tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50903379282729640062024-02-06T21:46:54.270-08:00The First YearI am writing a book for our one year wedding anniversary. I write about our week each week as newlyweds. My husband has not read anything yet... but he will on January 22, 2015!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-68847642086434518592015-02-26T17:33:00.001-08:002015-02-26T17:33:37.527-08:00Week Fifty-Two<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">(This post is incredibly late due to being super sick with the twins!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Anniversary!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I can’t believe it’s
been a year for two reasons: 1. It seems like it went by quickly. 2. It feels
like we’ve always been together- in the best way possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This year has
taught us both so many things about ourselves, each other, and us as a couple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just a hug or a
kiss from you can make my day so much better. I’m glad that we’re an
affectionate couple. It makes me sad to see people that barely touch. I think
our kids will know how much we love each other because they’ll be able to see
it and that makes me happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I didn’t think our
love had any room to grow because I loved you so much already- but somehow it
did. I love you in so many ways. You’re my husband, my lover, my friend, and
the father of our twins. I don’t think you’ll ever know how deep my love for
you goes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All I can think of
right now are incredibly sappy things to say. You make me feel all of those
things. It’s your fault.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’m looking
forward to each day with you. I am so excited for our next adventure. Thank you
for all the things you do to make me feel loved. I love you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-51731370425806559922015-01-18T19:14:00.002-08:002015-01-18T19:14:09.819-08:00Week 51<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week we celebrated my birthday.... and by celebrated I mean that we got Japanese food and went to bed early. I was incredibly sick with nausea and you weren't feeling well either. This birthday didn't include a huge party like I usually have. This one was low-key with just you and me. Even though we didn't feel well, it was still nice to spend the day with you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later in the week we found out some crazy news. We are having <b><u><span style="font-size: large;">TWINS</span></u></b>! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The funny thing is that we had been referring to them as "babies" off-and-on over the last few weeks. We both just had a feeling. We've also had this ongoing joke between us (before we even got married) that if we ever had kids we would probably end up having twins. We joked and joked about it.... <i>and it happened</i>. When the ultrasound tech told us we were having twins we both started laughing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We're both overjoyed and still in shock. I keep saying that we're psychic and need to play the lottery. We laugh about it but seriously, we're having twins and we really need to win the lottery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thing to remember for this week: Twins will be twice the fun!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-10915669318342432342015-01-10T18:49:00.003-08:002015-01-10T18:49:45.498-08:00Week 50<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It was a normal work week this week. I hated going back after the break. If I could work completely from home that would be amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've been dealing with nausea and you've been incredibly sweet to me. It's an odd thing, growing a human.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I still can't believe that in a few months we'll have a baby. We've been awesome cat parents but the thought of having a Little Smith around is still crazy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know you'll be an amazing father. I'm so excited to see you with our kid. I'm sure seeing you with them will just make me fall even deeper in love with you--- which is hard to imagine since I love you so much already.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thing to remember from this week: This will be our greatest adventure.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-58538181156137329862015-01-04T16:33:00.001-08:002015-01-04T16:33:30.084-08:00Week Forty-Nine<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We wrapped up 2014 by spending New Year's Eve at Kiira and Jason's. It was a different kind of party this time. Since Kiira and I are both pregnant, we took advantage of the fresh fruit & chocolate fondue instead of the beer you and Jason enjoyed. It was a nice, relaxed night. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The next day we went to Kathy & Tommy's for paintball, food, and fireworks. It was wonderful, as always.</span></div>
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2014 was an incredible year. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We got married in January and found out we were pregnant in December. You cannot begin and end a year more awesomely than that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Between those two very high points were some great things too. I started my position with AmeriCorps. You started your current job. We adopted two beautiful cat children: Alistair and Lucius Crowley. I also feel like we've learned a lot and grown as a couple. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I think that there is a real sense of relief knowing that we're going into this whole parenting thing as an equal partnership. I think we're great together as spouses and we'll be great together as parents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2015 is sure to be one with a lot of changes. I'm so excited for every good thing that's headed our way!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thing to remember: 2014 was amazing. Let's make 2015 even better!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-56906206383421955062014-12-28T08:33:00.002-08:002014-12-28T08:33:32.015-08:00Week Forty-Eight<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week has been the most exciting one since we've gotten married.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We celebrated Christmas, sure, but that wasn't the most exciting thing.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3ItFHXiJFbpg-eF7OTIUEHXVwNn9DFQsQyBdDsflzJbQKGeUa4bDVWzlL5Ob2k8Y1lrfk66LjLWo-fMra6aZ3U3o9kspPwot5Tz0Wxcqzpge8TwTQ9PxlyAlWMxQf8ipXdrToPISvDiO/s1600/1489063_10152617588878087_2607145394126070771_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3ItFHXiJFbpg-eF7OTIUEHXVwNn9DFQsQyBdDsflzJbQKGeUa4bDVWzlL5Ob2k8Y1lrfk66LjLWo-fMra6aZ3U3o9kspPwot5Tz0Wxcqzpge8TwTQ9PxlyAlWMxQf8ipXdrToPISvDiO/s1600/1489063_10152617588878087_2607145394126070771_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">On December 27, 2014 I took a test. In shock and disbelief I watched a plus sign appear. A few hours later I drove to the pharmacy and returned with a different test. This time two lines appeared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It's true. This is real life. <b><u>We're having a baby</u></b>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYywifMi7U-H5qbIj3a0g6SqpNhQbfhyphenhyphenGT4pcz0o4Nt7s9dGNZrNWBn39PBYTS1o0VtL1kkDmeoDPZwo8n6JaLN59xVWxTfjhgcJLqs61Qop2CM4LiO7pYLekI7WC4o7maG7nn-b8VAzCl/s1600/10882371_10152623451808087_3815847763294064061_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYywifMi7U-H5qbIj3a0g6SqpNhQbfhyphenhyphenGT4pcz0o4Nt7s9dGNZrNWBn39PBYTS1o0VtL1kkDmeoDPZwo8n6JaLN59xVWxTfjhgcJLqs61Qop2CM4LiO7pYLekI7WC4o7maG7nn-b8VAzCl/s1600/10882371_10152623451808087_3815847763294064061_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">After taking my second round of Femara/Letrozole to help me ovulate (because I have PCOS), I did. And not only did I ovulate, but we made a baby. We made a person with our genitals. Ha ha. Neither of us thought that it would happen this soon. We're in shock and amazed and excited and terrified.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We are going to be parents!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thing to remember from this week: Little Smith is coming in 2015!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-9702675196878161242014-12-24T14:25:00.002-08:002014-12-24T14:25:30.066-08:00Week Forty-Seven<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week I married another couple at a park here in Greenville. It was beautiful. It was the first same-sex wedding that I've officiated. When I saw their smiles that day I just couldn't believe anyone that would oppose them. They had such a loving, happy family. It was great to be a part of their day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every time I perform a wedding ceremony I am reminded of the love I have for you. I am so grateful every day to be in love. It's something that many people never experience and others lose too quickly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later in the week my site had their holiday party at the Commerce Club. It was quite swanky.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We were supposed to go to your side of the family's Christmas get-together but something treacherous happened instead. An evil stomach virus attacked my system and made me feel awful. You were sweet and brought me Ginger Ale and Powerade. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling 100% on the day of the gathering so we decided not to go. I was looking forward to it so much! I hated missing it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We've decided that we're going to try to go to Illinois/Iowa next year to visit my family. I miss them all so much more during the holidays. You still have so many people to meet. I want to go back up there and make new memories with all of them and you.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thing to remember from this week: nothing feels better than being in love with your spouse.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-67015645798311858592014-12-15T15:27:00.002-08:002014-12-15T15:27:42.806-08:00Week Forty-Six<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This
week was a good one. We took a day trip to Columbia so I could officiate a
wedding there. My clients were married in Finlay Park. It was beautiful! Even
though it was a business-related trip it felt so wonderful to have a little
adventure. It was nice to get out of our apartment and drive for a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fjhL7n5YrZAY1OnRucxyi6p2L_7DVKAfR-AIEcsZAN5vfErF1Muw4dnfRYP_myh9qCRydJxR42KD9XJS_erxRUpWnu8PXFHZyJR8xF90psx4S4ZB0Syyj2TQt2Z9u40TYFzi1QW6IZfi/s1600/10365725_10152585792183087_3748589781400087856_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fjhL7n5YrZAY1OnRucxyi6p2L_7DVKAfR-AIEcsZAN5vfErF1Muw4dnfRYP_myh9qCRydJxR42KD9XJS_erxRUpWnu8PXFHZyJR8xF90psx4S4ZB0Syyj2TQt2Z9u40TYFzi1QW6IZfi/s1600/10365725_10152585792183087_3748589781400087856_n.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> It made me even more excited for our
anniversary trip next month. We’re most likely going to Savannah, Georgia.
Neither of us have been there and we’ve heard it’s an impressive city. I want
to see some gorgeous Victorian houses, eat some awesome food, and visit Tybee
Island. It’ll be so lovely to get away for a couple of days and just celebrate
our first big milestone in our marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Thing to
remember for this week: small trips build excitement. Sometimes it’s good to
just get away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-703984949852682472014-12-05T16:09:00.002-08:002014-12-05T16:09:14.579-08:00Week Forty-Five<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This week it was back to business after our Thanksgiving break. It made me realize how much I want to be my own boss full-time. I get a decent amount of inquiries for my side business (notary public/wedding officiant) but even that isn't something that I want to do 100% full-time. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When I think about the future and what I want it to look like I see freedom. I want us to be financially stable and free and able to do everything we want to do. I want us to live full lives. I don't want to have to work from 9:00 to 5:00 every day. I want to be able to make my own schedule. I want to write. I want to create things. I want us both to be able to have the careers we want. People make it happen every day. We can do it. It isn't going to happen over night. We are going to have to work hard to make our dreams come true. I plan to attend every conference and workshop I can. I want to actively work on our future and help us build a firm foundation for our family.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We will do great things together, my love. I can feel it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thing to remember from this week: Life is worth living so let's live it!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-81132494495798269872014-11-30T15:39:00.000-08:002014-12-05T13:02:30.632-08:00Week Fourty-Four<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We both had a few much needed days
off this week. We had a date night at Copper River Grill. The food was amazing.
You have now decided that it’s our new place. I fully agree. We spent some time
with friends and also alone together. We needed both.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> We celebrated Thanksgiving--- twice! We first
went to Tommy and Kathy’s on Thanksgiving Day to have dinner with our friends.
I brought sweet potato casserole which was a huge hit…. because it tasted
AMAZING. We then had Thanksgiving with your dad’s side of the family on Sunday.
I made green bean casserole which was delicious.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmEwAmfjSricln7paTTAPUb-yWNAeS7OXOoHl6LrfWZekgExib6qlVDcoO1qWtxKOdD-p8yYd4Ll1fIcppN88xSVbhawV6TptdScQxawJ1zfCbt4LBJaWMAoFJswlH3QWQMaVn1EBgrI9/s1600/10429402_10152555930063087_7351547982068700042_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizmEwAmfjSricln7paTTAPUb-yWNAeS7OXOoHl6LrfWZekgExib6qlVDcoO1qWtxKOdD-p8yYd4Ll1fIcppN88xSVbhawV6TptdScQxawJ1zfCbt4LBJaWMAoFJswlH3QWQMaVn1EBgrI9/s1600/10429402_10152555930063087_7351547982068700042_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Let’s just get right to the point: <i>your wife can cook</i>! I feel like it’s a
skill that a lot of people are unfortunately lacking. I am still baffled when
anyone says that they “don’t know how to cook”. I’m sure my face always says, “Are
you serious?!” But I digress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We had a great time at Jill and
Robert’s newly renovated house. I want their kitchen! One of these days my
love, we will have a craftsman house!</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The holidays especially make me
miss my family in Illinois and Iowa. I feel such a need to be close to them and
we just aren’t. Sometimes I wish that I would have gotten to stay up there so I
could have grown up with everyone. But then I wouldn’t have met you… in fourth
grade… and married you fifteen years later. I also wouldn’t have the amazing
friends I have and the experiences I’ve had. In the end, I wouldn’t trade one
for the other. I just wish that I could’ve gone back more growing up. You
mentioned to me that we should try to go there for the holidays next year. I
think it’s a great idea. You still have so many people on my Mom and Dad’s
sides that you need to meet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I think it’s also important to
know that families aren’t always inherited. Sometimes they’re made. We’ve
developed a pretty great family with our friends. Wherever we are and whoever
we’re with for the holidays from now on, we know that we’ll be surrounded by
love and laughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Even if it sounds sappy, I am
incredibly thankful for you. I am thankful for you every day. It isn’t always
easy. But it is always worth it. I’m thankful that I have someone to share all
of the big things and small things and the craziness of everyday with. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Thing to remember from this week: Practice
thankfulness every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-20569437763050058542014-11-23T15:44:00.001-08:002014-11-30T14:52:47.865-08:00Week Forty-Three<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">This
week we’ve been married for ten months. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year
already! Something exciting happened in South Carolina. They finally passed
marriage equality in our state! I’m so happy that all of our LGBT friends can
now marry the person they love. I’ve been getting calls about officiating
same-sex wedding ceremonies and I’m thrilled to finally be able to offer my
services to those couples.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Earlier
in the week Jessi and I went to the Power Up event hosted by Greenville
Business Magazine. It was great to hear from business leaders in our area. One
of them was your cousin! He gave a great speech. I love hearing inspiring
stories from business owners in our area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I’ve
been thinking a lot about possible jobs after AmeriCorps. I plan to send my
resume to places out of state. I think it’s about time for another adventure.
You and I deserve a new adventure. We haven’t lived out of this state together
yet. I think we should. I’d love to go to the Portland area or Washington state
or Colorado. I want to go somewhere that I really feel I can make an impact and
also where I can further my education and earn my master’s degree.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I want
to see us in a place where we can really grow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Things
to remember for this week: Marriage equality is here in SC!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-29966059120477970162014-11-14T20:11:00.001-08:002014-11-14T20:11:46.220-08:00Week Forty-Two<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Something awesome we did this week
was meet with a therapist. This was our first time going to couples therapy and
it was amazing. Our therapist is wonderful. Our marriage isn’t in “trouble”. Therapy
gets such a bad rap sometimes. People tend to think of it as a last resort and
attach negativity to it when it’s just the opposite. I like to think of it as
preventative care--- like a check-up.</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> It’s good to have someone else there to
hold us accountable for our personal and professional goals. I feel like we’ve
learned a lot already. It provided some clarity. I think we both left feeling
revived. We’ve decided after our initial session that we would like to continue
seeing her for therapy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So many people forget that marriage
isn’t a thing. It’s a verb. We have to participate in our marriage daily. We
both know that we’ve chosen the best person to spend our lives with. It feels
great to be able to be open and vulnerable with one another and to work toward
developing an even stronger marriage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I am so happy that we went and
even happier that we are working toward our goals together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember for this week:
From counseling comes clarity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-45912581862144328642014-11-05T19:16:00.001-08:002014-11-05T19:16:21.995-08:00Week Forty-One<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We had a very low-key Halloween at
Marielle and Corey’s. It was a lot of fun. Next year though, we’re doing
Halloween up right! We have to wear costumes and carve pumpkins! We planned to
carve some this year but it just never happened. I will never be too old to
dress up and get excited about Halloween.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> I went to the Athena Women’s Leadership Symposium.
It was pretty empowering to hear from one of the leaders in our community.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It was Election Day on Tuesday. I
went out in a blue dress. I didn’t even realize until later how Democratic I
looked… and rightfully so. I passed some classes that I was so behind in I
thought I’d fail. I turned in all of my late assignments by the end-of-course
deadline. I made an A in one class and a B in the other! That made me feel
awesome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I finished the first round of
medication to help with fertility so we’ll see how that goes. Hopefully we’ll
have a little Smith soon!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrY2v_s-AYj5Ycq5O-PWBSzkuvrvgXztOdroqBHtAcpkJ5n4Z9Qmiq_-eg2bKZU4XsBGyHgiU8Vdmnn1bKaqciVd58v_flvMJD0L6vcuD7XXGoI6dIs6w6Qp2yjk2CuaSXPCuKFXCxigAr/s1600/10377079_10152516191813087_1619839321502403235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrY2v_s-AYj5Ycq5O-PWBSzkuvrvgXztOdroqBHtAcpkJ5n4Z9Qmiq_-eg2bKZU4XsBGyHgiU8Vdmnn1bKaqciVd58v_flvMJD0L6vcuD7XXGoI6dIs6w6Qp2yjk2CuaSXPCuKFXCxigAr/s1600/10377079_10152516191813087_1619839321502403235_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Driving down the road the other
day it hit me again: we’re married. I’m married to the guy I met in fourth
grade. I’m married to the guy that sat in front of me in my ninth grade math
class--- the one that wrote a “book” back-and-forth with me about how the
teacher’s assistant annoyed us. I’m married to the person I can have great
conversations with, laugh the most with, and still makes me weak when we kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I married the best guy for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember for this week: Obstacles
can be overcome.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-20004097324954355242014-10-30T18:03:00.002-07:002014-10-30T18:03:43.040-07:00Week Forty<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This week we’ve both been busy
with work. We did get to hang out with friends one night this week and that was
nice. It feels good to be able to take a break from all of the stress of work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I went to the Upstate Fatherhood
Coalition’s first job fair. It went pretty well. They told all of the vendors
that they were going to have a banquet for us as a thank you. I’m looking
forward to that.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU89JqJ68GTfcZrCZmJnFlZpwlT9FO1Z1hqT70eEdwS4-vnJdZPXfOdqCAuMuxFy29H0TaF273jtMVWkHhHltJQxhj9iD1R_JqRpMz2FT2CcqApv7lLxqDPKTOMmL16X8gXOqD22ncIo3M/s1600/68153_10152502915703087_5971428040222979022_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU89JqJ68GTfcZrCZmJnFlZpwlT9FO1Z1hqT70eEdwS4-vnJdZPXfOdqCAuMuxFy29H0TaF273jtMVWkHhHltJQxhj9iD1R_JqRpMz2FT2CcqApv7lLxqDPKTOMmL16X8gXOqD22ncIo3M/s1600/68153_10152502915703087_5971428040222979022_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I also went to the men’s luncheon
at the Sterling Hope Center. It felt great to be able to offer services to some
people that can really benefit from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">You and Corey are both thinking about
doing the SCMC program which I am 100% for. I think it would be great for both
of you. It’s an excellent program that I help recruit people for for the GRWC
so I know all about it. I’ll be doing an “info session” for you and Corey to
make sure that it’s something you both really want to do. I think it’d be great
for both of our families.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember: I’m loving the
song “Church” by Hozier right now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-90905955909545079572014-10-24T17:31:00.002-07:002014-10-24T17:31:26.867-07:00Wife Thirty-Nine<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I seriously love this season. The
air is crisp. Layers are in. Holidays are just around the corner. Fall is
probably the season that makes me feel the happiest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We went over to Tommy and Kathy’s for
some fall festivities. We dressed up. You braided part of my hair before we
went. I am so happy to have photographic evidence of this. We got to hang out
with some of our best friends around a fire. We made s’mores… and Kathy couldn’t
pronounce it to save her life which was hilarious. We played games and laughed
a lot. It’s always nice to get a break from our busy schedules to just get to
enjoy life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW15xcp__6j_q22gx-Svd2msx6qK56Yv49NYY8G0VRSJcW68qtiUrvSkyM_vDXrSy0XCGOUg-U5UV_9CCd6l72lFWoMuX4clq3_rdrYEYtdc0TqKkkXoW6Bso_muM2rjolcYaWj3sj54e/s1600/10613099_10152483121298087_7193098113648493524_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimW15xcp__6j_q22gx-Svd2msx6qK56Yv49NYY8G0VRSJcW68qtiUrvSkyM_vDXrSy0XCGOUg-U5UV_9CCd6l72lFWoMuX4clq3_rdrYEYtdc0TqKkkXoW6Bso_muM2rjolcYaWj3sj54e/s1600/10613099_10152483121298087_7193098113648493524_n.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I’ve had VITA training this week
with AmeriCorps. I am excited to be able to offer free income tax assistance to
people. I think that it’s an amazing thing that AmeriCorps members can do and
it helps so many. However, I hate numbers so I was thrilled for this section of
our training to be over… for now. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Right now I’m watching you make
dinner. It’s like I’ve just seen a unicorn. I love it when you cook. It gives
me a break, of course, but it’s also just incredibly sweet. Hopefully by the
time you read this I’ll have convinced you to cook more often. A girl can
dream, can’t she?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">On a very random note: sometimes I
feel like a creeper because I just watch you from across the room. I just
caught you laughing at something funny you thought of in your head. At that
exact moment you decided to tell me that you changed the words of the song “Bleeding
Love” to “Keep eating. I pull it open (as you opened the sour cream) and I keep
eating.” It was so funny.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I always wanted to marry the
person that kept me laughing. I definitely followed through with my plan. I
love every hilarious moment with you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember: The day-to-day
moments-- the ones that make you laugh, are some of the best moments. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-33604050731705471362014-10-16T17:36:00.001-07:002014-10-16T17:36:34.587-07:00Week Thirty-Eight<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We’ve both had another busy work week.
Luckily we have some fun things coming up to look forward to. (Pumpkin carving,
here we come!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We’ve been seriously talking about
adding to our family. This week I went to the doctor and talked about
fertility. You and I both feel that we should be proactive. So, we’re trying. </span><span style="background: white; font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> I was put on a medication to help
me ovulate. It could not work or I could be pregnant next month. It’s both
exciting and terrifying!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The cats have been acting weird. We
think it might be because we switched up their food. (They prefer the “Tender
Centers”.) They’ve been sitting in the kitchen at random times. They keep
running and jumping (and then sliding) on our shoe rack. Then they lay on it.
They have reclaimed it as theirs. When you came home for lunch the other day
you found that Alistair had jumped on the counter and gotten into the cabinets.
He got his treats out and got into the catnip. He had catnip all over the floor
in the kitchen and himself. It’s ridiculous…entertaining, but ridiculous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember for this week:
Our cats are taking out their frustrations on us and it’s hilarious.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-66367256664114299672014-10-10T13:16:00.004-07:002014-10-10T13:16:45.601-07:00Week Thirty-Seven<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This week was packed with events I
was helping with through AmeriCorps. Aside from my day-to-day duties, I helped
with a job fair, attended meetings, and helped with the Upstate Stand Down for
Homeless Veterans. I feel so blessed to be able to serve the community in so
many different ways. I also feel exhausted! We’ve both been working and
learning a lot. I am excited every day to develop more skills that can help me
in the future both professionally and personally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We found out that our close friends (names cannot yet be shared because they haven't told everyone) are going to have a baby and we’re so happy for them! I can’t wait for us to be
an aunt/uncle to their awesome kid. I’m thrilled to be able to share in their
joy and look forward to the day that we get to feel what they’re feeling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">For right now, it’s you, me, and
the cats. Life is busy but it’s pretty sweet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember from this week:
Friends’ happiness is our happiness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-54823995011074045232014-10-01T16:53:00.004-07:002014-10-01T16:53:34.210-07:00Week Thirty-Six<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This week was a hard but
productive one. This week taught us that we want to be with each other now more
than ever. This week we have grown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Also, while talking to you about
healthy food you said something hilarious. I was thinking of recipes out and
you were eating homemade chicken pot pie when you came across a lima bean? “What
the hell is this?” you said jokingly. “It’s a lima bean.” “I know it’s a lima
bean but what is it doing in here?” Apparently, you don’t like lima beans. During
the course of this conversation I told you that “I need you to make me a list
of all the things [food] you hate.” To which you replied, “I hate all beans
except baked and green.” This made me laugh so hard. Then you told me that you’ll
just have to write it all down. BECAUSE. YOU. HATE. THAT. MANY. VEGETABLES. You
hate so many vegetables and other healthy foods that you actually need to write
out a list. It’s ridiculous. I was a vegetarian for six months at one point. I
obviously love vegetables. I think I’m going to start sneaking them into things
without telling you so that you can get the vitamins and stuff you need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It is finally starting to feel
like fall outside and that excites me. I’m looking forward to picking out pumpkins
with you and enjoying all the awesome things that this season offers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember from this week:
Good things take time. Great things happen all at once. Exceptional things take
work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-1520732162975424532014-09-26T12:32:00.006-07:002014-10-05T19:35:58.657-07:00Week Thirty-Five<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This week Kiira and I went to
Atlanta for the second annual Maiedae Mixer. A minor crisis happened earlier in
the week when the dress I ordered for the mixer turned out to be two sizes too
big. Luckily I was able to get it altered by a seamstress that performed no
less than a miracle. This year’s Maiedae Mixer theme was “You’re Golden”.
Everyone wore something that had gold in it. Thanks to an amazing seamstress my
shabby black/gold dress was transformed into something that hugged in all the
right places. I had a fantastic night and I couldn’t wait to get home and tell
you about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The next day we went to my Mom and
Greg’s wedding. I am so glad that my mother has found someone that makes her so
happy. You and I both love Greg. He’s awesome. I’m so happy they’ve got each
other. It was so amazing to get to be there when they got married. It may sound
corny but every time we go to a wedding to celebrate someone else’s happiness
it reminds me of our own. Every day I get to start my day and end my day with
you. Whatever happens in between is always made better by those two moments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember from this week:
Celebrating other people’s happiness is good for our own.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-40887118723783815292014-09-21T09:01:00.001-07:002014-09-21T09:01:57.019-07:00Week Thirty-Four<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This week has been one of those
weeks where we’re getting ready for awesome things to happen. This coming weekend
Kiira and I will be heading down to Atlanta for the Maiedae Mixer. Kiira and I
have both been getting ready for the golden theme. We’re super excited! My Mom
and Greg’s wedding is also this weekend and we’re looking forward to that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">During a random conversation that
we had you decided to tell me what you would wish for if a genie gave you three
wishes. They are as follows: 1. To never get hit in the balls again 2. To have an unlimited supply of cereal &
milk--- specifically Honeycomb 3. You would wish the genie free. I told you
that your wishes were ridiculous and that you cannot be trusted with wishes of
any kind if given the chance. I laughed so hard I cried during this
conversation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We hung out with a few of my
fellow AmeriCorps members which was awesome. It was great to hang out with them
since we really only see each other once a month for our leadership development
days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">AmeriCorps members all swore-in on
September 12<sup>th</sup>. We watched a live broadcast with President Obama and
former President Clinton. I felt incredibly proud to be taking the pledge that
day. I’m proud of the work that we do and the people we serve.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I’m so glad that you’re the person
that I get to share all of my goals, dreams, and everyday stories with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember for this week:
You should not be the wisher of wishes for our family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-22511896795724323162014-09-14T18:53:00.001-07:002014-09-14T18:53:19.379-07:00Week Thirty-Three<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We’ve been working a lot and
watching a lot of things on Netflix lately. This week I’ve learned to be happy
just being married to you. We both worked hard and were pretty tired the whole
week. We went to bed early just about every night. I’m learning to be thankful
for these times too. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">These are the times where there is a lot going on but
nothing at all. There isn’t anything “exciting” happening. It’s just everyday
life. It’s times like these that I remember why I married you. You’re the
person that I want to spend all of my life-changing, amazing, excited moments
with <i>and </i>you’re also the person that
I want to spend the everyday moments with. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sometimes I think that we may
actually grow more as a couple during the everyday moments than we do in the
ones where an event or something took place. These are the times that we become
a better team and develop our own routine for helping each other’s week run
smoothly. This is when we have good conversations and laugh about random
things. This is when we play with our cats and snuggle on the couch. I am happy
with you every day. I love you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Thing to remember for this week:
The everyday moments mean just as much as the “major” ones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-48614386411416814132014-09-06T20:54:00.001-07:002014-09-06T20:54:33.653-07:00Week Thirty-Two<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We went to a picnic that my Mom
and Greg’s church had. They smoked a whole pig. That was probably 99.9% of the
reason that you agreed to go. I asked if you could half a cheek from the pig
and you were overjoyed about it. We watched “Hannibal Rising” a few weeks ago
and they mentioned something about the cheeks being a delicacy. For that reason
you had to try it. You were not impressed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We also FINALLY got to go bowling
which was something that we’ve been meaning to do since we first got together.
We both predicted that you’d kick my ass…. and you certainly did. It’s always
nice to have a spontaneous date night!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-88732341052686977952014-08-28T15:19:00.001-07:002014-08-28T15:19:32.434-07:00Week Thirty-One<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We celebrated Tommy’s birthday at
his house with game night. We played “Minute to Win It” games. It was SO much
fun! The funny thing was that a few weeks before that you and I were talking
about how we needed to do a “Minute to Win It” game night. Great minds think
alike. We’ve all decided that we have to do game nights like that more often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> My two weeks of AmeriCorps orientation at the
United Way has wrapped up and I’m finishing my first week at my site (Urban
League of the Upstate). It feels amazing being back in the nonprofit community.
I’ve been doing a lot of networking. There are so many awesome organizations
out there that do so many things to help people. There are so many people that
aren’t taking advantage of different programs, etc. because they simply don’t
know about them. I’m working on educating myself with everything available so
that I can educate others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Things to remember: Knowledge is
power!</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-75451488063428989942014-08-21T13:56:00.002-07:002014-08-21T13:58:01.408-07:00Week Thirty<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I am
so thankful to have you as my husband. You support me in everything I do and
support me even more by doing things beside me. I signed us up for volunteering
events for both Saturday and Sunday (after our five-day work-week). The first
thing we did was help with School Tools. We handed out over 3,000 backpacks
with supplies for children in need. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The next day we helped with the take-down
of Greenville Literacy Association’s annual book sale. This was the third year
that I’ve been a team leader for the event. I’m pretty sure that we set a new record
for how quickly we finished. That event is special to me because I interned at
Greenville Literacy and first fell in love with the nonprofit field there. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL12Z4Gnb91IzOCil7ES9D4R5Re5xWAORB_tvc1leKOPGPg-L6Pt04On5EQMgj7f7XUn2OlOxtVe1qPoOlvydabrizP6DTz_JsmIakKYbeiKmYZRMdOLrVDfyTXwkyp8MgRBzaMeHclU4/s1600/10534430_10152357320168087_1940854217959423227_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimL12Z4Gnb91IzOCil7ES9D4R5Re5xWAORB_tvc1leKOPGPg-L6Pt04On5EQMgj7f7XUn2OlOxtVe1qPoOlvydabrizP6DTz_JsmIakKYbeiKmYZRMdOLrVDfyTXwkyp8MgRBzaMeHclU4/s1600/10534430_10152357320168087_1940854217959423227_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">T</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">his
year was special because last year’s take-down was the first time that we
volunteered together. It was then that I first really saw your work ethic, your
giving spirit, and your sweet interactions with strangers. I fell deeper in
love with you then. I think I fall more in love with you each time that I get to
see you giving back to the community. It is one of the times that I think you
are your best self.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Things
to remember: </span><span style="background: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">"I can assure you, public
service is a stimulating, proud and lively enterprise. It is not just a way of
life; it is a way to live fully."</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="background: white;">-Lee H. Hamilton</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-27687495685171826932014-08-13T19:16:00.002-07:002014-08-13T19:16:33.257-07:00Week Twenty-Nine<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">We got
to hang out with Kiira and Jason earlier this week. It was great being around
other newlyweds. You could feel the love in the room. We had fondue night! The
cheese fondue was out of this world. The chocolate fondue was good, too. Fruit
dipped in chocolate is still good for you because it’s fruit…. right? Right!
That’s how Kiira and I looked at it anyway. Fondue night will hopefully become
a tradition. It’s so awesome having them in our lives.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZQcj0eCu18df8EBFwDSTXPlz0T3tp-wFltBka8HjtpMoKOUspyFTRchHm2Yiu9GRK0Xm5sWNrbRDNFjZVhx0GhqPiULjrkGa0zle5IfcYFmUJXYhR0KU3zImVJ8tso5_b3H9FnsUskQ2/s1600/10314546_10152343012768087_2028166113305975807_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYZQcj0eCu18df8EBFwDSTXPlz0T3tp-wFltBka8HjtpMoKOUspyFTRchHm2Yiu9GRK0Xm5sWNrbRDNFjZVhx0GhqPiULjrkGa0zle5IfcYFmUJXYhR0KU3zImVJ8tso5_b3H9FnsUskQ2/s1600/10314546_10152343012768087_2028166113305975807_n.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ahq3-DadlhvyU33oKGiaBcf_pHdypZLnNRJM9oWE3VdqIwNcLGJ9QDSUN_Gcdxuqg5ZoW6vE5INlCF_fSG47L2AouRWGZVT6BWwOahZkGtCaI66YsKYiZhVI6_eXZ5LeP6iyI8QsIMET/s1600/10553515_10152343012433087_1600037778263375374_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9ahq3-DadlhvyU33oKGiaBcf_pHdypZLnNRJM9oWE3VdqIwNcLGJ9QDSUN_Gcdxuqg5ZoW6vE5INlCF_fSG47L2AouRWGZVT6BWwOahZkGtCaI66YsKYiZhVI6_eXZ5LeP6iyI8QsIMET/s1600/10553515_10152343012433087_1600037778263375374_n.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN42L1bUi7Ly3Opkj47IQV2zoaltDQfl9eY6CdvQsSSogjx006v_ZF1xET9PmtaBZQuQW6ty0RaUppPVa9ZiZYBOYJWHMnIKsIg20sJKiCMITLJq49rblxtfG8ZhbXhVlrCXW-3yTBPS0l/s1600/10609557_10152343013118087_2138789717837021104_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN42L1bUi7Ly3Opkj47IQV2zoaltDQfl9eY6CdvQsSSogjx006v_ZF1xET9PmtaBZQuQW6ty0RaUppPVa9ZiZYBOYJWHMnIKsIg20sJKiCMITLJq49rblxtfG8ZhbXhVlrCXW-3yTBPS0l/s1600/10609557_10152343013118087_2138789717837021104_n.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I
started serving with AmeriCorps on Monday! A few of us were originally going to
start the Saturday before to help with a community event but it was canceled
(rain :/). Orientation has been great so far. I keep finding out about more and
more things that just make it all even more worth it. One of those things is
that some colleges will actually match the education award that we get after
our year of service. Two colleges that I’ve wanted to go to for years are on
that list! After I wrap up my bachelor’s I just may take advantage of the match
program at one of these schools for my master’s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This
year with AmeriCorps will probably challenge me and help me grow so much
personally and professionally. I’m so glad to finally be on this journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Things
to remember: I am an AmeriCorps member and I will get things done. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090337928272964006.post-11428713599654960072014-08-07T07:33:00.001-07:002014-08-07T07:33:38.134-07:00Week Twenty-Eight<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">You
started training with the head of maintenance this week at work. You seem a lot
happier to be learning new things. You’re hoping that this will become
permanent and you can keep doing more than just your groundskeeping duties.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I
signed the agreement papers for AmeriCorps! Orientation starts Monday. A few of
us will be starting the Saturday before. We’ll be helping out for a couple of
hours at a community “family fun day” event. I’m so ready to start this new
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lucius
has decided that he should wake us up EVERY morning around an hour before our
alarm clock goes off. It was cute at first but now there is at least one pillow
thrown each morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Things
to remember: Lucius is apparently trying to prepare us for future parenthood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08468186551939141886noreply@blogger.com0