HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Halloween Everyone! I hope everyone has a great night! Zach and I are laying low. We are going to rent some movies, get some chinese food, and, of course, eat the candy we are supposed to be handing out to the kids. We'll share the candy too :)

99 Balloons

This video touched my heart this morning beyond words. These last couple weeks a certain subject, abortion, has been on my mind due to certain issues in our country and the election as a whole. This family is amazing! Not many people would do what they did and I wish there were more of them out there. Majority of people, unfortunately, would take the "easy" way out of this kind of situation....but EVERY child is a gift.....EVERY SINGLE ONE! I hope this video touches your heart the way it did mine.

A little Prayer

This weekend the priest at St. Margaret's had a wonderful message. The concept of the homily was that you can't love someone unless you spend time with them and give them your attention. It is easy to love our husbands and wives, children, friends, etc. because we get to see them and express our love everyday. But it is much harder to love God without giving him our time and attention. I liked what he had to say because it made me realize how I only really pray at church and before eating. I don't give Him enough time and this opened my eyes to it. So, I am going to start praying more because, not only will this help me through hard times, it will also help my relationship grow and my faith. On this note, whenever any of you pray this week, will you say a little one for me and Zach. Nothing is wrong....in fact everything is GREAT....but I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Fall Fun

Zach and I had a great weekend. It started off a little rocky and I definitely learned that communication is key in a marriage! Friday night, I met Crystal and Riley in Fairhope at Mateer's, a wonderful Piano bar and restaurant that makes some great Cocktails. We had fun catching up and seeing each other.

Saturday could not have gone any better....it was a gorgeous day! I got to sleep in and relax and watch football while Zach was at work. Once he got home, we went to a friend's to watch the Bama game and celebrate Travis' birthday. We had so much fun hanging out with everyone and WE WON! Roll Tide!

Sunday, we went to church and Zach really liked St. Margaret's too, which makes me so happy. We signed up for the Dedication Luncheon and I am really looking forward to it. After church, we met up with Crystal and Riley before they headed back to Tuscaloosa. We ate brunch at Jesse's, a five star restaurant in Magnolia Springs, about 15 minutes from Gulf Shores. Brunch was soooo good! I can't wait to go back for dinner and get a steak! They also have wine tastings and other events throughout the week that I would love to take advantage of. It was great getting to see the Hollyhands this weekend. I can't wait for them to come back down and visit again! After brunch, we went and got our pumpkins to carve! They turned out really good and we had so much fun. Another great weekend here in GS!

Zach's carving was much harder than mine and unfortunately, we only had steak knives. He had to concentrate really hard....Can't you tell!

My goofy pumpkin!

Happy Birthday Julie!

Today is my niece, Julie's, 8th Birthday! I can't believe how time flys so fast. I can remember vividly the day she was born and have enjoyed every moment I have gotten to spend with her since. She is so intelligent and beautiful. I love her so much. All week we have been counting down the days to her birthday....and it is finally here! I feel so blessed to be an aunt. She has truly been a blessing in my life.

I hope you have a great birthday, Julie!

Update on the Mission

Here is a little update on my mission to get out there and make some friends!

So, we joined the Bodenhamer Center and I have been loving it! Not only has it been nice to have some extra energy, but I am finding that there are people in my age group around Gulf Shores. Don't get me wrong...it has been hilarious watching the snowbirds riding the bikes in their jeans and button down shirts! It has been really nice to also have a "hobby". Exercising has always in some way been a hobby of mine, so its great to pick it back up, even though I have barely been able to move this week. While I was working out yesterday, the Gulf Shores Dolphin swim team was having a swim meet....I got so excited. Maybe this could be another way I could get involved. I am going to call the coach sometime this week to see if I couldn't volunteer to help the team out.

On Saturday, we went to a couple's shower for our friends Jen and Jason. They are getting married November 8th. We meet some great friends of theirs that live in the area. We are looking forward to seeing them all again at the wedding. One of the couples we met said they saw Zach and I working out that morning....small world :)

On Sunday, I went to St. Margaret's for mass. Unfortunately, Zach had to work so he couldn't join me. But I really enjoyed it. I finally found families and the priest was great. The church has just built a new sanctuary and they are having a big dedication ceremony and opening Mass in a couple weeks with a big lunch for the parishioners afterwards. I am going to sign us up for this. I think it will be a good thing and a great way to socialize and meet some more people. This weekend we will be visiting the Christian Life Church. I didn't feel completely comfortable visiting a new church, one that I am not very familiar with, by myself. I am looking forward to having Zach with me and hopefully he will enjoy the church.

A little round of Golf

On Sunday, Zach and I went out to Kiva Dunes. Zach wanted to play golf and I thought it would be fun to take Hanna, the dog we are taking care of this weekend, and to try out the camera. We had so much fun and it was a BEAUTIFUL day! The course also looked amazing. Kiva hosted a tournament this past weekend and the course had to be perfect...and it was.

Hanna had so much fun. She ran around the entire course like crazy. She loved sitting in the cart too. She would just wait for us to get back. So cute!

Some not so good shots.And then some good shots!There were the cutest ducks in one of the ponds. Whenever you got really close, they would run across the water.Can you find the Blue Heron.....this is when I wish I had the other lense....soon...very soon!

Heaven on Earth

He is back on the list. I have got to see Michael Buble again. He was AMAZING! I loved every moment of his concert. He really put on a perfect show. He was hilarious and was not too bad to look at either. He even made all the men in the crowd feel a little better about being there. Was worth every single penny. Thank God he is coming out with another album soon because that means another tour. He ends this tour in Madsion Square Garden.....very tempting!

Check off the List!

I have this imaginary list of things I want to do before I die....don't we all in some way? Well, my list includes going to Ireland, having kids, going inside the Louve, and much more. But I get to check off one of my things to do tonight! Zach and I are going to see Michael Buble!!!!! YAY!!!! I am absolutely in love with Michael and everything he sings. I first saw him on an episode of Oprah like 2 years ago. He was just getting started and lucky for him Oprah heard his amazing voice and had him sing at her Christmas Party. He has brought all the classic songs from Frank and Dean back to life. He is wonderful. I have all of his CDs and I listen to them every time I go on a road trip....I could listen to him forever. And I get to see him tonight. Not only do I love him, but Zach does too. Our song is "Everything" by Michael and we danced to it as our first dance. I can't wait!






Go out and buy his CD...you will not regret it or stop listening to it!

On a Mission!

Lately, I have been having issues finding "community" in Gulf Shores. Not to say that there was not any when I moved here, but the madness of wedding season has finally died down and Zach and I are not traveling every weekend. So, I have finally realized how little there was to do around here. Since GS is so seasonal, the summers are great and packed with fun concerts, festivals, and events every day it seemed like. But now that it is fall turning to winter....the town is DEAD and full of snowbirds! This has really taken a toll on me. I come from Atlanta, a place where there is ALWAYS something going on and friends are all around to hang out with. Then, I moved to Tuscaloosa, where I worked and went to school and had a ball being so busy that the years just FLEW by. Now, I feel like time drags on sometimes. So this week I have off from work and it is my mission to become more involved and meet some people!

Today, Zach and I joined the local rec center, The Bodenhamer Center. Not only would it be nice to shed a couple pounds, but I thought this might be a good way to interact with other people possibly our age and meet some locals. I am really excited about it because I love to work out. It may be hard to get me there at first, but once I am there, I love how I feel when I am done. Plus..."exercise gives you endorphins and edorphins make you happy!"

My second attempt to become more involved is to find a church. I have been going to a church, when we are actually in town, in Gulf Shores, but have not been able to connect, so to speak. So, I am going to try a church in Foley, where there are more families and residents. We will see how this works. Since Zach and I are not the same faith, I have decide to research and try to find a church in the area that he might enjoy going to as well. Zach has been so great in supporting my faith and going to church with me, but I also want him to be able to grow in his own faith. In Orange Beach, there is a church that I have been hearing wonders about! It is called Christian Life Church ( http://www.clcwired.com/ ). After hearing such good things, I decided to go online and do some research. I loved their mission and really felt that it was something that applied to Zach and myself. Their website was so informative and really what I was hoping to find. There are so many activites to get involved in and I really hope we like it when we visit this Sunday. So we have a crazy Sunday ahead of us....first we have Worship Service at CLC at 8:30 then off to Mass at St. Margaret of Scotland at 10:30....then maybe we will go work out. That might be pushing it :)

If anyone has any other suggestions on how to get involved, I would be more than happy to hear them!

Happy Birthday Crystal!

Tomorrow is one of my bestest friend's birthdays. Since I will be traveling up to Tuscaloosa (again :)) to see everyone for our friend, Cyndee's wedding, I wouldn't be able to post a blog on her true birthday. But with those Berry girls, birthdays seem to be a week long :) So...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CRYSTAL!

I love you

Kendall is Home!

Sunday, Zach and I were so lucky to be able to visit at Shawn and Misty's when they brought Kendall home. Kendall was released Sunday afternoon. I finally got to hold her and she is so small and fragile. I could stare at her forever. Katie Beth and Carly were so excited to have their little sister home. Each one wanted to do everything first. They were even fighting over who would change her dirty diaper first. I wonder how long that will last?

Roll Tide Roll!

Zach and I got to tailgate for the UA v. Kentucky game. It was so nice to be back in Tuscaloosa during the Fall. I love this time of the year! We met Crystal and Riley for a much needed order of nachos at Big Bad Wolf. Then we went to The Bear Trap to watch half the game with Ashley and Alge. We watched the other half with The Phillips' Family at Buffalo Wild Wings. Nothing beats wings and football. Another win to add to the year! Go Bama!

The BABY!

I bet you will never guess what we did this weekend....yep....we went to Tuscaloosa. It is definitely our home away from home. We headed up to T-Town on Friday night and went directly to the hospital to visit Kendall. She is so perfect and precious! She was kept in a special unit so we had to scrub in and see her one at a time.

Kaite Beth made this for Kendall. I thought it was so adorable!

Growing Up!

I just want to ask all of you to pray for me and Zach in these next couple months. Growing up means making "Grown Up" decisions and they just are not that easy. So keep us in your prayers and hopefully things will work out how we hope them to. But there is a funny quote that I love that is so true...."Want to make God laugh....tell Him your plans" Hopefully this is in His plan for us too!