Breaking into Fall

Dear Caroline,

Your mama and daddy have been so busy this October. This is my favorite weather for weather. It is cool but not too cold. Warm but not too hot. Amazing clothes. I get to bring my boots out of storage. We also have fall break in October, which means traveling and trying new things for us.

Fall Break began with a drive to the middle of nowhere for a beautiful wedding. Gareth, one of our best friends from college and one of your dad’s groomsman, got married on October 5^th. We had amazing time being apart of their special day. Another bonus of this wedding was that our friends from college, including our godparents (still makes me chuckle as Thomas is older than them both!) were there. We had our own table and caught up late into the evening. It was an amazing day full of love.

We visited Savannah for our Fall Break. We stayed at a nice little hotel on a historic square. We were within walking distance of everything! We were one block over from both River Street and City Market. It was Thomas’ first real trip to Savannah and so we did a lot of touristy things. We went for a river ride on the Savannah River Queen. We rode the trolley around to see the sites. I was finally able to visit Button Gwinnett’s grave in the Old Colonial Cemetery. I have been trying to visit his grave for several years, but no one in my family was ever willing to look with me or the visit was an in-and-out kind of thing. Your amazing daddy, also the history nerd, was more than willing to walk all over the cemetery to help me find it. It was really special to share this with him. We had amazing food the entire weekend. I had fabulous, buttery scallops at the Olde Pink House, tried bangers and mash for the fist time and loved them at Kevin Barry’s, and had some amazing gnocchi at Belford’s. And no trip to Savannah is complete without getting fudge and chocolate covered pretzels.  Overall, this trip was about relaxing and enjoying each other. Between us both working full time and us both being full time students, it was a needed escape from our world to just enjoy each other.

Meeting Mr. Gwinnett. 

On our ghost tour at the Sorrell-Weed House. We definitely were spooked!

October is also my mom’s birthday month. Sometimes moms are selfless and birthdays are one of the only times my mom will let us pamper her. Nana to you, my mom is such an amazing mom that loves us and deserves nothing but happiness. We went to brunch at one of our favorite Tallahassee restaurants and did presents and great food. I am so blessed to have my mama in my life.

October has been super fun, but I’ll save the Halloween updates for next time. I will say this though, baby girl. Whenever we take a trip or celebrate a special day, we miss you with everything I’ve got. It never gets any easier, but we’re getting closer to bringing you into our lives everyday!

Wish #94: I wish for lots of birthdays with you, me, and Nana makes three.

Love always

Friday-Night Date-Night

Dear Caroline,

Last night I realized how much more mature and comfortable I am with my life. Thomas and I had this “amazing” date night plan- putt putt golf, dinner, and a movie. But you know what, we decided to pass on the golf and the movie. What is the point of doing something just to do them? So instead we decided to have a long dinner with lots of great conversation, get dessert at Fresh Market, and watch a movie at home. Dinner was fabulous. Olive Garden, while absolutely not authentic, it is still great food. My favorite is the Americanized Chicken Parmesan and the lasagna fritters. For dessert, we went to our favorite grocery store. Little weird? Maybe. But it is so, so worth it. I had a cannoli and got an éclair for later. Thomas got some really sour jellybeans. When we went to pay, we realized that Thomas left the debit card at the restaurant! So we did have to go back to that side of town to pick it up. On our way out of town, we hit up Books-a-Million for some books. I of course got books for the classroom rather than the book series I’ve been dying to read. I just don’t think I’ll have the time until after I graduate in December. When we got home, we watched one of Thomas’ favorite movies, which means an awful movie. Yes, I fell asleep in the middle, but that’s okay. I get to sleep next to an amazing man.

What is the point of the Friday-Night Date-Night summary? Honestly, I loved last night way more than going out to a movie and putt-putt. I think this showcases the point of choosing the right partner. Love is all about finding the right person to share your life with. A lot of people will say that the heart wants what the heart wants. And I can’t say I disagree, but I spent a lot of praying and reflecting to understand what I really wanted and needed from a relationship instead of just jumping at the first flattery that came along. I hope to spend the rest of my life with this person and we could totally spend each night together laughing and having dessert at home. True love isn’t about the crazy outings (not to say they aren’t needed every once in awhile). It is about the love! When you are with the right person, dinner and a movie at home can mean much more than the busy, distracting activities. What can I say, I am truly in love with this man.

Wish #93: I wish for you to know your own heart and not fall for someone who does not deserve it.

Love always

Crystal Ball

Dear Caroline,

I am feeling so inspired as of right now. Sometimes all it takes is being validated by someone who knows what they are talking about rather than hearing the negatives from a politician who hasn’t stepped foot in a classroom since their own school days!

As you know baby girl, I am three months shy of graduating with my Master’s Degree! I am also working towards my gifted endorsement basically because I had to take an elective and I don’t believe in wasting money/time. If I have to take an elective, it will count for something! But I digress… Tonight’s assignment was to write a critique on the reasons why creativity is dwindling in America’s schools. I was introduced to Sir Ken Robinson who made an exceptional point that is really unrelated to the assignment tonight.

I am a child of the 80s. I grew up without computers, the Internet, cell phones, text messages, iPads, GPS, the DVR, or any of the other “modern” conveniences I know and enjoy today. My favorite TV shows from my childhood are already playing on the “classic channels”. I was born in a whole other millennium! I was educated in another millennium by teachers who never could have imagined what they were preparing me to live in. This, I think, is the most unique challenge of my job. My primary job is to prepare students for the real world. My contribution might be small, but I am setting the foundation for tomorrow. How can I do that properly without having any idea of what that tomorrow might look like? I’m sure my teachers could never have imagined everything we have in my today, just as I cannot imagine your “todays”. I’ve thought about this often in the context of you and our life together, but it is so different to imagine it in the lives of my students. Teaching is difficult no matter how you look at it.

The future is so murky. I can’t even imagine a week from now much less that far into the future. I could easily drive myself crazy EASILY by considering every little thing. At least I have a new Harry Potter film to look forward to!

Wish #92: I wish for a healthy use but not obsession of the latest technology. Everything in moderation, baby girl.

Love always

Adventure

Dear Caroline,

Here we are again, letters are always so much harder to write when I’m working! I swear I just never find the time, but you are never too far from my thoughts. Both school and work are once again in full swing. I have another amazing class with an amazing support system. I am also a couple of months away from graduation. I am working on my last class + some electives that may or may not lead to my Gifted Endorsement. I am so ready to graduate! December will be a huge month for us.

So, what have we been up to? Thomas and I are doing well and happy. We haven’t been over the last three weeks though because Thomas had bronchitis. What is it about sickness that makes grown men return to their infancy? I’m sure that I’m just as bad, but good night! Thankfully, he is feeling much better now. We have been spending so much time together and going on little adventures. We’ve been out to dinner with Katie and Leah, bought some new books, been to my first high school football game in three years, got massages yesterday, and we’ve been taking care of one another. We paid for my birthday cruise and cannot wait for a little vacation over the Christmas holidays! Can’t wait for the Bahamas. What an adventure that will be. I’ve even gotten my bikinis ready for the trip. We’ve got so many fun adventures planned, but being married is the greatest adventure of them all. I’ve been adjusting to begin to thinking that every day can be an adventure.

Wish #91: I wish for you to always see the adventure.

Tax-free

Dear Caroline,

Today was insanity! We bravely ventured out into the tax-free weekend in order to save some money on back to school/work clothes. Your mama loves a good sale and was able to get two pairs of work pants, four shirts, and a pair of shoes for under $150. Summer is quickly coming to an end, but at least I will be able to go back in “style”. When we finally made it home after seeking bargains, we got to see my mom. After getting very nostalgic, we opened up some storage units and we got to play with our coming-home-from-the-hospital dresses and baby blankets. I cannot believe I was ever this little. And I cannot believe you will ever be that little or that we will most likely miss that. We’ll make sure to have your coming home outfits in another way. But what really made the day was the nap I had when I got home. I got to come home to a comfortable home, with a comfortable job, and an amazing marriage. God is good.

Wish #90: I wish for you to be as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.

Love always