October!

It's October!

Tomorrow is one of Nathan and my anniversaries! 1 year and 8 months! We both remarked the other day how it seemed like a lot longer than that, and not in a bad way! Nathan is gone on business for a week, so I will be alone :( Tomorrow I have to ride around with Hospice for the day in Cumming, so I am going home to see my Mum tonight ;)

We had an incredible weekend of tears (good ones that brought relief!) and fun! First to talk about is pre-marital counseling. Incredible! While scary and hard at times, it really makes you dig deep into yourself as an individual to make your union as a couple stronger! Nathan and I are pretty "ahead of the game" since we are pretty open about our own issues and don't deny anything, and I am so thankful to God for that. We already had a really open communicative relationship, but this is just making things even better. I find myself telling Nathan things that would normally be really hard or embarrassing and finding that he doesn't judge me and he listens to me and offers reassurance and advice; something that we all need I think. I have seen him grow so much in just these 2 sessions that it's incredible. I was always proud of him, but I think he is becoming someone that HE can be proud to be, which is amazing.

After we left, we decided to go on an impromptu date to a corn maze! It was so fun! When we go out, Nathan and I have more than often "kid dates" which are the most fun! We can go eat Mexican and bring Mad Libs and laugh at the table all night, sit at home and watch things that make us laugh, tickle each other, or in this case, go to a corn maze and eat all kinds of cheap (awesome) food! We didn't get lost in the corn maze (which was kind of sad... we both wanted to! I have found that I actually have a pretty good sense of direction.) but we did take some pictures and kiss and see Moo Moos and eat cheap nachos and drink Capri Sun and Nathan even got a giant pixie stick that was as long as his leg. We were going to watch the movie on the lawn, but it was Mission Impossible... 4 I think? And we wanted to watch a kid movie. Afterwards, we drove around and took in rural Georgia. We sang in the car all the way home, and then we went to Olive Garden where we both got the never-ending pasta bowl (alfredo of course) and stuffed our faces and talked about marriage and love and being together forever. It was wonderful!

Yesterday we watched an awesome message by Andy Stanley about the "right" way to pray, which I am trying to take into practice! Then we dropped two big old bags of my clothes off to Goodwill, managed not to buy anything, eat a big ol' stromboli at Sbarro at the mall, walk around and hold hands, then went home and watched The Nightmare Before Christmas. Then I cried a whole, whole lot because I am going to miss my Nathan like crazy! He comes back Friday. It is Monday. I want to fast forward time!

It's gloriously chilly outside, and I don't want to go to work. However, since I might have to miss it tomorrow, I probably should go in. Gotta save up for this wedding (which will be in a year soon!).
I have a test this week and lots of paperwork due, but next week is Fall Break! Hallejulah! 

That's all. XOXOXO.

Beautiful North Georgia!

That's my bug!

Moo Moos <3

Partially pictured are our children snacks.

Us :)

Nathan's first Melting Pot trip! Delicious!

Probably my favorite of us from the day :)

Tango's welcome home present.

New haircut/trim! Grow hair grow!

King of the kiddie straw bales.

"I am The Batman"

love love love!

Things are bittersweet here.

Nathan and I had the most incredible weekend last weekend together. Nothing planned, but we went home to see my mom and actually pretty much spent the weekend alone! We got to cuddle, talk late into the night, laugh a lot, eat cupcakes, cruise the mall, AND on Sunday we actually got our wedding bands! Mine are (I got 2 ahh!) shiny and beautiful and vintage and amazing, and his is gorgeous and manly, and simple and so him. It warmed my very heart to see that ring on his finger! I'm used to seeing mine since I have had my shiny for a few months! I can't wait to make that man my husband! 

I passed all but one of my nursing tests (I failed by 2 points, something that I am actually relieved by after taking that research test... Dang).  I found my bridesmaids! Three sweet ladies from my nursing class are going to help me walk down the aisle! Who would have thought?! I have to get in hardcore saving mode.

Also, when I went home, the scale read 125 point something, but 125! Also, since then I have been a little lax eating Oreos and cream puffs from work! Work kills my diet. They are always making tasty treats! So, I actually bought a 400-calorie meal thing from Barnes and Noble this weekend, and I'm going to get back on track.

OH! And we had our engagement pictures made! They are beautiful! Well, the 3 preview pictures we had!
Our friend Carrie-Ann (who co-owns In Sienk Photography with her husband, Scott) took them, and they look wonderful! I cannot wait to get the rest back :)

Ahh! <3

With the ups, there are always downs, and we hit a low this week. I have unspoken prayer requests for my Mom and Dad. Financial trouble has been a HUGE burden on my family the last few years, and it doesn't seem to be lightening up anytime soon. Prayers are needed and appreciated! Also, Nathan's parents need some prayers too. We just need prayers all around!

Nathan and I are going to marriage counseling again next Saturday! I can't wait! But that also means that I need to get on the ball with my reading. I'm such a procrastinator it hurts. But, this really, really opened doors for us and I can't wait to learn and talk more with these Godly people and each other. This is going to do us wonders before we get married!

Speaking of which, yesterday was 13 months to the day of our marriage! Ahhh! I'll leave this post with that :)

I should be cramming more stuff into my head

But I don't want to anymore!

I haven't written in awhile and my lack of blogging has come to my fiancé's attention, so.

Nursing school is hard as usual. I'm trying not to stress as much as I did my first year. I feel like I am a little more prepared, and it's nice to not hear the "not everyone will make it" talk anymore. Actually, we heard that if we make it this far, we should actually make it. So.

Nathan and I found a DJ for our wedding! He kinda sorta knows Nathan, so he gave us a pretty wonderful deal! Now we just need to finish paying off our photographer, the venue and get a florist and a caterer. Not to mention I have to find my bridesmaids, etc. Also a honeymoon would be nice. ALSO we need to make an engagement party list. Oy. This is rough stuff. So much to do! Good thing we did set this big thing a year away. I need more time in the day!

Now that I have bitten all of my nails off due to stress, Nathan and I are getting a mini engagement session done this weekend by our wonderful photographer friends :) It'll be nice to have some documented evidence of our engagement ;) I keep thinking how much we need to take more pictures of us together! We need pictures to show our babies one day, and to look back on when we are old and grey.

I can't wait to go back to pre-marital counseling. I'm not sure when we get to go back, but we need it! Not that anything is wrong with us, but we both have things that we need to work on before we bring them into our marriage and maybe cause problems down the road. And I don't want that at all :( I want so bad to have the best marriage. Better than our parents' marriages, and better than I can imagine! I can't wait to go on this journey with Nathan. It'll be hard and exciting and wonderful.

I have a test in an hour and a half and I can't cram anymore respiratory ad surgical information into my head. I don't feel well, and neither does Nathan, so he's going to take half a day and I'm taking the whole day (after my test) to relax and feel better. Well, after I get my mandatory flu shot for school. 8( Ouch.

So, things are wonderful, I'm growing in God everyday, and I'm conquering nursing school a little at a time. :)
The end.

The weekend that beats all weekends

Nathan and I had an incredible almost four days together exclusively. It was wonderful. My first giant slice of happiness happened on Friday when they let me go home from work almost 4 hours early! I went home and super cleaned (I needed it as much as my house needed it) and waited for Nathan to come over. I can't even remember all of the amazing things we ate and did this weekend! But let's see:
Friday night we tried to make it to Earth Fare in time to get some pizza. We missed it. So we kind of got lost driving to Chipotle, got some kind of okay food, drove to Gigi's, got four awesome cupcakes, and played an alphabet food game that we made up as we went. After dinner, we cuddled and watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and marveled at how much Gene Wilder was acting so far ahead of his time. He's incredible! Also, I ate cupcake number one.

Saturday was the real start to our weekend, and it was a great one! We decided a long time ago that we wanted to go to pre-marital counseling before we get married. In preparation, both of us were asked to do some deep, childhood, soul searching, and left us begging for more. We both were eating this stuff up, talking about it and figuring out where we both were. Saturday was our first session, and there were lots of good tears, lots of encouragement, hope, and safety offered. It was wonderful. We both can't wait to go back next month! Nathan and I had both said that we really wanted to go every weekend of we could! It was very eye opening, and wonderful, and I am so excited for the changes that await us in the future! We had Chinese for lunch, and then after our unloading at the counseling session, we held hands and walked around the outlet mall just talking and window shopping. For dinner we we to pizza hut, and then we talked at Starbucks until we both almost fell asleep!

Sunday morning Nathan and I went to church. Andy Stanley has been doing the Guardrails series which was very influential to me a few years ago when he first started doing it, so I was glad that Nathan could share this with me. It was a very good, close to home topic that got me crying, but it was wonderful to see that we were nothing doing things to keep our relationship golden! After church we went to Goodwill and I got a new denim dress that I have been looking for, a few shirts, and even Nathan found a new shirt! I love thrifting! After that, we went to Target and Michaels, went to KFC, stuffed our faces, and watched Kitchen Nightmares and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I also ate cupcake number two. After the movie was over, we mushed together and asked each other questions to learn about each other and invented stories and laughed a lot. It's funny how you think you know someone, but you never think that you may not know the simplest of things. I forgot what Nathan's favorite color was, his favorite number, his favorite Harry Potter book, his favorite love song, etc. Things that let you know the person you are with. I treasure the moments like that.

Today, we got up early and went to Cracker Barrel after playing the ukulele and making some music, and walked around Kohl's before heading home to take a nap in the rain. We woke up, had an early dinner of leftovers, watched Kitchen Nightmares, cuddled , did our devotion, and ate the last two cupcakes (that means that I ate three of the four. Thanks, Nathan!).

I am stuffed, probably 5 pounds heavier, and totally, utterly, completely happy without a worry in the world. I get to marry this man!