He's Not Perfect...

Today is the birthday of two VERY important men in my life... my grandpa and Matt. Both hold very special, but very different places in my heart.

A little about them...

Matt is turning 27 only five days before the 3-year anniversary of the day that we met. Is it a good or bad thing that I feel like it's been way more than 3 years?! I definitely have Greg and Lisa to thank for bringing such an amazing man into my life. We have clearly had our ups and downs, but through at all I think we have always known we were meant to be together. It is the most incredible feeling I have ever experienced. I still get butterflies when he catches my glance, I light up when he walks into the room, I smile when I'm talking to him, I miss him when he's gone. Yes, 3 years later I'm still in the silly giddy love phase and I wouldn't trade it for anything. He is not perfect, but he sure is perfect for me.

My grandpa is turning a very young 72 today. He is a wonderful man. He is my favorite cowboy (with George coming in a close 2nd). :) He is strong, compassionate, driven, smart, funny, and I love him more than words could express. After all, I am his favorite granddaughter-- Okay, so I am his only granddaughter, but who's counting?! Obviously, my grandma feels the same way about him as I do about Matt or they wouldn't have just celebrated their 51st Anniversary. What an amazing relationship. I can only hope to have a relationship as incredible. He's not perfect (or so my grandma says), but he's perfect for her.

To Gary and Melanie and Pawpaw and my sweet sweet Mammaw-- Thank you for bringing two men into this world that have made my life much more meaningful.

To my Miracle and my "Grampa"-- I love you both so much. Happy Birthday.

Hold her head up Harold...

I have the best dad in the world. I know a lot of people say that, but I really do. Lucky (or I should really say Blessed) me.

My dad is what I would call a "good ol' boy." He is cordial, he is polite, and he would do anything for anybody at anytime. He hugs my friends, calls them "baby," and even kisses some of them. If you meet him once and treat him kindly, he is your friend for life. He is slow to anger but quick to keep us in line. He came from nothing but has given us everything. He works in boots and very starched jeans and has a massive "sock tan" from playing golf on his days off. He was thrilled when I took Golf class in college and very patiently tried to teach me how to play. He even bought me my own clubs. His accent changes depending on the accent of the person he is talking to. He never lets us forget how proud he is of us. He uses funny and absolutely useless quotes like "Hold her head up Harold, she's headed through the pea patch" and "Shoot low Sheriff, they're riding Shetlans." If we would let him, he'd wear coaching shorts every single day. He taught us to play every sport possible and even coached all of our extracurricular teams. He could build or fix anything you asked him to. He has been a rock in our family my entire life. Most importantly, he loves my mom more than anything and has shown my brother how to be a man and provided me with an outline of what to expect from a loving husband. He is more than we could have ever asked for in a Dad.

Happy Father's Day, Daddy. I love you!!!!!

God Bless the USA

I love soldiers.

I love that we live in a country who's pride is so great that people are willing to put their lives on the line for the sake of our freedom. It is incredible.

I have a student who just got home from Germany last week. We have spoken over the phone and through email hundreds of times, but never had the chance to sit down and talk in person. I couldn't help but be excited for his arrival as he has told me many times how much he misses his wife and baby girl. I can't even imagine the toll that it has taken on their family. However, he loves what he does and holds his head high (as he should).

The whole point of our appointment was to get him registered for Fall classes, but that's about the last thing I wanted to hear about! I was too interested in what it was like and how it felt for him to finally be home. He told me how incredible it is to be back in the states because when people find out that he has served our country, they just flock to him, continually thanking him for what he has done. I am glad to hear I'm not the only one who wants to run to and hug and love any person in uniform... And thank them. I hold them to the absolute highest regard.

To anyone who is in the military or anyone who has a family member in the military, Thank You... From the bottom of my heart... Your sacrifices mean more to me than words can say. :)

I'm a Survivor

Like most people, I often forget how truly blessed I am.
I have a wonderful family, incredible friends, a steady job, and a boyfriend who is undoubtedly the love of my life. As I try and find my way through life, remembering how loved I am keeps me afloat.

We spent last weekend with Matt's family. I definitely consider them a blessing as well. For those who don't know, we were introduced in 2006 by Matt's cousin and his wife, who is also one of my dearest friends. How lucky am I to have fallen in love with someone who's family has inadvertently been a part of my life longer than he has? I love it.

So, his parents and their friends began hosting an annual "Survivor Party" last year. We happily joined the party and my team ended up winning... WOO HOO! This year, as fun as it was, kicked my butt. We ran, we jumped, we crawled, we spun, we limboed... I bruised! It was exhausting!!

My team lost this year, but so did Matt's so that made me feel better. :)
Congrats to the Blue Team and to Jennie, who was the day's MVP!
I'm gonna start working out in preparation for next year....... Um, tomorrow!! :)