Thankful...to be married to you 9x

In 9 days on May 9th, we will be celebrating our 1st anniversary! :) I could go on and on about what an amazing husband I have (because i do!!!)...he loves Jesus, he is HA-larious, by his actions I know he loves me, etc., etc. Instead, I wanted to list 9 "little" things he does that I sometimes overlook but I am quite thankful for. In no particular order:

1. He uses the closet in the front bedroom, so I can have the WHOLE closet in our bedroom! Our house was built in the 30's and closets were NOT a priority then, so every morning sweet Adam walks up front to pick out this clothes and start the day without a grumble.

2. He opens my car door. Without fail, for almost two years he has opened my car door as we get in the car. I am all about equal rights for women and I CAN open my own door, but it is sure nice to be treated like a lady. (Currently, my door handle is broken from the inside on the passenger side, so now he opens it when we get out too...haha!)

3. In the morning, he takes the first shower so I can sleep in a little more! I DO NOT LIKE the morning time. Although it takes me longer to get ready, he gets up and starts stirring around the house so that I can ease out of the bed. Now, that I think about it, he may be getting up 1st so that he doesnt hear me complain : )

4. He snuggles with the Cookie Monster. He says that he wants a "big dog," but I know CM has a special place in his heart. I catch them taking naps together frequently!
5. He doesn't mind helping...around the house...his friends...anybody. Did you know that he planned 80% of our wedding? I was so slammed with work and school, I was barely above water. He picked out the cake, the flowers, the location....and did an AMAZING JOB!

6. He helps me decorate the house for Christmas...in November!! I love, love, love Christmas and Christmas decorations especially ones that say JOY. I don't know what it is, but around Halloween I start getting an itch to decorate for Christmas. He does make me wait a little longer, but he totally helps me put up the tree in November!

7. He leaves me notes around the house. I find a sticky note around the house or in my lunch box all the time with an I <3 U and XOXO on them. I get a daily call at lunch time. The best days are when we get to meet at Moe's for lunch, but second best is that I get a call everyday to see how I am doing during his lunch : ) It is nice break in the day and it reminds me what a sweet guy I have.

9. He is now a GEORGIA FAN!!Love you!

Gardening...A Family Affair

There is a special place in my heart for the smell of cut grass. It reminds me of springtime and the sun and MY DAD!

My dad has owned a lawn service for longer than I have been alive. He works hard and is good at what he does, but man-oh-man he is a tough boss! When I was in middle school and high school, my dad wanted me to have an appreciation for hard work, so he made me go to work with him during the summer!! No, seriously. Summer break, 100 (million) degrees, and me reporting for duty at 7am with the crew to "bust some yards."

Top memories from working with dad:

1. Learning how to operate the lawn mover. If you have met me, you may know that I am a little hardheaded and like to figure things out myself. Well, I figured out how to turn the mover on. Check. I emptied the grass clippings. Check. What I didnt know was how to PUSH the mover. Instead of gripping the gas lever (thingy...see below) over the top with my hands like you are supposed to, I was holding it underneath with my THUMBS all day. At the end of my 1st day, my thumbs were bleeding, and I asked my dad if his hands had just become calloused over the years. He busted out laughing and said that NO employee in the history of the company had cut grass with their thumbs. I didnt know!! Now I do : )

2. When we would get to a yard, my dad would give out a list of tasks to the crew. It often went something like this especially in the afternoon, "So-and-so, pick up sticks, then cut the grass. I will do the hedges. Mallory, get some water and sit down so you dont pass out."

3. Often when working, I would make up rhymes to make the time go by faster. Things like: "Hot as hell; hear dad yell." "It's so hot, I'm going to die; when is lunch, I'd sure like some pie."

It was quite a learning experience, but I wouldnt trade it for the world (even if my little sister NEVER had to cut grass, but I'm not bitter). I got to see how hard my dad works. We got to spend time together. I even think he was a little impressed that I kept trying although I think my main purpose was to serve as the comic relief!

All of these memories came flooding back this weekend as my dad so generously dedicated his time and cool lawn equipment to help me and Adam whip our yard into shape. We cut, fertilized, killed stuff, edged, planted, potted, watered, and had a GREAT time! So grateful for the wonderful weather today, all the quality time we got to spend with the "Yard Boss," and our BEAUTIFUL yard!!! THANKS DAD!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Jessie!

Today is the birthday of my _____ sister! There are sooo many words I could use to describe her. The _____ depends on the day : )

It could be filled with BRILLIANT....this year she graduated (and was speaker of her class!) and is now gainfully employed at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital as a radiologic technician!!

It could be filled with SWEET...she has a sweet spirit and is the BEST person to talk to on a bad day.

It could be filled with CrAzY....you try living with her for 16 years. She farts; she will jump in your bed during a thunderstorm (or if she just feels like cuddling); she can make you laugh even if you are VERY mad and do NOT want to be laughing; she has a mean right hook (the best advice I can give is to just go into the fetal position during a fight! she will stop hitting! haha); she will not get out of the bed and for 12 years of school I always had to take the 1st shower; she will steal your clothes; she will stain your clothes. I could go on and on!

Today I will fill the ______ with BEAUTIFUL! So, happy birthday to my beautiful sister! You have blessed my life during this wild journey called sisterhood! May the Lord bless us with MANY, MANY more adventures together. Here are just a few:

I call that swinging-good PROGRESS!!

So...if you are wondering about the mancave updates (see post from 3-25-10), it was a much bigger project than expected! Progress made so far: new sheetrock on 2 of the walls that had holes, bought paint, and primed 2 of the walls! We are giving ourselves until mid-May to finish : )

In the mean time, I have wanted our swing out front painted since we moved in! It is so nice to swing and look at the park, BUT the swing was begging for attention. I told Adam that this was going to be MY project for the weekend!! Check out the BEFORE:

I also learned a little something this weekend. Ladies, take note. Instead of nagging Adam to sand & paint the swing, I told him that I wanted to do (I really did....at first!). Then, you go inside for a bit to "do the laundry" and TA-DA! Guys cant help themselves when power tools are involved! : ) I didnt even ask...he just started working. So, I certainly didnt stop him. Hahaha

After!!!!!!!!!Who is that doggy in the window?! : ) Cookie Monster!

Stranded in the Middle of the Road…Opelika Road!

I generally like Thursdays. I usually feel pretty productive from the week’s work, and the weekend is within sight! Today was no different. It has been a good week, and I was ready for the day. Meetings planned for 9am, 11:15am, and 2pm. Proctoring an exam at 9:30; copies of test already made. I was READY for the day…even a little early!

Or so I thought….

I left the house at 8am with plenty of time to make my 9am meeting. I was about 2 miles from home (if you know the area: heading to campus on Opelika Road in front of the mall). I slam on the brakes at the stop light (not so unusual), but then something VERY unusual happens! All the lights on my dashboard light up and MY CAR SHUTS OFF!! Remember, I am in the middle of the road!!!!!!! I think, “Ok...focus Mallory!” I start my car – it turns off! Again, I start my car – it turns off! Again and again!

What is the next logical thing to do if your car is “broke down” on the side of the road? CRY!!
The light is soooo green now, and cars are honking and screeching to a halt around me. I have my emergency lights on. Now, what do I do? Stay in the car? Leave my car in the road? PANIC!

So, I call Adam who is at work. He promises to be there immediately. Then all of a sudden I hear a car slamming on his breaks; he swerves around me and looks at me like, “WHAT IN THE WORLD, WOMAN!” Then he sees I am crying, and he apologizes and asks what he can do. I say that I am ok. He leaves. I am soooooooo not ok. Still in the middle of the road.

A few minutes later another kind gentleman pulls up. Stops in the middle of the road. Smiling. Calm. He immediately says, “It’s ok! You are ok!” He gets in my car (leaving his in the middle of the road!), and drives my car into the parking lot of the mall. Who knew that if you put your car in neutral that it would move!?!? I didn’t think of that for the 10 minutes that I was in the middle of the road. Then, the kind man leaves (after I hug him 3x).

At this point, one of my professors saw me walking across Opelika Road, and she pulled in the parking lot to check on me and wait with me for Adam to arrive. (Thank you, Kristen!).

While we waited for Adam, EIGHT different people stopped to see if I was ok including the guy who almost hit me earlier! He had driven to the police station to tell them that I needed help.
Then, my “Knight in Shining Armor” arrived and saved me! Love you sweetheart : )

Moral of the story:

1. FILL UP YOUR GAS TANK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, after all that I had just run out of gas. I have been driving for 10+ years, and at no point did it occur to me that I had run out of gas. GEEZ. No matter how much “book learning” you have, just remember that E = EMPTY!!

2. If you are going to break down, do it in the Auburn/Opelika area. PEOPLE ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you to those sweet souls who stopped and offered your service. May the blessing you gave me be repaid 10 fold : )

There's Something Special about Parks in the SPRING!

We are super blessed to live across the street from a park (pic above is taken from the front porch)! Although my sinuses are still screaming a bit from all the pollen....the trees, the flowers, and the chirping birds are good for my soul! The BEST part of all, though, is the people watching : )

Right now, there is a sweet older couple walking and holding hands. Most days at lunch, you can see couples dressed in work clothes enjoying the sun and unpacking their "fast food picnic" on the park benches. Last weekend, there were kids laughing & hunting Easter eggs....sooo cute. (I do realize at this point you may think I am either the neighborhood patrol or a weird window watcher....haha, that's ok!!).

What is it about springtime and parks that makes us want to be with the people we love?!

In an effort to add some activity in our lives and spend some time together, Adam and I have been walking around the park a few times a week. We talk about our plans for the day, work on the week's memory verse, and laugh at Cookie Monster as he chases the birds and squirrels! PLUS you can people watch even better when you are in the park versus on your couch : )

So off the couch and into the park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is good for the soul & good for your relationships

How the YELLOW sucks our life force!

Mallory and I are tough people now, and I am sure I do not need to convince anyone of that, but let me tell you what this completely unnatural force I am calling the "Yellow" does to us... It sucks our life force!!!

On Friday at work, I was so excited about Easter weekend and beautiful weather, so that we could accomplish some goals around the house. Then after a typical lunch on a typical Friday afternoon while I was fighting the tiredness from lunch and the impossibly slow moving clock, I thought that the exhaustion I was feeling was because I was overwhelmed with the excitement to be home with my wife. Then I couldn't breath out of my nose. Then my head hurt. After getting home, Mallory explained that same things were happening to her and we concluded that the "Yellowness" that is covering the entire southeast right now must be the culprit... The "Yellow"... The Pollen!!!

As I mentioned earlier, Mallory and I are quite possibly the toughest people you know (or ignorant.) So of course we brushed off this minor incident with nature and continued on to a beautiful evening were we walked to dinner and walked pleasantly back home in our beautiful neighborhood that consequently is covered in "Yellow!" We'll just sleep it off is what we both assumed...

The next morning we planned a marvelous morning and afternoon of driving around town to some of our favorite venues including Sam's (for lunch and snacks), and of course Walgreen's for some Claritin D. We planned to kind of throw the Walgreen's trip in there just in case our stuffy-headedness that we woke up to didn't pass (remember, we're tough.)

To make this painfully drawn out story a tiny bit shorter, I broke first. I was begging for mercy after our first stop on our list of amazing and exciting places to visit over the course of an afternoon that was to be filled with amazing outdoor weather and temperature. The Claritin D barely made an impact as I crippled my way through our last few stops, and we even made it home early so that the wuss, me, could west his wittle head...

Note: At this moment, Mallory cautiously takes her Claritin D so that she will not let her body be consumed by the "Yellow" like her strong and manly, and now immobile husband is.

To make this story even sweeter, this is the third night in a row that this lovely couple fights the "Yellow!" Right now my queen is sleeping while I, her husband, can not sleep. This would seem to be so unexpected because with two previous nights of no sleep because, with all the tossing, and turning, and lack of breathing, one would assume that sleep would come naturally...

For now, the fight of the "Yellow" and the Greer's continues...