Sisters: Happy Birthday to Mine

I always love when November rolls around because for 9 months (until my next birthday in August) I get to see people's reactions when I say I'm 23 and my sister is 22 (or whatever our ages are at the moment). Most people say wow ya'll are really close in age! Yes, we are really close but not just in age.

If you're lucky and get to experience life with a sister then maybe you understand.  My sister knows more about me than almost anyone does.  Growing up we were always together.  Yes, we fought like cats and dogs.  And you could bet that every time we had to fold laundry that there was a fight!  But by the end of the pile of clothes we were always laughing hysterically about something or singing Christmas songs.  Why was it always Christmas songs Ev?  Or every night before we would go to sleep we would sing our version of "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" and "Silent Night".  It's because of these moments that we just understand each other.  She can tell by the look on my face or even the tone in my voice how I'm feeling that day.  And I can do the same for her.  There is nothing like growing up so close to someone.  I feel so blessed for the moments we had growing up and the moments we continue to experience in life as sisters.  I hope one day my kids can have the same experience. 

So Happy 22nd Birthday to the best sister anyone could ask for!  May this year of life bring you lots of blessings and good times Ev! I feel like it's going to be a good one! 

Love you,

Green Thumb

Ladies and gentlemen I'd like to introduce you to our precious garden.

This is my first gardening experience and I have to say I am very surprised by how much joy it has brought me.

G is quite the master gardener and has taught me the in's and out's.

So far we have tiny baby squash.

And little tiny tomatoes.

The  cucumbers, banana peppers, cantaloupes, and zucchinis have bloomed and are well on their way to producing fruit.

We planted almost everything from seed and it has been so awesome to watch everything grow.

I look forward to checking on it every afternoon.

Stay tuned for our first crop and if you have any ideas for recipes to make with our fresh vegetables let me know!

On a Roll

Life has been on a roll lately.  We’ve been settling into our new home, making new friends, doing new things, and I can’t forget wedding planning.

The last six weeks have been packed with so many adventures.  We moved into our new house, went to concerts, attended crawfish boils, visited friends at the lake, hosted a girls weekend, and had a craft day which turned into a day of shopping instead.

Woo that’s a lot and that is only the weekends.  During the weekdays our nights have been filled with new bible studies, zumba (gotta get ready for that wedding), and trivia nights. 

And wouldn’t you know during all of these ‘jaunts’ I haven’t taken one picture.  I’ve got to get better at that. 

I finally get to visit my home home this weekend. It’s been 6 whole weeks since I’ve seen that little small town.  That’s a lot for me. I’m so ready to see my family.  Our agenda includes a grill out, easter lunch, and fishing at my grandmother’s pond.  I can’t wait!

Trent Walton on Blogs

“There’s something sacred about reading a blog post on someone else’s site. It’s like visiting a friend’s house for a quick meal ’round the breakfast table. It’s personal — you’re in their space, and the environment is uniquely suited for idea exchange and uninterrupted conversation. In many ways, we should be treating our blogs like our breakfast tables. Be welcoming & gracious when you host, and kind & respectful when visiting.” – Trent Walton

And speaking of breakfast table, my new house has his own blog post coming soon enough.  And yes it is a he.

 

A Day I Will Never Forget

Nine months ago almost to the day G took me on our first date.  We went to the top of Mt. Nebo.  We just talked and talked and had the best time.  I remember thinking I have never met anyone in my life that I could have such good conversations with so easily. 

A few days later we graduated from college and I temporarily went home for about 3 weeks.  I could not get my mind off of him.  We continued to talk constantly.  On May 31^st I moved to Central Arkansas where I would coincidently start a job at the same place as G.

We continued dating and having the time of our lives.  I told my dad it is just so fun being around him every day.  It never gets old.  I know you don’t want me to get all mooshy on you, but it literally felt like I was in a dream.  I was just waiting to wake up, but thankfully it never stopped being anything less than amazing.

Fast forward almost exactly 9 months later. G decides to celebrate Valentine’s Day two days early, since on the real Valentine’s Day it was supposed to rain.  He took me on a ‘secret date.’  It’s just my personality to try and figure out everything, but this time I just decided to go with it.  Well not without a few questions.. only a few.  We drove and chatted and sang and danced (like all of our roadtrips) until I eventually figured out we were going to the top of Mt. Nebo. I mentioned on the way up how the first time we went up there we played 20 questions, and G said “well let’s play again tonight.” 

We got up there and enjoyed the scenery and our BBQ sandwiches we had picked up on the way.  Then we started playing 20 questions.  I noticed that G’s questions were so serious, and most of mine were just questions like “What is your favorite all time movie?” 

After a few rounds it was G’s turn and he asked “Are you ready?” and I said “to go?” and he said “no for this…..”  I watched as he knelt down on one knee and with the sweetest look on his face said “Gentry, Will you marry me?”  The next moments were filled with shock.  I just stood there waiting for him to get up because I thought he was just kidding.  Finally he said “what is your answer?” and I said “YES!” Then, he pulled out the most beautiful ring! Ahhhh!

So today I feel like that little kid on the youtube video saying “Is this real life?!” And I am so excited that it is.

New Attitude

I am a very black and white person.  I like to set rules and goals for myself and it really erks me if I don’t achieve them.  My daily agenda is written first thing in the morning and as the day goes by I mark things off the list.  My calendar is filed with the day’s events for months back and months ahead.  I like to have a plan.

I tell you that to tell you this:  it has bothered me that I haven’t had time to keep up with my blog.  I have failed at documenting the small things, the fun things, and the big things over the past year. So I gave up. 

Recently I started looking back at my blog posts and realized how much I love having those memories documented, so I decided to change my attitude.  Even if I post once a week or once a month, it doesn’t matter.  A little is better than having nothing at all. 

With that being said, I am going to continue blogging with a new attitude.  In my spare time I will blog just so I can go back and enjoy reading ‘my jaunts’.  Also living approximately 134 miles from my parents, I know they will enjoy keeping up with me again.