday School class gathered for lunch after church. The tears started rolling when they all prayed for us and our move.

 

The goodbyes continued as friends stopped by the apartment on Thursday.

 

And I was pretty sad to pack up our first home. Although, I am so looking forward to having more space as we rent a house in Lineville.

 

Couldn't believe how fast the truck was loaded Thursday night! We had 6 couples show up carry boxes and furniture down the stairs.

 

This is what happens when you ask your brother-in-law to take a pic.  ;)

 

 

After the truck was loaded and we had showered and eaten dinner, we decided to get on the road (instead of waiting til the morning) and get past Baton Rouge to avoid morning traffic. Spent the night in Gulfport, then made it to Lineville by noon yesterday.

 

So since we've gotten here, we've had time for Jarred to show me the new school and HIS CLASSROOM. I'm so proud of Jarred and excited for him to finally be a teacher.

 

Didn't waste much time before we hit the golf course. Currently, I'm just Jarred's chauffeur with golf cart. But we're planning for him to teach me the game someday.

For now, we're crashing at the Griffin's house. So thankful to have a place to stay. In the next few days we'll be moving into the house. We're ready to get settled!

4th of July

Our 4th of July started out with a "lazy" morning. Jarred and I slept in (can't believe I now consider 8:30 sleeping in!!) and cooked breakfast. We were so grateful to have the day off together. Some lounging/reading by the pool made for a relaxing afternoon. Then, we headed to our friends Holly and AJ's house with David and Kimberly.

 

I am so blessed to have these two girls in my life.

 

 

Seriously, going to miss my dear friend Holly so much when we move!

 

Celebrating 4th of July always includes a good BBQ!



 

 

Hanging out at Millenium Park before the fireworks show!

 

Can you tell that Hubby loves taking pictures? ;)

 

 And the fireworks began!!

 

 

So thankful for our country and those who have served.

 

God bless America!!

Making the move

Two years ago, when we moved to Lake Charles, we planned on it being a "temporary move." Well, the last two years have flown by. We never expected that it was going to be so hard to say goodbye when the time came. In a few weeks, that's what we'll be doing as we load a U-Haul and head to Lineville, AL.

Here's the breakdown of the last few weeks:

A social studies teaching job opened up in Jarred's hometown. Jarred put in an application with high hopes. While we were in Hawaii, Jarred was sweet enough (well actually he's always sweet :) ) to let me do some shopping at the Ala Mona mall. While I was browsing, Jarred checked his email on his phone. I could tell, by the way he was looking at his phone, that there was some kind of news (couldn't tell if it was good or bad?!?). He had received an email from the junior high school principle at Central in Clay County, inquiring about setting up an interview. We got home from Hawaii that Friday, and two days later Jarred flew to Alabama for a Monday morning interview. He felt that the interview went well.

The next 10 days went by so slow as we waited for the phone call, hoping he got the job. Thanks to many prayers and the Lord's willingness, that next Thursday Jarred received the phone call he had been hoping for. He is going to be the junior high social studies teacher. Starting in August, Jarred will be teaching Civics and Early World History.

Before Jarred's interview, he had worked with professors at McNeese to figure out a way to finish his graduate studies online from Alabama (in hopes that we would get the job). All the logistics worked out, and even though he'll have to make a couple trips back to Lake Charles, it will work out for him to graduate in December.

We completely put our trust in the Lord during the process. We had to tell our apartment complex we were not renewing our lease, even before Jarred had the interview in Lineville. If he didn't get the job, we had no idea where we would live. We just knew and trusted that the Lord was going to take care of us.

So in 4-5 weeks we'll be making the move to Lineville. I am so excited to get to be a part of the community. We're planning on settling down in this small town, and hope to buy a house in the next few years. The location seems so perfect too: about 1.5 hrs from Birmingham (one of my favorite cities), about 1.5 hrs from Atlanta (where Lindy lives), almost 1.5 hrs to Auburn (where Joseph lives and . . .  war eagle!), about 3 hours from my parents and sister and her family, and maybe 5 minutes from Jarred's parents!

We're SO excited to be in living in Alabama again. We're ready to move on to this next stage in our life, even though it's so hard to leave this last one. We're so grateful for the love and encouragement from the Trinity family.

Be on the lookout for a name change to our blog. . . I'm thinking . . . Life in Lineville (creative, right?). . . .

 

(We took these pics on one of my visits to Clay County when Jarred and I were dating, a few weeks before we got engaged!)

 

And for anyone wondering, Jarred's beard WILL be returning after his last day at CFA :)

Aloha!

Jarred and I had such a great time in Hawaii. I liked calling this trip our "second honeymoon." We flew out of Houston early Saturday morning, arrived in Honolulu that night, retrieved our rental car, and headed up the northwest coast to our condo.

 

 

We visited the big mall in Honlulu. Four stories of fun. I could have spent a whole day checking out every store, but for Jarred's sake I just hit up a few of my favorites.

 

It was cool to see Diamond Head. This view is from our boat ride off of Wakiki beach.

 

This picture is from our morning walk on the beach. We stayed in a condo in the building on the right. We loved staying in a secluded area away from the busy, tourist area.

 

Jarred and I both picked an excursion to do while in Hawaii. Jarred's pick: a submarine tour. Honestly, I was pretty nervous about feeling claustrophobic, but it turned out to not be too bad. We descended 110 feet below the surface. A few of the things we saw: lots of colorful fish, a shark, an eel, and several sea turtles.

 

My pick: horseback riding. We got to see where the following were filmed: Jurassic Park, Lost, 50 First Dates, Godzilla, and several others. . .

 

The sunset view from our balcony was so beautiful every night. Jarred took this picture with his camera, no filter/photoshop.

 

We spent an afternoon on the North Shores in a little surfer town called Haleiwa.

While in Haleiwa, we had lunch at a fun little restaurant. . . loved the "décor"

 

 

The most memorable experience was visiting Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Memorial.

 

 

 

We were told by some locals about this little hidden restaurant that does "farm to table." Everything was organic and so fresh! All the food we ate had been raised/grown right in their backyard.

 

An important part of the trip was visiting the Kona Mountain Coffee store. Jarred bought several pounds of the coffee. We both agreed that it is the best coffee we have ever had. The beans are grown in lava ash and then hand picked. They also had amazing chocolate, which was so delicious. 

 We spent an afternoon snorkeling at Hanauma Bay. It was a beautiful place.

 

Hawaii was such a fun and beautiful trip. The pretty, blue/green water and massive mountains on the island were a great reminder of the Lord's power. His reveals Himself in his beautiful creation.

 

 

"For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - His eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

Romans 1:20

 

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands."

Psalm 19:1