Back in the Saddle Again...

Things have been kinda nuts around our little Noland family home, and I realized the other day that I hadn't kept a good blog going on since the wedding has passed.. So let me get you all up to speed...


The wedding came and went- and it was fabulous (but you already knew that, right?)... Then the honeymoon trip SADLY came and went and it was MORE than fabulous. I hated to see that go for sure.. Sooo we made our way back to Cleveland and our little reality happened.. We got back to MS and checked back into society; paying bills, getting up for work, grocery shopping, schooling, working more, ball time, etc etc etc.. The weekend of July 11th (well it was really just that day, we couldnt slip away from Cleveland too long) we got to have a mini vacay to Oxford and Water Valley to visit with our dear friends Tanya and Randall. Tanya was throwing a suprise birthday party for Randall's 30th birthday and we COULD not miss this! T did a great job of the decor and the food and we had an absolute ball. This was our official "FIRST" couples get together since we got back from the honeymoon and it was so much fun! Rickey met some other cool guys and I got to spend time with Tanya, Pax, Mrs Cathy (Tanya's mom who literally is like my second mom- I swear), Wheezy, Molly O, Cailon, Bethany, and Tammy! All my buddies! It was a lot of fun for sure. Rick also had a great time getting to spend time with Pax, Tanya and Randall's little boy, and if you know Rick well enough, you KNOW that he loves the littles. Pax is SOOO cute and he reminds me so much of Harrison. I had a ball. I wish that Tanya and Randall would just decide they wanted to move to Baton Rouge when we eventually did, cause Harrison, Ben, and Pax would TOTALLY be best buddies.

Anywho, after the party that night, we ran back to Water Valley to see Charlie for the rest of the evening and packed up some furniture. Our little house in Cleveland is tiny- I mean T.I.N.Y- but its ours and we love it. Now, although we LOVE it, it was beginning to look a little bare. We had so much wedding stuff boxed up and packed up to be taken to Natchez, I think over the time we collected it, we were using it as furniture! :) Rick and I seem to be a little on the obsessed side with antiques. Its so funny because both of our parents (Betty for me and Mrs. Dana for him) would take us looking for antiques as we were children, and so we actually ENJOY doing this as a couple now (yep. we are officially old and married)... We really like the "Shabby Chic" style of some pieces revamped with lots of the new looks of Pottery Barn furniture too.. After the gifts starting coming in from the wedding, we had LOTS and LOTS of china and dishes and no where to put them, so we knew that we needed a china cabinet desperately. We also found a vintage Buffet/Server in an antique shop in Cleveland and we fell in LOVE with it. We wanted to use this for our TV entertainment center in our living room and were just oogling this piece every time we found ourselves browsing. The problem was- both a china cabinet we loved and the antique buffet that we swore was so beautiful it must be sent from God- were out of our price range. About $2000.00 out of our price range together. So, when we stopped back at Charlie's in Water Valley he told us that if we "wanted", Betty had a china cabinet that had never been used before in the basement we could have. We knew it needed some updating to fit our taste (some distressing, a nice coat of paint in the color we wanted, etc) but we liked the challenge. After looking at some other furniture in our house, we both fell in love with my Great Grandmother's highboy/bedroom dresser set. After scoping it out, I realized that we could TOTALLY distress this and give it some love and care, and it would work perfect. In my heart, I knew that I could make it look identical to the expensive buffet we found prior.. So at 11:00 at night, Charlie, Lace, and Ricker loaded the furniture up- and head back to Cleveland.. to make a VERY long story short......... We DID it! and the pieces are AMAZING! We fell in love with two pieces of furniture that were OVER two thousand dollars together.. but NOW we are in love with two pieces of family furniture that were FREE and spent $60 on paint, brushes, some distressing syrup stuff, and a little bit of time.. and they came out AWESOME! I will have to put some pics on here when I get a chance.. I cant wait to do more projects for sure!

Sooo coming back to Cleveland that weekend, I soon realized that my car is officially out of comission and not drivable. Before the wedding I was having some problems with it, but Rickey and I decided that it was too close to the wedding (like 3 days away kinda thing) to really worry about it or send it in to the shop and we would deal with is when we got home from the honeymoon. Cleveland is small enough, and our schedules are pretty opposite, so we have been sharing his car to get to school and work. It hasnt been that bad, really, until..... I realized that my car is officially a dead one. Something is wrong with the lifter in the engine, and I just have to get it fixed. No telling what that is going to cost. Just another thing that I have to do I guess.. So currently, Rickey and I are just buying our time til we have to buy a car or fix my current car and saving saving saving. Upon realizing that my car was crap- we decided it was time to head to see our family in Denham Springs and Baton Rouge! So the following weekend that I was off we hit the road in his truck.. I was SOOOOOOO excited to see my baby nephew, Benjamin, since we were on the honeymoon when we was born and I hadn't even laid eyes on him yet. Candice, Glenn, Harrison, and Ben were SOOO excited to see us and we were JUST as excited to see them! Thier house is absolutely precious and they live in the most precious neighborhood. Harrison LOVED and I mean LOVED getting to spend time with his Uncle Rickey, and he cried when we left. Ben is literally the sweetest baby I have ever seen and held. Well, I cant really say that, because so was Harrison- and Molly Adyson- and Pax- and Parker (you see where i'm going with this?) and I swear I fell in love with him instantly. Rickey also got to hold and love on him, and naturally, he adored this... We got to see Rickey's Mom, Dad, and brothers for a bit and it was great too. They are always so refreshing to spend time with. When we visit them, its a breath of fresh air. They take such good CARE of us and help us to stay motivated and positive. Rickey and I (me especially) can get SOOO bogged down with the idea of "Cleveland" because here, we are alone. All of our friends are gone - except for the baseball crew that we have, and that is like our family. All of our family is away, our BEST friends are in our respecting hometowns, and even then, Rick and I are very challenged with the time that we get to spend with each other, working completely different schedules with nothing to do here in our off time. It's so nice to go visit Pops and Mrs Dana or Candice and Glenn and KNOW that these people understand us and the situation that we are in. Its comforting to hear them say, "keep the faith.. it's all going to get better" or "we've totally been there and everything works out".. And I know that it will, its just hard...

So when we came home, it was back to working.. and working... and working... and working for each of us. Our schedules hit overdrive. We have gotten to spend time with each other in the mornings before school starts for an hour or when we swap vehicles at the hospital at night. Rick and I miss each other BUT we know that everything that we are putting in right NOW, we will get back twice fold.. That being said, I've had a ton on my mind about my career lately, and seemed to have talked to EVERYONE that might understand and ask them what to do. Nursing is a demanding career and although I love it, I am exhausted. Burnt out. Already...I work at night and my schedule is intense. 7 nights on, 12-14 hour shifts, sleeping in the day when I'm really not sleeping at all, then having 7 days off which I'm not really taking off.. With Rickey and I having such demanding jobs (whether or not you know it, being a coach is the most demanding job in the world practically) and we soon realized that in order to have it ALL (family, being a devoted Mom and Wife to a big family, volunteering like I want to, having the schedule that I want to have, being able to attend my husbands games and travel with him in the summers to tournaments) that something had to give. Rickey and I have literally been in constant prayer about where to go next for ME. I had an idea of what where I wanted to see myself do, and thought about it... prayed about it.... talked to Candice about it... realized I had my family's support... talked to God about it.. talked to my husband about it... talked to myself about it..... and I thought I would go talk to my advisor to just "talk" about it.... and when I went and talked to her.... I was amazed. She graduated with the exact same second degree and Master's that I will finish out as. She actually attended the exact same school in Louisiana I want to attend. She was in the exact same situation and boat that I was in, prior to HER marriage, at the exact same age that I am currently at... That solidified my plan right then and there. Plus, changing my career choice has opened a lot of doors for me (and with the help of Dr. Lilly Lamb). I was granted full tuition to return and finish classes I need for a second career change. I recieved a scholarship that will pay for all my books and extra for living expenses for me and Rickey (about 1200 dollars that we get to use for whatever extra we might also need).. I also am interviewing tomorrow for a second scholarship that if I get, will total up to $15,000 dollars for the rest of my school and Graduate School... and mine and Rickey's prayers were answered. We asked God to use us as vessels, point us in the right direction and move us to the places that He wants us to go and be open to changes that He sees fit for us, as sons and daughters to Him, as Christians, as a new family, and as Husband and Wife. It is sooooo true that if you ask Him, and follow Him, you will recieve Him. After talking with my God, myself, my husband, my sister Candice, my sisters Terri and Britt, my friends Tanya, Bethany, and Stacie- I will finish a second degree and master's in Audiology and Speech Pathology and get to have a career and a time frame that I have wanted FOREVER. Nursing brought me here and I am so thankful for that, but I want something a little different. My friend Joeli really was my motivation for all this- She just completed a degree in nursing from being in real estate and I have said time and time how awesome it has been to watch her do this in her first few years of marriage, while having to not work, and go back to school... and honestly, she has been one of my sources of motivation.. So Thank you Joles! I can also thank Bethany and Stacie, who talked to me numerous times about the career itself and how it has benefitted them.. I cannot thank Tanya and Candice, Brittany, and Terri Lynn enough on being supportive and showing me that family is important and time with your kids and husband and in laws and sisters and friends are what matters. They have been my rock and backbone through all of my decision making and I am grateful for that. I HAVE to thank Dr. Lamb, my advisor, for helping me to focus myself and to grant me scholarships that completely pay for all of my school. That in itself was an amazing blessing. I dont think that Rickey and I would have been financially able to do this without those amazing scholarships, when both of us are buying books and schooling. These scholarships were HUGE for us. And I cannot forget to thank my Rickey, who fully supports me to do something that I love- something that will allow me to work with kids, can allow me to work in the school system if I wanted, have summers off, or work in the hospital setting and still be affiliated with the medical practices I am used to.. and I can practice MYSELF. I am really excited..

Speaking of Rickey, I said in one of my last posts that he started student teaching and were we so excited that this would be his last semester. He met his preceptor for his class and turns out she is a bit of a "teaching Nazi"... So what we thought might be somewhat of an enjoying semester, might be more difficult than expected. But- he is up for the challenge and is actually really excited. Supposedly, if you are placed with this preceptor in the school (to which he was placed by the Dean of Education), you are one of the top students in your specialty field (secondary ed in social sciences with a minor in special ed). He is going to learn a lot and he is ready for that. Baseball is also starting up for him and the first fall ball meeting is the 16th of August when school starts back for all the athletes. He is very ready for it to start back also because its hard to go a few months with out that bat swinging or being behind the plate for ole Rick... ;) Even though we are literally SWAMPED with things going on in our lives and our schedules, we are blessed FOR SURE. Our God is sooooo very good to us and we continue to see his blessings every single day. We are both off this weekend and are planning to be lazy and hang out with each other before the chaos of the weekdays start back. For now, I must go back to work... thank you all for your love and support. We have the best family and friends ever....


Avec tout mon couer,
Lace