Take Ten

Ten years and ten days. That's how long I've had the blessing of marriage. When you add the five years before we said, "I do," Josh and I have been together for almost half our lives. What a journey it's been. Meeting during our undergraduate years at the University of Georgia meant supporting each other through graduations, first jobs, medical school, another graduation and eventually residency. By the time we celebrated our fourth anniversary, we had claimed our third mutual address. Later that year, we took the leap into the incredible world of parenting. And, suddenly five more years vanished and we've found a community to call home. I certainly had no idea ten years ago that I'd soon be a mother to two boys, much less living in a place called Habersham. Looking back on ten years, I might have guessed we'd buy our first home and start a family, but I couldn't have imagined the fantastic joy that would grow each day married to my best friend. So thankful for the blessing that he is each and every moment. I love you more than words can say, and I'm humbled to be on this journey with you by my side. Thank you for loving me!

Seven

Yesterday marked seven years of marriage for me and Josh. I can't decide if I can't believe it's been seven years or if it's more unbelievable that's it has only been seven years. Since we dated about five years before we married, it's hard to remember a time when we weren't together and a part of each others' lives. But, I don't remember life being this sweet, fulfilling, exciting, funny and complete. Thanks for making me so happy! Love you, Josh!

And Curtain!

Well, State Road 47 is officially over. I'm not sure how much I've blogged about it, but it has pretty much entirely consumed our lives for the last couple months. Even though my role was minor...ticket, poster & program design; publicity; ad design, Josh's was the big deal. For the past several weeks, he has had rehearsal pretty much every Tues & Thurs, then every day for the last couple of weeks. The shows went really well, and maybe the effort put into the show was evident to those who saw it, and I hope it ministered to those in attendance. But most of all...I'm just glad it's over.

The only catch, however, is that instead of spending the first post-SR47 day lounging around the house or celebrating over a nice meal...I was dropping my hubby of 6 years off at the airport to fly to a country in extreme political turmoil. As soon as the Saturday night performance was over (which was probably the best of the four...yes, they did it four times), we ran home to change, grab bags and head to Atlanta. We stopped in the Gwinnett area for dinner at one of the few non-fast food establishments still serving at 10:45, then it was on to the hotel for a few hours of sleep. We were up around 6, and had celebrated our 6th anniversary over eggs, sausage and biscuits at Paschal's in the food court at Hartsfield. Say, what you will, but it was still one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long time (never mind, that I rarely eat breakfast).

I received an email Sunday night from Josh letting me know they had arrived safely. Although it was a brief message, it was nice to read! Earlier this evening as Jack and I are just sitting around pretty much unwinding, my cell phone rang. It was a really strange and long number with no spaces. I thought it might be, and it was...Josh. He was calling from the team's satellite phone. We didn't talk very long...probably 2 minutes, but it was probably the best 2 minutes of the day.

Tomorrow, Jack and I will leave for our mini-road trip to Greenwood to reunite and catch up with some old friends. It will be a lot of fun to see some folks we haven't seen in a while.

Yesterday Josh & I marked 6 years of marriage, and today my mom & dad celebrate 36. Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad! Josh and I are incredibly lucky to have parents who emulate what marriage should be.

Five Years of Bliss with Soda Pop Fizz

On Saturday, Josh and I celebrated five years of marriage. Five years doesn't really seem like that long; I guess because we've been together for almost 10. Since Josh was scheduled to depart for Honduras sort of early Sunday morning, we arranged to stay near the airport Saturday night. My mom agreed to watch Jack. So, we dropped him off around lunchtime on Saturday. After checking in, we headed downtown to the new World of Coca-Cola, which is right next to the Georgia Aquarium. We had to wait for a bit to get in, but had a great time once inside.

We had discussed going to the aquarium, but really only had a couple of hours to spend before having dinner. So, we decided to save it for a day when we had more time on our hands. The WOCC is basically a glorified museum to the creation of one of the most widely recognized soft drinks. The tour begins with a cute little film and then self-guided tours of a history of coke area and a small scale bottling plant, which really makes coke for visitors to take home. Upstairs there is an area to watch Coke commercials from around the world, see pop-art and a funny display about the debacle that was New Coke. The best part, by far, was the 4-D movie. The seats in the theater move, shake, vibrate and you even get spritzed with a bit of water in certain parts.

Our final stop was the tasting room. In here, you can sample many varieties of Coca-Cola owned soft drinks from around the world. Some are tasty...others not so much. My favorite section was just the good old-fashioned favorites area that included Coca-Cola Classic, my favorite, and Josh's fav Coke Zero. Before leaving (if your shoes aren't stuck to the incredibly sticky floor), each visitor gets their own coke in a glass bottle (of course) to take home. We had a great time. After our tour we walked across Centennial Olympic Park to the Embassy Suites and had dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It is one of our favorite places. It's definitely pricey, but well worth it for a special occasion and a great steak!

The next morning, I got Josh to the airport and then headed to Athens for church and spend a couple of days with my family and friends. Only 5 more days until we go pick up Josh!