what I’m learning being married

James & I will hit the 6 month mark of marriage this coming Easter weekend. 6 WHOLE BIG WHOPPING MONTHS. I know what you’re thinking…that’s NUTHIN’! But it seems that time is flying in a “6 months ALREADY? / ONLY 6 months!? Feels like we’ve known each other much longer.” kind of way. If that makes any sense at all.

I was prepped my whole life to know that “marriage is not easy & not always all romantic like the movies make it out to be.” (granted, I feel that these days movies are portraying more and more dysfunctional family situations than they used to. or is it just me?) Anyway, I’m grateful for going into marriage with realistic expectations. It has made me cherish every bit of it & have fun in the journey. I think marriage is GREAT and SO FUN and SO WORTH IT! Personally, I’m having a blast. That doesn’t mean it’s always all cherry pie and picnics though.

And for some reason, I just feel like sharing some things I’m learning along the way…

1. Don’t dwell on the little things/pick your battles. I’ve accepted that even though I have the mentality of branching out and trying new things…James will ALWAYS order the one thing on the menu that has”BBQ” in the title. Mundane? I think so. The man likes to stick with what he knows. He’s simple. I’m not so much. And I’m not just referring to our food preferences. I could easily let things bother me. Though I’m seeing that our combo is quite the perfect match. We balance each other out nicely.

2. James is male. I am female. well, DUH! But…I’d say we’re both learning to be accepting of the fact that I will always have to repeat myself a few times if I want to get a response out of him while he is watching TV, fiddling with his phone, playing a video game or basically doing anything with technology. Likewise, he has come to terms with the fact that I’m overly sensitive and could, at any given moment, start crying about who knows what that might not even have to do with him. So, patience is key because I highly doubt either of those things is ever going to change entirely…or at all.

3. Communication! We can’t read each other’s minds, so no use harboring ill feelings about something. I think this is mostly for me – the overly emotional one. Poor James won’t always know if I’d like him to help more with something. or WHY I’m acting cranky or stressed. or if there is something bothering me. I’m learning to speak up about it more. He does the same. I know it has brought us even closer together.

4. I’m super blessed! If I ever do bring something up to James or have a melt down, he is very sweet, tender, and caring to make things right & try to understand. He’s very quick to apologize. And I’m learning to be.

5. I am not perfect. Neither is James. I tend to overspend on groceries. James tends to buy too many gadgets on Amazon. I hate that he goes to bed so late most nights. He hates that I get tired so early practically every night. He hates eating dinner early. I hate that he gets hungry at 11:30pm. He loves being right and proving people wrong. I, also, enjoy being right and do not enjoy being proven wrong. He doesn’t like every article of clothing I pick out for him. He also doesn’t love every pair of shoes or colored tights I like to wear. BUT I’m (we are) learning that we can’t control each other, to accept differences, to accept faults because we both have them, but to also work towards improvement.

6. I am not always in the mood to watch the movie James wants to. I don’t prefer all of his music choices. He’s a constant cuddler. I like a little more space when I sleep. He can sit inside all day. I get antsy and cranky and want to go out. He doesn’t really like going out on walks with me. BUT…we are learning compromise. Loving someone & wanting to see them happy means we do things we might not always like or want to do.

7. Set goals and dream big together! James and I both like to dream big. He’s better than I am at making things happen, but that’s good. He helps me. We set goals together. We both are “in the know” with finances & other important matters. That unity is vital to making our “dreams” come true. It’s nice to be on the same page and work and grow together – To support each other in our endeavors. Especially when there are a lot of bumps on the road there.

 

I guess today I’m especially grateful for marriage. For my sweet husband. For the last 6 months. For how much we both have learned and grown. And mostly for the future we have ahead of us….I look forward to next weekend when we go to Seattle. I look forward to next month when we move home to Georgia. I look forward to a year from now and wherever that puts us. I look forward to when we decide to expand our little family. And I look forward to us being a gray-haired couple still crazy in love!

 

here’s to marriage!

love, whit

Road Trip pit stops – Colorado

slowly but surely i will catch up

(sigh…who am i kidding? i never even finished posting about all of my italy trip)

though our (mine and jame’s) roadtrip: GA –> UT was just in june, so i’m not too out of date yet.

the best thing about our trip was that we stopped whenever the heck we felt like it. in colorado – we attended church, swung by the LDS temple, took a stroll alongside the Colorado River, and went on the MOST BEAUTIFUL HIKE EVER (hanging lake – click for post)

a few of the pit stop foties:

at the Denver, CO LDS Temple

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then later along the CO riv…

…ha… pose.

and of course, our hike later that  day…

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“we was here”

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ok, so…

we’re on day numero cuatro of being engaged.

wedding date selected: SEPTEMBER 29th! in atlanta. (there were complications with october – and any later only means colder weather = booooo)

reception will be the night BEFORE – sept 28th. – less stress and we will enjoy it more this way having a party we won’t be counting down the minutes to leave (if you know what i mean)

we’ve been blessed to have ALREADY found an ideal place to live here in provo for fall. two bedrooms/washer and dryer/furnished/covered parking/close to everything. i’ll be living there solo from sept 1st until we be wedded… then i’ll make space for james, i suppose.

i think i may have settled on my “color scheme” and have some wedding dress shopping scheduled with miss chelsea vose in SLC on saturday.

and that’s the news for now.

love, whit

Hanging Lake, Colorado – Prettiest Hike of All Time

James and I made the long haul – 30+ hour road trip from Atlanta, GA to Provo, UT

BUT…we broke it up into three days, made as many stops as we desired, and this was my favorite…

Right off of highway I-70 in Glenwood Springs, CO is the “difficult” (or so it is labeled) hike, about one hour up the mountains, to what I think is well worth the trek: Hanging Lake!

We weren’t 100% prepared for our hike, as it was a last minute decision…

I did a truck change out of my skirt into James’ b-ball shorts and the most hiking conducive shoes I had with me. We packed his backpack with the essentials: my camera, bottled water, and…snacks!

Good thing we brought my snacks…we met this hungry little fella on the way up! I’m pretty sure 8 goldfish were stuffed into those cheeks for safe keeping…

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and then we made it to the top!

crystal clear ice cold waters and gorgeous falls…

we made it to the bottom 3 hours after the start (we lingered a while at the top)…

dusty shoes, but worth it.

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i’d do it again in a heartbeat!

love, whit

Oh, Italy – 2 weeks is not enough!

I started off 2012 with a 9 1/2 hour flight, 6 hour time change, and landing in Italy for my first European adventure! Bringing along with me my 61 year old mother (who hasn’t seen anywhere apart from the good ol’ U. S. of A. or northern Mexico where she grew up), it was “an experience of a lifetime!” she says.

it really was.

life bestowed upon me an opportunity to travel, and i’d always dreamed of Italy. So, after months planning which cities to stay in, for how long, what to see, and making sure i wouldn’t be TOO lost. it happened! my own personal tour of Italy via trains and buses and family owned bed and breakfasts was a success….and yes, everything i had dreamed of and more!

i over-indulged on tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil….in every form possible!…

(just a fresh snack in front of the Colosseum – no big deal)

i’m caprese OBSESSED! ok, FOOD obsessed…believe me when i say i ate well. the food is deserving of its own post.

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Italy is an EYE-FUL! and just gorgeous! from the cities, to the rolling tuscan hills, to the coasts, the architecture, the nature, the tiny streets, the shops, the ART, the cathedrals, the details, and even the people.  it has so much to offer…

(mt. vesuvius)

we graduated from our “wanna be italiano” cooking class! (more on this later)

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ok, so here is a taste!

i took, and this is no exaggeration…1500 photos! no, i will not post 1500 pictures, but i WILL break down my trip and give more details on the highlights. and there are oh-so-many!

until then…ciao

love, whit

p.s. – florence was my FAVVVVY!!!!

italy is almost here

ok, i will!

when i first made the decision to go to italy – i was obsessed. every day i was researching and looking up things to do…making plans. but it always seemed so far off.

but it’s HERE now! ohmygoodness!!!!

and for a while i didn’t think about it…until mid december when i freaked a little and realized i needed to finalize my bookings. 4 hotels are now booked….Rome, Sorrento, Florence, and Siena. but of course time will be spent along the Amalfi coast..Pompeii!…Pisa…Venice…i will ride in a gondola. i will eat gelato. and cannoli. and legit italian margherita pizza. and we willllll be taking a private cooking class in Florence with an Italian chef! – making a three course meal in which going to the market to buy fresh ingredients and homemade pasta is included (i’m soSOso excited about that!). and of course museum tours. and historical sites.

to stand in the sistine chapel! – i can’t wait.

and it’s….just around the corner!

i start to get nervous…thinking i forgot something in my planning.

oh well….it’s happening!

flight = January 2nd…the best way to start off a new year…i’ll get to check a couple items off my bucket list!

any suggestions/tips/must-do’s for while i’m in Italy are very welcome!!! in fact…do you have any??

Atlanta, GA Aquarium

an afternoon at the world’s LARGEST aquarium. be jealous. it’s basically the best ever…although my hands smelled like fish all day because i chose to pet the sting rays first.

wait, the DEEP VOYAGE tunnel was the best…but let’s see some other things first. (minus the belugas…they moved too much..all my pics were blurry. and i forgot to take some of the piranhas who were noteworthy as well)…

(above: the dragon fish…way rad)

…african penguins…can you tell they’re swimming? probs not. crap photo.

i LOVE the jelly fish!

and then the fascination of the tropical reef wall that has waves at the top…

and then come the biggest fish known to man…the whale shark:

(i love this pic above)

favvvy

even lil troy enjoyed it…..kind of…

the GA Aquarium = worth it.

love, whit

4 day weekends

four day weekends are fantastic!

especially this one in which joe-beau came to visit.

i didn’t take as many photos as usual. strange, right? but, here are a few:

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we hiked to the top of stone mountain (a little chilly)…

we played with dave and paige…i just LOVE these two….

(dave and joe became pretty close)

atlantic station. new shoes. cpk. krispy kreme. jb christmas. and dj dave dance party. = a well spent weekend.

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this is how we felt about the world of coke…

(just a little overrated, but at least with good company)

our day at the Georgia Aquarium with lisa and pete (and lil troy) has yet to be documented…but coming soon.

love, whit

remember the apple festival??

speaking of things to be done…i have SO MANY photo updates from the past couple months that i keep telling myself i need to “blog”

we’ll start with the APPLE FESTIVAL in north georgia. The city of Ellijay to be exact. back in october…

here’s a selection from the day…

after apple picking and festivities…fresh apple pie turnovers and cider…we headed downtown to ellijay, explored the many shops/booths, heard live music, and enjoyed some good ol’ southern cookin -BBQ!

atlanta segway tour

so, as i mentioned before, my parents’ birthdays are this week.

as a present, something different and fun to do – we went on a SEGWAY TOUR of ATLANTA! it was – SO fun!

the rents:

let’s back up a bit…from the beginning…

mom, getting a feel for what we’re about to do before the segway safety/warm-up…

helmets and the safety video were mandatory…

then a little one-at-a-time practice on the segway. our group was my parents and i, a very cordial young bloke from the UK (it was his first time ever to the states – loved his accent), and a french canadian from montreal.

i didn’t get many pictures of the tour – it’s hard to manage a sensitive segway and a DSLR. but we did take a stop and walk around a bit at the capitol. mom really wanted a pic with good ol’ jimmy – the only US president from GA. the statue is life size of him, too…

our group:

mom took this one,

the shot i was taking in that picture:

a couple more from dad’s camera…

when we passed the Ritz Carlton, we made it at the same time as the pro football team from Philly. the Eagles – coming for the game against the Falcons. there were tv cameras and crowds – i managed to get my balance enough to snap a couple…too bad it’s just the back of some of the players…

the last “break” stop was at The Varsity. atlanta’s famous chili-dogs…

i wish i was able to get more pictures, but my coordination on the segway wasn’t the best…i didn’t want to bring my camera into it. i thought mom would have problems on the machines….turns out i was the one with “incidents”…yes, there was blood…

each segway had a name, mine was “Jack”…just when i got the hang of how to ride him, the day was over…

it was definitely a well-spent 3 hours…and the rents loved the adventure…

afterwards we had some straight-up southern cookin’ downtown at Mary Mac’s. check out my fried fish platter…

…i’ll be eating on it for DAYS. after i ate my fried green tomatoes, cabbage, and broccoli souffle…i had no room for much more.

a few more photos…some more of my favs from my claire marie “photo shoot”…

 

ok, that’s enough pictures for one day.

love, whit

i need europe travel advice?

so, i know that it seems i JUST decided that i want to plan a trip to europe. but, i’m all in! already. oh, i love that.

the plan – and yes, i already have a plan – is to use the train system. they have these special passes you can get. you get unlimited train use for certain amount of days and countries depending on which pass you get. i’m looking into it to consider all my options with it. seems a great idea.

i’m thinking fly into madrid, spain first. when done there, take a train to barcelona.

from barcelona, we’d (i told my mom she’s coming with, she’s craving travel too) take the night train to Milan, Italy. Yes, we’re going through France and not stopping – but if i do France, i’d want Paris. and Paris needs time. trains take time. and i’d prefer Paris not in January. adding Paris to the trip ups the costs, and the length, so i’m not so sure.

anyway…after time in Milan, take the train to Florence. We’d stay in Florence a few days and take trains during the day to see Venice and Pisa. Then…last stop…ROME! a couple days there and then…fly home. depending on time, we could take a day train down to Naples too. what’s in Naples, though?

i have a rough estimate of how much time/days are needed for each stop. yes, it will be winter. but i’m not going for a tan – not that i get tan anyway. and it’s the only time i have. hay que aprovechar!

QUESTiON! i need advice. on anything. must sees. must eats. trains. hotels. attractions. things to know. tips. what’s worth it. what’s not. overrated. overpriced. you know?

i’d like to get this all figured out and planned and booked…and do it wisely.

if you’ve got anything for me – i’d appreciate it!

love, whit