Williamsburg

I went to see Justin as you know... while I was there I took advantage of a great history lesson and went to Williamsburg, VA! It was crazy to think that the gravel I was walking on could have been the same the George Washington and Thomas Jefferson walked on... We went into the church that these men also attended.... I kept thinking about the faith and courage they all had in order to rebel against the British... Above are a few pictures from the trip.... I took a picture of the ole pharmacy in honor of Mary and Court.... I also wanted you to take note of Rick and Kyles competition... they better treat us right....

More pictures to come from the Summer. I am really trying to take more pictures.. I take my camera everywhere but always forget to take pictures. We had a wonderful 4th of July with family at Lay Lake. We are looking forward to a wonderful weekend. We can't wait to celebrate this special time with Chris and Mary Lindsey.

Crazy couple of weeks!

Well hello friends. Sorry I have been a bit out of the loop with my blog. I am sure you have been checking religiously to see an update from "The Chrismans"! It has been a busy last couple of weeks and from the looks of the calendar, things are just getting started....
June 12th.... went to Butch Camp... Yeah... you read it correctly... it is called B-U-T-C-H camp! It is an annual event that takes place at the lake with 6 of my high school friends. There is only one expectation that I have for Butch Camp every year... and that is a GREAT TIME! We eat ALOT, drink some (after the recreational activites of course), do the aqua jogger, take wonderful boat rides, play catch phrase, laugh until your stomach hurts, and last but definately not least, play who can prove that they are the biggest facebook stalker with the juicest info from Parkview's finest. If you can't tell... It is a blast.
June 15th- Virginia to see Justin... Sally and I packed up the Altima(gets way better gas mileage than the Pilot... Rick made a deal... I pay for gas... you drive your car... I took that deal! We made it to Virginia on one tank of gas and we had 78 miles to spare) and drove nine hours to Portsmouth,VA. This is where Justin currently lives. Justin is the youngest of my three older brothers(I am acting like some distant strager reads my blog). It was such a wonderful trip. My mom and I had a lot of bonding time. It really hit me during the trip that my relationship with my mom has definately shifted to like a best friend relationship. We have always been super close but it is just a different type of relationship now that I am such a grown up. Justin was so wonderful. I miss the days in Auburn where he lived four minutes from me. I really just miss him. He is so good to me and loves me eventhough he has had to put up with me for 23 years! I got to go to his workplace at the shipyard... He is a true GI JOE!!! I walked into his building and looked on the wall on the right side and there was justin's picture with the title, Officer in Charge. It made me so happy that I could call him my brother. I am so proud of you Justin and the wonderful Navy man that you have become. Your work ethic glorifies the Lord so much and because of your dedication and Leadership, young men are seeing the Lord's love. Thanks for the great visit. I can't wait to see you July 4th. (Pictures to come)
June 21st........Father's Day.. Kyle and I had my family over for a cookout. It was so fun to be with them.... I love my Dad so much and appreciate his love, support, and laughs along the way. It is also great to see my brother, Jacob as a father. He has two little girls that give him a run for his money everyday! Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads! Kyle is going to celebrate Fathers Day with his dad this coming weekend because his dad was out of town this past weekend. Happy Fathers Day Ken!
YAY FOR THE WEEKEND!!! I am leaving in the morning to go to the beach for Maggie's batch party! We will be in Panama City for the weekend. It is going to be a great time. Be looking for pictures next weekend. I will miss you Kyle.. Enjoy the house to your self and some freedom away from your wife.... And to my sweet friend Mary Lindsey.... Have a great time this weekend... I wish I could be there but I know you are going to have a blast......

MARRIAGE

The Winery at Chateau Elan is above. There were three weddings going on while we were there so that was really fun! And there wine is awesome BTW!!

Ok... So I apoligize in advance to my readers.. considering I have no children, I am allergic to practically every animal and therefore cannot have a pet, my postings tend to be a bit boring and a bit repetitive, "I love being married and I love teaching," So if there is any faithful readers out there, (thanks Kim) it means alot that you would stick with me eventhough my words are not meaningful or a bit entertaining... so with that said.... YAY!! We made it a year... Does that mean I am no longer a newlywed? When I am out in public, will I still get asked the question, "So... hows married life?" Hmmm... questions I ponder.. I was talking to one of my dear friends on the phone last night (love you Mary) and she said, "Someone told me that your first year of marriage is the hardest. What do you think?" I told her that all I knew was the first year so I will have to get back to her after the second year. Some of the wisest advice that I have received is that marriage is the hardest and most wonderful thing all at the same time. I agree with that completely. Each party in the marriage has to work at it each and everyday..... and when this happens.... it is the time of your life!!

If I were not a teacher, I really think I would enjoy being a relationship counselor. I am intrigued by relationships... not just in marriage.. but in friendships, families, etc. I see the Lord's work so much in people and in realtionships and so I think this is what enthralls me. Kyle heres me on the phone some times and tells me that I should start charging my clients.. So anyway... all of this rambling to say.. I have been thinking a lot about dating/marriage relationships lately. It hurts my heart to think that 50% of marriages today end in divorce! Yikes.... it kills me to here about unfaithfulness in relationships.. and lie after lie.. And those who suffer from having a phobia to commitment.. and sweet and beautiful girls always being available when he is finally ready to take them to dinner.. What can we do to get relationships back to the way the Lord intended them to be?

Happy Anniversay Kyle.... I love you and thank you for the best year of my life (I only wish you read my blog!!!)

SUMMERTIME

I am finally back in the blogging world! I have stayed current on many friends and strangers blogs over the past ten months but did not update my own blog.... So here I am on my first day of Summer to update my blog. The picture above is our house. Some of you might notice that we have made a lot of changes throughout the year. The top picture is the before and the bottom is the after! We have had to cut down nine pine trees since we moved in a year ago! This is something I never considered in our budget... Let's just say that nine trees is quite the investment!!! We are loving our house and the Peachtree Corners area. Besides the trees, we have planted many bushes and flowers (That the deer have loved eating), and also painted the house and the shutters. It is a work in progress!

I can't believe I have one year of teaching under my belt! It was such a fast year and such a learning experience. The great thing is I absolutely love it! Kyle thought I was a huge dork many of mornings because I was like a little girl on Christmas morning when I would be going to work. Sure I had many obstacles and challenges along the way, but the Lord was my rock!

Kyle is doing great. He is working a lot and loving watching the Braves. We cannot believe that we are about to celebrate our year anniversary. Kyle has made plans for us to spend the weekend at Chateau Elan. We have had the opportunity to hear Andy Stanley preach a series on "Staying in Love" over the past month. It has really challeneged and encouraged our marriage. Check them out http://www.buckheadchurch.org/messages (Click on the series that says Staying in Love) We are looking forward to all of the festivites that our planned for the Summer.

I am planning on being a constant throughout the Summer so please visit our blog often. Thankyou all for your love and support always! God Bless and War Eagle!

Is Summer really almost over?!?

Hello all.. or maybe just to myself as I read my blog over and over again in hopes that someone else might appreciate my babble. I cannot believe that it is the 25th of July. I start my teaching profession officially on the 30th... YIKES IS RIGHT! I have been trying hard to get the classroom in tip top shape this week but the same thing happens everyday... I turn circles like a dog! For the last couple of years I longed for the day of having my own classroom, and now of course that I have it I am looking for someone to tell me how to do everything..... And lets be honest... for those of you who know me, (ok julie... do you REALLY think some stranger is going to read your blog) creativity is not my best quality. So you could only imagine my stress level right now as I stare at a bulletin board the size of Stone Moutain...
However, besides the decorating, I am so excited about teaching. I will have 10-12 first and second grade students. It is a mild autism classroom and it is going to be a great but challenging year. It is crazy to plan the shape and style of a room when you do not know one student who will be sitting in those tiny desks and chairs. I love the challenge... the chance to make a difference in each one of their lives. Some days might be harder than others and I might not prepare the best lesson, but my number one goal is for each one of them to get on their bus in the afternoon and feel loved! Children are a gift from God and I can't wait to be surrounded by His presence each and every day.....
I had a lunch and shopping date today with Mandy, Issa, and Mae. What a treat?!? Issa and me played hide and seek in the clothes racks at The Children's Place.. shhh.. don't tell her mom. And Mae Mae could not be any cuter... I love to eat meals with her because she gives me some competition as the worlds best eater! And Mandy is such a blessing and truly is the sister I never have. Thanks Allbritton girls for such a special day!
I think I have said enough for the day.... I wish you all a wonderful weekend. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my husband.... get home from work already..... TGIF!!! And can't wait to be with Amanda and Kristen!!! I love you all!

Is it really all over?

I have decided that I would give this Blog thing a shot since I have had more free time on my hands now than I have in four years and I have been thinking ALOT! It is really so hard for me to believe that the wedding is all over. For 11 months, I was consumed with The Wedding. So much to consider.... So much worry... So much stress... and now.. for it all to be over... Because so much went into planning the wedding, I have caught myself asking Kyle a time or two if we could have another ceremony and get married again! The wedding weekend was amazing and I am so grateful for all of the memories. I still sometimes wake up and ponder about how I could have made this or that better, but in reality, it could not have been any better for Kyle and me.

The Lord's presence was definately with us during the ceremony. I literally felt His arms around me as I was staring into Kyle's eyes and making a commitment to not only Kyle but also the Lord as well. My family and friends made the day just so great. I was pampered, encouraged, kept together when I was about to lose it, and loved on during one of the most important days of my life.

We have now been married for a MONTH! WOW!! How time flies. I absolutely love married life. One of my good friends just wrote me a facebook message and really opened my eyes to something. She is engaged and will be married in the Fall and we talked back and forth about the greatness and yet hardship of marriage. The thing that she brought to my attention was that our relationship with the Lord is also like marriage in the fact that it is the Best relationship but also the hardest. So true and just another example of how the Lord uses marriage to give us an example of the relationship He has with all of His children....

So where do we go from here? I start teaching the last week of July so I have had a lot of free time. It has been a blessing because I had time to adjust into married life. I think about hard it would be to jump into all of these changes and start a new job on top of all of the new in my life. I am definately ready to find a church for us to call home and get involved and meet other newlyweds. We have visited a couple of churches but both feel that we have not found the church that is most like us. Please pray for our church home. As much as I love not having a schedule to abide by everyday, I think I am ready to get on a rountine and start teaching. Well thanks for listening to me babble. I miss you all so much! I will be back soon to post you on our exciting life... not really too exciting... LOVE YOU ALL!!