Bloopers.

As I sit here reading about Carbonic Anhydrase and Hemoglobinopathies I remembered that I meant to post these pictures forever ago. And yes, that is what I would rather be doing. Here are the outtakes from this past Christmas Card. Enjoy.

And yes, there are a lot more. 

Crushed red velvet jackets are favorite.

I love the holidays. I love being with my family and exchanging gifts. I love the cozy way my house feels with all of its cute decorations. I absolutely love the way my family still decorates the house in Tampa. So lovely. And well of course the food is amazing. This past holiday season was quite busy. Zach and I started off early by joining our family from Tallahassee at the Farmhouse for an early Christmas, complete with a Christmas tree. Cathy managed to decorate the house so it was Christmas cozy. Though we were only there for a weekend, I managed to feel supremely relaxed. I love the farm.

Cozy around the bonfire.

Wheelers

On Saturday Lucy, Sharkey (Lucy's Beau), and I headed to this super cute place called Wheelers to find some last minute gifts. The place was packed with quirky metal art. I found a red barn bird cage for Grandma and Grampa Grant and a little armadillo for Cathy. 

Zach picks up every dog.

We had a great time with family and I have Lucy to thank for taking all of the above pictures on her Iphone. After the farmhouse Zach and I headed back to Saint Augustine so Zach could be at Church Sunday morning.  At some point in time we realized we should open each others gifts so we did and it was sooo fun! My favorite gift was a fishing pole. Super surprised and so excited to go fishing!

Christmas Eve we attended Mass with Grandma and Grampa Grant and had Christmas breakfast with them and the some other Grant Family members at 2am. It was delicious and we had a surprising amount of energy. We exchanged gifts and then headed home for a hot second to pack the car, then we were off to Tampa!  I saw my childhood cat, Sylvester and decided it was time for a photo shoot. He's old and I love him. 

I had to take some pictures of the house in Tampa, these are just a few but I love how cozy and wonderful everything feels. Makes me think of growing up in this house. Oh if walls could talk. There was a point when Dad and Cat made Lucy get up on a stool to prove that a mark on the ceiling was in fact from a party a long time ago and not from her most recent shindig. So funny.

Christmas morning was so fun. I love watching people open their gifts. In fact it took a while because we all wanted to see what everyone had picked out for each other. We are all so proud of our little gifts. The rest of the family came over for our annual White Elephant gift exchange, which was hilarious. At times also frustrating--but that's a whole other post. 

The rest of the day was filled with relaxing and lounging around the house. At some point in time Cathy treated Lucy, Sharkey, Zach and I to dinner at Timpanos in Hyde Park. It was lovely. 

 

While we were in Tampa we also attended a wedding. My hilarious friend Joey from high school married his high school sweetheart, Courtney. They are such a great couple and I am so happy they ended up together.  I had to get a shot of Zach in his crushed red velvet jacket that I am so proud of. I had so much fun at the wedding. It was so great to be able to hang out with some of my favorites from high school. They were hilarious back then and still are now. I love my friends.

 Right after the wedding Zach and I headed back up to Saint A so he could make it to the church Sunday morning. Needless to say, I was not there. After church and a bit renegotiating space in the car we were ready for our next adventure. Josh, Zach Carson, Jayce, and my Zach packed into Jayce's car and Cally with me in my car. We all headed  back to the farm for our New Years weekend. We stopped at Cracker Barrel first obviously. So delicious. Cally and I immediately jumped on the tractor to "take care" of some brush. Dad asked us to move some branches to the bonfire pile and we decided the only way to do that was with the tractor. We joked that the ground was lava and the only safe places were the tractor and the ATV. So fun.

I am not actually a giant.

We are cowgirls.

The guys were pretty quick to get out in the field and shoot. They are the tiny specks.

Cowgirl Cally.

Zach sent out the skeet for us. 

One of my favorite spots at the farm is the hammock. So wonderful.

Dad and Cathy celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary on the 1st! Congratulations! Zach and I celebrate our 4th on the 1oth! Can't believe it's been 4 years already. That's also another post. 

Love you!

Itchy?

In under a month Zach and I will be celebrating our 4 year wedding anniversary! That's so crazy. The other night we were talking about how long we have been married and Zach said, "We're almost to the seven year itch. . .and I'm not even the tiniest bit itchy."

I love him.

Also, I turned in my application for University of Saint Augustine today. Booya!

Love you.

Faith.

Our memories are fleeting. Oxymoron? Well some are. 

For example, we are currently under a bit of stress. Just a month ago Zach and I both felt like everything was being taken care of and our jobs were enough and my classes were fine and everyone was happy. But then all of a sudden I find we are both going crazy. Though I could speak of Zachs stressors, I know I shouldn't considering this is such a public space and he might not be too comfortable with that. So I will stick with my own. 

If you have read past blog posts you are well aware that I loathe the education system (for the most part) and have just recently found that long-lost Physics class--in NJ of all places. . .and after a small fortune was spent on registering for the class, we still have to shell out for an at home lab kit. Yep. 

Money. Always such a joyful topic. Less then a month ago Zach and I were in such a comfortable place. Money to cover our cost of living (bills, groceries, etc) and even a little bit extra for fun. Then life school happened plus the casual unforeseen costs of random life things. So stressful! What's good about this is---well no----nothing is good about this----what HELPS during this time is being married to Zach. We have each other, so we are able to take turns being stressed. Today it is my turn. And man do I feel it. The other day it was his turn, and I was there to positively say, "It's ok, Love. Everything is going to be just fine," which is what Zach said to me today. And that's the thing, we both know that it all will be, in fact, just fine. 

Ya know what also helps? Being a Christian. It's times like this when I find myself truly relying on prayer and its calming effects. Now don't go and picture me in a glowy room incessantly praying, all peaceful and warm. That's not how it is. My prayer time is typically found on my drive to school. Normally out loud and maybe a bit sarcastic, yet hopeful. I know without a doubt in my mind that Zach and I are being cared for by a most amazing and constant God. 

Where was I? Oh yes, memories. I was just looking over what money we should have coming in soon and I realize that in less then ten days we will be back in that happy place. Or at least some version of it.  But when we are stressed we feel like that horrible feeling is never going away. It's hard to see things in  a big picture sorta way. 

If this blog post has caught you off guard, sorry. I do realize that it is a bit taboo for me to discuss money (gasp) and religion (GASP) in a post instead of our cute kitties and our romantic life full of happiness. . . but well. . . I don't care.

Love you all. 

Just Because. . .