2 Years

I'm the worst catmom ever, please don't hold this against me... but we kind of forgot to acknowledge Theo's second birthday. Ooops :( Better late than never though, he'll never know the difference!

I cannot even believe that it's been two years since we brought this little rascal home! What an awesome day, and what an awesome surprise... Keith picked out such a good one :) He was the smallest little cat I've ever seen, and I think that's why we love him so much. He grew up only knowing us and as ridiculous as he is, he is such a little sweet heart to Keith and I. He was just what I needed to not feel so lonely in our Philly apartment when Keith was working crazy retail hours. Theo and I used to spend SO much time together in that apartment, just cuddling and doing homework haha. I'm still in awe that we're two years away from those memories. Time has REALLY been flying! 

Here are some milestones in Theo's life this year:

• First of all, he moved 1000 miles away from the only home he's ever known
• Lived with friends Tytus and Jamie
• Got a new home, that he really took his time getting used to
• HE WENT OUTSIDE!
• Caught his first bird
• Caught his first snake
• and then his second snake...
• Climbed his first tree
• Lost 4 different collars in the yard
• Met a baby
• Got a bladder infection :(
• Spent too much time jumping up on the sink
• Got to eat wet food as more than just a treat
• Dragged in like 100 sticks

It is safe to say it's been a good year for this guy. He still acts like a kitten, and refuses to let you pet him if there is an opportunity to play with your hand. I've been seeing slight hints of him calming down and wanting to be loved on, but then he'll always come at you with a little reminder of who's boss :) 

Here are some of my favorite phone photos of Theo from this year:

and you can always click here to see my photo montage from his first birthday!

Titans Fans

This past Sunday after church we had the pleasure of hosting our great friends Isaac, Carolyn and baby Sage for the Titans game. I don't know what happened, but September was a crazy busy month for us and for all of our friends so we missed out on seeing them very much. Thankfully October has already been providing more chances for us all to get together, and be in community with one another. We really do have some awesome friends here in Nashville that are quickly growing to feel like family :)

Even though the Titans didn't win this week, it was great to see Carolyn and Isaac and have a few hours to chat about life and what we've all been up to in the month since we last hung out. Besides that... look how absolutely ADORABLE Sage looks in her Titans cheerleader outfit!!!

I can't believe how fast she's growing up! Look how small she was just 7 months ago!!!

Run

Since August I have been working on becoming a runner.

My parents have always been avid runners, but growing up I couldn't have avoided it more. You could even say that I absolutely HATED running and straight up refused to do it. This summer though, I was looking for something to help me get in shape, and I decided that I couldn't avoid running any longer... especially because it's essentially a free workout. Let's not jump the gun too quickly and say I'm a running lover... I haven't made a complete turn around yet, but running has definitely become more enjoyable these past two months (or maybe just less grueling haha) . When I started I honestly couldn't run more than a minute without getting a cramp in my side, but with the help of the Couch to 5k app on my phone I was able to work my way up to running a solid 30 minutes without wanting to absolutely die.

It's a great little thing that coaches you through your run, lets you listen to your own music, but lets you know when you need to walk and when you need to start running. There are lots of different plans/apps out there, but this one I would definitely recommend. It is so helpful to get you started... that doesn't mean its always easy! Those first few days of running 5 minutes, then 8 minutes are super tough but you feel like such a champion when you make it through!

Now that I've completed the program I've moved on to bigger and better things. When my parents were here last April Keith and I set a goal to run the half marathon here in Nashville. It seemed like something that was so far off, but now I really want to get myself in gear and train through the winter. I found a new half marathon trainer app to use because I would really like to see myself run the whole way. I just did the first day, which seemed like cake because it's only half the running time that I just left off at, but I know this is going to get really tough.

Here's to positive running thoughts! I hope that I can stay motivated to get up and go to the gym through the winter, those are always the months I just want to hibernate haha. Wish me luck!

Natural

Since Keith and I have been together we've been working toward making more conscious food/health choices in order to be in better shape, but also to help our environment. I definitely don't have it all figured out, and we still struggle to find natural cleaning products that we love as much as our old favorites, but we have been making switches here and there that I think are steering us in the right direction. Thankfully this month I think I've officially squashed my craving for fast food or sodas, but in it's place I have a whole handful of other favorite things. I feel like I just want to buy everything I see in the natural section of Kroger, or at Turnip Truck haha. Here's hoping that those habit changes will pay off in our heath and how we feel about our bodies. Now I just need to convince myself that it's worth the extra cost to purchase natural make up products.... Here are some of my recent crave-able items:

I would drink one every day if it was more economical.

It took me a few tries to really get into, but now I LOVE coconut water and it leaves you feeling so refreshed!

Perfect little pre-lunch snack.

Mmm, a tasty little replacement for candy, if only I could work up the motivation to make this again.

Such a filling snack!

As a milk hater, I was surprised by how much I liked this... the dark chocolate is so rich, and joyous :)

Any other suggestions?

TSU

This past Saturday Keith came with me as I went on my last official field trip with my students to a Tennessee State University Football game at LP Field. I haven't been at the center in the afternoons for a week now, so it was great to see the kids and get to spend time with them before I'm officially done with my term of service. As crazy as they are, I'm definitely going to miss them :( We stayed through the half time show, just enough time to watch TSU completely dominate whatever team they were playing. Here are some photos from our evening:

Keith playing football with some boys out back before the game.

Bus ride.

Reppin'

Sarah, Keith and I.

Noor with Keith's hat :)

SO. STINKIN. CUTE!

Almost Newlyweds

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting our great friends Jonathan and Erin! Even though their trip was last minute and quick we still got to have some great chats with them and share in the excitement of their upcoming wedding (it's only a month away now!).

When they got in Friday night we enjoyed a few beers together and caught up on life, then Saturday started with a trip to the ever famous Pancake Pantry. We spent the afternoon lounging in the living room watching college football until Keith and I had to head to a field trip with my students. While we were gone Jonathan and Erin got to have a great date night, and visit with a friend from college and when we were all back at the house we watched a few too many episodes of our favorite show Storage Wars :) Sunday with them was short a sweet because they had to head out right after church, but we're thankful for the time that we got to have with them... can't wait for their wedding in November!!!

Horse Day

This post is purely to document something absolutely hysterical that happened on instagram yesterday between my friends and I. As a backstory, I would like to mention that in college it was widely known to my friends that I didn't enjoy horses; this fact was clearly exploited as they would give me horse figurines as gifts, or draw hundreds of pictures of scary horses and post them all over my dorm room while I was in class. 

So here is how I started my day yesterday: I woke up to find that Keith had posted about a horseback ride we should take as a date, and watch what happened next completely unplanned by him... (be sure to read the captions too)

This was definitely my favorite post haha "I'm not sure why we're doing this..."

So from 9am til 9pm, 8 different people posted 12 different photos of horses for me hahaha. Keith and I could not stop laughing as we watched them all roll in throughout the day. I know it's slightly malicious but all in good fun and reminded me of how great my friends truly are. It's so awesome to know that we can have a good time with each other even though we're far. Oh the power of smart phones.

So even though Keith posted this picture of me with a sad face, I couldn't have been happier to have a great laugh yesterday. Thank for nothing, friends ;)

Elliot

This morning I got a chance to hang out with Chelsey and her adorable little one, Elliot. I'm really going to miss our Friday hangout when these crazy kids move to CALIFORNIA in just 3 short weeks :( I could not be more excited for them and their new adventure, but I hate to say goodbye to friends and I'm sad that I don't get to see baby Elliot as much as he grows up. Just look how cute he is!

Mid roll over

Tummy time

Loving his mommy :)

Love, love, lovin those chubby cheeks!

Yum

Oh, and just as I finish writing a post about exercise, here comes a post about my new favorite treat....

They are totally perfect. and delicious. and I can't stop eating them. but it's ok because I just worked out? They aren't quite as good as these Heath Bar cookies, but they're perfect as a quick alternative. I would recommend you try them :)

Awkward

Recently I've been doing a much better job at keeping up with my health and exercising regularly which is a miracle considering that I hardly moved a muscle once I stopped dancing after high school. I started running, and I have worked my way up to being able to run 3 miles, which is another miracle because before August I couldn't run for 30 seconds without getting a cramp in my side and quitting haha. I still wish that I had a bike I could ride around in the city, but in the meantime I've also been going to Zumba classes at our local YMCA...

...which is probably the most awkward thing I've ever done in my life hahaha. Imagine being in a huge gym with a bunch of women who are all trying to do the same thing, while secretly hoping no one is watching them. It's one of those things where I always wish there was someone with me to experience how ridiculous it is, but also knowing that I would probably drop dead of embarrassment if I saw someone I knew. All in all it's probably the best workout I've ever had though. Never have I been more sweaty and never have I wanted to quit something so badly. Every time I go I tell myself that I'm going to leave because it's just so intense, but then feel like such a champion when I make it all the way until the end haha. So as silly as I feel, I'll probably continue to go, and yell at Keith whenever I catch him peeking in the window :) 

First Saturday

This weekend could not have been more beautiful here in Nashville. THIS is the weather I remember from visiting Keith here when we were dating. If only we could just press pause and live in fall forever, this is something that Florida is definitely missing out on :) Saturday I had to wake up stupidly early to take some students to their ACT prep class and thought the day would be a total loss but then I got home to a freshly mowed lawn and a husband who was looking to go out and enjoy the day. and with that we headed to Goodwill...

The Goodwill's here do this extremely special thing where the first Saturday of every month everything in the store is 50% off which led to an ultimate shopping spree haha. I got 5 new skirts, a new pair of black flats, and a few things for my class for under $15... Keith got a blazer and a ton of new work shirts. I felt like a crook! Such awesome deals, and I'm pretty excited about all the awesome stuff that we got. We may just have to go back next month... I kind of forgot about how rewarding thrifting can be.

My cute boy.

After practically stealing from Goodwill we headed to the library so that Keith could grab a few books and then treated ourselves to some Grilled Cheeserie. Such an awesome afternoon!

Bliss

My day has made a rapid turnaround from my previously posted crisis. Keith is on his way home and we're going to enjoy a date night together, I'm watching the leaves gently blow off the trees in our yard from a great spot on the couch and I'm enjoying a first listen at Ryan Adams' new album "Ashes and Fire". All is well in the world.

via

I have a feeling that this album will be a permanent fixture in my car this fall/winter. I just cannot get enough and I'm hoping that Keith will become a fan also :)

Take a listen here... thank you SO much NPR!

Crisis

So here I am on this BEAUTIFUL Friday afternoon with my windows and doors open enjoying the breeze only to turn around and find that my wonderful little cat has brought me a present:

Theo is a TERRIBLE gift giver. Just plain awful. I tried to ignore this little gift but I was irrationally afraid that it would slither onto the couch and down my shirt. I let Theo play with it a little longer hoping he would bring it back outside, and then left the door open just in case it saw fit to escape. THEN! I looked out the door only to find Theo trotting up the steps with a bigger, longer and more squirmy snake than before and I don't think I've ever moved quicker in my life. I slammed the door as hard as I could and stood on the couch praying the first snake hadn't suddenly made a move while I was otherwise occupied. I looked like a total crazy person. After listening to Theo cry to come in, I went around front (to make sure he didn't have anything in his evil cat mouth) and let him in and told him he needed to find the snake! I made a frantic call to Keith and he told me to be brave and try to get rid of it. Once I spotted the snake in a vulnerable position I put my brave-girl pants on and got a shovel, scooped him into a bag and set him free. I only screamed like... twice. and now my house is (hopefully) snake free. and now Theo doesn't get anymore outside time, because he's clearly perfected his snake catching skills and I'm NOT letting him get anymore practice. 

Hope everyone else is having a great Friday... now I'm just thinking about all those great things I could have been doing during those 2 hours I spent worried about a snake. 

Transitions

So I know that I've hinted at this a few times, but finally next week I will be starting a new job! Don't worry... this isn't a bad thing, I'm not leaving because I hate it or because I've had enough, I just only signed an 11 month contract and believe it or not but we've almost lived here in Nashville for a whole year! As much as I've griped about the craziness of my job this past year it will be extremely bittersweet to step away, and not see my students everyday. I knew this day would eventually come, but thankfully my new job doesn't require me to pull away from them completely.

So what is this new exciting job? Well, it's almost exactly like the job that I had in Florida before we ever moved to Philadelphia, which means it's as close to my dream job as I've ever been. Let me explain... the non-profit community center that I work at does tutoring after school at our site but also at many other schools throughout east Nashville. There is a whole troupe of tutors, in an entire department that I've had no contact with throughout my year of employment. A couple months ago I saw a posting online that the center was looking to hire an art teacher after school and was immediately upset to think that the people I worked with knew that this was what I wanted to do, but never mentioned it before posting. Anyway, I sent in my resume and got a phone call within hours for me to go to the Director of Educations office. We had always been cordial with each other, but didn't work in the same department, so we hadn't ever had a conversation that went past casual small talk... meaning she didn't know I was an art teacher! She explained that the job they had posted was for a teacher to work at a few of their tutoring sites doing art enrichment to offset some of the academics and she hired me on the spot. I've known since then that I had solid employment lined up after my Americorps term expired and have just been WAITTTTIINNNGGGG for the moment they would let me start. I'm not technically done with my term until October 14th, but by some miracle (and way too much miscommunication) it has been confirmed that I will be starting this coming Monday. I will travel between 4 different sites, Monday through Thursday. 2 Elementary school groups and 2 Middle school groups and I could not be more excited! I finally get to teach art again! I've kinda been nerding out and have about 2 months worth of lesson plans ready and waiting haha. The best part about this job though, is that I will be making the same amount of money that I made this year working 40 hours a week by only working 8 hours at this new job AND I'll still be working for the same center so I can come back to visit whenever I want even if I won't see them everyday! Best of both worlds and I am so grateful that this all just fell into my lap.

In all the confusion about my start date, I kind of forgot to mention to my students that I would be leaving them soon. This school year has been a little different for them since my replacement was hired in August and has been primarily working with them since. I have definitely stepped out of a leadership role in our room in order to make her transition easier, but they are definitely still used to coming to me to talk about their problems or when they're looking for hugs or help. I casually brought it up in our class today and was SO surprised when I had more than one student laying in my lap in tears. I guess I never gave myself enough credit, or thought they cared as much as they did. When my supervisor announced it to them again later I thought they were going to bring me down when they all tried to hug me at once haha. I'm going to miss these little ones so much, but it has truly been an amazing year watching them grow up, and I hope that I can be consistent with checking in on them throughout the rest of the year.

So many changes! I feel like our lives have constantly been in flux since our wedding last August, but it's all been so good that it's hard to complain. I'm still waiting to discover what my next BIG step will be since this new job is just 2 hours after school, but in the meantime I'll be substitute teaching and waiting on whatever may come my way :)

Some of the notes I got tonight.

What our guest room looks like currently as I try to sort all of my supplies to travel to all my different schools.