March Madness

It turns out March has been just about as busy as February...

I turned 25+1 on March 5th and my mom flew out for the weekend as a surprise. We ate at the Sycamore Inn, which was built in like 1914, for my birthday dinner. We didn't quite realize it was going to be as expensive as it was, but it's one of those places that are fun to go to like once a year :)

Corey surprised me by taking me to Coronado Island for a night's stay in the Hotel Del Coronado! My freshman year of college I visited San Diego with my sister for Spring Break and Coronado Island quickly became my favorite place in California. When we moved out here I immediately began pestering Corey to stay in the Del. These are just a few highlights from our wonderful getaway (there's more on facebook).
Coronado Island is in the bottom left corner (the bridge to the right is the only way to get on the Island from San Diego). The big red roof on the Island is the Del :)

The March excitement continued when my sister and her family came out for a visit :) We had a wonderful venture to the Pacific Aquarium in Long Beach, hunted down a Merry-go-round for Maggie to ride a "horse" and ate way too much :)

I thought I had more pictures of Kenny :( I realized I took several on my phone that turned out too dark, but do not mistake his lack of pictures as Corey and I not loving him as much as Mags :) He's an amazingly sweet little guy who loves everyone, even me :) Oh, and I think seahorses are way cool, that's why there's a featured pic of one :)

February, in a nutshell...

I have a very good friend (aka. Amanda:) who very sensitively told me I'm not doing a very good job of watering my blog. That was several months ago and here I am still averaging about one post a month :) I do apologize for the lack of stability in my updating. However, I feel I am somewhat justified for the recent silence. I was in Birmingham for about a week and half visiting my sister for the birth of her fourth child. Yes, that's right, I said fourth. I don't know how she is able to do life day in and day out with that many children (all under the age of five) but not only does she do it, she does it amazingly. Thatcher David Reed was born February 10th! It was so good to be there for the birth of my sixth niece/nephew and I was able to get a healthy dose of life with children :)

I also got a not so healthy dose of bronchitis from my parents just in time for me to fly back to California. This wasn't quite as easy as just hopping on my flight home though. Because I was flying standby I wasn't able to get an open seat for two days (I needed to get back in order to leave again for Chick-fil-A's annual Seminar with Corey) so I resorted to buying a one way ticket for FAR more than a one way ticket should cost :( I set off on my overpriced American Airlines journey back to Rancho Cucamonga and Corey on Friday morning only to turn around and head to San Antonio on Saturday. Oh, I forgot to mention that I started out at four in the morning throwing up and trying desperately to not get dehydrated by drinking ginger ale, only to throw it back up again (sorry, TMI). As you can imagine, not the greatest of airline traveling experiences. I seem to have a knack for those :) Our trip to San Antonio is an entirely different story...

Let's just say that Corey is not too fond of Southwest's boarding policy as we weren't able to sit next to each other on our first flight and couldn't hear The Office on the second (because of the loud hoodlems behind us). While San Antonio seems like a wonderful city, our one free afternoon was spent in the urgent care for me to get a shot of steroids and a breathing treatment (and the incorrect diagnosis of "environmental allergies", when in reality I couldn't breathe because I had bronchitis), so we weren't really able to see very much of it. The details of Seminar are too extensive to share here but we did enjoy our time there and all that Chick-fil-A provided for us.

Chick-fil-A's Seminar is where the Symbol of Success Winners are presented and honored on stage, which made this year's Seminar extra special because Corey hit Symbol! I've said this before but Symbol is when your store does a 17% increase in sales from the previous year of sales. Let me just brag on my husband for a moment by saying that we were third in the West Coast market for Sales Dollar increase from the previous year and first in the West Coast market for Sales Percentage Increase from the previous year (also, he sent me beautiful tulips and chocolate covered strawberries for V-day while I was in Birmingham...I felt like that needed to be mentioned as well:)! Our store also hit the two million milestone mark! I am very proud of the Chick-fil-A Operator Corey is becoming and looking forward to what is in store for us! Hitting Symbol also means that we get a one year lease to a brand new Ford vehicle (we get the title if we hit it again next year :).
This is what we got...

Seminar reminds me of how generous and honorable the Cathy family is. We owe them so much...Corey and I would never have met if not for WinShape and we would certainly not be where we are without Chick-fil-A. We celebrated Truett's 90th Birthday at Seminar! I honestly could not sing without crying. From this man's vision, hard work and honest living thousands of lives have been touched and changed. I cannot describe how truly grateful I am to him and his family for living their lives truly honoring our Father.

Corey and I are tremendously blessed beyond what we could imagine. It's pretty amazing to look back through your life and see how the Lord pieces the puzzle together and how evident His grace is in all our lives.

ps...I'm on antibiotics now for my sickly self. I just hope I didn't infect a large majority of the Chick-fil-A population while trying to get over my "environmental allergies".

Just a few...

If you know me at all, you know I get annoyed pretty easily. I admit it's not one of my best character traits, but at least I'm aware of it, right? Corey always says that when we pray for patience the Lord doesn't just give us patience, rather, he gives us opportunities to practice patience (pretty profound, I know ;). Anyway, here are several of my pet peeves, things that really get under my skin, things that help me practice patience ;) I know I'm not covering them all, but that's probably for the best. Here are the most prominent ones...

~ Please stop pulling out in front of me when there is absolutely no one behind me! Could you not have waited five more seconds?

~ When you carry on luggage, please put your over sized suit case directly above your seat! Those of us who don't want to get on the plane as soon as possible, only to be sitting in the seat we will be sandwiched into for the next 5 hours, have no where to put our luggage because yours has to be at the front of the plane for a quick escape! We're all getting on and off the plane, what's the rush!?!

~ Stop stealing! I seriously hate when people steal! What makes you think you can have something that's someone else's just because you want it? There is WAY too much stealing going on in the world these days!

~ Get your hands out of her back pockets! Stop the PDA! No one in their right mind wants to watch someone else make out or fondle one another, especially in person. Eww! Ps...just because your in line at Six Flags it is still not a an acceptable form of public behavior!

~ Shut your mouth! Why do people feel like they have the right to say anything they want? If you're going to talk loud enough for others to hear you, especially when there are CHILDREN around, DO NOT curse!


Now that I have had time to fully adjust to life in California, I have found that I have picked up a few more pet peeves. I suppose you could categorize these as "Californian Peeves"...

California Peeve #6 - Don't even think about someone allowing you to back out of a parking space! If someone is trying to back or pull out of parking space, let them! I don't actually know who has the right of way in this situation but come on people, have some sense of common courtesy!

California Peeve #5 - Who told motorcyclists it's okay for them to ride between cars? I'm talking about riding the line that is meant to separate and distinguish lanes. I mean, is it not a sign to anyone else that when a motorcycle passes so closely to actually reach in your open window, it might be a danger? Yes, they're small and able to maneuver quickly, but just because they're wearing helmets doesn't mean they're immune from wrecking! If you're going to ride a motorcycle (which is a terrible idea in the first place, if you want my honest opinion) be responsible (and know that these 2 ton cars the rest of us are driving are pretty hard to stop on a dime)!

California Peeve #4 - Stop wearing tights as though they are skinny jeans. I understand jeggings (for those of you who are skinny enough to make them actually look like tight fitting jeans) but no one wants to see that. Seriously, it outlines things you don't want outlined. It's not flattering, even on the skinniest of people. Tights with a shirt that does not reach beyond the lip of your butt cheeks is not a proper outfit. Put on some pants!

California Peeve #3 - A wave of gratitude might be nice! Let's say I stop and let you back out or I let you pull in front of me, please have enough decency to raise your hand in some attempt to show that you recognize the gesture!

California Peeve #2 - "Tagging", otherwise known as graffiti. Why? Why!?!

California Peeve #1 - This is a big one! My number 1 pet peeve at the moment!
Return your buggies!!! Seriously? Take thirty seconds to walk the five feet to return your shopping cart to it's proper place. Hello people! When you leave a buggy in the middle of a parking lot, you inhibit others from parking there! Let's not forget about the poor employee who has to round up all these neglected buggies! I see shopping carts all over the place. The bus stop. The entrance to our apartment complex. A street corner. The side walk. These are not proper places to leave a buggy!



I realize some of these are petty and stupid, but sometimes, I just wish people would consider others when making their day to day decisions. I know in the grand scheme of life these things really don't matter, that we are all selfish sinners and that we all need a little grace (okay a lot), just don't let me catch you not returning your buggy!

Another year gone by...

I know it's been a while, too long, since my last post. I'm still convinced my life really isn't that interesting to read about, but I've been inspired by some other blogs I follow to at least mention the year that has just ended. It has been an eventful year to say the least. A year filled with change and acclimation. I have tried to document 2010 by putting together a series of pictures that illustrate the events that stand out in my memory from each month. There are a few months I don't have pictures from, but for the most, part here was my 2010...

JANUARY

We were in Atlanta all of January for Corey's FRL Operator training so I was able to spend lots
of time with my family. I spent the better part of this month the sickest I can remember being in a long time though, so I don't have many memorable pics.

FEBRUARY

Corey graduates from FRL at the Chick-fil-A Home Office, officially making him a Chick-fil-A Operator!

Maggie Moo turns One Year Old! We were able to be at her party because of Corey's FRL training.

The Colts lose the Super Bowl...sad day.

Corey and I pack up all our belongings and move to Rancho Cucamonga, California. It was a pretty memorable trip I would say...the seats didn't recline, Peyton was secluded to a tiny space between us where she could barely lay down, we drove through several construction zones where for miles there were endless amounts of potholes and Corey and I both got incredibly sick somewhere in Oklahoma...still waiting for the day when we can look back and laugh about it.

Corey's first day as an Operator :) That's the cow they gave him when he graduated ;)

We officially own a Chick-fil-A!

We also went to Chick-fil-A's annual Seminar in Washington DC the end of February, but I have no pictures for some reason :(

MARCH
In March, Brent Linn, one of Corey's college friends came to live with us for a few weeks to help in the store as part of a program for new operators. We loved having him! We went to Disneyland but it's not documented with pictures (neither is my 25th birthday).

APRIL


Corey and I visit California Adventure!

Amanda, Allie and Sarah come for a visit for their Spring Break! So happy to have some our
first visitors! Had a blast with them, as usual!

Noah turns Five Years Old! We weren't able to be at his cowboy party though :(


MAY

Dad visits for the 2nd time! We take little trips to LA, Malibu and Temecula for some
wine tasting! Such fun and we're really expanding his horizons (before visiting us in Cali he
had never been west of the Mississippi River!).

Sutton turns One Year Old! We weren't able to be there for his party either :(

Jane Matthew turns Three Years Old! We were skyped in for her Princess Party ;)

JUNE

Molly, Jacob, Maggie and "Kenny to be" come for a surprise visit!
We were able to go to Sea World, Tom's Farms and the Dodger/Braves game ;)

Our first time celebrating Cow Appreciations Day at our own store! (this is the only pic I could find of one of us on that day;)

I meet Kris Allen on a Southwest flight to Birmingham! He was so nice! Seriously, one of the few celebrities I really ever wanted to meet! This right here, may have made my year complete ;)

Sweet Kenny is born! My third nephew...wishing I could see him more.

The Neshoba County Fair! Papa Clayton is my only living Grandparent and he is precious! We are so very thankful for him!

AUGUST
I can't really remember a whole lot about August except that it was hot is Southern California.

SEPTEMBER

My niece, Sharon, gets married in Douglasville, GA and another niece Trisha comes back into our lives. Both such special blessings from the Lord!

OCTOBER

We're home for about 2 weeks and able to go to Mountain Day in Rome and spend some wonderful time with our friends (who we miss dearly)!

Corey and I finally start making friends and we get invited to a Halloween party! We are Bert and Ernie, in case that needed some clarification (Corey's mom made these!).

NOVEMBER

We're able to go home for Thanksgiving and spend time with both our families! We celebrated Christmas together, played some Wii and took endless amounts of pictures like this to try to get a good one for mom's Christmas card (which I think she has yet to send out ;).

All of us playing baseball with Noah...he LOVES baseball and wanted nothing more than for
all of us to play together! I'm pretty confident it's now a Thanksgiving family tradition ;)

DECEMBER

Mom and Dad come out to Cali for Christmas! We ate a HUGE Christmas Eve dinner and spent Christmas afternoon with our pastor and his sweet family. It was a wonderful way to spend Christmas. My parent's and I also ventured to a place called Oak Glen, a wonderful apple orchard mountain community with some of the best cider I've ever tasted!

December brought another wonderful milestone for our store. We hit our goal of Symbol of Success, which is a 17% increase in sales from the previous year! Chick-fil-A awards the Symbol of Success winners with a brand new Ford vehicle! Ours will be cow spotted ;)
Don't worry, there will be pictures to come ;)

2010 has officially come and gone and I can't help but feel a little sadness at it's departure. Time has passed by so quickly, yet again. I know 2011 will bring new opportunities, new blessings and new challenges, but I can't help remembering all that we experienced in 2010. Corey and I officially left our family and friends and began a brand new life on the opposite side of the country. I can honestly say that I was terrified. Terrified to own our own business in an economy and a state that were rapidly withering. Terrified of being so far from all that was familiar and all the people I loved. Terrified of missing out. Those fears slowly dissipated as we began to settle in and life continued despite the fact that we were living life in a completely different place. Corey and I came to understand what it meant to work together and own a successful business together. We began to make new friends and share in their lives. We realized this door to Southern California that was opened to us was opened for a reason, and we are so very grateful. There are things we miss, and always will, and there things we have come to greatly appreciate about our new lives. I know my heart will always be split down the middle, each side belonging to different ends of the country, but I suppose I have come to accept it now, learned how to live with the break. As the New Year is now fully underway, we are looking forward to all that it will bring. We certainly intend to live this one to it's fullest, to appreciate how much we have been blessed and to remember all that brought us this far.

Ps...2010 was the beginning of something else I almost forgot about! My blog. Thank you for being interested in reading it. It makes me feel connected to the people I miss and don't get to talk to everyday. Thank you to those of you who pushed me to do it :)