The Greer’s a.k.a. Team L.G.

Parenthood: Bring it!

2011-10-04T21:53:00.034-05:00

It has been 25 amazing, exhausting, glorious, hilarious days since we welcomed our sweet girl into the world. My heart is bigger, my stomach is (kinda) smaller, & the number of funny stories in the LG household is growing exponentially!!
Here are a few highlights from our first few weeks of parenthood:

Brotherly Love - Many people were worried about Cookie Monster (our 6 lb Chihuahua) adjusting to Adalyn. Some would say that Cook is a little spoiled and maybe he is. I can't help that he likes to play dress up, snuggle constantly, and go for rides in the car. Well, lets just say that he LOVES Ady. He doesn't let her out of his sight! No, seriously.

If you hold her, he is two feet away.
If she whimpers at night, he hops out of the bed and sits next to her crib signalling for me to get her.
If I am feeding her, he is right next me. Adam is an amazing husband, but Cook is the only "person" who has got up with me for every single feeding! I even have a nursing pillow on the couch for Cook to sit on while "we" feed :)
I really was startled when I heard barking over the baby monitor. Of course, he squeezes in his nap when she naps.

Best Advice We Received - My stepsisters sent a very sweet card and inside we received some very valuable advice inspired by football season. They said to remember to HOLD Adalyn like a football, but don't THROW her like a football! Excellent advice :) Thanks!
The Power of a Smile - In the past year, I can count the number of times on one hand that I have been awake at 1am. I'm more of a 10pm bedtime-type-of-girl. So, getting up every night at 1am and 4am has been...an adjustment! I think God wired babies beautifully to keep tired parents sane. After every feeding, our sweet girl sighs, leans back, and SMILES (usually with her eyes closed!). I can just hear her saying, "Good meal, Mom. Good meal!"
Poop Shoot - In our house the word POOP SHOOT has a whole new meaning now....a very literal meaning in fact. Just ask Adam. I guess he was using his softball skills to CATCH a handful of...yes, really! Who knew that poo can actually fly out of a little hinny. Love her, but ewww.
Birthday Girl - Birthdays have always been a BIG deal in our family. I, in fact, celebrate a birthday month :) So, thinking about an ACTUAL birth day made me want to celebrate! Thanks to our friend Kate Taylor for providing the cake and Kim for providing the birthday hat, we had a little party at the hospital. I have a feeling Adalyn will kill me for this picture down the road, but it is one of my favorites. Ba ha ha.

Meeting Baby's Needs - Ady really is a low maintenance girlfriend (good sleeper, doesn't cry much, healthy eater), but when she does cry it kind of rips a little piece of my heart out and then her voice will do this little quiver and I just want to cry myself. Ahh....awful! :( You don't know how many times I have said, "Please remember...I am on YOUR team!" People say that you can differentiate the baby's cries. One means hungry, one means dirty diaper, etc. I dont know if my mommy-senses haven't kicked in totally yet, but I can't tell then difference. They all sounds like, "AHHHHHH! Do something, woman!" BUT I do know one distinct clue she gives. We call it the "focus face." She gets real still, her face turns a little red, and she pierces her lips together. You can guess what happens next. Refer to previous bullet on Poop Shoot :)
Soothing Baby - Many, many books say that singing to the baby is soothing. If you have ever heard me sing, you will know that soothing is NOT the word to describe what you hear. I'm not sure if Adalyn is tone deaf or is just used to my singing after listening to be belt out a note in the car for the last 9 months, but for whatever reason she likes hearing me sing. Poor girl. The thing is, I don't really know that many songs and I really don't know baby songs. The other day, I was rocking her and singing:

Hush little baby don't say a word,
Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird.

If that mocking bird don't sing,
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

If that diamond ring don't shine

Mama's gonna buy you a...porcupine?!?!

Adam just looked at me like, "Seriously? A porcupine?"
I dont know. I didnt take a baby lullaby class!

So Thankful - I could go on and on with stories like the 700+ pics we have taken (sorry, if I am blowing up your facebook. I promise to stop posting everyday!) or Adam's first night up with Ady, but one of the best things about having a baby is the overwhelming sense of grattitude that comes with it. We are so thankful for our sweet girl and for the many, many hands and hearts who have stopped by to visit, prepare meals, clean our house, and love on us. We are starting to figure out what this whole "it takes a village" thing means. THANK YOU! Here are a few pictures of sweet friends and, of course, baby Adalyn :)

Nine Months Later: Thankful, Blessed, and CRAZY!

2011-09-05T20:41:00.000-05:00

Today = 39 weeks pregnant! Which means ONE WEEK. This time next Monday (Sept. 12th) is Adalyn's due date!

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I am sitting here crying just typing those words....which bring me to the topic of EMOTIONS!

As a therapist, I can pretty confidently say that I am ok with emotion. I don't get overwhelmed when others are red hot angry and cussing up a storm or crying or overwhelmed. I think that expressing our feelings to others creates a sense of connection. Our emotions can move us to be better people (but also to make very bad choices sometimes). Blah, blah, blah.

BUT never in my life have I FELT emotions so strongly as I have over the past few weeks. About a month ago, I was feeling overwhelmed with everything that I needed to get done before the baby (e.g. finish her room, complete several assignments for work, "spring clean" the house, etc).

I tried to express this to Adam, but all I got out was, "I..(sniff, sniff)...am...(sniff, sniff)...so (unstoppable tears)...over (sniff to make the snot stop dripping)...whlemed....(more tears and loss of my ability to speak)."

I could barely get out the sentence. I was frustrated & sad & lonely & mad (at myself because I couldn't communicate and at him just because) & sooo tired!

In that moment, I thought that an alien invader had seriously taken over my body. Here I am, a competent adult who is paid to communicate with others, but all I could do was cry. And you know what? It felt sooo good to cry and be held by my husband (who was probably confused as I was).

Since then, I have learned that it is a losing battle trying to be tough and "fight" these emotions. So, I have just learned to embrace it and move on. Many mornings I start out my day in the shower with a good cry. I cry because I am thankful to be having a baby. I cry because I am still tired, but my back hurts so bad that I had to get out of the bed. I laugh at myself for crying and then I cry some more.

The day time often doesn't get much better. Recently, I have found myself:

Crying at church when I saw an elderly couple with their arms wrapped around each other singing praise to God. Then crying again 10 seconds later when I saw a momma holding her new baby.
Laughing out of sheer joy in the stall of the girl's room at work because they put in a new toilet paper holder, soap dispenser, and paper towel dispenser.
Crying at those stupid Fancy Feast commercials (yes, cat food) when the couple is all in love and getting married.
Worried...I mean heart racing, floor pacing worried...about all the changes over the next year with a baby and finishing school and likely moving. Dude, they are just going to let us walk out of that hospital and take a little baby with us! No test; no pledge to do right. You just have to have a car seat! That's it.
Crying after talking to my sister, because I love her SOOO much and am SOOO grateful for her and SOOO proud of her! She noticed something was weird when I kept calling her "sweetheart" and telling her how much I love her.
Feeling SOO embarrassed (you guessed it...to the point of tears) when I tripped in front of the church on Sunday. If you need to know how to silence 100+ people just have a pregnant woman run up the church stairs in the rain and fall down belly first! Nothing but a uniform gasp and then silence. Mortifying.
And probably my personal favorite...busting out into tears when my major professor asked me, "How's it going?" Any particular reason to cry? Of course not :)

If you are a mom reading this, please, please, please do NOT tell me if these "intense" emotions continue after the baby is born. I have convienced myself that this will all be over in a week or two, and I can go back to my calm, collected, tough self :)

Here's to hoping the next blog includes LOTS of pictures of sweet Adalyn!

Yard Work - Alabama Style!

2011-08-17T18:58:00.002-05:00

You may know that my sweet husband is not actually a Southerner. Gasp!

Everyone knows that Florida isn't really part of the South...duh! BUT I will give him lots of credit. That beach-loving Florida boy is now a truck-driving, tree-climbing, deer-shooting Southern-wanna-be :)

Well...over the summer we have been presented with a few yard related challenges including a broken mower and falling limbs from our giant oak tree.

First, our riding lawn mower refused to start. After hours of analyzing the problem, attempting to solve the problem, and finally going all Fred Flintstone on that mower, we decided to give the lawn mower to my dad who has been fixing mowers for 25+ years. But how do you get a broken riding lawn mower from Opelika, Alabama to Columbus, Georgia? The answer is...very creatively :) Here is Adam's journey:

Task = Think of creative way to get mower in the truck
Answer = Get the mower on level ground with the truck bed

Task = Figure out what "ground" is level with the truck bed
Answer = The front porch!

Task = Get mower on porch
Answer = Well, you should see this!

First, you attach come-a-long to the mower

Then, attach the come-a-long to the front door. Sigh...he attached it to the inside of the door to "decrease the chance" that it would rip our door handle off!

Next, crank come-a-long to pull up the mower.

Note, you may also have to do some heavy lifting to get it over taller stairs!

Next step, celebrate your victory! but not for very long because you still have to DRAG it across the porch leaving tire tracks that your wife will have to scrub up.

Finally, put mower in truck and vow to stick with smaller mowers in the future!

Our second challenge has been falling limbs from our 100+ year old oak tree. When I say limbs, I am not talking about small branches that you may put in a campfire. No, I am talking about limbs longer than the length of our house!!!!! Granted we don't live in the White House, but these limbs were pretty substantial.

The first limb almost took out Adam's truck because he was parked in the front yard. Missed it by 2 feet.

The 2nd limb wiped out our lamp post!!!!!!

And the 3rd limb...yes, 3 limbs down over the course of the month...remained dangling!!! Sigh...the extension agent thinks the tree was struck by lightening.

Well, how does an Alabamian get a limb down? Strap that baby to your truck, of course!

Here goes the truck vs. the tree! Guess who wins? I'll give you a hint: it isnt the one with 4 wheel drive. Ha.

Enjoy!

Adjustments to Life when You are 8 1/2 Months Pregnant

2011-08-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

Lots of people have asked if I still love being pregnant. The answer is a definitive YES!

In a lot of ways pregnant women have it made...esp. when you have SUCH a great husband and wonderful friends like mine.

No one judges the food you eat (unless you try to sneak in a soda, then they pounce you!)
You get to wear pants with elastic waistbands...again without judgment
You have an excuse for just about anything...being tired, wanting to sit down, having gas :)

BUT if you were to ask if I am ready to have this baby, the answer would also be a definitive YESSSS!

I have realized in the past few weeks that I have had to make several adjustments to everyday life. Some big changes, some small changes....but all the changes have to do with the squirmy little lady and extra 23lbs. that gather around my mid-section.

I made a quick list that I call: "You may be 8 1/2 months pregnant if..."

You measure the exhaustion of your day by the size of your ankles. Need I say more!
You have to make a plan to bend over. These days bending over to get something off the ground is often associated with sighs and groans. After watching this show of painful bending for a few weeks, Adam (being the helpful husband he is) offered me a suggestion. Instead of offering to pick up various items for me, he said, "Why dont you spread your legs wide before you bend over, so that your belly doesn't hit your legs when you bend?!" HA! Thanks sweetheart. Don't tell him, but it was actually a great idea!
You are proud of your "talon toes." Similar to the story above and my recent challenges with bending, I have come to realize that I have "talon toes." Why bend when you can pick things up with your toes? This may have been embarassing a few months ago, but these days I am really impressed with my faux ambidexterity.
You have a debate with yourself if a certain food is worth the heartburn. Oh, I LOVE hot sauce, pizza, tacos, oranges, hot wings....well, lets be honest I JUST LOVE FOOD! These foods and most others taste so good, but spicy/acidic foods + a wiggle worm sitting on your stomach = heartburn. Sigh. So, these days I have to continually ask myself, "Is this worth heartburn?" Most of the time the answer is YES :) As a side note, this would be a great time to invest in Pepcid A/C. I am keeping them in business!
You check your purse for your keys, wallet, phone, and SNACKS before you leave the house. I don't leave the house unless I have enough snacks to feed a small army. Sudden "snack attacks" can hit you at anytime. Don't forget the girl scout motto: be prepared!
You had to switch to "adult" cereal because eating Lucky Charms and Coco Pebbles in the morning made you shaky. I did just realize that almost all of my life adjustments have to do with food. Ba ha ha. It is what it is, and for me mornings now consist of cheerios and strawberries. Boring!

I guess life is about being adaptable. Here's to adaptability (and creative solutions) through these next 6 weeks.

Come on Adalyn! Mom and dad are about ready for you :) Then, we will face a string of new challenges and creative solutions I'm sure!

Recent Updates - Top 10 and NOT So Top 10

2011-07-04T22:15:00.001-05:00

We had a glorious great holiday weekend! Yes, it was spent mostly close to home. What can I say?! I am a home-body by nature, so cleaning the house, loving on the family, and catching up on my tv shows is often the definition of a good time. (Don’t judge me.)

Well, Adam got his fair share of tv time in too. So, during about the 100^th episode of Sports Center and the 50^th time I watched Derek Jeter’s “come back game” in the minor leagues, I decided to make my own list of “Top 10” events in our lives over the past couple of weeks! BUT I think I’ll start with the “Not So Top 10.” Enjoy…

Not So Top 10

10. Morning Wake Up Call – Last week, I woke up to a surprising wake up call. I opened my eyes to find Adam standing over me with a tape measurer!! He was trying to "prove" that I didn’t stay on my side of the bed!! He said that I was taking up 68.5% of the bed. How rude. I tried to tell him I actually have TWO people and a Cookie Monster sleeping on my side, so I just need a little more room, ok?!

9. Baby’s Room Disarray – I have read that new moms go through a “nesting” phase in which they prepare the baby’s room and have an overwhelming desire to have everything set up. Let’s just say that I have an overwhelming desire that someone will come over and set up this room. It currently looks a little something like this…

8. Bending Over – I few weeks ago in church I realized that I couldn’t see my feet anymore (yes, I opened my eyes while praying…stop judging!). Well, this week I had to find a new place in the fridge for the milk, chocolate syrup, and strawberries (my current favorites), because bending down there 20x a day just wasn’t working for me.

7. Kick and Shout – I love my little jumping bean (although she is now about 3lbs and the size of a squash). She kicks and rolls all day long, which I LOVE, but whenever someone else tries to feel her she STOPS! Ba ha ha. A woman after my own heart…performs when she wants to!

6. Roll Over, Roll Over – Do you know how much I’d pay to sleep on my stomach for just one night?! This current game of “heave, ho, roll” every couple hours each night is not my favorite :)

5. Swollen Ankles – All the praying in the world doesn’t seem to help this. Heat + humidity + walking + a baby in the belly = Swollen ankles (but they aren’t cankles just yet!)

4. Midnight Snack Attack – I would be embarrassed if you saw the stock pile of snacks next to the bed! What had happened was…we eat dinner around 6pm and I have a snack around 9pm, BUT by 11pm I have this attack of hunger (often after I am already in bed with the lights off). For about a week in a row, I got up and made a little snack. Finally, I just started bring food with me to bed. Sorry, Mr. Dentist, I don’t often brush my teeth again. I’ll work on it.

3. Sticks and stone will break my bones, but words… – Scratch that. Words do sting sometimes. For instance, my well meaning dad said to me the other day, “Mal, I am really proud of you. I thought that when you got pregnant you were going to get HUGE!” Ha. Thanks, dad!

2. Did I mention that most days are in the high 90’s? Enough said.

1. Bye, Bye Belly Button – It won’t be long now. One of my pregnancy fears is about to come true. I am sad to report my belly button is currently FLAT! Soon to be…an outie (gasp!)

TOP 10

10. Extra, extra read all about it – ADAM GOT AN A IN STATS!!!!!!!!! Go sweetheart!

9. Braves Game – Family fun time + A grand slam/win + fireworks = A Great Night!!!!!

8. Sweet Treatment – You may have noticed that I LOVE being pregnant. People are sooo kind. At the Braves game, it started raining, so we went to stand in the breeze way. I was there for just a second and the usher came out of his maintenance room with a chair…just for me! Here’s to you, Mr. Kind Braves Game Section 425 Usher!

7. Test Success – Had to drink Hawaiian Punch on crack to take the glucose test, but passed with flying colors. Adalyn’s doing great!

6. First Father’s Day – Recently, Adam celebrated his 1^st father’s day. Adalyn got him a few goodies and left this note…

(Dear Dad, I love you. Happy Father's day! Hope you enjoy your gifts. I wanted 2 get you a belt, but you know mom has no fashion sense & I needed her help! Be nice to her & rub her back. I LOVE YOU. XOXO, Adalyn)

5. On your mark, get set, walk! – Adam and I try to walk around the neighborhood most days although it is h-o-t outside. Most days the best part of the walk is just being done, but last week a lady on her porch shouted, “You go girl! You look great!” Here’s to you Ms. Front Porch Encourager! I’ll be back most evenings. Feel free to continue your most excellent cheering!

4. 10 Weeks To Go!!!!!!!!!!!! - 60 inches tall and 40 inches around :)

3. 3 Fireworks Shows in 4 Days – The greatest part of the summer (minus my birthday) is fireworks! Adalyn was not so psyched about all the loud noise. I bet she was wondering what in the world was going on!

2. Turned in my Qualifying Exam – Next step…dissertation! After 21 years of school, graduation is within sight!

1. Baby Shower FUN – Special thanks to Alison, Catie, Nadeena, and Patrick for hosting such a great baby shower! From sniffing diapers to singing “baby” songs to fabulous food, we are so grateful for everyone helping us prep for Adalyn!

What I LOVE about Being Pregnanct (Part 2) and New Challenges to Daily Life

2011-06-11T10:13:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is June 12th, which means we only have 3 more months/13 weeks to go until we meet our sweet girl, Adalyn, as her due date is September 12th! Through this journey over the past 27 weeks, I have thought to myself over and over, "I LOVE being pregnant!" Of course for the obvious reason that God is blessing us with a baby, but also for all the other funny moments along the way. Here are a few things I love most about being pregnant:

Having Adam use my bellybutton as a megaphone to talk to Adalyn. They "chat" multiple times a day about everything...me if I am cranky, her brother The Cookie Monster, being nice and not jabbing me, the weather, etc., etc.
The new way that people look at me. I get so tickled when I walk by a stranger or someone that I haven't seen in a while. It isn't just that you make eye contact and smile anymore. No, now it goes like this: eye contact, look at the belly, back to eye contact, and then usually 1 of 2 responses - smile or a look of horror! The look of horror may be because my hands are swollen I haven't been wearing my wedding ring or because I work on a campus of tee-tiny, college girls and they cannot imagine their bellies looking like that! I'm just speculating. :)
Laying in bed at night. I am pretty sure Adalyn is training to be a gymnast or a black belt in karate and when I lay in bed that is when she begins to practice all her flips and kicks! It is a riot to watch my belly move. Not quite as funny when I wake up at 3am to her "practicing" but still a fun surprise
Sympathetic looks and gestures from women who have been pregnant. For example, I was at a conference last month and between workshops there was a LOONG line in the ladies room. As I began to wait, the woman in front of me said, "Please go ahead of me...you're pregnant!" Then the woman in front of her did the same thing over and over until the next thing I knew I was in the FRONT of the line! Victory!!!
The new excuse that my sweet friends and family let me have = "It's ok. You're pregnant." I seem to hear this line at least once a day.

In Bible study last week, I was mid-sentence and then had no idea what I was about to say. My friend, Katie, said, "It's ok. You're pregnant."
Last week, I fell asleep at work in my chair for 30 minutes, my co-worker said, "It's ok. You're pregnant."
I burned the grill cheese sandwiches I was making last weekend, and Adam said, "It ok. You're just being Mallory." HAHAHA

My newly developed sweet tooth. Before I was pregnant, I was a 100% salty fan. I would pick Cool Ranch Doritos over any dessert in the world. Now, I still have the same affinity for Doritos with an added dose of ANYTHING sweet....cookies, ice cream, popsicles, ahhh! These sneaky marketing people and their tricky commercials have been VERY effective on this pregnant woman; from their hand-spun milkshakes to the ooey gooey dessert bars they display so beautifully on tv, here's to you Mr. Sneaky Advertising Genius.

Even with all the excitement, I have found that there are new challenges to daily living associated with growing a human. Besides the obvious of sleeping and walking around in the HOT June weather with an extra 13 lbs, here are a few other challenges to daily life:

New wardrobe. I thought I had this whole summer pregnancy figured out in terms of clothes. I would just wear lots of sundresses to stay as cool as possible without my clothes clinging to me as much. That was working out nicely until the last few weeks when I realized that, yes, I am much cooler than I would be in other outfits, but now I have a new challenge as I sit down to work...my belly sits on my legs!!!!!! Bahaha. Seriously, you have to just laugh (or you'll cry), so I am going with laughing.
Bathroom breaks - do I really have to go or do I have a tiny person sitting on my bladder? My new philosophy is that if you see a bathroom, just go. :)
How to stand. I catch myself all the time standing like a pregnant woman. You know what I mean...feet apart, hands on back, stomach stretched out! It isn't glamorous, but it feels so good to stretch your back. I also catch myself rubbing my belly! I didnt think this was odd until I was watching Jay Leno last week and saw a pregnant Kate Hudson rubbing her belly the WHOLE interview. While, I get it (it is fun to feel the baby kick and sometimes you need to reposition her), it just looks so strange! Ha. I'll work on it.

Here's to 13 more weeks of laughter at the joys of being pregnant and a lifetime to come of joy with our little girl!

Did you know that peacocks honked?! Our visit to Florida

2011-06-03T17:59:00.000-05:00

Ah...the sweet sounds of spring time! Bird chipping, the waves breaking, and peacocks honking. You read that correctly. On vacation, I learned that peacocks dont chirp or tweet; they HONK! I also learned that not all peacocks are multi-colored; some are albino.

Chew on that for a minute...

Recently, we took our annual journey across the state of Flordia (Ok, ok....It was a few weeks ago. I'm behind!). Either way we squeezed in lots of adventures. Here are the highlights:

First, we survived 1,055+ miles/18 hours traveling from destination to destination with a pregnant bladder that needed to stop frequently and a lazy Cookie Monster

We went on a canoe ride looking for porpoise, but only saw jumping mullets

I won a rose at church on Mother's Day for being the "newest" mom
Adam and Grant re-lived their "glory days" surfing.

I read murder mystery books on the beach...in a 2 PIECE! It was liberating, but you do NOT want to see a picture of that :)
We went to the beach with friends who had small kids, and I had the profound realization that it may be a LONG time before I get to read murder mystery books on the beach again!
Adam showed the fish who was boss :)

We spent LOTS of time with fantastic family & friends

Now on to summer semester...let the fun begin!

Mother's Day & Marriage

2011-05-10T14:58:00.001-05:00

There continues to be lots of BIG changes around the Greer household. Not only does the SIZE of my reflection startle me often :) but I find myself being enthralled with topics that I once bypassed more nonchalantly. You can probably guess the things I am talking about:

The debate on which way the car seat should be faced
Data on breastfeeding
Should the baby sleep in our room?
Which garbage can really traps the smell of stinky diapers?

We sat in church on Sunday and while I was glowing from winning a rose for being the "newest" mom, I was also listening to the sermon with a slightly new perspective on parenting....because this was after all my 1st mother's day :)

A lady led the Children's Church portion of the service as she spoke with about 15 lil' bears in front of the church. She said that when mommies have babies that God plants a diamond in their hearts that fills then with so much love for their children. She went on to say that only mommies have this special diamond in their hearts....the love never ended...so on and so forth...

For some reason, this just did not sit well with me. Yes, I know that it wasn't an actual anatomoy lesson and she was trying to break it down so that the kids could understand, but it still ruffled my feathers a little bit.

Our good friend leaned over to me and said, "I'm glad that my cousin isn't here because he would not understand this message at all. His mother is hardly around." Ahh...yes. That was part of it. Not all moms develop a deep rooted love for their children just because they carry a baby in their belly for 9 months.

Then, as I looked at Adam, I realized the other part of that message that bothered me. It isn't just moms who have a unique love for their children. It is dad's too, right?! Again, not all moms and dads exhibit this unconditional love, but I believe with every fiber of my being that men can love their children as strongly as moms do.

I am blessed to be walking this wild road of parenthood with my best friend and a man who will be an amazing father. This week, we not only celebrated my first mother's day, but we also celebrated our 2nd year of marriage!!! What a blessing to be part of Team LG and to be married to a man who is dedicated to marriage, to being a parent, and most importantly to God.

Do we have the perfect marriage? Nahh...
Do we still have lots of learn about being paerents? Sure...
Am I excited about the journey to come and 50+ more wedding anniversaries? You better believe it!

As we celebrate, I thought I would provide a quick history in pictures for your viewing pleasure:

3 years ago Adam and I started dating. When his dad came to visit he MADE us take a picture together to show Adam's grandma...I guess to prove that I really did exist :) We were at church, so he had us stand in front of the church sigh. We were embarassed as everyone was walking by watching us take this picture. PLUS, this was literally our first picture together. I am not sure we had ever even hugged at this point! Awkward...

Then on our wedding day, we decided to "re-enact" the photo by the 1st Baptist sign for fun!

Now, 3 years later when we added a new Greer to the family we just could not resist another pictures in "our spot!" :)

Can't wait until September when we get to add the next picture to this series holding Adalyn!

Because life is so FUN(NY!)...

2011-04-25T17:00:00.000-05:00

Not sure if I am just in my 2nd trimester glory or if I have just taken more time to "enjoy the view" lately, but I find myself laughing all the time at how fun and down right hilarious life can be!

Exhibit A:

We went to visit my BFF, Erin, this weekend and she needed some help putting up a ceiling fan. My good looking, handyman husband was glad to help. I was laying on the couch and decided to see if I could help. Here is what I found:

Erin's arms were tired so she decided to use a pillow and rest the fan on her head! Did I mention she is a doctor?

Exhibit B:

We got a baby crib this weekend!! We found a fantasitc deal on Craig's list when we were visiting Erin, so we drove to Snellville, GA to pick it up. The family was very gracious and let us come at 10pm as we were leaving town so that we didnt have to drive back to Georgia to get it. It is beautiful and matches the room so nicely...even Cookie Monster likes it.

Well....we didn't get home until 12:30pm and since I usually go to bed around 9pm, I was exhausted. When we were looking for the directions to put the crib together the next morning, I couldn't find them, but wasn't too concerned. I went to make breakfast and found a "suprise" in the fridge. See anything that doesn't belong on the bottom shelf :)

I found the directions. I really must have been tired as we unpacked!

Exhibit C:

Yesterday, I was in the restroom (sorry...again...TMI), but I looked up and saw this:

Way up high (out of my reach) was Adam's deodorant! Hey, we all know that boys' deodorant works better than girls' deodorant. It is just a fact, but I guess Adam was tired of sharing! Ha. Jerk.

Life is funny business :)

First Kicks or Just GAS?!

2011-04-10T18:48:00.000-05:00

It has been a HUGE week in the Greer household! We found out that we are having a sweet baby GIRL! On Monday, we went for the ultrasound and things looked wonderful or that is at least what the ultrasound lady said. I had a harder time trying to decipher body parts. Ha! I did see 10 fingers, 10 toes, and a wiggly little girl that kept waving at her mom!

Oh, I can't wait to hold Miss Adalyn Grace Greer in my arms this coming September....ahhh, what a beautiful thought.

I enjoy reading baby books and getting new-mom emails each week to see how she is growing and changing. Last week (week 17), she was the size of an onion. This is also the week that many moms can begin to feel their baby KICK! Is it weird that I want to be kicked?! When I feel any ache or twitch I start to focus to determine if it was a kick : )

I asked lots of moms what it feels like when the baby kicks/moves. Here are the answers I have received so far:

It feels like bubbles...no clue how to interpret that
It feels like anxiety or butterflies in your stomach, but you clearly aren't anxious about anything
It feels like indigestion...ha, when dont I have that (sorry...TMI!)

I am pretty sure that up to this point I have only felts aches, pains, and stretching, BUT today after lunch there was a different feeling. A mix between butterflies and my stomach "flipping." I think it may have been her!!! but...then again, I had just eaten lunch :) I'll be convinced fully when I feel it again.

Hope that is soon...

In case you are wondering, next week she will be the size of a sweet potato! Our little sweet potato :)

What I LOVE about Being Pregnant

2011-03-29T21:47:00.000-05:00

I have read quite a few baby books to prepare for pregnancy and most focus on the scary and frankly, icky parts of pregnancy. Yes, I have had my fair share of heart burn and gas (sorry, its true), but there are quite a few things that I LOVE ABOUT BEING PREGNANT, including:

Feeling my belly first thing in the morning! What a way to start the day :)
Having a beautiful excuse to go to bed at 9pm and sleep 10+ hours a day
"Allowing" Adam to clean the bathrooms. It just isnt good to breath in those fumes
Having a doctor's excuse to avoid deer meat
Wearing stretchy pants. It may be hard to transition back to regular pants
Hearing the baby's heart beat (Thanks, Teresa, for letting us borrow your Doppler)
Having an excuse to pass gas...again, sorry. It is just so funny!
Walking with Adam everyday and talking about what "cool" parents we are going to be
Getting weekly emails from The Bump telling us how the baby is developing
Drinking "mock"tails (cranberry juice + ginger ale) in fancy glasses
Practicing my parenting skills on the Cookie Monster

A Baby Story...

2011-03-08T17:55:00.000-06:00

"Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? And if this were not enough in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men, O Lord God.."
I Chronicles 17:16-17

This verse has been the SONG of my heart for the past 2 months!!!! What a blessing to share with you that God has spoken about the future of our house and blessed us with the joy of becoming parents. PARENTS!!

The words still do not seem quite real. PARENTS!!

We found out that we were pregnant in January. After 5 home pregnancy tests and one at the doctor (6 total), some would be convinced that they were pregnant. Me on the other hand, I wasn’t so sure just yet! I wanted to SEE the baby. You can call me doubting Thomas, but two stripes on a stick (sorry if that was too visual...i refrained from putting up that picture) just isn’t the same as knowing that the baby is doing ok!

In February, we went to the doctor for our first ultrasound. Would you believe me if I said my whole world flipped upside down in a matter of seconds when we saw that sweet baby come up on the monitor?! OUR BABY! Did I mention that we are going to be PARENTS?! : )

I laughed and cried as Adam held my hand, and we saw our baby for the very first time. The doctor was incredibly kind and allowed us time to soak up the glory of the moment. As we watched, I knew it was my child because during the whole ultrasound he/she flipped around, moved from side to side, and waved its arms at us! Lots of energy, I am guessing! The baby was healthy and the heartbeat sounded great. The doctor even made a joke that the baby has Adam's head size! Ha

I am now starting my 2nd trimester, and everything looked good at our appointment this afternoon! If you have been doing the math (January-ish + nine months), you will quickly realize that it is going to be a long, HOT summer for me!

The facts…

How far along: 13 weeks (out of 40. I wouldn’t have known that before we were pregnant)
Due date: September 12th
Cravings: Orange popsicles!!! I didn’t even like them until recently
Feeling: Feeling awesome! So far, no morning sickness

So, bring on the advice and the hand-me-downs! Both are welcome : )

More baby details to come…

Valentine’s Day – To Hate or Partake?

2011-02-14T12:02:00.000-06:00

Ahh…Valentine’s Day! The day when love is in the air and retailers make plenty of money from the sale of flowers, candy, cards, and jewelry.

Legend has it (at least according to the History channel) that this day back in 278 A.D. a holy priest in Rome by the name of Valentine was executed. In that time, Emperor Claudius II wanted an all bachelor army, so he banned all marriages and engagements in Rome. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret.

BUT, as you may know, it is not good for your health to defy the emperor! St. Valentine was beaten and beheaded. Before his death, he left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine." Romantic, huh?

As I reviewed my friend’s facebook statuses this morning, I noticed a clear line between V-day haters and partakers. You can take a guess about which status goes in which category:

Haappy Vday FB! Its my most favoritist holiday (after christmas of course). Love is great (bc God is love)? Tell someone you luv em 2day. And do something sweet 4em while ur at it. :)
So blessed to be in love....
Valentine's Day is not for love. You should tell your significant other everyday how much they mean to you. Valentine's Day is actually a day to remind all the single people that you are NOT in love. And a day to remind you of your ex even though you don't want to think about it. Worst. "Holiday." Ever.
Shout out to those that have given up on love or don't feel loved. God is love and He would never give up on you. Seek the Lord first. Hang in there! I love you!

So, what do we make of this joyous, fun-filled, industry dictated, love mandated holiday that is full of perhaps unrealistic expectations?!

I say we go back to the definition of LOVE found in 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8a:

"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails."

Would your friends and coworkers describe you as patient, kind, hopeful, trusting, and never failing or would they describe you as proud, angry, self-seeking, etc?

"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John 13:35

We are recognized as God's people by our LOVE for one another!! So weather or not you have a hot date tonight, don't miss your opportunity to show LOVE to others as Christ showed to us :)

What is a picture REALLY worth!?

2011-02-01T20:02:00.000-06:00

We have all heard the saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." I would agree SOME pictures are worth a thousand words. Here are a few of my favorites:

And of course....

Well...I spent most of the month of December gathering my favorite pictures from 2010 and scrapbooking our sweet memories from the past year...everything from my sister's wedding to Adam's 1st Georgia football game to our 11 day trip to see all of our friends in Florida.

I do, in fact, realize that there is "new" technology that will allow you to make photobooks quickly online by simply uploading pictures, inserting your credit card, and waiting for the arrival in the mail! BUT I LOVE reliving the memories, cutting fun shapes, and gluing in ticket stubs, invitations, and any other 'scrap' that I saved to inlcude in the book. It does cause quite a mess in the dining room, but Adam is pretty patient with me.

As I was scrapbooking, I talked to my dad and told him what I was doing. He laughed and told me about a home he recently bought after a gentleman passed away. He said that he was going through the attic and found several scrapbooks that this man and his late wife made. He looked through some, but tossed most things as he had several rooms to clean up before he could rent the house out.

Then he asked, "What do you think people will do with your scrapbooks when you are dead?" HA! Seriously, dad! That wasn't really where I thought the conversation was going. I guess now that I think about it, I hope that when I die (hopefully in 100 years) that I leave more than scrapbooks and pictures. I hope I leave a legacy (for lack of a way better word!) of joy, kindness, peace, and patience. Those are the things can never be tossed.

In the meantime, I say, "Happy Scrapbooking!" May your pictures be clear, your cuts be straight, and your books be filled with lots of beautiful memories!

The Jolly-days!

2011-01-03T16:25:00.003-06:00

I LOVE the ~~holidays~~ JOLLY-days!

My ears are delighted by praise songs about the birth of our Savior;
my eyes are pleased with all of the lights and decorations of the the season;
my soul is comforted with the thought that we have been blessed with family, friends, and fun-filled year;

my excitement level peaks with thoughts of the new year and new opportunities to come!

Corny? Sure! But if you know how much I love the holidays, this is no surprise to you! I tried to convince Adam to let me decorate the house the day after Halloween (Nov 1st). He said that I couldn't do it until December 1st! We compromised on November 15th and since that was on a Monday, I was able to move it to the 13th, because, of course, I needed the weekend to get everything in its place : ) Ha!

Left: Me and my Christmas elf (Cookie Monster) prepping to decorate in our holiday PJs!!

It was a surprisingly quiet Christmas season as my family all seemed to be in different places - visiting other family or working! We had a To-Do list (see the previous blog to get my theory of To-Do lists!) that turned into a To-DONE list! We got a crazy amount of house projects completed and still had lots of time for quality time, snuggling, rejoicing, and resting.

We even saw snow on Christmas..in Alabama! If you are from up North, I use the term snow liberally :) We had enough snow to make a few snowballs!! Wooo! Not snowmen, just snowballs!

And even though presents are NOT the reason for the season, it is always fun to bless others with something that will make their heart smile! Adam got me the BEST present ever. Are you ready to hear this?! An all-in-one printer, scanner, fax, & copier! It does double sides copies & scans. It can turn a scanned document into a writable word doc! It is awesome. A grad student's dream....ahhhh!

Adam got a scope for rifle. I guess it is cool. I haven't seen him much since he won't come out of the woods!

I love "To Do" lists!

2010-12-09T13:57:00.001-06:00

It is true! I can't help myself from making lists especially To Do lists: grocery lists, wal-mart lists, chores around the house lists, daily work to do lists, lists about goals for the week/month/semester, lists of errands I need to run around the city, etc.! At any given moment, I may have 5 or 6 To Do lists going. Some are in my planner others hanging on the refrigerator or laying next to the bed.

I love drawing lines through all the the things that I have accomplished, and I have been known for writing something on my To Do list just so that I can mark it off and feel accomplished. I've got this down to an art. For example, instead of writing "Read Chapters 1-3 for Class" on my To Do list, I will write:

Read Chapter 1
Read Chapter 2
Read Chapter 3

Because then you get to mark THREE things off your to do list instead of just one :)

As the semester is coming to an end and the holidays are quickly approaching, you cannot begin to imagine the number of lists we have around the house! Ha. For some people, I do realize, this would be an awful feeling, but for me it helps me to feel like I have a game plan. Plus, I cannot seem to remember a darn thing these days and a house full of post it notes was just not cutting it.

Over Thanksgiving when we were traveling home, Adam and I made several To Do lists including:

Things that needed to be done by the end of the semester
House projects we wanted to accomplish during the Christmas break,
A list of people to send Christmas cards to

Plus another list of people who we still needed to get their address

A list of Christmas gifts we wanted to buy

You may be thinking, "Mallory, what does Adam think about all those To Do lists?" Ha. Good question.

I actually think these lists have helped our communication a ton! I am not always great at expressing what I need from him when I am overwhelmed and lists let him know some of what I need. To be totally honest, at first, the lists did not help because he thought I wanted all of it done immediately, but I let him know that lists were just a way for me to organize myself. Now, I think we have lots of shared meaning about our goals and priorities...thanks in large part to To Do lists!

I think he even likes marking off tasks too. Sometimes he will put his initials next to all the items that he completed and feel very proud because he did more than me :) Don't tell him, but I am ok with him "winning" that little battle.

Well, now I can mark "Write Blog" off my To Do list and move to the next thing! What a productive day!

Grateful...for my crazy family

2010-11-30T17:59:00.000-06:00

Last week lots of families across the country gathered together to give thanks for their many blessing and to eat until they had to pop open their top button : )

Same is true for the Greer family. We traveled to Tallahassee to be with my sister and her husband. This was a big year for them - being married, buying their 1st house, and inviting the in-laws over to eat! Let's just say that is was nothing short of a firework show gone bad. Sigh....

How does that happen? Civilized adults who LOVE each other gathered together for a meal all under the same roof. You would think that it would have been smooth sailing, right?! Ha...I can think of lots of words to describe Thanksgiving (i.e. interesting, lively, energetic, wild, fast paced, nutty), but smooth sailing is not a word that comes to mind.

In the midst of the chaos of family, Adam & I have lots to be thankful for this year:

We have each other! (I could stop there, but I'll go on)
We have a beautiful home that we have already lived in for a year! Wow, time flies!!
We are both full time Auburn students
We have jobs! Even better: we are blessed to be able to work together!!
We have family (biological and chosen) that bring excitement to our lives

But best of ALL....we have a relationship with our Lord and Savior - the One who provides all of our blessings.

Even in the midst of family "chaos" and days that certainly don't seem to go my way, I pray that I will continue to see God's many blessings along this journey we call life.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1

Wake up! Someone is in the House!!

2010-11-18T16:30:00.000-06:00

Probably once every 2 or 3 months, I wake up with my heart racing, and I just "know" that someone is in the house! Adam says that I shouldn't read murder mystery books before bed (which may be a good suggestion), but either way, he knows the routine:

No time for questions!
Get up!
Put on your glasses and go save my life!!

To date, no one has ever been in house. So, generally he does his rounds of the house, turns on all the lights, and then we go back to bed. In fact, we live in a lovely neighborhood and 99.9% of the time I feel perfectly safe.

Well, last night, the story went a little different. At 12:30, I heard taps (like maybe the "robber" had on high heels or something) and I heard the gate shut outside (so maybe the "robber" was stealing something out from the man cave in high heels!). p.s. Yes, I did read my murder mystery book before bed.

Adam dutifully put on his glasses and went on his rounds. Of course, no one was there, but we noticed sirens outside and saw numerous people walking around in the neighbor's back yard! (All I could think at the moment was, "Ha! I'm not so crazy. I did hear something!!") Turns out there was an electrical surge and subsequent fire at a home down the street.

When we joined our neighbors outside, they were relieved to see us. They said that they had called multiple times, knocked on the windows, and on the door, because their home had sustained damage too and they were concerned for us (so much for my keen sense of hearing; we slept through all of that)!

Happy to report that everyone is ok. Nothing a little time and repair cant fix.

On a high note, I believe that Adam will be more likely to believe I heard something the next time I roll over and say, "Wake up! Someone is in the House!!"

Traveling is Fun, but There is No Place Like Home!

2010-11-07T16:56:00.001-06:00

Fun Resturants + Nice Hotel + Great Conference + Time With Friends & Family = A GREAT TRIP!!

I heart traveling and seeing new places. Over the last four days, I have been in Minneappolis, Minnesota at a conference for work. Lots of fun times including:

Presenting our research at our national conference...

Going to The Mall of America...

and seeing my sweet step sisters!!

But it was so nice to be home and see Adam! I was pretty zapped from going and moving for 4 days straight (without much sleep), BUT when I saw Adam I was immediately recharged and refreshed from being home. While I was gone, I found out that he wrote me a several sweet letters (or rather lists...you will see). They went a little something like this:

What is Better About Mallory Being Home:

I miss her genuine smile
Someone to talk to about my day
She tells me when to put the chips down
Cookie Monster sleeps on her side of the bed rather than mine

Advantages of her Being Gone:

No "Real Housewives" or "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on tv
More flatulants (ha!! he really wrote that!!!!!)
I eat all the chips I want

Things I did today that would've been more fun if Mallory where here:

Woke up
Drove to School & Went to work (We work together)
Drove Home
Prayed for her
Watched Part of Grey's & Police Women of Dallas (Some of my favs)
Ate her popsicles
Went to Bed

What a blessing to be married to such an amazing (and creative!) man

Where has all the toilet paper gone?

2010-11-02T18:54:00.001-05:00

The other day I was sitting on the couch getting ready for the Georgia game. (SIDE NOTE: Let's try to avoid UGA football jokes...it has just been a ROUGH year for me. All my smack talking has caught up with me).

Anyway, I was sitting on the couch and Adam walked into the living room with an empty toilet paper roll in his hand and a seriously look on this face! I smiled, because I couldnt imagine what he was able to say :)

The toilet was stopped up?
Cookie Monster (our 6 lb chihuahua) had pulled the toilet paper off the roll?
What could it be?

In all seriousness, he said, "Do you know that you have gone through a whole roll of toilet paper in 2 days?" Silence. No smile from him. Just genuine confusion....

HAHAHA! Really, that is what you came in here to tell me?!?! Well, pardon. I didnt know that the TP police had an eye on our bathroom. New Alert: Girls use toilet paper...

Oh the joys of living with a guy : )

This morning I got a lecture on how to use the toothpaste. Ha!

Fall FUN!!

2010-10-31T22:23:00.000-05:00

From PUMPKIN PATCHES...

to PUMPKIN CARVING...

to FALL FESTIVALS...

we have had a blast over the last few weeks in this cool, "flirty" weather!

So...happy fall y'all :)

We are Crying Over Spilled Milk - LITERALLY!!

2010-10-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

When you walk into our kitchen be prepared to have a gas mask to make it out alive! Ugghh....

We are in some serious trouble over spilled milk....literally

A few days ago, Adam wanted his milk REALLY cold, so what did he do? Put it in the freezer, of course! Then, he YANKED open the freezer door, and what do you know? The milk spills. No big deal. Just wipe is up.

Day 1 = No problem we wiped it up
Day 2 = We wake up to the smell of rotten milk!! We wipe the freezer again...and cross our fingers
Day 3 = The rotten smell now has a hint of cheesy grossness. AHH! We clorox this time and buy 2 boxes of baking soda to put in the fridge and freezer!
Day 4 = Rotten, cheese smell mixed with DEATH! Everything comes out of the fridge and freezer and is washed.
Day 5 = HELP!! We need help! The smell of death is permeating the house!

I think they have this idiom about NOT crying over spilled milk WRONG!

People aren't crying because they are sad. They are crying because the rotten/cheese/death smell has taken over their tear ducts!

Southern Bride!!!

2010-10-04T13:33:00.002-05:00

So excited and honored to be part of Southern Bride's latest issue!!!!!!! This is a TRUE story about our dog - Cookie Monster - running away on our wedding day....sigh. Through the woods we went (wedding dress and ALL) looking for Cookie Man : )

Tuesdays with...

2010-10-03T14:37:00.000-05:00

Tuesdays with ~~Morrie~~ Adam!

I love Tuesdays. They are first of all NOT Mondays :) which make them special, but in the Greer house:

Tuesdays = Softball Night

Every Tuesday, I find myself on the bleachers with a chicken finger basket in my lap, school work next to me (usually untouched), and a smile on my face. Why?

Because I love sitting on metal bleachers for 2-3 hours? No.

Because I dont have anything else to do? No.

Because I love chicken fingers and fries? Well, maybe!

I love it because Adam loves it! Every Tuesday he joins his friends to play some church league softball. Adam enjoys going, doing, playing, moving. It is probably safe to say that between the two of us, am more of the "home body," but on Tuesdays there is no place that I would rather be. I am sort of like the postman in the sense that I try to be there every game.

"Neither rain, sleet nor snow, to the ball field I must go"

So on Tuesdays, if you cant find us. Drive by the ball field. Look for the bright yellow uniforms.

Check the bleachers. I'll be there!

Look for the hottie at 2nd base. Adam will be there!

See you Tuesday! I cant wait : )

Married for 500 days!!

2010-09-21T16:35:00.000-05:00

So, your first question is probably, "Who counts the number of days they have been married?!" Ha...valid question! On my cell phone, I had a count down to our wedding day, then after the wedding it just started "counting up!" I liked it, and so it has stayed on my phone. Duh!

Weddings and marriages have been on my mind a lot lately (probably b/c my sister, Jessica, just got married! see the previous post). I had the privilege of being Jessica's matron of honor, and at the rehearsal dinner I gave a toast. It was nothing too profound or original. As I choked back tears, I said something along the lines of:

"I love you both"
"I am excited to have a new brother...although I feel like Ryan has been part of our family for a long time"
"We, as their friends/family, have an obligation to support them, love them, & pray for them"
"Marriage is hard work, but a blessing beyond what you can imagine"

I didnt think much of it, but the next night after the wedding I was talking to my stepdad, John, and he asked why I said "Marriage is hard work." My 1st response was a resounding "Because it IS hard work." Hello, I have a whopping 500 days under my belt; I know a little something :)

His point was that marriage takes work, but is that really "HARD work?" Maybe it is just semantics, but I appreciated his point. We choose to be married. If we go in with our eyes wide open, we know that our partner is not perfect (gasp!). While, I think Adam is perfect for me, I know he is not perfect, and I know that I am not perfect (no laughing!). Thus, when you have two imperfect people under one roof, it takes work in the form of compromise, patience, and compassion. So, John, maybe marriage it isnt HARD work, but it takes work daily, right? On day 1, 2, 3....day 500, 501...day 15,000, etc!

Happy day 4 Jessica and Ryan! Happy day 500 Adam!

Ryan and Jessica SMITH!!!! 9.18.10

2010-09-20T08:40:00.004-05:00

My best friend - who just happens to be my SISTER - got married Saturday!!! What a blessing to be part of that amazing day at the beach : ) Here is a little taste of the day! Cant wait to see the professional pictures:

She was breath taking, wasnt she?!?!

Bachelor/Bachelorette Parties – Glorious Fun or Grand Faux Pas?

2010-08-23T11:02:00.000-05:00

Just thinking of the to-do list while planning a wedding can be exhausting…book the caterers, reserve the location, send invitations, obtain a marriage license, etc., etc. After all that work, most brides- and grooms-to-be look forward to the fun events designed specifically to celebrate them and their upcoming nuptials – such as this now-infamous bachelor/bachelorette party.

I started thinking about this “infamous” party as I began helping to plan one for my younger sister, Jessica, who is getting married in a few weeks to a wonderful man. In planning, I kept thinking:

1. What is the purpose of this event? To party? To celebrate the bride? To celebrate marriage?
2. What should be emphasized? Remembering singlehood? Looking towards marriage?
3. How should be talk about marriage this weekend? Sad because you won’t be single? Excited?

I was probably READING way too much into this event. Ha! I know! Yet, this is my sister and best friend, and I wanted her to not only have a special weekend, but I wanted to provide a solid example from what I know as a wife and a marriage researcher. I have attended different types of bachelorette parties in the past, and it makes me a little sad when people think of parties like this as the “end of fun” or when people make comments like “RUN!” or “Don’t do it!”

I did some brief (non scholarly) research on the history of these parties and found that bachelor parties date back to the 5^th century when Spartan men held a dinner in the groom’s honor and would make toasts to the groom in a celebratory fashion, but the term bachelor party wasn’t coined until the 1920’s. After the sexual revolution in the 1960’s, women began their own version of celebration with the bachelorette party. In wasn’t until the 1990’s that women “pumped up the volume” and were regularly celebrating these parties with wild nights on the town and often male entertainment. So, maybe all my party planning questions were founded as the typical stereotypes of bachelor/bachelorette parties (think The Hangover) have only been normed during the past decade or two.

Today, I would venture to say that there does not appear to be a “right” way to celebrate. As the party-planner and/or friends of the soon-to-be-married-couple, it is important to know what the couple wants (and what they do NOT want) at their party or separate parties. There is nothing wrong with good ole fashioned fun as friends help celebrate the transition from singlehood into marriage, but honoring the couple and their upcoming life together is also an essential element for a successful party and for a healthy relationship for the couple.

As for Jessica’s bachelorette weekend, it was a raging success filled with fun, sun, and lots of talk about the adventures of marriage!

Pictured left: Kaley Revell (bridesmaid), Jessica Lucier (BRIDE!), Mallory (Matron of honor)

Below Left: My BF's bachelorette party. Now Mrs. Catie Walker O'Neal.

Below Right: My bachelorette party with my son, Cookie Monster!!

Vacation By Numbers...1, 2, 3....1,330

2010-08-15T23:51:00.006-05:00

Gators and Porpoise and Seagulls, oh my! Adam, Cookie Monster and I just came home from our multi-destination adventure of Florida :)   We had LOTS of fun and ate TOO much food. Here is a summary of our trip by the numbers:

11          Days we spent on vacation!
1330.9  Miles driven. Ok, ok! I should say, number of miles Adam drove :)
7            Homes we visited
4            Different beds we slept in
616        Pages read catching up on the last two Janet Evonovich books!

33 Naureen's jersey number! We got to see her and Chris play...they won!!

6 Times I spit on the ground in Gainesville, FL. Yick, UF! Go dawgs :)
4 Number of real gators (not the obnoxious fans) we saw at Paynes Prairie!

Thanks to Roxanne, our amazing tour guide!

2:30 Time of Drew and Patty's wedding on 8.7.10!

9'8" Length of the longboard I tried to surf on!

2 Number of sandsharks in the water...and reason I didn't learn to surf :)

$40 Amount of money we saved b/c Adam's mom gave us both great haircuts

9374 Address to Jessica and Ryan's NEW HOUSE! Glad we went to visit Tallahassee
387 Exit we ran out of gas. Really. We even had a note to remind us to fill up. Ah!

15 Minutes it took Grant to get gas & save us...in the RAIN! Thanks Grant!

∞ Amount of fun we had traveling to see our friends and family!!

Can't wait to do it again!

p.s. Thanks to the Netzer family for giving us this numerically descriptive idea!

Vacation...Porpoise Sighting from a CANOE!!

2010-08-11T14:42:00.003-05:00

Rivers and beaches and pools, oh my! We are enjoying our vacation as we circle the state of Florida visiting family and friends (i.e. fun and inexpensive holiday before school gears back up).

Adam and I went on a canoe ride on the Banana River yesterday afternoon. It was beautiful outside as we watched fish jump and the sun shine down on us. Then Adam spotted a porpoise!!

Check out the video as we basically paddled right next to the porpoise! Shoot, he/she almost swam underneath the canoe (in the 2nd video)!

The 1st one has me narrating; the 2nd one is a little windy but mr. porpoise gets CLOSE!

I was having a laughing attack...excited like a little kid. Growing up in Georgia, you dont see this everyday unlike my surfer boy husband who is like a fish to water....better yet, a porpoise to water! Enjoy :)

More photos and videos of the trip to come!

Learning While Teaching!

2010-08-01T15:16:00.023-05:00

I love my job(s)! As a little background, I have been in grad school at Auburn for the last 4 years (yet still a faithful Georgia Bulldog). During that time, I have worn many “hats!” Beyond my favorite roles (wife to Adam, sister, daughter, etc!), I also have had some rocking jobs. 4+ years as a research assistant for Alabama’s healthy marriage initiative and the last three years as a therapist at a community mental health facility.

I love therapy, but I was ready for a new adventure. In the spring of this year, I co-taught a class with my major professor...loved it! Then, this summer, I turned in my 30 day notice at mental health when I was offered a job teaching an undergrad Marriage & Family class at Auburn.

Transitioning from a one-on-one, community mental health setting to a classroom with 35 “knowledge seekers.” Oh, it has been an adventure!!!! There are some similarities between therapy and undergrads (i.e. in both settings some WANT to be there, others don’t; both are filled in interesting people who keep me on my toes!)

Here are a few things that I have learned/enjoyed about teaching this summer:

4. Everyone was learning…including ME! I had a chatty, thoughtful group of students who asked LOTS of questions and had even more “colorful” stories to highlight various topics we discussed including LOVE, costs/rewards for romantic relationships, rules for breaking up, healthy sexuality, etc.

3. I felt so funny! : ) I am not sure if they are required to laugh at my jokes and stories because I was the instructor (or maybe Adam paid them), but they did which just encouraged me to tell more jokes! Ha!

2. It is important to have clarity in communication! This is a good lesson for everyone…therapists, teachers, spouses, etc. On the first exam, I asked the students to describe the difference between individualistic values (individual/self oriented) and familistic values (family oriented). Then, I asked them to illustrate each value system expecting for them to give me an example of each. I was really confused when I was grading the tests and began seeing pages covered in STICK FIGURES!

HAHA! I didn’t know if I should deduct points or give extra credit : ) Next time I will just ask for an example. p.s. I asked permission from the students to use these

1. The best part about teaching: Watching the A-ha Moments! Lots of students across the University have to take this class. I had interior design students, engineers, communication disorder folks…students from a variety of back grounds. As diverse as their interests were, we all had some common ground in this class. We all have a family – whether biological or a chosen family – and we will continue to be part of a community of people.

Several students we struck by the fact that we can STUDY marriages and families! Skills such as having realistic expectations and being intentional in relationships can promote healthy relationships and stability….plus research rocks! The last part was added by me. They may not yet love research as much as I do!

What a blessing to have such a great job in which I get to talk about marriages and families!! Looking forward to learning lots more as I continue to teach this fall!

7.19.10

2010-07-20T09:35:00.009-05:00

Yesterday was a hard day for our family. We lost my grandma, Mary Howard.

Even as I type this it doesn't seem quite real, and the word "lost" seems so incomplete and superficial. My childhood is flooded with memories of swimming at the lake, riding the boat , playing dominoes, bowling, and eating our "arthritis medicine" (a.k.a. ice cream) with my grandparents.

My parents would drop me and my sister, Jessica, off to spend the weekend with my grandparents, and we knew we were in for some fun. My grandparents liked routines (to put it mildly).

Every morning, grandma served us cereal and toast (cut diagonally) with lots of butter. We fished in the morning and went to Shoney's :) for lunch. In the afternoon, we went bowling on post, and then went home to ride the boat (which I would undoubtedly fall asleep, so my grandma would give me a blanket BEFORE I got on the boat). We finished up the day with our "arthritis medicine" and got ready to do it all again the next day.

At the end of our trip, my grandparents would slip us a few dollars and say, "Maybe this is enough to keep you away for a while!" :)

They would stand in the driveway and holler, "Thanks for having us!" as we drove away.

For years, we would spend new years eve at their house. Jessica and I talked about how we were going to stay up ALL NIGHT and "party" at midnight. Without fail, Jessica and I would fall asleep on the couch and grandma would wake us up a few minutes before midnight. We would blow our horns and wave our American flags, and then fall back asleep within minutes!

Sweet memories...

Yesterday was a rough day, but there was such comfort in knowing that she was feeling no more pain and that she was met in heaven by Jesus and my sweet grandpa that passed away 2 1/2 years ago. She has missed him so much....after 50 years of marriage, her heart ached daily for her best friend.

What a beautiful thought of them holding hands again on the streets of gold.

A Big, Wild Southern Wedding

2010-07-13T15:23:00.006-05:00

This last weekend Adam and I traveled to Huntsville for my cousin Tony's wedding to his WONDERFUL bride Libby :)

What do you get when family travels from all over the country and descends upon one city?!?!

A mixture of laughs, old stories, some swear words, lots of hugs, a few jabs, tears of joy, and LOTS OF FUN!!

Here are some pictures :) Updates on other summer fun coming soon!

My sister, Jessica :)Mr. & Mrs. Diaz!!!!!!

1 + 1 = 8

2010-06-19T11:59:00.009-05:00

First...no I am not pregnant with sextuplets! :)

The 1 + 1 = 8 refers to my mom and (stepdad) John's recent nuptials. As John likes to describe it, our families are united under a common "G" (they are HUGE Green Bay Packer fans represented by a green and yellow G and we are HUGE Georgia Bulldog fans, of course, represented by the most beautiful red and black G). Can I get a collective "awww" for this picture of them?!?! Too sweet
Back to the "eight" part of it! Together...our families bring together 8 people. More specifically, 7 WOMEN and John :) He has 4 daughters plus me and my sister, Jessica! As you can imagine he is a bit outnumbered by the sheer amount of estrogen present when we are together! His daughters - who are fabulous - live in Minnesota, so the first time we have all been under one roof together was THIS week! We ventured through the blazing heat and enjoyed a few days filled with roller coasters, water slides, cornhole, grilling, and chilling :) SOOO fun

You might think that being together would have many obstacle such as sharing 3 bathrooms among 8 people or cooking enough food to feed the whole group or trying to come to an agreement about what we should do next, but I would beg to differ. Surprisingly, these issues were not a problem....the biggest obstacle was the "language barrier."

My Southern ears had a hard time adjusting to "yankee talk." Although they cited some study that reported that Minnesota accents were the easiest to understand (I'd like to see the reference on that study!), I had to use lots of active listening skills and context clues to understand some of our conversations HAHA. I could have done a whole blog on "Language Interpretation 101: The North Meets the South"

Even so, it makes my heart smile to know that we are all united under a common "G" (more pics to come with all of us in our jerseys) to parents who have found something VERY special, and I look forward to LOTS of opportunities to hone my skills in deciphering "yankee talk" in the years to come :)

Cookie Monster in Hot Pursuit

2010-06-06T08:20:00.005-05:00

The Cookie Monster (our 2 year old Chihuahua....and yes :) that is his real name) is VERY picky about which toy he wants to play with at any given time. He will dig through his basket until he finds exactly which toy he wants. He has:

a frog,
a chicken (which is actually now two separate toys - chicken head and chicken body!),
his own cookie monster,
chick-fil-a cow,
old slippers, etc., etc.

Anyway, yesterday I washed all those toys, and this morning he was not happy about it! He dug through his basket for 5+ minutes pulling out toys, putting them aside, and digging some more. HAHAHA guess he didnt like the "snuggle fresh" smell of his toys! Check it out:

I've heard that you shouldn't pray for patience...

2010-05-28T07:28:00.004-05:00

I've heard that if you pray for patience, then God will give you plenty of opportunities to "exercise" patience! Well, I have been praying that I would have a good attitude during this season of transistions and adjustment....ahhh!!! I guess that I prayed for MANY opportunities to practice having a good attitude, because it has been a WET and WILD week for the Greer family.

1. Bubbly Toilets - The city has been working on our water lines/pipes recently. Last weekend next to NOTHING would flush. I'll try not to be too graphic, but imagine this: a #1 would hardly flush. Know what I'm saying? Our neighbors confirmed that it was happening in their homes, so we werent too worried. Just needed to be patient until they were done. Now, the toilets flush, but all week our toilets have been singing to us. They bubble; they drain. Once our bathtub was even filled with water and dirt and it did not come from the facet....up from below! Seriously.

2. Spewing Sink - Monday (start of the work week) Adam reaches under the counter to get the mouth wash to find our sink pipe (not sure if that is the technical name) spitting water. He had already fixed this once before. Something about a washer gone or the putty had disintegrated. I am not sure. We have known about this little "project," but thought it was fixed. So, we have had to shower in our bathroom, but brush our teeth and such in the front bathroom. Nothing a huge deal. Just a little annoying.

3. Walking in the Rain - Now this was TOTALLY MY FAULT! HAHA. Adam and I have been riding to campus together and if you know anything about Auburn University, you know that students have to walk and walk and walk to get from their car to their class. Well, Wednesday we were leaving campus. We were about 2/3 of the way to the car (about 5 minutes) and it starts raining. I reach in my bag to get my keys only to find...NO KEYS! I had left them on my desk. Adam turns to go get them (I wait under a tree) and it begins to POUR!! He comes back soaking wet and didnt talk to me for a while after that. My bad!

4. Fountain in the Front Bathroom - I woke up this morning to a shout of "OH CRAP!" from Adam. I leap out of bed only to find a fountain of water flying up from the floor (where the sink pipes connect) and an inch of water already on the floor in the bathroom!!! No one was even in the bathroom when it started! So I grab every towel we own while Adam runs to turn off the water. We are thankful that we were home when this happened and didnt come home to an inch of water in the whole house, because the water was coming out fast and it wouldnt have taken long to be very bad!

So, now we are waiting for the plumber and the City of Opelika to "open" so that we can get everything figured out. I also will not drink anything because I dont want to have to walk to the neighbor's house multiple times to borrow their facilities. :)

Lord...I am trying to have a good attitude. Please bless us with helpful hands this afternoon and some solutions to all the wet and wild situations we are facing. Thank you for the blessings we have received in spite of all this (a few good laughs) and for your sense of humor in providing so many "opportunities" to practice patience & having a good attitude. :)

Transitions

2010-05-22T19:09:00.004-05:00

What do we really know about CHANGE and TRANSITIONS that happen in our lives? Adam and I have experienced LOTS of changes recently, so I keep looking & listening to how people talk about change.

The Bible says that there is a time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)
Leading self-help books make analogies to moving of cheese and not gobbling marshmallows to help readers adapt to the change process in as little as a week or even an hour :)
Various therapy approaches (I have been studying because I am taking my therapy licensing exam soon!!) encourage the change process with techniques that include shaping & modeling appropriate behavior, charting progress, increasing self-focus, decreasing anxiety, creating boundaries, challenging assumptions, reframing the situation, etc., etc.!!!!!!

Changes at the Greer home:

Adam is going back to school FULL time as an Auburn Univ. student!!!
Mallory "retired" from her therapy job at mental health that she has had for 3 years to teach classes at Auburn Univ!
Adam was hired as a research assistant on campus (which is very different from the Home Depot)!

For us, change can be seen in the practical sense (i.e. bank account, the amount of time we see each other, health benefits, etc), but it is hard to put change into words. The best word we can think of is BITTERSWEET! Excited about what is to come; humbled to be offered new experiences; sad and nervous about leaving places where we feel comfortable....

Just thankful to be taking this exciting, humbling, & nerve-racking journey with a loving & supportive spouse. Will keep you updated on how we manage all this change.

PRAYERS AND ADVICE welcome :)

p.s. Picture taken today at the Valley Day on the River (super fun festival is Valley, AL). Next blog will give you the 411 on the Watermelon eating contest from the reigning Valley watermelon eating CHAMPION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

Happy Anniversary to us!

2010-05-09T21:56:00.004-05:00

5-9-09 to 5-9-10! What does that mean?! We have been married a WHOLE YEAR!! Happy Anniversary to the Greer family. Only 588 more months until our 50th wedding anniversary :) Until then, may we always remember and fulfill our vows to each other. (We wrote our own vows!). Here they are:

Adam to Mallory:

First, I vow to love you forever.
To protect you...
To pray for you...and with you...
To remind you how much I love you...(and why you love me so much!)
To do my best to provide for you...
To encourage you...
To always be honest with you.

Lastly, Did I say to love you FOREVER!
You are my sunshine

Mallory to Adam:

Adam, I make a covenant with my eyes, my heart, and my actions to be fully committed to you (Job 31:1)
I promise to bring you good and not harm (Proverbs 31:12)
I promise to practice patience and kindness even through the storms (1 Cor. 13:4)
I will dance when you dance; I will mourn when you mourn (Romans 12:15)
I will be there all the days of your life.

From this day forward, I pledge:
(1) To seek Christ first in our relationship (Matt. 6:33)
(2) To honor you in all my actions, and
(3) To love you forever

Here's to many, many, many more : )

Thankful...to be married to you 9x

2010-04-30T11:38:00.012-05:00

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

2010-04-25T21:21:00.007-05:00

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!

2010-04-14T17:23:00.010-05:00

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!!

2010-04-12T12:26:00.012-05:00

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!

2010-04-08T22:31:00.005-05:00

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!

2010-04-07T13:11:00.007-05:00

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!

2010-04-04T23:25:00.004-05:00

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...

Project: Man Cave Makeover

2010-03-25T19:24:00.005-05:00

We have a GREAT space outside affectionately known as the Man Cave.

Great for storage and working on projects.

One problem: it is kind of gross in there! The goal is not to inhibit "manliness" : ) The goal is to update, organize, paint, get out the 50 years worth of dirt that has accumulated, and make it a fun space. Right now this is what we are working with:

Spring "Break"

2010-03-21T14:45:00.011-05:00

Ahhh....Spring Break! After a little calculating, last week I realized that this week was my 20th spring break **gasp** (K-12 = 13; UGA = 3; AU = 4). We decided that this spring "break" was going to be used to get some work done! So, in honor of my 20th (and most productive) spring break, here is what we did this week:

1. Summer hair cuts

2. Laundry, laundry, laundry

3. Pharmacy

4. Mowed the yard

5. Went to the bank

6. Nap

7. Submitted a paper

8. Got limbs off of the roof. Ok, ok. Adam cut limbs and cleaned the roof. I got on the roof to help. Then I realized that I had never been on a roof, and I was too scared to move, so I mostly sat there until he was ready to get down : )

9. Made a floor plan to update/paint/re-shelf the man cave

10. Cleaned the gutters

11. SAW MY SISTER!!!

12. Hung out with the Baker's and their dog Charlie (Cookie Monster & Charlie had an awesome time)

13. Attacked the crazy bamboo and overgrown trees in our yard

14. Bathrooms

15. Nap

16. Hung out with our baby - Cookie Monster - in the beautiful weather

17. Read about how much real babies cost(!)

18. Bleached & sealed the bottom of the house after all that rain this year

19. Cleaned the side of the man cave (check out the before and after!)

20. NAP!!!!!!

What is wrong with this picture?

2010-03-05T13:04:00.003-06:00

This is a picture of the front of our house. A house that I so love and that has truly become our home....

But did you notice something odd? Perhaps it wouldnt be odd if it were December, but now that we are well into March...it is a little ODD!

Pulling into our driveway this afternoon, I just busted out laughing as I realized that we have become "those" people who still have CHRISTMAS LIGHTS up in MARCH!! hahahaha. Neighbors, please forgive us. It is on our to-do list, I promise.

I guess that time flies when you are having fun....all of a sudden it is March : )

Marriage is all about...

2010-03-03T15:43:00.002-06:00

Marriage is all about....

Well, I'll get to that is a second. I started thinking about this when I heard James Dobson talk about women working on his Focus on the Family radio program (a program that I usually enjoy and appreciate the thoughtful topics introduced). He questioned how women who work can effectively be wives and mothers, and he notes that men and women have Biblically mandated roles. For women with children, he noted that our focus should be on mothering and not working outside the home. While, I do not want to stir controversy, I couldnt help but feel isolated and "put down" in a sense as a woman who really LOVES to work and as someone who is invigorated by my work.

I love the Lord, I love my husband, I love my work, and I love the thought of being a mother one day - a mother who works outside the home.

A year or two ago, my pastor did a sermon entitled, "Where is a Woman's Place?!" This had the whole congregation stirring and people anxiously awaiting to hear what he was going to say. As someone who studies gender roles in marriage, I was particularly interested in what he was going to say. He said it a million times better than I am about to explain it, but in essence...women are hard workers - inside and outside the home (Pro. 31:13-18)! A noble woman and wife is prepared (Pro. 31:21); she is a business-woman (Pro. 31:24); she is a life long learner - wise and gives good advice (Pro. 31:26); and she is a great mom (Pro. 31:28)!! Most importantly for me, her husband has confidence in her abilities and values her (Pro. 31:11).

Does that mean all women HAVE to work outside the home? Of course not, but for me I believe I have lots of energy and passion to invest in my family and my work. Should I put my work above my family? Again, of course not. I have lots of "hats" that I wear - wife, sister, daughter, therapist, student, researcher, etc., but I know that I have one goal that encompasses all of these roles, and that goal is to please God (2 Cor. 5:9) inside and outside the home : )

So....I believe that marriage is all about BALANCE!!!

What do you think?

Mal

Happy 9 month anniversary to us!!

2010-02-09T19:07:00.007-06:00

Only 591 more months until our 50th wedding anniversary : )

I cant wait for all the adventures yet to come!

Here are a few funny pictures from the past 9 months:

**Not sure if you can see the tiny tooth brush : ) It may or may not have a cookie monster on it. Dont judge us....he has BAD breath!

**See I venture out into the man cave too to do house projects! I was painting shelves for my office closet...woo! Notice that I did bring my heater outside though. It has been a COLD winter.

**Matching Christmas PJs : ) Even the Cookie Man has a matching pair with his name. Thanks Kim!

The Bachelor...yes, I watch it : )

2010-02-08T19:47:00.003-06:00

So, I have watched The Bachelor on and off for 8 years now (dont tell anyone! that is a bit embarrassing). A show about searching for love, looking for a spouse, and "winning" a partner all while drinking lots of wine and going on crazy, fun adventures.

Now, I am not dogging the show. Hello....8 years and I am still tuning in. (Although, Adam goes to volleyball on Monday night, he could also tell you that we are NOT rooting for Vienna this season).

I know that love can develop and flourish under a multitude of circumstances, but I looked up "the stats" for the show....0 for 13. Thirteen seasons and no marriages! BUT people keep signing up to be on the show and millions keep watching it. WHY?!?!

I think it is because people believe in love. We want to be loved and give love. We want to be part of a loving team (even Tenley used the term "team" tonight referring to being in a marriage in which they love and depend on each other!). We are made for love.

BUT we dont always know how to love, and we for sure dont always know how to express that love.

I am so thankful for the broken and unplanned road that brought me to my sweet husband. My prayer is that I keep learning everyday how to love and care for him more and more.

I know marriage is a marathon, but I want nothing more than to have him next to me on every leg of the journey....good, bad, and in between.

Love you valentine : )

"Don't Go To Bed Mad"

2010-01-31T09:49:00.004-06:00

It seems to be classic advice that you get over and over when you get married: Dont go to bed mad! Even Paul tells us in Ephesians, "Be angry, yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity" (4:26-27).

I appreciate that these words of guidance teach us what to do WITH our anger, thus acknowledging that anger WILL happen. I wonder though, does that mean you have to stay up and "talk it out" until it is solved?! In Psalms, we read, "In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent" (4:4). Ah ha! Be SILENT.

While I may be beating this subject into the ground a bit : ) I just think that people deal with anger differently. For example, when upset, Adam is a talker and I am a thinker. It helps him to talk it out or DO SOMETHING to change the situation; it helps me to THINK through the situation (yes, some people call it avoiding! haha) and address it again when I have a clear head.

My friend Angela and I (another marriage and family therapist) were talking about this subject the other day. She said that it was hard/almost impossible for her to sleep when her and her husband werent square. I said that when it gets too late, my ability to reason and be sympathetic runs thin. It is best for me to be silent (or write a little note!) and take the situation to God. Maybe the advice given to newly weds should be: When angry remind yourself how much you love the person laying next to you, and decide together in a spirit of love WHEN you will talk about this situation - that night or the next day.

Highlights of the Week

2010-01-29T15:42:00.003-06:00

Monday - Adam made my FAVORITE meal! It has rice, chicken, and sausage. Not sure what it is actually called, but I call it favorite rice : ) Then I ate it for lunch twice this week and loved it again and again.

Tuesday - I spoke with a colleague of mine at the Kiwanis Club Family Expo on Stepparenting. Adam came and watched even though he has seen the same presentation a few times. Thank you sweetheart.

Wednesday - We snuck away from work and had lunch together. It was nice to see his face in the middle of the day, but note to self: Do NOT get spicy wings again when you have to go back to work for 7 hours to do therapy! haha

Thursday - Lazy tv night. Certainly needed!!

Friday/Today - We are starting a Bible study with some of our favorite people - The Baker Family & the Power Family! The study asks us to consider if marriage is intended to make us holy instead of just make us happy. Will update about progress of the study.

Saturday/Tomorrow - This will be day 16 of our bathroom project! Say a little prayer for my patience. : ) It looks amazing and Adam has done had fabulous job juggling work, school, and house projects; I am just ready to have my office back. Will post pictures of the finished product.

Happy Friday!
Mal

House Projects - Tiling the BATHROOM!

2010-01-18T16:15:00.004-06:00

This is our (I use the term loosely as Adam did most of the work!) most extensive project yet!

Adam tore out the old floor, cleaned the yuckiness underneath, and then put in BEAUTIFUL tile....GOOO sweetheart!

I...ummm....cheered him on, took lots of pictures, and mostly stayed out of the way : )

Final project pictures coming SOON!

Mal

House Projects - The Fence!

2010-01-18T15:07:00.001-06:00

Wood + Nail Gun + Amazing Husband = Awesome Fence that Cookie Monster Cannot Jump Through

Holidays!!

2010-01-18T14:51:00.001-06:00

The Test of a New Marriage - Hunting Season

2010-01-18T13:56:00.003-06:00

Written November 9th -

I am excited to report that this week my sweet husband, Adam, and I will have been married 6 whole months! As he says, “Only 594 more months until our 50th wedding anniversary!”

As a marriage and family therapist, I believe I came into this marriage with all the right tools: realistic expectations, knowledge about how to communicate effectively, and an understanding that as much as we love each other, we are two imperfect people who do not always “get it right.”

Well…let me tell you one thing, all the BEST marriage books could not have prepared me for one thing….HUNTING SEASON! Ladies, why didn’t someone tell me about this?!

Let me give you an example. A few weeks ago Adam was getting prepared for bow season. For people who are completely clueless like me, that means you can only use a bow to kill the deer. No guns allowed. Well, he invited me to go out to the woods with him to move his deer stand. It sounded innocent enough. I thought, “Great. I’ll spend time with Adam, get some sun, and be back for the game.” So, I packed some food and decided to bring Cookie Monster (our Chihuahua) along too.

45 minutes later – We are in the woods looking for the perfect spot to put the tree stand. Smiling.

5 minutes later – I realize we are “in the woods” and I’m not going to get any sun. Still smiling.

2 minutes later – I realize I should have worn jeans. The brush makes my legs inch! Still smiling.

1 minute later – Adam tells me maybe I should carry Cookie Monster because there are bobcats in the woods that could get him! Strike of panic, but smiling!

60 minutes later – We are STILL walking and looking for the “perfect” spot. My legs itch and my arms are tired from carrying Cookie Monster. Not complaining & even an occasional smile.

15 minutes later – We find the perfect spot! Woo! I put Cookie Monster down finally. Smiling and getting excited about the game.

30 minutes later – Game has started. We have looked at every tree in the perfect spot, and we have found the perfect tree for the stand! Cookie Monster walks through an ant bed, and he is freaking out a bit. Not complaining.

10 minutes later – We examined every possible angle on the perfect tree in the perfect spot in the woods. We select the perfect angle for the stand! Too tired to smile.

1 minute later – I realize why I was REALLY invited!! It takes 2 people to get the tree stand up. One on the bottom to hold it steady and one person 15 feet in the air to strap it to the tree!!!!! Guess which one I was. NOT smiling.

10 minutes later – Glad to be alive. 15 feet felt more like 500 feet! Trying not to hyperventilate!

1 minute later – I am still on the ground about to give Adam a “stern talking to” when I look up and see him smiling from ear to ear. THREE hours later, we had really found the perfect angle on the perfect tree in the perfect spot in the woods! Now smiling again (but only a little).

I guess the marriage books are right and maybe they did prepare me for hunting season. We know that when couples don’t have “shared meaning” about a given situation or event it can lead to conflict. It would have been best if we both had the same idea of what it means to go move a deer stand. I obviously had a very different idea of what we would be doing that day. When I realized that we didn’t have shared meaning, I had to recognize the meaning that Adam attached to the event and be respectful of that (even when I didn’t feel like smiling!).

Hunting season may not be my thing, but I can roll over at 4am and wish him good luck; I can frame the picture of my smiling husband holding up his prized possession (even if it is gross and the deer’s tongue is hanging out!); and I can appreciate the fact that as much as we love each other, it is good to have our individual interests : )

Happy anniversary sweetheart & happy hunting season!