Too long since I wrote

Well, I've not written in a while, and there's not an excuse for my actions. Since I last wrote I've turned 25. I'm a quarter of a century, or as my friend Drew reminded me, I'm halfway to 50! Today, I'm feeling sentimental, mushy, in love, so tonight's blog is about "How I Know My Husband is My Soulmate."

1. He gets me, truly and completely. We can have an entire conversation without even speaking. I've never known someone to just get and understand me the way he does. I don't have to explain my feelings or explain anything really. He knows me, and he knows my mind.

2. He is the only person I want to see when I've had a terrible day, he's the first person I want to see when I've had a great day, he's the first person I want to see when I have good news, he's the first person I want to see when something sad has happened. Basically, he's the first person my mind goes to whenever anything happens. Good, bad, funny, sad, exciting, anything because he's my everything.

3. When I picture my (our) future I can't picture it without him. He makes my future a reality. He believes in me, when I don't believe in myself. I know that's a cliche, but I was jaded on love until him. He opened my eyes.

4. When I wake up every morning I roll over and I watch him sleep, and I thank God for the man he blessed me with. I honestly believe God made us for each other. Chris was my anchor when my sea was uncertain, and every day I get to wake up and go to sleep next him is perfect.

5. He and I share the same dreams and goals. We want the same things out of life, and we work together as a couple to make our dreams come true. Though to be honest, all my dreams came true when we said "I do."

6. We can be ridiculously silly together. We laugh until tears are streaming down our faces and our sides have stitches. We have an intense comical connection, but the humor is never at the expense of the other. That's one thing we don't do. 

7. He challenges me. He makes me think. He makes me reach further, dig deeper, strive harder. He makes me want to be the very best Tia I can be. He makes me want to aim for perfection, and even if I don't reach perfection I can be happy knowing I gave it 100%.

8. He is hands down the smartest, most hard-working person I've ever met. His intelligence surpasses that of most people. His intelligence is beautiful, he's passionate about always learning something new. I love when he does learn something new because I love listening to him describe to me what it was. He could be a teacher. He's so smart and witty. When he describes what he's learned he turns it into something interesting to listen to. It takes someone special to make learning how to change a carberator sound interesting. 

9. My husband and I share the same religious views. We share the same love for our God, our Creator. We love talking about our faith, and worshipping together. We share our favorite Bible passages and what they mean to us. 

10. We are completely content and happy being alone together. He's my best friend, so I love being alone in his company. I live for days where he and I spend all day together. We can be working on the cars, in the garden, around the house, loafing around town, it doesn't matter what we do as long as we do it together. He is my home.

11. He's the only person I can see raising a family with. We don't want any little feet running around the house for a few years, but when we do, I know he will be the most perfect daddy that he can be. We talk about our future child regularly, and the fact that we've always seen eye to eye on how to raise a family is music to my soul. 

12. Chris has an old soul like me. We may be in our 20s, but our souls are much older. We like going for a ride with coffee, and talking for hours on end. We love to sit in our front porch glider amd watch the cars drive by. We enjoy being in each other's presence, just sitting and listening to music. 

I could write many more, but I feel like 12 is a good representation of how I know he's my soulmate. I love him for who he is, for who he was, for who he will be, and for who he will never be. He's my best friend, my partner in crime, my soulmate, my confidant, my everything. I wouldn't be who I am without his ever present love in my life.

XoXo,

Tia

Drizzling Cold Weather

Good evening! It's Tuesday and I was off work today, I did some house work, but I mostly read and watched tv because I've not felt the best today. Hopefully, I can accomplish more tomorrow because I am off then, too. It's drizzled and been cold all day, the sun never once showed it's pretty face. While I've not accomplished much today, my dear husband has been working his buns off. Sometimes, his job is like running in circles, no matter how much or how perfectly he does his job, they always find more for him to add to it. And when you're a perfectionist like him, it makes for a frustrated husband. I wish there was something I could do to help him, but quite unfortunately there isn't. All I can offer is my support and love and my ears when he needs to vent. 

Yesterday, I vaguely answered the question, "Who am I?" I'll go deeper into that question later this week, but today I will answer another question. 

What do I stand for? I stand for many things. I believe that before we go send food and money to other countries we should put food into the mouths of the children of our country. You should sweep by your own front door before you move onto others. I believe that every pet needs to be loved and cherished. Not locked in a cage, tied up, or not socialized. For your pet, they may only be in your life for a short time, but for them you are their life. I believe in equal opportunity for everyone, especially including those with special needs. You are a blessed person if you have even just one person with special needs in your life. If you have the time, you can learn so much from them. They have the most beautiful souls, you just have to see it for yourself. I stand for love. I believe everyone should experience the all-consuming love you think only exists in books until it happens to you. I have this love every day and I don't know what I would do if I never knew this all-consuming, powerful love.

I stand for acceptance. Just because people sin differently doesn't mean you should treat them like lepers. The Bible says, "Hate the sin, Love the sinner." It also says, "No sin is worse than any other, except blasphemy." I am paraphrasing here, but I know that no one is perfect. The one perfect person to have ever walked this earth, we killed, so unless He has came back, you're not any better than anyone else; so don't you dare cast that stone at anyone else. I get sick with anger when I see people judging those who are different in any way, shape, fashion, or form. There is not any excuse for it. Ever. Bullying, judging, casting off, treating someone unfairly, these all belong in this category. I am extremely passionate about this topic because I was bullied on and off my entire life and it took me forever to get over it. Even now at almost 25 years old, the insecurities the cruel children placed in my head still haunts me. 

I stand for respecting your family. You only get one, so even if you are completely different and you think there's no way you share DNA, even if they go about something completely different than you would there's no reason to ever talk down or treat them as if they are below you. Sure, some situations call for different actions, but at the end of the day your family is still your family. For better or worse there's no getting rid of them; however, I will say this, family isn't limited to those you share DNA with. Family is who is there with you when everything seems to be falling apart. When that happens, who is there helping pick up the pieces? That's your family. 

I could write so much more, but then what would I write about tomorrow? Goodnight, y'all. 

XoXo,
Tia

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There's one more picture of my family that I didn't get at my wedding, and now I never can get the whole family in one picture because he is now living beyond the Golden Gates. 

Monday, We Meet Again

Hey everyone! Today has been an off day. My alarm didn't go off this morning, the fog was so thick on my way to work that everyone was driving extra slow, and when I got to work two of my bigger bosses were there. Yay, Monday, right? Wrong. I got settled in and I waited and waited and waited some more until my computer finally decided to load up. Okay, so now the day will get better. Nope. Two hours into work and I finally shake off my Morning Blues and then bam! The craziest situation occurred. I can't go into specifics, but it resulted in that client spending more than 30 minutes at my window while we figured out what we could do. Luckily, she was a good sport, and never once got upset or mad. Yay! So, then I had to do a report on this situation and what do you know, my computer freezes in the middle of the report. Awesome. So I call our sister branch and they dutifully walk me through the situation step by step. Yes! Now, it's time to balance and call it a day. (I only worked  3 hours today.) balancing was a cinch, and I'm out the door! Hooray! On to the grocery store, so I can get the ingredients to make my first ever lasagna. I know, I know. I went to culinary school and I've never made lasagna before. Shame on me. Since I've been home, the day is much better. Chris had a trying day at work, but hopefully homemade lasagna and tv with coffee will help his mood. This has been a funky Monday here at our house. The lasagna is in the oven, he's looking on the Internet, and I'm writing to you all. :-)

Today, I've been thinking a lot about myself. Who I am, what do I stand for, what do I support? I don't think anyone can answer these questions definitively because we as humans are always changing. I don't think our souls change though, I think you're either good or bad, but I don't think someone is inherently bad. I think they may have had something in their life make them that way. Little kids don't think when I grow up, I want to commit armed robbery and murder people. If they do, well, you may want to get their little heads checked out. 

I guess, I'll answer one question today. Who am I? I'll answer with what I have decided so far.

I am Tia.

I am a wife.

I am a daughter.

I am a sister/sister in law.

I am an aunt.

I am a granddaughter.

I am a niece.

I am a cousin.

I am a daughter in law.

I am a bank teller.

I am an animal activist.

I am beautiful.

I am worthy.

I am forgiven.

I am a Christian.

I am a lover.

I am an eternal optimist.

I am a little lazy.

I am a book nerd.

I am a friend.

I am a helper.

I am a leader.

I am a follower.

I am quiet.

I am a listener.

I am a problem solver.

I am loved.

I am loyal.

I am a romantic.

I am an Aquarius.

I am not a judge.

I am an equal opportunity supporter.

I am a student.

I am flawed.

I am strong.

I am mended.

I am Tia.

XoXo,

Tia

Saving dinero

Good afternoon! I apologize that it's been a few days since I have written, but I've been busy, and when I have been getting home, I've been exhausted. Thankfully, I was off yesterday and I could sleep in. We slept until 12 yesterday, went to bed at 4:45 this morning, and we slept until 1 today. I don't  remember the last time I slept that late. I got up and cooked sausage and waffles, and since then I've been sitting on the couch except for when I put a load of clothes in the washer. It's in the low 40s today, and I just don't feel like doing anything. While I cooked, Chris gave  both dogs a bath. They look, feel, and smell so much better! 

This year Chris and I are attempting to put $24,000 in savings. It's going to make some months tighter than others, but by the end of the year all of our debt, including Chris's car payment, should be paid off completely. Right now, we have $800 in savings, and this week we both get paid. We have to pay our phone bill, his car payment, and our rent this week, that'll cost exactly $740 for all three of those bills. Just thinking of all that money coming out at one time makes my heart rate speed up. We should be able to put about $500 or so in savings this week. January and February are always the two months where money is the tightest for us. By March we'll be caught up and be able to start putting a lot more into savings. Initially, we wanted to save $2000 a month, and come March, we'll probably be able to do that, and any extra money we come into will go into savings. Once we do our taxes, hopefully we'll get money back, and we'll be able to put that into savings, too. The first couple of months are the hardest when it comes to saving, but once you get into a pattern, it becomes a lot easier. 

I guess I wanted to share this with you all, so now you all can help keep us accountable. Of course, should an emergency come up, we'll be able to tap into what we've saved. I think what helps with my mindset is not keeping our savings in our account. It would be too easy to spend that, so we keep it in a special, safe place. When I look into the account I see one number, and I freak out, until I remember that that number isn't accurate. Then I also took additional money out so we wouldn't use the account, so it's a lot less that what we actually have. This helps my mindset though because I see what's in the account and I say to myself, okay, we're not spending any extra money. I think we'll meet our goal this year, but even if we come a little shy of it, it'll still be more in savings then we had last year.

XoXo,

Tia

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Whipping Wind and Freezing Temps

Good evening! Today has been so cold, but at least it was above freezing. (It's 14 degrees right now.) Tomorrow won't be so lucky, it's going to have a wind chill of -3! I think the weather forgot this is Georgia, it's not supposed to be that cold here. I will take it and not complain though because it just gives me more of a reason to cuddle with my husband on the couch while we watch Netflix on our Google Chrome Cast. It's been a pretty good day off of work, and tomorrow I only work 4 hours. Yeah, sometimes part-time totally sucks, but on a day where the high is 31, I'll take 4 hours! 

With the weather being so cold, my heart hurts for all the animals stuck out in these freezing temps. Shelters and churches and schools open their doors for the homeless or those without heat during nights this cold, but the poor helpless animals don't have that. They're left to freeze, with no one to help them. I know I've been guilty of this in the past before I understood that if it's too cold for me, it's too cold for them. The wild/feral animals have a better knack at knowing how to keep warm than the animals who are lost, are tied up, or have owners who let them live outside. 

We have an outdoor cat named Kirby, he's really sick, and nearing the end of his life. He lives outside, but we bring him inside the house regularly and give him extra food during nights like this. If we had a litter box, he would be inside with us, but as it stands, we don't, so we have a huge, fluffy comforter on our glider on our porch that he wraps himself in. He lets us know when he wants to come in, and if we're not asleep yet, he comes in and stays with us for a long while. 

My heart just goes out to all animals, but especially those who don't have anyone looking out for their best interest, the ones tied up without even a doghouse to hide from the wind in. My parents have an outside dog, she's a pit bull, she stays tied up, but she can go 30 feet in any direction. Then she has a dog house with a heating light and bedding that keeps her body heat in it. As far as outside dogs go, she has it made. I can't imagine living outdoors in the freezing cold, with your body constantly shivering to try to keep you warm. It seems unbearable. The animals who are lost or abandoned don't stand much of a chance at surviving outdoors when the weather gets bad. 

If you see a stray and you know the weather is bad or about to get bad, then call the animal control or take them in yourself. I know taking one in is a lot to ask, but at least they won't get put to sleep, at
least you're giving them a fighting chance. You don't have to take them in permanently, post them on the Internet "Found dog/cat on such and such road." Someone will either claim them or want to take them in themselves. I know this is common sense, but sometimes a nice little reminder is necessary, especially during bad weather. 

So many animals don't have someone speaking up for them, so just consider me their spokesperson or guardian angel.

XoXo,

Tia

These are 3'of my 9 animals. The other 6 are 5 fish and a hamster. :-)

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What do you work for?

Good evening! It's almost midnight and I'm just starting today's blog. I had to be at work early this morning, but I got off early, too, so I felt it was a nice trade. When I got home around 1:30 I cleaned a little bit then ate lunch and read. Once Chris finished work for the day we had to clean out our flower beds out front. There was so many fallen leaves, and we didn't want them to kill our plants. Today was the only day we could do it this week because we're getting an arctic blast overnight that's going to last until this weekend. While Chris collected pine straw from the land I raked off all of the old pine straw and leaves, and let me tell you, when leaves and pine straw are wet, they're a lot heavier than you anticipate. I suspect I'll be feeling the yard work tomorrow, luckily for me, I'm off (tomorrow). I'll probably work in the house all day, there's always work to be done.

Today's blog is more or less focused on independent adults, whether that's single, married, widowed, or divorced. We as adults have to work to pay bills, put food on the table, keep your children in clothes, etc... Well, what do you spend your left over money on? Accessories? Shoes? Purses? Shells? Lures? Line? Going out to eat? All of these things are fine, but for some there's one thing that doesn't get the attention it deserves...the house. (Please note I said some and not all or majority.) Why do you buy a $100,000+ house and not take care of it? Why let mildew build on the siding? It washes off. Why let the paint chip all over, when you can paint it? Why let briars take over your yard where your dog lives and children play? In one afternoon you could clear up the briars. Why let junk pile up all around your house and let it ruin your yard, and make your entire house seem nasty? Your house could be impeccable, but if you leave junk everywhere, it will hide your house's beauty.

I feel if you're going to be paying on your house for the next 30 years of your life, then you should keep it looking good. My husband always says, "you work for what's at home." That includes taking care of the house. Don't let animal feces pile up and not clean it up. That's gross for one, but also, it will ruin your floors. Take pride in what is yours. Keep the grass cut, the garbage taken off, the walkway/driveway clear of leaves and pine straw. Be proud for what you have. You could live in an itty bitty house or apartment, but as long as it is taken care of, you won't even be able to tell. Give your house personality, make it your own, but don't let it waste down to crap because you'd rather spend your money on something other than taking care of your house. A lot of taking care of your house doesn't even involve money, just time and sweat. Quite unfortunately people are becoming lazier and lazier (thank you generation of technology) to where they'd rather watch the latest reality show then keep up their house. 

I honestly don't get some people's way of thinking. I'm not trying to bash anyone or put anyone down, I'm just trying to understand. 

XoXo,
Tia

Mayhem and Maniacs...It must be a Monday

Good evening! Boy, was I glad to see 5 o'clock roll around today, I don't know if it was the full moon or what, but the bank was crazy today! When I got home Chris said he would cook dinner, so I settled in on the couch with my kindle. What a relaxing way to end the work day. Chris cooked chicken and dumplings with the most amazing homemade biscuits! Now we're watching Criminal Minds for one hour so we can fast forward through all the commercials on the season premier of The Bachelor! Yay!

Lately, I've been thinking about my grandpa. He passed away this past November 21, so we had to go through Thanksgiving and Christmas without him. It wasn't easy. My grandpa was my first ever best friend. We spoke our own language. Growing up I wanted to do everything Grandpa did. He took me on "dates" when I was little. We would go to Baskin Robbins and share a banana split, then we would go to the Dollar Tree next door and he would give me $1 to spend. We would walk up and down every aisle, and I would look at everything. I think he taught me at an early age the value of a dollar. I still take careful consideration before I spend any money. 

My grandparent's took us on vacations to the beach twice, and one year I spent all summer with my grandparents at a lake house. That was probably one of my favorite summer's growing up. Their friend's were there too, and there was so many kids close to my age there. That summer we stayed up late, woke up early, went fishing, swimming; we went on boat rides, walked on lake islands. By the end of the summer my pale, porcelain skin was a nice bronze color. But, what made that summer the best one was that I was with my grandparents. They made my summer amazing!

My grandfather was 90 when he passed away, he had 90 wonderful years on this earth. He taught me about hard work and to stand up for what I believe. He taught me that blood doesn't make you family because family is who is there for you when you need them. He was always there for me. He loved me unconditionally and he always reminded me of that. He was my hero, and now I'm lucky because my hero is my guardian angel. Not everyone can say that. I was blessed to have grandpa in my life for 23 years. He began dating my grandmother in 1991 and they married in 1995. I was one when he entered my life. He made such an impact to me and my whole family. He was never afraid to tell anyone he spoke with exactly what he thought, he didn't care if it offended them or not. If he did offend you, he would say something like "I still love you though, but..." 

Earl Caldwell Maple was my best friend, my partner in crime, my grandpa. He lived in so many places and saw so many things with the military, so I can only imagine the surprises God has in store for Grandpa and all that he is seeing already. 

I love you, Grandpa, and until we see each other again, keep an eye on me!

XoXo,
Tia

Earl Caldwell Maple

May 02, 1924

-

November 21, 2014

P.S. I apologize if this entry isn't as composed and hard hitting as the 365 Days of Learning, Growing, and Being Thankful, but I wanted everyone to know my Grandpa.

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I am Tia, Hear me ROAR

Today is Sunday, and the sun is finally shining! Chris and I thought we were going to need a boat to get around town. It rained really hard for a long time, but now the sun is shining it's 60 degrees outside. The ground is drying up and the birds are flying high. It's a wonderful Georgia winter day, and it would be even better if the floors didn't need scrubbing, clothes didn't need washing, and dogs didn't need baths. However, I cooked a huge breakfast of corned beef and hash, homemade hash browns, scrambled eggs, and biscuits, and dinner is in the crock pot- or at least the roast is. We're having pork roast, pinto beans, cabbage, mashed potatoes, and corn bread. I wanted to have a nice dinner before the work week begins. I'm learning that if I cook a lot over the weekends then I can almost make left overs last until the next weekend. Although, if I am off on weekday I will cook a good, hearty dinner. We'll eat good today.

I'm thankful for my culinary background, it taught me so much life experience. I am grateful that Chris helped pay for my dreams when my scholarship ran it's course. I am grateful I was able to go to college and follow my dreams, even if I am not using my college education as a career now. I know not everyone can go to college because of money or other reasons, and I was lucky enough to complete my education and not have any student loans lingering over my head. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I finished what I started, and that was what I intended to. I understand how blessed I am to have people in my life who love and support me and my dreams. I wish everyone in the world could experience the support that I do. It's all encompassing,

I used to feel all alone, even when I was in a sea of people. I didn't feel like I was good enough to have friends or to accept love from family and friends. I was in a dark place and I didn't think I would ever feel good enough for anyone. Little by little I began seeing that I was good enough, I was worthy of love and acceptance, and if someone didn't like me or accept me than screw them. I am a wonderful person, and if someone can't see it then they don't deserve to be in my life. I was taking my life by the reigns, I was going to be in control. I had finally found my voice, and I was going to let everyone know. I no longer feel inferior, or not good enough. Sure, I am still self-conscious, but I feel so much better about myself because I believe in myself. I had a true Katy Perry moment "You're gonna hear me ROAR." I wanted to share with everyone that I had finally found my self-worth. It is almost entirely because Chris has never ending love and faith in me. He believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself. He showed me how to realize how much I was worth. He never once gave up on me, and I felt like I was a lost cause at first.

So, I guess this is me letting everyone know that I know I am worth something. I am worth love. I am a genuinely good person, sure this could sound as being arrogant, but I see it as finally embracing myself.

XoXo,
Tia

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Learning to Save and Grow

Good Evening, everyone! It's 11:40 pm here, and Chris and I are watching Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters on Netflix. I thought it was going to be kind of stupid, but it's pretty good, especially with a cup of Folgers Country Roast with Extra Sweet and Creamy Creamer. 

Today, I am thankful that I can go to the grocery store and not worry if I am going to overdraw my account just with buying the household staples. I went to Walmart today and I bought what we needed and wanted for the house. I spent $95 without any coupons. I bought 26 items, and I was expecting to spend more than I did. One year ago, I would have cringed at spending $95 on groceries, even though they were necessities. We were barely making it at this time last year, and today we're doing remarkably better. We're not where we want to be, but we've come a long way. This wouldn't be possible if we had not discussed our financial goal for the year. We discussed how and when we will spend our money. Our grocery situation has also benefited from the deer in the freezer, and the crops from summer that we canned or froze. 

Before Chris was in my life I didn't know how to can food, freeze fresh food, or shoot a gun. I am grateful for my husband's upbringing because he was able to share his with me, and we have benefited from his upbringing. I don't like to shoot animals (and I have yet have to because Chris has done it for me,) but I know that if I needed to, I would be able to. I could take care of business. (haha excuse my lame joke.) Some of my favorite things to do now are canning, freezing, and working in the garden. I talk to the vegetables, too. Sure, call me silly, but our crops have done wonderfully every year, and I am not saying they're connected; however, I'm not going to take a chance and not talk to them, just to play it safe. The best part of gardening is when you eat what you grow, and you know where it came from, what it grew in, who touched it, etc...My husband has a YouTube page where he will go into great details about how we do what we do and why. It is Keep It Simple 365. I think if you like what I've been talking about so far, then you will really love what he has to say. I know I do, but I could be biased. ;-)

I'm so thankful for what I have learned in the 5 years with Chris, and I am thankful he's taught me how to save money. I already knew how to stretch a dollar, but now I can save it, too. I guess, what I am really thankful for is my partner in life, my husband, my better half, Christopher. He has taught me all new ways of life that I didn't even know existed. He has changed my life in so many ways for the better, and I only hope that I have effected his life as much as he has mine. 

I guess this is a pretty short blog, but now it's after midnight and I have to work in the morning. I will leave y'all with this, "May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!" Psalm 20:4

XoXo,
Tia

365 days of learning, growing, and being thankful

Good morning! Today is January 2, 2015! Holy crap, 2015!? Where has the time gone? Well, 2014 was a year to remember. I got married, celebrated 1 year at my job, and my car lived to see another year, but it was touch and go for a while. However, I lost my grandfather on November 21, and the man who was like another dad to me on December 22. That was too much loss too close together, but we made it through another year. I am grateful to have had the time I did with those two men who meant so much to me, and I know when it's my turn to go, I'll see them again.

You don't fully realize how valuable life is until someone you love is taken away or you have to watch someone you love suffer with the C word. When I look at my nieces and nephews I'm reminded of their innocence, and then I look out into the world they're growing up in and it scares me. What world are we leaving them with? What examples are we giving them to live by? I know that in our/their family/families there are wonderful role models, ones that will teach unfaltering acceptance, ones that will teach them diversity, ones that will teach to trust in the Lord with all they have, ones that will teach them how to live off the land, to work for what you want, to hunt, to fish. When you look at the families there is wonderful role models, but they can't be surrounded by family 24/7 and they do need to experience the bad of the world, just so they can embrace the good with that much more gusto. If we teach them the good, then they can grow up and teach others. This cycle of ungrateful, privileged, entitled, I want what I want and I want it right now people can end. Maybe not anytime soon, but eventually. When people become grateful with what they have, and they don't covet what others have, when we don't "keep up with the Jonse's", then and only then can we move forward. You're always going to be stuck in a cycle of keeping up until you decide to be thankful for what you already have. 

We can't go on raising our children to be entitled or that they're always going to get what they want without even working for it. That doesn't teach them the real world, and then when they become adults what are they going to think? My husband and I have put much thought into this, and though we don't have children right now, we know that when we do, how we ideally want to raise them. I know things don't always go as planned and monkey wrenches do get thrown into plans, but if you raise your children to care for one another, and if you teach them hardwork and discipline, then there's a chance they'll teach their children that, too. Then without even thinking about it, we've created a whole new and better cycle. We could potentially raise a generation of people who are grateful for what they have, people who aren't entitled, people who just want to see good things happen in the world. 

I know some of you are saying, you don't have children, you don't know what it's like. You'll understand when you have children, but no, I get it now. We have to break out of these cycles. We have to help one another out, we can't be petty or selfish. The world doesn't help those who only help themselves. 

I don't know, this probably sounds like a bunch of rambling, and it probably doesn't make sense. I just had to get my thoughts out and share my beliefs. What this world needs is a lot more Jesus and a lot less entitlement.

XoXo,

Tia

What's Cooking?

Once upon a time I used to love to cook. Every aspect of it. From the shopping to cleaning up, everything thrilled me. I loved to throw ingredients together and see what the outcome was. I loved having people over to taste my cooking. Culinary school was well worth it to me. It taught me valuable experience, however I quickly learned that restaurant cooking wasn't for me. I didn't like the hours, and I didn't like not being able to dictate what I cooked. I was given orders and made to cook what the guests demanded. Restaurant and Assisted Living Facility cooking quickly killed my high for cooking.

 My passion and flair is still there, I can feel it, but I don't have the drive anymore. I want so much to come home from work and cook my husband the most delicious of foods, but 9 times out of 10 we eat the same meals routinely. I have a plethora of cookbooks and knowledge, but after I work all day (whether at work or around the house) the last thing I want to do is stand in the kitchen for 2+ hours cooking. Cooking deserves time. Sure, there are crock pot recipes, which are Heaven sent; and then there are recipes that take 30 minutes or less to cook, and those are wonderful, too.

I just want to cook something that when you walk in the door your mouth begins watering and your stomach growling, and by the time you take your first bite your thinking, "There's no way this will taste as good as it smells," but then your mouth is undergoing an explosion of flavor and you close your eyes in ecstasy. In that moment you know this is what food should always taste like. My mouth is watering now envisioning the most savory of dishes washing over my palate.

I don't know the point of writing all of this, maybe trying to get myself back in the mood of cooking something extravagant. Whatever it is I am going to go find something to cook with what I have in the house. If it turns out good there may be pictures. In the words of the famous Julia Child Bon Appétit!

XoXo,
Tia

Things are Changing

Good afternoon readers! Today in Carrollton, GA I believe we have record breaking cold weather, it's the coldest it's been on this day. Before today, the record was held in 2000. That's just a random fact for you.

Last Wednesday was an emotional day, and it hasn't gotten much easier since then, but I am coming to terms with the inevitable. There comes a time where you will lose people close to you, and while it will never be easy, you have to learn to accept that they will be in a better place, no longer sick or in pain. That's where I'm keeping my mind right now. Soon, their suffering will end. That in itself is an answered prayer. I pray that the Lord's will will be done and that peace will settle on the minds of those I care about. 

So, now that I've put into words how my heart is feeling, I think I will tell y'all about mine and Chris's way of life.

Let's start in February. Every February we begin cleaning and getting together all of our fishing gear and we begin fishing in February. The fish we catch we clean and eat or freeze, or sometimes we throw them back. We continue fishing until about September. We fish from the bank and a boat. Though, personally, I've never had much luck from a boat.

In March, we plow the garden and plant our seeds. We have corn, okra, tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, peas, cantaloupe, and watermelons  that we plant every year. We also have perennials like strawberries and blue berries and grapes. We work the field from March-October. We eat some, but we mostly can and freeze it all. 

In October, after those crops are finished we plant our winter vegetables, collard greens, cabbage, lettuce, mustard greens, turnip greens, and peas. We once again, eat some around Christmas time, but we fresh freeze them, to have at a later time. These come up around the end of December to the beginning or middle of January. It just depends on when we get them in the ground. 

Now, in October/November we hunt for one deer because it will feed us until the next year. For example, we have around 50 pounds of deer alone in the freezer right now. 

We don't hunt to just kill and we don't garden to let it go to waste. All year long we work to provide for our house. If you sit in the woods long enough, you will see that it could supply you with everything you need, if you know where to look. You may not have everything you want, but you'd have everything you need. The Lord is good like that, he will supply you with what you need, all you have to do is let your needs be known. It's important to not confuse your wants as needs. 

For everything that we have, we give thanks to the Heavenly Father. When we have food and heat. When we wake up next to each other every morning. When we have all of our needs met, we give thanks. When we are struggling, we turn to Him, when we need help, we turn to Him. We lift our voices up to the Lord when we need him and when we just want to talk with Him. He is the most perfect listener. I guess, that's the point of this blog. It took me a while to get to it, but there it is. When in doubt, pray it out. It's not a "one step, quicker picker upper," you may need to continuously pray, but the Lord's greatest gifts sometimes are unanswered prayers.

XoXo,
Tia

Family Memories

First off, I want to say a HUGE thank you to all of our past, present, and future military. Without you, we  wouldn't live in the greatest country on our planet! You make it easier for all of us to lay our heads down at night. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Happy Veteran's Day!

Last week, my husband's aunt, Kathy, brought over some pictures she took at the wedding. The pictures are brilliant, but that wasn't the best part of her visit. She also brought me a huge 3-ring binder of their family recipes. As I flip through the pages and read these recipes, I can't help but feel the love and strength of these women who made these recipes. I feel them in every page, especially the pages at the end that have Chris's grandmother's hand written recipes. One of her recipes had a date of 6/22/44, so that makes that recipe 2 years older than my own grandmother. Each and every recipe means so much to me, I feel like a true member of the family with these recipes. I love having the recipes that my husband grew up eating, I love that every time I make one of these meals or side dishes he'll combine his old memories with the ones he and I are creating evey day. It may be my favorite gift I've ever received. Thank you, Aunt Kathy for such a meaningful gift!

Speaking of making memories, last weekend I went hunting for the first time ever. I went with Chris and his cousin Carl, who is 14. That day we didn't see a deer at all. The next morning Chris and I got up and went to try our luck again. As soon as we parked the truck on the land, we saw them! Two does and a buck further back from us. The girls were huge! So we quietly climbed out of the truck and waited. We arrived at 7:35 and at 7:55 pow! Chris shot and down she fell. He shot her from 60 yards, and when he walked up she wasn't completely gone, so he fired off one more shot to take her out of her misery. She was a beautiful deer that will feed us all winter. Her death wasn't for fun or sport, it was to feed us. We're going out this weekend to hopefully take one down for my parents, but that'll be the only ones we kill this year. We don't take more than we need, and we thank the Lord for what we do get; we don't like taking the life of something so innocent and beautiful, so we let the Lord know we don't intend to waste what he gives. It was hard for me to see her die, but chris and my dad explained to me about them being over populated, and breeding with their siblings now. With them being over populated, they're starving because there's more of them then there is food. We're doing them a justice as they are doing one for us. Also, every one of us is alive because our ancestors had to hunt to survive. Every person's ancestors did what we're doing, so we're just carrying on tradition. (and you can bet we'll teach our child how to hunt.) Plus, deer is a wonderfully tasty, healthy meat. (Genesis 27:3 "Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison.") (Genesis 1:29-30, Genesis 9:3, Acts 10:13, Proverbs 12:27, Leviticus 17:13)    

Until next time!

XoXo,

Tia 

We're Married!

Well, the most magical day of my life has came and gone, and now I am officially married to my best friend! I am officially Tia Parson!!!! 💗I am trying to figure out how to describe how our lives/life have changed in 45 days since we've been married.

First off, I have to admit that I didn't think anything would change because we've lived together 4 years. I know him inside out, as he does me. However, since the blissful day of September 20th I feel more connected, a deeper sense of love and belonging, a better camaraderie. I know without a doubt I have found my soul mate. Call me cheesy or cliche, but I know without a doubt in my mind that this is a FOREVER kind of love. I look at Chris and I see the man I am going to grow old with, the man I will eventually have a child with, the man who knows all my secrets and flaws and yet still falls more and more in love with me daily. He is who I didn't know I was praying for. God knew my needs before I did. 

Everyday I wake up and feel more whole, more loved. I never knew I could love someone the way I love him. I find myself throughout the day counting down until I get to see him. I've never felt like I belonged anywhere before Chris came into my life, and now I know this is where I have always belonged; wherever he is is where I belong. 

Chris is such a funny, charismatic, understanding man. He is the Ricky to my Lucy, though I'm far from that ditzy! 😜 I constantly find myself daydreaming or staring at him. He's so handsome, even when he's sleeping or working. I love the little line that develops between his eyebrows when he's thinking. I love that even after being together 5 years he's still opening my eyes to new experiences. For example, last weekend he took me hunting for the first time in my life.  Every night when we lie down to go to bed, I put my head on his shoulder and I say this is the best part of my day. The connection I have with him is unbreakable and I know he's my one and only. 

But now it is bed time for The Parson's.

XoXo,

Tia💋

38 Days

Chris and I are getting MARRIED in 38 days! What? Holy Crap! This is real! We've already had our wedding showers and our bachelor/bachelorette parties are this weekend! Oh my goodness! How did I get so lucky to be marrying my best friend? 10 years worth of friendship, 5 years of dating, 10 months of being engaged and we're finally almost there! I can see everything coming together, I can see our marriage being official. I know I still have a good deal on my to do list, but I know it will all be accomplished. The wedding is not as important as the marriage, so even if stuff doesn't get finished, the wedding will still go on. Our marriage will last longer than our wedding.

Stuff off of our list:

• Vows written
• Met with Father David
• Brides maids dresses back in town
• Wedding Shoes
• Wedding Dress
• Invitations Sent
• Thank You Cards sent
• Honeymoon Booked
• Bridal Showers
• Gifts for Flower Girls/Ring Bearers
• Signs for wedding
• Florist Booked
• Deejay Booked
• Venue Booked
• Catering Booked
• Wedding Cakes ordered
• Wedding bands bought
• Wedding Ceremony Order Typed 
• Music During Wedding Picked out
• First Dace
• Father Daughter Dance
• Mother Son Dance
• Trial Hair Date Set

This is all off of the top of my head. I've gotten a lot accomplished, but my to do list is just about as long.

• Gifts for bridesmaids/groomsmen
• Pick up bridesmaids dresses
• Get groomsmen sized
• Get mother of the bride and mother of the groom gifts
• Pay remaining balance of florist
• Confirm price of cake and determine if the cakes will be delivered or if they need to be picked up
• Print Signing Picture
• Print family wedding pictures for down the aisle
• Buy mints for restrooms
• Buy pen to sign signing picture
• Confirm RSVP's
• Finish Wedding Slide Show
• Get pictures of my grandparents to Elaine
• Decide on rehearsal dinner outfit
• Decide on going away outfit
• Get gift for my groom
• Find animal sitter
• Clean out refrigerator
• Paint house
• Clean house (deep clean)
• Stock up on animal food
• Get rings cleaned
• Make Wedding favors
• Buy hugs and kisses for wedding favors
• Type thank you note for wedding favors
• Get dress hemmed and new string for corset

Once again, this is just off the top of my head. I have a lot to do, but luckily the things I have left to do are not big, there's just a lot to do. I will finish everything, and I will do it with a smile on my face. I am aware that this is not a very informative blog, but it helped me to see my lists written down and so I can see what will take more time than others.

Goodnight.

XoXo, 
Tia

Pre Wedding Nerves

So as our wedding gets closer (102 days from today) I find myself asking Chris, "Are you excited?" His answer is always the same, "No." Nothing more, nothing less. I found myself beginning to worry, is he getting cold feet, did he change his mind, is he making himself nervous? What's going on here? Everytime I would ask "Why?" His answer was usually something like "I'm not sure." 

One day I had finally had enough and I all but begged him to open up to me. I told him we were soulmate and partners, and if he couldn't talk to me about his nerves now then he never would be able to after the wedding. I guess that finally sunk in because he was able to confide in me why he wasn't excited. I'm going to try to write this where it will make sense, but honestly he describes his feelings incredibly better than I do. Chris said that when we get married he takes on a whole new responsibility as provider of our family. I told him I'm still going to work, we'll be co-providers, and he said, but if we hit a rough patch financially, it's his fault. If we move into a house that our families don't see as appropriate, then it's his fault. He said as man of the house he will take on more responsibility and he doesn't want to disappoint anyone or have anyone see him as someone who is unable to take care of us. He wants us to be financially stable and these past couple of months have been trying. We're almost back to our regular money situation, but until I get a full-time position it's still going to be rough. Basically, his nerves pinpoint down to us being a financially stable couple as we begin our new life together as man and wife.

When you think of it that way it makes complete sense. His nervousness was making me so anxious I couldn't even sleep. I feel better about his nerves, but now I share in his nerves. I need to pull down a full time position or find another part time one that won't interfere with my job at the bank. Regardless, I need to bring home a little more than I am now. We know that money isn't everything in life and that we have more than many, but we do not want to be factioned in to the high population of marriages that divorce or have major fights due to income. We never fight as it is, and when times are tough we always make it work, but it wears you out double checking you've remembered all the bills and hoping you still have enough to buy groceries. I know we'll be back in our safety net before too long, but until then pinching pennies it is. We always come out stronger after the storm, though this isn't a storm, it is just covering all of our bases. We just want to be prepared in all aspects.

Well, I think that covers this topic for the day.

XoXo,

Tia

Hot Male Nurse Calendar

January- ER nurse

February- cardiac (gotta watch that heart!)

March- med surge

April- pediatric

May- icu nurse

June- OR nurse

July- executive nurse/ DON

August- OB

September- field nurse

October- psych nurse

November- clinical

December- all together and flight nurse

January- ER Nurse- ambu bag, scope, hallway

February- cardiac nurse- red scope, red scrub bottoms, red head wrap, white shoes, dyno map behind

March- med surge nurse- seal blue scrubs, tan, feet propped on desk

April- pediatric nurse- red bottoms, white jacket with kid band aids and teddy bear, no top

May- icu nurse- vent tube wrapped around neck resting on shoulders, surg green scrubs

June- OR nurse- scrub blue, mask, open shirt

July- DON- cherry desk, scope, slacks, tie, nothing else

August- OB- lady with legs up, guy between her smiling

September- field nurse- hot car, any color scrubs, leaned back, stomach showing, bag on car

October- Psych nurse- asylum white, 4 points hanging off one hand

November- clinical nurse- white coat, open, black scrub pants, clip board

December- all and flight nurse- all others in red and green flight in jump suit half way open with helmet with chopper in background 

My Other Half

Strong and steady presence

Knowing nothing of fear

Easy going attitude

And flawless personality

No, I'm not talking about me

He's my other half,

My better half.

Just by being around

He makes me better

He calms all my fears

And knows all my secrets.

He's my other half,

My better half.

He doesn't know what he does to me,

That when I'm quiet,

I'm happy and peaceful.

He makes me at ease.

He's my other half,

My better half.

He understands my quirks,

And listens when I can't talk.

He holds me up

When I want to fall.

He's my other half,

My better half.

He loves me through and through

Even on my worse days

He doesn't mind when my cold feet

Find his warm legs late at night. 

He's my other half,

My better half.

And when I just need to cry,

He's there too,

Telling me everything will be okay,

Somehow, someway.

He's my other half, 

My better half.

He never questions my beliefs,

But challenges my opinion.

He's changed me for the better,

Never giving up on me.

He's always been my other half,

He'll always be my better half.

XoXo,

Tia

Wedding, job, and money. What do they have in common? STRESS

Dorm roll please...........the wedding date is September 20, 2014 at Sunset Hills Country Club in Carrollton, GA at 5:00 pm! Our colors are white, black, deep red, and silver. Our flower girls are my nieces Anna Grace and Allie and our honorary groomsmen are my nephews Caden and Maddox. The only way I convinced my nephew, Maddox, (he's 5) was by telling him that we have these magical sunglasses that if he puts them on he'll be invisible and no one will see him walk down the aisle. He's pretty shy in large crowds. Caden and Maddox are going to walk down the aisle wearing sunglasses with signs that say,"Uncle Chris" "here comes your girl." They're going to be ADORABLE! My dress is gorgeous and my hair dresser and I are already talking about hair ideas. Everything is going well, except, everything is so dang expensive. With me only working part time and with Chris no longer traveling for work he took a LARGE pay cut, so it's quite a stressful time. The bills are hard enough, then you add on the price of a wedding. Woah. It makes my blood pressure go up just thinking about it today. Chris got hired for a second job today, and I am looking for a second job. With me finding a second job however, I have to let my current job know so there isn't a "conflict of interest." If I found another full time job, I wouldn't be opposed to taking it because I need the hours, the stability of 40 hours, and the benefits. If I could find any way to make some extra money, I would be down for it. I just don't know what to do. I'm glad I have an outlet of writing to express my stress. I just wish I knew what to do. I've prayed and have had others pray, but I still feel unresolved. I'm excited to be marrying my best friend, but it is giving me extreme anxiety planning and paying for everything. I have to have some sort of change, so we can begin saving money. Chris's second job is PRN, which means, "as needed." I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I have to do something. I always feel like I have an elephant sitting on my chest and butterflies in my belly. The more I think about it, the worse I feel. If I had a full time job i would feel so much better. I think this is what I have to do. It will make everything so much easier, where to look? I'm sorry to bellyache about this, when I know so many people have it worse, but this is my current situation, it is the only thing on my mind. I can't even have normal conversations without the anxiety creeping into my mind. 

Alright, that's it for now, but before I sign off, I'm just going to ask you to pray for me, or send me good thoughts and vibes. I need all that I can get.

Goodnight.

XoXo,

Tia 

New Year New Me

I have never made a New Year's Resolution, and I don't consider this one, but I am creating a food/weight log. I am going to track my weight everyday and slowly change my exercise and diet regiment. I figure this will aid in keeping weight off of me. If I try to lose a lot all at once, I'll just gain it back, and then some. I'm going to blog about my journey of getting fit, so I can come back and see my transformation. I will never post my exact weight, but instead I'll tell how much I lose. I'll tell what I've seen is working best for me, what isn't working, what exercises I perform and how my body does with them. I'm going to write about my endurance level and how it increases. I am going to change everything, and I think keeping this blog will help me.
 My friend, Lauren, has introduced me to the Paleo diet, and it's where you don't eat dairy or bread. I believe I could do that. So that is what I am going to start with. I am going to post a link to it at the bottom. The Paleo diet is basically taking your diet back to hunter and gatherer days. More proteins, fruits, vegetables, and Omega-3s and less starch, sugar, legumes, etc...

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

XoXo,
Tia