Well, it’s official — we’re home owners!  We closed on the house 2 weeks ago, and we’re so anxious to make this house a home.  We’re realizing that it will definitely take some time to get the walls painted and furniture in place, but it will happen, in time :)

We’ve at least made the house livable with a new refrigerator, washer/dryer, and blinds.  They all look great, and we are so grateful for our families who got these for us as house warming gifts.  The hardest part for me will be the decorating.  I know I’m a graphic designer, but designing a website is a lot different than designing a room!  We’ve gone to every furniture store we can think of and I think we’re close to deciding on a couch and club chairs for the living room.

The fun part for me will be choosing paint colors.  I already know I want to do wallpaper in the master bedroom, and possibly some faux painting in my office.  I’ll wait until we get furniture to decide on the final colors, though.  It’s easier to change paint than it is to change fabric!  In time everything will come together, but for now, we’re taking one room at a time.

Post from: in her words

Home Sweet Home!

Mom’s sister, who is a nurse in Knoxville, is on her way down to the hospital.  She was planning on spending the day with her, but, once doctors sign the release papers, she will be bringing her back home instead!

Thanks so much for all the prayers and support.  This has been a miraculous journey!  God has done amazing things!

Post from: in her words

Up and Around

A few weeks ago, Mom began complaining of cramps in her left leg.  She noticed a bit of swelling, but definitely nothing substantial.  When the symptoms didn’t subside a few weeks later, she went to see our family doctor.  As soon as Mom described her symptoms to the doctor, he sent her to the hospital for an ultrasound.  She arrived at St. Josephs shortly after, and received an ultrasound of her left leg.  After seeing the the readings, the ultrasound tech advised mom to “walk very slowly to a wheelchair, and a doctor will be right with you.”  Not the most positive reaction…

Once she was seen by a doctor she was told she had several, deep clots up and down her leg (Deep Vein Thrombosis), and one of the clots was “squiggling”.  This means the clot was loose and could possibly break off if they didn’t get her treated quickly.  For precautionary measures, he ordered a CT scan of her chest and abdomen to make sure the clot hadn’t already broken off and traveled to a major organ.  He also ordered an immediate regimen of Heparin, Coumadin (both blood thinners), and 100% bed rest for 3-5 days.

The next day the CT scan was given, and the results, again, were not very positive.  The clot had, in fact, broken off and traveled to both her lungs (bilateral pulmonary embolism).  It’s an absolute miracle she hadn’t experienced ANY complications from this.  Conditions like this can very often be fatal.  Mom definitely had a guardian angel on her side!  The doctor assured us the treatment she was currently on will help her body absorb both the clots in her leg and lungs.  She was told she may need to remain at the hospital a little longer than expected.

Mentally and physically, Mom feels 100% well, but we are very aware that this could have resulted in more serious complications.  Although the doctors aren’t 100% sure why the DVT developed so extensively in her leg, we are so grateful it was caught early enough to reverse!  We know she will be on a regimen on Coumadin for at least a year to ensure the clots don’t return.  She will also get frequent blood tests to track the INR of her blood (degree of thinness).  We hope she’ll be out of the hospital by the end of the week, and I know she can’t WAIT to get up and walk around!

We are all so thankful for everyone’s prayers and support.  I know God was on Mom’s side this weekend, and we are counting our blessings for His amazing grace!

Post from: in her words

Update on Mom

As my 24th birthday approached, I found myself hesitant about entering my mid-twenties.  What’s there to look forward to on your 24th birthday? Six years from 30?  One year from a discount on my insurance?  Woo hoo… Little did I know, one of the most exciting days of my life was quickly approaching.

I celebrated my birthday weekend at home with my family and friends.  A few great gifts and dinners wrapped up another year of my life.  The only gift that was missing was from Chase.  He informed me if I could wait until the following weekend for my gift, it would be well worth it.  Having no other choice but to agree, I anxiously awaited the weekend.

As instructed, I headed up to Chase’s hometown (about two hours North of Atlanta) on Friday.  He had told me we would be taking a weekend trip, so I had my bags packed with every combination of outfits I could think of.  I was clueless as to what plans he had in store for us.  Even if a small part of me thought he may propose, we had already spoken extensively about waiting until next year to get engaged, so that possibility was off the table in my mind.

After driving through the North Georgia mountains for about half an hour, we pulled into a resort on Lake Chatuge that I have always wanted to visit!  I was so excited — the weekend was definitely shaping up.  After we checked in, we decided to drive around and check some things out.  Chase took me to a local winery to go wine tasting, and they happened to be hosting a Tomato Festival that weekend as well (I LOVE tomatoes)!   After a few glasses of wine and an amazing day of tomato tarts and live music, we went back to the resort to get ready for our dinner reservations.

After enjoying an amazing dinner on the lake’s shore line, Chase and I walked around the resort’s campus.  Let me preface this with a fact about myself…I LOVE boats, lakes, marinas, etc., and Chase was well aware of this.  As the sun got low in the sky, Chase and I walked down the pier and sat on the lounge chairs to watch the sun set.  We were enjoying the evening, taking pictures and talking about nothing and everything…when all of the sudden Chase turned to me.  All I remember is “I love you, I want to spend the rest of my life with you”.  I don’t think I noticed the BEAUTIFUL ring in his hand or anything else around me for a good minute.  The first words out of my mouth were “::gasp:: how did you pull this off!?“  I think Chase was a bit concerned I didn’t give him an immediate “yes”, but that followed shortly after the shock wore off!  About 10 minutes of tears and hugs later, Chase and I returned to the room to call friends and family.  As I made my calls, Chase brought me a glass of wine from one of the two bottles we had picked up that day.  The second bottle remains unopened.  We’ll save that for the wedding day :)

Well, I thought the surprises were over.  Chase had successfully pulled off an AMAZING day, and I didn’t think it could get any better.  We were planning on heading home the next day after brunch, so I packed my bags and prepared for our departure from beautiful Lake Chatuge.  As I walked into the restaurant for brunch the next morning, all the servers were waiting at the front to hear the good news.  I had NO idea everyone at the resort already knew!  They then took me to our table, and to my surprise, my entire family was waiting there for me!  Of course, I broke down again and couldn’t believe how perfect everything was at that moment.  After a wonderful brunch with the family, we all were given a tour of the resort by the wedding planner :)  Of course, I couldn’t think about a wedding just quite yet (I was still in shock from the engagement), but the weekend couldn’t have been more perfect.  I am so lucky to have such an amazing fiance and family!

Post from: in her words

A Love Story.

I know I have been majorly lacking in my blogging lately – and if I kept anyone on the edge of their seat, I am so very sorry :).  To make up for it, I wanted to post a catch-up entry about the most wonderful time of the year.

First off, I am so blessed to have such a wonderful family to spend Christmas with.  It truly is the highlight of the year when I get to spend a week with the whole family together.  Now that Katie is at Auburn, it’s always nice to have her home for more than a weekend.  My mom always does all she can to make Christmas magical, even though Kate and I are both beyond our childhood years.

This year we went to the 5:00 Christmas Eve service at church and followed up with our traditional fondue dinner with the Hartmans.  Fondue has to be one of my favorite meals ever.  I look forward to it every year.  After dinner we got to open our one, Christmas Eve gift – and we couldn’t have picked a better present… a Wii!  We played all night until it was time for bed.

Nothing beats Christmas morning.  The typical family is up by 7am ready to rip open presents… but not at our house.  If you know our family, you can guess that we all sleep in until about 9am, go down to the kitchen, get our coffee and/or mimosas, and work our way over to the Christmas tree by 10am.  Stockings come first… that takes about an hour (we draw Christmas out as loooong as possible).  Then we break for some breakfast.  It’s not until about noon that we start on the presents, and could last for hours :).

This year Christmas was especially memorable because Chase was able to come over for Christmas dinner!  All my favorite people were under one roof.  He also got me a beautiful watch that I’m so thankful for!  Finally, I can’t leave out some even bigger news… my friend Brittney got engaged, and my other friends Megan and Casey bought a house together right before Christmas!  I’m so happy for everyone.  Hopefully 2009 will be just as wonderful as 2008 :)

Cheers!

Post from: in her words

Christmas Reflections

The Holidays are quickly approaching, and there is one is particular I’m most excited about… Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is by far my favorite Holiday, and this year I will be celebrating with my immediate family at our humble abode.  I can’t wait for our family to be together, the amazing spread of food, and, best yet, the Pumpkin Cheesecake and Nutty Peanut Butter Caramel Bars I’m going to be bringing (it’s not Thanksgiving without the sweets)!  So, until then, I’m just going to count down the days (16)!

Post from: in her words

The most wonderful time of the year

I love that the Fall weather is officially here!  Now that it’s October, I can start bringing out the Fall decor, the cold-weather clothes, and all those spiced sented things!  Why is it that the change of seasons brings such a feeling of new-beginnings and rejuvination?  Just when you feel like you need a change in your life, the seasons change and you’re ready to take on the world.  So, happy October!  I wish everyone the best as the Holiday season begins to approach. :)

Post from: in her words

Happy October!

First of all, I don’t exactly have a comfortable home office yet. I was forced to move from the kitchen table, to the couch, to my desk in my room trying to get a change in scenery. Come day three, I was sick of the scenery in my apartment, so I drove to Buford to visit Chase (in hopes to find some relief from my same ol’ surroundings). I ended up working at a coffee shop (caff:ine… great coffee) and got TONS done! Guess that’s my solution, coffee shops and WiFi. If anyone has suggestions of comfortable places to work in Atlanta (with WiFi) feel free to comment!

Guess I’ll be spending the next few months dreaming of my soon-to-be home office.

Post from: in her words

Week one in review

My celebration weekend begins tomorrow. My Mt. Bethel buddies are having a lunch-outting for my little going away party (they’re too great); then my closest work friends and I are having dinner and drinks at my bosses house (where I’ll probably cry at some point…). Friday, Elissa, Jordan, Chase, and I will be going to the Braves game (kind-of a pre-birthday celebration); THEN Saturday is Chase and Ali day (all a surprise). Finally, Sunday (the official 2-3) is family day. A family date to a fabulous restaurant in Atlanta.

As stressed as I am, I can’t help but be thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. They get me though the stressful days, and are still there to celebrate with me afterward. Life is good…

Post from: in her words

The Last Days

I have realized that one of the major perks of working at a church is that you meet people from all walks of life. Being in the communications department, I get the opportunity to speak with (and network with) many individuals who have exciting jobs.

It just so happens that a few months ago I was introduced to a successful freelance designer who immediately took interest in me. We met up for lunch a few weeks later and talked about the world of freelancing. She mentioned that her business had exploded, and she had been turning down clients left and right. She began to joke (or so I thought) that she would petition for me to leave the church and come to work for her.

Low and behold, about a month later she had an offer on the table that I couldn’t refuse. After a few days of pondering, I decided to take her up on her offer and broke the news to my boss (who, might I add is one of my most favorite people in the world… so that part wasn’t easy).

I am now spending my last 2 weeks interviewing designers to fill my shoes.  This is a bittersweet time in my life.  I’m throwing caution to the wind and leaving a wonderful church family for the unknown world of freelance design.  No more co-workers, no more benefits… just me, my computer, and daily trips to Starbucks.

Post from: in her words

Finding Independence