Life lessons to learn sooner.. or later

Since my birthday is Saturday, I am going wedding dress shopping with Candice (my oldest sister), Mrs. Chris (her mother in law), and Mrs. Dana (MY future mother in law). I am really excited and even a little nervous. Candice and I were chatting in our usual thirty-minute-post-work-travel time and she said that "there is just something when you put on that first wedding dress and you get this kinda, WWWHHHHEEEWWWW feeling! Like, 'This is REALLY happening to me' kinda moment". I cannot wait to see what we find and which ones I get to try on. I know that Mrs. Dana and Mrs. Chris are excited since they both have all sons and LOVE all the girly things that come with the wedding planning. I went with Candice and Mrs. Chris when she got her wedding dress and it was very special, so I am excited that all these wonderful ladies will get to spend this special day (AND MY BIRTHDAY) with me just shopping, lunching, and having fun little spa time! Woo Hoo! That being said, my mom isn't going to be able to go with me Saturday because she will be out of town so we went to my pre-birthday lunch together today. Mom has been INCREDIBLE when it has come to planning the wedding and I appreciate her more than she knows. She gave me a great new shirt that I loved and also a book, with a big smile on her face. I looked at the cover of "101 Most Important Things You Need to Know Before You Get Married" and scoffed almost, thinking "Mom got me this book that will be full of funny wedding stuff and jokes"... Once I got home, I pulled it out of my purse and started flipping through the pages, and the quotes and mementos in it are so great. Some are special and apply to Rickey and myself now. Some are funny and are true for life in the future. Many are motivational and all are perfect for a "soon to be bride" like me to read and just absorb. So tonight's blog I will share with you some of the great pages of this book she's shared with me. Feel free to comment with any additional "words of wisdom" for newleyweds and couples. Avec tout mon couer..... Lacey

• The secret to a happy marriage is.... No secrets.

• I didnt marry you because you were perfect. I didnt even marry you because I loved you. I married you because you gave me a promise. That promise made up for your faults. And the promise I gave you made up for mine...And when our children were growing up, it wasn't a house that protected them; and it wasnt our love that protected them- it was that promise." - Thornton Wilder

• Marry someone who lifts you up, not casts you down; who encourages, not discourages. Marry for brains, not looks; marry for love, not lust.

• "Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day." -Barbara De Angelis

• Start each day on a clean slate.

• "If i have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing." -1 Corinthians 13:2

• Opposites may attract but it's the similarities you share that will hold you together in the long run. Find and hold on to things you enjoy doing together.

• Always stand together through the trials and joys of life; two are always better than one.

• "Don't smother each other. No one can grow in the shade." -Leo Buscaglia

• When the baby's crying and the bills are due, still speak kindly to each other.

• "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." - John Kennedy

• Make sure your foundation is strong and the Lord is the head of your house. If God's not in it, it's not worth being in.

• Make sure that you are the kind of husband or wife that you would want your child to marry. (Mom turned down the page on this one, for me to always remember)

• Focus on the good and thats what you'll get. Good things come in all size packages. The secret is to open them all expecting good.

• Teamwork works in marriages just as it does in football. Get a game plan and stick to it. Everyone's not the quarterback. It takes all team members working together for success.

• Your spouse will not be a mind reader. If you want your needs met, then you have to tell him what they are.

• "Be assured, if you walk with Him and look to Him, and expect help from Him, He will never fail you." -George Mueller

• If your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep will be your downfall.

• Make sure you have an understanding about the "Big 3's" before you walk down the aisle - Money, Children and Religion.

• No matter how busy you get, save at least two nights a month for date nights, especially after the babies start arriving.

Harrison

I just have a short and SUPER SWEET blog tonight about one of the "other" precious men in my life, my little nephew Harrison Drake Kidder. He is sooo absolutely precious and I cannot wait for him and his mommy and daddy hurry up and move closer to me and Rick! Love you Candice and Glenn, and ESPECIALLY HARRISON! How cute is this child, really?....

Harrison and his cousin Charlie, both my sweet boys.

He's not camera shy at ALL.

Little Superman.

Harrison's first real Photo shoot. HOW PRECIOUS!

Avec tout mon couer....... Lace

Life as we know it in the Delta....

Sometimes I don't know if I can fit anything else to do in my already crazy enough schedule, so please excuse the decline in my blog postings... But I'm awake and I'm back! Woo Hoo, the Blog continues... It really is a fun way to let people know what we are doing and how life is treatin' ole Rick and myself when we seem so far away from our friends and family in Baton Rouge, Denham Springs, New Orleans, New Jersey, Houston, and the ever close Oxford. A lot of times I can even call it my "therapy", when I'm stressed or annoyed or just want to brag on my cute little fiance'. Anyway... Life is good. Busy and hectic but enjoyable and blessed. Rickey and I have been trying to get past just the "wedding planning" and figure out "life" plans, such as jobs and school and where to live, etc etc... That being said, the thought of "oh my gosh I am going to move to Cleveland and have NO contacts and NO job lined up and know NO ONE" began to set in and therefore my worry went sky high. So I have been on the hunt for jobs, and homes, and friends. We are still in the process of "church shopping" as I like to call it and found a few that seem to be right up our ally. The two that we like offer supportive communities, we believe the word that is being said, and feel at home in the church and church family. This was very important to me when we moved to a new place and starting a fresh, young marriage. I heard someone say that "a marriage is not just two people, but its a trio of God, a husband, and a wife" and that just really made sense. So church shopping is good for us, and in that, my fears of meeting people subside. The home situation is so-so. We are looking for places to rent. Buying a house in Cleveland, Mississippi is... well.. not really something that we want to do. After checking out the market, houses seem to be over priced and the resale for houses dont look too hot.. Plus, we have set a rule that we dont intend to buy a house if we dont plan to live somewhere two years or more. Our hearts are somewhere else, and unless Rickey is offered a big time big time big time coaching job at Delta State, we see ourselves moving to the Baton Rouge/Denham Springs area in a few years. :) I can see Big Rick smiling as he reads this right now. So, needless to say, we are searching for the right rental home, in Cleveland, that wont cost us a fortune- in rent or utilities, that also allows for a dog the size of a horse. What we have found meeting that enormous criteria is slim pickins.. But we are praying some nice little graduating college students will help us out at the end of the semester and MOVE. Keep your fingers crossed. As for jobs, I ended up landing a job at the hospital in Ruleville, that I will work every other weekend as they need me until we "officially" move. Once I move, I got the clear to work full time during the week on a 3/2 split which is good (Work three days, off two-Next week work two days off three kinda thing). We will see how it goes. I like the hospital, its small and quaint, but Im not working with OB or the little ones that I love, so Im sure I will find something to fit my niche' better when everything is settled in. And then again, I might just LOVE it there.. Options are open for anything. As for Rick, he is just loving coaching and I continue to be so proud but I can tell his longing to "play baseball" more and more. Delta State hosted a Parent's Weekend for all the baseball players families to come into town. On Saturday they had an intersquad exibition game for the parents and friends and it was so nice and refreshing to see all the boys back on the field, throwing and hitting. I got to meet some mom's I never knew, and see my friends that I missed from times back. It was nice and made me ready for baseball season to REALLY start! I sat down in my little seat and looked out on the field during the second inning (I got there late, naturally) and there was MY RICKEY, wearing that familiar green and white catching gear and being an UMPIRE. It was so different because I wanted him to be playing-being that captain of the field like i know him to be, and I missed seeing him behind the plate. But I knew that he was loving coaching and this was where our life was going now. Rickey did a great job, tag teaming coaching the boys and umpiring the game, and even made some loud (and very entertaining) "SSSSTTTRRRIIKKKEEEE" sounds. After the game, I ran to get him some food because I knew he was starving and met him outside the baseball offices. We ate and were lazy for the rest of the day, watching football and hanging out with all the guys, those who I like to call our "Delta Family". Critter (Rickey's best friend and Groomsman in our wedding) was sick and so I made him grilled cheese and chicken noodle soup and took care of Rick with the six other baseball guys that were there. On our way home, Rickey told me how much he missed playing and how bad he wanted to "just grab a ball and throwdown to second base". I missed it too and we just kinda looked at each other for this LOOONNNNGGG minute, knowing how bad it was hurting not playing, but also having this silent understanding that life was changing.. This change is new and its good, but it's definitely taking some getting used to... This weekend is my birthday and I am planning (CROSS YOUR FINGERS) on Rickey and myself to get to go to LA to see his family and wedding dress shop. IF it continues to rain in the Delta then the boys might have to practice this weekend and we wont go home. I really want to be able to go and I am SO EXCITED you just dont know. I have been waiting until the right moment to shop with Mrs. Dana and Candice for a dress and it's finally that time! Rickey is also really excited about this birthday present he's worked on for me, and goodness only KNOWS what this is that he's done... He's such a good present-giver, I can only imagine. I love when he makes me things, so maybe thats it. Cross your fingers for clear skies so that we can travel and see the people we love the most.. and then go ahead and cross your fingers for our travels TO SEE the people we love the most with our huge mini-horse that we haul around named Abner. ;) Avec tout mon couer..... the future Lacey Noland.

More of my precious Coach Noland.

Delta Family.

Sleepy baseball boys.

Oh my little nemo.

Pig Pickin...

It's Tuesday and life is back on the grind. Between the two of us, Rickey and I are working, schooling, wedding planning, house hunting, baseball coaching, job hunting, and just trying to get a second to spend with each other when we get a chance. Life has been hectic these last few weeks but things are going well. School is good for Rickey. He has great grades and is working so hard, studying and coaching at the same time some days! I am so proud of him. We went to Pig Pickin' this weekend which is a Delta State tradition. I had never been so I was interested to see what it was all about. Most of the day, Rickey showed some prospective players and their families around. He thought it was so cool that they called him Coach Noland and referred to me as his "wife". We went to the Pig Pickin' BBQ next to the football stadium in the afternoon with our some of our friends then headed to the football game. This was fun because we got to sit in the coaches box with Coach K and his wife. Mrs. Cindy is so sweet and fun to be around and Coach K and Rickey cut up with each other more than I have ever seen. It's fun, this is what life will be like when season starts, and the wedding has gone.. We look very forward to the future plans that we have. And its only 278 days away... Time flies....
Avec tout mon couer..... L

Insomnia gets me everytime..

Yes, I seriously think Insomnia has a hold on me.. So many nights I cannot sleep, and its soooooo annoying because I sure love to sleep.. But on these nights that I can't-what do I do? Blog. Yep. Blog.

Tonight (or should I say this morning because its 2:15 am as I write this) I am going to blog about my registry items that I love at Oxford Floral. Rickey and I did this registry about a month ago, and although you cant find it online because Oxford Floral's website got hacked into and they are STILL trying to figure out how to fix it all, I can definately show everyone the things that we picked out. YES. You read that right, WE. Rickey, suprisingly enough, LOVED helping me with the registries. When we went to Target to do our registry, he had a blast with Critter scanning just about everything in the store. When we left that day from hours of scanning and the boys on a starbucks high, I counted over 500 items on the registry list. Even BABY CLOTHES. Rickey literally walked down the aisle scanning everything in sight. I had to delete those baby clothes rather QUICK, because I just know how my little town can gossip, and goodness knows they would think we were having a baby on top of our wedding! ;) Needless to say, when we went to Oxford Floral to register I was sooo jacked. This place is just DIVINE and I couldnt wait to just stand and look at plates. And glassware. And everything! We walked in the store literally just said "we want THIS and THIS and THIS" and that was it. It was so easy between the two of us. We have such similar taste and like pretty much the same thing. Maybe this is why we are getting married. :) I know this blog is boring tonight, so after this weekend in Cleveland I am sure I will have so much more to blog about. Rickey and I are going to Pig Pickin' (not real sure what all this is yet but its a Delta State thing and so we are testin it out). Sleep tight, friends.. Love, L





ENJOY looking through all the pictures that I googled of our stuff we loved!



(from Left to Right: Top first) 1. Everyday ware by Vietri in the Bellezza Pattern (Which is the off white pottery pattern); 2. French China by Bernardaud in the Athena Platinum Collection; 3. Oneida Placesettings in the Couplet design; 4. Vera Wang Crystal in the Duchess Collection; 5. McCarty Pottery Accessory Pieces in the Traditional Brown Collection; 6. Everyday ware also by The Good Earth Pottery in the Bluebird Collection (which is DIVINE and is my favorite).

Boo...

In the movie Bull Durham (which is one of my absolute favorites by the way), Annie Savoy says that she "believes in the church of baseball". Although Rickey and I don't worship it as our "church" its a huge part of our life, one of the biggest I would even go so far to say. Some people find it so strange and odd that we live and breathe this "game" as we do. We follow stats religiously. We travel long distances to sit in the freezing cold or risk heatstroke just to sit for 9 innings and watch (or Coach) our boys play with every bit of their heart, cause baseball players don't just play, they play with every bit of heart they have. This life we lead means so much to Rickey and myself and our families and everything that has come from it we have enjoyed. Now, I have blogged before about Rickey's accolades with the game and his passion for it. I wont do that again, he almost killed me when he read it because he is NEVER EVER one to boast. Actually, Rickey is his worst critic when it comes to baseball, and thats ok, cause thats Rick. Today's blog is based upon the "Pope" of Baseball, the sports hero of the South and someone that Rickey is fortunate enough to meet and greet and learn under on a daily basis. Ole' Boo.

Rickey always calls me at lunch just after he gets out of class and before he goes to work on the field. Today he was just so HAPPY - you could hear him smiling just through his words. I said, "Rickey Noland are you happy to talk to me or something today? What has gotten into you?". Rickey answers with, "Oh yes Lace I'm happy to talk to you but I just got a call from Coach and I'm going to eat lunch with him and the other guys. Coach Ferris is taking us all out". And then I knew. Coach Ferris just might be Rickey's baseball "coaching" idol. You can look him up on Wikipedia and read about his stats and baseball legacy. You can go to the MS Sports Hall of Fame and check him out. Ask around Cleveland and Drew, MS and people will tell you stories of him. Call Rick Cleveland and get a copy of his book that he wrote about Coach Ferriss. You could call the Boston Red Sox and they would tell you about his playing stent there for 5 years and his coaching time there as the Pitching coach. You could even call up John Grisham and ask him of his stories of trying to play for Boo Ferris and trying out for the baseball team at Delta State. Grisham would tell you that his inability to hit a curveball for Coach Ferris inspired his focus to continue writing. This man, who is a LEGEND in the baseball world and has been active in it for over 46 years, sits and eats lunch with my Rickey most weeks and tells him stories of "Hank Aaron" and "watching this game or that game".. Rickey says he just sits in AWE and learns so much from him. These are such special moments and Coach "Boo" Ferriss will never know the impact that he makes upon these families, these players, and these coaches. Rickey's senior year of school, he was nomiated for the Boo Ferriss Award, a top award for baseball players in MS. He didn't win it, but he will tell you that it doesnt matter, because not many people get to learn under a coach like Boo and eat lunch with him on a daily basis. He says he wins everyday that he gets to spend time with coach, AS a coach. This man, who is now retired and resides in Cleveland, MS, still comes and visits the players and coaches and sees the field he created almost on a daily basis. His wife still comes to Delta State games with him and they cheer on the statesmen that he coached for decades. I can only hope that Rick and me will have a life like Boo and his wife, because THEY are amazing to us.... This transition from playing to coaching has been, well, Different for Rick and myself and our families. It's something New. And I will say, I was worried about how Rickey would feel, not playing anymore but I see his joy in coaching and his motivation to be just like Coach Ferriss, and it makes us ALL happy and smile. We are blessed, yes we are....

Check him out.. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Ferriss

Making a List.. Checking it Twice...

Not time for Santa yet, but I feel like I'm working as my own little Elf with the wedding (and life) TO DO list that Rick and I have created for ourselves! AHH! No worries though, all is well in wedding planning world, and we (should I say I) love it. As of right now, I have about 50 things that I need to be doing for the wedding, and then about 50 million other things I need to be doing for LIFE but I can sit and blog about it and somehow feel "accomplished" for these next ten minutes.

This Labor day weekend was fantastic. There is something so great about just being Lazy. You know, the kind of lazy that makes you tired from laying around and watching movies all day. I left the clinic Friday afternoon, hit the road and met Rick in Cleveland for our departure to my favorite place, Denham Springs and Baton Rouge. We drug Abner from his happy humble abode and loaded him in the car for the four hour travel to my home away from home. We got there around midnight and immediately crashed. The next few days were spent literally snoozing, eating, relaxing with the family, wedding chatting with Mrs. Dana, and admiring the new Noland kitchen. Now these things might be just so miniscule and small in other peoples lives but to me and Rick Rick, we LOVE this. We love the idea of being MARRIED, we love the idea of restoring furniture, of bringing abner (and kids one day) to see Papa Rick and Mrs. Dana, hanging with the brothers, laughing with them, our abita and football games, and abner time. WE LOVE THIS. Rick and I have always been family people and we love to surround ourselves with the people who make us the most happy. He and I also took time to go back to Richard's (our engagement ring man who totally made ALL our dreams come true) and pick our our wedding bands! This was fun, and kind of emotional. Rickey picked out a beautiful, yet masculine, ring that I cannot wait to see on his finger every day and I got to see the wedding band(s) that are designed for my engagement ring. Yes, I said that Right... BANDS.. My fiance' is SO GOOD to me, that not only do I get one band for the wedding, but i get an additional band "because it evens out the ring with one on EACH SIDE" he says. He's ridiculous, I know, and far too wonderful to me....What a wonderful love I have... And we can never forget about Abner, so we went to Petco and TigerMania and bought him tons of toys and new happies.. He even got an LSU Jersey that he wears and his daddy is SO VERY PROUD. I never thought I would see the day that Rick would want Abs to wear any clothes but when he saw the jersey in Abner's size (which would be a pet's XL) he had to have it.. and Abner actually, HA, LIKES IT! We watched the LSU/Washington game and just hung out.. All in all, we had a low key, WONDERFUL weekend in our future home... I love it there... We were driving home last night, back to Cleveland, and thinking of everything that we have going on this upcoming week. Rickey is starting his first week of Team Practice, which he is SUPER excited about. The idea of not being a player has finally soaked in, and the challenge of transitioning from being a player to a coach has ARRIVED. And hes ROCKED it so far. We are also still researching houses in Cleveland (to which I would like to NOTE we have FOUND A FEW!! YAY! Thank you for your prayers!), job interviews for me, School, classes, baseball, Work, and that little thing we like to call the Harris-Noland wedding thats coming right around the bend!! HOORAY!

Enough for now.. I really have to get working on some stuff......
Avec tout mon couer... Lace