My Two Loves

Divorce is really hard. Everybody knows that. Divorce when you have a child, and dealing with all that implies for you and your child for the REST OF YOUR LIFE-that's about a million times harder. I knew it was going to be tough. I think any single mama who has to deal with sending your very young child off, even if it is with their father, for any extended period of time, understands the sadness and anxiety of that.

What I personally hadn't expected, however, was how hard my having a new relationship would be for my child. I didn't have divorced parents; none of friends did. None of my friends were divorced and trying to date again or forge a new relationship with kids. No one gave me any warning about what to expect here.

Bruce and I, as a couple, always just seemed so easy and so natural and so perfect. Of course, I know there were some adjustments on Bruce's part to being in a relationship with someone who is already a mother, but he's never been anything but amazing to my daughter. My daughter, on the other hand, wasn't always as supportive of my relationship with Bruce. 

For a very long time, my daughter had had almost all of my attention, almost all of the time. It was me and her, a team against the world, doing everything just the two of us. I never dated a whole lot after my divorce and certainly no one who ever met my daughter, until Bruce came along. It was several months even before they were introduced, but then suddenly there were three of us, and someone else who Mommy loved and who also wanted and needed her time and attention. Allie was not always okay with that. She was always pretty vocal too about how she felt about Bruce. It was difficult at times, but we've made it through, and I think that Allie loves Bruce very much now.  

So, with all that being sad, it made my heart happy to get out of the shower this morning and come back into our room to find this....

Having the two people you love the most in the world love each other is a wonderful thing. 

Finish This...Week XII

Linking up this week with Nicole at Three 31, Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama and Lisa at COASTLINED...

My favorite makeup item is...a good tube of very lightly tinted chapstick. I'm pretty much addicted to chapstick. I have to have it with me at all times. Also, Cover Girl's Perfect Point Plus black onyx eyeliner and my Bare Escentuals mineral foundation makeup. I really only must-have these 3 things when getting ready. 

The best book I’ve ever read was ____ because …I am a librarian by career, lol and I read a lot (well, that has slowed down alot the past year but..) so I could never choose just one book. A lot of books touch me or teach me something or are perfect for a particular moment in my life when I read it for the first time.

My favorite TV show is …Game of Thrones, Justified, or Sons of Anarchy-at least for right now. These are shoes that Bruce and I love to sit down and watch together, and we've seen every episode so far. I get emotional about these shows. Past favorite shows, also which I watched every single episode, include The OC, One Tree Hill, Smallville, and Friday Night Lights. 

The most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done is …I don't do major things spontaneously. Especially now since I have a daughter. I like spontaneous trips out to dinner or to the park, or spontaneously doing something silly at home, but I don't guess my life allows for big spontaneous things. lol 

I prefer DOGS/CATS because … Dogs because they're just more cuddly and lovable and friendly. With the exception of a few really sweet, loving cats that I've met in my lifetime, I'm just more of a dog-person.

I met my significant other... a little over a year ago, at my best friend's dad's house, who is also my husband's step-dad, when I went over for drinks and a bonfire one night. We were wearing matching shoes. I wrote about that here. Bruce is so perfect for me in so many ways and I couldn't ask for a better man to have by my side and in my daughter's life.

Glitter Easter Eggs

Everyone was right when they said that having kids makes the holidays more fun! I love sharing special holiday traditions with my girl. Like everyone, we love dyeing Easter eggs, and this year we choose a dyeing kit that made glitter eggs!! Because despite the mess it makes (don't even ask about the time last year when I tried to make Allie and her best friend matching tutus with glitter tulle...)-I LOVE glittery things, although probably not as much as my Allie does. Another thing that made the holiday so special was getting to share it with Bruce-who said that he didn't remember ever dyeing Easter eggs as a kid! So it was a first for him, and a first for us as a family. We had a wonderful time and I think Allie thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Let's pause a moment to check out how hot my
husband is ya'll...the beard, those arms!!

Easter 2014

Hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating the risen King! 

Finish This...Week XI

Finish This... linkup with Nicole at Three 31, Jen at The Arizona Russums, Becky at The Java Mama, and Lisa at COASTLINED.

My favorite vacation spot is …I don't know that I have one favorite spot. I love being on vacation in general. I do love the beach. I've grown up going every summer-Gulf Shores, AL or Mexico Beach, FL, that is. My aunt has a condo in Gulf Shores. I think if I didn't get to go at least once a year, I'd probably go into withdrawals and be very sad. Of course, I will always have a special place in my heart for Mobile, AL because it was mine and Bruce's first trip together and when he told me he loved me for the first time! =) 

Bruce loves to travel too, and for the first time in my life, we have taken a couple of non-beach trips this year and I've enjoyed them all very much. I love learning about the history and culture of different cities and eating different foods, so I really enjoyed Savannah and New Orleans. 

Bruce and I in Mobile, AL
June 2013

Colonial Park Cemetary in Savannah, GA
September 2013

Jackson Square in New Orleans, LA
March 2014

If I won a million dollars I would … Pay off all mine and Bruce's debt and my parent's debt. Buy a nice chunk of land. Build us our dream home. Set aside money for Allie and any future babies' college education. Donate to some worthy causes. Invest it well. Travel to some really cool places--Disney World! A summer in Europe! Alaskan cruise! 

If I could go on a date with ONE celebrity, it would be …Hmmm, there's a time when this would have been an easy question. My girlfriend and I would shoot each other texts all the time of hot, shirtless men just to cheer each other up. I used to have a Pinterest board of swoon-worthy dudes. Now.... I know it sounds cheesy but honestly since meeting Bruce, no one else even enters my thoughts. But....I don't follow many celebrities on Instagram or Twitter, however I've followed the Rock (Dewayne Johnson) on Instagram forever, and I think he's absolutely the coolest guy. He's always posting inspirational quotes or pics with people he meets in different gyms, so if I had to go on a date with someone, it'd be him. Those muscles don't hurt either....

If I found a genie in a bottle, my three wishes would be …The aforementioned million dollars, for a start. Then I could pretty much have anything else that I would like to have have. That Allie would grow up to be a confident, grounded, compassionate woman who always loves Jesus and her Mama. That Bruce and I would always be as happy and in love as we are right now. Those are really the only two things I can think of that I really want in the world. 

My favorite clothing item is …This comfy sheer black tunic I wear ALL THE TIME and have for like 2 years now, in all seasons, or my very broken-in black Converse. 

Weekend Recap

Friday night the church we've been visiting hosted Light the Night, a glow-in-the-dark Easter Egg hunt at our local park, so Bruce and I took Allie. Turns out, Allie's age group's time slot was at 6:30, so it wasn't really dark at all. I had also never been to a large scale egg hunt like that either, and it was an interesting experience, to say the least. When it was time to go, everyone just ran out there and grabbed eggs and it was literally over in like, 15 seconds. But there was an Easter bunny there for pictures, and face painting, and a playground.  We followed up with dinner at Casa Fiesta, our favorite local Mexican restaurant and an Allie-selected Barbie movie from Redbox. We had a wonderful time, and I'm so thankful for these memories. 

Saturday was Allie's day to spend some time with her dad, so Bruce and I went for an early morning gym session. Then we traveled with his sister and brother-in-law to his other sister's house about 2 hours away for their nephew's birthday party. Then, we hit up the mall and had an early dinner at Applebees, then headed home for a movie after Allie came home and went to sleep!

Sunday, Allie went to see her dad again so we were very lazy most of day. But, we managed to go visit with my Grandma Ege, who is in the hospital with pneumonia, then run in Wal-Mart for a couple of things before picking Allie up.

All in all, a wonderful, relaxing weekend.

A few more from our big day

Bruce (center) with his step-brother (left) and bro-in-law (right)

Allie with her stepdad (lol, sometimes, she actually just calls him Stepdad

My handsome Daddy!

L-R My gorgeous grandma, me, my Allie, and my Mama

Bruce telling my sister to put her hand over her mouth the next time she
felt like complainng (she was a little lot lol) I'm telling him to be nice!

Finish This...Week X

Linking up with Nicole at Three 31, Jen at The Arizona Russums, Lisa at COASTLINED, and Becky at The Java Mama....

On Saturday morning, I usually-try to sleep in as late as possible or at least lay around in bed as long as possible, and then cook a big breakfast in my pajamas before getting ready to start our day. 


I feel beautiful whenever- I'm around Bruce. He is super affectionate and open with his thoughts about this, and he always makes me feel attractive and beautiful. It's one of the twenty gazillion reasons why I love him so much.

I wake up every morning-wishing I didn't have to get out of bed. Granted, I don't actually have to get out of bed on a workday until at least 6:30, and I can push it back to 7 if I don't really want to style my hair. I just really dislike mornings. I really want to like them; I want to be able to get up and do about a half hour of cardio on my elliptical before getting ready and have some quite time to read my Bible and to eat breakfast and not always be saying, "Allie baby, please hurry" as we're getting ready. I'm really going to work on this...

A happy home-is one of the most important goals in my life; something that I want to work hard to create for my husband and my daughter. It is filled with Jesus and love and laughter and fun and people who are adaptable and flexible and forgiving and who also share in my goal of creating a happy home. 

Roasting marshmallows over our fire pit Saturday night

Allie wore cat ears to the nursing home Sunday to visit
 her great-great-grandmother

When I have down time, I-Down time is a bit of a foreign concept in my life right now; and when I do have it, I want to try and cram about a million things into the couple hours free time I have. Yesterday when I got off work, Bruce was at work and Allie was with her dad, so I had about 4 free hours to myself, for the first time in forever. I ran in Aldi and Walmart for a few quick things we needed (I didn't dare let Allie come home without having milk and the Hershey's chocolate powder-and it must be the powder, she's picky), I went to an hour long spin class at the gym (oh the soreness in my lower body today...), I fixed a huge pot of white chicken chili for supper and for Bruce to eat on today, and I sat on my couch and read a book I've had my eye on forever. I'd always rather have Bruce and Allie with me, but even so, it was a pretty awesome night.

Trendy Tot Tuesday

I'm a huge fan of the Nike Free tennis shoes. This time a year ago, I bought myself my first new pair of tennis shoes in a couple of years, and then Allie ended up having to have a pair that matched mine. 

Now, Allie is about to outgrow her shoes, and we're looking to buy her a new pair. In the warmer months, Allie lives in cute athletic shorts, t-shirts, and her tennis shoes. They are also somewhat expensive for kid's shoes. Since she wears them so much, I don't mind, but it's a purchase we put a lot of thought into. I'm hoping to get Allie a new pair soon, but I just can't decide which ones I like best. I love that Nike offers the ability to customize your shoe, so I think that might be the route we go. But there are so very cute styles already available as is on the website. 

Our Honeymoon-New Orleans Part II

On Saturday we ate crawfish fritters for lunch at a little place on Royal Street whose name escapes me, but the fritters were fantastic! Then, we took a walking tour with Witches Brew tours through the French Quarter, Louis Armstrong Park/Congo Square, and St. Louis Cemetary #1. It was a lot of walking, but the weather was gorgeous and our tour guide, Nate, was amazing. He was a New Orleans native who knew so much history and insider information about the city-he really made our tour great.

Statue in Louis Armstrong Park, near Congo Square

Louis Armstrong Park

Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau's tomb

That afternoon, we stood in line for a half hour to get beignets at Cafe du Monde, which Bruce immediatly deemed well worth the wait, then we walked around the French Market for awhile. We ate gator on a stick, bought Allie a Mardi Gra mask and a t-shirt, and just took in the sights. I could  have spent days there though, it was such a cool place. 

That night we had dinner at The Gumbo Pot, and it was literally the best seafood gumbo I have ever had in my life. 

Other things I discovered while in the city that made my trip awesome: 

The Ramos Gin Fizz-apparently developed by Henry Ramos in New Orleans 1888 and a local favorite. Bruce and I discovered it at the Carousel Bar, as we watched a bartender break open an egg and add the whites to a drink he was mixing. We asked another couple we'd befriended at the bar beside us, and they encouraged us to go to The Old Absinthe House to try the Ramos gin fizz. We did, and I know, know...egg whites in a drink?! But really, it was amazing...light, frothy, slightly citric....it's a new favorite of mine and I can't wait to try to reproduce it. I'll share a recipe soon if we can create a good replica. 

Pralines-Now, my mama makes pralines around the holidays, but it's nothing like these....pure sugar with some butter and pecans thrown in, and just amazing. I sampled one then bought a whole box at The New Orleans School of Cooking General Store and wow....

All in all, we had a wonderful trip, and got to spend a ton of quality time, just the two of us, which is very rare on daily basis. I count myself as a very blessed girl to be married to such a wonderful man, to be able to spend time with him in such a cool city. 

Our Honeymoom-New Orleans Part I

We knew imediatly once we got engaged that we wanted our honeymoon to be in New Orleans. We'd been to Savannah, GA in September of last year, and really loved it, so we thought we'd love New Orleans too.

We began looking for a place to stay shortly after we got engaged, however March is apparently a peak travel time for the city, and there was a convention going on there the weekend we were traveling also. So by mid-February, all of the places that we were interested in staying were already booked. Location was very important, and we initially wanted a bed-and-breakfast inside the French Quarter; however none were available.

We ended up selecting Royal St. Charles Hotel, which I knew when I booked wasn't exactly what we wanted, but we were out of options. It actually turned out to be worse than I could have imagined, but more on that later.

We had planned on taking the Amtrak train there, but waited around on booking, and by Tuesday night before we were supposed to leave on Thursday, as we're sitting at my parent's kitchen table, borrowing their wifi, we realized we couldn't get seats on the train. We decided then to just drive-a very easy 6 hr drive and an hour and half shorter than the train ride-and that we would go ahead and leave Wednesday afternoon., giving us another full day in New Orleans. I'm actually very glad things worked out this way for us; because it ended up being a really good thing.

We found a hotel about 40 minutes outside of the city Wednesday night, since ours wasn't available until Thursday afternoon, and honestly, the hotel was terrifying. The location and price were exactly what we were looking for, but it was filthy and we both slept in our clothes on top of the covers. I suppose that's just what you get for $52 a night. I couldn't wait to get out of there Thursday morning.

We got into New Orleans on Thursday, and got checked into our hotel. I will give it this, it was a clean hotel-wonderful in comparison to the super sketchy place we stayed the night before. And the location was perfect-just one block off Canal Street and from the French Quarter, and on the corner of a St. Charles Avenue streetcar stop. But, our room was tiny, with an even tinier bathroom, and it had no window, microwave, or mini-fridge. We requested a mini-fridge, but after much run-around, were told on the 2nd day that it would come with a $25 charge-um, no thanks. The staff, with the exception of one or two nice employees, were mostly very, very rude. The hotel charged a mandatory $10 per night fee, on top of the crazy high price we were already paying, for use of the fitness center, wifi, and long distance calling-none of which we used at all during our entire stay. Needless to stay, if we could have found any other options, we would not have stayed there, and never will again.

But, our trip....
*Please excuse the poor quality of any photos as all were taken with my over 2 year-old iPhone 4s. 

Our first night there, we had drinks at The Carousel Bar at Hotel Monteleone. 

We walked around Jackson Square and went down to see the Mississippi River. 

For supper, we ate shrimp po-boys at NOLA's Po-boys on a tiny balcony overlooking Bourbon Street, and it was a wonderful dinner.

The following day, we took the St. Charles streetcar to the Garden District. We toured Lafayette Cemetery #1, and it was so eerily beautiful and at times wonderfully creepy. It was overcast and drizzling and there weren't very many other people there that day. We loved it! 

After that, we did a self-guided tour of the gorgeous homes in the Garden District in the rain. It was nice at first, but the rain come down harder, we got wetter, and then we decided to forgo the rest of our tour for a roof over our heads and some amazing gumbo at a little table outside a little local owned shop on Magazine Street. 

Friday night, we got dressed up and listened to some great music on Frenchman Street and shopped at a local street arts and crafts fair, and bought a really cool print for our home. 

Stay tuned for scenes from the next two days we spent in the Big Easy....