Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Gimme just a little more time...

As of yesterday, it looks like my stay here in SC may be extended. The original plan was to leave this coming Tuesday and move to Ohio. Well, things change....temporarily. I saw my orthopedic doc that I've had since my accident in January, and he's not ready to let me go. Now, let me tell you this...my doctor is amazing, more amazing than my ortho doc I had for my knee surgery last August. He's aware of my situation and I enlightened him some more on the topic yesterday. He said that for what I've been through I have such high spirits, always have a smile on my face and ready to face what's thrown at me. (if he only saw me the weeks following our break) He continued to ask me what our plan is and then asked if he could pray for me/us. It made my day, and I'll say it again..I love my doc. Back to the story...he's checked out my shoulder and since my pain isn't going away, he's checking out the neck now. I've been sent to get an MRI and afterwards to make a followup to see him again. So, in turn...it may take up to 3 weeks before I'm on the road to our new home. This means, more time with family...more time with friends...more time to soak up the last bits of living in South Carolina! I have a list of to do's that I'd like to check off before I leave for good.


  • Go to Middleton Place (CHECK)- This one is already half checked off, because we've purchased our tickets and just trying to find a day to go . I've been wanting to go here for a very long time and Spring is the best time to go. They have beautiful gardens set alongside the water, a butterfly lake, and a beautiful main house. Not to mention, friendly animals that wander the grounds to look at and pet...that'll be the main attraction for K.



  • Take a walk Downtown through the Market, play tourist (CHECK)- It's been a while since I've actually been there and played around like I was from out of town...complete with jaywalking :)



  • Visit the Sullivan's Island Lighthouse- This is mostly because it'd be a great place to get shots of Kainen, since we can't afford professionals. Plus, it'd be a great reminder of my home...the beautiful beaches and what surrounds!


  • Walk the Ravenel Bridge...yes, that's right. All of it!! Anyone want to join me?? I know my husband will sit this one out. But I think it'll be worth the burn to catch the views from the top!!


  • See a movie at the new Imax- I really want to take K to go see "How to Train Your Dinosaur" in 3d there, I'd know he'd love it! But I only want to go if it's shown on the BIG screen, otherwise..why bother! They closed the Imax a while back at the Aquarium here...and I was completely bummed. They just built a new one a few months back and I've wanted to check it out with my boys. I'm hoping we can :)

    I'm sure there's other things I could add to this list, but for now, I'll leave it at that. Most things need to be free or priced inexpensively for us to be able to go. But once again, I'm happy to have family around to grant my "last wishes". I can't wait for our trip to Middleton Place, it'll happen within the next 2 days...and that will be one thing I can check off my to do list!






              Monday, March 29, 2010

              Reality Bites

              Reality check here, and it bites!!! We're stuck. Stuck in a situation I never thought I'd see in my years of life. Everyone struggles, everyone has their ups and downs. Why does it have to be this tough?!? I feel like I'm suffocating, like I need to give up just to find some fresh air. I don't like what's happening, I just want our life to be back to normal.
              In no way am I bashing my husband, I love him dearly...but the things HE has done have put us in the situation we are in today. I know that I've also taken in a part as to why he's done what he did. We were both unhappy, and we needed answers. Unfortunately, now we're in a very tight spot...somewhere between a rock and a hard place, as some people refer to it. That hard place is surely uncomfortable...and the rock isn't much sweeter. I want that grass that's greener on the other side, pretty please.
              I feel somewhat nervous and somewhat excited as we embark a new journey in a week or so. I'm nervous as to how things are going to pan out...I'm excited about going out and enjoying our new home, however...do we have a home? Right now, we are dependent on our families. Technically we are homeless, because we have no place to call our own. We fully rely on our parents and grandparents to help us with shelter, food, and even Spring clothes for K. I feel like our world is falling apart, and there's no brighter side at the moment. We are both jobless and currently in search of a place of employment. We were evicted from our last residence and may find it hard to find a new place. I'm struggling, but my husband keeps telling me that everything will be ok. I lack the confidence he has...and I have very little patience on this subject.
              I'm hoping that in the coming weeks, we can get our ducks in a row and find a place to live...a place to work...a place to feel safe! I don't know how much longer I can rely on our families to be here for us, because they too are struggling to keep my family afloat. However, I do know one thing. As F.R.O.G puts it, Fully Rely On God.
              "If God brings you to it, He will help you through it"
              Psalms 118:8
              ** To my followers and readers of this blog: I don't know what your religious backgrounds may be, but I ask you to please keep us in your thoughts and in your prayers as we travel on this bumpy road. It'd be greatly appreciated! And please, feel free to ask me to do the same :)**
              THANKS

              Thursday, March 25, 2010

              The Mountains we will go...

              Last week on our trip back to South Carolina, we decided to take a stop at my grandmother's house in Tennessee and have a little mini vacay. Their house, unfortunately, is for sale right now...I had to get one last visit there! The house is right outside of Pigeon Forge, so it's a prime spot for us and other family members to get away to and have some fun. What makes it even better is the fact that Gatlinburg and PF have some great military discounts.
              We started off on our adventure Wednesday and headed into Gatlinburg for the day. We stopped for a game of miniature golf at Ripley's first..it was so much fun watching K play. He even scored himself a hole in one, no help involved, on the last hole and won himself a free round of golf :) That was a proud moment! I may have a future Tiger on my hands (minus the transgressions HAHA). Ripley's in one of the awesome attractions that give great discounts to military. We purchased an 8 pack for $35, and it included the Aquarium, Guinness Records Museum, 2 miniature golf places, Mirror Maze, Believe it or Not, Haunted Ride, and the Moving Theater. What makes it even better is the fact that unused tickets are good for a year! I was super excited about going to Guinness, mostly because it's nice to have a change of scenery (we always do the same things every visit). This was the first year they included Guinness and it was quite interesting. Learned a couple new things, and learned some things I really didn't need to learn! Next up was the aquarium, where K acquired a new fear....of SHARKS. I had pointed out to him the shark above us that he had his mouth open and that he was gonna get a fish and bite it. From that moment on, he shook through the rest of the exhibit and pointed out each fish and said "That shark will getshoe, it gon biteshoe!" (Get you, gonna bite you, in adult terms lol). Poor baby :( However, he wasn't afraid for too much longer after he found Nemo. To this day though, he'll still randomly burst out with that phrase...and it's too daggum cute!!! We stopped at Mr. Gatti's for dinner (like Chuck E Cheese, but way better and cheaper) and filled up on pizza, pasta, and games. Kainen had fun playing Deal or No deal, racing as #24 against Daddy in a race car game and shooting some hoops. In the end, he picked up some pretty cool prizes..spongebob frisbee, a bag full of army men, a unicorn (his favorite), a blow pop and a snake. All in all, it was a very fun day!
              The next day we headed out to another round of Ripley's miniature golf, the first was Davey Crockett's and this time it was Old MacDonald's farm...where pigs fly of course! K had more fun here checking out the animals...the moo cows and pigs were his favorite. Unfortunately, he did not score a hole in one this time around...but he still was a pretty good golfer! After our game of golf we headed to the outlets nearby and did some shopping....bad for me, good for Kainen. We checked out the Disney Store where he got his load of Cars memorabilia. He was one happy kid after that trip; he left with Mater and Lightning plushies, Diecasts of Lightning and Doc Hudson, a cool Cars shirt, a reusable Cars tote, and Thumper (bunny) for his Easter basket!
              We were supposed to leave the following day but decided to extend our stay. Personally, I think it was a bad idea...only because I spent the most money that day AAAHHHH. We packed up a picnic lunch and ate by the infamous Old Mill Restaurant...soaking up the views without having the pay the price :) Afterwards we headed to The Track so K could ride Go Karts and other kiddie rides. He smiles and laughed his little heart out. He rode a child friendly spinning cups and swings for the first time, and the smiles and laughs continued. We decided to check out Wonderworks Museum after a little ice cream break, where we rode an earthquake simulator, stood against 40mph hurricane winds, flew a spacecraft, played with bubbles, all while our world outside was turned upside down (if you've been there, you know what I mean). All in all it was a fun day, once again.
              With our move to Ohio, we'll still be within hours of the mountains and I hope to have more trips like these in the future. I just love God's creation, those beautiful mountains always seem to amaze me. Now all I need is a little house amongst the side of one and I'll be good!

              Here are a couple of pics from our trip in the Mountains







              Wednesday, March 24, 2010

              Wordless Wednesday




              **Brought to you by Sonic, Happy Hour daily from 2-4 :)**

              Tuesday, March 23, 2010

              Tuesday's Top Two


              TheUndomesticMomma has created a reoccurring theme called Top 2 Tuesday. I've recently started following her blog and decided that this week I'd link up and enjoy the fun! Today is about the two things I can't live without. After thinking for a bit, I narrowed my list down to a top two :-) It was a little tough! Of course, we're not talking about the usual list of what you can't live without. It's more or less, tangible items...materialistic things. Because, we all know that in everyone's top list there would be- family, friends, God, children, water, food, and air! This way is much more exciting and involves more thought.
              My top two things I can't live without:
              #1 My camera!!!
              It is always on me, whether it's in the diaper bag or just hanging out in my car. It is readily available. I take it around knowing that there might be something happening or a once in a lifetime moment that needs to be captured! Unfortunately, my poor Kodak camera is on it's last days. I've had it for two and a half years, and the other day when I pulled it out...my poor screen has a crack and no longer is visible to view and take pictures. This means I'm back to looking through the little hole to focus and set up the shots. So, yes honey, I'm definitely hoping we can get the nice SLR camera when we get our taxes back :)
              I have a tie for #2 hehe
              #2 @ 50%, My Blackberry
              I can't leave home without it, of course. It's my lifeline! It sure doesn't help that I've got facebook, twitter, emails, and music all there at my fingertips. Then of course, I can catch up on blogs, too! It's nice to be able to see what everyone's doing by checking FB on Tweets throughout the day. (I know, I know...I'm a bit of a nerd) Then, like I said before..it's my lifeline. It's what I have to help me keep in touch with everyone. I don't know who has home phones anymore, because who does when you have a cell phone!
              #2 @ 50% My D&G sunglasses
              Or as my husband would call them, the most expensive headband. :) Again, can't leave the house without them. It's sad to say that I rarely, and I mean rarely, ever use them for their intended purpose. I leave with them on my head everyday, rain or shine. To me (and apparently my husband) they are my headband. I swear that my hair looks so much better when they are up on my head. I guess you can call me a nerd here, too! I should probably just go out and buy some headbands, but I don't want to look like a little kid....because I love all those chunky & flower ornate ones! Either way though, I can't live without them :)
              So there ya have it! My top 2 and half items I can't live without. Head on over to The Undomestic Momma and see what everyone else can't live without.
              I sure am curious now that I've shared with everyone!

              Monday, March 22, 2010

              Five Love Languages

              As I mentioned in the previous post, my marriage faced a a huge speed bump. While I had time away from my husband, I decided to make good use of my time. I knew that some things needed to change in order for us to get back on the right track. I needed to know what I should do to help make my marriage better, to make my husband happy. I looked for help and found it by reading a book, The Five Love Languages-The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman.
              It's kind of ironic that at the same time I'm going through these changes, a fellow blogger (MckMama), has posted about a book called Love & War and shared with her readers about the ups and downs of her marriage and what's helped hers. It's nice to know that I'm not alone, and that there are resources out there to help every couple and their unique needs!As I read through and learned the five love languages, I recognized the ones that belong to both me and my husband. Below are the languages and what they entail. (*taken from 5lovelanguages)
              • Words of Affirmation~ Actions don’t always speak louder than words. If this is your love language, unsolicited compliments mean the world to you. Hearing the words, “I love you,” are important—hearing the reasons behind that love sends your spirits skyward. Insults can leave you shattered and are not easily forgotten.
              • Quality Time~ In the vernacular of Quality Time, nothing says, “I love you,” like full, undivided attention. Being there for this type of person is critical, but really being there—with the TV off, fork and knife down, and all chores and tasks on standby—makes your significant other feel truly special and loved. Distractions, postponed dates, or the failure to listen can be especially hurtful.
              • Receiving Gifts~ Don’t mistake this love language for materialism; the receiver of gifts thrives on the love, thoughtfulness, and effort behind the gift. If you speak this language, the perfect gift or gesture shows that you are known, you are cared for, and you are prized above whatever was sacrificed to bring the gift to you. A missed birthday, anniversary, or a hasty, thoughtless gift would be disastrous—so would the absence of everyday gestures.
              • Acts of Service~ Can vacuuming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! Anything you do to ease the burden of responsibilities weighing on an “Acts of Service” person will speak volumes. The words he or she most want to hear: “Let me do that for you.” Laziness, broken commitments, and making more work for them tell speakers of this language their feelings don’t matter.
              • Physical Touch~ This language isn’t all about the bedroom. A person whose primary language is Physical Touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy. Hugs, pats on the back, holding hands, and thoughtful touches on the arm, shoulder, or face—they can all be ways to show excitement, concern, care, and love. Physical presence and accessibility are crucial, while neglect or abuse can be unforgivable and destructive

              According to the book and the assessment on the website, my main love language is Word of Affirmation and my secondary language is Quality time. An insert from the website says it all on how to put your language to work in your marriage---"You may have scored certain ones of the love languages more highly than others, but do not dismiss those other languages as insignificant. Your husband may express love in those ways, and it will be helpful to you to understand this about him.In the same way, it will benefit your husband to know your love language and express his affection for you in ways that you interpret as love. Every time you or your husband speak each other’s language, you score emotional points with one another. Of course, this isn’t a game with a scorecard! The payoff of speaking each other’s love language is a greater sense of connection. This translates into better communication, increased understanding, and, ultimately, improved romance."
              I'm currently doing my best at talking and doing the language of my husband and I'm asking the same in him. With our new journey coming ahead, I'm hoping our marriage will improve and stay on the right track. I can't wait to see what our future holds!

              **I highly encourage anyone and everyone, whether you're married or not, to sit back and read this book. You learn things about yourself you may not already know and learn on how to improve on the things you're already working on. If you're married, it helps you to understand what it takes to make your partner happy...if you're single, you learn what it takes to make yourself happy and where to put the importance of "the languages" in your next relationship.**

              And an important reminder to myself and others, a marriage takes three! God, your husband/wife, and yourself. You've made a vow to yourself and your spouse and a covenant to God. Let no man break this! Just pray and HE will lead you in the right direction.

              Tuesday, March 9, 2010

              Craziness

              It seems like I've fallen off the blog wagon again. It's been a crazy past two months. Maybe crazy is not the right word, or the only word I should use. I think I may add these: stressful, testing, disappointing, prayer-filled...the list could go on and on! After I wrote my last blog on Compassion, I had no idea that I would experience compassion from a group of strangers later that night. As I headed home from my new favorite store (Hobby Lobby), I got into a car accident. This wasn't just a slight fender bender, my poor Durango was totalled....by a Prius!! Luckily, my little man was still at his grandparents visiting....and God must have known and spared him, because he was due back the day before :) *Got snowed in* I never thought I would ever be in a car accident, I especially didn't think that if and when it happened, it wouldn't be so bad. The Prius hit me from behind and flipped twice, landing back on her four wheels....God was on her side too, she didn't get hit by the 18-wheeler that was behind her. We had tons of help from complete strangers and were met by 5 cops, 2 ambulances, and 2 firetrucks. It was all surreal!! I was lucky enough to be able to get another Durango, newer and much nicer to be exact...and only suffer from a shoulder/neck sprain. I always witness such bad accidents, as a drive by, and pray for the people involved....I wondered, as all the cars and trucks drove by slowly, if they'd have the same compassion for me. I was truly blessed to have a witness who stood by my side the whole time, calming me down and making sure everything was ok. She was even nice enough to take me to my husband's work place after I was cleared to leave the crash site. I walked away with a totalled Durango and a body full of aches, but I'm thankful to be alive.
              More craziness followed in the coming weeks. My marriage was put to test, some grown up decisions were made (forced), and I matured in a sense. I learned new things and came to realize that some things need to change. We've made a new commitment to each other and are taking a huge step in the next couple weeks. We've decided to move to Ohio...and I'm a little nervous and excited all at the same time. We're going to have his family around, a lot of them, instead of mine....we're both going to be employed, and we're hoping to take our first shot at being a renter of a home. Wish us luck!

              **More or less now, my blog will be updated more frequently to get my family caught up on the happenings of our lives as we embark on a new journey**