Spring Break 2014

To say that we had a busy, travel-filled month of April would be a complete understatement!

We kicked it off at the end of March by celebrating our 1-year anniversary...that's right, we've been married for a year already!! Don't worry, it's very hard for us to believe too. To celebrate, Colt found an awesome Groupon deal at 1906 Pine Crest Inn. This was such a cute bed and breakfast in Tryon, NC. The town was quaint and filled with small-town hospitality. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed a little break from reality :)

The first weekend in April, we went to Virginia to spend some time with Colt's family. Although it was a short visit, we had a wonderful time with them working around Sonnyfarm (that's the name of their farm :)  ) and catching bits and pieces of General Conference. We even got to visit my brother Todd and his family, in North Carolina, on our way back down to South Carolina. Todd, who serves in the United States Navy, had literally just gotten back (barely 2 days prior) from a year's deployment to Bahrain.  It was so wonderful to visit with him and his sweet family, in person, again :)

The second weekend in April finally brought Colt's actual Spring Break! We started that off with a trip to Charlotte, NC with the West-Oak Middle School Band. On the first day of the trip we were able to visit Discovery Place, a children's science museum. They have an IMAX Dome, where we got to watch a movie about the Hubble Space telescope...it was pretty cool, but I was a little dizzy after that! Then we went to Concord Mills....ummm....wow...what a mall. After that we were finally able to check in to the Great Wolf Lodge!! Absolutely awesome. This was such a fun place to stay! Colt and I hope to go back one day :) The next and last day of the trip, we went to Carowinds, where the band competed in a music festival and got top, Superior scores!! The rest of the day was spent riding roller coasters (don't worry, I didn't ride any of them!) and eating yummy, theme park food :)

What would we do without Juanita?! This woman has done so much for us just by being her wonderful self. She is a true example of southern hospitality, but especially Christian kindness :) One of the reasons why Colt's band kids are so great is because they go through her first in middle school!!

Throughout the rest of Colt's Spring Break week, we worked around our house....

• Colt got a lawnmower finally and was happy as a lark :)
• We remodeled an old rocking chair we found in Colt's family's barn in Virginia.
• We cleaned the house together....actually, Colt cleaned it more than I did. I've found I like it when he's home on break, not only because I obviously get to spend more time with him, but because he gets bored and has to do something...like cleaning the house ;)
• We painted Conner's nursery!! Again, Colt mainly did this because paint fumes and pregnancy don't go well together, but he really did pretty much everything! He came up with the design concept and saw it through. I nailed down the shade of colors that I liked best, but he came up with the color scheme first. I did help him measure and put up the chair rail, as well as applying some of the tape to the walls for striping, but he really deserves all of the credit for this amazing room! I can't wait to get everything in there, especially this sweet baby boy :)
• Colt had the opportunity to perform at an Easter service for a Methodist church in our area, playing his trombone. It's always good when he has the opportunity to be directed musically, instead of the other way around :)

Mowing the back yard :)

The nursery before :)

Chair rail up

Before stripes happened!

The nursery after!!

That's the rocking chair we got from Virginia!

The last weekend of his break, we got to drive down to Florida to visit my family and celebrate Easter with them!! I never tire of visiting Florida, especially since my family is there, but the car rides do tend to be my least favorite part of the trip (especially the car ride away from Florida :(  ). This time we decided to leave South Carolina at 3am, so we could beat traffic and have more time to spend in Florida. Although getting up that early was not so great, we managed to make it work, taking turns every couple of hours driving. We made excellent time and had a great weekend visiting, eating yummy food, shopping, dancing with Scooter the DJ at the Spanish Springs square in The Villages, going to Downtown Disney and visiting with more family, going on golf cart rides, attending Church and seeing so many friends from there, and soaking up some wonderful relaxation :) 

6 months down, 3 to go!!

I love Downtown Disney for many reasons, but especially because there is an Earl of Sandwich...best sandwiches ever! Downtown Disney was also where Colt and I went on our first date :)

This would be an awesome, though probably boiling hot, hat for band camp ;)

Comparing bumps with my Daddy :)

Spring Break went by WAY too quickly, as did the rest of the month, but it has been wonderful, every bit of it :) This next weekend we get to attend an Elvis concert, hosted by the West-Oak High School Band Boosters! Thankfully, we only have to drive a little over 20 minutes to see this ;)

I'm so grateful for modern transportation and technology that allowed us the opportunity to do so much this month. I'm especially grateful for my loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing would be possible if not for Them. This Easter season has given me the opportunity to reflect on my many blessings and see that all of them are because of my Savior. I would not have the life that I enjoy without Him, He has made all the difference in my life. 

This is an amazing video that anyone of any Christian faith would appreciate. Christ's life and mission truly touch every single person, whether they know it or not, or even accept it or not. I am so grateful for Him and how He has touched my life :)