Updates

So it's been nine-ish months since I've posted anything. Life has taken some crazy turns since then as most people reading this will already know. However, I feel compelled to organize my thoughts about events anyways. So since I last posted in April my small little family has:

1. Moved to Tennessee . . . namely speaking in with my parents instead of Nashville as originally planned.
2. Started school (for Tony) and became a mostly full time substitute teacher and revisited my swim lesson instructor days (for me)
3. Went to a ridiculous amount of festivals including the fall, muscadine grape, and pumpkin.
4. Oh, and  increased by one! Yes, we had a baby. Way to bury the lead, huh?
5. Decided we are moving to Virginia for a job sometime in the next several months. 

Life seems very surreal right now. It feels like we are on the edge of an exciting adventure that is just about to begin. We just had a baby, and we are just about to move and start our new lives in a new place as a relatively new little family. Right now life is mostly a waiting game with one obvious BIG bonus. I get to spend my time waiting for the new adventure to begin while having one of THE biggest adventures--becoming a new parent. So far the journey has been wonderful, hectic, exhausting, frustrating  and, even though it's only been three weeks, the most rewarding experience I've ever had! 

Now that I'm a temporary stay at home parent, I plan on blogging more often (cross those fingers for me please). I want to record these fleeting, precious moments I'm experiencing not just for others but for myself as well. Baby is growing and changing every day, and I want to look back someday and recall at least of a few of those moments.  Time obviously isn't going to wait for me so I need to get to writing, photographing, and posting! Here goes!!!

After the muscadine festival where I mostly got to live my dream of stomping grapes

Me, at 38 weeks

Right after we forgot about New Year's because I way busy being in labor

Baby Liam is here!

Almost 3 weeks old photo

The Coffee Table I Didn't Even Know I'd Been Dreaming About

So Tony took me out to lunch at the India Palace lunch buffet today . . . all the naan you can eat if you please. It was yummy and perfect, and then things got even better. Due to the lunch crowd and all the construction we had to park a block away. We saw the Bijou Market and went in with a $5 budget because Tony needed the change. And we came out with a $5 pair or earrings and this:

It is the awesome pop of yellow our apartment needed to be complete I think. I have somewhere to prop my feet now. Basically it was a good day, and quite a steal for only $60.

Happy day.

I am going to be incommunicado this weekend due to a massive amount of homework . . . like 20 pages worth of writing massive. Wish me luck please.

A little late (what's new?)

So my youngest great nephew started school this year. I know what anyone who doesn't know me that well is thinking. I mean how many 23-year-olds have a great nephew? And this crazy girl has more than one?! I do love my family, and I have come to enjoy the confusion/frustration I see on people's faces when I say my great nephew. Then their brow furrows and their eyes crinkle as they try to wrap their heads around the fact that I have a niece and a nephew who are both old enough to have children old enough to start school. Oh, oh, oh SCHOOL. I was talking about school.

One of the best things to come out of the week before the wedding was being home to take Gage to his very first day of Kindergarten. It was so fun. I remembered how nervous I was my first day in my pink outfit with my Barbie backpack. I cried when my mom left me, and I cried again when she left me the next year. Gage is a much braver kid than I was. He is quite literally not afraid of anything. He will eat almost anything and he is never scared to try something new.

Tony and I went swimming with Gage at my house the weekend after the wedding and Tony put his shirt on after we were finished and there was something alive in it! While I was busy freaking out about it, Gage found it, picked it up and proceeded to show it to everyone at the house--it was a frog. I would never have even touched the thing. He showed Tony and I first, then he walked over to the porch and showed it to Dad and Ray, and then he walked to the other side of the yard to show it to my Mom in the driveway. Then we set the little guy free across the street in the big field. I made him wash his hands before he ate, but I don't think he would have if I didn't make him.

So back to the first day of school, he seemed a little nervous at first. That was until he saw the play-doh. His brilliant teacher had set up a tray with a can of play-doh for each child in her class. The second he saw it he completely forgot about us. He loves kindergarten!

And on a completely unrelated note:

I want, I need, oh baby oh baby! I am in love with these shoes! They are from the Bass outlet (just in case anyone feels the inclination).

I went to Tennessee

I went to Tennessee for the weekend . . . um two weeks ago. Yes, this is a bit delayed. But hey, what isn't late on my blog these days? I just can't help it. Grad school is kicking my trash. All of the second years told us after the first semester things get better. Well . . . they didn't. This semester is incredibly hard, and accounting and statistics are a constant stress on my life this semester.

This is not to say I am stresses in general. Life is pretty darn great these days really. Really! However, I must say I am ready for school to be over. And then it will be a long time (if ever) before I even start to consider school again.

I do have a paid internship for this summer . . . here in Utah! How exciting!

So, I'm supposed to be talking about Tennessee.

Tony and I went to Tennessee to meet my family and friends. It was a whirlwind, quick hey Tony meet family, family meet Tony it's time to go...bye! kind of trip. But it was good. We got into Nashville a little after 10 pm on Friday night and were greeted by my cousins Laura and David. Then we drove with them to Cookeville to meet up with my parents and Gage. We finally pulled into the drive at my house around 3 am.

The next day, we had a yummy waffely breakfast with the family. Then I took Tony on a mini tour of Maryville--this meaning we went to Ross and then Foothills mall on a quest for cufflinks for the French cuff shirt I accidently bought for him in AZ. Then it was off to lunch with the posh (Jessica, Michael, Tiny) at Market Square in Knoxville at the Tomato Head. Yummy! And there were many many dogs because it was mardi growl. Yes such a think does exist.

Then it was home for a short little rest before starting dinner prep. We had chicken and dumplings which everyone knows is my favorite. Then off to bed.

Sunday we got up early and went to church, had a quick lunch of left overs, and then drove with Michael and Jessica back to the airport to make our weary way back to Provo.

Needless to say, I was quite worn out on Monday.

Merry (Albeit Belated) Christmas

Don't you just love Christmas sweaters!

There is more Christmas joy to come soon. Only I have to finish all this ridiculous application/school work nonsense. Who assigns work to be due over Christmas break I ask you, WHO?

Also, calling all NGO, nonprofit, government, etc. organizations: Application deadlines over the holiday break? Really? I mean really?!

Southern Belle

Even though I may live in the Mid-west these days and for the majority of the days of the past five years, I am still at southern girl at heart. I am also a southern girl when I get sleepy or nervous because my accent tends to get thicker in times like these--true story!

Yes, you skeptics back home who have noticed that I now call coke soda instead of coke.

In the South a drink offer goes something like this:

Do you want a coke?

Yes.

What kind?

A sprite.

Does this really make sense? Of course not, but it is the way it is back home.

You also may have noticed I have begun to call supper dinner. And sometimes, heaven forbid, I even accidentally call my cousin Laura Laaaura instead of Lora like it should be pronounced. I mean her name isn't Laaaura. No one calls her that.

However, rest assured I am still Southern! If you still are disinclined to believe me, just check out these pictures of all the purely southern activities from my Thanksgiving break:

I, yes I, climbed up in a tree stand. I also held a gun whilst up there. A RIFLE is you will...even if you won't!
I lit a fire on the side of the bluff. I was also mindful of my good friend Smoky the Bear when I fully extinguished the fire with sand before leaving.
I drove a 4 wheeler out to this bluff. It is beautiful, but unfortunately most of the fall colors are gone by the time Thanksgiving rolls around.

That's right I have a giant metal homemade sign with my name on it hanging on a cabin. Can you get more southern than that?

And just a few more pieces of evidence to prove my case:

I sat on the edge of a bluff and hacked off a branch of holly with an oversized knife to decorate the mantle over the fireplace in our cabin. Did I mention I spent my Thanksgiving vacation in a State Park with no Internet, one television channel, and limited phone service?

I ate copious amounts of chicken and dumplings & biscuits and gravy.

I am also willing to bet that few other people can say they spent more time around long johns or camouflage, carhartt, and thermal clothing this weekend than I did.

And just a little something something that made my break very enjoyable:

Aren't they adorable? And huge!

Orange

I have recently become enamored with the color orange. Strange, I know, but true. I currently have orange toenails and a sweet new orange jacket I picked up at Ross.

Isn't orange such a warm, friendly, vibrant, happy color?

But of course it is!

I'm going river rafting this weekend (which I'm good at). However, it's going to be able 20 degrees at night at the campsite (which I'm not good at).

Monday I'm going HOME!!!!!

But isn't that an orangey sort of happy?

And so is the fact that Glee comes back on tonight!

GEE

They'd probably make me eat a live chicken!

I'm going to a lawn party come April 24th. It's true! Complete with dresses, hats, pearls, bowties AND

CRAWFISH!

Doesn't that just sound like the epitome of Southern gentility and sophistication?

Well I don't eat crawfish. The eyes are still looking at you even after you boil them! uuuggghhh . . . you know how it is.

It's very Steel Magnolias of me if I do say so myself.

I cannot even wait. I think about 99.9% of women want and like to dress up at least every once in awhile. And as everyone knows from my post a few days ago I do love wearing hats. A pretty dress with a hat is even better. Add those pearls and I'm practically in heaven!

Maybe a little something like this:

I do always wish I could dress like the characters from Gossip Girl you know.

But seriously. I am very excited to go home. I'm from the South, and it doesn't really matter where I live or go for the rest of my life--I'm Southern through and through and that's not changing.

A Classy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was WONDERFUL! I love my family and my friends, and it was altogether a good time. I was very happy that my sister got of work and came to the cabin. I was worried I wouldn't get to see her.

Gage got sooo big. I picked him up when I saw him, and he is so much heavier now than he was in August. He is hilarious too!

At our Thanksgiving dinner, Travis, Stephen and Phillip realized that Gage would do pretty much anything you asked him if you would laugh after. This led to him prancing around the kitchen singing about how people are crazy. He also downed an entire packet of spicy brown mustard. I love him!

And speaking of huge, take a look at my 16 year old cousin David:

He's got another 5ish years to grow and the kid is already 6'2''. WOW!

Rebecca cut my hair too! She is quite the hair stylist and I enthusiastically recommend going to visit her after she graduates in just a few weeks! (Give her your money please! You won't be disappointed!)

Don't worry, the look of terror on my face in this picture is purely a joke!

And of course:

LOTS OF FOOD!

I enjoyed just sitting around talking with my cousins I don't get to see very often. I find them all very entertaining. We discussed Turk Bass, Jamestown staple celebrity, and how he once did a live report on the radio about a fictitious tornado. It went a little something like this:

"I can see the funnel cloud. It's touching down. God help us all!"

And speaking of Jamestown, here is there local news from the Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving.

• There was a car wreck last week. One driver received minor injuries and the car was moderately damaged.
• They announced the entire flag football league schedule, including the names of every single one of the teams. (My favorite name was the long shots.)
• Tickets to ride the coach bus to the state semi-finals for YAI (the local high school) are $40.
• The end.

Jamestown is a happening place. Obviously!

The discussion then turned to a bar fight Stephen and Travis got into the other night. Stephen (drunk I presume) started a fight with some other drunk guy in a bar and Travis stepped in to break it up. He got punched in the forehead (who punches someone in the forehead?), and the marks were still there. Then we talked about Travis' tattoos and recent ear piercings. He told us he had decided on the specific size of gage's he had because it was the most classy.

"Yeah, if our family is anything it's classy," I said.

to which Travis replied, "Shut the hell up!"

Altogether another awesome Patton family Thanksgiving!

Autumn in the South and Poetry

I recently blogged about missing my mountains in the fall. To continue in a similar strain, I also really miss the Allardt, Tennessee Annual Pumpkin Festival. This is a lifelong tradition for me, and this year marks the fifth year I have been unable to attend. This tiny festival in an even tinnier town is the epitome of a small town celebration complete with parade, beauty queens, car show, local crafts, home cooked food, a talent show, and face painting. As the name suggests, the main event of the Pumpkin Festival is the pumpkin weigh in. This year's winner:

New Record weighing in at

1,266.1 pounds

To read more about this delightful festival visit their website.

And on a different note; Remember this?

I showed up at work today in a not so uncommon situation of having no lesson planned and about 20 minutes to get one planned if I don't want to wing it with a class full of sometimes difficult 6th graders (definitely don't want that to happen). I went to the library to return some books I had borrowed for last week's lessons. Lo and behold, I spotted four of these books sitting on the shelf, and it was all gravy from there. I wanted to work haikus into my lessons this week, and seeing this book of poetry helped everything fall into place for a week devoted to poetry. I was very happy with the way that worked out, and the kids were pretty happy too (they don't know we're going to be focusing on poetry all week yet). However, I'm going to look at it in an interesting way by pulling in music, rap, presentation style, and a little bit of writing of course.

And to end this post here are some words of wisdom from the great Shel Silverstein:

PUT SOMETHING IN

Draw a crazy picture,

Write a nutty poem, 

Sing a mumble-grumble song,

Whistle through your comb.

Do a loony-goony dance

'Cross the kitchen floor,

Put something silly in the world

That ain't been there before.

Innertube 9-1-4 and other summer nonsense

I've been home from London for awhile now so I believe a brief synopsis of my life is in order. Basically I have spent the last three weeks perpetually waterlogged. Between lessons and swimming with Gage a few days a week, I spend ALOT of time in the water. But this is perfectly ok with me because I love it. However, I am only working an average of about 7 hours a week which leaves me plenty of free time for family, friends, reading, running, yoga, and other leisurely pursuits.

The famous Innertube 9-1-4:Gage is growing up into one of the funniest little kids I have ever met. He has this big, bright personality that you can't help but love even when he is a complete hellion sometimes. One of his new habbits this summer is inventive jumps into the water (the cannonknife, innertube 914, the rain rain go away jump, and so on). He also uses the phrase "I can't hardly" in ways that make me laugh even though they are probably a little bit pitiful. My favorite two are:

"I can't hardly stop crying!" and "I can't hardly even stand up."

Here are a few photos that are pretty much the gist of my life this summer:

I love this picture. Gage got his imagniation book club book of the month in the mail, and asked my dad to read it for him. My dad read it not once but twice in an incredibly monotone voice, and Shanda and I laughed the whole time. It was pretty much adorable.

It's nice to be at home, sleep in my own bed, work at a job I love, eat a home cooked dinner nearly every night, and frequently see people who are related to me!