Do you ever get the feeling that you are standing at the edge of the water, fully knowing that you have to jump in head first and start swimming for the island that you can just barely see in the distance but also knowing that the water happens to be shark infested? I've had that feeling for a while now but my shoreline is also filled with onlookers; some of them are rooting me on and others are there watching and hoping that I fail and get bitten by a shark on the way. Thankfully all of my supporters often drown out the noise of those who hope I fail but it can sometimes be overwhelming and difficult to determine where some people stand. I know that I am embarking on what is sure to be a tough swim but I am also so excited to see the program and team become successful. For now though I am going to try to enjoy just being at this point in my life...I'm engaged to the man of my dreams (who is certainly one of my biggest supporters!), I just got promoted to my dream job, I can make ends meet while still being lucky enough to have Lou and Spence in my life and I get to hug a horse everyday of my life. So I will enjoy all of those joys in my life and attempt to relax and take each part of the swim as it comes at me.
One of the greatest parts of this point in Mike and I's life is the fact that we are surrounded by people who love, support and truly care about us....and our apartment. Thank you so much to Mrs. Denniston for completing the decorating of our bathroom in an adorable nautical, preppy feel!! Our apartment is really starting to feel like a home...room by room. Georgia itself is also starting to feel like home as we get to go out and explore more of it each weekend. Last weekend we headed up to High Falls State Park for a day of hiking and of course a day of getting lost in the woods. If you haven't heard a story about me getting lost...well then you've never heard any of my stories! At least it was a pretty place to get lost!
Rule breaker!!
It was a great way to end the weekend before Mike started his new job! This weekend we stayed closer to home and I attempted to even out my farmer's tan before our engagement photo shoot....attempt is the key word there. Along with getting lost I also have an uncanny ability to burn the heck out of my skin. So now I am nursing a lovely sunburn that will hopefully turn to a slight tan (fingers crossed) before our engagement photos in Savannah next weekend. Hoping that everyone else got to enjoy some awesome weather over the past weeks as well...and hopefully remembered sunscreen!
Just in case you needed a little pick me up this week
This video will give you a glimpse into our southern lives...and a good laugh!
I'd like to start out this post by saying thank you so much to everyone for all of the birthday wishes this past week. It means so much to me to have so many supportive and loving people in my life and all of the cards, packages and phone calls truly brightened my day! Aside from my birthday, this past weekend was a whirlwind of activity as we hosted a schooling show at Wesleyan College. We lucked out with the weather and had a wonderful day of sunshine and mid 70's along with the perfect cooling breeze. It was a long but successful day filled with lots of happy horses and riders. It went so well that we've had tons of requests to host more shows so I guess I should prepare myself for even more horse show weekends!
Down here in Georgia I've learned that spring means completely random weather....one day its in the 80's and the next day its raining and 50. So, of course, the day after the show it was raining but it still made for a nice day to visit Lou pony to wish him a belated birthday.
Happy 12th birthday Lou pony!! (He was searching for more peppermints:)
The horribly sad events in Boston and Texas this week have made Mike and I hug each other a little harder and truly cherish all that we have and the people in our lives. We are keeping all of the victims of both tragedies in our prayers.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."
This week Mike and I were super excited to have a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Denniston! It is always so nice to be with family and certainly made our little apartment feel much more like home. While we love the weather down here it can be a tad bit lonely without our families within a close driving distance but it makes any visits that we get that much more special. This particular visit may have made Mrs. Denniston realize that I'm obsessed with Pinterest as the majority of our recipes have been found on there and every crafty item in our apartment is somehow Pinterest inspired. My wedding notebook is also practically filled to the brim with Pinterest inspiration...I mean really, how impossible would it be to plan a wedding without it?! In case anyone is super curious here is a link to my Pinterest boards...prepare yourself for a lot of wedding and nautical pins!
The Denniston turtle release also went off without a hitch on Tuesday afternoon. Mike and I took advantage of the warm weather this afternoon and took a stroll around the pond; we're pretty sure we spotted one of the Denniston turtles looking quite happy in their new home:)
I'd say they are living the life...huge pond and weather in the high 70's all weekend
And some pretty adorable pond mates...ducklings!!
I am so excited that spring is finally here! The weather and blooms everywhere certainly do wonders in lifting the spirits. The warm weather also does wonders for making certain ponies behave themselves, especially now that I am schooling everything in the barn along with Courtenay's horse Pride who has joined the ranks of the lesson horses this semester. With a crazy schooling and lesson schedule I believe Spence started to think he was on retirement, little did he know I was just waiting for a burst of energy and motivation and it came along this weekend. Thankfully my motivation level turns to high when the weather hits above 60 so its full steam ahead into spring and show season. Speaking of shows, we are prepping the barn for our first Wesleyan schooling show next weekend so fingers crossed that our weather stays super nice! On another exciting note...this week it became official that I will be the head IHSA coach next year for Wesleyan College! I am very excited to start motivating the team and making goals for a successful show season next year! Wish us luck!!!
Who wouldn't be smiling when they live in the cherry blossom capital of the south?
