Words of advice on Marriage...

...From 6th graders : ).

I've spent the morning going through boxes and organizing our condo to get ready to pack.  I came across this paper with "Words of Advice on Marriage,  from your 6th grade Music Class."  At the end of my first year of teaching, my last period class (6th grade music kiddos) threw Drew and I a surprise wedding shower.  There was great food (I still remember the key lime cake), games, presents and advice.  Funny That I found this paper a couple of days after our 9th anniversary.  They are pretty funny.

Here are their words of Advice:

1. Don't Lock you knees
2. Get a Dog
3. Have many boys-not girls
4. Get a big house
5. Go on dates 2x's a month
6. Smile at your wedding
7. Don't be nervous
8. Have a long kiss
9. Ger her a 16 carat diamond
10. If you have kids, get rid of all of your pets.
11. Name your first child after Olivia Stroud
12. Take a 7 day honeymoon on the beach

Friday Five-5 facts about the hubs

This week was our anniversary( June 15, 2002), I'm reminded of lots of great facts about my husband, Drew.  I haven't shared much about my him...so here goes.

Drew is:

1.Well rounded-my husband is also an actor (who sings and dances too) so he definitely has a love for theatre but he has a super jock side too.  This was appealing back in the day b/c he had passions but they varied.  He's a HUGE Braves fan, Falcons fan, and University of GA football fan.  I don't really like football (yes, I was a cheerleader in HS, for football, but I just like being cheery and spirited...and dancing). But I do love some Braves baseball (can you tell we are from GA).  The games are very fun...and who doesn't love a good hot dog and beer or root beer ;).

2. A Thinker-Drew likes to take his time thinking about a good answer to questions I often bring up. I am impatient and want an answer then and NOW.  He likes to ponder, and ponder, and PONDER...it's not always a bad thing. He definitely puts a lot of thought into decisions...and to his actions...It definitely shows.  I love having a husband to thinks, prays and decides in his time.

3. Polite and Loving and has manners-On our first date he opened doors for me....HE OPENED DOORS FOR ME.  I had dated a lot of tools before Drew and was so surprised to date a guy who put my needs before his.  He knew how to court me and I was definitely wooed!  I also think Drew displays a HUGE amount of love for me and his family.  He puts his Fam before anything (except the big Dude upstairs...God you dorks)! He is a great display of a giving, loving and honorable guy.  He also has learned how to put up with me all of these years...that's a feat all by itself! HA!

4. A middle child-Drew has an older brother and a younger sister...and he is in the middle...and you can tell. He's grown out of a lot of those middle children tendencies...but you can still see it every once in a while. Let's just say he likes it to be fair...anyone else relate?

5. Is shorter than me-yep...my husband is shorter than me...do I care? Not anymore...yep I will be honest, it did bother me a bit when we first started dating.  But I asked him it bothered him on our 2nd or 3rd date and he said "No, I kind of like that you are taller then me". I was so impressed with a guy so sure of himself and confident that I was totally into it too : ).  He doesn't even stop me from wearing heels...not that he could but you know what I mean!

June 15, 2002

Yesterday was our 9th anniversary! What the WHAT! I know seriously...where does time go? I'm sure you're asking "How old were you when you got married?" Don't worry, we were legal. I like to joke with people and say "Well you know we AAAARRREE from Georgia.". We were young compared to most of our friends but for wondering minds-we were 23 and we were both 4 months shy of 24.  Now, my birthday doesn't make me feel old but saying I've been married 9 years does for some reason. 

They've been 9 years full of every emotion under the sun.  It's been wonderful, hard, great, scary, fun, nutty, crazy, amazing...the list goes on.  I truly feel blessed that Drew and I are together.  We've had good and bad times, mostly good,  and they've all been worth it.  I married my best friend and thankfully we've continued to grow together throughout our years.  He's made me a better person...and I'm glad he hasn't given up on me.  We've not been alone...thankfully the Lord has constantly guided us and been a part of this union.  Our wedding verse was Ecclesiastes 4:12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves but A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Here are some pics are of our big day.  We are definitely different people now. We talk about how different our day would be if we were to get married now...I know a lot would change but there would also be a lot that would stay the same.  Looking at the pictures reminds me of who we were then and how special of a day it was! I am thankful for our amazing family and friends who've been with us from the beginning. Enjoy!

                     The Bride                                                  My Mom and Dad : )

 My Dad and Mama Deb


My Sis, Lauren and Mom                                                                             All My Girls!

My wonderful Drew

                                            All his dudes!

            

Drew and his siblings: Tom (l) Rebecca and her hubby Robert on (R)

Drew and His folks

    

                                                      Drew and His Mini Me

Drew and Tom acting normal

All the Crazy ladies!

Our closest encounter before the wedding : )                                       The Bride stand alone

                                                                   Finally Wedded ; )

                                                     What have we done!! ha ha ha

Always Acting! 

Dancing with My Daddy!

The Groom's cake

Almost there...Amy's about to take the cake!

I love you DREW!

A blessed and great day!

Friday Five-Best things about beach vacation

I LOVE vacation! I never get to chill and I am SO happy to be here.  Srry there are no pics to post but I am too relaxed to get up and grab the camera : ).

1. Family-I'm so blessed to have a great family on all sides.  We are at Hilton Head beach right now w/ my Hubs, his parents, my mom, his sister and her husband and 2 kiddos and our sister in law. It's awesome getting to spend some time together chilling.

2. Sleep-I've slept the past two mornings with no alarm waking me up. It doesn't matter that I woke up early but I was on my schedule.  It's so nice to sleep...I've needed it!

3. Food-On vacation calories don't count ; ).  You can eat and eat and eat...if you want! It's all about what makes you happy on vacay. Nevermind I'm in my bathing suit most of the time...I don't care : )

4. No schedule-I work a lot and over-schedule myself all of the time. It's so nice to be on my own schedule with no agenda.  Drew and I are getting to play on the beach, in the pool, board games, read, exercise(so far just him ), and enjoy our time together and with our fam.

5.  The Beach-I know I live by it but I don't get to go as often as I'd like.  The beach has always had a peaceful affect on me.  I find so much beauty in God's work.

Friday Five-Summer time faves

School's out for SUMMER...which means there is a lot change in the air : ). Here are some of my favorite things about summer time. 

1. So You Think You Can Dance- I love this show and it normally starts back up at the beginning of summer.  I am normally not a fan of reality tv-but this one utilizes talent so I am pulled in a bit.  I definitely have my favorite judges too...and my least faves : ) (aka Tice).  I have even sucked the hubby into watching this with me. We even had a little group of friends in Atl and NYC that we watched with.  Digga Digga Digga DANCE!



2. Summer Ales-who doesn't love a good cold one after a long day? Some of my favorite seasonal ales are Blue Moon's Summer Ale, Magic Hat's Wacko, and New Belgium's Somersault.  I always look forward to trying new seasonals...do you have a favorite summer ale?


3. Sundresses-I love wearing a sundress and sandals.  I live in dance clothes all year long so it's really nice to put on a sundress and feel cute and girly.  I love them long, short, flowy, fitted, bright, pastel, patterned...you get the picture.  Here's one of my newer sundresses...beware of the white legs : )

4.  Fresh fruits and veggies-I love all of the farmer's markets with local veggies and fruits.  Even the publix has an assortment of berries, citrus, squash, peppers.  It makes me wanna grill some fish and veggies and top it off with fresh fruit for dessert.  It helps me on my life quest to add more healthy options to my everyday life.


5. Baseball-I don't exactly love this...but the hubs does...and it makes me happy to see him get so excited.  I guess this really starts up in spring but it's a summery thing for us too. We have been trying to get to as many ballparks across the country.  This summer we hit LA's field!