Allie's Adventures

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

2011-06-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

On a day like today, I am reminded of how truly blessed I am to have a wonderful father. Me and my dad have always had a pretty good relationship. In my teenage years, we began to argue more, but now I can honestly look back and say that my father has always had my best interest at heart. My dad has always been there for me and has always been such a godly example to me. I am blessed to have such a wonderful relationship with my father. I love him more than anything. Thank you dad for loving me when I didn't deserve it, caring for me when I was rebellious, giving me more than I even deserve, pushing me to want to be the best. I LOVE YOU DAD!!!!!!

Falling Behind

2011-06-11T18:21:00.001-07:00

It has been close to a year since my last blog and I am quickly falling behind. With the beginning of summer, my goal is to get back into the routine of doing this. There has been so many changes in my life since my last post. One of the major one's is that I am now a married woman. I absolutely love it. We have yet to kill each other so far so I guess that's a good start : ) BUT seriously.. Boys and girls/men and women are SOOOO different and I am quickly learning that. I have read so many books about the differences and always known this, but I feel like until you live with someone of the opposite sex does this really begin to unfold.

These past two months have been wonderful, but they have been a learning experience for the both of us. One of the major things I have learned about myself is just how selfish I really am. Many times I used to not even think of it as being "selfish" but now it is coming out. I have learned many things and know that I will learn so much more. We have had a wonderful start so far and I look forward to the future!! Here are some pictures from my wedding day.. It went so well and I truly could not have asked for better weather or even for things to have ran smoother. It was a wonderful weekend to be surrounded by all of our family and friends. Thank you to all for making it truly a day to remember!!!

Both of Our Families

Right before we see each other for the first time...

Our Bridal Party

All the Basketball Girls- Honorary Bridesmaids

Love this picture!!!

Recently we just got back from the beach with my family and I will be uploading pictures from our trip soon!!!

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

I have never been a big fan of Halloween. I hate to dress up, haunted houses, being scared, ect. Yes, I know that a lot of people love it, but I've never enjoyed it. To be completely honest, it scares me to a degree. I really don't enjoy being out past dark on Halloween night. Yes, you can class me a grandma, but it's the truth. This year I had the chance to take Rader out to the Westwood fall festival. Courtney was sick and John was working a booth out there so Caleb and myself took him on a little field trip to the mall. He was a little pumpkin and a very cute one I might add. Here are some pictures from Halloween.

He was checking all these costumes out. Thankfully, he didn't get scared by any of them.

Him and his daddy.

Rader and his Uncle Caleb

Rader Jackson with the other Rader Crew

My parents and myself took a trip this weekend to Columbia, South Carolina with some of our neighbors. It was a super fun trip even though our Vols lost!! I was impressed to see a ton of Tennessee fans there despite the season that we are having this year. Here are two quick pictures that we took after the game. It was a nice stadium and we couldn't have asked for better weather.

This one's for you sis

2010-10-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

This part is for my sister. We took Rader to his first TN game against Oregon and I have been meaning to put his pictures up. I have been telling Courtney that I would give them to her, but this post is for her. Rader did so well even though we had an hour rain delay. He did AWESOME!! I can't wait to spend many more Saturdays with him at the games.

He loved people watching.

He was in awe!!! This is right when we walked out of the tunnel.

Football season is definitely in full swing. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to go down to LSU for the Tennessee vs. LSU game. Me and my dad took off for the weekend to head down and check out New Orleans. Let me just say, it was quite an experience. We flew out of Atlanta on Friday night and arrived in New Orleans just before 9:00. This was my first trip to New Orleans so I wanted to see the city. Even though it was so late, my dad was a trooper and took me "out on the town" :) I wanted to see Bourbon street and the city. It was insane. There are no words that can describe this city. You just have to see it for yourself. Bourbon Street was nuts!! I had my expectations from the things that I had heard once before, but it far exceeded my expectations. I definitely know why people call New Orleans "sin city" because it is fully of partying, bars, & crazy people. We also had a chance to see the MS River, the French Quarters, Jackson Square, and have a wonderful beignet (which is basically a donut covered in powered sugar). Now, the game on the other hand was not so much fun. I must say that I was very angry after the outcome of that game, but my dad kept reminding me that it is just a game. Crazy how I used to always have to remind him of that when I was little and now we have reversed roles. haha Here are some pictures from our trip.

Here is a picture of Bourbon Street. It didn't really show up because of how dark it was outside. It was wall to wall with people, most which were drunk.

Here is a picture of the MS River. You had to walk up stairs to be able to see it since New Orleans is under sea level.

Here we are on Bourbon Street. It was so dark outside none of my pictures showed up!

This is where the New Orleans Saints play. It was awesome!

This is where they keep the live Tiger. I was disappointed because when we got there he wasn't there any more.

It's that time of year..

2010-09-30T18:00:00.000-07:00

Fall is definitely in the air. I absolutely love this time of the year for a variety of reasons. I love the temperature as it seems to get cooler outside. Don't get me wrong, I love the warm weather but am ready for some cooler temps. I love driving down the road and seeing the beautiful colors of leaves hanging from the trees although this year it seems that the leaves are falling before they seem to change colors. I am not a big fan of Halloween, but enjoy the tons of candy that I seem to accumulate throughout the month of October. I enjoy being able to walk outside and not having to take another shower just because I was outside longer than 20 minutes. My most favorite thing about the fall has to be Tennessee Football. Growing up, my family and I spent every Saturday in Knoxville going to the UT Football games. This time of year is bitter sweet for me now though. Ever since my grandfather passed away it seems to just not be the same. For some reason this year, I am missing him and thinking about him constantly. I have found myself several times just breaking down in tears because of how much I miss him. I miss so many things about this great man.

1. I miss his wonderful smile

2. I miss his amazing outlook on life.

3. I miss his Godly wisdom that he always had

4. I miss his love for Tennessee football and pushing him up the huge hill to our seats at the games : )

5. I miss him seeing me graduate & coming to my last college basketball game

6. I miss his hilarious sense of humor.

7. I miss his friendliness.

8. I miss him being there for me.

9. I miss being able to pick up the phone and dial his number just to talk to him.

10. I miss traveling with him.

I feel like I could go on and on about the things that I miss about my grandfather. He truly was an amazing Godly man and I wouldn't have traded him for the world. I loved this man more than words. I wish that I would have taken more time to spend with him while he was still here with us. Tennessee football has been so hard for me this year because every time I go to the stadium I immediately think of him. Every one of my childhood memories at UT games had him in them. He would have done anything for me or any other of his grandkids. He def. spoiled us and I never questioned how much he loved and cared for each one of us. He never met a stranger. He was the friendliest person that I have ever known and everyone who met him loved him. I don't know why this year has been so difficult for me, but what keeps me going is knowing that I will see him again one day. I can imagine him waiting for me at the gates of heaven. I truly look forward to the day when I see him again, but until then I have wonderful memories to remember him by!!! I love you Papaw!!!!!

Work in Progress

2010-09-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

Growing up I have always heard other people say that you need to learn to be content with the things that you have; however, you don't need to be content with your relationship with God. I am trying so hard right now to learn to be content with the things that I have. Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful because God has truly blessed me far beyond what I deserve. If anyone knows me well, they know that (as much as I hate to admit this) I love spending money. I must say though the older I get, the more I realize that I am so much like my dad. Last week, I just received my first "big girl paycheck" and to a degree I was a little disappointed. Let me start off and say that NEVER did I realize that I would have hundreds of dollars taken out for federal taxes and if that's not enough I have to pay for the health care of people who don't work. Okay I know that makes me sound very selfish, but still it was a little frustrating. I felt like I got more money taken out of my check for a variety of things than I actually had put into the bank.

I was struggling this past week with that and then Sunday night it hit me all of a sudden. Caleb and I are just started a financial class at Westwood and all we talked about this past Sunday night was the fact that our money isn't ours but God's. Honestly, I had never really thought about that before and it was just like it struck me. I had been upset all week about all that money being taken out when in reality it's not mine anyways. God is the one who gave me the opportunity to have this job and get the money in the first place. Now, I'm not saying that I still don't have feelings like I had last week, but I must keep reminding myself that it's God's money. Let me just say, that living in our world today and seeing all these things on TVs makes it really hard to not constantly want, want, want (or atleast it makes it difficult for me). I wish I wasn't like this, but I have to constantly remind myself that I am a work in progress and pray that God teaches me how to completely be content with everything I have. One verse that I love that helps me daily is...

Hebrews 13:5

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,"Never will I leave you; nor forsake you."

A complete blur..

2010-08-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness... the beginning of school has been a complete whirl wind of emotions.. Let me start by saying that I am so blessed and honored to have a job right now and that I absolutely love working at Cleveland Middle.. Never in a million years did I realize all the work that went into teaching.. If you are a teacher or have been, then I know you completely understand; however, if you are not I encourage you to keep reading : ) All of my life, I have heard about how great the hours are for teachers and how they "have it made." So now that I am on the other side, let me just tell my non teachers friends that you may think we only work from 8-3 but it is A LOT more work than that.. I never imagined that I would basically be living at school from 6am to about 8pm every night.. I am also coaching softball and therefore have practice for about two hours after school, but other than that these hours are spent in my classroom.. Don't get me wrong, I love my job and wouldn't trade it for the world, but geez it's a lot more work than I had anticipated.. I want to go back right now and personally thank all of my teachers growing up. This is a lot harder job then what the students see. Okay enough whining from me.. I REALLY do love all my kiddos and wouldn't trade them for the world.. It's crazy how I spent so much time this summer preparing my classroom and getting things ready for the first week of school and now it's over.. It REALLY is a complete blur to me.. I felt like I was running around constantly and was just trying to make it through each day.. This past Friday, I went to be around 8:30 and yes that was on a Friday and the worst part was that it was only a four day week.. I am hoping and praying that I can make it through this entire week : ) As of now, I have had time to catch up and take a deep breath.. I feel like I have finally caught my breath and this week has been going extremely smooth so far.. The best thing about teaching is knowing that you are living out what God has called me to do and being able to love on and care for kids each day. I absolutely love middle schoolers.. Yes, I know a lot of you are thinking that I am crazy for that, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.. I love everything about them at this age; however, the random moodiness seems to throw a spin on things sometimes.. Thank you Lord for giving me a heart and an opportunity to minister to middle schoolers!!

Summer Vacation

2010-08-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

It's crazy to think that summer is coming to an end. It's crazy how fast the summertime flies by. My summer this year consisted of working many basketball camps, taking classes, going to Florida, getting my classroom ready, and wedding planning. I enjoyed every second of it!! This past weekend, I graduated from Lee with my Masters. Looking back it amazes me how God truly works everything out for the best. I had no clue what to major in and went back and forth between teaching and nursing. Little did I know what God had in store for me years later. What I thought was the worst thing ever was truly a blessing. I tore my ACL my sophomore year in college and thought that was the end but God had everything under control. I had the opportunity of playing college basketball for five years and was blessed with being allowed to get two degrees paid for. God really knows better then me : )

Anyways.... this past year our summer family vacation was to Daytona Beach. We couldn't have asked for better weather and had a wonderful time. After a week in Daytona, Caleb and myself rented a car and drove down to Miami to stay with Caleb's sister and brother in law. If you have never been to Miami, you need to go. I really felt like I was in another country. While in Miami, we went to South Beach, Key Largo, Key Biscane, the Miami Aquarium, a Marlins game, and I got adventurous with my eating. I was so proud of myself that I tried many different types of food while I was down there.. Here are some pictures from our trip..

Here we are at a Peruvian Restaurant.. Yes, I did try the food and actually loved it.. This restaurant had the prettiest view of the bay, but I forgot to take a picture when it was light outside.. The view was gorgeous!

Me, Caleb, Courtney, and Matt watching P. Diddy in concert..

This picture was in the outfield at the Braves vs. Marlins game.. We had a little treat after the game: P Diddy did a concert.. haha yes, it was so funny!!

The moon looks so neat in this picture!! Courtney does a great job taking pictures!

Caleb was a little embarrassed of me right here.. He wouldn't cooperate and do a jumping picture with me!!

Rader loved his little mini pool..

LOVE this little guy!!

My most favorite restaurant in all of Daytona. They have the best cinnamon rolls for dessert.. If you have never tried Aunt Catfish, you definitely should..

The water was FREEZING (as you could tell from his face)

The B-E-A-utiful sunrise.. God is GREAT!!!!

Slumber Party

2010-07-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night, I told Courtney that I would keep Rader for the night so that her and John could go out and have a date night. We were going to have a slumber party and I was so excited!!! I was really hoping that we would sleep through the whole night so that my sister would be jealous, but sadly he didn't; however, he did only wake up once!! I put him down around 8:45 and he slept till 4:30am. Then, he woke up screaming bloody murder and boy was he hungry. I had always thought that maybe he woke up just as a habit, but no this boy is HUNGRY!!!!! He downed the bottle within the next five min. and was right back to sleep. It was so much fun and I can't wait to have many more slumber parties : )

LOVE this boy!!

He is such happy baby and laughs ALL THE TIME!!!

He loves his Uncle Caleb!

The future Mrs. Hindman!!

2010-05-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

I thought since school was officially out now that I would have all this time on my hands. To my surprise I haven't. I am in a summer class right now and it seems to be taking up a lot of my time. Anyways.. I'M ENGAGED!!! I meant to blog about this special event earlier, but had never found enough time too. This happened last Sunday night and was one of the greatest days of my life! For those of you that have been asking, yes I did expect it sometime soon; however, I just didn't know when. We had already found the place where we wanted to get married and that is where he proposed. About a month ago, Caleb, my mom, Courtney, Rader, and myself went out to Black Fox Farms to take a tour. Once we got there, I completely fell in love with this place. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!!

So, Caleb took me back out there and that is where he proposed. I was completely surprised and Courtney was hiding in the bushes taking the pictures. After this, we were supposed to go up to Red Lobster in Chattanooga and eat. He wanted to stop by his house in Chatt first so that he could tell his parents. They knew he was going to do it, but didn't know when. To my surprise, I walk in their house and their are my family and friends! It was the greatest surprise ever!! I was already upset because he wouldn't let me call any of my friends until after we ate and then there they all were.. It was such a wonderful night and I couldn't have been any happier.

Let me just say that before I met Caleb I was completely scared to death of marriage. I never ever thought that I would be lucky enough to marry my best friend. I know a lot of people say that, but it is SO TRUE!!!! God has blessed me with this wonderful, Christian guy and I couldn't have asked for a better person. I mean he puts up with me and I know he would do anything in this world for me. I have always heard people say when you meet "the one" you will just know and to be completely honest, I was always like yeah right. It REALLY is true!!!!!! I knew from day one that I could marry this man. For those of you who may not have known, we had been dating over this past year; however, with the position that we were both in with him being one of the assistants at Lee and me being a player we didn't want to make it official until after season so yes we have been dating longer than a couple of weeks : ) Anyways, I could go on and on but let the wedding planning begin!!! We are looking at April 2 or 9 and I can't wait.. If anyone has any wedding planning advice PLEASE let me know.. I need all the help I can get : )

He told me that I needed to take pictures so that his mom could see this place. I literally think I took a hundred pictures because he was trying to stall me until my sister got there!

I was into taking pictures so he literally had to take my camera from me.. I had no clue what was coming!

The first thing I said was, "you asked my dad, right" haha and then I said yes!

I was so excited that I forgot to even put the ring on.. He finally said, "would you like to put it on now?!?!"

He kept turning around and looking and I asked him what he was looking at. At that moment Court's head popped out from behind the bushes.. It was so funny : )

This picture of the ring is blurry, but he did SO GOOD!!!!!!

It's official.. Now, I can "officially" start planning our wedding!

Here is his brother just acting like everything was normal. I think you can tell how surprised I was!

My other LOVE!!!!!

Things Lately...

2010-05-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

I always love to start my post with this little guy. Man, I love this little guy so much!!!

Here we are watching John in his Regions Semifinal game, which he won! Yes, Rader isn't happy because he is hungry : ) and it was so cold outside!!

This is right after Rader's dedication at Westwood Baptist Church. Is he not the cutest thing EVER?!?!?!

Let me first say that SCHOOL IS OUT for me, as of yesterday!!! Words cannot express how excited I am to actually have time to relax. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed this past year teaching at Ocoee Middle; however, I was SO ready for a break. The teachers that I worked with were wonderful. The lady that I work with in the afternoon got me a HUGE basket of goodies to start my new classroom out with next year. In this basket were the "must haves" that a teacher always needs and I was really dreading having to spend my own money to buy these things. It was so nice of her to get me all of these things.

Speaking of my classroom next year, I am finally OFFICIAL!!!

Yes, as this pictures shows I will be teaching seventh grade History at Cleveland Middle School. I am SUPER excited!!!! History, haha, I laugh every time I think of myself teaching this. Lets just say that I am going to have to do tons of studying this summer to review myself on this subject. As most of you know, this wasn't my greatest subject in school; however, I am up to taking this challenge on. I have also bought a car in the past week. I felt like such a big girl because I bought it all on my own!!!!! When I went to sign for it, I definitely felt like I was signing my life away. I bought a 2009 Honda Accord and LOVE IT!!!!!!

Last weekend, Caleb and myself rode along with Courtney and John to Atlanta. We went to the Braves game, while Court and John headed to see Mary Poppins. I have been wanting to go to a Braves game for a while now and finally got the time to head up there. We had a blast and here are some pictures from then.

Here are we watching batting practice in the outfield. I was so happy that my white skin could see a little sun for the day : )

They had these huge red chairs that you could sit in and look at this.....

Young at Heart!

2010-05-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday!!

Today is my mom's 51st birthday!!! Thank you mom for all that you have done for me in my 23 years.. I love you so much!

My Little Man

2010-05-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

I finally downloaded all of the pictures of Rader that I have taken over the last couple of weeks. He is SO CUTE and I am completely in love with this little guy! This past weekend me and Court went to Newport and hung out all day Sunday. Monday morning we took my grandma and grannie out to breakfast at Cracker Barrel. Happy late Birthday Grandma!!! Then we headed to the outlets in Pigeon Forge and spent all day. It was such a good weekend and nice getaway for sure!! Rader did so well also! Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks in addition to this past weekend.

He is trying so hard to sit up. Here you can see that his big belly holding him up : )

Rader, me, and Caleb just taking a swing at Black Fox Farms.

Rader was trying to help me write a text message. Before we know, toddlers will be having cell phones : )

How could you not love this little guy?!?! His parents better watch out because when he gets older I will never be able to say no to him!!! I know that I am biased but man I love this guy!

He is growing so fast! Before I know, he will be walking and talking.. It's so much fun!!

Questions.. Questions.. Questions..

2010-04-28T18:00:00.000-07:00

Man I feel like the older I get the more questions that I begin to have about life and its purpose. This past semester I had this class entitled "Philosophy of Education." By the title of the class one would think that it would be about how to teach kids. Well, I that could not be farther from the truth. All it did was make me THINK!!!! We ready several books throughout the class and they began to raise more and more questions about life.. It seems like after every class I would leave just wondering and asking myself more and more questions.. Overall I really did enjoy the class; however, I am glad that for the summer I can hopefully give my mind a break from thinking so deeply : ) Here are just a few questions that I have thought about this semester and most of them throughout this past week.

*Ever sit in bed at night and wonder just who you are and why you are here?

*How come when you are little you want to be a grown up so bad but now that I am here I want to be a little kid again?

*Just what is God's purpose for my life?

*Sometimes I feel like I am truly called to be a teacher and other days I wonder can I really do this the rest of my life?

*Just how much does God really love me? (and yes I know the church answer but sometimes it's so hard to really think about it and believe it)

*How did God know what type of family to put me in and why am I so blessed to have grown up in a Christian home when others aren't?

*I am def. the most indecisive person ever and how come when you get older (I feel like) all you did is make decisions.. Will it ever stop or get easier?

*Where will I be in 5, 10 15 years?

These are just some of the questions that have gone through my head over the past couple of months. For some reason lately my mind has constantly been going and going wondering about things.. I just want to be able to go to sleep one night without having my mind run a hundred miles per hour. Will it ever stop?

Patience is a virtue

2010-04-21T11:28:00.000-07:00

Having patience is defintely not one of my strong points. I am the absolute worst person ever when it comes to being patient and just simply waiting. Like I wrote in an earlier blog, John Weller's song "While I'm Waiting" is getting me through from day to day. That song is such a good reminder that God has an ultimate plan and always knows best. I went for my 2nd interview last week at Cleveland Middle School and am still waiting to hear back. They thought that we would hear back at the end of next week or sometime the next week. Patience is defintely a virtue that I do not have.
While I'm on the issue of school let me just say that I now know why teachers dread TCAP week SO MUCH!! This is my first encounter with the craziness and chaos of TCAP week and it is defintely just that. I have giving tests to 3 students in basically a closet at Ocoee Middle School. Let me just tell you that the first day was Reading and Language Arts. Part I of the test was 76 minutes long and this particular student got finished in 15 mintues, NO LIE, and as teachers this is what we are graded on. Kinda scary huh?!?
This past weekend I spent it working and hanging out with Rader. On Saturday my family from Newport came in for the day and we all hung out. I have some super cute pictures of Rader that I will share once I get them uploaded. I decided to gell his hair and might I add that it looked SO CUTE!!! Pictures to come soon.. Happy Wednesday to everyone!!!

I'm Official.. well almost!

2010-04-13T19:40:00.000-07:00

Today was one of the BEST days of my entire life or should I say a huge burden was lifted. Lately I have been stressing over these Praxis test knowing that I have to pass all of them before being able to get a job next year. FINALLY!!! I got my last two praxis scores back today and I passed. I have never felt more relief then I did today. It was such an amazing feeling because I am almost an official teacher. God is so good : ) Now all I have to do is pass my next two classes and I am DONE!!! YAY, I absolutely cannot wait to be finished with school and I know some of you are thinking "you won't be saying that for long" but I think going to school for 18 straight years is a whole lot if you ask me. I go for a second interview at Cleveland Middle this coming Thursday so please pray things work out if they are supposed too! Have a wonderful hump day tom! : )

Growing Up

2010-04-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

I always remember when I was little, my grandparents telling me just how quickly times flies by the older that you get. Man were they so right! The older I get the more time flies. I remember my first day of college and thinking that I had four more years left and now I am completing my fifth year of college. I also remember not being able to wait until I was all grown up and now I feel like I am here and it's scary. Growing up isn't all that it is cracked up to be. I am currently in the search for a job for next school year.

I have had an interview at Cleveland Middle and am going back on Wed or Thurs for a second interview so please pray that things work out there if they are supposed too! I am also going up to Hendersonville, TN on April 23 for an informal interview at Hendersonville High School. They are looking for an assistant coach right now and I am going up there with Coach Rowe and Coach Kiser to get a tour of the school and meet the coach. It is scary not knowing where or what I will be doing for next year but am learning to completely rely on God throughout all of this. Please just pray that the Lord will open the doors and close the doors that need to be. Hopefully here in a couple of weeks I will know about the CMS job but until then I will keep you all updated with the job search!

Bitter Sweet

2010-04-08T18:44:00.001-07:00

It feels like it has been forever since I have last updated my blog. I have lost my camera cord and haven't had a way to upload recent pictures that I have wanted too but finally I have found it!! Since last blog, my college basketball career has come to an end. It is definitely bitter sweet. I am loving the time that I have off and the relaxing that I have been able to do; however, I do miss it already!

I think it will really start to hit me when they start doing stuff over the summer and especially when games start next year. Don't get me wrong, I WILL NOT miss working out in the summer, going to Bristol, mulching around Lee's campus, selling ads, Coach Rowe getting mad at us, conditioning in the fall, the awful practices that we have after losing a game, the National Tournament Banquet... In addition to the things I don't miss, there are things that of course I will greatly miss: the girls and the friendships that I have made, the competition, overnight road games, Christmas trips, and the Conference & National Tournaments.

It's so crazy to look back at my career because there were several times where I never thought I would play for all four years much less 5 years but it was ALL well worth it. I would never trade in all of the tears, hard work, and laughter that I had over those years. Here are some pictures from our National Tournament. I still have some more over the course of the year that I will be posting later.

So now that I have more time on my hands, I am hoping to be able to blog more! I feel guilty when I read other people's blogs who have kids and a husband and are talking about how crazy their lives are and how they never have time to blog then I look at myself and realize that I have none of that so really don't have a legitimate excuse now to not keep it updated : ) I will be posting my Disney World pictures here in a few days. Adios!

March Madness

2010-03-04T18:45:00.001-08:00

March Madness is quickly approaching. Today we started our conference tournament. We are currently seeded #1 and played Brewton Parker College tonight. We got lucky and ended up winning this game by 2 points. It was WAY to close for comfort but hey during this time a year a win is a win. Therefore, we live to play another day. We are scheduled to play tomorrow night at 6:00 against Auburn Montgomery. I will keep you updated on how that goes.

Last night was our conference banquet. After being to 5 of these, it gets a little old; however I am a little sad this was my last one. Here are just a few pictures of the team from last night!

Always gotta have a team picture!

Angela, Rachel, and KJ

Seniors..

Seniors with Coach Rowe

Me and Brooke getting ready to head there

In Waiting...

2010-02-17T20:33:00.000-08:00

There is currently a Christian song out right now by John Waller called "While I'm Waiting." This song is basically the story of my life right now. Here are some of the lyrics of this song. If you haven't heard it I strongly recommend it.

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Takeing every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it's not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve you while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

If God had this song written for anyone, it is definitely me. I am currently trying to finish up school and will graduate in June with my Masters degree in Education (Praise the Lord!) So what's next? Lets just say that you know as well as I do that I don't have a clue what is next. I am trusting God and know that he will lead me where I need to be. As much as I say this daily, it's a lot easier to say than to truly live it out. I hate to admit that, but right now I am in a place where I am just waiting. I know and believe God has a plan for me but I am a very impatient person and am being tested right now. I face this on a daily basis; however, the words of this song is what helps to keep me going. I'm so thankful I serve a God that has my life in his hands and has everything under control.

Happy Birthday..

2009-12-20T09:08:00.000-08:00

Today is Brandon's 19th Birthday. We are celebrating this afternoon with the Hall's, Douglas's, and the other Rader's.

Happy Birthday Brandon!

2009-12-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

Santa Clause is coming to town..

2009-12-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

The other night, me and Courtney dressed up Rader in two of his Christmas outfits and took a ton of pictures. He was such a good sport throughout the whole thing. Here are just a few of the pictures!

Here is an outfit from Ebay that I got him. He is a little reindeer : )

John's mom got him a Santa's outfit and it is so cute!!!

PERFECTION

2009-12-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

Here are just some more pictures of my pretty near to perfect nephew. Yes, I know I am biased but am completely in love with this little man!!

The other night, me and Courtney took Christmas pictures of Rader and dressed him up in a Santa and Reindeer outfit. Those pictures will come very soon!!! All I can say now is that I love life and am so blessed : )

Rader Jackson Brose

2009-12-08T20:54:00.000-08:00

Not only did I find out that I passed my Praxis test today, but my nephew arrived. There will be many more pictures to come but just wanted to go ahead and post one. He is PERFECT!!! Mom and dad are both doing great.

"Rader" Jackson Brose

8 lbs 3 oz

20 inches long

Blessed

2009-12-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

This weekend was went by so fast. We had a game on Saturday against Southern Wesleyan (which we won) and Sunday was filled with lots of activities. To begin the day, the basketball girls went and helped out with Creating Christmas Memories. This is a thing that takes place every year in Cleveland at K-Mart. Children are chosen from around the community to come to K-Mart and spend $100.00 on WHATEVER they want. This year the basketball team volunteered to help out. This is truly a humbling experience. You are assigned a child and you walk with them around the store, helping them pick out things. All of these children are those that are less fortunate and sometimes it is so sad to see where these kids come from! This year I had an adorable little girl who was in first grade. She stole my heart and I enjoyed every minute of it.

After we got done with this, I enjoyed the rest of my Sunday afternoon doing homework. Tonight was our Christmas Formal for Upsilon. Upsilon is a guys fraternity at Lee where I have the honor of being a Little Sister for a wonderful group of men. Here are some pictures from our formal which was held on campus and was lots of fun!!!!

All the Little Sisters in Upsilon

All the guys that I got in with last Spring (09)

All the girls and guys that are in Sigma. Sigma is the girls sorority that I am in at Lee.

Here is my date and best friend on the left: Eric Thomas and another one of my good friends on the right.

3rd time is a charm

2009-12-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

As a lot of you know, November 14 I took the Praxis Test for the THIRD time. For the Masters Program at Lee, you have to pass this test before you can do your "official" student teaching. This past time was the last opportunity that I had to pass the Praxis to be able to complete my student teaching in the Spring and graduate on time.

Here is what this day consisted up
-Drive to Kentucky Friday, November 13 and play a game that night
-Stay up studying late that night and wake up at the crack of dawn to drive to Kentucky State
-Get there and take the test for a whole 2 hours!!
-Grab a quick bite to eat and get back to Georgetown, KY within 30 minutes to make it to my game
-FINALLY, I made it back to Georgetown and played our game. We ended up losing in overtime which was a huge bummer!!!

Needless to say, I was stressed to the max but knew so many people were praying for me. So the good news is I was sitting at the hospital waiting for my sister to have the baby and had the courage to look and see if my scores were up. I PASSED!!!!!!!!!! Praise the Lord, he truly does answer prayers, and YES the third time is always a charm : )

This day can't get any better..I passed my test and Baby Rader should be here at any moment..

Catching Up

2009-11-25T21:12:00.001-08:00

I have been so bad lately about updating because I have been extremely busy with school, work, and basketball. Here is a brief overview about what has been going on the past month. With basketball just starting up, my life has definitely been extra chaotic lately. We are off to a good start with with a record of 4-1. It is kind of sad to think that this is my last season to ever play. Okay I am going to stop there or else I will become depressed.

Thankfully school is almost over with. This semester has for sure kicked my butt with 14 hours of masters classes and an online class. Let me just say if you have never taken an online class, DONT!!!!! There is so much more work to be done, or at least with this one I am taking that is the case. Anyways, only 2 more days of classes and then finals.. I will be so thankful if I make it through the rest of this semester alive!!!! Well here are some pictures of the past month with Court's showers and basketball..

Court's shower at the church.

The cupcakes I made for her shower at the house.

The shower at our house. It was so much fun and turned out well!

All the shower throwers minus Shawn & Karen

Our very first last game at Lee (Seniors). Our pink uniforms were worn in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness.

Team picture before our first game

Another year has come and gone

2009-10-16T15:42:00.000-07:00

Gosh.. I feel like when you get older, time begins to FLY by. I had always heard that but am just now beginning to believe it. I feel like just yesterday I was starting college and now I have graduated and in my last year of playing basketball. I'm not going to lie, it is a little depressing to be getting older. I remember when I couldn't wait to be 21 and wish I could stop right there and not get any older. With turning 23 today, it really makes me stop and think. Even though it is somewhat depressing to get older, I must say that I have so much God has blessed me with. To kind of lift my spirits about getting older, I thought of 23 things that God has blessed me with. So here goes : )

1. A heavenly father who loves me through everything

2. Godly parents

3. the good health of my family

4. a college degree

5. chance to play bball in college

6. wonderful christian friends

7. amazing church

8. being alive for 23 years

9. being able to work on my masters while still playing bball

10. a precious nephew that is on the way.. I cant wait!!!

11. a wonderful sister and brother (can't forget brother in law) :)

12. a teaching job at Ocoee Middle

13. wonderful grandparents

14. a FREE place to live

15. getting my college paid for

16. overcoming several knee surgeries

17. having plenty of food to eat always

18. a car to drive & dad still paying for it : )

19. great professors at Lee who have helped me along the way

20. still being able to have homemade meals made for me every night

21. a nice, new bed that I just got (thanks to Brandon)

22. mom and dad still doing my laundry (most of the time)

23. God's plan that he already has for me that I cant wait to see

God has blessed me in more ways then I can imagine and yes, eventhough it makes me sad to get older, I have SOOO many things to be thankful for. I really couldn't ask for anything more!

It's Football Time in Tennessee

2009-10-01T18:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday night me and my dad went to the UT football game. We were so excited to bring the Hall's along with us. Here are just a couple of the pictures from the game on Saturday night!

2009-10-01T18:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we went on our annual basketball retreat. This year we went to Fall Creek Falls and hung out for the day. Some of us went repelling, others rock climbing, and there were a few who didn't do anything (this would be me). I have learned that the older I get the less adventurous I have become. It kind of makes me sad to a certain degree but then I realize how you could easily get hurt doing some of this stuff and so it keeps me on the ground : ) Here are a couple of pictures of the beautiful scenery as well as our team for this year.

A beautiful view from the top of Fall Creek Falls.

This is our team this year. After about the tenth take, we finally got a good one!

We were the only four who weren't brave enough to go repelling. In all honest, we were the only SMART ones : ) If you would have seen this 150 foot side of the mountain they repelled off of you would be sitting right where we were!

Fall is in the air...

2009-09-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

It's almost October! Crazy how time flies by... We are about two months into school and I am loving it. I love my kids even though most of them are little hellions : ) It takes me back to my good ole' middle school years when I was probably just like them. I am trying to make it with teaching all day, practice, and classes at night. So far so good and only two months left till this semester is over. Yahoo!!!!

I am so ready for Fall. Here in a couple weeks I will be 23 and it's a little scary. They say the older you get the quicker time goes by and I truly believe that. When I was little, I wanted to grow up so bad and now that I am here I am wanting to go back to kindergarten. Lately, I have been stressed out about what to do after graduation in June. I am in a phase right now where I want to move to Nashville and teach for a while. We will see when that time comes around and I have a brand new nephew if I still want to do that. Speaking of Baby Rader, he is already taking ALL of my money. I have a lot of downtime at work and always find myself shopping online. If you have not ever done that then DONT start it. It can be very addicting. So lets just say that I am working to support my spending habits for him. : )

I have a full weekend ahead of me. I will be going to the UT game on tom and going on our retreat with the bball girls on Sunday to Fall Creek Falls. Will have pictures to come after Sunday.. Until next time.. Adios!!!

Falling Behind

2009-09-09T10:38:00.001-07:00

I feel like it has been FOREVER since I last updated. My life is incredibly crazy and hectic right now but I couldnt of asked God to bless me anymore than he has lately. For the master's program at Lee you have to do a full year of internship WITHOUT pay. Oh yes, you work for free for an entire year. Just a couple weeks ago I was called and asked about interviewing for a job at Ocoee Middle. I was super excited because this means that instead of doing this all for free I can get paid!!! I was hired at the beginning of school and am currently working full time at Ocoee Middle as a Reading teacher. It is so much fun and extremely rewarding. Along with this I am taking 17 hours and playing basketball. Talk about running around crazy these days, I def. am but cant complain. I love it. My day consists of going to school 8:00-3:00, bball practice 3:30-4:45, class 5:00-8:00, and finding time to do homework somewhere in between. I really do love everything about it all but it can be stressful thats for sure. I'm going to try to get better at updating as hopefully my life will slow down. Oh yea and I have found some time to shop online for my nephew. The main reason I am excited about job and making money is so I can buy him so adorable, stylish clothes : )

It's a BOY!!!

2009-07-27T20:34:00.000-07:00

Who would have guessed that I would be having a nephew? I completely thought and was preparing myself for a girl even though deep down I wanted a boy!! I was beginning to get used to the idea of a niece and then suddenly everything changed. Yes I know as long as the little baby is healthy that's all that matters but you know everyone has their own preference. I am so excited that Courtney is having a boy!!!!! I will be able to buy all those cute little polos and sweater vests.. I cant wait to dress him in style... I sure hope December comes quickly.

By the way please everyone don't EVER watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette again. Yes, I say this every season but am beginning to think this show is completely rigged. The good and perfect guy never end up winning (Kiptyn) so lets all boycott it and stop watching it : )

Coming to an end....

2009-07-23T19:46:00.001-07:00

I feel like every summer I am always saying to myself where has it gone. The older I get the more times flies by and it's kind of scary. For my last vacation of the summer my family and I went to Daytona Beach. I only got to stay till Tuesday night because I had to fly back for class. My family will be returning home on Saturday. I wish I would have got to stay longer ,however, it was so nice to FINALLY get a small break from summer school. For the time that I was there we mainly just hung out at the beach. One night we went to Aunt Catfish's. If you have never eaten there you need to. It is SOOO good. They have these cinnamon rolls that they give you with your meal and they are to die for!!! It would have to be my favorite restauraunt in Daytona. The next night we went to Down the Hatch. The last night I was there we ordered pizza because Courtney and I just couldnt take the chance of missing The Bachelorette. Oh how excited I am for the finale this coming Monday. I will soon post some pictures from the beach.

Only one more week of summer school. WAHOO!!! I have never been so happy. I havent had a break all summer and actually just get a weekend before I start up for school again on August 3. I am doing my intership at Ross Elementary in 5th grade and I am so excited about it. I am excited to finally be in a classroom setting and hopefully next year will have my very own. This summer has absolutely flown by and is quickly coming to an end. Although I am excited about what's to come. Please stay tuned : )

2009-07-19T18:14:00.001-07:00

With this being my first attempt to blog, it makes me a little nervous. Where to begin? My life this summer has been very busy. I just graduated in May from Lee and right away started my Masters. I know that I would never go back and do it if I didn't start right away. You see my self discipline lacks so I knew I needed to go ahead and start. I have taken classes in May, June, and July. I say this to talk about how fast my summer has gone by.

Even though I have been in classes all summer, I have had the chance to go on several vacations. My family went on a cruise to Grand Cayman Island and it was so much fun. Court has posted some pictures so you can see those on her blog. I am right now in Daytona with my family. I needed to get away and have a break from school so I will be heading back that way on Tuesday night.

Although this summer has flown by and been somewhat stressing with school, I think that God is moving me into the plan that he has had for me all along. With this being my last year of basketball and school, it definitely makes you open your eyes. I am so excited what God is doing in my life and cant wait to see what all he has planned for my life. This is just the beginning so I hope you can follow me throughout all my adventures : )

Welcome!!

2009-07-19T14:01:00.001-07:00

Here is my first attempt to blog...hope everyone enjoys my adventures :)