Honoring A Great Man

Tomorrow, we will be honoring the life of a great man- my Grandaddy, Harry H. Harrell. He went home to be with the Lord this past Thanksgiving night peacefully with my mom by his side. One of the things that I will remember most about Grandaddy is that he was known to be a very generous man. Not only was he generous, but he gave in so many ways with love and expecting nothing in return. There are many stories about how he cared for people and how he even helped people get back on their feet by providing a place to stay when they couldn't afford it. Even late into his life, he would visit elderly friends who were older than he was to make sure they were cared for.

Sometimes Nathan and I laugh, because we went to church with Grandaddy once and the whole time he was introducing us as his grandson and grandaughter... we would then get this funny look because we were obviously married. So we would have to explain that Nathan was technically his grandson through marraige, not blood- no incest here! LOL! But he wanted to make Nathan feel so loved and part of the family that he would introduce him as such. :)

Even in his last days he was so selfless with my mom faithfully by his side... One night, we were told that things were not looking so good for him and Nathan suggested that we call him to tell him we loved him. At first, I was a little hesitent because I wasn't sure if he was aware or coherrant enough to understand based on reports we received about his health... needless to say, I am so GLAD we called him!! We asked my mom to put the phone up to his ear while he was laying in bed with his eyes closed (he had been doing a lot of sleeping at this point because he was so weak). We could hear him struggling to breathe because of his congestion. I spoke first saying, "Hey Grandaddy! We love you!" and Nathan chimed in, "We love you Grandaddy!" Next thing we know, with all his might he responded with groaning and a barely recognizable "I love you"... A memory I will hold close to my heart always! A few days later, we received the news that he had passed.

It is because of Grandaddy that I was able to attend college and get my degree in Education. I only hope that I can continue to make him proud as he always told me. He is an inspiration to Nathan and I to be kind, caring, and generous. Nathan and I chose the following verse to be read at his funeral tomorrow and I will share it with you as well...

"Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.'"
2 Corinthians 9:6-9

We will miss you, Grandaddy, and we love you! You are now with the angels in Heaven. :)

A Day in the Life of a Substitute

This past week I substituted for the first time. It was definitely full of ups and downs but here’s how it went…
Monday- My assignment was to sub for a 10th grade Geometry class at Pope High School. As the students started walking into the classroom I was pleasantly surprised at how nice they were…saying hello and asking how I was. They would also ask me the normal questions, “are you our substitute today?” or “what are we doing today?” At the start of each class period, I would tell them a little bit about myself, that I used to teach math and that I recently moved from Texas. Some of them got a good laugh when I told them that we don’t all ride horses to school and, no, we do not all wear cowboy hats. ;) I think they felt comfortable to ask me questions about their assignment- which I loved and I felt like I was in my zone! It was a great day and went very smoothly. Yay!
Tuesday- No School because of Election Day
Wednesday- I subbed for a co-teacher at McCleskey Middle School. When I got there, there were A TON of trailers in the parking lot. I later found out that the school was being used to house busses and trailers for the production crew and actors of a movie being filmed that Ben Stiller and Vince Vaugh are in. It was so funny to hear the kids tell me all about it, saying that their school was famous. LOL! Most of the day I helped out in an 8th grade Science class (and I learned a little about Acceleration and Velocity. LOL!) There was one class period that the teacher had their own class for students struggling in Math… once again, I was in my zone! Teaching and helping them with their assignment was so much fun! It was interesting to see the math they were expected to do here in Georgia versus what is expected in Texas. Some of the stuff they do in 8th grade in Georgia is not taught until 9th grade in Texas (but that is apparently going to change next year in Texas from what I heard last).
Thursday- I only subbed for a half day in the afternoon at an elementary school for a special ed preschool class. The particular class I was in had 6 students who all had autism- SO PRECIOUS! There are always 3 teachers in the classroom so I pretty much did whatever the other teachers asked me to do. I was able to work one-on-one with a little boy practice his handwriting and do puzzles. Let me tell you, these teachers are saints! The pour things looked so worn out and burnt out. They’ve got a lot on their hands but they were so patient the whole time. It was such a great experience to see how they communicate with the children and what kind of ways they teach them things… very interesting stuff!
Friday- I hate to say it but it was one of the worst days I’ve had in a long time… my assignment was for a middle school 6th grade math class and here is just a little note about the day… I was called a “fool” by one of the students, had a student who refused to give me his drum sticks that he was beating on his desk during a quiz- then he refused to go to the office- then there was NO PHONE in the classroom to call for an administrator to come down. Seriously!? Who doesn’t put a phone in the classroom? What if there was an emergency and a nurse was needed? That probably made me madder than anything because I’ve been in a situation where a nurse was needed for a teacher who collapsed on the campus I used to teach at and they had to use CPR and a defibrillator on her and then rush her to the hospital. The nurse was easily contacted because we had a phone in the classroom! Anyways, I ended up getting assistance from a teacher who was walking by in the hallway... but all of this is just a portion of what I had to deal with. I was pretty EXHAUSTED by the end of the day to say the least.

North Georgia Corn Maze

A few weeks ago I heard on the radio about a corn maze in north Georgia and thought that it would be fun (and different) for Nathan and I to check out. We were going to go last week after church but found out that it was going to take an hour and half to get there so we decided to wait (we have been living with our GPS on our iPhones ever since we got here). Yesterday, we figured we should go since it's a seasonal thing and we didn't have anything else planned. It turned out to be a really fun day! We slept in, ate an early lunch and then headed out. On our way up there we joked about how people would probably think we are crazy for driving that far to go get lost in a field of corn... but hey! Why not? :)

On our drive up there, we got to see all of the BEAUTIFUL colors from the leaves changing... we just don't have a pretty Fall season like this in Texas... I mean you talk about bright yellow, red, and orange! It was gorgeous hill country for sure! This picture does not even begin to give justice to the bright colors.

Anyways, after a slight detour (because we missed a turn) we finally got to the corn maze. Not many people were there and the corn stalks were all dried up and brown but it was still just as fun... They also had a petting zoo, a hay ride, horse shoe toss, etc... When we bought our tickets, they gave Nathan and I a map of the maze. It's hard to see it in the picture below but, on the map, there were six numbered stations that helped to keep you on track. Once you got to each station in the maze you punched a whole out on the left side of your card that corresponded to each station once you got there. I wonder how many people have actually gotten so lost that they couldn't find there way out... I've heard on the news how people have gotten lost and had to call 911! Crazy!

Well, we were successful and made our way out! We took turns leading the way between each station... and in the back of my head I was thinking this was probably an argument waiting to happen- kinda like when you're driving around with your spouse and they think you need to turn left but you think you need to turn right- all you couples out there know what I'm talking about! LOL! Thankfully, there was no arguing what so ever! We didn't care if we got lost. :)

Afterwards, on our way back, we stopped at a couple of local shops on the side of the road...one of which sold home made jarred pickles, jams, salsa, cider, and more... we definitely bought some of that! Pickles and peach salsa to be exact... Yep! Peach salsa- if you've never had it you need to try it because it's good stuff. The pickles were awesome and the peach salsa was okay (not like what I've had before). I was really hoping that it was going to be better since Georgia is known for their peaches but it was still pretty good. They had so many jams to choose from- even "Georgia Moonshine Jam"!!! Haha! Between that and the huge twang the seller had, we knew we were in the c-o-u-n-t-r-y!

They only took cash, though, so we couldn't get any jam since we didn't have enough with us. If we ever go back, we will definitely buy some (berry, not moonshine though)! Talk about pure, real ingredients- none of that fake sugar and flavoring stuff! It's bound to be delicious!

Take a Tour

Here are some pictures of the house we are buying (descriptions are on top of each picture)...

Front view:

Back left view (you can see that the basement has an outside entrance):

Back right view- LOVE the deck that wraps around the corner of the house! (there is more to the yard behind where this picture is taken):

View from the front entry (to the right is the formal living room, directly in front is the formal dining room, to the left in front of the stairs is a hallway that leads to the living room. You can't see it in this picture but there is a door on the other side of the stairs that leads to the kitchen):

Kitchen:

Breakfast room with a door on the left that leads to the deck (this picture is taken from the living room):

Living Room:

Master Bedroom:

One of the bedrooms (it's huge!!):

Unfinished part of the basement (against the far wall you can see a section that sticks out- there is a door along the side of it that leads to a room- one of the two finished rooms down there):

One of the finished rooms in the basement that also leads out to the backyard:

We are so excited to get moved in and settled! Closing will be December 9th or earlier (all depends on Fannie Mae). Our realtor said it could be as early as right before Thanksgiving... so we will wait and see. :)

One step closer!

Happy, happy!!! Joy, joy!! We are so excited that we are now officially under contract on the house we wanted!

So here is how things went down...

Monday morning, our realtor submitted our offer (even though we were ready Saturday, Fannie Mae does not work over the weekends). She's also really good about keeping us informed... so she told me that she called the selling agent to confirm that they received our offer (which they did). However, the interesting thing that worried me at the time was that the selling agent said she had 52 new emails when she got to work that morning- many of which were concerning the same house!! All I could think about was that it meant we were most likely going to go into a bidding war. I found myself trying not to get too excited about the house so that if we didn't get it, then I wouldn't be as disappointed... do you ever find yourself doing that?

Then on Tuesday, our realtor called again and said that they needed a letter stating that we did not own any property in the United States to help prove that we are not investors. The letter had to be from us with our legal names written and signed. (Side note: Fannie Mae rather sell their property to residents rather than investors who would flip the house. So when they put a house on the market, they usually have a time frame this is initially only open to residential buyers. After that time, if they haven't received an offer they like, then it's open for investors). I asked our realtor if this was a good sign but all she could say was "you never know and they will never say" and that we just needed to "continue to sit tight".

Then on Wednesday, the Fannie Mae agent received our paperwork (aparently this is a different person from the selling agent) and that ours was the first one he had received on that house so far. Our realtor also said that she knew the Fannie Mae agent and that she had a good rapport with him (good for us so she could make sure, in her words, that "we don't get ran into the ground." i.e. that we don't get lost through all the paperwork)... but we still didn't know anything outside of that.

Then Friday, our realtor called at about 4:00 pm and said they couter offered on the house! Can you imagine my happiness to hear that they did NOT just ask for our best offer and that we did NOT have to go into a bidding war!!!! PRAISE THE LORD! A huge thank you to our realtor too for being proactive with all of this... she called Fannie Mae on Friday to check up on things and there was a counter offer "sitting in the computer system" waiting to be dealt with the following week.

Boy did that week of waiting seem like an eternity! In fact, earlier this week I thought about how I have been doing a lot of "waiting" over the last few months. (Think God is trying to teach me something?) It goes all the way back to the beginning of the summer... waiting to hear if Nathan got a promotion...waiting to sell our house back in Texas...waiting to live under the same roof as my husband again (longest 2 1/2 months of my life!)...waiting to hear about the house here in Atlanta... do you see the pattern too? It never fails that God is faithful.

Picture will be coming soon...

Fingers Crossed!

We put an offer down on a house today!!!!! It's a Fannie May owned foreclosure that just had fresh paint and new carpets installed all throughout the house. It's 2 stories with 4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms, and a basement. One of our favorite parts of the house is that it has a huge deck that leads to a huge backyard. The backyard also has a lot of character- one section has what appears to be an area where the previous owner had benches and a place for a firepit. How awesome is that?! It will just need some tender love and care to rediscover it's potential. I can just see Carson, Ethan, & Graham (all of our nephews) and John Mark (my little bro) enjoying a great bonfire and smores! ... pretty much a tradition any time they come over. Plus, there would be plenty of firewood to find to make the fire with all of the lovely trees towards the back of the lot. The other feature we really like is the basement. It is partially finished with two rooms (and even more room that is still unfinished)- and one of the rooms has a door that also leads out to the backyard with it's own little patio. I think Nathan wants to turn one of these rooms into a media room.

Anyways, our realtor explained that the thing about a Fannie May owned foreclosure is that they can take their sweet time with getting back to us whether or not they will accept, decline, or counter-offer with us. However, sometimes they get back with people immediately. There's just no way to know... We don't know if they are wanting to sell it to the first person who makes an offer or if they want to wait until they have multiple offers and then tell all the buyers to bring their best offer- thus, create a bidding war (praying that this does not happen). So we wait- and pray- and trust in God.

Update on the House Hunt

Well, we didn't find a house this past weekend that we felt like putting an offer on so the search continues. However, some of the houses we wanted to see were unavailable for a showing so we will go see them sometime this week. We will probably add other houses to our search as well. We are staying hopeful...

Also, if you are interested, I have added a "subscribe by email" feature to my blog (upper righthand side of the page). This will allow you to receive an email everytime I update my blog. :)

Good Eats!

I know it's early to say since I've only been here for about two weeks but I think I found my favorite Atlantian restaurant. It's called Canoe. Before moving here, my boss gave me a book about the best things to do in Atlanta (like a traveler's guide). When I came across the description of this restaurant it sounded very enticing... and man oh man was it good eats! Not only did this restaurant have yummy food but it also sat right next to the Chattahoochee River with a beautiful garden for the guests to mingle around in before or after dinner. We were fortunate to get to sit outside on their big patio to enjoy the pretty surroundings even though it was dark (the garden was still very well lit but we couldn't see the river so much)... We will definitely be going back another time to enjoy it when it's daylight outside. We heard they also are well known for their brunch menu.

This is what we had for dinner...

Appetizers:

I had the Yellow Corn Soup with Truffle Cream and Parmesan Wisp

Nathan had the Canoe's House Smoked Salmon on a Crispy Potato Cake with Vermont Goat's Cheese

Entrees:

I had the Maple Glazed Local Pork Tenderloin with House Bacon and Corn Crepe

Nathan had the Slow Roasted Carolina Rabbit with Swiss Chard- Bacon Ravioli, Sweet Potato Hash and Candied Garlic Sauce

Dessert:

We shared the special- Chocolate Ice Cream with Chipotle and Jalapeno Flavoring (it was surprisingly really good)

Then after dinner, we relaxed next to the river in the garden where they had serval wooden chairs and benches. :)

On another note... we went house hunting yesterday for the first time. We found one house that we both liked but it backed up to a somewhat busy road. We will continue looking this afternoon so I'll be back with another update.

Let the House Hunting Begin!!!

I am super excited! We have found a realtor (well, actually two realtors that work together) that we feel totally comfortable with. It is a man and a woman who have worked as partners for several years and they both are very experienced in the northern Atlanta area. We felt this was important because we are in need of someone who can give us sound advice on a good area to live in with good schools, best amount of money for the price, etc. We met with them for the first time on Monday for two hours. They shared with us a lot about themselves, how they work together, things that we can expect, and a whole lot more.

One of the things that we liked was that they give us access to a program where we can put in anything that we are looking for in a home... You can be as specific as you want to be or as general as you want to be. Once all of that is entered, the program sends you an email of all the houses for sale that fits your search criteria. Then, you have a chance to narrow down the list of what you like and don't like before going to look at the house... very effecient! We can also change our search criteria at any time. Nathan and I decided to keep our search pretty general so that we would not be limited. We, at least, know we want a four bedroom house with a good size backyard for our dog. If you are familiar with Atlanta, we are looking in the East Cobb, Fulton, and Forsyth counties (which are just north and northwest of metro Atlanta). We will go look for the first time this weekend so I will keep you posted! And, please pray that the Lord will bring us to the right house (in His timing too)!

Our First Weekend Together in Atlanta

My first week in Atlanta consisted mostly of getting our small one bedroom apartment organized and somewhat more cozy looking/feeling. This was, and still is, a challenge considering most of our belongings are in storage so we have very LITTLE furniture (ie. a futon as a bed, folding chairs, and a folding table along with a few other items). Plus, we are trying to save our boxes that we brought to the apartment from the move so we can reuse them when we move into our next house (so we have a large stack of boxes in the corner. LOL!) Anyways, once the weekend came along I was very excited because we could spend time exploring! And to top it all off, the weather here has been perfect!

Here is a picture of us together at a local restaurant call Peter's... It's a little blury but I like this one of us. Since the weather was so nice we sat outside and enjoyed each other's company.

The next day, we went just north of Atlanta to Lake Lanier. It was absolutely beautiful! Here is our view of the lake at lunch.

After lunch, we walked along the Chattahoochee River (off of Lake Lanier) and here are some of the pretty pictures we took with Nathan's iPhone. It was neat to see all of the people fly fishing out in the river. Next time, I need to remember to take my camera with me.

The Creation of My Blog

The decision to start a blog: Since before we moved to Atlanta, I had been contemplating starting a blog so that our friends and family could stay up to date on our new adventures. I have to admit, for some reason this whole blogging thing is a little intimidating to me (it's a whole new world to learn). Then the other day, a dear friend of mine, Jenna, posted on Facebook saying that I should start one... so here we are! I guess I just needed a little nudge. ;-)

Behind the creation of the blog title: I wanted the title to incorporate our last name and I wanted it to be creative but everything I kept coming up with sounded too cheesy. So, I asked for Nathan's help and I learned something new... did you know that the word garner (verb) means to collect, gather, or to acquire? I didn't. We continued to bounce ideas back and forth... Then, ta-da!!! We came up with the title for my blog and we both felt it was fitting. So here I am, starting a blog about us collecting life's moments. I hope you enjoy it!