I have a love/hate relationship with the grocery store, do any of ya'll? I HATE menu planning. I feel like I fix the same stuff every other week and I try to include Jace and ask if anything sounds good to him just so I can get some ideas. His typical response is, "I don't care" and I proceed to tell him that they don't sell "I don't care" at the grocery. I typically make out the weekly menu on Wednesday night and then go shopping on Thursday. On Wednesday night I have pinterest pulled up on my phone, the pantry door wide open, and my cookbooks out. By the time I am finished making out the menu, I am exhausted and none of the dinners sound good.
My Teak once said that grocery shopping is exhausting because you have to pick up the item, put it in your cart, take it out of cart, put it on the conveyor belt, put the bag into your car, take the bag out of the car, take the items out of the bags, and put them away into the frig/pantry. If that isn't the truth! There is so much effort that goes into grocery shopping but there really isn't anything like fixing a meal for your family. The dinner table is one my favorite places in a home and I have so many fond memories that come from sitting at Mom and Teak's dinner tables.
After I menu plan, I act like an old lady and go through my coupons. Ya'll I am not a "coupon extreme" lady but I love seeing the total drop when I hand over my coupons and Kroger card. I have e-coupons on my Kroger card and even fill out the survey on the bottom of my receipt just to get an extra 50 fuel points. Every penny adds up!
When Thursday rolls around, I shop. I like going on Thursdays because it isn't crowded and I have a better chance of avoiding screaming babies and the decision makers--you know those people who can't make a decision and take up the whole aisle. Well last night I went to the grocery and had to get several things from the deli and I have coupons for $1 off if you buy a pound of deli meat. Stamper only requires 1/2 pound of deli meat for his lunches so I knew I couldn't use the coupons. As I am waiting, the guy next to me orders a pound of meat. Now I know I looked a little crazy but I handed him my coupon and said I'm not going to use this but you can. Well he was tickled pink and had just moved to Smyrna. I hope he thinks Smyrna is a nice little area after our interaction at the Kroger deli. Then I turned around and there was another guy and he ordered a pound of meat. I had another coupon and by this time I really did look like the crazy coupon lady and handled him a coupon. He was so appreciative, both of them were! Y'all as I left the deli with my meat and cheese I felt like Oprah, "YOU get a coupon and YOU get a coupon!"
The rest of the shopping trip was fine but do you know what the highlight of the night was? The grocery store played Brittany Spears, "Hit Me Baby One More Time". Ya'll I just about turned the Lipton tea box into a microphone. I was singing along and having a grand time. Then I saw a young boy and I thought to myself he doesn't even know who Brittany Spears is. Then I felt really old and I thought well this is depressing because I now think the grocery store has great music! Next thing you know I will tell Jace I am going to go sweat to the oldies in the grocery store because why not? Great music and do you know what turning that cart can do for your arms? I truly feel like pushing and turning a grocery cart full of groceries can be considered exercise. Sometimes I have to take those turns WIDE and it takes everything in me to turn that hoss.
I love the shopping aspect but then the hate comes back and with full vengeance with the unloading. Now Jace is really great about helping me unload the car but mind you there are 39 steps, up three flights of stairs, to our apartment. It is like a game of how many bags we can carry at one time. We turn into heavy weight lifters at this point and just grind all the way up with bag handles tearing into our forearms. Now this sounds like an Olympic sport and quite frankly after three trips up the steps it feels like one. Whenever we leave our little apartment I will probably be in the best shape of my life just from grocery shopping and bringing them up the stairs!
I can only hope that next Thursday night Kroger will have some classic hits from my childhood and two lucky folks will get my remaining $1 off a pound of deli meat coupons. I'm just trying to spread the love, one pound at a time.Y'all let me know if you have an Oprah moment at your local deli or if you turn your grocery into your own personal karaoke stage!
Have a great weekend y'all!
Friday, August 14, 2015
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Crying over Colleagues...
This morning Stamp rolled out of bed at an unGodly hour and I thought why is he up? Then I remembered what today is and everything made sense. Jace is leaving work early today to visit a dear friend and former colleague, Barb, at her surprise retirement party! Barb has been in the legal field for almost 40 years and Jace got to work with Barb for 7 years! Barb proving a listening ear, encouraging voice, and guiding hand for Jace during his time at Hargrove and Foster. Barb, Jace and another sweet lady, Teresa, worked in the real estate department and those three new what was happening in Graves Co. at all times. They were their own little family and Jace gained two extra mommas with those two ladies!
I loved that Jace worked so closely with two women and did so before we got married. Honey, he knew more about menopause and pregnancy than I did because of Barb and Teresa. Those ladies supported Jace while he was at Murray and checked in with him while he was at MC Law. He tried to stop in while he was home on breaks and I often would go with him. The way Jace would say in his deep voice, "Barbara" and the grin she would give him followed by a long hug would melt anyone. They truly loved one another and their relationship is like mother-son. Barb always says that Jace has a "shitty grin" on his face and you know what that grin comes out (as well as his dimples) when he is around her.
Barb has no idea that he is going home to surprise her and I only wish I could be a fly on the wall to see her reaction when he walks through that door. Hargrove and Foster allowed Jace to discover his love for law but he also discovered some really good people there too!
I was thinking about all of this this morning before work and then Jennifer texted me pictures of Abby and Riley on their first day of school, pre-K and 5th grade. Now I have a momma's heart even though I am not a momma right now but seeing those kids in new clothes, backpacks on and ready, huge smiles, and faces lit up in excitement made me a little teary. I can remember when Jennifer was pregnant with Abby trying to choke down a peanut butter sandwich in my office when she was deathly morning sick. How can Abby be a pre-K kiddo now? (Jennifer if you are reading this I'm sorry I made you cry, time to go get a coke).
All of this wasn't lost on me this morning with Barb and Jennifer. Sometimes God lets you work with people who turn out to be really good friends--like family--and over time they become staples in your life and very influential. You become attached to their families and next thing you know you are going to their retirement parties and crying over how great their kids look on the first day of school. My prayer is that I can be like Barb and Jennifer and love on my colleagues and invest in their lives because you just never know the impact you can have on someone.
I loved that Jace worked so closely with two women and did so before we got married. Honey, he knew more about menopause and pregnancy than I did because of Barb and Teresa. Those ladies supported Jace while he was at Murray and checked in with him while he was at MC Law. He tried to stop in while he was home on breaks and I often would go with him. The way Jace would say in his deep voice, "Barbara" and the grin she would give him followed by a long hug would melt anyone. They truly loved one another and their relationship is like mother-son. Barb always says that Jace has a "shitty grin" on his face and you know what that grin comes out (as well as his dimples) when he is around her.
Barb has no idea that he is going home to surprise her and I only wish I could be a fly on the wall to see her reaction when he walks through that door. Hargrove and Foster allowed Jace to discover his love for law but he also discovered some really good people there too!
I was thinking about all of this this morning before work and then Jennifer texted me pictures of Abby and Riley on their first day of school, pre-K and 5th grade. Now I have a momma's heart even though I am not a momma right now but seeing those kids in new clothes, backpacks on and ready, huge smiles, and faces lit up in excitement made me a little teary. I can remember when Jennifer was pregnant with Abby trying to choke down a peanut butter sandwich in my office when she was deathly morning sick. How can Abby be a pre-K kiddo now? (Jennifer if you are reading this I'm sorry I made you cry, time to go get a coke).
All of this wasn't lost on me this morning with Barb and Jennifer. Sometimes God lets you work with people who turn out to be really good friends--like family--and over time they become staples in your life and very influential. You become attached to their families and next thing you know you are going to their retirement parties and crying over how great their kids look on the first day of school. My prayer is that I can be like Barb and Jennifer and love on my colleagues and invest in their lives because you just never know the impact you can have on someone.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
It's been awhile...
Hello, it's me. I haven't blogged in over a year and it saddens me that I was gone for so long. The truth is I have missed blogging and documenting our life. This past year has flown by and we are finally settled into life here in Nashville and honey we are loving every minute of it.
I truly hope I can keep the blog going but I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. Most nights I get home and after dinner and dishes are finished, I just want to crash. I don't know when I am going to blog but right now the words are flowing while I scarf down a Lean Cuisine during my lunch hour.
There are so many things that I need to go back and blog about: Ross is going to be a DAD (baby boy!), my high school reunion, the Shania Twain concert, our second year anniversary and then there are the funny things that happen in every day life that need to be remembered.
Something that I remember but would love to forget is school traffic. Listen, its a successful morning when I can get Jace and myself out the door in the morning with coffee and lunch in-hand. I by no means have any idea what it is like to dress someone, feed another mouth, and get out the door by 7 AM. God Bless mothers! And while I am blessing, let's bless the teachers that are taking on another school year. Your patience amazes me and your stories make me bend over in laughter. Y'all all say you are going to write a book with your stories and you should begin with Day 1--you know it would be a best seller!
On my way to work, I pass through 4 school zones and I am trying to get up earlier to avoid school traffic. I am also trying to avoid when the kiddos walk to school because I can't have vehicular manslaughter on my conscious or record. Another reason why I am getting up earlier is because I am trying to exercise. Jace has watched, listened, and encouraged me for several months while I sweat it out in our living room to the words, "you think you are going to die!" yelled by Jillian Michaels. Yes, Jillian, yes I do think I am going to die! And when I say Jace encourages me, he says "Good Job!" when I am finished while he eats his cereal and is checking early morning emails. Oh what I would give to eat his cereal instead of jumping lunges, crunches, and traveling push-ups. In case you are wondering, yes our neighbor below us must love us. Thank goodness she hasn't said anything about the banging upstairs in the mornings! So by the time I finish working out, catch my breath, and go through school traffic I am more than ready for my coffee and need a small devotional minute.
If you started school today, go get 'em tiger. If you have a few more days left of summer break, go to the pool for me! As for me, I'll be dying a slow and painful death at the hands of Jillian Michaels and praying that I don't get stuck in school traffic!
Happy to be back y'all!
I truly hope I can keep the blog going but I'm not going to put any pressure on myself. Most nights I get home and after dinner and dishes are finished, I just want to crash. I don't know when I am going to blog but right now the words are flowing while I scarf down a Lean Cuisine during my lunch hour.
There are so many things that I need to go back and blog about: Ross is going to be a DAD (baby boy!), my high school reunion, the Shania Twain concert, our second year anniversary and then there are the funny things that happen in every day life that need to be remembered.
Something that I remember but would love to forget is school traffic. Listen, its a successful morning when I can get Jace and myself out the door in the morning with coffee and lunch in-hand. I by no means have any idea what it is like to dress someone, feed another mouth, and get out the door by 7 AM. God Bless mothers! And while I am blessing, let's bless the teachers that are taking on another school year. Your patience amazes me and your stories make me bend over in laughter. Y'all all say you are going to write a book with your stories and you should begin with Day 1--you know it would be a best seller!
On my way to work, I pass through 4 school zones and I am trying to get up earlier to avoid school traffic. I am also trying to avoid when the kiddos walk to school because I can't have vehicular manslaughter on my conscious or record. Another reason why I am getting up earlier is because I am trying to exercise. Jace has watched, listened, and encouraged me for several months while I sweat it out in our living room to the words, "you think you are going to die!" yelled by Jillian Michaels. Yes, Jillian, yes I do think I am going to die! And when I say Jace encourages me, he says "Good Job!" when I am finished while he eats his cereal and is checking early morning emails. Oh what I would give to eat his cereal instead of jumping lunges, crunches, and traveling push-ups. In case you are wondering, yes our neighbor below us must love us. Thank goodness she hasn't said anything about the banging upstairs in the mornings! So by the time I finish working out, catch my breath, and go through school traffic I am more than ready for my coffee and need a small devotional minute.
If you started school today, go get 'em tiger. If you have a few more days left of summer break, go to the pool for me! As for me, I'll be dying a slow and painful death at the hands of Jillian Michaels and praying that I don't get stuck in school traffic!
Happy to be back y'all!
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Our first dinner party!
Well, we made it to Smyrna and are loving this new chapter of our lives. Boxes are unpacked, the Penske truck has been returned, and I think my head has finally stopped spinning from the whirlwind that we just experienced. I will do a big blog post about the move and the week it took to get settled later but, today's post is about our first dinner party.
Jace and I have never entertained before. Our parents and sister-in-law visited us while we were in Gainesville but to say that we had friends over, no. This past Saturday night we wanted to thank Jay and Lisa Cash for letting us spend the night with them the night before we moved into our apartment. We thought we would do the Southern thing and host dinner. Jace and I were both excited to have friends over. The last time Jay and Lisa were at our apartment, they brought boxes up and helped carry in our mattress and couch. With time, the boxes have been unpacked and this once empty space looks and feels like a home.
Now, there is no motivation greater to clean your house than when guests come over. I keep a clean house but we needed to do the weekly chores: dusting, vacuuming, mopping, laundry. I also had to go to the grocery store and gather groceries for our dinner. Jace and I had thought about grilling hamburgers and having the traditional summer sides with our meal. I need to mention that grilling hamburgers is a BIG thing to us. At our Gainesville apartment, we couldn't have a grill. Our new complex has grills and we planned on being one of the first people to use them. With grocery list in hand, I decide to stop by the apartment club house and double check if the grills were in fact working. Thank goodness, I didn't buy five pounds of hamburgers because the grills are not working yet because our complex is still so new. I ran back to our apartment and in a slightly dramatic way, opened every cookbook I have and even had Jace pouring over recipes. We were hosting a dinner party and had no idea what we were going to have for dinner! Jace being the rational one, calmly suggested chicken lime tacos which is one of our favorite meals. We quickly decided on a Mexican themed dinner and after I redid my grocery list, I headed for Kroger.
Once home, I put dinner in the crockpot and fixed a peach cobbler. Jace and I finished cleaning the apartment and before we knew it, it was almost time for Jay and Lisa to come over. Before they came, I set out all my dishes, serving utensils, and napkins--honey I was ready to entertain! The chicken was done and needed to be shredded. Y'all I opened up the crockpot and the five boneless, skinless chicken breasts must have shrunk in size when they cooked. I kept shredding hoping that somehow, miraculously more chicken would appear. I looked at Jace and told him to fill up on chips and salsa and to let Jay and Lisa eat the chicken. I also told him to run down the road to Pollo Tropical and pick up some chicken before they got here. Y'all, if I'm lying, I'm dying five minutes after I had this panic attack of "we-are-hosting-our-first-dinner-party-and-don't-have-enough-food", Jay and Lisa knocked on our door. We were honest with Jay and Lisa and told them that we didn't have enough food and thankfully we all laughed about it. In a "five loaves of bread and two fish" moment, miraculously there was more than enough chicken for the chicken lime tacos! The evening was so much fun and Jay and Lisa complimented me on dinner. I knew the peach cobbler was a big hit when Jay had his bowl already ate before I sat down to the table after serving everyone.
Overall, we had a great time hosting our first dinner party and had even greater first guests! Thankfully, it is something that gave us a laugh and Jay and Lisa were understanding. We welcome more guests and hope to see many more friends soon!
Jace and I have never entertained before. Our parents and sister-in-law visited us while we were in Gainesville but to say that we had friends over, no. This past Saturday night we wanted to thank Jay and Lisa Cash for letting us spend the night with them the night before we moved into our apartment. We thought we would do the Southern thing and host dinner. Jace and I were both excited to have friends over. The last time Jay and Lisa were at our apartment, they brought boxes up and helped carry in our mattress and couch. With time, the boxes have been unpacked and this once empty space looks and feels like a home.
Now, there is no motivation greater to clean your house than when guests come over. I keep a clean house but we needed to do the weekly chores: dusting, vacuuming, mopping, laundry. I also had to go to the grocery store and gather groceries for our dinner. Jace and I had thought about grilling hamburgers and having the traditional summer sides with our meal. I need to mention that grilling hamburgers is a BIG thing to us. At our Gainesville apartment, we couldn't have a grill. Our new complex has grills and we planned on being one of the first people to use them. With grocery list in hand, I decide to stop by the apartment club house and double check if the grills were in fact working. Thank goodness, I didn't buy five pounds of hamburgers because the grills are not working yet because our complex is still so new. I ran back to our apartment and in a slightly dramatic way, opened every cookbook I have and even had Jace pouring over recipes. We were hosting a dinner party and had no idea what we were going to have for dinner! Jace being the rational one, calmly suggested chicken lime tacos which is one of our favorite meals. We quickly decided on a Mexican themed dinner and after I redid my grocery list, I headed for Kroger.
Once home, I put dinner in the crockpot and fixed a peach cobbler. Jace and I finished cleaning the apartment and before we knew it, it was almost time for Jay and Lisa to come over. Before they came, I set out all my dishes, serving utensils, and napkins--honey I was ready to entertain! The chicken was done and needed to be shredded. Y'all I opened up the crockpot and the five boneless, skinless chicken breasts must have shrunk in size when they cooked. I kept shredding hoping that somehow, miraculously more chicken would appear. I looked at Jace and told him to fill up on chips and salsa and to let Jay and Lisa eat the chicken. I also told him to run down the road to Pollo Tropical and pick up some chicken before they got here. Y'all, if I'm lying, I'm dying five minutes after I had this panic attack of "we-are-hosting-our-first-dinner-party-and-don't-have-enough-food", Jay and Lisa knocked on our door. We were honest with Jay and Lisa and told them that we didn't have enough food and thankfully we all laughed about it. In a "five loaves of bread and two fish" moment, miraculously there was more than enough chicken for the chicken lime tacos! The evening was so much fun and Jay and Lisa complimented me on dinner. I knew the peach cobbler was a big hit when Jay had his bowl already ate before I sat down to the table after serving everyone.
Overall, we had a great time hosting our first dinner party and had even greater first guests! Thankfully, it is something that gave us a laugh and Jay and Lisa were understanding. We welcome more guests and hope to see many more friends soon!
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
What a whirlwind!
On May 26, 2012, Jace Stamper proposed to me and it was one of the greatest days of my life. I knew life would be busy leading up to the wedding but then I thought things would calm down after our wedding. Boy was I wrong! Life has been going at WARP speed and honey I need to catch my breath. I never knew how much life two people could try to cram into 2 short years. As a Family Studies major, I know of a stress questionnaire and ya'll I have checked off every box except having a baby, buying a car, and buying a home. Thinking of those three things alone makes me want to hide under the covers.
I feel like I have so much to blog about and have drafted posts in my head only to stare at a blank computer screen or worse, not even make the effort to open up a new post draft. I'm tired at night and quite frankly don't want to stare at the computer screen any longer however, the urge to blog is still there. This post is an attempt to record our life's happenings since Jace's graduation (read: this could be wordy and lengthy).
After Jace graduated, we packed up and headed to Hilton Head which is our slice of paradise. We have been going for years now and its just comfortable to us.
We started our week off by visiting Charleston and enjoyed seeing this historic Southern town.
We ate Moonpies and drank RCs in Charleston, took a carriage ride through town where I proceeded to ask the tour guide about the filming of Bravo's Southern Charm TV show. As Jace said, only I would ask something like that. We also visited the famous Angle Oak Tree that is regularly seen in Southern Living Magazine; what a beauty she was.
I know some people may find it odd that I am enamored by a tree but honey Live Oaks are amazing to me and scream the South!
The rest of the week was spent by the beach where Jace and I talked about everything and anything but nothing really of significance. We started our mornings off slow on our villa's screened-in porch drinking coffee and reading our Internet sites.
At some point we would decide to get ready for the beach and head out. We would come in for lunch and then we would stay late into the afternoon. The five o'clock hour is my favorite time at the beach. All the families have packed up for the day and are heading out to dinner, the tide is up, its quiet, and the sun couldn't get any more golden. That my friends, is the perfect time of day!
We hit up our usual restaurants and I thoroughly enjoyed not prepping, cooking, or cleaning up after dinner for seven nights! One night we ventured out to a new place called Skull Creek Boathouse.
Ya'll it went down that night. By the end of the night we were dancing under a Live Oak tree swaying to the music of some great band. Memories were definitely made and I am already itching to go back.
On our way out of town, we stopped at Savannah only to find ourselves in a lengthy downpour.
It made for one wet trolly ride through town but it was fun nonetheless.Thankfully, we have toured Savannah before and I was familiar with the sites of the city.
When reality hit and we realized vacation really was over, life hit with full force. We suddenly found ourselves in a straight-up panic because the apartment that we had fell in love with was WAY behind in construction. Our move-in date of July 1 was only wishful thinking and we had to go back to the drawing board. I chose to live in denial about everything whereas Jace scoured Craig's List for some type of housing. Our months of planning, searching, and budgeting was basically in vain and we might as well have been twiddling our thumbs this entire Spring. I was pretty hopeless at this point until Jace found another NEW apartment complex that was almost finished with construction. We immediately contacted them and on July 1st we will move-in and be official residents of Smyrna, TN.
As far as the move-in process goes, Lord help! Y'all we live in 600 sq. feet so we only brought down the necessities. We can't start boxing up our things until the weekend before we move because where would we put our stuff? Besides, we need that stuff for the remaining two weeks we are in Gainesville. Jace has rented a Penske truck for our move and big boy gets to drive that thing! I will follow along in his car (Dana and Rickey drove my car back to KY when they came down for graduation). I told Jace that as soon as we cross the FL state line into GA that I will blare his horn so hard. Y'all we have lived 10 months in FL and I don't suspect that we will visit for a L-O-N-G time! We are both ready to get out of Gville and head up North to get to the true South. As a Southern woman, all I can say to the people of Gainesville is, "Bless Your Heart".
Now, the one good thing that we have found in FL is IKEA. I think I have blogged about it before but y'all we went back! We somehow got two nightstands, a 6 dresser chest, and a headboard and foot board into Jace's car! We walked in there with a plan and a tape measure and everyone looked at us funny. Don't mess with a woman who wants matching furniture. I will find a way to stuff long, heavy cardboard boxes into a Honda Accord. (In reality, Jace put the boxes in the car and I just scooted the seats!)
We ventured home last week for my father's mother's visitation and funeral. My MeMaw was a hog farmer through-and-through. She worked right along with the men and ran the show. Her health had been declining but her death was unexpected. With any funeral there are a range of emotions and Jace was there to see me through all of them. In ten short months of marriage, we have moved, had a few job search processes, a graduation, a death and are about ready to move again. Life can be funny at times but it can also wear your butt plum out. I think right now I am worn out and am ready for life to ease up just a little.
While we were home, we visited Sandy Keith's version of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, a/k/a her basement, where all our wedding gifts are stored. Y'all, people were so generous to us! We have honestly forgotten about what all we got and its all so nice! Jace and I sorted things into two piles: "the-things-going-to-Smyrna" pile and "the-things-we-will-put-in-a-china-cabinet-one-day-but-will-stay-in-Mom's-basement-for-the-time-being" pile. I feel like I should write another round of thank you notes to everyone who gave us a gift because we will finally get to use 75% of our gifts once we move. So if you gave us a wedding gift, thank you so much for your generosity and love. Your gift is greatly appreciated and will finally be used!
We came back to Gainesville on Saturday night because even though Jace has graduated, he has this course (from the Spring semester) where he has to present a paper he wrote (in the Spring semester). Do we sound bitter? Maybe a little! So he sits in class for two hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays listening to other paper presentations; his presentation is on the 20th. His group is the only one who has to present their paper which given our luck, makes perfect sense. In his down time, Jace has done the "paperwork" for our move. No wonder people hate moving, there is so much paperwork involved! Speaking of paperwork, we made our first adult purchase together: a filing cabinet with hanging folders. You've never met two kids so excited to file crap away!
So that is what has been going on with the Stamper's. It has been a complete whirlwind and we haven't even moved yet! We pick up the Penske truck on the 29th and the big move will be on the 30th, at which time I will have no idea where our towels, toothbrushes, or brains will be! Lord help us!
I feel like I have so much to blog about and have drafted posts in my head only to stare at a blank computer screen or worse, not even make the effort to open up a new post draft. I'm tired at night and quite frankly don't want to stare at the computer screen any longer however, the urge to blog is still there. This post is an attempt to record our life's happenings since Jace's graduation (read: this could be wordy and lengthy).
After Jace graduated, we packed up and headed to Hilton Head which is our slice of paradise. We have been going for years now and its just comfortable to us.
We ate Moonpies and drank RCs in Charleston, took a carriage ride through town where I proceeded to ask the tour guide about the filming of Bravo's Southern Charm TV show. As Jace said, only I would ask something like that. We also visited the famous Angle Oak Tree that is regularly seen in Southern Living Magazine; what a beauty she was.
I know some people may find it odd that I am enamored by a tree but honey Live Oaks are amazing to me and scream the South!
The rest of the week was spent by the beach where Jace and I talked about everything and anything but nothing really of significance. We started our mornings off slow on our villa's screened-in porch drinking coffee and reading our Internet sites.
At some point we would decide to get ready for the beach and head out. We would come in for lunch and then we would stay late into the afternoon. The five o'clock hour is my favorite time at the beach. All the families have packed up for the day and are heading out to dinner, the tide is up, its quiet, and the sun couldn't get any more golden. That my friends, is the perfect time of day!
We hit up our usual restaurants and I thoroughly enjoyed not prepping, cooking, or cleaning up after dinner for seven nights! One night we ventured out to a new place called Skull Creek Boathouse.
 |
| Waiting for dinner at Skull Creek |
On our way out of town, we stopped at Savannah only to find ourselves in a lengthy downpour.
 |
| Savannah Cotton Exchange |
When reality hit and we realized vacation really was over, life hit with full force. We suddenly found ourselves in a straight-up panic because the apartment that we had fell in love with was WAY behind in construction. Our move-in date of July 1 was only wishful thinking and we had to go back to the drawing board. I chose to live in denial about everything whereas Jace scoured Craig's List for some type of housing. Our months of planning, searching, and budgeting was basically in vain and we might as well have been twiddling our thumbs this entire Spring. I was pretty hopeless at this point until Jace found another NEW apartment complex that was almost finished with construction. We immediately contacted them and on July 1st we will move-in and be official residents of Smyrna, TN.
As far as the move-in process goes, Lord help! Y'all we live in 600 sq. feet so we only brought down the necessities. We can't start boxing up our things until the weekend before we move because where would we put our stuff? Besides, we need that stuff for the remaining two weeks we are in Gainesville. Jace has rented a Penske truck for our move and big boy gets to drive that thing! I will follow along in his car (Dana and Rickey drove my car back to KY when they came down for graduation). I told Jace that as soon as we cross the FL state line into GA that I will blare his horn so hard. Y'all we have lived 10 months in FL and I don't suspect that we will visit for a L-O-N-G time! We are both ready to get out of Gville and head up North to get to the true South. As a Southern woman, all I can say to the people of Gainesville is, "Bless Your Heart".
Now, the one good thing that we have found in FL is IKEA. I think I have blogged about it before but y'all we went back! We somehow got two nightstands, a 6 dresser chest, and a headboard and foot board into Jace's car! We walked in there with a plan and a tape measure and everyone looked at us funny. Don't mess with a woman who wants matching furniture. I will find a way to stuff long, heavy cardboard boxes into a Honda Accord. (In reality, Jace put the boxes in the car and I just scooted the seats!)
We ventured home last week for my father's mother's visitation and funeral. My MeMaw was a hog farmer through-and-through. She worked right along with the men and ran the show. Her health had been declining but her death was unexpected. With any funeral there are a range of emotions and Jace was there to see me through all of them. In ten short months of marriage, we have moved, had a few job search processes, a graduation, a death and are about ready to move again. Life can be funny at times but it can also wear your butt plum out. I think right now I am worn out and am ready for life to ease up just a little.
While we were home, we visited Sandy Keith's version of Bed, Bath, and Beyond, a/k/a her basement, where all our wedding gifts are stored. Y'all, people were so generous to us! We have honestly forgotten about what all we got and its all so nice! Jace and I sorted things into two piles: "the-things-going-to-Smyrna" pile and "the-things-we-will-put-in-a-china-cabinet-one-day-but-will-stay-in-Mom's-basement-for-the-time-being" pile. I feel like I should write another round of thank you notes to everyone who gave us a gift because we will finally get to use 75% of our gifts once we move. So if you gave us a wedding gift, thank you so much for your generosity and love. Your gift is greatly appreciated and will finally be used!
We came back to Gainesville on Saturday night because even though Jace has graduated, he has this course (from the Spring semester) where he has to present a paper he wrote (in the Spring semester). Do we sound bitter? Maybe a little! So he sits in class for two hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays listening to other paper presentations; his presentation is on the 20th. His group is the only one who has to present their paper which given our luck, makes perfect sense. In his down time, Jace has done the "paperwork" for our move. No wonder people hate moving, there is so much paperwork involved! Speaking of paperwork, we made our first adult purchase together: a filing cabinet with hanging folders. You've never met two kids so excited to file crap away!
So that is what has been going on with the Stamper's. It has been a complete whirlwind and we haven't even moved yet! We pick up the Penske truck on the 29th and the big move will be on the 30th, at which time I will have no idea where our towels, toothbrushes, or brains will be! Lord help us!
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Jace's LL.M. Graduation
One day I was reading the The Small Things Blog and Kate's husband was graduating from grad school and she said that she has only known her husband as a student. After I read this I almost shouted, "Amen sista!" because it resonated with me so much. Jace is many things: husband, friend, counselor, supporter, UK fan, best chocolate-chip-cookie-baker, superb ironer, editor, and the list could go on and on. In addition to all these things, Jace has been a student and has been in school for almost 25 years; when I think of that, some people retire after 25 years of working! On May 16th, his role as a student concluded with his graduation from UF!
Jace's parents came into town for his graduation and we had a wonderful weekend together. I don't think proud described Dana and Rickey that day. They are proud of his hard work, his dedication, and persistence which has led to a wonderful job. I can tell how happy they are as parents knowing that he can provide for himself and is doing what he truly loves.
It was a wonderful day and now that its passed, we are adjusting to life without school. Who knew how much free time we would have together! No more papers, problems, or finals! Can I get a Hallelujah! On August 3, 2013 Kory Wilcoxson married us and said that that day would be the start of the rest of our lives. Yes, that was correct but really May 16th, 2014 was the start to the rest of our lives. Honey, I've been lovin' it ever since!
But in all seriousness, Jace's journey has also been my journey. We have walked this path together and Lord only knows there have been peaks and pits but we did it together, hand-in-hand. At times, I think Jace worries that he has "dragged" me along and some people may think that. I assure him that I would do this all over again and that I wouldn't do this with anyone but him. You see, his dream has been my dream too. I wrote in his graduation card what a blessing it was for me to experience all of this with him. He accomplished his dreams and I got to witness it first-hand. How many people truly accomplish what they set out to do? Jace did, and I got to be in the front row seat!
This journey has shaped our relationship and marriage and the way we communicate. Lord knows I made that boy talk on the phone for years and it is has made an impact on how we handle our differences and just life in general. In addition, we don't take our time for granted because we remember how taxing (pun intended) the distance was on our relationship. Though the journey was long (and I'm sure some people questioned if Jace was ever going to finish school), it really was the biggest blessing for the both of us.
Now that our school days are behind us, we are so excited. We are excited about moving to the Nashville area and just living life sans school. I, for one, am excited to just live life without worrying about finals every December and May! The next graduation I will go to will be our child's Kindergarten graduation and honey, believe me when I say that won't be for a L-O-N-G time. So until then, we're just going to continue enjoying this crazy journey of ours!
Jace's parents came into town for his graduation and we had a wonderful weekend together. I don't think proud described Dana and Rickey that day. They are proud of his hard work, his dedication, and persistence which has led to a wonderful job. I can tell how happy they are as parents knowing that he can provide for himself and is doing what he truly loves.
It was a wonderful day and now that its passed, we are adjusting to life without school. Who knew how much free time we would have together! No more papers, problems, or finals! Can I get a Hallelujah! On August 3, 2013 Kory Wilcoxson married us and said that that day would be the start of the rest of our lives. Yes, that was correct but really May 16th, 2014 was the start to the rest of our lives. Honey, I've been lovin' it ever since!
But in all seriousness, Jace's journey has also been my journey. We have walked this path together and Lord only knows there have been peaks and pits but we did it together, hand-in-hand. At times, I think Jace worries that he has "dragged" me along and some people may think that. I assure him that I would do this all over again and that I wouldn't do this with anyone but him. You see, his dream has been my dream too. I wrote in his graduation card what a blessing it was for me to experience all of this with him. He accomplished his dreams and I got to witness it first-hand. How many people truly accomplish what they set out to do? Jace did, and I got to be in the front row seat!
This journey has shaped our relationship and marriage and the way we communicate. Lord knows I made that boy talk on the phone for years and it is has made an impact on how we handle our differences and just life in general. In addition, we don't take our time for granted because we remember how taxing (pun intended) the distance was on our relationship. Though the journey was long (and I'm sure some people questioned if Jace was ever going to finish school), it really was the biggest blessing for the both of us.
Now that our school days are behind us, we are so excited. We are excited about moving to the Nashville area and just living life sans school. I, for one, am excited to just live life without worrying about finals every December and May! The next graduation I will go to will be our child's Kindergarten graduation and honey, believe me when I say that won't be for a L-O-N-G time. So until then, we're just going to continue enjoying this crazy journey of ours!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Our trip to IKEA
Last Saturday morning rolled around and we had an easy morning, which was a welcome relief to our usual Saturday mornings of Jace running to school. We drove two hours to Tampa and then there it was, IKEA. Oh, you couldn't miss it the store was so big. When we walked in, we truly were not prepared for the experience we were about to encounter. We arrived a little before 12 and left at 3 PM! A full three hours of shopping, making decisions, and planning.
I came prepared and had brought a pillow from our couch. Our couch is a deep burnt red and is something from Jace's bachelor days. I would love to update the pillows and brought it along to try and match up to the red. We had talked prior to the trip about the things we wanted to look for, mainly a headboard and some pillows. When we walked in IKEA, we let the other customers take the lead and we followed what they did. Everyone was grabbing a big yellow bag. You put the straps of the yellow bag on a cart that doesn't have the buggy part. You also pick up something that looks like a grid, where you write down the price of the item, the item name, the aisle and bin number, and the item ID number. The store is a long maze and you must travel through the entire store; there are no aisles that you walk past or can skip. It is a wonderful marketing strategy-the more you see, the more you want to buy.
We fell victim to this strategy! The first level was furniture. We found a bookcase for Jace and then we rounded the corner and found another set that we loved even more. While looking at the bookcase we found a TV stand that we liked. We have a TV stand now but you know an upgrade is never a bad thing! We hummed and hawed about the TV stand and ultimately decided what we have now works just fine. Our next stop was the bedroom suites and we spent so much time here. We finally decided on our suite but didn't really know which color we liked best. After careful thought and consideration, we made our decision and I wrote down all the information for the suite on the grid. The ticket information said that the bedroom suite was temporarily unavailable but I was hopeful they could ship it. Oh they would ship it all right, to the tune of $250!!! We fell in love with the suite and more importantly, the price, and made up our minds that this is what we wanted but we will have to wait. When we get to Nashville, we might have to do a quick trip to Atlanta to pick it up sometime soon.
After we discovered the bedroom suite was not available, we needed a bite to eat. IKEA has their own cafeteria, complete with trays and all! We ate a quick bite and were so happy to sit down for a minute. We picked back up and headed to the ground level which was accent pieces and smaller items. At this point, we were getting weary and quickly scanned through everything. They had anything from forks, plates, dishtowels, curtains, curtain rods, candles, mirrors, you name it--they had it! Even though I came prepared with the couch pillow, nothing really stood out to us. I noticed that no one else brought something from their home and I was the girl who looked like I was ready to take a nap anywhere with my trusty couch pillow!
When we had come to the end of the ground level the real work began! The ground level opened up into a warehouse-type setting. You had to use your grid and find the aisles and bin number of the item you wanted to purchase. They had flat bed carts for you to use and you had to load up your own items. Jace didn't know he was going to need that much muscle for this shopping trip but I didn't mind seeing his flexed muscles in his Polo! We left IKEA with two new bookshelves and two toys for pup! But y'all I have to tell you we were plum wore out when we got to our car. Before we started shopping, we talked about going to Clearwater and exploring Tampa but all we wanted to do was get home and lay down. Jace said our IKEA experience was similar to completing our wedding registry and I couldn't agree more. We were constantly thinking, calculating prices, and planning where we were going to put the item.
If you haven't been to IKEA, I would definitely recommend it. It's an experience! It is wonderful if you are on a budget, outfitting a new apartment or dorm room. It also has baby items for all the mommas out there. Now if only our bedroom suite would become available...
I came prepared and had brought a pillow from our couch. Our couch is a deep burnt red and is something from Jace's bachelor days. I would love to update the pillows and brought it along to try and match up to the red. We had talked prior to the trip about the things we wanted to look for, mainly a headboard and some pillows. When we walked in IKEA, we let the other customers take the lead and we followed what they did. Everyone was grabbing a big yellow bag. You put the straps of the yellow bag on a cart that doesn't have the buggy part. You also pick up something that looks like a grid, where you write down the price of the item, the item name, the aisle and bin number, and the item ID number. The store is a long maze and you must travel through the entire store; there are no aisles that you walk past or can skip. It is a wonderful marketing strategy-the more you see, the more you want to buy.
We fell victim to this strategy! The first level was furniture. We found a bookcase for Jace and then we rounded the corner and found another set that we loved even more. While looking at the bookcase we found a TV stand that we liked. We have a TV stand now but you know an upgrade is never a bad thing! We hummed and hawed about the TV stand and ultimately decided what we have now works just fine. Our next stop was the bedroom suites and we spent so much time here. We finally decided on our suite but didn't really know which color we liked best. After careful thought and consideration, we made our decision and I wrote down all the information for the suite on the grid. The ticket information said that the bedroom suite was temporarily unavailable but I was hopeful they could ship it. Oh they would ship it all right, to the tune of $250!!! We fell in love with the suite and more importantly, the price, and made up our minds that this is what we wanted but we will have to wait. When we get to Nashville, we might have to do a quick trip to Atlanta to pick it up sometime soon.
After we discovered the bedroom suite was not available, we needed a bite to eat. IKEA has their own cafeteria, complete with trays and all! We ate a quick bite and were so happy to sit down for a minute. We picked back up and headed to the ground level which was accent pieces and smaller items. At this point, we were getting weary and quickly scanned through everything. They had anything from forks, plates, dishtowels, curtains, curtain rods, candles, mirrors, you name it--they had it! Even though I came prepared with the couch pillow, nothing really stood out to us. I noticed that no one else brought something from their home and I was the girl who looked like I was ready to take a nap anywhere with my trusty couch pillow!
When we had come to the end of the ground level the real work began! The ground level opened up into a warehouse-type setting. You had to use your grid and find the aisles and bin number of the item you wanted to purchase. They had flat bed carts for you to use and you had to load up your own items. Jace didn't know he was going to need that much muscle for this shopping trip but I didn't mind seeing his flexed muscles in his Polo! We left IKEA with two new bookshelves and two toys for pup! But y'all I have to tell you we were plum wore out when we got to our car. Before we started shopping, we talked about going to Clearwater and exploring Tampa but all we wanted to do was get home and lay down. Jace said our IKEA experience was similar to completing our wedding registry and I couldn't agree more. We were constantly thinking, calculating prices, and planning where we were going to put the item.
If you haven't been to IKEA, I would definitely recommend it. It's an experience! It is wonderful if you are on a budget, outfitting a new apartment or dorm room. It also has baby items for all the mommas out there. Now if only our bedroom suite would become available...
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