Halleluiah!

We're done! What has been a long, grueling process has now come to an end. Three years and some months in the making- we're done. Chris finished his last day of the Bar exam today. We are now (hopefully) on to some bigger and brighter things. AKA- the Beach! Chris surprised me on our anniversary with reservations for a hotel at the beach, and we are on our way. Chapter one of our life is finished. I really don't know what else to say. I haven't downloaded the pictures of his study room yet, or I would put those on. All I know is that we're done. And I'm going to bed. So, here goes nothing!

From the Mouths of Children

As I am preparing myself for another school year, I start to wonder what type of group will I get . Will they be a quiet group? Will they be chatty? Or am I going to lose my mind? As I think about past children, I think of one conversation immediately:

Little Boy looks at me as we enter the hallway to use the restroom.
"Mrs. Brodie?" he says as he passes by me.
"Yes, Little Boy," I say in turn, waiting for what might come next.
With big eyes and all seriousness, he asks, "Have you ever given birth to babies?"
I was floored. Dumbfounded. Stunned. He was waiting for an answer. I was worried where this conversation may go, but quietly answered, "No."
He looks at me again, just as soon as I finish my answer, and states matter-of-factly, "But you're married."
"Yes, Little Boy," I begin to say, all the while thinking that this kid has the order right. "I am married, but don't have any children yet. I have 18 kids here at school I get to see every day."
This answer seemed to satisfy him because he turned, continued in line down the hallway, and never asked about it again.

It makes me smile to think of the innocence of children. I can not wait to see what this year might bring. So, here goes nothing!

Girly Stuff

Those of you that know me well know that I am not really that girly. Granted, I can do girly things like cutting and fixing formal hair, painting nails and doing make-up, sewing and embroidering, making cards and cooking. I like to tribute that to my ability to do things with my hands, not my nature. So, when I was the matron of honor in my sister's wedding, it was rather difficult to do some of the things I've always heard goes with the territory.

I threw a Bridal Brunch the day before the wedding. I went to my one and only tea party a few years ago, thanks to Melissa Lester. I loved it! And it was the memories from that from which I was able to pull this thing off. It actually took a few weeks of planning, a few phone calls, a car full of supplies and a trip to the grocery store to complete this task. Needless to say, it worked.

We had strawberry soup, croissants, muffins, fresh fruit and dip, and mini quiches. And no, I'm not ashamed to admit that the only thing I made was the strawberry soup. Life was too hectic at that time and I wasn't getting up any earlier than I had to for it! I used my Southern Living at Home Dress-Me-Up plates and platters to decorate the table and hold food. All in all, I think it turned out quite well.

Then it was time to sit down. I did the "hostly" thing and poured drinks. Once I sat down, all eyes were on me. Was I supposed to give a speech? I hadn't thought about that. So I did the only thing I knew. I said a prayer, blessed the food, and we ate. It was weird being formal with my mom, sister, two of her friends we've known forever, and her future mother-in-law. But we did it. (I have to add that I found the girls in the kitchen later pigging out, since they wanted to be lady-like at the time and not eat too much.)

After eating, I gave her the gift I had made for her. I truly debated this one for awhile. Do I give it to just her, give it to her and her fiance and whatever I decided, when? I wanted her to enjoy it, but didn't want all eyes on me.
I made her a quilt. I wanted to do something big for her. Honestly, I really wanted to make her cry. You have to understand, we don't do too much of that. She made a photo book for me. Pictures of the two of us growing up. She also made my wedding scrapbook. Yes, that's right- I don't scrapbook, so gave her everything I had. It turned out to be beautiful! So, I needed to do something big.
I started with only 3 1/2 months before the wedding. I had just learned how to embroider- thanks Kristi! I was on that kick and decided I would do a quilt for her, 25 squares in all. Ambitious was the word dad used to describe this undertaking. I planned it out, printed my pictures and got to work. I almost ruined it a few times because I got so excited!
By Father's Day I had finished all of the squares, pieced it together, and dropped it off with the lady who was quilting it together for me. By then, there was no way I could do it myself! I got it back just in time to wrap it and drive it up to Charlotte.
She loved it. She didn't cry, but her face said it all. And when she learned that I did each square by hand, she was truly impressed. Mission accomplished. This was probably the largest project on which I have worked. Now four months later with carpal tunnel, new embroidering glasses and tons of embroidery floss, I can retire. It will probably be awhile before doing that again. But who knows what I might get myself into next. So, here goes nothing!

Life As We Know It

Well, I did a great job in starting a blog. I picked a name, wrote a little story, and even got comments! Then I had a brainfart. I did not know where to go next or what to do. After reading so many WONDERFUL posts, I could not think of anything that would hold a candle to them. Then my wonderful husband reminded me that it was probably time to write something else. Yes, my husband, who has known about and read many of your blogs before I ever knew about them (thanks to David Hilyer). So, I decided I would write about him. Here's to you, Chris!

We just celebrated our third anniversary. Three years already! This has been a whirlwind, to say the least. Three weeks after we got married, I started my second year of teaching and Chris started law school. We knew that this was going to be a long journey and were hesitant. But we have been so blessed along the way. We were able to buy a house, get a dog, and buy a car when ours broke down in Atlanta (that's a whole other story!). We have had so many people encouraging us along the way, and have learned to love every minute of it. Graduation was bittersweet. We were excited that school was over, but bracing ourselves for the hardest part yet: THE BAR. This now brings us to present day.

I decided not to work during the summer so I can relax and help here. And for the last 8 weeks, Chris has been home as well. Studying. And testing. And studying some more. We are less than one week away from the exam, and tension is building. Those of you that know Chris knows that he is extremely laid back and calm. So, that helps in all of this stuff. As we get ready for the longest three days of our lives, I'm nervous, excited, and exhausted all at the same time. I'm not even taking the test!

So, here's some pictures from graduation for you all to enjoy. We were very fortunate to have so many people come to help us celebrate. Chris' parents, grandparents, and brother were able to come from Huntsville. Two cousins came from Birmingham as well.

My parents and sister were able to come from Charlotte, my brother and his wife came from Memphis, and my grandfather and his wife came from the top corner of Tennessee as a surprise. And we can't forget BFFs Leslie, James, and Bobby. Our little house couldn't hold that many people!

We're eight days and counting. It's been a long time coming and we are thankful for every step along the way. We can't really picture life without school, but can't wait either. I've been surprised with a trip to the beach when he's through- can't wait for that. So, here goes nothing!

First Time for Everything

I wish you could see the look on my face right now. I have no clue how I stumbled onto these pages, or what even possesed me to THINK of creating one. I was definitely one of the last ones on Facebook- never imagined I'd actually write my life stories where anyone can read. So, here goes nothing!