The Adventures

walking...

2011-10-10T10:16:00.006-05:00

Mark and I are walking in support of Crohn's and Colitis research. We would love your support in this task since I have been living with Colitis for 6 years. Research is so important because people suffer with this everyday.

Thank you so much!

good weekend..

2011-10-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

We had Ginny, Wade and their son Mark (my godson) come visit us this weekend. Monday was both of their birthdays so we ate a lot, relaxed, and let Mark wander around. It was great company and hopefully they will come back. Mark and I met them when we worked in Workforce at EMCC. We all were instant friends and have been since. We didn't work on the boat any but hopefully we will be doing a few updates this weekend.

Mark in Samson's bed.

finally..

2011-09-26T19:32:00.000-05:00

Hallelujah, Hallelujah!! The diesel mechanic came today, fixed the engine, and then walked us through some of the parts. I was very pleased that he came when he said he would. Finally, things are looking up!!
While Mark went to work I measured the cushions in the cabin and painted a rug to go on the boat. Maybe you remember I bought a rug at Old Time Pottery for 2.99. So, here it is..

The rug before.

The rug after.

The fabric I am using for some throw pillows. I think it will match the rug perfectly!

everyone needs a good female in their life...

2011-09-25T13:34:00.003-05:00

An albino spotted deer in my parents backyard in Columbus. This was at 7 am.


Mark and I at the LSU vs. MSU game in Starkville.

Mark and I went to Columbus last weekend for the LSU game and a golf tournament with my family. We had a good time visiting with family and friends.
Mark has been working in Brewton, AL for an oil and gas company the past few weeks so he has put me in charge of working on the boat and calling electricians and engine repair guys. I had called this electrician for 2 weeks and he kept telling me he was working on our quote. They called Tuesday and said we are working up your quote right now, are you available to answer some questions. I wanted to jump through that phone and punch him. Our enginge mechanic has been telling me he was coming to work on our engine for the past week...he now says he is 100% coming on Monday. We will see about that!
I think they all need a woman to run their businesses. I would get them organized and I would teach them how to call people back!!
I have also been painting and cleaning out the boat this past week...trying to get it looking like a home. So hopefully in the next few weeks I will be finished and can show pictures. We will see!

Keep motivated and positive!

take it easy

2011-08-29T09:10:00.002-05:00

Mark and I went to Pensacola Saturday to go to a discount boat supply store. We arrived as the doors were closing!! For it not to be a wasted trip we went out to eat to The Fish House. Very good drinks and very good food. We sat outside and enjoyed the view...I sweat very easy so this might not have been the best idea we have had.
Sunday, we went to church, washed clothes, updated our online courses, and by 1:00 were on a boat headed to Robinson Island. We had a pretty good weekend so now it is time to get to working on our boat.
Keep positive.

hodge podge

2011-08-26T17:43:00.004-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks. We created our online courses. And online classes started this week and we have received tones of emails from stressed out students. We have sanded the bow...here is Mark showing how it is done properly....

As a family we have enjoyed multiple sunsets.....I made, from scratch, jambalaya that could have fed an army! It was good but we were about sick of it after 4 days!

Mark was trying to fix a part of the engine and broke a screw off that was a very expensive screw. So, we have a boat with an engine that won't run. Hopefully this will be an easy fix once we get the parts (after labor day).

Now, it is time for our regular viewing of Jeopardy.
Hope everyone stays safe this weekend and Irene is not as powerful as they predict!
Keep positive!

a break in work

2011-08-14T14:34:00.003-05:00

We have been working everyday on the sailboat....so we decided to have some fun. Columbus friends came down to Orange Beach for the weekend and we met them at the FloraBama on Friday. A great time was had by all and hopefully they will come back!

This is Kathryn and Chris Carson (the cute couple that bought our house)

This is all of us at the very classy FloraBama!

I've now got to get busy working on my online classes that start next Monday. I haven't done anything for them...so I got to get going!
Keep the faith!

sun, sun, sun, here it comes

2011-08-12T09:46:00.003-05:00

Our daily routine lately has consisted of lathering up with sunscreen, eating breakfast, and then heading to the boat to spend hours and hours working on getting things how we like it. Yesterday, Mark took out a rotting cabinet and installed a new one.

These cabinets are where we are going to store food so hopefully it will look like a modified version of this house pantry!

While Mark was dealing with the cabinet I was working on the culprit of the rotten cabinet. Water was leaking through the stanchions into the cabinet area. I had to unscrew the screws, clean it up, and then seal it up with new sealer. Hopefully everything will work now and we will not have anymore leaks. Now, it is time to get to work!
Keep Positive!!

honey bee

2011-08-09T10:58:00.004-05:00

We haven't heard anything about the dinghy, but hopefully we will hear something this week about what they are going to do.

I am still on the drug study for Humira so Mark had to take me to the doctor this past Thursday. Everything looked good and Mark let me go shopping for my upcoming girls beach trip! I was pretty excited about that since I gave almost all my clothes away when we moved.

My parents came to see us this weekend and I made some Corn and Shrimp Chowder. I have never made a chowder before but it was actually really good. I combined recipes so I will try to remember what I did and share the recipe!

Hope all is well! Stay Positive!

oh dinghy, my dinghy

2011-08-01T18:09:00.004-05:00

We went to pick up our dinghy from the repair man. For those that don't know, this little boat will get us to shore when we are anchored out in the ocean. If we don't want to pay docking fees at marinas, you can just anchor and dinghy in. So this is like our car...we don't want it to fall apart.

Well, we have had this dinghy for 2 years now and for 1 year it has been in a repair shop. The handles and name started to come unglued from the tubes. We filed a warranty claim with Walker Bay (the company who makes the boat) and they said they were going to pay for it. Now a year has passed and they still had not paid. So, we went to pick it up and paid the money for the repairs.

The nice repair man said this boat will never be any good and it will keep coming unglued. Upsetting us that we have a faulty boat, we emailed Walker Bay and explained the entire situation. They emailed back today and admitted it was a faulty boat and would offer us a new boat at cost and we would have to pay shipping. We are waiting on an email back because we do not think this a fair trade. They promised to pay the warranty claim and didn't and now they want us to buy another boat. I just don't know about that!!

So, hopefully in the next few days we will have a resolution.
Until next time...
Stay positive

what a tow

2011-07-31T15:33:00.006-05:00

This is our beautiful sunset we got to enjoy......while getting a tow!!!
We went out on the boat all day on Friday and when we were coming back to dock our engine went out. Therefore, we were stuck out in Mobile Bay with our home not but an 1/8th mile away. We called TowBoat US and it was going to cost $1150 to tow us to our dock. Yes, you read that right.....$1150. I told them thank you but we will find another way. We called a friend that had been out of town for a few weeks to see if he happened to be back and he had just gotten to Sailboat Bay!! So, we got a tow while enjoying a beautiful sunset!!

When we got into the dock area we had some other nice neighbors trying to pull us in. This was an experience we will never forget but I really wish someone would have been filming it!! It was very stressful but comical!!! Next thing Mark gets to learn is how to become a diesel mechanic!!!

{ramblings}

2011-07-27T19:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we got an email from our insurance provider that our plan we chose was not going to cover pregnancy. No we are not pregnant and don't plan on getting pregnant..but you never know what will happen. So, we have to be prepared and updated our plan to include this option. WOW it is a lot more!! Why is insurance in the States so expensive? We could go to Mexico and have a procedure and it would be 1/2..no 1/3 the cost! Wish things could be different.

Also, yesterday we came back from working on the boat and our neighbor had left us dinner on our patio. What a great place we live in...retiree central!!

Today, I went shopping and got a rug for 2.99 for our boat....pictures to come. It is hard to go shopping on the VERY VERY strict budget we are on. So, I will be having a few craft projects to show for the next few months. I also plan to make this pillow...
It's $85 on etsy.com. We definitely can not swing that when we need a lot more important things for the boat than one pillow!!
Keep positive!

changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes

2011-07-25T16:33:00.014-05:00

So, it has been way way too long so let's get caught up.....

Sold our house in 12 days to a great newlywed couple Kathryn and Chris Carson. Hope they enjoy it!
Resigned from our teaching jobs at EMCC. Very scary experience for us. I am still teaching online so hopefully that will help us out with income.
Moved out of our house May 12th
Moved to Gulf Shores May 14th
Brad Van Asselt came to visit us
Victoria Rhett and Betsy Hicks came to visit
Kayla Vaughn got married on June 4th to Seth Mosal.
Saw Catherine and Kirk Thoms...oh how we have missed these 2!!
Went to Italy for the month of June.
Delta lost my luggage for a few days when we got home
Found my luggage on July 4th
Had a 4th of July party at the camp-house in Columbus
Finally got back to Gulf Shores
Went to Pensacola to watch the Blue Angles
My brother and his family came to visit
Mark got an infection in his only eye....this was no good
Moved the boat from Mobile to Gulf Shores!!! (This is very exciting for us!!)
Stressed out about getting health insurance...
Got health insurance
Learning Adobe Dreamweaver so we can create a website.....I have no idea what I am doing but we will see because they say it is not too bad

NOW, it is time to get this boat ready to head south in November!!

This is going to now be a journal of our journey until we move it to the new website.
Stay positive!

House for Sale

2011-03-31T20:14:00.013-05:00

Our house is for sale in downtown Columbus, MS. The house was built in 1910 with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths with about 2000 square feet. If any of you know of anyone interested in moving to the area please let us know!! Here are some pictures:

Birthday Boy

2011-03-05T17:41:00.004-06:00

So, Wednesday March 2nd was my wonderful husband's birthday! We are getting older and older by the minute...I just can't figure out where the time goes! I love you very much and hope you enjoy your Kindle!!!

Beggin Strips...

2011-03-01T19:56:00.001-06:00

Eggs, Bacon, and Toast....Samson thinks it is for him!!

Peeping Tom...

2011-01-18T17:41:00.003-06:00

Columbus has been on the lookout for a peeping Tom this past week, but at the Alexander's household we have had an issue with Pascal the Possum.

Samson chased Pascal up the tree last night where he stayed for more than 2 hours. It was very eventful to say the least!!

Burgers..

2011-01-16T17:29:00.002-06:00

Five Guys: We sure do love you! You should know this because we drove 60 miles today just to be with you. We ate a wonderful burger and turned around and came home!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

Snow Day!

2011-01-11T19:54:00.005-06:00

Snow Day: I was so thankful for you because we got to lay around for 1 extra day...How nice!!! It was such a beautiful snow but could not imagine taking Samson out in the white covering everyday.

Lazy Sunday

2011-01-09T12:47:00.003-06:00

Lazy day: We have been looking forward to you for a few weeks now! We will celebrate you by watching football and movies... couldn't ask for anything better! Thank you for coming!!

Simple Things...

2010-11-04T18:41:00.002-05:00

Husband: I love that we dance around the bathroom, while brushing our teeth. No music in ear shot..just you and I in our 2 X 4 bathroom. Maybe we won't have cavities at our next dental appointment.

Well-Chosen Words

2010-10-20T19:44:00.001-05:00

The words we speak may indicate

A heart that's filled with pride;

But Godly self-control displays

The Spirit's work inside.

It's not the words we know that show wisdom, but how and when we use them.

Open Book...

2010-10-17T18:36:00.005-05:00

From a brutal winter, a busy summer, and a beautiful fall our boat (Open Book) is finally in the water!! Just got back from the coast and we couldn't have been more pleased to see our boat floating...we have been working hard for this day! We have a bunch of stuff left to do on the inside but we are just excited not to have to climb up a ladder to get inside!!

Grateful

2010-10-13T20:42:00.010-05:00

I am so very grateful for my wonderful husband. I had a breakdown a few days ago (I don't really know why) but he took care of me. We are constantly working on our house and our boat. We have so much to do and I think I got a little overwhelmed. (Side note you can be overwhelmed, underwhelmed...but what about just whelmed...hum) Maybe by Christmas our house will be finished!!!

Anyway, Mark and I went to New Orleans this past weekend with his parents and sister. We had such a great time....eating. We went to a new French restaurant and it was great!! If you ever get to New Orleans try it. Here are a few pictures...

Hope you all have a wonderful week and happy Hump Day!!!

My Godson and Samson

2010-10-13T20:28:00.004-05:00

Our child Samson...

My godson Mark...

Wow...

2010-10-13T20:10:00.008-05:00

We went to Italy this summer and here is a picture update.....

What's in the Bag??

2010-06-10T20:27:00.008-05:00

My wonderful friend Jamie tagged me in what's in your bag. Mark and I have been moving so this is going to be interesting and fun!!

The bag: An old white coach bag that I love dearly..Mark gave it to me a few years ago and still love it!!

The Contents:

Salt and Pepper Shakers: Just got these McKenzie Childs salt and pepper shakers and have not taken them out of the bag..after this picture they are now in the right place in the house!!

Tylenol: Everyone needs Head medicine

Lip Gloss and Chapstick: I am more of a chapstick girl than lots of lipstick.

Notepad: Anything I see for the house goes in this notepad

Gum: I love GUM

Crystal Lite Energy pack: I love putting this in my water bottle. Every teacher needs a boost

Paint Sticks: I have been painting our house so every bag needs paint stirrers...Right!!

Pens and Pencils: Red Pen for grading papers, Pencil for showing students how to do problems and my favorite black pen for doing everything else!

Watch: Michael Kors watch that gets a little heavy on the arm in the afternoon

Keys: To the condo

Cell Phone and Jump Drive

EMCC Id: Because people still think I am a student!!

The Wallet: a forever ago Hobo

Earbuds: For my afternoon walks

Tape Measure: Like I said We just moved into a house and I love to measure things

Tent stake: I have no idea where this came from but it was in the bottom of my purse

Bottom retainer: I have to keep my teeth straight

Wood Stain Markers: These are AMAZING. We have bumps on parts of our antique furniture and these work wonders!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

I would love to see what is in Catherine Thoms, Brittany Ridgeways, and Briana Hoods Bag!!

Have a wonderful week and weekend!!

Still here...

2010-05-24T18:27:00.003-05:00

We are still at the beach!! We have been working on our boat and working on our tan!! This is good because when we get back we get to move into our house and I start teaching summer school. Yuck..I better enjoy this break while it last.

While we have been here, we celebrated our 3 year anniversary and ate at Cobalts in Orange Beach. We went there with Victoria and Chis and loved it so we decided to go back. (We may go back again sometime this week..hahaha)

I have finished Eat, Pray, Love and absolutely loved it. I could not put

it down and for those that have not read it I recommend it highly. I was at the pool one day and actually laughed out loud!!

Now, I am reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

I hope you all enjoy your week and have a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!!

The Beach

2010-05-18T18:01:00.005-05:00

Mark and I came to the beach on Friday and had a wonderful weekend with Victoria and Chris. They were down here to celebrate their anniversary..so Mark and I decided to help them. I hope they enjoyed it as much as we did!!

Mark went back to work and I have been down here by myself enjoying the sun. Which also means I have been a bookworm!! Yesterday I started The Alchemist and finished it today. Mark recommended it to me and I will say I really enjoyed it. This book is a short fable and a very quick read....perfect for the beach!!

Now, I am reading Eat, Pray, Love.

Tomorrow is our 3 year anniversary....I cannot believe it has been 3 years!! Especially cannot believe it has been 3 years since we were in Hawaii...

Time flies!!

I love you!!

Today..

2010-03-31T13:39:00.002-05:00

Today we close on our house and are very, very excited about this opportunity! This will be our first house we bought as a married couple...NO MORE RENTING!! YIPEEE!

Hope you all have wonderful and blessed Holy Week!

Crazy Hearts

2010-03-10T20:44:00.007-06:00

It has been a crazy few weeks to say the least. Mark and I have traveled back and forth from Mobile working on the boat, dealt with my sick Grandmother, and even dealt with me being sick....all in a few short weeks!!!

On top of everything, we are in the process of purchasing a house! I know...crazy hearts!! We just bought a boat and now a house!! This house just came up out of nowhere and there we were waiting on it! The sign was put in the yard Friday, February 26th and we signed papers on Wednesday, March 3rd. Wow..we were not even looking to buy a house!! We just have been tired of paying rent over the past few years, and we crunched some numbers and figured we would be better off purchasing this house. The home inspection is tomorrow, so hopefully everything will turn out A OK!! In short, here is hopefully our new little bungalow...

But the best news is SPING BREAK starts Friday!!! Yippeeee!! I am hoping the week will be a little more like this...

Have a wonderful week...and we will update you on the happenings of tomorrow!

Older but not Wiser

2010-01-22T11:50:00.002-06:00

I thought growing older meant that you had all the knowledge you could have and could point the young ones in the right direction. Well, all the philosophers were wrong!! At my job I am the youngest instructor but feel like I am the only one that has ANY sense. It seems to me that the more these other instructors have been here, the crazier they have become. They are not in touch with reality anymore. They don’t want to work and are not happy with anything. I know Mississippi is in a serious budget cut and yes we will not be getting a raise in the near future…but YES you do still have to do the work they hired you to do. And, You may have to do more…so get over it!! I love my job!! I get to help our future minds get past their fear….MATH!! I get to break it down to them and show them that it is not as hard as you are making it out to be. I just wish everyone had the mind of this 26 year old!! :) HAHA
So, I look forward to the weekend which brings quite the adventure. Tonight, Victoria, Courtney, and I are going to eat and have a fun night. Tomorrow, Mark and I are going to Mobile to check on the boat. We will be back on Sunday and back to work on Monday. Yippee!!
Hope everyone had a wonderful week and an even better weekend!!

New Year..New You

2010-01-12T14:05:00.005-06:00

I am so excited about this new year!! It is unbelievable to know we can start the year off with new goals and new attitudes. As most of you know, Mark and I bought a boat and plan on working most of the year on it. It needs some work from the inside to the outside so we can put it in the water and take some day sails. I am so excited to spend this time with my husband as we work together to make this dream come true. Also, we are renting a condo in Gulf Shores starting in February and I plan to spend a lot of time down there. I will be off from May to the beginning of August and plan to have a very relaxing and fun summer. Since I graduated high school, I have not had a summer to be lazy or travel. For 7 summers I have gone to school or worked while everyone else was having fun. It is definitely my time to be a bum!! In this cold weather I am surely dreaming of the beach and wishing I was there!!

Have a wonderful week!!

It's Official....

2009-11-30T21:19:00.006-06:00

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.

-- Water Rat, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows

We are official boat owners!! Yippeeeeee!! After years of looking, debating, and procrastinating...the time finally came! Mark and I own a 36 foot Allied Princess Cutter and could not be more excited!We found the boat in Connecticut and went the

weekend before Thanksgiving to have her surveyed. Everything came back good...needs a little work but what older boat doesn't! I am excited about getting a woman's touch inside the cabin.

Here are a few pictures and remember...it is a 30 year old boat!

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
--Mark Twain

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-24T21:10:00.013-06:00

Mark and I have been busy little bees lately...so no posts for about a month!!

We got back from Connecticut on Monday from looking at a boat...hopefully this one will pass our inspection. The boat we like but with a little elbow grease and hard work it will be perfect!

The Alexanders also went camping a few weeks ago! Me in a tent in the woods..what a sight! So much fun and would recommend the wilderness to anyone that asks!

Decorated for Christmas and decorated a church in New Hope. I think in the last post I was all excited about going into business of decorating Christmas Trees..I still have hopes to one day do that. Maybe I could do the White House...they have a million things I could decorate!! A girl can dream can't she!!

Below, you will see the camping adventure, Christmas at the Alexanders, Christmas at the Church (the blue and silver tree and wreaths), and a dinner in Connecticut!

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary; new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him."-Henry David Thoreau, Walden

Bored...

2009-10-18T12:43:00.004-05:00

Mark has been out of town since Friday and won't be back till next Friday :( So I am going to have a lonely birthday this week...I guess all is well since I have to teach that night anyway!! But, I have a lot to look forward to on Friday: Markey comes home, Friends come to visit, Halloween Party, and Parents come to visit!! All in one weekend....doesn't get any better than that!!

Also, Betsy is having a BABY!!! Congratulations Bets and Jim!! We are so so happy for you two!!

Have a great week everybody!!

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. - Lucille Ball

Never be afraid to try something new....

2009-09-18T17:43:00.003-05:00

"Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic"

I am taking on a new project (along with the billion other things I already do!!)....I'm going to make some curtains for our dining room. I'll wait while you all get your laugh out........

I am not the best homemaker, so I want to become the ideal wife. Mrs. Kathy is amazing at all things family, house, cooking related where I fall flat on my face. I try but always come up short. So, hopefully I will succeed at this task and I will let you know how it progresses...!!

A side note, the holidays are quickly approaching and I am super super excited!! The house is already decorated for fall and am more excited about Christmas!!! At this time last year, Mark and I were in the pool house and had no house to decorate...so, I decorated 2 trees at EMCC, my parents, and helped Mrs. Kathy with hers. Now you know how excited I am about this!!! I have been talking about decorating Christmas trees as a side job and I have my first one!!! During Thanksgiving I will be decorating a Church in New Hope...wish me luck..we'll see how it goes!!

Have a wonderful weekend...GO DAWGS!!!

You are only young once, but you can be immature for a lifetime!!

2009-09-01T22:06:00.003-05:00

Twenty-five years ago today a friend was born!! I am very thankful I had Alicia during my time at MSU: (I saw this on someone else's blog)

A: Ambitious, Anxiety, Anthony’s, Artsy

B: Bold, Black Hair, Books, Black and White Pictures, Biological Engineering (shit this girl is smart), Baby Voice, The Bistro, Busy, Bridesmaid

C: Courageous, Chihuahuas, Chicago, Color coding her closet, well for that matter everything), Cycling, Catholic, China Exhibit, Coordinated (or not), Creative

D: Doctor, Dancer, Derby Days, Decorating

E: Energetic, Exec, Elitist

F: Fantasy Football, Facebook (she was the first person I knew that had it…during exam week..great time to start an addiction), Friendships, Food, Fights

G: Gidget, Glasses, Gamma Chi

H: Highlighters, High pitched voice (when she gets excited or nervous), Haircuts, Hawaiian Breeze Air fresheners

I: Interesting, Imitations

J: Jarretts, Jamaica

K: Karaoke, Key West, Knees

L: Leash, Loafing, Lip Sync, Las Vegas, Listener, Lido Deck, Leadership, Libraries, Love

M: Math Geek (we both have that going for us), Memphis Zoo, Mrs. Wright, Motherly, Med School, MSU, Motivated

N: Nigeria, New Orleans, North Carolina

O: Organizer, Orchids

P: Persistence, Planners, PHI MU, Pink, Professional Mover (I used her Freshman Year) , Pajamas, Parties, Pottery Barn, and yes Patrick

Q: Questionable Decisions (just not her…we all had them), Question Asking

R: Rice Hall 2^nd Floor, Roomates, Running, Riley, Reading

S: Sex and the City, Studying, School Supplies, St. Agnes, A good Snifer

T: Target, Teacher, Toyota 4 Runner, TESTS

U: Unbelievable heart, Unmade bed (every morning she made me make my bed)

V: Valentine’s Day, The Veranda

W: Wine, Wonderer, Wasted (I held that hair back a few times)

X: X-Box, X-mas

Y: Young at heart, Yesterday (feels like yesterday we were roommates)

Z: Zygotes (sorry the only word I could think of that started with a Z)

I wish you all the best and may all your dreams come true!!

2 Years!!

2009-05-19T17:43:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary Hubby!!

Mark and I are at the beach for the next 10 days to celebrate our 2 year anniversary!! I can not believe it has already been 2 years!!

Mom asked me today if we would do it again, no question...Mark is my best friend and soulmate!! I could not imagine life without hime!! Love you baby and Happy 2 year (Cotton) Anniversary!

Have a wonderful week and I will post some pictures when we get back.

Long time coming

2009-03-31T16:12:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since the last post...so here is what's been going on:
My parents came to visit me a few weekends ago. They have been in West Virginia since January so I was so happy to spend some time with them.
Mark and I worked during Spring Break and are planning on taking a nice long vacation in May for our 2 year anniversary.
Mark went sailing last week and has his final certificate. He only has to go back and get and take his coastal navigation test and he will be finished!! So, the next step is buying the boat!! I am so ready to go now it is crazy!! I was always a little reserved about the idea...but now I am so ready!!!
We went to Becky and Ben's wedding this weekend and it was absolutely beautiful!! She was so gorgeous and he was so happy!! It was the best wedding.
One of Mark's family friends, Mr. Happy, died on Friday (his 94th birthday) and his visitation was on Sunday. We left the wedding early and drove back so we could make it to the visitation. He was a wonderful man, husband, friend, and father.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=827

hope all is well!!
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to giver you a future and a hope" Jeremiah 29:11

Dedicated to my Husband!!

2009-03-02T22:15:00.002-06:00

I think the only thing I have to post about lately is Birthdays...well today is my wonderfully amazing, talented, and devoted husbands 26th Birthday!!

Today is all for you and I hope you had an absolutely extraordinary day.

I love you with all of my heart and am so thankful for you!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2009-02-04T21:27:00.002-06:00

Today is my mothers birthday!! She is my best friend (besides Mark) and I am so happy she is my mother. She has been there for everything in my life and I am so thankful to talk to her everyday!! I Love you Mom!! Today is your special day so you better enjoy it!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!

2009-01-27T21:00:00.002-06:00

Today is my wonderful father's birthday. He is such a wonderful man and I am so glad he is my father. I am sad that he left this Sunday for a job in West Virginia...I won't see him for a while and on his birthday he will not be around any of his family!! My mom will be joining him next week so I guess it will not be that bad.

This is for you dad..I am so happy to have you in my life!!

Hucks...

2009-01-25T21:57:00.002-06:00

Thursday night after work Mark and I went to Huck's Place (a restaurant in downtown Columbus) to have a few drinks and eat. We sat there for about an hour trying to figure out what to eat. In the meantime, Victoria called and said she was coming up there too. Rebecca is moving to Jackson so she, Victoria, and Summer were having a girls night out. (I haven't seen Summer in forever..it was so good to see you!!)

Victoria, Becca, and I had so much fun that we didn't even realize it was 12:30. And yes, Mark and I did make it to work the next morning at 7:45!! I was very proud of myself!! We should have another girls night...just not so late!!

1 year

2009-01-20T10:05:00.002-06:00

Today, Mark and I will be traveling to Birmingham for my routine doctor's visit. But today marks the 1 year of me being on this study. I will have a few test done and hopefully be able to start a second study today. It has been a wonderful year..I have felt much better and actually feel like I am healthy. Thanks for all of your prayers but keep them coming...I need as much support as I can get. I also want to thank Mark, he has been there through everything and I really appreciate and love him so much..I know why God sent him to me!!

I hope you all have a wonderful day!!

Christmas and the New Year!

2009-01-11T19:48:00.007-06:00

Mark and I had a wonderful holiday season and are ready for the new year ahead of us. We look forward to what the year may bring and are excited to where the road may lead.

Here is a picture of Mark and I on Christmas morning.

And the other two pictures are of us on New Years Eve in Destin.

Tacky Christmas

2008-12-21T21:40:00.017-06:00

Last night all my friends from college got together to have a Christmas party in Jackson...except for Leslie, Stephanie and Catherine (We missed ya'll). It also happened to be the same night as the Tacky Christmas Party at Hal and Mal's. So, we started off at our party at Kristin's house and then ended up at Hal and Mal's for the big party. It was a great time and I will let the pictures explain themselves......

CHRISTMAS TIME

2008-12-16T18:53:00.003-06:00

This past weekend Mark and I went to Nacagdoches, TX for his cousin Joel's wedding. We had a great time driving and seeing parts of Louisiana that I have never seen. The wedding was great but we ended up leaving early and decided to drive home...7 hours. We left about 8:30 pm so if we drove all the way home we would get back home at about 3:30 am. Instead, we decided to stop in Jackson to see some friends...Jim Hunter, Jennifer, and Whitney. So, Mark had two drinks and us girls got to catch up..thus we didn't get home until about 5:30 am. Needless to say we slept all day Sunday. It was fun and I am glad we came home so we could sleep in our own bed!!

Yesterday, Mark and his dad went to Hattiesburg to pick up some plants and I finished ALL my Christmas shopping!! Yippee!! I love Christmas and I am so happy to not have to work for the next 3 weeks!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

The Netherlands

2008-11-14T20:07:00.006-06:00

For the past two weeks, we have had the privilege of having 10 students and one instructor from The Netherlands visit us at work. Mark and I both agree that it was a wonderful experience for us. Delfi, a lady at work, was in charge of them for the two weeks they were in Mississippi. They went to college classes at EMCC, toured plants in our area, toured MSU, went to Tuscaloosa, and even went to Tupelo to see the Automobile Mueseum, Elvis' birth place and the mall. But most of all they had "fun" at night. In the Netherlands they can drink at the age of 16, but can not drive until they are 18!! It is crazy...but all they wanted to do was drink. Mark and I and a bunch of coworkers took them to eat at The Veranda last Friday night and what an experience it was. They had no idea what to order since they think all of our food is fattening!! Can you imagine that...Mississippi having fattening food...no way! I think they all survived on our food but they just couldn't believe how much we ate.

Anyway, they absolutely loved Mark. They even wa

nted him to come to the Netherlands during Christmas. I said if he goes I go!! (that's only fair, right) Maybe it is because he is close to their ages but everyday they asked "where is Mark?" or "do you want to go drink some beer with us?" Mark was very good with them

because he just talked to them like they had been his friends forever.

All in all it we had a great two weeks that I will never forget!!

Here are some pictures of us during these two weeks. The ones where we are in hard hats is all of us touring the PACCAR plant. PACCAR engines are from the Netherlands and the plant manager/engineer is from the Netherlands as well. So, he took us on a very muddy tour of the plant. (it had been raining for the past few days)

Also, the only thing I can remember them teaching me in dutch was how to say I love you: Ik hou van jou!

Happy Howl-o-ween

2008-11-05T23:04:00.003-06:00

Here is a picture of Samson in his Halloween costume. He was so cute as a pumpkin, but he hated it since he would not move, at all!

Mark and I started a new devotional book last week and we absolutely love it!! We read it on the way to work together so we can have some peace before the day begins. I highly recommend it!

Adam and Lindsey's Wedding Weekend

2008-10-28T21:17:00.007-05:00

This weekend, Mark and I went to Fairhope, AL to Adam's wedding. What a beautiful wedding, a beautiful day, a lovely place and wonderful atmosphere. They couldn't have had better weather than this past weekend.

I was sad to miss Homecoming, but glad I went to a new place. If you have never been to Fairhope, I highly recommend it!! We stayed at the Grand Hotel and it was absolutely wonderful. The room we stayed in was old but just our style, very quaint. I highly recommend this place as a vacation since when you come into the town to the right you see a huge Yacht Club (Mark was in heaven), and in the cute downtown you have a Christmas store (a Christmas store all year long...I was in heaven).

Yes, we didn't want to come home, but yet again we are here back in the swing of things.

Here are a few pics from this past weekend and Congratulations to the happy couple!!

Sailor Mark!!

2008-10-16T19:33:00.003-05:00

So, Mark is living his dream of learning how to sail!! He went a few months ago to Biloxi for the first classes, and now is there again for the second go around. I am so proud and happy for him for starting to learn. It is the first steps to achieving our dream!!

Here is a picture of him at his first round of classes receiving his certificate...what a cute sailor boy!! I will be his first mate any day..

Seek To Do Good

2008-10-08T23:16:00.003-05:00

So, Mark and I get a daily devotional sent to us in the mornings from Joel Osteen. And todays was so inspiring I just couldn't keep it to myself. Hope it touches you as much as it touched us:

Today's Scripture

“See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody” (I Thessalonians 5:15).

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

In Galatians chapter five, the Bible talks about nine specific fruits of the Spirit. These are spiritual qualities that manifest in our lives when we allow Him to work in us. The more we invite God to move in our hearts and follow His Word, the more those attributes will be displayed through us. Kindness and goodness are two of those qualities. The Bible tells us that His kindness leads people to repentance. Kindness advances the kingdom of God. The more kindness and goodness we show other people, the more we are acting like God.

The Bible tells us that what we sow, we shall reap. When we seek to do good for others, we will reap goodness in our own lives in return. I encourage you today to look for ways to show kindness and goodness to the people around you even when they aren’t kind to you. Don’t repay evil for evil. Take the high road. Bless those who wrongfully use you. Seek to do good, show kindness, and you will see it come back as blessings in your own life in return!

A Beautiful Day

2008-10-07T21:05:00.003-05:00

So last weekend Mark and I went to the beach and how needed it was!! It was so relaxing and the weather couldn't have been better!! Being at the beach, the sound of the waves, and the breeze just put us in a trance...how we didn't want to come back to work. We just wanted to run away and never come back to reality! But since I have been teaching a night class on Mondays and Wednesdays, I thought I should come back for my students...yeah yeah yeah!

This class is about to be over, and next Monday I will start teaching Trigonometry...how exciting. I love to teach but the nights are killing me. I think my mind is being overworked! Also, next Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday I will have a math GED workshop which I hope will be a huge success. I am really excited about it, I just hope it is as effective as I want it to be!

Mark and I like to take mini vacations so any suggestions on a good weekend getaway, we love a change of scenery!

“Sing to Him, sing praises to Him; meditate on and talk of all His marvelous deeds and devoutly praise them” (Psalm 105:2)

Love

2008-09-15T23:00:00.005-05:00

So, this past week I found out one of my favorite students passed away, Mr. Leo Love. His sister called Tuesday morning and said he would not be returning for GED classes. I have not known him for very long, but we had a great connection. He was a great man with a wonderful personality, which made it even more hard. He was 43 years old and had a nerve disorder, but this did not stand in his way. He only had the Math and Science sections to pass in order to have his GED!! He was working so hard, I just wish his goal would have been reached before he left this world. I really am going to miss his smile, our wonderful chats, and his happy attitude!

“Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NKJ)

Go Dawgs!!

2008-09-09T21:47:00.005-05:00

Go Bulldogs!!! They did a great job this weekend just hope this coming weekend will be the same. It was also weird seeing all of my freshman athletes playing on the field, I was so proud... Wade Bonner, DJ Looney, KJ Wright, Rob Elliott, Marcus Green, Jamie Jones and LaMarcus Williams!

Go Dawgs and keep it up...

Hail Dear Ole State

2008-09-05T16:34:00.003-05:00

So, tomorrow at this time we will be on the beautiful campus of MSU tailgating with my wonderful family! This year we were fortunate enough to aquire a new tent. I say acquire because we actually WON it!! Let me explain: me, my dad, and two brothers always play in an alumni golf tournament in Starkville. We usually do pretty well but we never win anything worth anything! This year we did not play well at all. There is a raffle at night and since our team did not do great, we did not want to stay long!! Therefore, Ryan (my brother) and myself gave our raffle tickets to one of his friends..we told him he could have whatever we won as long as it wasn't the tent. Well, well, well we got a call the next morning and we won the TENT!! We couldn't believe it at all...we never win ANYTHING!!! Our luck has turned around and now the DAWGS luck needs to turn around!!

GO DAWGS!!

Who really knows..

2008-09-02T21:26:00.002-05:00

Lately I have felt Mark and I have tried to force things to happen in our lives, instead of letting God have control over everything. We have been trying to make things happen, only to be let down. We have now come together in agreement that God always has a reason for things. There is a reason we cannot find a great place to live and why we are in his parents pool house. God closes doors but always opens more...we are just waiting on the many doors that will soon be open!!

"Whatever I do, I must work at it with all my heart. I am working for the Lord, not for men. I know that I will receive an inheritance from the Lord as my reward. It is the Lord Christ I am serving." Colossians 3:23-24

The Month of Nuptials

2008-08-26T20:38:00.002-05:00

So, I guess August is a great month to get married!! Mark and I have gone to 3 weddings just in this month, we are ready for a break from them for a while! This is a picture from his cousins rehearsal dinner in Chapel Hill, NC. It was our first time to visit Chapel Hill, so all day Saturday we walked around the town and campus. The campus is absolutely beautiful!! If we ever go and get our PhD's, this is the place to go!

Also this month, Samson turned 1!! We both love him so much and I would like to thank Whitney for talking Mark into letting me get him last year!!

On to the tight living situations of the pool house!! It has been an interesting four weeks, going from a 3 bedroom house to about a total of 500 square feet!! Needless to say we have been looking for a house to buy, just haven't found that perfect one!!

You can just find us at the pool house...

2008-08-02T07:34:00.003-05:00

For the past week Mark and I have been moving out of our house in Starkville and into his parents pool house! We haven't decided if we are going to buy a house in Starkville or what, so for the time being this was the best alternative! We are looking at this old house on Greensboro St., but it needs a lot of work! Hopefully something good will work!

Also, today my dad, my two brothers and myself are playing in a golf tournament at the Starkville Country Club and the forecast: HOT!! Who knew you could actually play golf in this weather?Hopefully we want pass out.. hahaha

Things Happen..

2008-07-20T20:29:00.010-05:00

So it has been a while since the last post....6 months to be exact!! A lot has happened since then...I'll fill you in:

March:

For Marks birthday we went to Daytona Beach, Fl where I had a two day interview with Daytona Beach Community College. It was fun to have some time off and explore a new place. We decided that was not t

he place we wanted to live and it was a good thing since I didn't get the job!

For Spring Break (Yes Mark and I still get Spring Break and it is great!!) we went on a week long tour of Florida. We started in Destin, went to Apalachicola,

then down to St. Pete and ended up in Sarasota. It was fun to take a tou

r of Florida but we were really glad to get back!!

April:

In April we had two of my friends from high school to get married. The first was Lindsey Swedenburg and the second was Amy Gillis. They were both beautiful brides and I am so happy they are married.

In between the two wedding weekends we flew up to

New York for the weekend to see the

Pope!! It was amazing!! We saw him ride down 5th Av. on

Saturday and then say mass in Yankee stadium on Sunday!! It was wonderful! We also went to eat Saturday night at Bobby Flay's restaurant Bar Americain (it was so great!!). Then we spent Monday shopping!!

May:

The first weeken

d in May we went to Orange Beach for a wine tasting festival. Nee

dless to say we had a good time at that since I love wine!!

We also celebrated our 1 year anniversary. I can't believe it has already been one year..time flies when you are having fun!!

I also was busy studying for core exams, which were the first week of June, and starting to get ready to teach.

June:

Took core exams June 9th and June 11th and passed all 3 (thank goodness)!! So I now have my Masters in Math!!

The weekend after core exams I went to the beach for Betsy Waters' bachelorette party and Mark went Biloxi to sail

ing school!! Mark had a great time and loved everything about it!!

July:

For July 4th Mark and I, my parents, my

grandmother, and my brother and his family all went to Pensacola Beach and stayed at the Portofina. It was beautiful and we all were so happy my grandmother wanted to come!!

For the past week we have kept Meredith's little yorkie, Presley. She and Samson were so cute and they had so much fun together!!

Samson had a little girlfriend for a week!!

We also went to Betsy Waters' wedding last night and it was so much fun!! I passed out programs and it was nice to see people I haven't seen in forever.

Sorry this was so long but now everyone is caught up on what has been going on in the Alexander household!! Now I will have some time to keep it updated!!

Life

2008-01-28T11:34:00.001-06:00

Last week was kinda crazy but very successful!!! I started my new drug treatment in Birmingham, which we feel is very heaven-sent. I will now have to go to Birmingham every two weeks to get the shot treatment. Mark is being so wonderful through all of this and I really appreciate his support. We also started the Maker’s Diet…hoping it can help my symptoms as well as the medicine. I don’t know how long Mark will be on it since you cannot have any bread or noodles (which is Mark’s favorite—Since he is Italian) but he is being very encouraging and thoughtful!!

Mark has also started graduate school this semester and we are both really excited. I am really proud of him for getting his master’s while working full time and taking care of me and Samson on the side!!! He really has his hands full.

We hope you all have a wonderful week!

Hope: a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen

Today is the day

2008-01-21T13:29:00.000-06:00

We just decided to start a blog. New year new things!! This probably will not be an everyday thing but it will keep everyone updated on what is going on in our lives. We hope everyone is having a wonderful start to the new year and we are looking forward to what God has in store for us in the year to come!