Date #5: Scavenger Hunt + Camping

Cool weather means one thing for us: camping.  While I'm battling yet another sinus infection, we agreed some fresh air would do us some good.  Our 2 week camping adventure this summer proved to be one of the most exciting vacations we've experienced together.  When you're campsite in NYC is outside of Brooklyn and you have to pay $10 each person for a shower, or in Washington, D.C. where we had torrential downpours for 2 days, you would have thought we could have waited a while to camp again.  With 55 degrees on the forecast, we just couldn't resist.

Date #5: Try Tent Camping

We set out to Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park Friday evening but not before I led Kaden on a scavenger hunt.  Since living in Alabama, Kaden discovered "Golden Flake" chips and if you're from Alabama, you know you can't go anywhere without a bag or two. 

Last year, we camped at Tannehill for the Texas A&M game, and when Alabama lost, we heard some crazy Alabama fan "chopping down a tree" after the game.  We were excited for the hype this year.  Let me first mention that Tannehill is known for a great RV park.  We turned the corner and you saw Alabama decorations at its finest! 

P.S. We talked to several people and they said some RV's have reserved their spots for a WHOLE MONTH for Halloween.  Obviously, the week before Halloween is the time to go to see all the decorations!

As we approached the "Primitive Camping" area, we quickly found a spot nestled behind the creek.  We spent Saturday exploring Tannehill and Daisy LOVED IT.  Living in our condo she doesn't get to experience the "country life" but this weekend she fell in love with the great outdoors.  She even jumped in the creek by herself!  She also had her 1st red wasp sting on the snout.  One trip to the Pharmacy and a bottle of Children's Benadryl, she was back to herself in no time.  

How did we watch the Alabama game?  Listening to Eli Gold, of course.  With hotdog in hand, and maybe a few smores too, we had the chance to hear the Touchdowns first at Tannehill.  All of the RV's have satellites so they are delayed about 5 seconds.  It was awesome hearing the screaming and cheering from our campsite!

On such a beautiful weekend, we couldn't help but talk about what we think Heaven will be like! We hope you enjoy your week & if you ever get a chance to visit Tannehill, definitely give it a try! 

HOT DOG TIME

SOAKING WET!

Date #3 & #4: 1 Year, Sunset + Drive Inn Movie

 Wow! What a year it has been in our lives!  The past few weeks I have taken a "social media" break or fast.  Kaden challenged me for 1 Week to be completely free of all outside distractions.  The timing was perfect as we celebrated our 1 Year Anniversary and my 1st Day of School with 17 First Graders!!  Considering we were both so busy with the start of school, it was one of the most peaceful weeks I've experienced in a long time.  

We woke up on our Anniversary morning and made my favorite: 4 LAYER CHOCOLATE PIE
Our topper of our cake was in a deep freezer, and when the deep freezer went out, our cake went bad too.  We both love the kitchen so it was a blast making our delicious pie.

Date # 3: Watch the Sunset in your own backyard! 

In our condo, we have a wonderful back porch with plenty of room for relaxing!  Our backyard is the parking lot, so we sat in our patio furniture and watched the sunset before my 1st Day of School!  

Date #4: Go to a Drive In Movie

I've been looking forward to this Date for weeks!! When you think of Drive In Movies, I typically visualize a dirt road, concession stands, crickets chirping, & kids.  I researched Drive In Movies nearby and the closest one to Tuscaloosa was near Winfield, Alabama.  I was SO excited because one of my best friends, Kerry is from this amazing little town.  Every year Winfield has a festival called "Mule Day" where people from all over come to eat, shop, and watch a parade with Mules in it.  I went with Kerry my sophomore year of college and it was such a wonderful time.  Here is a link to Mule Day 2013

Kaden had heard about Winfield, and it lived up to his expectations when I took him to the Drive In restaurant called The Cardinal.  The Cardinal blows Sonic out of the competition.  We ordered our food + a Chocolate Milkshake that I secretly consumed the majority of it.  We pulled up to The Blue Moon Drive Inn where a stream of lights greeted us at the entrance.  Our movie of choice was "Planes," the Pixar movie about airplanes.  Kaden LOVED it because the movie contained all of the "correct lingo" for airplanes.  The main character was from Nebraska, so that was interesting to see their take on a midwestern state!  Kaden was stationed in Omaha, NE for 2 years while in the Air Force!  We have really enjoyed turning off our phones and spending quality time with each other.  It is so easy to become distracted by "what everyone else is up to" that sometimes we forget the meaning of how beneficial Date Nights can be!  Everyone have a blessed week!

"May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-those good things that are produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will brig much glory and praise to God"

Philippians 1:11

Date #2: Wedding + Walk in the Park

My handsome Wedding Date

This weekend Kaden & I headed to Mobile for my best friends wedding! We stayed with the sweet Peacock Family and enjoyed spending time with such a wonderful family.  We woke up Saturday morning with hopes of going to the beach for the day.  After scanning the radar, we decided to explore the city of Fairhope.  I've always read about this quaint little city in various Southern Living magazines, so I was thrilled.  With limited time, we drove through and adored all the boutiques & restaurants.  We drove to the Pier that overlooks the bay.  We walked the stretch as we saw many fishermen getting settled into their day.  On our list of August dates, this week was 

Take a walk and stop for ice cream wherever you may end up!

The walk on the pier was peaceful, breezy, and the restaurant in the middle smelled like fresh hushpuppies!  After spending time on our leisure walk, we were on the hunt for ice cream.  As we were on our way to our car to head into town, guess what was parked right in front of us?  A ice cream truck!!  Many memories of my childhood include running full speed down our huge hill in hopes of catching that ice cream truck.  Kaden and I shared a Jolly Rancher Bomb Pop--Every section was a Jolly Rancher flavor!

Behind the pier were gardens of rose bushes tucked behind a huge fountain!

We ended our day date at Wintzell's Oyster House where Kaden devoured oysters, and I half heartedly tried Fish Tacos for the first time.  We drove back through Historic Route 98 to Daphne (gorgeous)

Wedding

 Brody and I have been the best of friends ever since Kindergarten and his new wife Drew is precious! The wedding took place in a beautiful, center aisle church.  The celebration continued at The Ezell House where we were welcomed with a variety of savory food choices.  Kaden loves to dance, so of course we delighted in dancing the whole night.  For a brief moment, the skies seemed a little unsettling, but NO rain followed! It was a perfect evening to celebrate such a precious couple.  My Iphone camera is clearly not the best quality, but I found this picture via FB that snapped a cute moment of the newlyweds!

We had a fantastic weekend! On the ride home, we couldn't stop saying "THANK YOU JESUS" for such a beautiful weekend!!

Brody & Drew

Murph, my other best friend!

The Groom

Date 1: Bowling with a COLORFUL Twist

Date #1

Bowling with a Colorful Twist

This idea came from The Dating Divas and we had a BLAST!  The rules were very challenging! Each person picks a M&M, and you have to follow the rules accordingly!

                  
 

52 Dates

52 Dates

1 Year

Recently, I have enjoyed reading many blogs written by friends/strangers, so it encouraged me to pick back up on mine.  

So, 52 dates.  When Kaden deployed to Afghanistan last summer, I patiently waited on Skype or the phone.  I read many books last summer, but one day I was tired of reading so I started searching the internet for dates.  I have followed The Dating Divas since 2010 and they always have the BEST date ideas.  The best part of their website it they include several printables for FREE!  They were my inspiration! I searched the internet in hopes of compiling a list of 52 dates: 1 for each week of the year.  I spent several days working hard on my list and it's been in my closet for almost a year.  We moved into our new condo this past week and when I ran across them, Kaden told me to pull them out.  We will post each month on our fridge.

This year should be much better!  After being on antibiotics for over 280 days our 1st year of marriage, I had sinus surgery that has COMPLETELY changed my health.  I have never felt better.  More energy, no more coughing, and definitely no more antibiotics, I am rebounding!  Follow us on our journey as we blog about 52 Weeks of Dates!

Newlywed Newbies

Once again, I have neglected my blog that once recorded so many memories.  Kaden safely returned from Afghanistan (a second time), and we were married on a cool, cloudy and rainy day in August.  Many people have asked me how I would describe my wedding day.  Leading up to the wedding, the stress of it all: dress, music, food, etc, nearly about killed my sweet Mom and me.  I am nothing short of a handful, and when you get two personalities and two opinions thrown into the mix, things can get a little stressful.  However, my parents provided me with the most wonderful day of my life and for that I will always be grateful.  People showed us so much love during our wedding and I can assure you that every kitchen appliance, piece of furniture, lamps, pictures, and dishes have molded our marriage because not a day goes by when I don't thank God for all of the wonderful goodies we received.  I am probably the only person that can tell you exactly what each person gave us, along with their address.  Somehow, I looked at Wedding Addresses WAY to much :)

When God changes the direction of your life, we often say "Why?" "What is our purpose?"  
Kaden knew he was separating from the Air Force in September, so he had a wonderful job lined up in Augusta, Georgia.  We had a down payment for a quaint little 1950's rent house, Kaden's job was lined up and ready to go (or we thought), and I was starting the process of my teaching certificate in Georgia.  Long story short, someone didn't process Kaden's security clearances & paperwork for his new job so about a week before our wedding, we had no plan.  We didn't want to bum on my parents for possibly 3 months as we waited for paperwork to clear, so Kaden denied the job and we were left in Oneonta, with absolutely no plan.

After our return from Cancun (so beautiful I must add), we were back home with my parents, and 1 schnauzer who we both adore.  Should we wait for the Augusta job or should we find something else instead?  With our Bibles wide open and our heads bowed, we asked God to show us where to go.  We waited for 2 more weeks as we enjoyed Mom's home cooked meals.  During the waiting process, I got a call from a friend saying she could get me a low paying daycare job (hoping I would eventually find a full time job) in these hard economic times.  With faith, we took the leap, signed the lease on a apartment in Tuscaloosa, and four days later I was working with 4 year olds.  Kaden quickly found a job at a Car Wash and we were worn slap out.  

Luckily, I looked online for full time job postings in Tuscaloosa and I applied for one at a school called Walker Elementary.  I applied online, got an interview, and a week later I was employed as a 1st grade teacher.  I started November 1.  5 months later, I have been surrounded by such a wonderful and uplifting faculty and not to mention the most precious 1st grade class ever.  I have learned A TON, and I am continuing to LEARN every single day.  If I could sit down with you for 10 minutes you would understand just how precious my firsties are!


Not even a month after our 1st month of marriage, and our 1st month of working, I began to go downhill, and I mean fast.  Sinus infections, coughing, and allergies through the roof, my immune system would not fight for me.  I was in and out of the doc-in-the-box, sleeping every chance I got, and quite honest, the most miserable I have ever felt in my life.  7 rounds of antibiotics, and 2 trips to the ENT, I decided that taking antibiotics were out of the question, and I needed to find a more natural way.  A friend introduced me to a NASA certified Air Purifier (that is used on the Space Station), and I was sold immediately.  I also began taking SPARK, and AdvoCare all natural energy drink that would boost my immune system.  I would drink it every morning before work, and within 48 hours of my Air Purifier on FULL BLAST, I began to feel better.  It takes ALOT for a product to impress me, but my Air Purifier and SPARK are now my 2 children.  We recently just got back from a road trip from Texas, and Kaden and I both double checked our children on our 15 hour trip.  Kaden is now an AdvoCare representative and we are excited to improve the lifestyle of others!  

https://www.advocare.com/130412047/default.aspx 

If you don't believe me, take a look for yourself.  


I am still on the road to recovery of my terrible sinuses.  I am scheduled for another ENT appointment in a week, and another round of Allergy Shots.  I am PRAYING for some type of Nasal Surgery that will give me FULL relief.  A Cat Scan should be scheduled soon.  I can't wait to tell my ENT doctor that a AIr Purifier and AdvoCare has made me better; not all of those antibiotics that were making me sick to my stomach.  Before I close, I must give a shout out to my sweet and amazing husband Kaden who has driven to CVS several times at 3 a.m. because I couldn't breathe, and heard every single complaint come out of my mouth.  He is my gem.  He is enjoying The University of Alabama where he is majoring in Computer Science and Math.  I am SO proud of my college student :)


Continue to pray for me, because there is POWER in PRAYER!  We are so blessed.  Now, we are starting to truly enjoy our marriage because I'm not the crazy lady in the back coughing up a lung.  People must think I smoke 5 packs a day :)

08.18.2012

Considering it's nearly the 1st of July & I have updated since April, I decided to fire up my old Dell computer and write a quick post!  Things have drastically changed in the past few months. Kaden left for the 2nd time to Afghanistan on April 3, 2012.  I flew home from Nebraska, only to get stuck at the DFW airport the day the tornadoes ripped through Dallas.  Luckily, I caught a flight later than night and settled back into the routine of a long, LONG, long-distance relationship. Kaden safely arrived back at Bagram (his second home, literally).  I definitely got spoiled last deployment because we were on a great schedule, and a great Skyping schedule for that matter.  I soon realized my computer was too slow and Skype wouldn't respond, so we began talking on the phone again with the usual, "Huh, what did you say?" conversations.  I should not complain because I am thankful I can hear him at all.  Kaden quickly hopped on the schedule where he is working nights.  Keep in mind Afghanistan is 9 1/2 hours ahead of Alabama, so it basically puts us waking up and going to bed at the same time.  Overall, it has been the biggest blessing yet.  Kaden also found out that he is OFFICIALLY, yes officially... getting out of the Air Force early.  Saying that, I'm not moving to Nebraska.  Soonafter finding out the big news, Kaden was offered a job in Augusta, Georgia.  I was hesitant to even tell anyone our news simply because you never know when the military will tell you one thing, then do another.  It's all about being flexible, and that's exactly what I've become.  So, in two months if you see me writing yet another blog post about how we are really moving to Nebraska with 2 feet of snow, you'll understand that's just how the AF rolls.  It's been quite the exciting adventure though :)  




Here I am, thinking how in the world I have 49 days until I marry the most loving, supportive, and caring man alive.  I know ladies, you think the same about your man :)  When we got engaged, I was the "Oh my gosh, I'm engaged, I must have a countdown" type of girl.  So, I bought an impressive little app for a wopping 99 cents to keep me on track.  When I started the app, I was on 203 days.  Look how far we've come!  Time flies is probably the most true statement out there.  Everything is falling into place, but I just wanted to share a quick fact about my wedding that many people may not know.  Call me crazy, call it God, call me weird, call it a blessing.....




In January of 2011, I was home for the anticipated Christmas break.  I was a senior in college, about to begin my Internship with the University of Alabama.  I had just a few more days ahead until I went back to Alabama to prepare for such an exciting time in my life.  Growing up, and still to this day, I have the most vivid dreams about everything.  I can recall nearly every single detail of the dream and I believe our dreams can teach us many things.   Oh yeah, and today on Twitter...I read this fact.  "Depressing people have more vivid dreams than non-depressing people."  Considering I'm not depressed, I immediately laughed at the random fact for the day.  Anyways, back to my awesome dream....


I had been asleep for at least 4 hours when I remembered an exact part in my dream.  I was sitting somewhere looking at my Wedding program and on the front it read, "August 18, 2012."  Oh, and it was my wedding.  Somehow, I woke up and started laughing.  You mean to tell me that A. I'm not dating anyone and B. I'm getting married NEXT year?  Later, I looked at my calendar in my phone to see that 08.18.12 was on  Saturday. HA.  


Months went by and I forgot about the dream as I focused on enjoying my last semester of college.  Two short months later, I met Kaden and almost immediately fell in love.  We started dating, fell in love, and enjoyed every waking moment we had together before he deployed.  We both knew his deployment would be a test to see if God really wanted us together.  Kaden said that throughout the deployment that God told him that if we made it, I was the woman he was going to marry.  As we started talking about the future, it became very real to me that Kaden was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.  As we got engaged, I eventually told Kaden about my dream that I had before I even met him.  No pressure, huh?  As we started looking at wedding dates, my heart became very open to living out my dream.  Kaden was of course 100 percent supportive of my idea and he swears it was God all the way.  Not many people were supportive of my Alabama-August-oh-my-gosh-that-is-the-hottest-part-of-the-month-Wedding, but I just laughed and smiled like any Southern girl does and said "thanks for the suggestion."  So here I am, reflecting on a wonderful 23 years on Earth blessed with a man who loves on me each and every day.  I glad I followed my heart on that simple dream, because August is shaping up to be the best month ever.  KK is getting out of the Air Force, we are getting married, honeymooning to Cancun, moving to Augusta, Georgia, and starting his job on the military base at Ft. Gordon.  




Thank you to all of you have supported us 100 percent along this journey.  It has meant the world to US  God is SO good and we give Him all the praise!

 

Deployment #2

What a crazy few days it has been!! This past weekend Kaden and I decided to take a quick little road trip and drive 6 hours to The Mall of America in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Neither of us had been to Minnesota before so we both decided it would be a fun state to tackle together as we marked another one off our list. I've become slightly addicted to crossing off another state and I believe I am at 31 states. However, there are more that I want to "re-do." As we started traveling together, we wanted something we could remember each state by. We finally decided on buying magnets from each state! We have a great collection of them so far: 12. I want to find a magnet set that has molds each state together but I don't know if they make one or not! During each visit, we continually thanked God for letting us have the opportunity to see such marvelous sights and eating at nice restaurants. I realize that there are people out there that would give anything just to get out of the state they live in. I have a whole new insight about traveling and I definitely don't take it lightly. Kaden knows as we enter into a new state, the first thing he does is pull over the truck so I can get a picture in front of it.

As we drove to Minnesota, we first passed through the state of Iowa. Iowa is beautiful with some rolling hills and plenty of farmland. Old barns is the number one thing I saw on our trip to the mall. Absolutely beautiful, let me tell you.

The mall was INSANE, consisting of over 520 stores and 50 restaurants. The parking garage was labeled by states. We parked in Nevada, section P. The mall had it all, and even duplicates of many stores: Old Navy, Bath & Body Works, Victoria's Secret, etc. My favorite store was Godiva where we indulged in chocolate covered strawberries. Kaden enjoyed the Lego store where there were HUGE things made out of Legos. We finished the day riding the roller coaster that went straight UP and straight DOWN, followed by a upside flip. I love getting adrenaline rushes but let me tell you, I am terrified, petrified of roller coasters. I am so weird, I LOVE the roller coasters at Disney World. But roller coasters anywhere else, I become the biggest scardy cat. I guess I feel safer at Disney World than anywhere else. I finally agreed to ride one since I wasn't seeing any little kids flying off. I was so scared but I had to suck it up because there were 8 year old kids jumping up and down because they were SIKED about this roller coaster! As we turned the corner, I had one last chance to bail but considering Kaden had my hand in a death grip, I was stuck. In no time, I was strapped in but not until I checked my seat belt 50 million times. Kaden was a great support system as he laughed at me the whole entire time. I am here to say I survived, and God willing, I will tackle on Six Flags (one day)

Yesterday morning at 3 AM, we were getting ready to head to the airport when I realized I had left my wallet at Buffalo Wild Wings the night before. We went to the airport as I boo-hooed my eyes out thinking I would never make it back to Sweet Home Alabama. Luckily, I found out that you can fly on an airplane without a Driver's License: you just have to be patted down by the TSA. We changed my ticket for a later time and headed back waiting on BWW to open up. Around 8, I called the store hoping someone would be there and to my surprise the manager answered. We retrieved my wallet, called a taxi, and arrived with all of our bags. Kaden kept reminding me, "Catherine, thank God for this day. Tell him how thankful you are for everything. It's going to be okay." I realized Kaden was 100 percent right about the terrible day I was having. God was going to work it out for the best and smearing my mascara was doing me no good. We said our final good-byes as we knew it wouldn't be too much longer before I saw him again.

After being stuck in the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport for 10 hours yesterday, it feels so nice to be home. I became a little shook up at the airport because the weather was extremely dangerous and people were being too lackadaisical. I politely told one older lady that tornadoes are VERY real and in seconds, it can wipe out a town. Coming up on a year of the Tuscaloosa Tornado, I made sure to tell her how devastating tornadoes are. With over 400 flights cancelled, and 110 planes damaged by the unbelievable hail storm, I made it to Alabama last night around midnight.

I had a day of lots of praying and lots of thinking. How Great is our God? Like me, we may not always respond to mishaps in the right way, but in the end....It's gonna be okay.

Please continue to pray for Kaden. He called today from Turkey. 3 more months, 3 more months (fingers crossed) He has a wedding to attend :)

Videos from our Road Trip

Nebraska

Wow! It's hard to believe that in 143 days I will become a Mrs, take a new last name, and move to Bellevue, Nebraska. These past few months have been extremely exciting and sometimes overwhelming! Kaden and I returned from our 5,000 mile road trip across the Western United States and settled back into every day life. I found my wedding dress, picked our band and photographer, and started looking on pinterest (probably too much)

Soon after Kaden's return to Nebraska, we found out he would

soon be re-deploying to Afghanistan. Thankfully, we found out his deployment would only be 3 months instead of 6, so I came to the conclusion that with as much wedding planning as I had, I COULD DO IT. 3 months flew by the first time and with God's amazing grace, we could do it together.

My first trip to Nebraska was on Valentine's Day where we spent 2 weeks having fun together: eating out and finding the best restaurants Omaha has to offer, buying a bed together, and packing all of Kaden's belongings into a storage unit. The time went too fast and before I knew it, I was back in Oneonta! Luckily, I found myself subbing nearly every single day for the next month. Kaden flew to California for a week of training & I started to pack my bags for my 2nd trip to Nebraska :)

So here I am now....Sitting in Bellevue, Nebraska looking out the window of a busy intersection. It is so hard to believe that in 143 days I will be moving to a big city where I will know no one except my husband. Bellevue is 15 minutes away from Omaha, Nebraska. The past week we have looked at nearly 15 apartment complexes as we search for the perfect one. Can you believe I will be living in a city where I have access to Starbucks, Target, and TJ Maxx?? Living 15 hours away from Alabama may be difficult but I'm hoping for some road trips from friends and family... wink, wink :)

As far as wedding planning goes, I have the BEST Matron of Honor and the BEST bridesmaids EVER. When I say they are on top of things, I'm not kidding. My life has been so full of JOY from the support and kindness I am getting from all of my best friends. Mal is getting married June 23 and Savanna on June 2! I am SOOOO excited for them!

Our honeymoon is booked for Cancun, Mexico :) We are staying at the Sun Palace Resort...here, take a look

http://www.palaceresorts.com/sunpalace/promotions-en.html?ADID=ppcsp&phonalytics=87z&gclid=CPz5kOvRiq8CFUUZQgodyCP8Rg

We are staying Monday to Monday and even flying first class! My past two flights to Omaha, I have sat on the 1st row of "Coach" and I get so jealous when the flight attendant whips back her curtain so separate me from first class. Let me tell you, 1st class gets the hook-up when flying! I am excited to get cokes and cookies on our flight!

Overall, Kaden & I have had a wonderful week together in Nebraska. Kaden's dad came up for a few days and took us out to eat and we even went to the Zoo! 5 hours of looking at animals was a blast! We had a great time :) Especially looking at the monkeys and giraffes! We went to a local Baptist church where we stood out like a sore thumb, looked at apartments, went to Nebraska's largest winery and sampled some wine, and enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL weather Nebraska is having right now! 80 degrees.....Believe me when I say it feels like 65! NO HUMIDITY! I need to go ahead and apologize for my August Alabama wedding...geez! Praying for great weather!

As for now, it's back to help Kaden write a research paper for his online English 101 class. Love you KK! You really are so amazing and I'm so glad God brought us together. You keep me young by your sweet and silly personality that always keeps me laughing. You have made me laugh more than ever this week...And I will get you back for all of the pranks.

Pranks this week:

1. Kaden's live background on his Android is of grass blowing. He told me to "Blow on the phone" and the grass would start waving on the screen. Yeah, after I tried it for a few seconds of working really hard, Kaden started laughing so hard. Yes, I looked like an idiot in the middle of lunch.

2. Kaden told me that "I saw this written down somewhere and I didn't know what it meant." He said, "Catherine, what does this say? Read it out loud." He wrote..

WE TODD ID

Pretty mean, huh?

3. I did get Kaden by standing behind his wheel by his truck. I got him with the usual "AHHH" scream.

4. Oh, and I literally experienced the saying "Laughing until you cry." We were sitting there laughing about something (can't even remember what now) and then in the middle of the hardest laugh of my life, I started BAWLING my eyes out like I had lost my puppy dog. No kidding, I couldn't even breathe. So then, Kaden thought I was "faking crying" because of all the times I have fake cried and he believed me. He sat there and just stared at me saying "OHHH KAAAYYY, Catherine, Whatever. You're aren't really crying." When he started seeing all of my REAL tears, he finally gave me a hug. It was one of the strangest things I have ever experienced and I wasn't even upset. Pretty dramatic night, huh?

Never a dull moment....

I hope everyone is having a great day

Count your blessings

Engaged

I’m not the type of girl that has always dreamed about my wedding. I refused to make any plans, pick my colors, or my wedding dress until the man of my dreams put a ring on my left finger. I did, however, pray my whole entire life that God would send me a soul mate, a best friend, and a constant companion for life. As soon as I met Kaden, I knew instantly that I was attracted to him. Not only because he is so handsome but because of the way he treated me the very first night I met him. When I met Kaden, I sent my mom a text message saying “I’m sitting here talking with a guy in the military and he kinda reminds me of Jason.” My mom replied, “Bring him home.” I never even anticipated or imagined that I would even see Kaden again after that night. He was just a good ole Texas boy that was in the Air Force and temporary stationed in Meridian, MS before he deployed to Afghanistan.

I am constantly amazed how God works in not only my life, but the lives of my friends, family, and complete strangers. The very next day, March 19, I drove home to Oneonta to attend Hannah’s lingerie shower that night. Kaden sent me a message on the way saying how much fun he had getting to know me, wished me a safe trip home, and told me I was a God-send. I remembering laughing as I thought, “This guy doesn’t even know me, how in the world was I a God-send to him?” I went to the lingerie shower that night and immediately everyone could tell how tired I was. I just briefly told them I met someone and that I stayed up late talking to him. On Sunday, I drove back to Tuscaloosa to find Kaden and his friend Rico still in town. Not even five minutes after I returned, I see them pulling into my apartment complex. I called one of my best friends Kelly to come over so in case in was awkward, she could relieve the situation! Kaden suggested he make us steaks at Kelly’s apartment. Kelly asked if he was paying, and of course Kaden said yes….So we were off to Target where we spent nearly $200 on groceries and had a wonderful dinner. I would say from that night….it was history. Kaden took me on our first date to the Riverwalk in Tuscaloosa where we had a picnic. We ate Depalmas, a local Italian restaurant, with NO silverware because they forgot to put it in our bag. I remembering thinking, “Oh, what the heck. I am hungry and I barely know this guy so either he’ll laugh or be completely mortified.” Luckily, Kaden thought it was the funniest thing that I was eating noodles with my fingers and from that night on, we spent a lot of time together and quickly fell in love.

So, after 3 months of dating in Tuscaloosa/Meridian, and 6 months of a deployment in Afghanistan, I fell in love with Kaden each and every single day. He truly became my best friend and we both knew if we could make it through the stress of a deployment, we could do anything. We began talking about getting engaged but I knew nothing could happen until he asked my Dad and family for my hand in marriage. As I arrived in Omaha, he began saying little things such as “Man, I’m never going to get the chance to ask your Dad,” or “It will happen one day.” I took those comments with a grain of salt because to be honest, I knew it would happen when the time was right. One day, Kaden told me he had to spend the whole day at work. I didn’t care because I had PLENTY of his clothes to wash (15 loads to be exact). He was right, he was gone the whole day and I was so excited to see him when he arrived!! He told me he had a surprise and I guess while I was doing something, he slipped the ring into the top shelf of his wall locker. He told me not to look or else I would be extremely disappointed. Did I think it was a ring? NO! I figured he bought me a gift certificate for a massage or something. Anyways, a few days later we left for Texas and we spent 8 hours driving on Tuesday. Wednesday morning, I woke up and got ready for the day as Kaden left with a friend to run an errand. He returned with a rose in his hand and gave me the sweetest hug ever. Very sweet, but no surprise considering I am dating one of the most romantic men alive! We spent the day going to the mall in Lubbock, buying a cookie from the Cookie Factory, and purchasing me a Texas Tech T-Shirt.

We came back home and sat on his front porch as his Dad put up some Christmas lights. He made us coffee with whip cream and as we swayed back and forth I told Kaden, “This has been the best day ever.” Soon after, I got ready for our adventure for Santaland. Santaland is a place full of Christmas lights and decorations with a 60 foot tree in the middle. I was very excited to go because I love lights and the feel of Joy! On the way, Kaden’s hands were extremely sweaty and I asked him why. He said, “Baby, it’s your hands, not mine! You have on lotion.” I said “OK” and now that I think about it, I didn’t even wear lotion that night! We arrived, and Kaden began asking me, “Do you love this place?” “Do you just like it or do you love it?” He continued to ask if I liked, I mean LOVED it and I assured him that I did. We walked around the display of lights very fast so that is a blur to me…I do remember seeing some penguins that I thought were cute and a pirate ship. We got in line for the Christmas tree/Santa Sleigh to take pictures when he told me he was going to get someone to video us. Again, that is no surprise to me because we had been filming our whole entire trip! Well, it was our turn and we sat in the sleigh and I said, “Welcome to Santaland.” If you’ve seen the video, you can probably tell I am clueless until Kaden pulls me close and starts whispering things in my ear. At that moment, I knew what he was doing then seconds later, he whips out my ring! He got down on one knee (of course), and asked me to Marry him. I said YES and immediately followed with “Did you ask my Dad?” Turns out, Kaden sent my family an old scroll asking for my hand in marriage. Considering he was in Afghanistan, it was difficult for him to ask in person. We ended the night with a fabulous steak dinner and bottle of champagne with his Dad. I don’t really recall dinner because I looked at my ring the whole entire time!! It was absolutely perfect and I can’t wait to start another chapter in my life!

Road Trip & Wedding Bells

After 31 days of traveling the Western United States with my best friend, I am finally back in the great state of Alabama. As I begin writing about my recent journey, I must admit there is a lot of truth in the term, “There’s no place like home.” We rolled into Alabama with the video camera recording and the very familiar song “Sweet Home Alabama” blaring in the background. Kaden and I were singing at the top of our lungs, because our 30 hour drive from Las Vegas, Nevada was nearly over. Familiar territory- Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The beautiful city where I began my sophomore year of college living with my best friend, attended football games, met new friends, worked at a cupcake store, graduated college, and fell in love with a man I can now say I get to spend the rest of my life with!! Now, before I go off on that, let me back track and reminisce on my road trip of a lifetime!

The day had finally arrived for Kaden to come home! I boarded my airplane in Birmingham, Alabama bound for Omaha, Nebraska later that evening. The flight went smoothly and in no time I was in Nebraska with snow ALL around me. People quickly picked up on my southern accent and wished me well as I told them my story. I spent all day Thursday in the Holiday Inn watching tv, reading, and sleeping. Kaden called me from Baltimore and it all set in at once that he was truly coming home from Afghanistan in less than 24 hours. Let’s just say falling asleep was quite difficult for me on Thursday. My alarm was set for bright and early, my outfit was prepared, and I was more anxious than I think I’ve ever been before. Friday was here and Kaden called me from Chicago saying he was less than 2 hours away. The airport shuttle picked me up and I was on the way to the airport!! I first bought a pack of gum (to make sure I didn’t have bad breath of course), and sat down against a wall facing security. Not one other single person seemed to be there waiting on a loved one and I immediately became nervous. About half an hour later, a wife and a few military men came with a sign that read “Welcome Home” and that assured me that Kaden was about to walk into my arms.

I cannot begin to describe the feeling to you as I saw Kaden for the very first time. I just stood there in shock right before I ran his way. For the last 6 months, we talked countless hours on the phone or Skype, wrote letters, and made each other laugh as we tried to mark off just ONE more MONTH. Kaden instantly grabbed me as I hugged him for the first time and for a few minutes, I couldn’t do anything else but smile and cry. Talk about a mess. Walking to the baggage claim, we held hands and just smiled because we had no idea what to say to each other. It was by far one of the most sentimental and rewarding feeling knowing that God brought an incredible man home safely from such a despicable and terrible place.

For the next week, we stayed in Omaha, Nebraska doing the small things we had missed so much for the past six months. Going on dates, eating a lot, laughing, holding hands, and just enjoying each others company. In Omaha, we:

1. Ate Mexican

2. Put up a Christmas tree

3. Made homemade stockings for each other

4. Ate sushi

5. Caught a mouse in Kaden’s room

We obviously did much more than that but these five memories will always be very special to both of us. Now, it’s time for our road trip!

We were packed and ready to set out on a trip of a lifetime! We drove over 5,000 miles our entire trip…Here is our route.

1. Left Omaha, Nebraska and drove to Lubbock, Texas. Went through Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas (My first time!)

2. Spent a few days in Lubbock (Kaden’s hometown: Got ENGAGED on December 21 at Santaland (a display of Christmas lights and trees!!!) Ate a steak dinner with his Dad to celebrate! Visited Lldean and was impressed with his wood working skills.

3. Drove to Odessa, Texas and spent Christmas Eve with Kaden’s mom! Had a wonderful Christmas together and we received 6 inches of SNOW. Built a snowman. Enjoyed homemade cooking. Opened presents. Played monopoly. Bought my first wedding magazine. Loved sitting next to the fire.

4. Left Christmas morning and headed towards Lameisa, Texas to eat with grandparents. Ate way too much. Experienced a cute little town way smaller than Oneonta. Opened presents.

5. Back to Lubbock and ready to head to Clovis, New Mexico to visit grandparents. Got delayed one day because of my trip to the Emergency Room. I had an allergic reaction to a antibiotic I was taking and broke out ALL OVER MY BODY. Kaden drove like the Dukes of Hazzard the whole way there. Got an IV. Slept all day.

6. Drove to Clovis, NM and enjoyed eating with family. Loved all the different looking houses. Looked at baby pictures of Kaden. Fun visit.

7. Left Clovis, and headed towards Angel Fire, New Mexico to snow ski. Long curvy roads. Beautiful sunset. Coffee stops to re gain caffeine. Started to see snow. High elevation.

8. Arrived in Angel Fire and ate dinner with Andy and John, Kaden’s brother. Laughed the whole time because John is hilarious. Settled into our room. Went to bed early.

9. Woke up and spent the whole day on the slopes. Had one of the best times I’ve ever had. Fell 3 times. Someone stole Kaden’s sunglasses. LOVED the ski lift. 10,000 feet up. Ate pizza for dinner. Slept very hard.

10. Set my alarm early so we could get to the Grand Canyon by sunset. Arrived in Arizona. Route 66. Still some snow. Lots of red dirt. Winslow, AZ…sang the Eagles famous song. Did not make it to the Grand Canyon by sunset. I cried and cried because I thought I would never see it. Luckily, there are hotels by the Canyon (should have known). Checked into hotel. Ate Mexican.

11. Woke up at 5am to get ready for sunrise at the GC. Grabbed McDonalds but was too excited to eat. Took pictures in parking lot. Walked fast to “Mathers Point.” Experienced the Grand Canyon. Brought tears to my eyes. Tons of people. Tons of foreigners. Kaden overheard someone talking about me in Korean saying “that girl looks crazy with no hat”(it was cold) Took lots of pictures. Got a souvenir.

12. Hopped in the truck and headed towards Nevada. Stopped at the AZ/NV state line to take a picture. Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge. Jumped the fence to get a better picture. Rolled down the windows as we drove to the Hoover Dam. Thought about Chevvy Chase the whole entire time. Found a great parking spot. Took lots of pictures. Scared because Kaden acted like he was throwing me over. Very deeppppp. Ready for Vegas.

13. Drove through Vegas. Arrived and met his dad and family. Ate lunch at the In and Out burger place. Got ready for New Years. Sketchy people in Vegas. 300,000 people on the strip. Watched fireworks. New Years Kiss. Won 27 bucks on the slot machines. Got crammed up against a fence. Scared for my life and worse than World’s Wildest Videos. Stupid people. Military ID saved our life. Got back to our room as fast as we could.

14. Watched football with family. Ate pizza and wings. Rode dirtbikes. Kaden flipped me off. Cut my hand. I pouted. Told Kaden, “You are shaky on that dirtbike.” He thought I said “Sexy.” Laughed about it afterwards. Watched is very talented sister dance at dress rehearsal. Amazed at her talent at only 11.

15. Started our journey back to Alabama. Drove 15 hours one day, and 15 hours the next day. Arrived in Tuscaloosa and met up with my Gigi’s friends for wings and pizza. Stayed the night with Hannah and Tyler and had a great time catching up.

16. Made our last 100 miles to Oneonta! WE MADE IT!

17. Kaden left for Omaha, Nebraska. See ya soon!

As you can see, I simply just jotted down a few things here and there that either made me laugh or meant a lot to me on our trip. I had the most amazing time and I have Kaden to thank for that. I got engaged to a wonderful man, and if you haven’t met him yet, don’t worry… you will! We set the date for August 18, 2012 so mark your calendars people J I will continue to update on our wedding plans! Thank you to everyone for all of the support, it means more than you will ever know!!! We are BLESSED with great family and friends. Hope you all have a better glimpse of our trip and our journey over the past 6 MONTHS. Welcome home honey!