2010

I think that this picture pretty much sums up my 2010. When I look back to 2010 I will remember it as a year of amazing change, growth, hurt, disappointment, love and grace.

Here's the annual month to month re-cap.

January - Was determined to start the year off better than 2009 ended. It didn't take much. It was a great month of getting to celebrate so many friends that were expanding their families either through marriage or snugly little babies.

Jan/Feb The mee-maws got together a little later than normal for Christmas and I finally got what I always wanted for Christmas. A HIPPOPOTAMUS!!



February - March was pretty calm and rather uneventful.

April started off first of 16 weddings this year. We were able to celebrate with Abby and Kevin on their BIG day! I also was able to present my capstone for my graduate school and PASSED!


Another HUGE moment happened in April when Brandon started his first of 32 weeks in the Fire Academy. He started with the EMT portion and came home wiped out every day. We spent most of our night studying and writing papers between the two of us. We were such a fun couple! :)

May - We continued the wedding celebration with Stephanie and Ricky. I got to make the groom's soccer cake and it was SO much fun to do.



The BEST and BIGGEST news was my GRADUATION from GRAD school. Praise the Lord it was all finally over.



June - was filled with even MORE weddings as we celebrated Keith and Kaitlyn and Maggie and Brian.

It was during this time that school was letting out for the summer (thank you JESUS) and I knew I had to use the summer to get control of my life. For years I have bounced back and forth with my weight. Lose a little...gain a LOT. My husband had begun Crossfit in December as a way to train for the academy. With him officially in the academy we had the funds for me to be able to start Crossfit. For more of the back story you can read my other blog at www.journeythroughcrossfit.blogspot.com.

To say that it has changed my life is an huge understatement. It was the beginning of the best decision I have ever made...to care enough about myself to save myself.

July - Hey guess what...we went to another wedding. This time they were crazy enough to invite our crew to the Ritz at Lack Oconee. Carrie Underwood's wedding was the weekend before we were there. She was afraid of being upstaged by us. (Just kidding)

The theme of the weekend quickly became "We will never have the chance to be here again.." and many memories were made. The ones we remember or can tell without incriminating ourselves. By the end of the night the Bakers were wed and no one went to jail.





August - School once again started and I continued my journey through crossfit. We started a Paleo Challenge at the gym. Veggies, Meat, nuts and seeds, some fruit, water for 12 weeks.

September - I was able to hit some of my major fitness goals such as finally getting a pull up using the bands. I also began training for my first 5k which was the weekend after my 30th birthday. During September Brandon endured more training with the fire portion of the Fire Academy and was literally wiped out every afternoon when came home.






The challenge was well underway but I was struggling. Ben, the lead trainer at the gym, suggested that I enter into a contract with him for 30 days to show me just how much my body could change if I stuck with the program. Starting September 17th I started the contract and stuck to it religiously for 30 days.

OCTOBER - is always a BIG month for me because well...it's my birthday! We celebrated yet another wedding with Tony and Emily and wished Tyne and Tim well from afar.



Turning 30 was not as bad as I imagined thanks to the fact that I was feeling stronger and healthier than I had ever felt. The week after my birthday I ran my first 5k and finished in 48 minutes. It was amazing to have over 20 something people run the race with me. Betsy even had t-shirts made because t-shirts make everything better.








The night of the 5K we celebrated with friends from every area of our lives. It was our Christy's Birthday 5k/Brandon's graduation from the fire academy party. It was incredible to be reminded of all the amazing people who love and support the two of us.







The challenge finally ended and I came up with 3rd place.



Sadly the day that Brandon graduated from the Fire Academy his granddaddy passed away. Mr. Jerry was a phenomenal man of God who loved his family very much. I never felt like an -in law to him. It was only fitting that we were able to celebrate Brandon, something he loved to do, in the midst of such tragedy.

My husband went through with the graduation that night and it was incredible seeing him become a fire fighter. He worked hard for 32 weeks and saw his dream become a reality. I am so proud of him and his dedication to his new job.



November - We were able to travel to Alabama for my friend Marie's wedding. It was fun to see Marie marry Erik and get to see my Judson friends.








I also went to my first family wedding without Brandon because of his work schedule. This is going to take some getting use to.

has been filled adjusting to Brandon's new schedule and continuing through the journey of becoming healthier. We took family pictures towards the end of Nov and it was fun to see the changes that I have made. I look forward to many more to become. It is a journey. A lifestyle. This time it has to be different.










So...there is our year. As we look to 2011 I pray that it is a year of miracles and many more blessings. I pray that we all laugh more than we cry and that we love more than we can ever imagine.

Father's Day

Father's Day has always been really hard for me. Growing up it was hard being my daddy's daughter. When I turned 5 my daddy was forced into early retirement through his company. After that he slipped into a deep, dark, depression that held him captive for many years. The only happy memories that I have of him are in picture before my 5th birthday. These pictures and the stories of my family are really the only evidence that I had that my father really loved me. When I turned 19 his depression snapped and went to the opposite extremes. Instead of being depressed, you couldn't shut the man up. Instead of only going to get gas for the lawn mower and a hair cut, he ran the streets of New Hope and surrounding counties from 3 a.m. till dark. We never knew where he was or what he was doing. He put my mother through hell while I was at college. After college I moved back in with my parents and the antics continued. Finally, his health started to really get him down and most of his annoyance came at home. Yelling at us, the cat, and just being weird. We ended up having to put him in a nursing home. Mom went everyday. I went when she laid the guilt trip on thick enough. By this time I was living in Georgia and my trips became less frequent.

October 31st, 2006 I got a phone call that daddy had aspirated soup into his lungs that were already infected with COPD. November 18th, 2006 I got a call to come home and help make decisions regarding his life.

I left that Tuesday morning from Georgia and made the trip back home to New Hope. I had talked to mom earlier and she told me that he was coming in and out. Talking a little bit, eating some but that she could tell something was happening. I walked into the room and went to one side of the bed and hugged my mother. My daddy woke up and called me Crissy. I went to the other side of his bed, held his hands as he told me he loved me. Those were his final words on this earth.

It's taken me 4 years to really process that moment. Those moments leading up to his death. The remaining moments counting breaths and watching something happen inside of that room that only my daddy and Jesus could see happening. In those moments, I hated him, loved him, forgave him, resented him. I stayed in the room night and day until finally I could smell death and myself. I went to take a shower and no more than 5 minutes after I left the room, my daddy left this world. I really don't think he wanted me there to have to see that. To have to see his spirit leave his body. My aunt Gertha who is now also gone was there with my mother that day. When I walked back into the room the sweet Asian nurse was singing Amazing Grace over my daddy.

He loved me. I know that now. Sometimes I mourn his life, other times I mourn what I never had in him. It wasn't his fault and I know that he did everything that he could to give me a great life.

I pray for the daddy that Brandon will be one day. I pray that our children are not robbed of a father physically or mentally. I pray that my children will not have to look at pictures to get the sense that their father loves them but know it at every turn that they make. I pray that through Brandon they will be able to see the Father's love for them.

I treasure the pictures and look forward to the future.

Thank you for being a friend Blanche

That sucks! Cue up the old episodes of Golden Girls.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiQzUEc_FmI

School's out for summer!

Go ahead and sing it in your head because I know you want to. I'm shouting it out loud. This has been a rough year to be an educator. We were furloughed for 7 days this year. That meant no planning days at all and for those of you who think you should be able to plan and do all that we have to do in an hour's planning time...get real. It also meant a reduction in pay which came at a time that Brandon was entering the fire academy and taking HIS reduction in pay. At the end of the day we are both blessed to have jobs and that's really all that matters. A little couponing here and there and just being smarter with our money really helped us out and taught us a lot for the future.

It is also weird to think that I will never have to spend another summer (or fall and spring for that matter) at grad school. Finishing my master's degree was definitely a huge accomplishment and I am so glad that I did it. But I am so glad that I am done. For 3 years I drove 2 hours each night, 3 nights a week to Athens, Georgia. You can imagine the money we are saving not having to pay that gas bill anymore.

So onto summer. I have lots of plans for this house and all the crap shoved into closets for the summer. I also want to finish up some of our remodeling projects by fixing up the office area. But mainly I will enjoy some time to concentrate on all the things that I have let go by the way side while school has been in session. It is time to concentrate on me for a little while. No more school, no more grad school, just me time. Life is good.

So...bring it on summer. I'm ready!

The last days...

I've always had a fear that we are living in the last days. Now that I am a middle school teacher, I know the REAL fear of LAST DAYS. Not the last days of this earth, though I do find myself praying for Christ return a lot more these days, I'm talking the last few days before summer in a middle school.

These kiddos have lost their freaking minds. Holy Junk! I can only equate the experience of the days to something that I have not yet experienced...childbirth. You have to forget how bad it is before you decide to do it again.

There have been a few precious moments, like the kid who wrote the sweetest message to me in my yearbook. He said his favorite thing about being in my room was the fact that he knew that I cared about him. Isn't that really what it's all about???

But then...there are those quotes...those moments....that will one day make up my book on being a teacher.

"Mrs. Peevy, on your grave it's not gonna say R-I-P...it's gonna say M-E-A-N!"

If you would like to hear the dialect in which this quote was spoken, you may call and get the full story.

Oh well...another year down, a contract signed for next year, a love for students (somehow, still) and a great school to do it all at!

The Kitchen

This was before....


And this is after....






We painted the kitchen this great green color called Recycled Glass from Sherwin Williams. We painted the brown trim and under the chair rail white. Gone is the shelf full of grandmother's "stuff" and the scary chef man with a dead fish on it!

The monogram windows were great finds at Hobby Lobby! 50% off all home decor stuff! 3.99 a piece. 12.80!





Just a little paint and some clean up!




We are not completely done in the kitchen but we are getting there. The breakfast table (refinishing), the back splash and a few odds and ends are all that is left...but wow just the paint and a few little things made such a difference!!

Renovations

So kitchen renovation turned into...whole house renovation. This past weekend we painted the living room, dinning room and kitchen. I can't believe how well it all turned out. Now I just have to go do a little treasure hunting to pull it all together.

Before

Extreme Kitchen and Office Make Over

So here are the plans. My kitchen and office are in desperate need of make overs. We are so fortunate to be living in Brandon's grandparent's house but we don't want it to look like we live in Brandon's grandparent's house. We started a few months back by changing out my bathroom, his bathroom and our bedroom. So it is time to finally start doing something about it.

(Can you tell grad school is over for now and I need something to occupy me???)

The goal is to do it for as little as possible. I want to really get creative on how I go about doing this and really keeping it to a small budget. Our budget for both rooms is 200.00. We'll see how that goes!! :)

So here is where you come in...I need some advice on how to make this thing happen for CHEAP!

My first major decision is going to be whether or not to paint the cabinets in my kitchen. I really want to paint them white but I really don't know that I want to put forth the time or the effort. If I can make it all come together without doing it I would rather.

I will say that one good thing about being in the cake business is that my paint for both of these projects has been provided for the price of a cake. That's pretty exciting and saves me money on my total bill.

My idea is to use the green in the oven and pick a lighter shade of green. I want to do black and white accents. So...start chiming in and I'll post pictures as I change things up.

Pictures as soon as blogger stops acting up!

New Blog and New Love

I have a new love. Not that I can afford to many things from her collection, but WOW her stuff is so pretty. She also has a pretty great blog that I love to follow.

http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/

I am thinking about asking for a graduation present!! :)

Yum Yum Sauce

We have a huge joke in the Peevy household about Yum Yum sauce, or as some call it the seafood sauce from Japanese restaurants. At a really fancy Japanese restaurant in Disney, Brandon (who apparently turned into country bumpkin) asked for that stuff..you know...seafood sauce. They brought him ranch.

So anyway, for Valentine's day we went to Sho-gun. Their yum yum sauce was not so yum yum. In fact it was really bad. For our left overs tonight I decided to try and make it. Turns out it's basically homemade honey mustard with a kick. I found a few recipes but didn't really like any of them. So I just decided to take some of their advice and do my own.

Below are the ingredients. I tried to measure it out but really just ended up playing with it. It turned out AMAZING! I am so excited that I got it right on the first try.

Around 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Mayo...more if you need more
TBS of Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of Paprika... See More
1/4 teaspoon of Garlic
Teaspoon or so of mustard (less is more...and you can always add more!)
TBS of Honey (probably would have been ok without it)
2 TBS of Sugar

EEEEK!!

I am so excited for Brandon and his new journey as a firefighter. He got fitted for all his uniform stuff today and will officially start the training academy next month. He will be in the academy for 10 months. During that time he will go through EMT training and the actual fire fighter training part. At the end of the 10 months he will graduate from the academy and be a firefighter. The whole time that he is in the academy he will be paid by Gwinnett County but it will be a significant pay cut for us. Still, this is his dream. So we will sacrafice where we have to and live way below our means to make sure that we are covered during this transition time. It'll be tough but we have already started making preparations for it and it's going really well.

So wish him luck, wish me luck...cause here we go.

Frankie is on his way home

Dave and Kim are picking up Frankie tonight from an airport in Orlando! Miracles do happen!

Heart Line Ministries

If you are wanting to donate to Haiti but are leary of some organizations out there, Heart Line Ministries is a great organization. HeartLine is an orphanage in Haiti that is in desperate need of our help. They are not only caring for the kids that were already in their care, they are now caring for other kids that have come their way. They have set up make shift clinics to try and help all of those that are in need. You can learn more about them here

Frankie Update!

Not only were Kim and Dave able to be on ABC with Diane Sawyer (thanks to Skype!) to plead their case...they got some great news yesterday!!!

HUMANITARIAN PAROLES WERE GRANTED!!!!!!!

Kim and Dave started the year dreaming that Frankie would be home sometime before the end of the year. They will soon have him in their arms and home with their precious family!

Continue to pray for the orphans of Heartline Ministry as they make this transition to live with their adopted families. Pray that their will be peace and sweet dreams for all of these little ones.

YAY!!

Orphans in Haiti

In the process of moving to Georgia I was lucky enough to be introduced to a ministry called Wayfarer Ministries. One family from this ministry, Dave and Kim Rhodes, were currently in the middle of the adoption process when the earthquake hit. The adoption process in Haiti is long and painful at times. Couples who adopt from Haiti understand that there is usually a waiting period of over two years. Dave and Kim were pretty far along in this process and were finally starting to see some good progress being made.

I am posting this to ask you to read their journey and get involved. Dave and Kim are looking for people that would be willing to contact local US officials that have the power to help get the children of the Heartline ministries home to their adoptive parents.

You can read all about it http://kimrhodes.wordpress.com/

Annie

I've always loved the movie Annie. (However, it wasn't until I watched it a few weeks ago with my niece that I heard GD in it, not once but twice. Yikes!)

Annie and I are twins. Well maybe not, but here is why I always liked her!

1. She was an orphan.

OK...so I was only an orphan for like 12 hours until my adopted parents drove to Tampa to get me, but give me a break.

2. She sang the song Maybe.

Growing up I had this delusional thought that MAYBE my birth parents were really good people. MAYBE the card would come in the mail like my birth mother promised and MAYBE my birth father was this really great man. Neither true but still I like the song. When I was mad at my adoptive mom I use to go around singing the song at the top of my lungs. She would always scream back...MAYBE they'll come pick you up. DYSFUNCTIONAL I know...but we still love each other.

3. She could sing.

I randomly like to burst out in song. However, my singing is more like country meets rap. Crabb Family meets Nelly!

4. She had a dog.

All I got was a bunch of guppy fish that were ugly as sin. Maybe that's why I have a fish phobia now.

5. Her locket.

Her locket says her birthday is October 18. Ring a bell??? That's my birthday! However, in last night's play they said her birthday was October 28th and I almost got up and stormed out in protest!

6. She was adopted.

Ok so she was adopted by money bags but the point is the same. Blood may get you here, but love is what makes it worthwhile. My mama and daddy may have been limited in what they could give me that was worldly, but the love and security that they gave me was more than enough. I will never be able to repay what they did or me.


That's why my Christmas present of seeing Annie live last night was so special! Thanks husband!

Hope

Hope isn't optimism. Optimism often denies reality.Hope never does. Optimism is positive thinking; hope is passionate trust.- Rick Warren

So long 2009

Wow...I can't believe that 2009 is really almost gone.
Here's a recap!

Januaryish - Mee-Maw Christmas = Hippopotamus ornament and another drive pass the railroad tracks, turn left at the post office, and a failed attempt at watching a dvd!

February - Atlanta Valentine's Day. World of Coke, Varsity, DownTown ATL. (This trip ended up having to be salvaged at the last minute but my sweet husband pulled it through and made it a great weekend.)

March - Lost my job

April - Worried about losing my job.
JDAY! It really was one of the best that I can remember.

May - One Year Anniversary trip to Nashville. Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, BB King's and so much more. We stayed free at the Hilton because of the mishap on Valentine's Day Trip mentioned above.

Moved into Brandon's grandparents' house.

June - Got our new puppy Millie.

July - Got and started new job at Youth Middle School

August - Heather had PIPPA!

September - Millie's accident. She became a 3 legged pup!

October - My birthday...what else do you need??

November and December - Because they have seemed to morph into one this year. A hard two months but very blessed to have been able to spend the Holiday season with such good friends and family.


So...so long 2009. I pray that 2010 is one of health and happiness for us all.

Hope

Hope

Every year we buy an ornament that symbolizes and sums up our year.

This year it took a little longer than usual to find the perfect 09' ornament to add to our collection. It's difficult to put into words what our year has been like. A roller coaster probably would seem more fitting!

However, when I finally found her I knew she was the one.

HOPE!

Brandon and I have decided that this will be our theme for 2010. Something to keep our hearts and minds focused on why were are here on this earth in the first place.

Merry Christmas and may you find yourself resting in HIS HOPE this season.


"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark." ~George Iles

Together....

Over the past few weeks Brandon and I have endured our toughest challenge as husband and wife. We have held each other, fought with each other, laughed at each other and cried together. We have looked at one another wondering if the pain would be less the next day but preparing for the worst. We have grieved the loss of a child that only heaven has seen but one day we will hold. The good thing is...we've done it all together.

I fell in love with Brandon for so many reasons, the first being his smile. It captures you. It engulfs you. You can't help but smile back. It is contagious to say the least.

His smile still melts me but now I love him for something so much bigger. I love the way he loves me. He takes care of me. He protects me. He knows that all I want on this earth is to feel secure and he is seeking to make that his number one priority.

The past few weeks have been hard. I'm sure that there will be things that we will go through that will be harder but knowing that he is by my side makes it so much better.

Love, Love, Love Christmas

So excited about Christmas this year. I love, love, love the season of Christmas because...

1. We get to celebrate Advent and light the candles in our church and in our home!

2. Love the fact that Jesus was once a baby....so human yet my Savior.

3. Love the decorations and the cozy feeling in our home. We are slowly adding a few new decorations each year and really making our home look pretty during Christmas.

4. Love getting together with so many different groups of friends and family.

5. Love that Christmas means a new ornament for my tree from a Mee Maw.

6. Love the smell of Christmas things...fires, cinnamon, cranberries.

I just LOVE it!

Wahoo

I am now officially on Thanksgiving break and it feels amazing. So glad that I ....

1. Have time to catch up on grad school work. Just sooooooo ready to be done with it.
2. Have time to clean my house.
3. Am GOING HOME TO ALABAMA. I haven't been there since the summer. This is the LONGEST that I have EVER gone without going home and I can tell it. So ready to be there.
4. Can rest.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Trust

Tomorrow we continue our Relationship series at church and the word we tackle is TRUST. Trust is a BIG word to only have 5 letters. In fact, it is a word that send shivers up and down me. Putting my trust in something or someone is a really big deal to me. I try to not be a person that is defined by the circumstances. The fact that I was abandoned at 9 months old is merely that...a fact. It is a part of my history but I am not defined by it. My life has been about trying to live above that reality and becoming a better person because of it. However, a pastor of mine said it best when he told me that you are not brought into this world and left abandoned without having trust issues. But I've learned that it is better to live and be hurt, than to not live at all. No one is perfect. Everyone will do something to hurt you eventually whether it is intentional or not. Trust is a choice that I choose to make.

What does trust mean to you? Does it come easy or is it a choice that you have to make on a daily basis?

Presence Voice Touch

I can remember going to church as a young child with my aunt Lorene. It was a small, white, country church in New Hope. The people in that church loved the Lord and meant well. I can still remember the church offering envelope that I would be given in Sunday School. You would check off if you had prayed everyday, read your bible everyday, how much money you gave, and how many people you had contacted in the week about church. For so long I have struggled through most of my Christian life feeling as though I will never hit the mark. Never be able to check off all of those things on that envelope. I'll never do good enough, never pray enough, never say the right things, etc. I know that this thinking is wrong but it's so hard to break out of this mentality.

Recently after reading THIS BLOG (Annie is a greater writer) I stumbled upon Brad Huebert! Brad is a pastor in Canada that makes sense and puts all of this into perspective. His book Finding Home is a free E - Book that you can download that is in incredible. It's a short read but it is so good. He writes it in the style of a parable about a man (himself) finally finding the true Kingdom of God. It is one of the best things I have read in a long time and just finally makes sense.

He also has a website that is pretty neat. Happy reading!!

Psalm 46

This morning at church we sang the song...You and I were made to worship. A line stuck out to me that When you and I choose to believe, you and I will see, what we were meant to be. What could/would happen if I truly chose to believe in the power of God, if I chose to believe in myself more, if I chose to believe in the goodness of others?

Psalm 46 was the text for our sermon that was delivered at a needed time in my life. The pastor told us that sometimes you have to be weak enough in order to surrender all that weighs you down. It all made perfect sense!

1. God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear when the earthquakes come and the mountains crumble to into the sea.
3. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge.

10 - Be still and know that I am God!

Google Images

I would love to know what Google Image you can look up and find my blog under but apparently you can (just see the Feedjit!...especially if you are German). Maybe time to jump on the private bandwagon...hmmmm?

Week from hell behind me...

So by now you might have heard that we have just come through the week from hell around the Peevy household. It actually started two weeks ago when....

1. Our basement flooded during the ATL flood of 09. No serious damage...just annoying. However, we love our friends the Kendricks who helped clean us up and fed us that night so that we didn't have to deal with cooking.

2. On the way to clean out the basement Brandon's grand daddy experienced some heart trouble and was put in the hospital where he is still today. He will be coming home soon. Lots of details that I don't remember but things are looking up at least.

3. Thursday night Brandon starts to feel bad.

4. Friday he comes home from work with a high temperature.

5. Monday...finally goes to the doctor to discover he's had H1N1. Sweet!!

6. Tired of being in the house all weekend, Brandon and Millie decided to take a ride to the walking trail by our house. Millie usually rides really well and just hangs her head out the window. But for some unknown reason she decided to JUMP OUT OF THE CAR!!

7. Breaks her leg. 3,000 to fix it, put her down or amputate. Those were our options.

So we decided to amputate and save Millie. Brandon just couldn't make the decision to put her down and there was no guarantee that she wouldn't need additional surgeries. She is doing great though and we are just glad we have our dog.

So that's it. Fun times in a bag. October has officially started off better than September ended at least.

Hoping that the week from hell is behind us!!

Crock Pot Fun

So I've been looking for ideas on how to cook every night of the week while going to grad school 3 of them.

Cooking for a whole month?? Not for me. Idea is great, reality it's just not that feasible right now. Number one because I don't have a whole day to cook, another is because I don't get home until 10:00 sometimes and there's just no way to heat up all that frozen stuff at school....

So...that led me to the Crock Pot Blog. (thecrockpotblog.blogspot.com) It's not the same as the 365 crock pot blog (that's a lot of CP meals) but it looks great. The recipes seem easy and look good. Brandon is a very picky eater but I'm hoping that I can throw in a few things here and there and make our dinners a little healthier.

So...I'm going to spend Sunday shopping (with my coupons of course) and trying to figure out my schedule. I'm hoping to post some reviews so that you can try them out too!!

You know what assuming does??

Just a little rant...

Why does everyone assume that when you get married you are no longer available to be friends? Change is so hard for me sometimes and I just never know how to deal with it. I hate the feeling that I am not really friends with people that I use to be so close to. They are all still friends but somehow I'm the one that drifted away. If I never texted, called or facebooked them I would never hear from them. Maybe it was my fault for assuming they would call me and should have been more proactive about protecting and nurturing those relationships. I just hate feeling the change in the air and hate feeling like I can't even have a conversation with "friends" because we don't know each other anymore. Oh well. I'll value the friendships that I do have and look forward to new ones that the Lord may place in my path. It'll just be hard to look at wedding pictures down the road.

It feels like home to me....

It's been a whirlwind around the Peevy household since the end of July. School has started and the only word that can describe it is hectic. Youth Middle School has turned out to be a great place for me and I am finally able to see the pieces of God's plan come back together. For a while I was very resentful of having to leave Davis and my friends behind. I am just now starting to see why I am there and why I am not at Davis and I know that it will all continue to work itself out.

School starting means that grad school has officially started as well. I am taking 4 classes this semester in order to try and finish in May. I filled out my application for graduation the other day and it felt amazing. (minus the 75.00 fee) I will finish next semester with one class, my internship (second part) and my final capstone. The hardest part is being gone three nights a week. I don't know how people who travel all the time keep their marriage strong and together. This whole season of being gone takes a toll on us but we are fighting (not literally...ok maybe) through it the best that we know how. Just say a prayer for us if you think of us.

This weekend has been Labor day weekend and we decided to start some our painting projects. We've just put them off for so long that we decided it was time to make this place feel a little bit more like home. I've planned, bought and prepared for a few months for these rooms. We are hoping to have the entire house painted and decorated (somewhat) by next weekend. So glad that it's starting to feel like home.

There are some photos up on facebook but I'm hoping to have some good before and afters up soon.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

So excited...

I FINALLY HAVE A JOB!!! Even though my summer if officially over and I start back to school next week, I am so happy to finally have a job. I didn't realize the weight that I had on my shoulders until it was finally lifted with the words you have a job.

The ladies I interviewed with were wonderful and the school itself seems to be a pleasant environment. I am really hoping that it's going to be a great place.

The only downfall is the fact that it's a 20 mile drive (which here can take you forever) and I have to be there at 6:45 in the MORNING....gross. But a job is a job and that's all that matters.

So for now it's GO HORNETS!!

Selfish

I get so selfish sometimes and get involved in my own little pity parties. However this story reminded me this week of how blessed I am and just how good I really have it right now in my life.

A few days ago a former co-worker of mine sent out a prayer request for a family that she knew that lives in our area. I opened the e-mail to find the most heart wrenching story I've ever read. Yet, they are hanging on somehow to the hope that the Lord has a reason behind their ordeal.

You can go hear to read the story of the Morgan family. They are a family of five who have lost both the mother and youngest son out of the family this week to cancer.

It's times like these that you have to hope that there really is a God who really is control and knows what's best...and pray that he holds this family close.

www.superryan.blogspot.com

Catching up....

I have spent the majority of the afternoon uploading about 400 something pictures from the camera to the computer. I finally got to the box with the USB cord in it!!

So much has happened in our life since the summer started.

At the end of May I left my position as a teacher at Davis Middle School. We are still hoping and praying that the opportunity comes back around for me to work at Davis in the fall. However, I have put in my application with other surrounding counties and hope to hear from some of them soon. This is a picture of most of my class from this year. I taught EBD (Emotional Behavior Disorders). It was a challenging job but I learned just as much as the kids did from the experience.



During the month of May we also celebrated our first anniversary. We spent the weekend in Nashville. We were able to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and to the Grand Ole Opry!! In some ways it feels like we have been married forever and in other ways it feels like we have been married for only days. He is truly my best friend and I love him more than words could ever express. I hope the next 50 years go by slower than the first!!









At the end of May we were finally able to move in our house. The house sits right behind the Mall of Georgia on a very busy road. We are hoping to only be here for a few years but are grateful for the chance to live in a house with such a rich heritage and great family memories. His grandparents built this house and raised both Brandon's mother and uncle here. The house is kind of quirky with some of it's features and additions. One funny thing is the indoor grill that is in the fire place. Who wants to the smell of charcoal in your house?? Still, it's fun to to have. We have an amazing fire place that I am excited about using in the winter. The only thing I don't love is the scary basement. With our washer and dryer down there it's a great way to get out of having to do the laundry. :)








The first week of June brought about yet another wedding. Since our wedding in May, four of Brandon's friends have taken the walk down the aisle. We started the trend I guess you can say. We headed to Birmingham for the Loudermilk wedding. Brandon's friends are crazy but always a blast!! Jane added our fourth wife into our self proclaimed wives club. We love having her here and can't wait to have Amanda round out our group soon!! That's a hint Baker!!









After we left the wedding on Sunday, we headed up to Huntsville to pick up our newest addition. Millie is a lab/something mix. We say that because there is a big debate about what her mix is. The vet in Huntsville thought border collie. The vet here say Jack Terrier. That's a pretty big difference if you ask me. She has made this house exciting for sure. She is so sweet and loves being here. She has learned her name and even done well with using the potty outside. She has chewed up a few things including a ballpoint pen on our new sofa that we just bought a few weeks ago. However, we love her a lot and think that our family is pretty complete for now.








The last few weeks have been spent trying to pack in as many things as possible. I've started decorating cakes and that's a post all to itself. We are headed to the beach this weekend with family and are set to see the American Idol tour at the end of the summer here in Atlanta.

We are also inviting you all to come to our house for the 4th of July. It's a great place to watch the fireworks from the Mall of Georgia. So if you want to see them and have a free and great view, come on up!!

We hope that your summer is safe and fun and hope to see you soon!!

Meet the newest Peevy

Her name is Millie. She is a lab that I got from my great grand big from Judson (well of that family line!) We picked her up on Sunday from Huntsville. She was real shaky and nervous in the car. We stopped to let her pee and she just fell over when she got out of the car. She had no clue how to walk on the leash.

Since then she has made her home here and seems to love it. She gets real happy when she sees Brandon in the afternoons and pouts when we put her in the bathroom when we have to go somewhere. We are reading all the websites on how to potty train her. The fact that I am home during the day doesn't hurt either.

She'll be huge when she gets full grown, so I am enjoying her being a puppy right now.

Come see her soon!!