It's Christmas Time in the City

Yay! It's my FAVORITE time of the year! This Christmas is particularly special as it is our first Christmas as husband and wife. We have had so much fun shopping for all the decorations! Well, let me amend that, I have had an incredible time doing the aforementioned, and Sam has dutifully smiled and pretended to care about each little decision.

When Sam and I went home for Thanksgiving we decided to look at the Christmas tree farm that my family has bought trees from for the past six years or so. Sam priced them here in Augusta so we knew we were looking for a great deal (without skimping in the least). As my mom and Sam can attest, I am a little bit picky about Christmas trees... they must be perfect. For the last sixteen years my family has been fortunate enough to have very high ceilings so we have always had very large trees. I was not looking forward to downgrading in the least... a tree that is shorter than my husband just doesn't seem all that large, even if it is "average height". So Sam and I helped pick out a BEAUTIFUL twelve foot tree for my mom's house, and then, while the men drilled the whole and bundled it up, Sam and I browsed the small tree section. They were all so pitiful... skinny, short, nothing looked right. And then out of nowhere, bam! Beautiful! It's short, that's for sure, but it's as tall as our little old home can handle. We were debating whether it was worth buying it and hauling it all the way back to Augusta, when the sweet lady who runs Cooper's Tree Farm came and put a price tag on our sweet tree! And that did it! I can't say no to a great deal! So Sam grabbed our perfect baby Christmas tree and hauled it to the drill!

On Sunday when we got home to Augusta, we quickly made a fresh cut and got our Christmas tree in the stand and watered. We then headed out to get lights, which of course required two trips. I guess even the first year when you are guaranteed they will all light, you still have to make an extra trip for more! Sam was great and helped put up the lights and decorations while we utilized the greatness on Pandora to listen to some Christmas carols.

As we have the extra ordeal of Sterling to contend with, we went almost entirely with shatterproof ornaments, which has turned out great! We spent way less money then we would have on glass ornaments AND as both Sterling and Everest love to get ornaments off the tree, we've been saved a great deal of heartache over broken glass!

So here it is, our first Christmas tree!

Along with our tree skirt from Pottery Barn (monogrammed and shipped for FREE) we got stockings for ALL of us. Sterling's and Everest's are actually from Pottery Barn Kids, and I couldn't resist! They were just too cute!

Thankfully we have a cute little shelve in our living room since we don't have a fireplace, but I'm pretty pleased!

It also gave me a great (safe) place to display some of the many nutcrackers that I've been collecting for the past fifteen years. The remainder ended it up squeezed in an old bookcase. All of our Christmas decorations are above the five foot level, but I'm pretty pleased with what we've accomplished.

And for the first year that we can't be home with our families for the greater part of December, we've done a good job of creating our own festive feel in Augusta until we can make it home. So Merry Christmas everyone, I hope you are all enjoying this Christmas season as much as Sam and I! May the Lord bless you and your's in the coming year!

Super Human

So lately I've been wondering, when do I grow up and become Superwoman? I guess I always thought that it was an age or status thing that somehow, when I reached this invisible marker, I would transform into a "needs no sleep", "loves to clean, and quickly", "errand running", "extra time in my day" kind of woman... But I think I was wrong because I'm exhausted, out of energy, tired of cleaning, and would need an extra 12 hours to accomplish all of my good intentions.

So my question is this: "how did my mom get to be Superwoman (and probably your mom too!)?" For almost my whole life my mom has worked a full time job, kept a SPOTLESS house, fixed beautiful dinners for our family, and done all of the grocery shopping and errands alone. And yet I never really felt, shirked in anyway. My lunch was always the coolest at school, she read to me every night until I was WAY too old, we watched movies, hung out... how did she do it all? She's like Mighty Mouse or the Energizer Bunny, and I guess I always thought that once I "grew up" I'd gain these special powers too. And might I add that she never complained, I never heard her say, "ughh, I'm so sick of unloading the dishwasher" or "I could really use some help with all this laundry", it was just done, with grace and poise.

And it's not just my mom (although she is spectacular) I know Sam's mom still works full time teaching, spends countless hours grading English papers, and yet still finds time to make it to all of her grandson's practices and ballgames, church every Sunday, and family dinners every night. Plus she stays up later than me and gets up earlier, and yet I can probably count on one hand the number of times she has complained of being tired.

I have these great and lofty dreams for how life will be once Sam graduates and has a great job. We'll have a beautiful family and I'll eventually get to stay at home with my kids, keep house, coupon shop myself to death saving my family gobs of money, and maybe do a little fabulous design work on the side. Plus, Sam and I will have great small group friends that we might even host at our home weekly, I'll have plenty of time to volunteer at the church, and I'll be able to devote ample time to loving and serving my husband and family.

Now I know that all sounds a bit crazy, but it's my dream, and I'll keep it for a while longer. But in the mean time... I sure could use some super powers! So I guess my next read will be Choosing to Cheat by Andy Stanley, and maybe that will help me to find some margin in my life to develop and pour into the things that really matter while I work on developing my super powers.

Birthday Celebrations

So where have the Greavu's been lately? Celebrating birthdays of course, it is October!

Last weekend Sam and I went home to have a family birthday party with our parents. My mom surprised me midweek with a great surprise... tickets to the UGA/Vandy game! With that news, Sam and I were even more thrilled to be heading home! We hadn't been to the Georgia campus in over a year, and our last game was the dismal day in '08 when we fell to the Jackets (boo). So Friday night we loaded up the car with all of our junk (and animals) and headed home.

Saturday morning (Mom's birthday), my momma, Stuart, Sam and I headed down to Athens. Sam and I were really happy to be back on campus. I think there is just something about your college days that will always be nostalgic, and for Sam and I, that campus is where we met, fell in love, end began dreaming of our future together. We decided to use our pre-game time to scout out a new collar and leash for Sterling. Although he's not a bulldog, he is a BULLDAWG! So cute!

More good news for us, despite the slow start for the Bulldogs this year, Georgia showed up that day and had a beautiful game and shut out the Commodores (perfect)! PLUS, we were there for the Collaring Ceremony for UGA VIII. We were there for VII's ceremony as well, but we're hoping that this sweet boy will have a much longer life. He's off to a great start as the dogs are 2-0 under Big Bad Bruce's reign! What a great day!

Photo courtesy of AJC.com/sports

We headed home after the game to get ready for Sam's family to come over for some yummy lasagna and CARROT CAKE!!! Delicious! Shane surprised us by coming over as well so we all sang Happy Birthday to my Momma, Sam, and myself and enjoyed some family time together. It was a good day all around as Genie and Bob got to see the Cats knock off South Carolina while wearing their Kentucky blue.

Thursday was my actual birthday, and Sam has learned that birthday's (and Christmas) are a big deal for me, so despite my rather glum attitude about turning 25, he surprised me with a wonderful birthday! I came home to find a large, WRAPPED gift, and a card. I was so excited, Sam is not a man of many words, so cards are not his thing, nor is wrapping, but it was all PERFECT! I am such a lucky wife!

He got me a beautiful quilt for our bed, which is perfectly timed as our home begins to get seriously chilly and we attempt to survive the semester without turning on heat (we'll see)! The quilt is the color of the top pillow, "Sandlewood" from Pottery Barn (my favorite).

Photo courtesy of PotteryBarn.com

AND, the sneaky husband that he is, he told me to go ahead and get ice for drinks before dinner, I open the freezer to discover Coldstone! Not just any Coldstone either, but a whole half gallon on my very favorite Cake Batter ice cream, mixed with brownies, white chocolate chips, and caramel! Yum! And since it was my birthday, the kind lady had made me a small extra with whipped cream and sprinkles! So wonderful! Thanks to my family, I had a wonderful 25th birthday!

Friday, Sam and I went out to dinner to actually celebrate our birthday's together since his is Monday and we really can't afford two restaurant nights so close together. Kyle and Lesley Anne Fenton joined us for pizza, and we has a great night of fellowship with new friends.

Saturday, it was our turn to return the favor and journey for two of our good friends Kyle Kersey and Haley Staples. They had an adorable engagement party with friends and family to celebrate with them as they prepare for their wedding next June! Kyle was Sam's roommate and Haley was mine for a while in college, and they lovingly traveled for all of our pre-wedding festivities, so we were happy to do the same for them. However, we were NOT happy when we returned home last night to find this...

Sterling had apparently decided to take revenge on us for leaving him in his cage for 6 hours. What the pictures don't show is that Sterling, not only ripped all the way through the curtains, effectively sawing them in half, but he also pushed the plastic liner of his cage out, ripped the towels his cage rested on up though the bottom and ate holes through both, completely severed a BRAND NEW (purchased that day) toy in half, and banged into the sides of his cage until the door is warped, the floor is warped and he had unclipped nearly all of the side hooks of the cage. Good grief! He is obviously suffering from separation anxiety, but really was all of that necessary?

Other than that, we lead a quiet life these days! But stay tuned for a new post soon... Sam's birthday is TOMORROW!

Wall Art

When Sam and I moved into our rental home, I knew that I wanted to work really hard to personalize the space, but I also recognized that we are on an extremely tight budget, and we didn't want to sink money into a rental. I hated the bland, boring white walls, popcorn ceilings, and icky beige carpet of my apartment in Athens, and I wanted our first "home" to feel as much like our own place as possible. One of the best decisions we've made is the investment in some beautiful "works of art".

Sam and I were blessed to meet two incredible people who photographed our wedding and engagement sessions. Chris and Allie Bartelski are amazing people and really, really talented photographers. (Plus they were recently blessed with one of the CUTEST baby boys in history) Together they form theReason (link directs to their interactive blog). Sam and I are so thankful to have these pictures to celebrate and remember these times in our life. But I didn't want to leave all the memories in digital form and look at them occasionally on the computer, so I searched for professional grade printers. After I found a fantastic site for high quality, professional prints, we decided to order some prints to hang on the wall.

First we composed an arrangement from our wedding pictures for the wall in our living room. I ordered when the site was having a pretty good sale, so I think total cost for the prints was about $40. We are really pleased with the way it turned out! And this is definitely an investment that we can utilize in every home for years to come! (Believe me, they look better in person... our house is just super dark)

Since our first experiment turned out so well, we decided to order another print to hang in our bedroom, this time from our engagement shoot. Again, we're really pleased! And the best part is that we got the frame for $31 and the photo for $16... Not a bad price for 24x36 art on the wall!

And lastly, it doesn't hang on the wall, but we got our wedding album in the mail several weeks ago, and as this blog has turned into an endorsement for Chris and Allie, I figured I'd include a couple of shots. As a designer myself, pretty much every wedding album I've ever seen has made me want to gag. There are some really talented photographers out there who get way too amped up when it comes to album design... yeesh! Let the pictures speak for themselves and for crying out loud... let them breathe!!! I was pleasantly surprised when I first met Chris and Allie. Their albums are well designed and timeless pieces to capture the story of the day. So as my last word on theReason... any brides scouring the earth for wedding photographers, Sam and I would highly recommend this husband and wife team!

As for Sam and I, we couldn't be more pleased to slowly make this rental house a home. Augusta may not be our dream locale, but we're making the best of our time here, and decorating on a BUDGET!

Not Enough Hours in the Day

So for months (well honestly years) prior to getting married I read books on getting married. I knew that if I could ever convince Sam that 30 was not the ripe age upon which to say "I do", that we would get hitched, so there was no harm in reading up and getting prepared early. Many of the books for engaged and newly married couples discuss the newlywed stage as something precious, as the foundational stage of the marriage, and a very important time for emotional, physical, and spiritual bonds between a husband and a wife. Many of these authors suggest that the honeymoon, which in modern day society has turned into a glamorous vacation, was originally a much more purposeful time set aside for these bonds to be created. This principle in even biblical:

"If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married."

-Deuteronomy 24.5

When first reading this scripture I thought two things to myself. One, America certainly doesn't follow this principle for I know many newlyweds who are separated because the husband is stationed overseas for months (or more). Secondly, I thought that Sam and I were safe. This obviously refers to being separated for long periods from one another. As neither of us are in the military, neither of us will be going to war. We're fine.

However, recently after our wedding, I began reading a new book, Intended for Pleasure by Ed and Gaye Wheat. They take a very different look at this scripture and this period for newlyweds. They write,

"In our day of poor marriage planning we could hardly expect a man to take off from work for one year. However there is a definite spiritual principle here. It is that the first few weeks of the marriage are a crucial time for the young couple... I certainly advise balancing your funds so that you can be free of responsibility for a few weeks (or months)."

I read this and thought, yea, well that would be nice, but we've got to move, start grad school, find a job. Life doesn't just stop for us to bond together. Bills have to get paid, etc. Funny enough, he went right on spoke specifically to our situation, "Never plan on getting married before entering college or graduate school or starting a new business, when the demand on your time and efforts will be so great."

I kind of chuckled to myself at that time thinking, and when exactly would you like for us to get married? Our future hopefully looks something like this... grad school, a new career, open a new business. We would be 40 before we found time, and even then I doubt it would be ideal. I shrugged it off that this man was crazy and living in a fairy tale.

However, 5 months in, I'm starting to think he may have been on to something. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that Sam and I got married! I love my husband more and more, and I have been overwhelmed at how much God has answered my prayers for a growing love and respect for my husband. But that doesn't mean it's easy to find time for one another. We planned our wedding for the best possible time for us (just before moving, and a month before school started for Sam), but man-o-man has it been tough. I often see Sam less than I did when we were both home living with our parents and working. I definitely saw more of him when we were at UGA. Excluding the fact that I guess we're "together" when sleeping, we are in the house together about 3 hours a day. That's not much time to really BE with each other when you think of all the things you have to squeeze in to the evenings, not to mention, most nights, Sam has to study.

This is one of those things where I don't have the solution, not for Sam and I, nor for the many other newlywed couples who find themselves in similar circumstances, whether it be school, careers, etc. I don't know how we are supposed to do it all, bond emotionally, physically, spiritually, but still get it all done... make the A's, pay the bills, save for the future. And I know that there are probably many other couples out there who are feeling a little overwhelmed by it all too.

For the couples out there that for whatever reason, whether it be a terrific work situation that allowed you to take weeks or months off, or a financial situation in which careers could be put on hold after graduation-- consider yourselves truly blessed. It is a time together that you will probably never have again... or at least not until retirement. For the rest of us, including Sam and myself, I pray that God will truly honor the time that we are able to devote to one another and that he will multiply it abundantly and make the time as fruitful as possible. I'm also praying specifically over Sam and I (as I know this is our area of weakness) that the Lord will bless us both with restfulness and allow us to squeeze out a bit more time in the mornings and/or evenings to spend together with no distractions of school, work, or the world. My heart desires to know my husband more and more, so please let me find the way.

Labor-Less Weekend

So last weekend was a much, much needed long weekend. After all of the insanity Sam and I had gone through the past couple of weeks with our cars, bank accounts and credit card fraud, we were exhausted. My momma came to visit for the weekend, which just made the weekend that much better!

Saturday, we watched the dawgs in the opening game of the season against Louisiana Lafayette. It was certainly not a rousing game, but it was nice to see Georgia back in action and know that fall is on the way as we officially enter football season! If only the weather here in Augusta would catch on to this fall theme... can't wait for the 70's, but at this rate it may be December!

Sunday mom helped us out with some yard work again... she is a fantastic hedge trimmer. Real talent! We also took advantage of the slightly cooler weather and spent the afternoon playing with Sterling. He loved the sprinkler!

Also on Sunday, Momma and I finally, finally made it to see New Moon. I know, I'm a bit late. We hadn't had many opportunities to go together except opening weekend, and I just didn't think I could stand sitting in the theater with all the teenagers squealing every time Jacob or Edward came on screen. Plus, Sam and I officially started our budget system per Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace in August, and as the budget only lists 20 bucks each month for entertainment, there was no way I was convincing Sam to blow our whole month budget on New Moon. But the wait paid off, Mom and I got in for $3.98 at the local theater. Pretty sweet deal! At that rate Sam and I can go to at least one movie a month, and he can still save up for some golf!

Monday, our official day of no labor, we all went to explore the mall here in Augusta. I must say I was surprisingly pleased. Pretty nice, especially the outdoor village area! Plus, mom was sweet enough to let me pick out my own birthday present, a new purse, as mine is now in the hands of a thief! I also splurged and got myself a new wallet!

All in all, it was a pretty fantastic weekend of much needed rest and mommy time! If only it wasn't another 10 long weeks before the next day off!

Busy Bees

So it has been forever since I've posted anything, sorry about that. Life has been busy, busy, busy!

Sam finished his first semester at MCG with STRAIGHT A's!!! I was pretty darn impressed myself, I secretly wanted to call all the schools who passed him by and let them know just what they had missed out on! But, I resisted. Instead, Sam and I celebrated with a night out to one of our favorite, favorite restaurants: Chops. For the past several years, my mom's husband has given Sam and I a fabulous gift at Christmas: a gift card to Buckhead Life Restaurant Group. The card allows you to eat at many different restaurants in Atl and the great part is you get 20% more at Christmas or when you reload an old card. Pretty sweet deal! Sam and I have been to Chops every time because it is simply fabulous! They have the most delicious flash fried lobster tail.... yum! And the steaks are incredible!

Other than that we've been busy with the following:

1- Sam had a weak off (= me JEALOUS!!!) He spent his time between semesters relaxing, playing video games, and getting in a round of golf. Now it's back to school for what is said to be the toughest semester of all.

2- Sam's long-time friend Jack Jackson came to visit making him our first official non-parental house guest!

3-Puppy Training classes with Sterling. In case you missed it, Sam and I bought a Weimaraner puppy about 8 weeks ago. He is 16 WEEKS today and growing like a weed. If you've ever thought about this breed, here is a great quiz. It pretty much sums up life with Sterling for the past 8 weeks! http://www.weimrescue.org/quiz/ The whole bit about carrying water in their mouth... so true! I read it and thought, "how bad can it be? it's just a little water" Well, I'm here to tell you that we've flooded the floor a couple of times with his giant bowl of water... he steps in it, slips into it, flips it... Not to mention, you'd think he was training for some kind of Olympic game... the "carry water in your mouth the farthest event". He makes it all the way to the other end of the house, leaking a little all the way, before he releases it all and then proceeds to play in the awesome puddle he created! Despite it all, he's pretty phenomenal and puppy training has been going fairly well. He can sit, lay down, stay (when he wants to), leave it, and we are working on "bang" (play dead). He loves his daddy like crazy, and every time he makes we want to scream at the top of my lungs, he looks at me with his big ol' eyes like "sorry mom, forgive me?", and you can't not forgive the little boy.

4- We've booked a cruise! This may be one of the craziest things we've done, but it was just the perfect opportunity that will probably never work out so smoothly again. Our one year anniversary just happens to be the weekend before the Masters, and here in Augusta, pretty much all schools have spring break the week of the Masters (I guess so locals can flee the insanity if they so choose). So Sam is off and I'll have worked for 6 months meaning I will have accrued enough paid time off to take the whole week off!!! We are going about it as cheaply as we possibly can, as we figure we've never been on a cruise at all, so we'll probably think it's wonderful no matter what. And we have years and years to upgrade the vacation status later! Plus, as we booked so early, we are paying less per day than a hotel room in Savannah would cost us... pretty sweet deal! It will be a wonderful way to relax and splurge a little on ourselves as we celebrate our first year as husband and wife!

5- I was ROBBED!!! Yep, on Friday night someone broke into my car, smashed the window, and stole my purse out of the back seat. I will admit that I was an idiot to leave the purse in there, but I felt that I was in a safe place (the vet) and as it was an emergency, I quickly jumped out, locked my door and ran in. Here is how it all unfolded:

On friday night Sam and I were playing cards with some of our friends, Matt and Emily. Emily happened to notice something weird with Sterling's eyes. One had constricted and the other dilated. We waited a few to see if they would return to normal and then, as our vet is open 24 hours, I called to see if I should be concerned. They said to bring him in immediately as it could be a sign of a neurological condition. I raced out and Sam stayed to keep Matt and Emily company until I could return. I was there for a total of 21 minutes. In that time Sterling saw the vet, I called Sam to inform him I needed to stay for another 10-15, we walked around outside (in front of my car I might add), Sterling saw the vet again, and we left... or tried to. We got into the car and Sterling immediately chomped down on GLASS!!! What the heck! It took me a minute to realize what had happened, but it was all gone, credit cards, debit card, license, check book. I guess my one happy thought in all of this has been that whomever it was, they chose the wrong person... They stole about a 6 year old purse that probably cost about $60 back then, a wallet that had already been partially chewed on, and about 6 cents.

All of this has kept us pretty busy for the past several weeks, but we are looking forward to a long weekend and the kickoff to the Georgia football season. My momma is coming down to stay for the weekend, so look for a new post soon!