Breaking In

I had planned on my next post to be about the honeymoon cruise, but after yesterdays events I just had to write about them.

This past Friday my grandma (Mimi) had full hip replacement. We had made plans for me to come up on Monday to stay at the house, whether or not she was released home. I left Huntsville after some errands and made my way to Carthage, TN. I made some phone calls and discovered that she was supposedly going to go home at some point.

Once I got into town, I went to the hospital to sit with Mimi a bit. While there she told me about her sleepless night and how she was ready to go home. She also had me start gathering her stuff together, because once her gauze was changed she would be able to start the process of going home. So while gathering things, the nurse came in to change the gauze and said that the orders were in for her to go home and whenever she was ready she could. Mimi had me call Pop-pop and I told him she was ready and that I was taking a load of stuff out to the house and would be leaving the hospital soon.

Somewhere on the road I passed him. I got to the house and got an arm load- only to discover that the door was locked. Pop-pop had said he would leave the door unlocked since my key wouldn't work anymore. I figured on his way out he went with habit and locked the doors.

No problem I thought, they shouldn't be to long. So I pulled out my computer and sat on the patio working on some different personal projects. After close to an hour, I was chilled from the cool wind and rain, hungry from no lunch yet, and had to go to the bathroom. So I walked around the house checking window. To my luck, the small window close to the backdoor was the only one unlocked. This window is also almost 5 feet off the ground too. So I figured I could try to get in this way. I pulled out my pocket knife and used it to pry the screen up and lifted the window.



Then my brain started churning....how I was to get into the window. I had an idea and went for the metal garbage can [Thankfully it was empty] and brought it over to the window. Then I climbed up onto the trashcan and put my left leg through.



Now I am not a small person....so I had to really think about getting myself through the window. I leaned forwarded and pushed myself in at an angle. My leg was dangling on the inside and I lightly perched the on the small shelf right inside the door. Somehow I managed to get myself inside. I do have to say that I am glad no one was around to see my first time breaking into a house.
And of course, not 15 minutes later my grandparents pulled up. When I walked out the door, I got to explain how I got in with Pop-pop apologizing for going through the habit of locking the door.

It has still been interesting, but currently nothing tops that. Mimi is stubborn (Mama gets that from her) and so it has been kinda funny around here, because she wants to be independent but needs the help of me, Pop-pop and the walker. But she is on the road to recovery. I might have another story to tell tomorrow after the physical therapist comes in.

The Wedding Daze

Now that the wedding daze (and days) is over, I am finally able to sit down and reflect on that very special time in my life. Now I know I am about three months behind on this, but I have been busy adjusting to everything. First I want to say that I enjoyed the day very much- but wow was it tiring.

The week of the wedding was hectic. Last minute thing had to get down. I had to finish packing up my apartment in Cookeville, then three days before the wedding with a rainy morning, the U-Haul with my stuff was loaded thanks to the help of awesome friends. Then the three hour drive to Huntsville and more rain. Glad to have the friends I did to help and for someone to drive my car down. The U-Haul didn't finish getting unloading until Tim got home from work. The next day, started to get stuff unpacked from boxes, and get things printed off for the wedding as well.

Once Tim got off work, we headed back to Tennessee to my parents for a cookout with my side of the family that was in town already, and what turned into a shoot out. Sarah and Megan got to shoot off a gun for the first time. Sarah shot off every single gun there (probably a dozen or so, ranging from pistols to shotguns).

The day before the wedding, Tim and I went to get our marriage license papers filled out. My apartment got cleaned and the key turned in. Then he went off with the groomsmen while decoration for the rehearsal dinner commenced. Then last minute food shopping for the reception and some girl time with bridesmaids.

The rehearsal dinner went well. We had fun going through the rehearsal and then thoroughly enjoyed our BBQ feast. The bridesmaid loved their gifts(personalized purses/bags) and the groomsmen liked theirs(engraved pocket knifes). After dinner, we went to decorate the venue for the wedding. Then the ladies separated from the guys and went to our respective hotels.

I got more sleep the night before the wedding than I was told I would. I think I passed out around 1 A.M and woke up around 7 A.M. I got to snuggle with my little sister, who kept sweetly informing me that I was getting married today. After awhile of snuggling with Mag and Mama joining the party, Mag, Victoria, and I went to get some breakfast in the hotel. After that the whirlwind began.

Pack up the hotel room. Make sure we have the dress. Head out to get hair done. Get dressed. Do makeup. Then our awesome photographer, Melissa (of MSA Photography in Cookeville, TN), came and it was time for bridal portraits, then bridesmaid portraits. Check to make sure Tim wasn’t around. And now I had some time to breathe. Mama picked some chicken sandwiches, so the girls and I ate those while we took a little breather. After the groom, groomsmen, and Myers family portraits were taken, it was time for the Wood family portraits. So dress back on and take more pictures.

We had about 20 minutes left until the wedding and took one last break from the whirlwind. This is when my nerves hit. The ‘Whoa! In 20 minutes I am going to be married.’ type of nerves. And yes they were good nerves. At about five till one the bridesmaids and I headed downstairs for the ceremony.

Next thing I knew, Dad was walking me down the aisle (I love my daddy!), and was giving me away. The look on Tim’s face as I came down the aisle is one I will never forget. Full of love and happiness. This was the first time we had seen each other since the night before, and the first time he had ever seen me in my wedding dress. I did with the tears until it was time for me to say the vows. Now we were both supposed to do these from memory…well that didn’t work for me so well. The tear gates opened and so I ended up repeating them until the last line. When I started to cry- it opened the gates for several others. Then it was all smiles as we were announced “Husband and Wife”.

The reception was wonderful. We felt so blessed to have the people who came to our wedding there to celebrate with us. One of the best parts was our Nerf battle to begin the reception. That was rather spectacular. Then there was dancing, cake, bouquet/garter toss, toasts, and the car being jacked up when it was time to leave. No, Tim and I did not notice right away. It was not until Tim pressed on the gas and the car wouldn’t move.

Yes there are a few things I would have liked to happen differently, but over all we are happy with the way things went, even with a few hiccups in the plan. And we are enjoying married life.

Update

I have just moved this blog to begin using with my newer email address. I promise more to come soon. I've got things I want to write!

My Daddy

The following is something I believe from my experiences:

There is a saying that I believe hold a lot of truth-

"Any man can become a Father, but it takes a special man to be a Dad."

There is a difference between nature and nurture. By nature a man can become a father- you know the process I don't have to explain. But by nurturing their child through being there for them, supporting them in all ways, and always being a part of their life- that is how a man becomes a dad.

It is also my believe that if a man has become a father-he has to try and be there for their child(ren) to even become a dad in their child's eye- especially when the child is older. A dad will admit to and take responsibility for mistakes they have made when it comes to there children.

Many of you may not know this about me, but the man I call Daddy, Don Wood, (yes I'm 22 and am proud to call him Daddy), is not my biological father. He may not have been in the hospital when I was born or a part of my life until I was the age of 8, but he is my dad. Granted, he and I may have had some rough points in our relationship, but what child doesn't have that with their dad? He taught me important life lessons and has been there for me whenever I have needed him. I am thankful for everything in my relationship with Daddy, even the bad parts, because I believe we both learned from them. I have the greatest respect for my dad and any man who is a dad like him.

In closing I would like to say-

Blood does not matter when it comes to family- it is the bond you have with them that makes them family.

My Most Recent Life Lesson Adventure

Back in my younger days (ha ha ha), my daddy, Don Wood, taught me some life lessons. Lessons such as how to check the oil in my car, how to change a tire, how to use a jack, check the PSI in a tire, how to shake a persons hand, how to think a problem through and solve it and other such lessons as these.

I tend to use these lessons a good bit- checking oil, shaking a persons hand, check PSI, etc. There was one specifically today that I had to use for the first time- changing a tire.

Today, I was driving north on I-65. Just less than 6 miles into Tennessee, the front tire on the driver's side blew out. Thankfully, I was not in congested traffic and I was able to keep control of the car as I pulled to the left hand side. Now you're thinking- why the left side? Answer: I was in the fast lane passing a truck pulling a horse trailer.

I got to the side of the road and had to take a few deep breathes. I was a bit shaken up at the experience so far, but got out of the car and took a look at the damage. I went to the trunk and dug up the doughnut tire and the jack and headed to the tire. I was having a hard time getting the nuts off of the tire due to how tight they were. A very nice gentleman driving a semi, pulled over and offered a helping hand.

He helped me get the blown tire off and the new tire on, telling me that just over the hill was the next exit with a service station and I wold be able to fill the tire up with air. I shook his hand and thanked him for his help. He told me, "If either of my daughters were in this situation, I would hope someone would stop to help them as well." It was nice to see that there are still good Samaritans in the world.

I got the tire filled with air and made it safely home. My word of advice to you, if you do not know how to change tire- learn. Doesn't matter who you are or how old you are, it is a good thing to know. ( I sound like my daddy...uh-oh!)

I have to say I am immensely thankful for several things today. I am thankful for making it safely home and for good Samaritans. I am very thankful for my daddy having taught me these thing.

Baked Spinach Dip

So yesterday, I decided to make spinach dip the way I normally do, but while surfing the web I had a brilliant idea to bake it. Now my normal of making spinach dip was a mix of recipes, in which I created my own. I plan to post a picture next time I make it. I was so busy in the kitchen in making dinner last night for Memorial Day I didn't think about till after the fact. Also, I have done my best to put amounts with everything- I don't always measure ingredients. Enjoy!

Ruthe's Baked Spinach Dip

10 oz of frozen spinach
chopped garlic
2 tablespoons butter
6 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/3 cup mayonnaise
3 cups mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

1. Melt the butter in a skillet. Saute spinach and garlic in pan for about 10 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3. Add cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise to the skillet. Mix together and let it simmer till creamy.
4. Once creamy add 2 cups or so of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese into the mixture. Let cheeses blend and melt wih he spinach mixture.
5. Place spinach dip into a pan. (I use an oval corning ware type dish). Place remaining cheese on top.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until bubbly and the cheese on top is melted and slightly browned.
7. Serve warm with chips, crackers, etc.

Update

So I have not been on in awhile due to life being busy- hey it happens.

Anyways, Tim has graduated and started his new job in Alabama. We got he moved down there a week after his graduation and now have only 30 days until the wedding!

We still have a good bit of things to do still but they are coming along fairly smoothly and the list is slowly getting shorter.

Scottie hasn't been sure what to think of my now scarcely furnished apartment and the fact that Tim hasn't been around.

Well I have said this before but I shall say it again, I am going to try and be better about posting on here a bit more.

Live, Laugh, Love