Sweet Pappy-O

A year ago today, my Pappy went to be with Jesus. Just a month and a half shy from his 90th birthday, Pappy lived a long and wonderful life. He left a legacy that will live on for generations. Because of his faith in God, my mom and her siblings grew up knowing and loving Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. As a result, that same faith was later instilled within me. Pappy set an example for me of what marriage is supposed to look like and loved my Nanny for 63 incredible years. He was always serving others and blessed everyone he came in contact with. He was a faithful husband, a loving father, a doting grandfather, a WWII veteran, and a committed Christ-follower. He truly was a remarkable man and I'm honored to be one of his granddaughters.

I miss my Pappy, especially now that I'm living in Louisville and would have been so close by! I miss all his silly jokes and the $2 bills and $1 gold coins he used to give us every time we visited. I miss Pappy's whistling and the way he clapped his hands at the end of a joke. I miss walking on stilts and picking raspberries right off the vine then gobbling them up. I miss all the made up words Pappy taught us and the way he turned grocery shopping into an adventure. I miss watching Pappy survey his garden and the vegetables that were growing within it. I miss sitting next to Pappy and stroking his hand and the way his big tummy showed Nanny's cooking was keeping him satisfied haha. I especially miss listening to Pappy's stories...the way he'd recount times from the past and with such detail (his memory was amazing), share different stories and memories from years ago!

Though I miss Pappy dearly, I love knowing that he's in Heaven with our Creator. He's with his mom, dad, and siblings. He's with his friends. He's with people who watched him grow up and with people he enjoyed doing life with. And one day, we'll be there too! It's easy to remember this day a year ago (I still remember the weather, where I ate that night, where I was when I got the news...the memories are all so vivid) and get sad. The thing is, I just know Pappy wouldn't want us to be sad...in fact, he's the one who always reminded us that "dying is part of living." Instead, Pappy would want us to be happy for him because he gets to party with Jesus every day! And so, as Nanny said, "I'm not going to let today be a sad day." Why, you might ask? Because we know where Pappy is and we know we'll get there soon!

Off the Grid!

Last week, Jeremy and I had the incredible opportunity to go on vacation with his family! Several months ago, his parents mentioned a trip they were planning during his dad's fall break. We had just returned from our honeymoon and I was already missing the beach...I seriously need help! Well, Mark and Jill graciously invited us to go with them and the trip ended up turning into a family vacation! The trip completely snuck up on us and I didn't tell many people that we were going...nobody wants to know you're enjoying tropical paradise at the same time they're experiencing work and frost warnings! To be honest, I'm hesitant about even writing this post because I don't want to elicit discontentment amongst anyone who reads it. I know how often the devil likes to use Facebook, Instagram, blogs, and Pinterest to rob us of our joy and make us feel like we're missing out on things...it's seriously a slippery slope and I have to be careful to guard myself from falling victim to the lies of social media. That being said, please don't see this post as me bragging but rather, as a way for me to document our trip with hopes of preserving precious memories! Anyways, enough of that tangent :)

On Saturday, we left Louisville and headed first to Atlanta and then to our final destination...St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands! The flight to Atlanta lasted less than an hour and 3 hours and 14 minutes of flying time later, we were landing amongst beautiful blue waters, abundant sunshine, and 85 degree temperatures...just a little different than where we'd come from earlier in the day haha. When we arrived, we headed to the place we were staying and my jaw literally dropped when we discovered we were staying in a gorgeous villa overlooking Magens Bay. The house was just perfect and had the most beautiful view! We had our own infinity pool (are you serious?!), a hammock, balconies in every bedroom, and even a DVR. The only thing that could have made the house sweeter was a fully-stocked refrigerator ha!

While we were in St. Thomas, we got to explore the island and visit several beautiful beaches! We swam in Magens Bay, Cinnamon Beach, and the beach at the Ritz-Carlton (why not pretend like you're rich and famous for a day, right?!). We thoroughly enjoyed reading, floating, and lounging! There's just nothing like looking out at the gorgeous water and watching the waves...they're absolutely mesmerizing and I truly believe I could watch them for hours. Not to mention the entertainment the pelicans provided! Jeremy and I loved watching them dive-bomb for fish and were entranced with the way they would skim so close to the water and then plummet into the ocean to snatch their prey!

We also got to visit St. John a couple of times and saw four feral donkeys, two goats, one giant pig (I thought it was another donkey when we passed it), and several stray chickens. We snorkeled and hiked some and also drove up to the highest point on the entire island (by accident!). Our little Ford Fusion was quite the trooper (we affectionately named it "The Feral Donkey") and somehow we survived driving on the left side of the road, up a mountain, on a partially unpaved road! (*Kudos to Mark for driving because I surely couldn't have done it!)

When we weren't swimming at the beach or exploring new parts of the islands, we enjoyed some yummy food and quality family time. We ate supper at the house most nights, read, watched TV, and then went to bed around 9 (the sun comes up and sets around 6:30 each day). It was so nice to unplug and disconnect from the world! I intentionally didn't get on Facebook, check e-mail, or text (aside from my parents) for the entire week and boy did I love that!!! You could hardly say I have a lot of stress in my life at this particular point in time, and yet, it was so refreshing to take a break from our little routine and just escape for a few days. I loved getting "off the grid" and the chance to bask in God's magnificent creation! One day as I was praying, I just kept saying "God you are SO good" and then I felt like "good" was such a lousy adjective to describe Him. I just couldn't even find sufficent words to describe His greatness...no adjective can do Him justice, no words seem even remotely adequate!

Here are a few things I want to be sure I don't forget:

• When we first arrived at our house, Jeremy opened his suitcase to find that an entire container of melted chocolate almonds accidentally spilled all over his suitcase! They were in his shoes, on his clothes, and literally in every nook and cranny of his suitcase. Lucky for us, the house had a washing machine and after using a million wet paper towels, things were restored back to normal!
• St. Thomas is seriously mountainous! I had no idea what to expect of the island before we got there but let me tell you, this place is extremely hilly! One of my favorite drives was from the main city (Charlotte Amalie) to our house in Magens Bay. You literally drive up and over the mountain, from one place overlooking the ocean to another. It's gorgeous!
• Due to the fact that the island is so mountainous, a lot of people drive Jeep Wranglers. We, on the other hand, rented a little Ford Fusion and we put that car through the wringer. After one afternoon of driving, we stopped to discover that our breaks were smoking! Whooops!
• The car ferry between St. Thomas and St. John is quite an experience. You drive right onto the boat (in reverse, I might add). Also joining you on the ferry may include a couple cement trucks and some giant trailers with palm trees...that's normal, right?!
• Watch out for random donkeys and other wildlife as you drive through St. John! Passing the feral donkeys was a serious highlight for me.
• Driving to the highest point on St. John in a Ford Fusion is not recommended! The looks from the locals said it all haha ;)
• On St. John, they name the dips in the roads. Two we found particularly amusing were 1) Skinny Dip and 2) Stinky Donkey Dip.
• 2/3 of St. John is part of the National Park System. Praise the Lord the government wasn't still shut down or we wouldn't have gotten to experience much of this gorgeous island!
• They drive on the left side of the road here. It was totally nerve-wracking riding in the car and we would always remind Mark "left side, left side!"
• The average speed limit on the island is 10 mph but the maximum speed you could go on any given road is 35 mph...they are way too windy and hilly to go any faster!
• Apparently on St. Thomas it is perfectly acceptable to stop in the middle of the road and talk to someone for "a little while." (The captains on our snorkeling excursion said this is the correct answer to a question on their driving test!)
• St. Thomas and St. John are part of the U.S. Virgin Islands so the people are U.S. citizens. They have all of the same rights as we do only they can't vote for President. Bummer, huh?
• There are a ton of jewelry shops in Charlotte Amalie and everything on the island is duty free!
• We got to see a couple turtles, sting rays, and even a school of squid, as well as, tons of gorgeous coral and tropical fishies.
• Every morning, Jeremy and I enjoyed what we called "The Grand Reveal." We hopped out of bed and each grabbed one side of the blinds then together, opened them up to reveal another beautiful day in Paradise!
• My theme song for the trip was "Victor's Crown" by Darlene Zschech. If this song doesn't make you throw your hands up in worship, I don't know what will! One of my favorite God-moments of the trip was listening to this song with Jeremy on top of a rock at a secluded beach on our last morning in St. Thomas. We were both just worshiping and singing as loud and proud as we could, hands in the air, dancing, laughing, and feeling pure joy. It's a wonder the fish didn't leap out of the water and a double rainbow didn't appear over the bay haha!

We had the most amazing time and I'm so thankful we were blessed with the opportunity to go and experience such a beautiful place! We loved spending family time with Mark, Jill, and Stephanie, made lots of awesome memories, and saw one of the most gorgeous places in the entire world (if you ask me!). Though it's hard to leave such an incredible place and step back into reality, I'm also reminded that reality is a good thing. I have so much to be thankful for and though my current view overlooking the parking lot isn't nearly the same as the one I enjoyed all last week, I live an extremely blessed life and need to be thankful for all that I've been undeservingly given! God is good...take that back, God is supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! (Does that adjective do justice? Nah! But it's the best I can come up with right now haha.)

Trust

It's been a little while since I've written so before too much time gets away from me, I thought I'd post a quick little update! Things have gotten busier at our house as subbing has kicked in to full swing and I'm back to being a "working woman"...or semi-working woman haha. Today is my first day "off" all week so to go from not working at all to working three days in a row has been quite the kick in the pants! My family laughs at me when I talk of how exhausted I am but it's the truth! I'm seriously pooped after the end of each day I spend in the schools and am hoping I'll build up some endurance after a few more weeks of this haha!

So far, I've spent time in kindergarten, second, fourth, and fifth grade...everything except for first and third! I'm primarily spending my time at Christian Academy's main campus and am really enjoying it there. Each time I go, I gain more confidence and am quickly beginning to recognize faces and learn names. Though I've had a very positive experience thus far, subbing is proving to be very challenging primarily because it is forcing me to step outside of my comfort zone and embrace the "unknown" that each day offers. I'm learning (yet again) how important it is to loosen my grip and my intense desire to be in control of my circumstances and instead let God be the master of each and every moment of my day! My Jesus Calling devotional really spoke to me the other day and I feel like my key "life word" for the moment is TRUST. The devotional is written as if Jesus himself is talking to you, the reader. It says, "Trust Me enough to let things happen without striving to predict or control them. Rather than fearing your inadequacy, rejoice in My abundant supply. Learn to rely on Me in every situation." This is definitely a lesson I am learning right now and need to be reminded every day to do as Psalm 37:3-6 says and "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun."

The truth is, I know the Lord is using this time to stretch and grow me...and boy can I feel the growing pains! Like I've mentioned before, I am a serious planner and like to know exactly what's coming up next. That being said, subbing is like the EXACT opposite of anything a Type A planner would be comfortable with!!! It means going to bed each night assuming (but not knowing) you'll work the next day and having no idea where and with what grade. It's typical to get a call at 6:30 in the morning and have to spring into action (I joke and say I feel like a firefighter) and run off to the school. Initially (and even still some if I'm being 100% honest), my heart would race a million miles an hour as soon as I woke up from a dead sleep to hear the substitute teacher coordinator calling...Jeremy can attest that it feels like I just ran a full marathon my heart is beating so fast with anxiety. When I got a call Monday morning, I was filled with so much anxiety and had a little freak out moment. I hate that I do this to myself and am really trying to embrace each day and be thankful for the opportunity I have to work. It truly is a blessing and I've yet to have a bad day, hence I don't know why I let myself get so worked up! I am grateful to be back in the classroom because the kids are just the best. They are so sweet and I love listening to them and learning from them as I try to teach them! I honestly feel that I am exactly where I'm supposed to be right now and know the Lord is stretching me during this season of life. He's teaching me that it's ok not to know what's coming next and that He is with me all the time. He's also teaching me that He is more than capable to be the driver of my life and that the passenger seat is exactly where I'm supposed to be...why do I always insist on being the driver?! I'm excited to continue gaining experience, meeting new people, and interacting with lots of little kiddos. I'm also excited to see what the Lord has in store for me down the road and what doors He's preparing me to walk through with regards to a career. Until then, I'm just going to try to keep loving on the people He places in my path and live each day with hopes to bring Him the glory He is so deserving of!

*Here are a few pictures of life lately. I had a wonderful few days with my sweet sis up in NKY while my parents were on a trip to Seattle. A few days later, the fam was reunited and we got to enjoy some nice Fall festivities! Oh my precious family, how I love them so :)

New job, old friends!

Subbing

Well it finally happened, people! After a month of applications, background checks, phone calls, and ample paperwork, I have finally been cleared to sub in both Oldham County and at Christian Academy. Last Wednesday, all of the "loose ends" were tied up and by Friday, I was reporting for my first "official" day! I was both excited and nervous for my first day...it had been so long since I was in the classroom that I was a little anxious, yet at the same time, I was excited to be back amongst the sweet little kiddos and ready to feel purposeful again! My first day went really well despite a headache that lasted from noonish until I went to bed that night. Oh how I hate these headaches and wish I didn't get them! They seriously drain so much from me. When I got home Friday afternoon, Jeremy and I turned to Motrin and Raising Cane's sweet tea to make me feel better and after a few hours, I was feeling much better. Although the headache was unfortunate, I had a good first day and several of the students told me I did a good job haha. Precious. 

I'm curious to see what lies ahead for me as a substitute and look forward to learning a lot! I hope this is a really good experience and that I'm able to meet a lot of people, get a bunch of new ideas, and make a positive impact on the students (and staff) I get to interact with (even if I'm only able to spend a short amount of time with them). I pray I grow less anxious each day (I'd love your prayers for this, as well!) and that my confidence grows over this span of time. I also pray I am placed exactly where I'm supposed to be each time I go into the schools and that while I'm there, I can be a bright light to everyone around me. I feel like I really am in a great spot to witness to and love on God's people and don't want to waste the opportunities that the Lord may place right in front of me :) At the same time, I am definitely having to step out of my comfort zone and embrace a lot of "newness" and unfamiliarity, as I am literally walking in cold and don't know the schools, students, or any of their routines and schedules. Each day will definitely be an adventure and I'm sure the Lord will be teaching me a lot about flexibility and finding my comfort and strength in Him!

Rach & Wes

This weekend, my best friend, Rachel, and her husband, Wes, came to visit! Rach and I have been best friends since we were five and it's crazy that our friendship has spanned across so many miles and years apart. We don't get to see each other often but when we do, it's like we were never apart. Jeremy and I love spending time with them and want them to live here in Louisville SO badly! It's so much fun to have another couple to hang out with and we are all so similar that we get along great. We've had an action-packed weekend and so enjoyed our time together, whether we were doing something fun like painting pottery or just chilling at our apartment. Good company is simply the best and I'm so thankful the Lord has sustained our friendship after all this time!

We wanted to give Rach and Wes a good taste of our city so we packed it full of all things "Louisville" haha. We painted pottery at Louisville Stoneware, ate at Taco Punk in Nulu, stopped by the St. James Art Fair, walked across the Big Four Bridge, ate at Uncle Maddio's on Bardstown Road, and finished the tour with some delicious ice cream at the Comfy Cow! Today, we went to church, ate at Raising Cane's, then took a little driving tour of the area haha. Here's to hoping we succeeded in showing them some of Louisville's best and that they'll want to move here...ummm like tomorrow ;) Hey, a girl can wish, right?!

Here are some pictures to chronicle our time together...

"Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days." -Psalm 90:14

Pinteresty Pumpkins

Yesterday, my cousin, Jen, and I decided to have a "Pinterest Day." For those of you who are unfamiliar with Pinterest, it's a website filled with great ideas ranging from crafts, to recipes, to hairstyles, and everything in between! (Check it out at www.pinterest.com)

There are SO many "pinteresting" things we'd like to try but we decided we would let this be our "craft" day and try a "recipe" day sometime soon! We both pinned some of our favorite things then narrowed it down to what we thought we could actually pull off haha. We decided we definitely wanted to paint some "classy" pumpkins to display! Jen also wanted to make some hair bows for her little girl, as well as, a weekly calendar using picture frames and scrapbook paper (I loved this idea but decided to abort the mission because I didn't think I'd end up using it...iCal is my go-to!).

We started the day early (we figured this would be a full-day adventure) and headed to Hobby Lobby right away. We got all our craft supplies (yay 40% off coupons!) then headed off to find some pumpkins to decorate! Lucky for us, we drove right by a local farmer's stand and were able to get four pumpkins for $12 total (I was quite pleased about this because they are $5.99 at Kroger). Once we had our pumpkins, it was time to head home and get to work! Jen and I laughed so hard at our "Pinterest" abilities...or lack-thereof ha! We tried to document the entire process (as all good Pinteresters do)...

1) We started off by washing our pumpkins then taping them off. We quickly figured out that the chevron pattern is WAY harder than it looks!

2) Next, we took our pumpkins out and spray painted them white...shhh don't tell anyone we cheated by using spray paint ;) *Note: We discovered that less is more when it comes to spray paint! Be sure not to spray it on too thick!

3) Then, we decided to get "fancy" with the glitter! Jen spray painted this little guy silver and added some black glitter. Though she gets an A for effort, we both agreed this was a Pinterest fail because the pumpkin just looked like it was covered in poppy seeds haha. Needless to say, this pumpkin didn't get to join the others in the "finished product" display :)

4) We opted for gold glitter instead of black and think these turned out much better!

5) And now for the finished products! Drum roll please!!!!....

 Jen's handiwork!

 My little pumpkins...

So there you have it! We had a great time crafting and I loved Jen and Maddie's company for the day. It's always fun to be creative and though these pumpkins are far from perfect, we had fun decorating them! Now we're already looking forward to our recipe day! I'll keep ya posted on how that one goes too haha ;) Happy Fall Y'all!