Romantic getaway

One of the items on my 40 before 40 list was to go on a romantic getaway with Carlos.  It had been over 5 years since we have been anywhere by ourselves - once kids came, romantic getaways became family vacations.  While we love family vacations (like, a LOT), it was time to get away by ourselves.

So we took advantage of Dapper Day at Epcot and headed to Orlando for the weekend.  The kids went to the grandparents, and they didn't ask about us once that weekend.  (I'm still not sure how I feel about that!)

We had a WONDERFUL weekend - we went out for dinner and enjoyed our food - while it was hot!  We dressed up and pranced around Epcot like carefree teenagers with NO STROLLER!  I definitely don't want to wait 5 more years before getting away by ourselves again!

5 things that make me happy!

It's been a while since I have added a post to my list of 25 things I want my kid(s) to know about me.  I was getting frustrated about going in order, so I decided to just write them in whatever order I felt like! 

And today's post is . . . What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

1. Castiél - Watching his personality develop makes me so happy!  He is a cuddly little thing, and sometimes will just say "cuddle" and hug my neck.  It melts my heart! 
   
 
2. My job - I moved from the classroom to the media center in January of this year.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE being the Media Specialist!  It seriously is the best job ever!  I mean, really, I get to play with books all.day.long!

   

   This is the "before" ~ I'm waiting on some furniture additions to the Media Center.
   I will post pics once it is finished!  :)

3. Having a light-hearted conversation with my hubby - Carlos makes me laugh - a LOT!  It makes me happy when we can just let lose and laugh about something together.  Luckily, this happens pretty often! 

   

   Carlos had a "halo" in the car - we just laughed and laughed!
   If you know Carlos, you laughed too!  :)

 
4. My iPhone - materialistic, I know, but I seriously love my iPhone!  It is my alarm clock, camera, video camera, email device, messaging service, to-do list holder, notepad, calculator, newspaper, bulletin board, and much much more.  I seriously don't know how I lived without it!
 
5. Food - I love food.  Good food.  A truly satisfying meal makes me happy.  Luckily, my friends and I have found a delicious deli in Americus, Georgia called Little Brother's Bistro and Cafe, which makes attending our graduate classes much more pleasant!  For real, the Broadway Tomato Basil soup and Grown-up Grilled Cheese is to die for!

Husband Appreciation Day

Today I was thinking about all the things that Carlos does for people. He is the "go-to" guy for so many different people. My next thought was that people don't appreciate him as much as he deserves -- my NEXT thought was that I don't appreciate him as much as he deserves! I take for granted all the little things Carlos does for me on a day-to-day basis.

 So, I'm going to take the time now to publicly thank him.

 To my dear husband:

 Thank you for getting up every morning and cooking me breakfast before I go to work. Not just any breakfast, but made-to-order eggs, hash browns, and bacon. And cafe con leche.

 Thank you for helping me with school/teaching stuff when I need it - especially when it deals with technology. You even wrote one of my papers when I was getting my Master's degree. . . and I made an A. :)

 Thank you for getting my lunch together on a daily basis - especially for the past year and a half when I've not only needed lunch but endless snacks packed as well!

 Thank you for taking care of the finances. The fact that you take care of the bills and all money matters is a huge weight off of my shoulders. I know our lights will never be cut off and we will always have food in the fridge thanks to your careful management of the budget.

 Thank you for making me cookies when I am craving something chocolate. . . and for not saying anything snide when I eat 6 cookies in less than 6 minutes!

 Thank you for being an awesome stay-at-home dad to Castiél - you are a wonderful father, and I'm so glad that you two will have that incredible bond. Even more, thank you for WANTING to do it - you don't do it out of obligation, but out of pure love. And I love that!

 Thank you for keeping me stable and (somewhat) level-headed. Thank you for listening to my whims and wild ideas - but I also appreciate that you don't let me chase every wild idea that pops into my head!

 Thank you for doing all that you do on this house. Not only have you done the majority of the projects (I would say all, but I did pick up a paint brush here and there!), but you also make this house a home. Who needs HGTV when I've got you??? Your eye for design makes our home a pleasant place to be.

 Thank you for being so smart. That sounds strange, but I really appreciate that not only do you seem to KNOW everything, you can also DO nearly everything. It's aggravating sometimes (especially when you beat me in Words with Friends EVERY TIME!), but totally worth the aggravation! :)

 Thank you for being a spiritual rock - not only for me, but for everyone who knows you. There isn't a question I can ask about the Bible that you don't know the answer to. I respect your knowledge in that area. I also appreciate your praying for me and Castiél ~ "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16b)

 Thank you for making me laugh . . . all the time. I'm so glad that we have fun together on a daily basis. You are my favorite person to be around.

 There are so many more things, but this is a start. I'm sorry for when I take you for granted. I truly appreciate everything you do for me.

 I love you,
 Courtney

Green Grass

I LOVE this quote!  I used to be a "grass is greener" kind of girl.  I always looked to another job, city, relationship, or some other change in situation to make me happy.  I liked to "cut and run" when times got tough rather than dealing with whatever situation I had gotten myself into.  This mentality led me to live in 4 states in 5 years (one state twice!) and have 7 jobs in the same amount of time!

Compared to those statistics my life has been VERY stable for the past 6 years.  I have lived in ONE house, in ONE town, had ONE job, and ONE husband.  :)  We moved to my hometown 6 years ago, despite the fact that I swore I would never return!  Sometimes I still have a hard time living this quote because I do NOT want to live here, and in particular I do not want to raise Castiél here.  I want him to grow up somewhere with more culture and more diversity.  Even though this is called "the International City" it isn't all that diverse.

However, as I take life day-by-day I am very content. There are a lot of things I'd like to change:  I'd like to get a job as a Media Specialist and I'd like to have my fixer-upper house "fixed," among other things.  But all-in-all life is pretty great and my own grass is pretty green!  I'd love to take credit for this, but I must admit that my wonderful husband is the "sprinkler" in our family!  I am so blessed to have him to keep me balanced when I revert to that old "cut and run" mentality!

My Funny Valentine

In honor of Valentine's Day tomorrow , I thought I would share with the world at least some of the reasons I adore my husband.  :)

1. He cooks me breakfast (usually eggs, hash browns, and bacon) every morning. 
2. He packs me lunch for school and cooks me dinner every evening. 
3. Although I occasionally jump in and do a few dishes, he is pretty much the one who keeps the kitchen clean (can you tell that is "his" room?)
4. He has been so gracious in the past few months when I have come home from work and slept until time to go to bed - and he has made sure I ate dinner between those two "naps"!  He has even taken over nearly all the cleaning responsibilities as it is hard to clean the bathroom while sleeping!  
5. He is brilliant - really - it gets on my nerves a lot of the time, but he knows a lot about everything.  He is a trivia genius and beats me in Scrabble every time (which really bothers me!).  
6. There just isn't much he doesn't know how to do.  He is a computer guru, cooks, and even cuts my hair!
7. Specifically, he knows a LOT about the Bible.  Anytime I have a question, he can answer it almost without blinking.  
8. He makes me laugh - a lot!  He is so silly and it is great to be around someone who doesn't take themselves so seriously all the time.  
9. He is nurturing.  Much more nurturing than I am.  He is the one who not only takes care of me, but also of the dogs and the chickens.  I know he will be a great Dad!
10. He takes care of all of the finances, which takes a huge burden off of me, because when I am in charge of the money, it causes me much undue stress.  

I could go on for ages, but these are probably the top 10 - at least the first 10 I thought of!  :)

WIWW: 16 weeks and Thanksgiving

We had Thanksgiving early with my family, and on Thanksgiving Day, Carlos' family came over to our house.  Here is what I wore that day: 

Seriously - Peachy LOVES to pose!
This awesome maternity dress is from Old Navy!

Saturday and Sunday we are at church (our church as 4 services) -- 

Carlos plays the congas and I work with the children.  

This week I included Carlos in on the WIWW action!  :)  

Me:

Carlos: 

Carlos is known for his hats  (Fedoras)- many people don't even recognize him if he isn't wearing one.
I guess this weekend he decided on blue shirts for him.

Sunday evening, small group:

I dressed like a bum, 

Carlos wore the same thing he wore to church that morning, 

so he looked nice.  

Work Week:  

Me:  

Now - notice I wore the same pants 2 days in a row.  

I normally would NEVER do that, but pregnancy has a way of limiting your wardrobe. 

But I was thinking about it today - what's the big deal? 

Am I really that vain and prideful? 

Certainly no one else notices or cares.  

Why do I care so much?  

I saw this Minimalist Wardrobe vlog on Money Saving Mom a few months ago, and it has stuck with me.

Although I'm not sure I could pare down my wardrobe quite that much, 

why couldn't I get rid of a LOT of my excess?

I'm still not sure I can.

However, after packing up 7+ boxes of clothes that I can't wear now, 

I am beginning to think I might have too many clothes!

Carlos (only 2 pics though):

Well, that was our week!

Be sure to check out all the other Weekly Wardrobes at The Pleated Poppy!