Sunday, April 14, 2013

A visit from Grandma


In March, my mom made her way across the country to come visit us! I think her plan was to get a nice tan, but unfortunately for the first week or so we had a lot of rain, and COLD weather. Who would have thought we were in the 70's in December, and 50's in March... us! LUCKILY, the weather got better and we were able to spend some time outside... 

Freezing Beach Day. We lasted maybe 5 minutes... 
Day Trip to Amelia Island. Old Plantation viewing, antique shopping
and Beautiful Site seeing!
Seaworld! Sam got a little exhausted towards the end, but
we had such a great time

Easter Egg hunting/Egg dyeing
Easter Sunday

Samuel got used to having his grandma around. He loved reading "Goldbug" every night, and being tucked in by her. The day we took her to the airport broke my heart. As we drove away, he bawled, and bawled "Grandma! Grandma!" It was terrible. That's when I made the decision we WILL live by family some day. Miss you Grandma! Thanks for everything! We loved having you here! Come again soon please:)





Saturday, March 23, 2013

Recent doings

 Cliche' Chevron Quilt
   I know EVERYONE is into chevron lately. I agree it's cute, but
     not enough to decorate my entire house with it. HOWEVER,
      I saw this quilt on pinterest and thought, I HAVE to make this 
             for Sam. I have looked and looked for a twin size quilt that I could buy
       at a decent price, but it's pretty much impossible to find a cute one,
    so here we are! Made one myself... 



                                       

Thanks Mom for modeling my quilt
 Herb Garden
This is a terrible picture but I've wanted a herb garden for quite
some time now. Since I don't have a back yard or an area for
an actual garden, I thought I could get away with this 
small little piece. I bought the container at Joann's, used a
little yellow spray paint, and did some stenciling. Simple. Easy.
FRESH. HERBS!


Growth Chart
Growing up we had a wall in our pantry where we marked
our height. We all loved it. Even our boyfriends made the wall.
I think my sister Abby had the tallest boyfriend. 6'8? 
Anyhow it created so many memories that I knew I needed one for my own 
little family. We still have a lot of moving to do in our lives, so I wanted
one I could take down, and take with us. 


                                           

               



Thursday, March 21, 2013

4 Year Anniversary!

Wayne and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary on the 14th. I can't believe it's been 4 years! So much has happened in that short time, graduations, LOTS of moving, new careers, had a child.... I couldn't ask for a more exciting time of my life, or better partner to go through it all with.

Wayne brought home beautiful white roses. "I've never bought you WHITE roses before" (wayne) He surprised me with dinner at the melting pot. I had never been, and now that I have, MORE PLEASE! We had the 4 course meal. Of course my favorite was the dessert. Melted ying yang chocolate to die for. It was a perfectly romantic night. I have never made a better decision in my life then the day I married Wayne. Happy 4th anniversary Wayne Hill! I love you












Saturday, March 9, 2013

Gate River Run 2013

MONTHS AGO Wayne and I signed up for the Gate River Run here in Jacksonville. I kinda despise running. Unless it's some sort of contact team sport, and I get to run without really realizing it. But Wayne insisted I would enjoy this so I took the easy route and agreed to the 5k. He signed up for the 15k which he did the year before. You can read about that one here..  Thankfully a couple of my girlfriends signed up for the 5k as well so we were able to train talk as we worked out.

Race Day: The 5k went great! Way easier then I expected. Maybe I'll think about doing the 15k next year.
Wayne did awesome! About a month ago Wayne's old man knees and feet started really bothering him and he didn't feel that he should do the run, so he stopped training. TWO days ago he CHANGES his mind. I of course think he's CRAZY, but he refuses to listen. Good thing he didn't because he ran this race as if he had been training the entire time. He's pretty much amazing, and that's why I love him. Good work Wayne! Oh and good work Sam! You did so well walking the diaper run.

My partner in crime


Proud Samuel

Monday, February 11, 2013

DIY antique dresser


If you know me, you know I love antique furniture, but what I love even more is finding CHEAP antique furniture. I found this gem for $10 at a garage sale! It was exactly what I had been searching for to put in Samuel's room. All I needed was some primer, few cans of white spray paint, and some clear coat protector. Super easy, and SUPER fast! I am in the process of turning Samuel's room from a nursery, to a little antiques boys room. I'm not exactly sure what that entails, but I'm excited to work on it. So if you have any good ideas, let me know!





Sunday, February 10, 2013

Happy Birthday to Ba!

If you didn't know "Ba" means grandma in Vietnamese.
Now you can say you speak another language:)

Friday, February 8, 2013

Finally Back!


Seriously I don't know where my time goes, but blogging has not been part of it. I seem to be caught up in the realm of motherhood, which I love! However, I have failed miserably (pretty much my whole life) on keeping a journal and this blog has been the closest thing to it, so here I am!

The Last time I posted was back in July, when I threw Wayne a 30th birthday party. Since then A LOT has changed!

August: My Aunt Pam passed away unexpectedly. I always admired her for her positive outlook on life, and how she brightened up every room she walked into. She will be greatly missed.

I then stayed in Spokane for a few weeks, enjoying time with my siblings, parents and watching our children play. Plus, my mother and I took a road trip to Widbey Island to visit my sister Abby who just moved there. It was absolutely beautiful! I am so excited for her new adventure!


September: Wayne graduated with his second bachelors degree in nursing with honors. This was a great day, and we were happy that his mom Hien could be there with us. He worked so hard, and just took us one step closer to his final career.

Hien also watched Sam while Wayne and I enjoyed a wonderful cruise to the Bahamas, just the two of us. It was Heaven. Exactly what we needed.

I turned 25! Seriously where has the time gone!

October: This month seems like a nightmare that I wish would go away. We lost Wayne's dear dear sister Heather unexpectedly. She was only 28, and not a day goes by that we don't think of her, and miss her. I am grateful that families can be together forever.

On a brighter note, Sam dressed up for Halloween as the Old Man from Up, and Wayne was the Boy Scout. Best costumes EVER.
November: My sister Natalie, and her family came and stayed with us for a week. We had an AMAZING time at Disney World. I believe Hogwarts was the highlight for all of us, oh and possibly the beach.

My parents came for Thanksgiving. Anyone who knows my parents knows warm weather = golf, and LOTS  
of it! We also had a great time going to the beach, eating turkey, and watching the best show ever, The Killing. Finished 2 seasons in one week. Yup, it's that good! watch it!


December: Samuel turned 2! SAD SAD DAY! I miss him being a baby, but love the little boy who he has become. He has the teasing funny personality of his father, but the sweet sensitive side of his mother. Best of both worlds.

We had a nice quiet Christmas to ourselves. It was definitely a change. 70 degrees outside, quiet, just 3 of us opening presents, taking photos in the boys matching hats, and a great dinner of prime rib cooked by our great friends! The day seemed to be just what we needed.


January: Wayne was offered multiple job offers, but finally accepted one, so he is officially working as an OR
nurse. He is working at the hospital literally 2 minutes away which is perfect, and I couldn't be more thrilled about his hours! Everything seemed to fall right into place.

We headed down south to Fort Lauderdale for a couple days to visit my friend Sabrina who was visiting herself. We enjoyed a little Everglades fan boat ride, good food, and of course great company.

February: We have been enjoying the warmer weather, getting outside, working on projects, playing with our dear friends, and getting used to Wayne being gone during the days. But I LOVE when he gets home. He doesn't have to study, but just enjoy his time with us.


Life really has thrown us some wild turns this last year, and although it seemed we wouldn't get through them all, I have once again been proven that our trials make us stronger, and bring family closer together. I am so grateful for my whole entire family. Without them I would have nothing. I look forward to this year and what it brings.