100 Years of Life

Can you imagine living 100 years?

Paul's great-grandfather turned 100 last Friday and he even went to his big birthday party on Saturday. Pop, as he is called, is looking great and was smiling ear to ear the entire time. As I looked at that sweet man, enjoying the commotion that was his birthday, I wondered about all that he's seen.

He was born in 1912. He has seen immeasurable changes in his lifetime. Imagine the stories he has. Imagine the memories he holds.

It makes me wonder what changes we will see in our lifetime. I can already look back and notice the changes that have already happened in my 22 years. If we experience as much change in our lifetime as Pop had in his, we're in for a crazy, busy ride.

Love and Happiness,
Bethany

Family Planning

Ever since Paul and I got engaged, people began asking us when we were going to have kids.

Hold on, folks. For us, first comes love, second comes marriage and then somewhere way down the road there may be a baby carriage. So, now that we are actually married the question gets asked even more frequently. Even my 6 year old niece asked me when Uncle Paul and I were going to have babies. Talk about pressure.

Anyways, Paul's great-grandfather turned 100 this past weekend and we went to west Tennessee to celebrate with their very large family. And of course there was lots of little ones running around. Babies, toddlers and kids were everywhere I looked. Some people probably love all of that noise and chaos but I was a nervous wreck.

And in less than 48 hours I had said all these phrases and more:

• Don't put that in your mouth.
• Stop hitting your sister.
• Don't touch that, it's hot.
• Watch your fingers! You're about to close them in the door.
• Do you have to pee?
• Are you choking?
• Don't run in the road.
• Don't throw that water balloon at anyone.
• Be careful. Don't get kicked in the head. 
• You're naked! 
• Why are you crying?

It was all very overwhelming. If I were to be a mother right now, I'd be in a state of constant panic. Pretty much everything is a choking hazard, every plug in is just waiting to electrocute a child and fire is begging to be touched. So, during the festivities, when someone asked me if/when Paul and I were planning on having children, I could confidently say "not anytime soon". I'm much too nervous to have children right now. I think we'll get a dog first, or at least move out of my parent's house. 

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

What Is My Life's Passion?

Disclaimer: This post may be my most random yet. So, if you're looking to read something inspirational and profound, you've come to the wrong place.

It's been just over 2 months that Paul and I quit our jobs and moved back to Scottsboro. Paul has really struggled with not having anything to do. When I beg him to relax and lay in bed all day to watch movies, he thinks it's close to torture. He's not content unless he's busy, which drives me crazy! I've been pretty content not working and not being busy. Sure, it's been pretty boring lately, but when I think about working 12 hours shifts, weekends and holidays...I smile and I am thankful for this down time.

So, with this down time I have reflected on if I made the right career choice in life. I mean, it was never a secret that nurses work 12 hour shifts, weekends and holidays! It makes me wonder, if I had chosen a different "life's passion", what would it be?

I've wondered this before and it's constantly changing. During the Olympics I was determined that I wanted to be a gymnast/ribbon dancer. Look how successful those girls are. That could have been me. Or sometimes when I reach the point where I remember that money isn't everything, I contemplate working at Chick-fil-A. Those employees are the nicest people in fast food and those sweet old people who get you refills could totally be my work best friends. Option? I think so.

My latest "life's passion" has been accapella singing. Paul and I went to see that movie Pitch Perfect and I left that theater inspired to match pitch and make harmony with fellow accapella-people. I wonder how much an accapella singer gets paid? It probably doesn't matter since I can't carry a tune in a bucket. Poor Paul has had to listen to me do a lot of singing lately that is not performance ready. Practice makes perfect? That's a lie. Some people, including me, are a lost cause.

Just a few random thoughts. I'm a big fan of keeping your options open, so who knows? Maybe I can be an entertainer at Chick-fil-A, ribbon dancing and singing in the corner.

Love and Happiness,
Bethany

20 Month Anniversary

Yesterday Paul and I celebrated our 1 year and 8 month anniversary. We don't always celebrate on a monthly basis but since we basically have nothing else to do and Paul's parents were out of town, we took advantage of the opportunity. We started off the day by sleeping in and then heading to Huddle House for a deliciously unhealthy breakfast. It wasn't the prettiest day, mostly due to the continual rain, so I made pumpkin muffins, lit some candles and listened to Christmas music with Paul. That night we went to Paul's parent's house to make supper together, bake cookies and watch a movie. It was the perfect way to celebrate. We don't get a lot of time together, just the two of us, so it was good for us to spend some time alone. 

This isn't exactly how I would have pictured our anniversary, compared to our others in the past. But I also didn't picture us living at home as a married couple. You'd think after 7 years of being in a relationship and 20 months of marriage we would have our heads on a little straighter and have a clearer plan for our lives.

I guess it just shows that even though we don't know where we're going, we knew that we wanted to go there together. And that's what I love about our love. That's what I love about our marriage. 

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

Pay It Forward

Where have all the good people gone?

In a world full of crime, greediness and hatred it's easy to lose sight of the good in people. It's much more common to see a news report on someone committing a crime than to see a report on someone committing a random act of kindness. It's disheartening, really. 

But sometimes, on a rare occasion, someone surprises you. Have you ever had that happen? When someone, a stranger even, goes out of their way to help another person out. They show kindness when they didn't have to. They listen to their heart and not the world, which has hardened us so. Those moments touch my heart and they make me smile. And because it's so rare, it seems that much more special. 

And just when we were least expecting it, Paul and I crossed paths with one of those rare breeds with two tickets held high in the air above a swarm of Auburn fans. See, Paul and I never pre-buy our football tickets before a football game and with a season like Auburn is having now, we knew we'd have no trouble finding tickets for the Texas A&M game. After politely negotiating, we settled on a price for the tickets. With Paul's wallet a little lighter, we could now enjoy the atmosphere without repeatedly approaching strangers to try and buy their tickets. As kickoff got closer, we made our way to our seats. The seats were great... close the to aisle, lower level and most importantly out of the cold wind. With smiles on our faces we laughed at the luck of our scalping history. Little did we know how much "luck" we were about to have. Just as the opening ceremony and pre-game events began to happen, Paul felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the man who sold us the tickets. Without saying a word he handed Paul a folded wad of money. As he walked away, we tried to give the money back but he just kept walking. Sure enough, the man had given all of our money back and these great seats were now free. 

Now, this man knew nothing about me or Paul. And we still don't know why he did what he did. I only know that while it was nice to have free tickets to a game, it was nicer to see the good in people. It immediately made me want to "pay it forward" and commit a random act of kindness myself. And it wasn't luck at all. It was kindness, compassion and selflessness that inspires someone to act on the urges of their heart. If we all would "pay it forward" and inspire others to do so too, our world would be a much better place. 

Love and Happiness,

Bethany

Our October In Pictures

October is officially over.

The colors were beautiful, and still are around my parents house. The leaves are falling in elegant twirls and the autumn breeze has finally turned cold. There are so many things I love about this time of year. Last year, Paul and I were so busy with work, and taking trips back to Scottsboro from Johnson City, or going to Auburn for a football game that we completely missed most of that beautiful time. Sure, I had a nice view of the orange and yellow speckled mountains from the 2200 wing galley window at the hospital but we didn't have a whole lot of time to truly enjoy it.

So this year we've made up for lost time and have gotten the chance to really take in the beauty around us. This includes evening boat rides down the river with an excited old lab in the front. It includes watching the sunset on a bluff overlook, just the two of us. It includes walks through the park as the leaves rustle across the trail. It includes pecans falling from the tree in our front yard. Really, who doesn't love autumn?

Don't you just love an October sky?

Love and Happiness,
Bethany