we ready.

This post is being written out of pure excitement and a little bit of dread, instead of the usual retelling of an experience.

So today is Wednesday. Tomorrow, Tommy has to leave our apartment by 4:40 to go pick up Jon, drive to their co-workers house, and fly to Birmingham. There, they will meet and interview potentials to take their places next year.

Then, around 12, me and a group of my co-workers are driving to Orlando to go to my first big girl conference. According to the last thing I heard, we're supposed to be 2 to a room. But if I'm counting correctly, I think there are 9 of us going. I'm probably gonna get stuck on a roll-away....in the hall.... But I'd rather do that than share a bed with someone I barely know!

And then Tommy and Jon get back to Gainesville on Friday night, and Tommy will then leave around 6:30 the next morning and come meet me in Orlando.

Then we will have FUN. The fun is what I'm excited about. Not the conferencing. In case there was any confusion on the part of the reader.

The FUN will take place in DISNEY....World? Land? I think it's World.

See, I don't know because I've never actually been. I went to the AREA with a friend last year because she had a few nights free stay- but we didn't go in a park. So I got a hint of the fun, and so I am MORE ready.

We're thinking we are going to go to the Magic Kingdom. Tommy keeps mentioning Cinderella's castle, and I don't really know why he's the one obsessing about the pretty princess palace. But whatever makes him happy... He thinks this will be the best place to get in all the fun actual Disney stuff rather than like Epcot or...whatever else there is.

So the next time you hear from me, I will be able to tell you about all the tremendous fun and the awkwardness before at our two conferences!!!

head, and shoulders, knees and toes.

So Monday was my first physical therapy experience. It was to fix those headaches I've been having, as sort of a first place to start. Especially since we know the tension and back pain trigger the head/neck aches. I call them headaches, but they're really the top of my neck failing painfully.

I was hoping they'd pop my back, make it feel wonderful, and say, "Fixed!"

Nope.

Apparently I stand incorrectly. It's not that I'm slumping, like my mom and Tommy like to tell me, it's that I jut my head forward. I'm basically like Little Foot. (If you don't know that reference, you sadden my heart.)

I filled out paperwork, answered a lot of questions, and we began. There was a lot of adjusting how I stood, a lot of small changes and discussing how they all felt. In the end, I was given a list of a few exercises to stretch out my neck and back muscles, but also little ways to correct that neck positioning. She even gave me little tips on how to sleep better, basically.

Next time, we're supposed to discuss my feet and knees and hips and... everything else which changes everything else...

We'll see how this goes.......

ballin'.

After getting to know us, you'll find out that Tommy will enjoy almost any football game. And I would rather go for a run. Which, if you're new to this blog, means that I really don't like football. I won't go into all of the reasons why, I will just tell you what our weekend was like.

So at CareGroup on Wednesday night, our new pastor invited everyone over to his house to watch the Florida/Kentucky game on Saturday. And I thought that would be fine because there would be food and other games. When he found out that Tommy is all for Alabama, he offered to let everyone come early for the 3:30 Bama/Arkansas game. So during this conversation, I'm mentally preparing to talk to the other girls the whole time and eat and kinda day dream off in la-la land...and reminding myself not to ask questions that make myself look like an unAmerican who has never watched football (even though we all know I'm forced to watch it all the time).

Then Friday, I get a text from Tommy: "Hey our boss offered us free tix to the florida game." Sweet. Awesome. Perfect.

So the mental preparation turns into - ok, Alabama game and then a Florida game where I'm stuck at the actual game.... so ready the people-watching and multiple-object-counting skills. Last time I was at a football game, I saw people spill food on themselves, a few people get hit with shakers, and really big guys intimidate skinny drunk ones who were losing and getting rowdy. No one else noticed these people. Sidenote: folks are ridiculous.

Tommy had a haircut before all this ballin' started. So at the haircut, Mallory is in charge of watching the iPhone and updating the Tommy on the Bama game that has started. By the time we get to the pastor's house, the Tide was losing. We watched for awhile, but then some kind of bad things were happening to the team so Tommy went outside where they were grilling because he was all upset. But I didn't want to get up. And there was a poor high schooler there watching the game all alone. So I stayed. And watched. Football. But at least I was cool indoors with no bugs and no Mallory trying to play cornhole and failing.

Then we went to the game. And our free tickets had got the hooooook up. We walk into an entirely indoor area with tvs and tables and couches and comfy chairs. AND free tea, lemonade, cookies, other food I didn't notice, nearly empty air conditioned bathrooms.... Rit-Z. And even though our seats were outside, they were on the very front row of a little balcony. And the weather wasn't steamy. So Kim and I enjoyed feeling richy while Tommy and Jon talked about the actual game.

So it wasn't that bad. And it was a nice free way to spend an evening! But I'm still excited for football to be done :)

our life in numbers.

I've figured out the best way to describe the past few weeks that my blog has been neglected.

13 days of work for Mallory.
14 days of work for Tommy.
1 debilitating migraine (M) followed by
1 doctor visit and
1 X-ray.
3 days of waiting for those results.
11 blisters from M's work shoes.
5 days of sicky cold for T.
2 new friends made at Panera.
3 visits to Chipotle by M.
5 Harry Potter movies watched by M and actually enjoyed (?) by T
3 Bible study groups.
7 season premieres watched.
1 more trip to the Chevy dealership.


Work really has been crazy. I wish I could tell you everything about it but I don't know what is supposed to be super private and what would be ok for you to hear...read. So basically I've been assessing a bunch of new centers, put together furniture, moved heavy things and even got to pet a snake yesterday at an exhibition for teachers.

So I have been getting headaches for awhile but since they aren't getting better we went to see a doctor. We've actually been sleeping on our air mattress in our living room because it is flatter than our mattress... which may be 11 years old. But just until I get all the way better. So we'll wait and see what's wrong with me when we get results from everything. And I'm going to physical therapy on Monday to try and help whatever it is.

Tommy has been having a great few weeks. He got a cold. Has had to sit through classes that he had last year. Has received bills from the appendectomy. Had to take the car to the dealership again to fix the lock. And then noticed it's been side-swiped by something, so there are scratches and scrapes down the front passenger side.... Whew. But he's still pluggin along!

Not much else to report. I hope the next one is more detailed....

fail blog?

Dear friends and loved ones,

I did not realize it had been so long since I had updated all of you on our exciting life. September fourth was so long ago! The past few weeks have gone by really fast looking back on them. But honestly, they felt painfully slow while we were living them. I guess I felt like not too much had happened. And WORK tends to ruin a good time....

But much HAS happened. And it isn't as horrible as I just made it sound! But. It is late. and I'm fading fast. I promise I will write tomorrow.... or Friday.... Definately before Monday...

I still love you all.

triPod. the frog.

We came home one afternoon to find a frog on our door. This usually happens at night. There are three or four bright green frogs who like to sit near our door light to eat the bugs that are blindly attracted to it. But a frog being on our black door in the bright Florida day was odd. He was in the highest corner right against the seal and when we slowly opened the door, we realized the arm closest to it was GONE and slightly STUCK to it. SO gross. I freaked out....calmly of course. I told Tommy we HAD to run to the store and get some take-care-of-froggy equipment to save him from his wound..... -er amputation.

After hitting up the Walmart and the Petsmart, we filled a small terarrium with dirt and bark and branches and water. We caught the frog pretty easily....since he was struggling anyway. We gave him a nice little bit of worms and water and sent him off to bed in our loft where it is a little warmer. And named him Tripod.

The next morning, he was a brighter green, where before he had been an almost grey. He hopped pretty easily when I opened the lid to give him some fresh water. And an improvement which was exciting and super gross was the dangly stuff where his arm had been had fallen off... and was stuck to one of the sides. (Heebee Jeebees shiver!!) But at least he could now learn to deal without it! He was asleep when I got home that afternoon, hiding under the branches, and we put him upstairs again for the night.

I got nervous that day about his food situation. I went during my lunch break and bought some dried crickets ( I couldn't bare to get live ones) and some pellets for amphibians. I texted Tommy and said if he hadn't eaten some by the time we got home, we would have to let him go so he could eat.

And by that afternoon, he hadn't eaten. So when the sun had set, we took his box out, opened the lid, and stuck it under the little tree we had been getting his little branches from. He then jumped on my arm. Being the smooth and calm person I am, I squealed and shook him off. A loving good-bye. I hope he survives.... And now we're stuck with 25 bucks worth of frog junk.

work is for old folks.

Well. Monday the 30th of August, I began the work. Working. It's such a big deal because this is my first 8-5, M-F job. AND I have my own office.

Here's the funny thing. I'm either the same age or younger than the girls that have the lower job. I'm officially a 'coordinator' and am realizing that I might need to prove that I deserve this. We aren't sure on my title yet. Something like Assessment and Quality Initiative Coordinator. I will just have to access my mature side........

I've visited several childcare providers and even helped completely overhaul one 2 year old room. That day, I put together a table and chairs and a huge metal mat holder. We also unwrapped boxes and boxes of toys and supplies and organized the room to meet the standards we are given. It kind of felt like a mission trip- you are giving people things they need without anything in return, but you have to be careful because it is their space, and they have a certain amount of emotional attachment and familiarity with the things that were there before. Although this was a mission trip feeling without the Jesus part- so missing the most important part! But at least those aspects of it made me feel comfortable and well prepared!

AND Kim decided to curse me. At our lunch a few days before work started, she prayed I would have opportunities to be a light. Just for some background, I can tend to be a recluse. I don't mind not hanging out with people and am perfectly happy chillin on my own. WELL. God heard Kim's prayer and honored it by making my office door the point of intersection between two main hallways. And THEN we reorganized my room and suddenly the door will not close. It is WIDE open all day long. Many people have stopped by already to share awkward and personal things with me. I just try to be encouraging. My heavenly father has decided to get my feet wet nice and quick. Yay for leaving that comfort zone!

I'm still trying to figure out why they need me. Everything I thought I'd be doing is already being done by at least one person. We'll see how this goes. And now I have to act old.