This Is It!

This is the last day that I will wake up late and center my mornings around Regis and Kelly and The View.  Funny how today I slept past both of those shows.  I'm totally OK with that.  Work begins again on Monday.  I know, I practically heard the cyber "gasps" from all of you.  Going into this summer I knew that it would be a busy one with classes and the music production.  I wouldn't trade anything for that special time.  Once all of that was over I spent every moment in July soaking up my family and doing things that I normally do not get to do.  

Adam stayed with us a few times while his big brother was away doing camps and such.  Once the oldest, Bryce returned, he stayed several days with us as well.  During these days we really enjoyed having them in our home.  We loved hearing the funny things they would randomly say.  

We loved doing things for them, taking them to the park, or teaching them new silly things. It was awesome waking up with them in our home and starting a whole day with them.  We loved every moment with those special boys.  My sister is so blessed to have them in her life!  

A dear friend Stephanie spent a few days and taught me how to put up corn.  I felt like I needed to learn how to do this.  And I wanted to as well.  

Turns out, corn is fun and I loved getting to do this with her.  

I spent an entire day with my Aunt Myra.  She is the queen of canning.  

She taught me how to can spaghetti sauce.  We used everything from the garden of hers, mine, Aprils, and Andreas.  Even the herbs were from the garden.  It was an all day process--very intense.  I loved every second.  I will never forget the funny conversations that we had, or the gloves and aprons that flew about the kitchen, or how excited I was when I heard the can "pop"  It was a very fun day!

Since we had so may cans of the sauce we decided to share it with several new neighbors we have in our neighborhood. We loved meeting all of them.  We have a lot of couples our age now!  They were all very sweet and were very excited about the sauce.  We have since then made friendships with those that live around us and we are excited about that as the days go on.

For the fourth we enjoyed a local fireworks show in the community I work in and loved it.  

We packed a picnic dinner and enjoyed dinner and show on a quilt in the park.  It was a good show.

This was the first summer my gladiolas bloomed.  We planted them along our fence row in the back yard as well as lined our sidewalk by the patio with them. 

This was our first one to bloom.  It was abnormally tall for the first year to bloom.  We had to steak it in all it's glory of 3 1/2 feet tall.  I was a proud mama!  They were all hot pink this year except one was a deep velvet.  They were so gorgeous and it was so fun to wait and see what color each one would be.

Several days were spent poolside.  At Leslie's we would relax and lay out, break for lunch, lay out more, and then treat ourselves to Rita's.  

The best shaved ice on the planet.  Lindsey's mom was so sweet as to let us spend time at her pool as well.  

She was always a fun hostess.

My summer reading has consisted of two mind blowing and eye opening books.  Max Lucado-It's Not About Me (As the world of you laughs) is phenomenal.  We do in fact live in a self-centered world, and I hate that.  I want to strive to be more like Him.  I want people to see Him and not me.  The other book is Gary Chapman-Now You're Speaking My Language.  It's a play off of The Five Love Languages which we read in marriage counseling before we got married.  Both very amazing books.  

Our neighborhood had a huge block party and ordered in a huge jump slide, had amazing food all day, and we ended with fireworks at night.  They were gorgeous.  It was cool watching them so close.

We enjoyed a community event at my work for all students in the county.  It was fun to see so many people in the community and to be able to give to each of them.  

And we got to meet some new people as well!

Speaking of work, I visited my classroom yesterday and it was all a frazzled mess.  The only light in the middle of it all was that it was being painted.  As I type, it is being finished up.  I'm going to start my weekend with hitting it full force and hopefully turning into a hip, new place to be for this school year. I have so many new ideas and things we are going to do to it for the new year and I can't wait! Just talking about it gets me a little excited!  

So this is my first summer vacation as a teacher.  It's been the most memorable summer thus far.  God has shown his greatness in unusual ways to us this season.  It's amazing how just when we think He is finished with us for a while, He laughs I'm sure, and then drops another challenge before us.  We love that we have seen our family grow in the Lord this summer.  We thank the Lord for all He has given us this summer.  It all has been a bright light and a burst of strength for the two of us.

Pieces At A Time

Slowly but surely I am nesting into this beautiful home that God blessed us with over 2 years ago.  Over Christmas break we finished our master bedroom just the way we wanted it.  Then in the spring we finally completed the guest bath and kitchen.  Today I woke up with energy ready to rip into the worst decorated (or lack there of) room in the house.  Our music room.  It's our other spare bedroom that hosts our music instruments and computer.  It's where we "jam" and where I edit photos.  I find it always very difficult to stay in the room for a long period of time because of its lack of stimulation.  This girl's gotta have some stimulation and color!  I took some advice from a good friend who informed me that one day he is going to create his own HGTV show of going into peoples homes and redecorating with what they already have.  I took this into consideration and got right to work this morning.  Well, after Regis and Kelly of course.  The music room needed a lot of work but with a little pop of color the room began to create some sass.

It began with me wanting to fill this horridly large wall over the piano.  Isn't it a mammoth?   (This below is what you would see when you walk in the room...blegh)

Basically like our mammoth wall in our master bedroom.  It takes a LOT of art to cover it all.  Right after we got married we framed every possible wedding picture we could.  Once we moved, we stored most of the frames away.  Instead of collecting dust, I thought I'd spray paint them yellow.  As I was digging for many frames I ran up on my turquoise and white paint.

So there I had it, soon to be white, turquoise, and yellow empty frames to cover the mammoth wall.  While I was digging some more I found old curtains that weren't being used (in the next few days I will add some turquoise and yellow fabric the the bottoms of them for more sass!) and while I was at it I realized that our ugly rusty and dented filing cabinet should be spray painted as well.   (You can see it in the picture above in all its glory nice and nude by the desk.)  Once I had all of my ideas out and planned, I gathered the items to be painted and went to work.  It still amazes me how a little paint can transform something.  I didn't want to stop there, so I decided to include my desk hardware as well.  I ran out of yellow paint and really wanted them yellow, but turquoise is a nice sass of color when you walk in the room I think.  I had this awesome shelf in the closet in this room that was serving as a cool "photography" closet room that I decided to dig out and display in the room.  Apparently it didn't like that idea because as I was scooting it across the room it did this...

A bruised leg later, I decided to trash the shelf and be creative with the boxes.  I huffed for a moment and then decided that I didn't let that slow me down!  So I grabbed a Red Bull and continued.  I finished up my frames, added even more, and then decided that I wanted to display some shap shots from the past 3 years of our marriage.  I had no idea how enjoyable that would be.  I looked through so many pictures, took a trip down memory lane, and chose my very favorites!  I put them all together in the frames and got right to placing them on the wall.  This really took no time at all.  If you ever decide to do the whole multiple frame thing, don't measure and all that mess.  I didn't and I thought mine turned out just fine!

I "eyed" it up and worked out different placements on the floor like this before I made many holes in my wall.  As I was hanging them I started from the outside and worked my way in tweaking along the way. I told myself that I didn't want it all to be perfectly straight and boxed in.  That mentality helped a lot.  Here's how it all turned out!

I moved all of the furniture around, shifted a few items, and stored most of the instruments in the closet for easy retrieval when they are ready to be used.

I hung the curtains (OK, I had to buy a $1.00 rod at the store.)

So all together I admit this music room makeover did cost me some money.

Not too shabby for a little inspiration, pop of color, sass, and finally some stimulation in this little music room!  Time to create, relax, and finally enjoy our music room.

A First Night Over

Adam is our second born nephew of 3 years old.  It's hard to believe that little stinker is now three!  He has been asking me and his uncle "gon" if he can come spend the night at our house for a while.  Once the play  was finished, we immediately picked him up and enjoyed our time with him!  We had no idea having a 3 year old for 24 hours would be so entertaining!  Adam, we love you and we enjoyed every little minute!  Here's what we did.
We of course played in the hose pipe and watered every plant possible in our yard and Uncle Gon even showed him a few tricks.
We all cooked dinner together

Went for a ride
Jumped on the bed

Read books
Watched movies
Ate popcorn

Played at the park

And enjoyed hours of laughs and funny conversation.  That never fails whenever Adam is around!

A Journey

Since I've blogged last we've been going 100 mph and loved every moment.  Last weekend we wrapped up the last performances of The Music Man.  Words really can't explain all that the Music Man has brought to us.  And that probably may sound stupid to some of you, but it's the truth.  It was an absolutely amazing journey that was heartbreaking when it was over.  In fact, it took several days to not wash my hair, put it in rollers, put on stage make-up and fake eyelashes, and head to the show.  I miss it.  But I must say I am very excited to enjoy lazy days until work begins again!  We have a LOT of new things coming our way that we are praying about and we are excited and thrilled over each one.  I want to extend a special "thank you" to all who joined me in "Iowa" for the best time of my life!  I can't really explain how humbling it was to see who made the show each night.  Some people drove long distances, and some I hadn't even seen in years.  I tried to get a picture of everyone, but wasn't very successful so sorry if you don't see yourself in the slideshow!  With all who came I must say that I'm a blessed young lady!  I'm so thankful to have made such amazing new friendships and can't wait to see what the future has in store!  The Music Man was brought to my attention a little over a year ago when the producer came to me and said "Marian the Librarian-The Music Man.  Look it up and be there next summer"  Little did I know that "my dear little librarian" would change so much of my life.  It was a journey and a very exciting and rememberable one at that.  So, please enjoy the pictures of the time of The Music Man-30 years in the making.

First Week of Summer

First week of summer we.....played in the hose pipe (back off if you don't call it that and find me weird ok!)

Kept the most adorable two little boys ever!
Shopped with two adorable twins that I love soooo much!
Sat on the front porch and ate watermelon.

Went on a kyak trip and saved a few friends while we were at it.  (That's a freaking story in itself!)

Soaked up a lot of sun.

And enjoyed every moment of morning talk shows!

This summers off thing is a pretty sweet gig!  It took me all week, but I think I'm finally used to things slowing down!  Graduate courses began again today.  Luckily they are online this summer and I won't have to venture in daily.  Also, Music Man rehearsals are in full force this week!  It's looking like there will be much more fun in store this week too!

The Graduate

We aren't quite sure where the past 2 weeks went in the Maholland home, but we do know one thing.  They were very good days!  John's brother, my brother-in-law, graduated from high school.  We had them over for dinner that night, we enjoyed a graduation celebration with family and friends, we had the choir and their families over for dinner, we had the choirs first spring concert, I've been working on practicing for the Music Man production this summer, and we celebrated my last day of the school year.  Shoo.  It kind of  fatigues me going through it all again.  It was a week filled with excitement that's for sure!

We are so proud of Andrew and all that he has accomplished.  We have watched Andrew become such a strong and firm man of God.  He stands in his beliefs and stands up for himself.  We are so very proud of the man he has become this year!  After graduation we enjoyed a small get together at our house for appetizers and gifts for Andrew and his girl friend.

They both graduated this year.  The next day I spent all morning rehearsing for the Music Man (I'm Marian--come out and enjoy some entertainment the end of June, first of July.  It's going to be a massive production)  We then helped the Mahollands set up for Andrew's big celebration.

We enjoyed our afternoon and evening over there celebrating our sweet brother.

It's hard to believe that summer is here.  The first school year teaching is over.  I woke up late this morning and had a problem sitting still.  It's something I'm not used to.  For once in our lives we have really been enjoying family and friends to the max.  John has a new job now where we can have a normal schedule.  It has been beyond the biggest blessing from God.  We are very thankful for all of our time that we now have to make more memories with family and friends!

He got me through!

God blessed me with an amazing opportunity this year.  He gave me the chance to meet new people and help change lives.  He amazed me with giving me courage when I needed it most.  He shined through me every day as I asked.  He sent me encouragement through others when He knew I needed it at every moment.  I was able to develop relationships with new adults, with students, with the community.  When I look back on all that has occurred this year, it is mind blowing as to how one human being could possibly have successfully done it all.  And the answer is, I didn't and HE did.  He got me through the time I ran out of the classroom vomiting, He got me through the time I received a phone call that Granddaddy was gone, the phone call when Adam was life flighted to Vandy non responsive.  He got me through the days I had to bite my tongue.  He got me through the days that I left with more energy I started with.  He got me through the days when I cried I was so moved and touched by the greatness of our students.  He got me through all of the night classes, exams, papers, masters courses.   He got me through the snow, the late nights, the early morning wake ups thinking about concerts and performances.  He got me through it ALL.  For this, I am pleased.  For this, I am thankful.  For this, I am praising God from Whom ALL blessings flow!  This is a gift from Him.  For this, I stand amazed.  Thank you God for this blessing of my first year of teaching!

A Little Bit of Everything

Since Easter, we have enjoyed several things here and there!
The Show Choir that I direct competed in Atlanta, Georgia.  We toured the CNN Center and the Coca-Cola Factory.  After we competed, we enjoyed Six Flags.  I was honestly really nervous about this trip.  It was one of those defining "I'm a big kid now" moments.  They seem to be happening more and more these days.  I suppose that's appropriate.  The choir did a phenomenal job!  I was so proud of them!

 They moved me to tears with their voices.  They were so excited after they sang their songs.  They all ran backstage and started hugging each other and high fiving.  I LOVED this moment.  It was special.  It was then that I felt as if I had successfully accomplished my goals for them this year.  And we did!  We won 3rd place with an Excellent rating.

This was a huge accomplishment for us!  I can't say enough how proud I am of them!  They are so adorable!  We will be celebrating our first year together in a cook out at our home very soon!  We can't wait to give them a special celebration for their achievements!
Also on the calendar was John's cousin, Beth's wedding.  Her parents had purchased a home over 5 years ago.  In fact, the first time I met all of them was at this house on their first day of renovating it.  They have worked so hard on this house and have finally completed it to an amazing home!  Beth's wedding took place at their home in their front yard.  (The Maholland boys are too handsome!)

It was a very beautiful wedding. It was very shabby chic!

Congrats Beth and Seth!
Just when we thought April was when we would be the busiest, our calendar piled full of events in May.  I can't believe the amount of things we are going to get to do in the following days and weeks!  Look out for a lot of posts and a lot of exciting things!!

Easter

A new coming tradition on our family is having a huge Easter egg hunt.  We celebrated for the second year yesterday and had a blast.  Last year was a lot simpler.  The kids were little and we spent most of the time showing them how to decorate eggs and how to pick up eggs during the hunt.

This year was more of a wild goose chase and making sure they didn't splatter egg paint on their dresses and shirts.  It was a lot more eventful and a whole lot more fun this year!

All of the kids were adorable and were so excited to do all that was planned!

After the hunt we all gathered down at my parents house for dinner and a few games of volleyball.  We all had a blast and laughed more than anything!  Our Easter Sunday service at church was wonderful this year.  John and I both love Easter Sunday so much.  It was a bit strange this year with the storms and rain, but it didn't keep us from celebrating to risen Savior that we worship and love so dearly.

After church we had lunch with John's family and enjoyed each others company.  We are a small family, unlike the day before, and had a mini egg hunt for Baylee.

Isn't she a doll!  She loved to hunt for eggs and got so excited every time she found one!
Happy Easter everyone!

The Lady

Way back when in September last year we purchased tickets to what we knew would be an awesome night.  After months and months of waiting, and honestly momentarily forgetting, the time approached us!  Finally, it was time to go see Lady Gaga!

We ate at Margaritaville for dinner and it was delicious!  We really enjoyed all of the people watching all night!

 You may be able to pick out a few interesting outfit selections in the backgrounds of a few pictures.

Her show was phenomenal!  She had a wardrobe change after every song.

Her vocals rocked and her staging was mind blowing!  It was a wonderful way to end my birthday celebrations with John!