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...

It takes so little...

Within approximately 24 hours, Jace will be done with finals for FOREVER!!! Let's just take a minute and relish in this wonderful moment.......

Finals have consumed both of our lives for almost three weeks now and though I have not physically taken an exam, I am living the lifestyle of a student. I visit with Jace when he gets home from the library and several nights we have seen midnight. Then Jace is up bright and early to get to school and I can't exactly fall back asleep after he gets up. Needless to say both Jace and I have had our fair share of cups of coffee these last few weeks. Thank goodness I work from home, if not I might have had to buy more concealer for these dark circles of mine.

Sans final weeks, we unwind on Friday nights with home made Italian food (read spaghetti and frozen meatballs) and a bottle of wine. Well, with finals our date night has been put on hold. However, things resume this week and even though its Monday we are both living for the weekend. It really takes very little to make us happy and we are excited to have something to look forward to for once. This weekend, Florida plays Vandy and we are going to watch at least one game. We thought we had missed out on the season but there are four home games left and thankfully three of them are SEC play. Saturday we are venturing to Tampa, which is about 2-2.5 hours away and heading to IKEA. We have never been to IKEA and are looking for things for the new apartment.

Here is the thing about furniture shopping, we have Dom Pérignon taste on a Natty Light budget. Honey, I have "mentally" bought furniture, arranged accessories, hung pictures, and monogrammed shower curtains. All of this is equally exciting as depressing! I get so excited when I find things I like and then sadly realize that in no way, shape, or form will we be getting it anytime soon! A girl can dream right! Hopefully we will find budget friendly apartment finds at IKEA.

As I write this, I realize how sad all of this sounds. We are going to IKEA and a baseball game and I'm excited like a little girl right before her birthday. However, anything is better than getting excited about a new episode of Dateline and curling up with a real-life murder mystery like I have done for the past three weeks. Though Keith Morrison and I have had a "thriller" time together, I'm ready to do just about anything with Jace Stamper, including going to a ball game and IKEA. It really takes so little to please me...bring on the weekend!

Excited for the next chapter

Unfortunately, I have kept up with my trend of not blogging regularly. Forgive me.

Life has been whipping by and we turned around twice and April is just about over with! In April I snuck up to Kentucky for a nice little visit. Listen, I cried when the plane flew over the horse farms and I saw the horses running the track. God made all things perfect, but he spent just a little bit more time on Kentucky. It never gets old going home and seeing family.

Speaking of home, it seems like all month Jace and I have been searching for our next apartment. Searching for housing is not fun but as the old saying goes, "search now or be homeless later". I think we have finally found an apartment which is located in Symrna, TN. The apartment complex is still being built but we have found a few pictures to look at and get a feel for the complex. Jace and I have memorized the floor plan and mentality placed furniture in rooms. It is taking everything in me to not go to TJ Maxx, Homegoods, Garden Ridge, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond and start buying up things for the apartment. Lauren once told me that there will come a point in time when you would rather buy things for your home than for yourself. Oh, was she right! That time is now!

Our excitement isn't just for the apartment, it's also for this next chapter in our lives. In less than a month Jace will be done with finals, a capstone paper, and will graduate from UF. These past 9 months have gone by both fast and slow. We have finally settled into a routine here in Gainesville just in time to jack it up and create a new one in TN. We daydream what it will be like to live life without school? What will it feel like to have Jace come home from work and not have to study or work problems? What will it be like to have Jace with me on both nights and weekends? These things get me excited like a little girl waiting on Christmas Eve. Though this is the path we have chosen, we are both happy that this chapter in life is coming to an end.

It's funny how life let's you know when its time for one chapter to end. I feel like we have accomplished what we set out to do in Gainesville and now its time for something else. I compare it to the feelings I had when I was in high school. Though I enjoyed high school, I was ready to go to UK. I was ready for new experiences, new people, new beginnings. This is exactly how I feel now. I'm ready to live life without school and the stresses and time commitments that accompany it. Praise God that he has saw Jace through school and giving us patience through the years.

But as one chapter ends, I can't help but remember and reflect on the past and I feel grateful. I'm grateful that some days are over with, grateful for Jace's love and understanding when I was down and missing home, grateful for God's provisions, grateful to spend 9 whole months with Jace, and now I must stop because I'm crying! God saw us through this chapter and I know he will see us through the next. 

Shouting (at CATS and lizards)

Y'all! About last night! My word! This UK basketball team has made me mad, shaved years off my life, and made me fall in love all over again. The team at the start of the season is not the same team we are watching now and that is why this tournament has been so fun to watch. I love seeing Big Blue Nation rally together, support this team, and enjoy the moment together. Coach Cal is right, we really are crazy but is there any other way to be?

The game started and Jace immediately started picking his nails. Its a nervous habit he does and it keeps his hands busy. (He does this when he is working too). He picks until his nails are at the quick and the boy needs a manicure worst than I do. We felt ok being down by 4 at the half; we knew we were still in the game and could come back. Kentucky fans are used to the "cardiac CATS" by now and know that its the last couple of minutes that really mean the most. When we fouled the Wisconsin player who was shooting the three point shot, I thought things aren't looking so good. THEN...Aaron shot that three! Y'all we woke up the entire complex. We let it be known that we are Kentucky born and raised and are proud UK fans. Jace jumped into the air like he was Superman and I was stomping my feet and screaming, "we goin' to the 'ship, we goin' to the 'ship!". We were so excited and screamed so much that I considered taking a Halls cough drop. Who would have believed UK would be preparing for the National Championship game and that Aaron Harrison could hit back-to-back three point game winning shots? I so proud to be a UK alum and a part of Big Blue Nation!

I thought my screaming was done for this weekend but it wasn't. At church this morning, proudly wearing our blue, we stood to sing the first hymn of the day. We were on the first stanza when out of the corner of my eye, I saw it. I wish I could say I saw the Holy Spirit but instead it was a LIZARD!!! It was the same kind of lizards that are everywhere here but I prefer for them to be outside and me, inside.

I froze still and Jace knew something was wrong. The lizard was on the floor just one pew in front of us. I thought if that sucker comes near me I will shout to the rooftops and I don't know if it will be "Hosanna". The song ended and I tapped the girl in front of us on the shoulder and told her there was a lizard right by her. She turned around a few seconds later and said it had went to the other side of the aisle. Now listen, I am just a girl from KY and we have blue-tailed lizards but they aren't everywhere like the lizards are here. I sat back, relieved the lizard was away from me but anxiously awaiting to watch people jump from their seats when they discovered our "visitor". Would you know that not one person jumped or moved from their seat. Floridians are more accustomed than I am to these guys.

After the game last night and the lizard this morning, I am worn out. My throat hurts and my nerves are shot. You know what can cure my problems? One more win from the CATS!

We are MOVING!!!!

Y’all don’t know how long I have wanted to share this news! On March 17^th, Jace signed a contract with Ernst & Young accounting firm and we will be moving to Nashville, TN summer 2014. As with any job search process, it had high moments and some rough days.

Jace started researching and applying for firms late last Fall. He compiled a detailed Excel spreadsheet of firms, their location, the contact person, when he sent his resume, and the date and response from the firm. When I say firms, this includes both accounting and law firms. As a tax attorney, there are three main tracks for employment: government, law firms, and accounting firms. Jace chose to focus on accounting and law firms and he sent over 50 letters to firms. The firms he sent letters to were located in: Atlanta, Jackson, MS, Lexington, Louisville, Jackson, TN, Bowling Green, Nashville, & Memphis. Honey, we were a letter sending machine. Jace folded and signed his name, I stuffed and put on stamps. I felt like every week we were buying stamps and praying that one of those letters would come back with a potential lead.

November and December 2013 were hard months. We had sent letters and weren’t hearing back from many but when we did hear from firms it was basically, “your resume is impressive but our firm is not hiring right now”. Those were some hard days and made us feel the same emotions we had when he was applying to law school.

Jace was really good about telling me where he was applying and we would talk about the benefits and drawbacks to a particular city where the firm was located. Several were located in Atlanta and I was scared of living in such a large city and commuting to and from work. I distinctly remember one night, while doing the dishes, the city of Dallas was brought up. I filled that sink with tears and told Jace I just couldn’t go that far away from home. I hated to tell him no to a potential job that he may love. I felt as though I was squashing his future in some way by saying no but knew I had to speak up because I didn’t think I would be happy in Texas. You know when they say that marriage will be filled with decisions and you must work together as a team, well honey we did just that! Big decisions have been made so far in our marriage, decisions that affect the other person but there is no one else that I would rather make these decisions with than with Jace.

The holidays came and went and Jace received his grades from the first semester (they were stellar by the way!) and we sent out another round of letters with his updated GPA. January brought more dark days and the roller coaster of emotions kept us on edge. One day, one of us would be optimistic and the other would have a bad day. One day we were all about accounting firms and the next moment we were all about law firms. We even toyed with the idea of going back to Paducah but that idea was short lived.

At this point I knew the law and accounting firms by name and where they were located. We talked about them all the time like they were family members and it was a sign that we had both gone crazy. I was so consumed by worry and tired from the waiting game that I just broke down one day, on the elliptical of all places. I know I scared the poor girl in the gym when I was choking back tears. I just couldn’t handle the ups and downs of this process much longer and I reached out to Lauren and Whitney and did something that I never do: I asked for prayers. Those girls emailed me scripture faster than anything and I felt their love immediately. I also texted a lot with our dear friend, Haley. Her husband and Jace went to law school together and they just went through the job process last year and she could relate to every emotion I was feeling. Those girls saw me through some rough days and I won’t forget that.

Around February the tide started to turn and honey that is when the ride really started to get fun. Our first job lead was from a law firm in Jackson, MS. Though nothing materialized from the call it sparked a new sense of hope within us. Shortly after the MS call, other firms started calling and wanted to set up Skype interviews. A law firm out of Nashville wanted to set up a Skype interview with Jace and another accounting firm based out of Atlanta had invited Jace to dinner interviews. We finally had leads; leads that we had been praying about for so long. I swear to you one day, Jace called me every four hours with an update on a job lead and interviews and it was hard to keep up with what all was going on. Ernst & Young (EY) was one of these job leads.

                                                                                                                                      
EY wanted to set up an in person interview at their Nashville location and they would pay for our travel! Honey, I was in the car with my bags packed when he said this. The interview was on a Wednesday but first he had an interview with a law firm out of Chattanooga on that Monday. I remember we left Gainesville at 6 AM and drove all morning until we got to Chattanooga. We stopped by Kennedy’s and Elizabeth’s house before the interview and Kennedy showed me around Chattanooga while Jace was interviewing. After Kennedy’s tour, I had basically moved us to Chattanooga, mentally, and was ready to look for homes on the North Shore side of town.

From Chattanooga, we drove home and spent less than 24 hours in Graves County. We didn’t anticipate getting to go home that early after the holidays and it was the nicest treat to be back. Tuesday night we drove to Nashville and Wednesday morning Jace went to the interview. He met with five individuals and y’all the second he called me after the interview was over I knew we had a good shot. Jace was so excited and said it went so well. The following Tuesday the job offer came in. We had two weeks to make our decision and during this time we waited to see if the Chattanooga law firm would come back with an offer. Now, I’m not going to lie, I was ready to forge Jace's signature on  EY’s offer and didn’t see the point in waiting. EY was so incredibly nice to Jace and I knew he would be happy there. However, Jace wanted to give equal weight to both firms so we waited for two L-O-N-G weeks.

All Jace and I have ever wanted was to be close to our families and we felt that Nashville was the best place for us. Nashville provides the job opportunities that both he and I are looking for and was just a short drive from home. We can’t forget about the Teak too! She is only 3 ½ hours from Nashville! Throughout this whole process, we prayed; oh did we pray. We prayed that our will would match up with God’s will. We prayed for patience and understanding throughout the journey. Our motto was, “You {God} lead, we will follow”. Well, he lead us straight to the place we had been praying for and we both felt God’s peace wash over us and knew without a doubt that EY was the place for us. Jace signed the contract on March 17th and it was a great day!!!!

I don’t care what you tell me, a job search is a process and it is spiritual. We were completely out of control but knew that God was walking this journey with us. I laid my burdens on him and you know what, he took up my yoke and helped me. Even on those hard days, He was working behind the scenes creating something far greater than we could have imagined.

Though this process has been emotionally draining, Jace and I came out stronger. Eight years of being apart makes you learn how to communicate and work as a team and we did just that. I shed many tears through it all but I wouldn’t do this with anyone else. I am so happy to know that Jace is going to work for a great company that treats him well and respects the education and knowledge he possess.

We will be boxing our things up and leaving Gville June 2014. By this time, our school days will be behind us and we will both be working. So long are the days of writing papers and studying for finals. I told Jace after this first year of marriage that was filled with two moves, a graduation, and a new job that maybe we should take a year off and just do nothing but work. No major changes or life events; just work.

I do want to go on record and let it be known that just because we will be living in TN I will not wear that God-awful TN orange. Is there a tackier color than that orange? (However, I will wear UT apparel if I am employed by UT in the future) In addition, the words to Rocky Top will never be sung. The only volunteering we will be doing is at the church! Lord help us, Jace and I are already worried that the babies will want to go to college at UT. So if you have moving boxes, send them our way. If you know of good places to live in Nashville, let us know. Watch out Nashville, the Stampers are coming!

Mommy are we going to crash?

Hey y'all! I am writing this completely jet lagged and have no idea what time my body is functioning on right now. If this post is crazy sounding its because I am sleep deprived and need a meal of substance that doesn't consist of peanuts and a coke. This week I am attending the National eXtension Conference in Sacramento, CA.

Can I just tell you about my flight? Now this story is being told by a Southern girl who is without child and who enjoys her sleep--keep all this in mind.

Jace dropped me off at the Gainesville airport which is approximately the size of our apartment. We had to ring a bell for a Delta representative to come and assistant us. The guy who helped me was the same guy who scanned my ticket to board the plane. I am sure that is what Gainesville airport calls efficiency and low-cost organization. Jace dropped me off early because I am one who would rather sit at the airport and have lots of time than to run and stress about missing my flight. My flight to ATL was supposed to leave at 3:39 PM. Well it got pushed back to 4:15, then 4:45, then 5:00, and the kicker was 5:45. I was about to Google, "what do you do if you miss your connection flight?" but thankfully the plane left ATL just in time and they bumped the arrival time from 5:45 to 5:00. With this flight time, I would still have plenty of time to make my connection flight.

Now during this whole time changing ordeal, some man was absolutely freaking out. He really needed a "help" pill like Mom had the other week. I was only worried about one thing: my chi. What if I miss my connection flight and they somehow loose my luggage, I would be without my beloved chi. I wasn't worried about having clean underwear or losing my Vera Bradley make-up bag, oh no, I was worried about my hair being straight. Priorities people, priorities.

After I boarded the plane in Gainesville, I was lucky enough to sit in front of a mother and her 3 year old child. Now, I don't have kids but have a deep desire to be a momma ONE DAY. That day was not yesterday. You want to know what isn't funny, cute, or comforting...when a 3 year old says, "Mommy, are we going to crash?". I immediately said the Lord's prayer and tried to focus on the book I was reading. This 3 year old was also the kid that threw down his tray table and my seat mate and I experienced our own joy-filled turbulence. Now, I know you mommas out there are rolling your eyes and saying, "Katie you just wait!". Well, guess what I am waiting and kiddos won't be arriving anytime soon!

I finally made it to ATL and to the 3 year old's surprise, we didn't crash. I found my gate but decided I had just enough time to grab a bite to eat. Now, I could have chosen something light and healthy before I sat for 5 hours but no, I ate something similar to General Tso's chicken with brown rice. What a dumb idea! I was popping peppermints like they were going out of style for the first hour and 30 minutes. Despite thinking about my overly full stomach, I proceeded to talk to my seat mate, who just so happens to be Italian, about pasta. I only wish I would have asked him for his grandmother's meatball recipe.

After asking the stewardess for the luxurious red Delta blanket, I think I slept some. Around 1:30 AM EST, I arrived in Sacramento. I rode the Super Shuttle to my hotel and if you have rode on a Super Shuttle you know what a pleasure they are. My driver was nice but y'all he played this CD and it sounded like something from Teak's generation and this lady was singing basically about sex but this CD was from like the 1940s. Do you want to listen to a sex-filled CD from the 40s in a van with strange people at 2 AM? Y'all I can't even make this stuff up. Anyway, I made it to hotel and felt like I needed a shower for more than one reason and fell into bed.

This afternoon the conference starts and I have already downed one large cup of coffee. Have a great Monday or whatever day it is y'all!

Visitors

This past Thursday my momma and sister-in-law, Beth, flew down and soaked up some Florida sun. Over Christmas break we decided that Spring Break would be a good time for all of us and they made their flight arrangements shortly after Christmas. I started planning then! I planned out my menu and thought of things we could do in the big town of Gainesville. The weeks leading up to their visit, I grew more and more excited. I reworked my menu and made list after list of things that needed to get done before they arrived. I thought it would fun for them if I made them a welcome sign for when they arrived at the airport, so one night I colored to my little heart's content.

With the sign and my GPS in tow, I left to pick up Mom and Beth. I had started praying earlier in the day because we all know Mom doesn't fly too well. Sister girl had some "help" for the plane ride in the form of a pill and turns out she did quite well. The flight landed earlier than expected and I hadn't been at the airport but 5 minutes when Beth texted me that they had landed. I texted her how Mom did and she said that maybe Sandy needed a margarita! I acted like a fool when I saw them waving my poster board sign and hugged both of them. Mom really was fine but you know what made her feel better? A round of margaritas! Wheels down, margs up! We left the airport and I whipped it into the closet Mexican restaurant and we laughed throughout dinner. The Keith women were reunited!

Friday morning rolled around and honey I had whipped up brownies before 7:30 AM. Somehow licking the brownie batter is not nearly appealing at 7:30 AM as opposed to a normal hour that you would bake a brownie. When the brownies were cooling, I picked up Mom and Beth from their hotel and I finally got to show them our little apartment! I opened up every drawer and closet just so they could see how much space we have! This will probably be the only time in my life that I go around showcasing my linen and pantry closets! I am so glad that they can now visualize where we live. I gave them the grand tour of our complex and then it was time to eat!

As a hostess, you never want your guests to be hungry or thirsty. So I made sure I had every beverage and food item available. You want chicken salad, we got that. You want a sandwich and chips, we got that. You want broccoli pasta salad, we got that. Oh and honey don't forget about these brownies. Bless Mom and Beth, I made them eat all the time because I sure don't need to be left alone with all that food in our house!

Jace came home from school after our first big round of eating and we did a tour of UF, visited the bookstore, and went to Lake Alice. Would you know that not one alligator was in that lake. Not one. So we all loaded up and went to Paynes Prairie and saw the granddaddy alligators: the bull gators. All that sight seeing made us, you guessed it, hungry. Mom treated us to Bonefish Grill and then we came home and at more brownies.

On both Friday and Saturday night, we had some good ol' clean fun with a game Beth downloaded on her phone called Heads up. I have seen this game on the Ellen show but had never played. Can you picture Jace giving me clues to guess the celebrity? The tax man knows I love People and Us Magazine and did pretty good with his clues. The kicker of this game is that you can record the people who are acting out or giving you the clues. That is the truest form of blackmail I have ever seen.

By Saturday it was time to shimmy squeeze  into a bikini and we headed to St. Augustine. After a quick tour of the city, we had a quick bite to eat and then headed to the beach. Now this ghost white body lathered up in sunscreen and had already set the aloe out on the bathroom counter earlier in the morning. Even though we live in FL, I don't want to worship the sun. I am not going for the leather look. I like a nice tan but only get it after a week at the beach and then let it fade. Hopefully my 50 year old self will thank me later.

Anyway, we enjoyed the beach and the beach was that much sweeter when we read that Kentucky was going to get a wintery mix later that evening. Sick. With that we reclined into the sand just a little bit more. We left the beach sunkissed and sandy--the signs of a good day. Saturday night was another round of Heads Up but this time it was more intense. I think we finally quit around 10:30 PM but that was only after the entire apartment complex heard us plan the game. What can I say, we are a loud bunch!

Sunday, we were all moving a little bit slower from all the sun the day before and us girls ran to the mall that afternoon. We were home in time to watch the Cats and then I made dinner. Sunday night Jace had to go back to school so I took Mom and Beth to the Bat House, which is located on campus. UF built two houses for the bats because they were messing in the football stadium. At dusk, tons of bats leave for the night and lots of people come to watch. Typing this sounds like people in Gainesville are completely bored but y'all it really is unique to campus. It is just one of those things you have to see to understand. We rounded out the night with one last trip to Lake Alice and we finally saw a gator! That my friends, was the perfect ending to a great trip.

On Monday afternoon we drove to the airport and we hugged goodbye. I told them "y'all come back" but guess what we won't be here much longer! Overall, it was a great visit and it is always good to see family!