Christmas in Arkansas!

So David and I are so happy that we had the opportunity to come to Arkansas for Christmas. It was so refreshing to be around people who know us...who are hilarious and make me tear up laughing. To be around my dad and hear his wisdom, to get one of my mom's famous hugs, to see Summit's new faces and how he's nearly walking, to appreciate my sister who goes to great lengths to make sure everyone's happy, to see Drew mature & grow into a godly man, to talk to Shelby and slowly realize nothing has changed about our friendship since we were in 6th grade. To love on David's family. All things that made me feel so complete. Yeah it sounds cheesy "you complete me". But its true! These are things that fill up my emotional tank to the brim, even spilling over. I realize this is something that will always be true about my hometown, my family, my old friends. Something that simply cannot be reproduced. Though its a somewhat sad realization it doesn't mean my current experiences with friends here arent as enjoyable, they just aren't familiar. But I also realize it took years to form friendships with all you girls, with even my family. And even though I had like 3 melt downs while I was there just thinking I would have to leave friends and family, I look forward to the long road ahead of me. Am I being dramatic? Probably...but its taken me a year of living here in Florida to realize this. That hometown is familiar, warm, safe...but that is not where God wants me to be right now. I am so grateful for that. To even have place to go back to. So many people run away from home never wanting to look back. I thank God that there is a hometown with my pictures on the walls, where family prays for me from afar. I will say it was an amazing feeling to come back to 70 degree weather, sunshine, a shining ocean. To see my cats, sleep in my bed. I'm slowly getting used to the idea that Sarasota is my home. David is my home. We are each other's family. I do look forward to the day when it doesn't hurt so badly thinking about friends and family back home. But I can say with confidence I haven't grown this much spiritually this past year in a long long time. God has drug me through some difficult things, emotionally wrecking things. But He also has built me up. And I'm truely thankful & joyful for His friendship.

Patches Christmas Photo Shoot

Ooh Christmas tree ooh Christmas tree...

So in celebration of living in a sub tropic environment David and I got a "Christmas palm" (its actual name) for our Christmas tree this year! Althought it made me miss the traditional Douglas Fir its also more "green" in that we can keep it after Christmas! And won't leave needles on the floor. So I was pretty excited about it. Problem is now that we have filled the pot with like 80 pounds of soil and the pot itself weighs atleast 60 pounds...not sure if we'll ever be able to move it from its current position...Oh well, gotta make sacrifices for Christmas cheer!

I can't help it!

I love this song...and the dance...copy and paste this to see the link! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VJFWH8vxcg

Dream Car!!

So this weekend was insaaaane! David and I have been looking for a car for nearly 6 months. We just sold David's Jeep Cherokee last month (finally). I don't think I've told you all that story which is pretty funny. Trying to sell a 1990 Jeep Cherokee with over 200,000 miles on it is not an easy task. Plus people around here aren't really into off roading vehicles as much as back home. So we had it on Ebay, Auto trader, newspaper you name it...no sale. So one day we got a call from a lady from ARKANSAS who wanted to buy it! She said she already bought it on Ebay and would wire the money to us immediately. Then she said she had a truck in the area that would pick it up the next day. So after trying so long to sell it we sold it in 2 days!! Miracle truely.
Ok, back to the present. David and I have both wanted a 2005-2007 Subaru Outback Sport Impreza since we've been dating. And we've been shopping for one for 6 months. There's something about the 2007's headlights and slope of the hatch back that we wanted. But in Florida there aren't many Subaru's available, especially used. Not many people value All Wheel Drive here as much as other places that actually use it. So we've been shopping and shopping, finding 2009's- waaay too expensive, 2005's that are stick...but we then find one two hours away that is EXACTLY what we want!!! So we're so excited but we work opposite schedules so we have to wait to go shopping together. We happen to go this weekend because I have the weekend off to go to a Coldplay concert in Ft Lauderdale (that's a different story!). So we go to the dealership and find our EXACT car that we want, its also green! So after a butt load of paperwork we get our dream car!! We feel so enormously blessed! With the sell of the Jeep we were able to put money down and lower our monthly payment! So I can say that with patience and waiting, we were able to get the car we wanted, at the price we wanted!!! Here's what it looks like:

PRESIDENT Obama!!

Wow wow wow. I can't say it enough, I cannot stop thinking of it, I cannot help but beam when I write it. Americans came together and what a landslide victory. I myself am an Obama supporter and I can say it is thrilling to vote in the first black president, to be a part of history. And its about time! America brags that its the leader of the free world and that we believe in freedom and democracy, but when it comes to voting our leaders we've fallen short every time. We've never had a woman, minority, Jew, Muslim, we've only even had one Catholic president! And that shows that we aren't following through. As my mom would say we're over promising and under fulfilling. I know many are upset, I have friends and family who've shown their dismay. But I've also had friends and family sigh a sigh of relief, that we are moving forward. I think Obama's election shows that Americans want something different. Something that represents who we are as a nation- that we really do believe in diversity, democracy, freedom of ideas! How appropriate, how relevent to 2008. I think John McCain in an amazing man, and it was a wonderful race to watch. But we NEED something different. So regardless of who you voted for I implore you to welcome and support our new president. Please be mature, please be rational. Be informed, know who he is and what he says. Don't believe one website or one tv station. Research, read! You will be delightfully suprised. I am so excited for the future, for our soon president Barack Obama! Lets come together and all "be the change we want to see in the world".

Fishin and Kissin...ok no kissing...

Exciting times! This weekend David and I went out on our friends Carlos and Sabrina's boat. It was my first time on a boat in the ocean!! Carlos took us, as well as our friends Craig and Rosie for a day of sun and fishing. The day was beautiful to begin with, we started fishing before sunrise. It was an amazing day, didn't catch anything fantastic, just some dog fish (i think that's the name). Craig and Rosie caught the most. The Schmidts...eh not too good. :)

You can take the girl out of Arkansas...

...But you can't take the redneck out of the girl! When David snapped the photo of me and my gardening overalls with the pitchfork, it reminded me of my roots. Well we've finally been able to till up our plot. Sounds like an easy task but have you ever used a tiller?? Nearly impossible to control, especially in soil that is 90%sand! We put up the posts on our plot and then filled it with soil, tilled it up, and then are waiting to till up some peat moss into our plot. The peat moss helps retain any moisture in the soil. We're hoping to plant vegetables soon. Our first choice is beans, they make a beautiful presentation. The pictures are us tilling it up and filling it with soil. Gardening has become David and I's favorite activity together. Working together to grow something is truely an amazing task. God delighted in creating, and he definately put that quality in all of us.

Homage to my husband

Ok, this is cheesy I know. And maybe because I'm a newly wed but I just can't help expressing my love for David! I mean, he's so thoughtful (took care of me while I was sick this weekend) caring, dedicated (woke up at 8am on Saturday, his only day to sleep in, to help on a work project with our community garden), funny ( here's a secret- he has different voices for when he speaks to our cats- actually several different voices for both cats) so i'll up that to hilarious, and sweet (he rides the bus in the evenings from work so I can use our one car). I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband!!!!

"They do not love that do not show their love.
The course of true love never did run smooth.
Love is a familiar."
-William Shakespeare

Foxmill Farm

Foxmill Farm is a mission supported by our church. Foxmill is a working farm with an assortment of animals owned by Cindy and Eldon Miller. Some of the animals are previously abused that they have rescued. The Millers also have local teens come out, some with behavioral problems, to help rehab the animals. They've adopted several of the foster kids that have come to help there as well. They are members at Gulf Gate so David and I had the opportunity to come out and help them repair some fences, fix electrical work, and clean up the place. It was fun to, like being a cowboy for the day!

My dream home! (designed by David Schmidt Sr.)

Here I go again...

This weekend I started my new job at a local restaurant called Cantina Toscana as a server. Though I thought my days of waiting tables was over, alas, I cannot keep away. I think the restaurant is an especially unique experience. It is authentic, Tuscan inspired quisine. The staff is pretty small and it feels like a family. Plus, it gives me time to work with Gulf Gate during the week. So the best of both worlds. Copy and paste the link below to check it out! :)
http://www.cantinatoscana.biz/index.html

Recommendation

Here's a random recommendation to fill your home with Fall cheer! I recently bought a cinnamon broom from a local grocery store and it makes my home smell wonderful. It looks a bit cheesy, like it belongs in a cabin or something. But it might actually look cute next to a pumkin or something. My friend has one and she put it over her fireplace and it looks great. Unfortunately, I don't have one. I do recommend you buy it if you can, makes me feel so nostalgic when I come home to the smell of fresh cinnamon :)

Two Green Thumb's Up!

These are pictures of David and I's plot in Bayou Oaks Community Garden. Since we live in a townhouse and have been wanting to start gardening, we decided to buy a plot in Sarasota to garden on. And it helps improve our community! The garden is owned locally and is in its beginning stages of development. We're so excited to get the whole thing running! We have just tilled up our plot and are waiting to churn up some peat moss in it, to help retain moisture. We're thinking of planting broccoli, cabbage, carrots and celery. Anyways, here are some pictures of the beginning stages of us tilling up the soil, cleaning the garden, clearing the plot. Any advice, please share! Oh and the last picture is our feet after tilling the soil, they were nearly black!

Powerful art- John William Waterhouse

So I've been getting into viewing art lately and one particular favorite of mine has been John William Waterhouse. His paintings bring me back to a time when my sister and I were playing dolls when we were younger. We would create these fantastic senarious, complete with full costumes (supplied by my mother's rag collection) hero's and heroines, horses, villians, and even music! We would spend hours, even days setting up the drama of these plays. Taking them to different destinations in our imaginations, to foreign lands, to beneath the sea. Nothing could draw us away from this fantasy world we created. We reinacted scenes from history, both being lovers of history and literature. His painting evoke a sense this sense of adventure and mystery my sister and I had. I also seem to be drawn to art portraying women. I think, what are they feeling? what emotion is he trying to convey? Are they so alike to me? Beautiful.