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One Year Ago Today we moved from our sweet 'first home' tailor (pictured above) to New Orleans.

Can you believe how fast this past year has gone??

Looking back I was scared to leave this place. I was so worried about NOLA and what changes were going to be happening to our lives.

Now... I am happy as can be.

God has given us BIG plans here,

and recently (in the past week)

very exciting news has come along.

It seems like we have been here for more than 1 year to me.

With all the new friends, new jobs, new experiences that have taken place,

we have a whole stockpile of memories made.

This past year I have missed my family.

I miss having them just right down the road,

and I have realized how much I took that for granted when we did live close.

I hate missing out on things that are happening back at home.

Sweet friends weddings, new babies, and loosing touch.

I have come to know that life as a preacher's wife is going to mean that I will come In and Out of contact with lots of people through the years. 

I have learned through this past year to love NOLA. In the beginning it was hard. A lot of adjustments,

but now, I am proud to say I live here.

On Tuesday we are going back 'home' to GA. Ready to see love ones and to have a little VACA time:) 

Out With A Bang

Yep... the picture above is of a broken door.

Can you guess who broke is?

Ding, Ding, Your CORRECT! 

It was me:)

This past Wednesday was the last day of school for students.

I had carpool duty and as soon as the kiddoes were all gone I went threw this door to start on packing up my classroom.

As I opened it like normal,

it broke,

and ALMOST hit me right on the head!

I screamed, did a lighting fast ninja Karate move to get out of the way,

and then stood in disbelief.

Did that really just happen?

I mean really, I just broke the door!

I ran up to the office and told them about what happened.

Luckily for our school, we have cameras and everyone in the office was capable of watching the whole thing on recorded tape! 

My reaction after it happened was priceless! You could see my face, with my mouth hanging open, and my hands going all over the place. 

Thank goodness there was no sound, cause there is no telling what was coming out of my mouth while I was screaming!!

Thank Goodness it happened on the Last Day of school!

Thank Goodness it happened to me and not to a student!

Thank Goodness that this heavy glass door didn't hit me on the head!

Yes, that's how I like to end the school year. With a BIG bang!

Do You?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

Mark 12:30

And the question is..

DO you??

After this mornings sermon at First Baptist of New Orleans

(or FBC NOLA as I like to call it)

I took a harder look at myself.

I know I love the Lord with all my soul and I'd say with all my heart.

But... I am failing him with the all my strength part.

Are you the type of Christian who says to themselves,

"Well I'm saved, I'm going to heaven, I believe in him. But I don't really need to go to church or live the Christian lifestyle, I can just do what I want, cause I know God will just forgive me anyways."

There are SOOO many Christians who follow the above statement,

and I admit I have been one of them.

I thought that since I was half way trying to do the right things then I was okay, cause he would just forgive me for the rest.

Sometimes we try to rationalize God's forgiveness, but honestly it really doesn't work that way.

I need to Love God with all my strength. That means with all my power I am to honor him. 

With Everything..

I know I will fail. But at least I can wholeheartedly  try and stop making excuses for myself before I even fail him in the first place. 

Cray Cray

So most EVERYONE knows how baby crazy I am.

I have been this way for a long time.

I have always LOVED children,

my favorite part of working in a Daycare for 5 years was getting to rock the sweet babies to sleep,

feeding them bottles, and I admit that I didn't mind too bad changing 30 plus diapers a day:)

Hmm.... other favorites included skipping around with the 2 year olds playing babies,

running in the field (playground area) and trying to keep up with little 3 year old legs,

and teaching the 4 year olds nursery rhyme songs while acting like a 4 year old myself!!

I admit I loved everything about working with all those precious children, and have MANY favorites.

One day after school at work this past week, 

the faculty threw a surprise baby shower for 2 laddies that are expecting this summer.

I stayed after to help clean up and my boss, the elementary principal,

came over to me and whispered,

"Megan, hold out your hand."

Hey... she's my boss and I love this woman, and would honestly do anything for her,

so I didn't object.

She slipped this sweet bracelet over my fingers,

and with a wink replied

"for good luck!"

My chin hit the floor and I replied,

"Oh No! This would be for bad luck! I can't CAN'T have a baby in NOLA:)"

Her response as she walked away was a laugh and,

"Well you never know!"

Can you see how baby cray cray I am! Even my boss knows it!

haha... I wore the bracelet all the way home and showed Chris.

I was surprised when he didn't initially snatch it up off my wrist.

His response,

"Oh we'll have a baby one day. In God's time."

Ok.... now so my prayer is this..

"God.... can we somehow speed up your time? 

I know you have BIGGER plans for me,

and I imagine Chris and my sweet grandparents playing with our children right now in heaven,

but.... I want them too..."

Will I ever get to have a baby??

His response, along with a deep roaring laugh,

"My sweet child, don't you see?

My plan is BETTER than you can even imagine."

Then with a wink,

"Trust me... It will be worth the wait." 

5 Days

Welp... my school year is coming to an end.

ONLY 5 days!

I remember being excited as a kid for the summer.

I couldn't wait to get to sleep in and spend all day at our neighborhood pool.

Now that I'm a teacher, I realize JUST how much all of my past teachers were ready for summer!

Man you think the kids are ready,

but the teachers get summer-itus REALLLL bad!!

Today during my break I started pulling down a couple of things off my walls. 

I took down student work that needs to go home and a couple of posters that I made that I want to laminate with the schools machine to get to save for next year.

Just by taking down those few items from the walls,

made the whole room look different to me.

Only a couple of my kiddoes noticed, but to me....

it sparked a FIRE! I can't wait to take down everything and organize all my mess.

I can't wait to look through my file cabinet and throw away unwanted papers.

I can't wait to put in my lasts grades online,

AND I can't wait for summer!!

The Baby

In case you didn't already know from reading my blog,

but I am a daddy's girl and my mama's baby.

I want to wish the greatest mama in the whole world a very 

VERY good mother's day!

Oh and by the way, mama I have already tried to call you 2 times this morning, and you have not answered your phone:)

One day I hope I can be just as good of a mother as she has been to me! 

I love this picture from my wedding. It is 3 generations of hands.

How both of those ladies hands have worked hard to raise me!

Thank you grandma! I wish you also a very happy mother's day!

Just look at the family that is here because of your hard work!

Birthday Boy

This past week somebody had a birthday!

Let me give you some hints:

- he is sweet as pie

-cute as a button

- incredibly handsome

- stupidly smart

- laugh my socks of funny

- one more thing, he's mine:)

Chris is officially 25. 

Him being 25 makes both of us feel so old!

We had planned that when he was 25 we would be settled, have our own home, both have jobs in our fields, AND have children.

But.. God has bigger and better plans for us,

and right now

we are exactly where he wants us to be at 25.

Today we celebrated his birthday.

He was desperately wanting to see the Avengers movie,

and it was pretty awesome! 

We both really liked all the action and fighting scenes in it.

Then we went and ate Canes, 

which is a New Orleans version of Zaxby's for my GA peeps,

and settled down on the sofa for an afternoon of watching golf:)

Saturday

Saturday I went to the zoo with this little guy!

Isn't he a cutie!!

His name is Rome and the sweet gal on the left is Charisse.

Charisse, Rome, me, and Romes momma, Laurie, all went to the Audubon zoo!

We had a blast looking at the giraffes, monkeys, and turtles:)

But the best part was the zoo's water park.

Now,  Charisse and I just love this little boy and we couldn't let him play without some friends,

so we jumped in there with him in our clothes and all!!

I think we had more fun than him!!

I am gonna miss little Rome, Laurie, and Josh,

they are the sweetest little family

and are moving to Idaho very soon!

The hard part about seminary is making friends from all over the country,

and then having to watch them move away!

Charisse and her husband Preston are also moving very soon!

Wishing these sweet friends happiness in their new travels and that they always remember their NOBTS 'family.'

Time Well Spent

This last weekend my sweet parents came for a visit! Chris and I always love it when family comes because it gives us an excuse to get to go exploring the city.

We starting off eating at the cutest little hole in the wall restaurant.

I learned about it from watching the news one morning and they said it was a place that locals eat, so I just knew we had to eat there.

We all ordered the same thing, crab cake eggs benedict. (above picture)

I have never eaten eggs benedict before and it was quite and experience!

It was good, in a different kind of way, and I ate all mine up!

Chris didn't like the eggs, because they were poached and really runny, so he just ate everything else!

Overall Panola St. Cafe is definitely a place Chris and I will be going back too!

They had a lot of good lookin' food on their menu:) 

Then we loaded up for a walking tour of the St. Louis Cemetery! 

It is the oldest cemetery in NOLA and I got a deal on this tour from a Groupon!

Groupons are online coupon deals, and we got this tour for more than half off the original price!

The voodoo queen, Marie Laveau's, grave is pictured below.

It was neat hearing about how the city buries all these people. 

In some tombs there are hundreds of people buried!

They just brush the 'ash' from the deceased person to the back and throw the next body in!

Totally gross, but really neat at the same time.

Nicolas Cage's Pyramid Tomb is pictured below. It is crazy how much he spent on this thing!

Some of them were in really bad shape and were cracked! I couldn't help but look inside some of them!

Had a blast with my folks and didn't want them too leave!!