Spoiled

Well, tonight I am sitting on our sofa in our NOLA apartment. We got back around 3:00 (central U.S. time). I can smell the sweet scent of apple cinnamon from a wax scent warmer in our kitchen and hear the sound of Chris typing away on his computer making the last adjustments on his sermon for tomorrow mornin. 

We just spent the last 6 days with our sweet family in GA, and the days really did fly by. With Christmas get togethers and visiting with family, it was time for us to come back before I was quite ready to leave. I guess I am still learning that being a preachers wife means that you will always have to plan trips and vacations so that you can be back for Sunday service. 

Each and every time we go 'home' Chris and I are overwhelming spoiled. We were showered with Christmas presents and definitely racked up this year. My favorite gift is my new Nikon Coolpix L810 camera. It's perfect for me, since I sooo don't have the creativity of being a 'photographer,' but makes it easy for me to still get great, clear shots. I have enjoyed playing around and learning about things such as 'shutter speed' and 'lighting contrast.' I'm sure my cousin Leslie would laugh at my explanation of taking a picture.

I do love getting to come home and bring all our Christmas goodies into the apartment and look at them. I was able to finally take our new Keurig out of the box and make Chris some hot chocolate.  I can tell already we are hooked on this thing! We may suffer from caffeine shakes and overdoses the next couple of weeks:)

And don't ya just love that mason jar glass with the straw and B monogram! Yes, you should be jealous.  My sweet sister in law, Ashley, made me that! 

When we go home family spoils us in so many ways. Of course Christmas we are spoiled with presents and knick-knacks, but we are always spoiled with food and laughter. I feel as though I have to see everyone when we go home. I want to see and get caught up in the 'know' of what's goin with everyone. Who's been up to no good, who's dating who now, who's get a new job promotion, who's got engaged, and etc. 

I have gotten several text messages in the last hour or so saying that they are getting a snow mix up in the foothills of those mountains right now. Makes me miss being all snuggled up under a blanket at my parents house. Instead in NOLA we pulled in with our car saying it was 50 degrees, and with the sun shinning it made me want to take my sweatshirt off. 

Thank you so much family and friends for spoiling us with all your support and love!  

Shopping Day

Yesterday I took a personal day off work since I hadn't missed a single day yet. Quite frankly, I needed it. I was able to get a day where I was able to do what I wanted to do. Most weekends are so rushed because my Saturdays consist of getting all my errands done and Sundays are spent all day in Amite:)

Yesterday we woke up, had a nice little visit from the internet guy and thank goodness our internet is working with no kinks! (knock on wood) Then we headed out.

We stopped at sears, target, walmart, dollar tree, a NOLA christmas shop, and Zea to eat.

By the way, our Christmas shopping is complete! We just had to get a few simple little gifts for close family. Since Chris and I are on a budget we don't buy gifts for everyone. Quite frankly Christmas can get incredibly expensive, so we tell cousins and aunts/uncles to just not buy us anything, cause we can't buy them anything. After all Christmas is sooo not about exchanging gifts, it's about spending time with each other.

Since moving to NOLA I believe Chris and I have realized just how special it is to spend time with family. Family is one of those things were you don't realize how good ya' have it until their gone or away. Being so far way from people who you can always trust and count on can be very eye opening. I have learned to shift away from the presents and food and focus more on just the time laughing and catching up. 

So I was given a $50 gift card to a restaurant named Zea in New Orleans LAST christmas by one of my sweet first graders. Yea, so we've been holding on this gift card for a whole year. I guess we just kind of forgot about it, and then kept saving it until we had something special to celebrate.

We got an appatizer of crab cakes and sucked those down without saying a word in between bites. Then I ordered the lunch serving of ribs, sweet corn grits, and buttered sweet potatoes. Very unhealthy of me, but this was a very random thing for Chris and I to do. I was only able to eat about 3 ribs and a couple bites of the sides. I loaded up the left overs in a box and we are going to eat on it for dinner.

Chris got a ribeye, salad, and fries. His steak melted in your mouth. He wasn't able to eat all his either so we stuck it in our box too. 

I really enjoyed getting to spend the day with him. We had fun taking our time walking through the stores and laughing at all the crazies walking about. Even though it was during working hours on a Monday, it was ridiculous the amount of traffic and people out shopping. We have come to the conclusion that no one works in this city. Now I'm ready to wrap up those presents and head to GA for the holidays! 

My Babies

I am very much a sensitive person. When the feed the hungry commercials come on I usually start to get weepy and during any chick flick I will usually try and hide a tear. Of course when I heard of the news of the elementary school shooting I would be saddened by it.

Friday was a pretty terrible day. That morning I was dealing with some disruptive behavior issues with a student in my class. Trying to understand that child, why they would behave in such a way, and then determine the best way to deal with the situation. 

I walked into the teachers lounge to eat my lunch, like I do on any normal day, when our school secretary came in and turned on the t.v. telling us we all needed to watch this. 

Shock, horror, hatred, and sadness all consumed everyone one of us watching. I immediately started to tear up and tried my best to choke it back. I couldn't stand staying there and watching that mess so I left the lounge early to go back to my classroom to have a few minutes to calm down before my own sweet babies came back from recess.

I still had 20 minutes before they would be coming back and I was trying to take my mind off the sadness and get busy preparing for a substitute. While I was working, still wiping the tears away from my eyes, of course that student who had given me problems that morning walked in my room because she had left her snack money in her bookbag.

She walked in, asked if she could get her money, got it out of her bookbag, and before leaving walked over to me, and asked, "You alright Mrs. Bagley?" in her south Louisiana brawl. I just shrugged, gave her a quick yea and, thinking fast on my feet, explained I had just been choking on a peppermint. She gave me a hug and told me she was glad I was alright, and then she went out of the room to go to recess with the other students. 

Of course that made me start squallin' again. As a parent, I can only imagine the emotions that would consume you after learning of the shooting since I don't have any children of my own. As a teacher, it is a whole world of emotions. As an elementary school teacher, your students are your babies. Infact, my students know that they are my babies, and many times I will tell them that their good actions make me a 'happy mama' for them. 

I was able to suck it up before they came back in, went about our usually activities for the day, and then packed up to go home. Before they left my classroom I took a couple of minutes to wish them all a good and safe weekend. I told them how happy I am to get to be their teacher and how glad I am that they are in my class. I even went around the classroom and told each student a quality that I enjoy and appreciate about them. Before I let them leave I gave each of them a big hug and again told them to have a good weekend.

In public schools today teachers are not allowed to mention God or religion. We are not allowed to pray with our students. We are not allowed to mention in any way, any kind of religion. Every night I pray for all of my sweet 'babies' and many times I have prayed that I can be an example of Christ's love for them. 

I planed for a sub for me today. So far this school year I have not missed a single day. Since Chris is done with his school for this semester,  I took a personal day today so we could go out together in the city and pick up our last Christmas gifts. Chris and I are going to have a fun day, but I am yearning for tomorrow so I will get to be back standing up in class, showing respect and love toward my students, and teaching them so they can become prosperous adults.

Two Weeks

In two weeks it will be Christmas Day. In two weeks we will all be gathered at my mamma's house. In two weeks I will have gotten to see all the family on both Chris and mine sides.

In two weeks, I I hope to be surrounded by my mothers old Christmas lights blinking on and off, staring at homemade tree ornaments, some even made by my sweet daddy when he was a little boy handing on the tree, and my mind and belly full from the days events.

In two weeks. In two weeks. Ohhhh... snap...

Christmas is two weeks away and I only have 3 people's presents. 

Guess I better get on it! 

Tired

Both Chris and I are coming off of a very hard week. It is always hard to go back to work after having a break, and we knew that we were spoiled during the week of turkey day, but man this week was a doozie.

My week at my school teaching has been emotionally draining. Not going into specifics, but it's been a hard disciplinary week, and having all the drama from my 16 girls and only 4 boys has been very tolling. I haven't had to have many issues so far in the school year and now all of a sudden this week decided to make up for it. 

Chris's week has been killer. He had a major presentation on a 20 page paper due on Wednesday, a group research project due, various tests to study for, oh yea... and a sermon to prepare for tomorrow. Nearly every night he stayed up in the library on campus until it closed, which is at 11:00. Even on Wednesday night he had to dive back home from church in Amite and head straight to the library to finish work. 

It was just one of those weeks that was both tiring and stressful.  Now that it is over I thank God for his mercy on me to help me survive through it. As I sit and type this at my little dinning table, I can hear some police sirens going down the road and I am reminded that this week could have been a lot worse. 

Praying tonight for those who have lost loved ones and those that too had it hard last week. Praying for us all to continue on this next week with God in our hearts and minds. And that maybe, next week can be just a little bit easier. 

Fancy Feathers

Last week I was non-existent as a blogger because we spent the entire turkey break week home in GA and we were busy! It was a great kind of busy, getting to spend time with a lot of family. 

Unfortunately the beginning of our trip was a little sad because Chris's great-aunt passed away during our first night back home. No one wants family members to die, but I admit that I selfishly was glad that it did happen while we were home. We were able to get to see family that came out for the funeral that we wouldn't have actually already gotten to see. Also, just the fact of us getting to be there made it seem better. About a year ago one of Chris's second cousins had passed, and since we are in NOLA, we weren't able to make it. For us, we were glad that we were just able to be there to support our family and loved ones that were hurting.

One day this past week my mamma and I were loading up in my daddys truck to do some runnin' around errands and this is what we found.

Yes that there is a real bird that was stuck under his headlight! What are the chances that he would have hit this thing and then it got stuck?! It totally weirded my mother and I, we joked that it was "looking" at us, and even though it was dead, is still looked like it was alive and would just fly out.  

That was not the only bird we came to encounter last week, we also spent some time with Christi's new chickens! Let me just tell ya' these are the cutest chickens you have ever seen!

(Side note: have you ever seen the movie Despicable Me and one of the little girls gets a giant stuffed unicorn and she runs around screaming, "It's sooooo fluffy!!"? Well for those of you that know what I am talking about, I ran around with one of the chickens for about 5 minutes screaming that.)

Here's Blake holding Mrs. Snowball. Her little afro on her head is blocking her eyes. I repeat, you CAN'T even see her eyes for those feathers. So stinkin cute:)

 

 

Christi has her chickens living in style. Their coop is filled with precious signs hanging on painted walls, an adorable old wagon filled with straw, and even a glass decorative chicken figurine.

 

 

I was very excited to have finally gotten to see the cute birdies!

 

 

Now the last birds I am going to talk about is going to the be the many that we ate this week! Chris and I went down to middle GA to spend Thanksgiving day with all of my moms side of the family. It was great getting to catch up with those that we don't get to see but a few precious times a year. Then on Friday night we went to the Carders to celebrate with them. Of course we loved spending time with Meg, Brandon, Blake, Ashley, and Alex!

 

Now that we are home Chris is a little puny. Today we didn't even get to make the trek to Amite for church. I've gotta go give him his next dose of meds. Hoping I can get his sinus/flu gunk taken care of before this next week gets underway!

Airport Cool

Last night Chris and I caught a later plane and landed in ATL at 9:00. We made it to the NOLA airport about 30 minutes before we had to board and it gave me time to sit and people watch. 

I love to people watch. Looking at what others wear and how they conduct themselves. The airport is a great place to just watch.

And let me tell ya, the NOLA airport doesn't disappoint!  I was able to see several 'ladies of the evening' walking around, men in business suits, an actual indian monk all dressed in his orange robe thing, and then the usual hippy and sloppy bohemian artsy type people new orleans is so famous for. 

We have flown several times now and are a little used to the bussle. We know what it do and where to go. Flying really isn't all that bad, it's just making sure you know where your gate is and that you're not late. 

I have noticed that there is this sense of coolness in how people act at the airport. It's like it's hip to be seen there.

Some people are just like, "Ya, look at me. I'm at the airport. I'm going to act like I'm going to some real exotic place when really I am just catching a plane to see my third cousins, twice removed in Milwaukee."

Complete strangers will also act like best friends. There is this strange and unexplainable bond you make with the person sitting next to you on a plane. Some people will talk about their families and work the whole flight. Once when I was flying alone to GA I sat next to an older man and he told a couple of jokes and opened my little bag of peanuts that I had a hard time doing myself. 

Chris and I are usually quiet on the plane. I don't really like to make small talk. I am just in thought about what the next step is in making sure I get off and on the plane in the correct way. Usually all I do is pass a smile and maybe a little comment about how the plane is full.

Then as soon as the plane lands it goes back to every man for themselves  People are impatient waiting their turn to get off the flight. These 'once friends' strangers are now cutting each other and shoving to get their own bag.

Flying definitely takes the cake as the best way to travel in my opinion. It is remarkable to me that in less than a 55 minute flight I can be in Louisiana. I recommend everyone to fly at least once. Its not all that scary and has a lot of similarities as to just riding in a car. 

I know several people that are afraid to fly and I just say that you shouldn't knack it until you try it.

The Cosbys

I love the Cosby Show. I mean I really LURVE this show!

It is so funny and I wish that they still had shows like that on tv today. Bill Cosby is so funny and Chris loves to search youtube for old stand up comedy tapes of him back before he was Dr. Cliff Huxtable. 

It's just clean humor. I love the scenes with Ruby and how cute she was when she was little. I also like it when Cliff and Theo have their man-to-man talks. 

Chris and I really don't watch the show that much because usually we forget that it is on. But tonight as we are packing our bags and cleaning out our fridge for out trip, we keep cracking up at the funny jokes and scenes.

I bet it was so much fun filming that show. No telling all the pranks and jokes going on behind the scenes.  Oh to have only gotten to be a fly on the wall.

Half Way

Sometimes I just don't know what to write about. Here lately we've had  a lot going on. Between the excitement of Chris's new church position and the crazies going on at my work, we've been pretty boring.

I usually have a million bagillion different ideas going on in my head about what to blog about, but right now I'm kind of in a rut.

I can say that I am overly excited about getting out of this place and flying out to GA on Friday. Yes this FRIDAY!!

I have to work a normal school day, speed home, and then we're off to the airport to leave on a jet plane. I am excited to get away from this stress for over a full week. 

Of course, you know Chris and I, we already have our days for the week pretty much planned out. When you only are home with family and friends for a few precious weeks out of the year, you try to pack in as much as you can in those days.

Hope you are all having a great week and look at the bright side, it's Wednesday night! Half way there:)

Amite

Amite, Louisiana is a quaint little town. The first time Chris and I drove through it both of our eyes were wild with excitement  It has few red lights, a nice new drive in Sonic food stop where the teenagers hang out on Friday nights after football games, and some of the friendliest people you'll ever meet. 

I am in love with the police station. Can't you just imagine Andy and Barney Fife working there? Oh and to make it even cuter, it's also located right next to the railroad tracks. 

In the inner city they have lined the railroad with brick pavers. I can't wait to get my new camera that my parents are giving me for Christmas and go to town here. 

The wind was blowing pretty hard:)

And the part that I'm most partial to, probably because it's the reason why we are in this little town, the inside of the sweet church where Chris is currently the interim of. 

I can't wait to post many, many more pictures but I figured I'd start all my sweet family at home with just a little glimpse:)

You Are I Am

After amazing words were spoken to Chris and I last Sunday night, I was still having some trouble processing in my head all that was said. Rolling things around, and trying to put a logical order to things. Yea right.... like the will of God always has a logical order!

Monday morning on my way to work this song came on. It's by the group Mercy Me and it is named "You are I Am." I have a good 25- 30 minute drive to and from work, and usually this time is spent in prayer and me thinking my days plans out. Monday morning  of course, I was replaying the night before.

When this song came on it was like a slap on the forehead. Ever seen those V8 tomato juice commercials where they slap each other on the foreheads? Anyway, that's what this was like. It's a great song and I hope you pay special attention to the words.

I've been the one to try and say

I'll overcome by my own strength

I've been the one to fall apart

And to start to question who You are

You're the one who conquers giants

You're the one who calls out kings

You shut the mouths of lions

You tell the dead to breathe

You're the one who walks through fire

You take the orphan's hand

You are the one Messiah

You are I am

You are I am

Just What I Needed

Yesterday, I enjoyed the day off work. I got to sleep in, finish grading some of my precious students writings, do some mild cleaning, and even make a dollar store run to get items to fill two Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.

It was a glorious day. It sounds pretty simple, but it was just want I needed. Chris was in class all day and I was able to spend some time all by myself.

We live in an adorable small apartment, but there is seldom a time when I am alone. Guess I'm just a little introverted since I liked getting to snuggle in my pj pants and bop around without someone else there. I really enjoyed getting to just be home and do what I wanted to do, with no real agenda.

Having a Tuesday off was a bit unusual, and it messed with our routine at school. It made it feel like we had two 'mondays' this week. But I'm hoping that it also will make Thursday and Friday fly by!

Stop

Have you ever had a moment when God tells you to just stop?

To just

Stop

everything

and pause.

Well with all the new and exciting things going on around us here in NOLA lately,

that's exactly the moment I had on Sunday.

God told me to just stop everything.

Stop worrying,

stop looking around,

stop fretting about the future,

stop worrying about finances,

stop thinking,

stop blaming,

stop wishing for something else,

stop wanting what others have,

just stop

and be still.

In the movement

when I set everything aside,

it all made sense.

Everything in our current situation all has a purpose.

In the time I personally needed it most, God gave us a reason for being here.

Moving and living here is not all roses and sunshine.

Sometimes it downright stinks.

Chris and I have been here for almost a year and a half.

And we were sick of it.

Our conversations mostly revolved around what we want to do when he get 'home' to GA.

What we want to do with family,

the kind of little house we want,

where we would like to work,

and having sweet precious babies.

We want and miss it all.

It can get lonely here too.

Yea, we got friends.

We have lots here.

People who we enjoy spending time with,

but it still gets lonely.

We miss the familiar,

we miss just being able to go to the grocery store without having fear,

we miss just being able to ride around with the windows down looking for somewhere fun to go.

On Sunday when I stopped,

he was able to start.

Many times my own wishes and thinking gets in the way of his grand plan for things.

And like I said, in the moment when I had downright had enough of living here, and stopped to listen to him, he took over.

The past couple of weeks Chris and I have been trekking it down the highway to the sweetest and cutest little Louisiana town for him to preach.

I can't wait to write and show all of you pictures and tell about how adorable this little church is.

The first time we pulled in the parking lot,

I told Chris that I loved it already. 

On Sunday, Chris was asked to stay and be their interim pastor. In a second everything we have both been going through just clicked.

We now have some excitement back in our lives, and we both immediately snapped out of our moody feelings about living in NOLA.

This news gave us what we've been needing

and we are thankful that we serve an almighty God.

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

Gary

I have been working on this blog post for several months now. 

I keep starting it and then stopping to just start all over.

Gary is Chris's Dad and one of the most loving guys I know.

He loves his family like nobodies business
when times are good and when times are bad.

And let me just tell ya,
he sure loves his boys.

Gary has been there for Christopher and I

more times than I can count.

He is always willing to lend helpful advice,

and he truly knows a lot about all kinds of different stuff.

He has helped us out tons,

and during this first year at seminary, we would have really struggled without him.

I have told my family and several friends,

that Gary is one of my favorite people in his family.

When I am in a mood where I don't feel like talking,

 I know all I have to do is go stand by Gary 

cause he will talk enough so I won't have to say much.

He sure has some good stories to tell, 

and I think my most favorite ones are about when he was a teenager.

I'd say he raised a little cane back in the day:)

I like listening to stories about him having to 'babysit' Chris's mom,

and how she would go to bed and he would stay up all night with MyMy and Paula.

I also love the stories about Chris and Alex growing up

and how he gets a big look of pride when he is talking about them.

I'll say it again,

he sure does love 'em boys.

Gary thanks for allowing me into your family as one of your 'girls'.

I am truly blessed to have one big hearted and generous father in law!

You are loved more than I believe you know,

and Chris and I pray for you and Christi every day.

Halloween

Halloween in NOLA is a big deal.

People GO ALL OUT.

This town is believed to be one of the most haunted cities on Earth.

There are actual people here who believe they are real vampires

and people who have ghosts who talk to them in their homes.

(pretty much just a lot of weird, crazy people)

But I just don't get it when people say

that Halloween is their favorite holiday.

Seriously??

A night where you get to dress up in a costume and eat candy is your FAVORITE holiday of the year?

Chris says he thinks its because it is the first 'big' holiday after a long break with no holidays.

Maybe it is just because Fall has such beautiful weather.

I think some people love it so much because it can easily be a 'zero family involvement' holiday.

Christmas and Thanksgiving are completely family orientated. 

You get together, cook and eat a big meal, give presents, talk about what all you are thankful for,

and yadda yadda.

Halloween for many adults is just is a fun holiday with no mess. You can celebrate with just friends and not have to do the whole family shindig. It CAN be made into a 'just me and my friends' excuse to party.

This may especially be easy to love for people who are not close to their families or have lost loved ones.

Now all that is just a meganism. Completely just my thoughts.

I love to dress up and be silly, but Christmas totally takes the cake in my opinion for being the greatest holiday.

Tonight Chris and I went for a run, ate chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese for dinner, and watched a couple episodes of the tv show, 24, off of netflix.

Overall a pretty good Halloween considering it's just the two of us here.

P.S. Chris and game up with the MOST LEGENDARY costume idea for the 2 of us to dress up as when we move back to GA. Let's just say....... it will be one for the memory books.

Oh.. OHHH how it will blow all of your minds.

Guess we are just gonna have to wait 2 more years until we can show off our awesome costume idea to everyone back home:)

It will be well worth the wait

Snotty

Recently Chris has been maga snotty!

His wittle nose is all stuffyed up and poor thing keeps sucking back up the mucus with yukie gurgling sounds.

I wish he would just blow it all out instead of trying to suck up in his nose.

Ewww..... 

off to go make him down some mucinex and give him a roll of toliet paper to use as tissues!

Neon Leggings

Ok so I get it,

your trying to cross the street.

Just like the chicken, 

all you want to do is get to the other side.

I also understand that you don't own a car,

might have walked a couple of miles already,

or rode a crowded bus with a lot of crazies staring you down.

But.... really, you're going to step out from the median in front of 2 lanes of cars coming at you without looking.

Oh, and how dare I forget to mention that you also are on you phone yacking away.

Yea, so thanks for making me slam on my breaks, screaming in fear that I'm about to run your butt over,

and the car behind me having to make a mad swerve not to hit me.

Oh and you just continued to walk,

 not even noticing my car

(which by a miracle) 

has stopped 3 feet away from you, 

without at much as a glance my way.

Lady wearing the bright neon purple leggings, pink sweatshirt, 

short blond choppy hair cut,  

and cheetah print cell phone case,

you are one lucky dog. 

And if I was you

I sooooooo wouldn't try my luck with THIS little spunky driver again. 

Do You Know Him?

Gets Me EVERY time I watch it!