2015 Adventures

This past year has been one of many trials but more tears from laughter than any other.  Clay and I have found time to enjoy our life together.. the first time in a very long time!  He helped me to actually celebrate my birthday this year and taught me to start living my life the way Danielle would want me to.. with my heart full of love and happiness.

First, he surprised me with a ski trip, lessons included!  Mount Crescent in Iowa is local and great for beginners.  I found out I am pretty terrible at skiing.  I fell every. single. time. going down that hillside!  All except for the last one, which I went down super slow and refused to fall, no matter the cost.  Clay was a natural!  He even went down the really steep hill!  Also, we purchased our first-ever GoPro (amazing purchase for our year of adventures!) 

As if that was not enough, he ended the day with a surprise birthday party at Dave & Busters!  How did I ever get so lucky to spend my life and enjoy all of my birthdays to come with this man??   

In the summer, we took a mini-vacation to Colorado Springs, CO.  Who can go to Colorado and not do a bit of hiking?  We were able to hike all over Garden of the Gods, which was a perfect beginning for the rest of the trip.  We rode a cogwheel train up the side of Pike's Peak Mountain and rode mountain bikes down the other side.  You could feel the moment your body realized how thin the air was getting.. from a physiology stand point, it was so fun!  Once on top of the mountain, the views were spectacular!  

We then began our journey on mountain bikes all the way down.  We joined a group called PikesPeakByBike which provided the bikes and gear for the long trek down the mountain.  The group had strategic break points and the ride was about 3 hours total.  I rode my brakes the entire beginning because I was terrified of the switch-backs!  We did get to see big horned sheep and later an elk running across the mountain side.  (the video was too big to upload, so you can see it here!)  Absolutely amazing views no matter where you looked!

We also zip-lined across mountain canyons, turning upside down and everything!  I have a pretty terrible fear of falling but this was absolutely amazing!!  Our adventurous sides were showing this entire trip!

Our last big trip this year was returning to the good ol' south!  Why not?!  By this point, we have seen plenty of snow (and fallen in it way too much), flown through mountain valleys, and seen the world from atop a mountain.  So seeing our family and going to the beach was the next best thing to do!  
Our visit to Ft. Morgan was completed with many hours in the sun and sand, family dinners/lunches/breakfasts, as well as a big rally Amy lead for game night.  Our last day at the beach we were able to spend with Gigi and Jabo.. enjoying a nice, easy, relaxed day.  Of course it wouldn't end right if Jabo didn't complete a midnight swim in the pool, just because he can!  Sounds very much like something Clay would do! :)

We were able to spend an entire week with our family and friends.  The first half was spend with the Whatleys in Ft. Morgan, and the second half was spend in North Alabama with my parents.  We had a fun time hanging out, watching movies, eating Dad's home cooked food, and loving life together!  Saying goodbye in the airport is always hard.. but I think we all did pretty okay under the circumstances.  I cannot wait to see you again, Mom and Dad! I love and miss you so much!

I would like to say a big THANK YOU for all of our family and friends who helped make this year so completely joyful!

Needless to say, the year 2015 has been one to remember.. 

and it's not over yet!

I cannot wait to see what is to come ..  2016 look out!

 Prayers and Blessings be for continued health and healing to our loved ones

St. Louis Getaway

Everyone bare with me as I play "catch-up" for this past 6 months!  Clay surprised me at Christmas with tickets to my favorite acapella group who were performing in St. Louis ...so Clay snuck me away and we had an amazing two days there!  We watched the concert in a beautiful theatre and even got to meet our favorite member of the group!  Avi, the bass singer of Pentatonix :)

  

Of course you can't go to St. Louis and NOT go up the Gateway Arch.. especially if you've never been before!  So the next day, Clay and I went up to the arch and experienced this amazing feet of architectural genius first hand.  Needless to say, Clay and I loved it!

 

 Thank you Clay for this amazing adventure you snuck us away on!  The concert ranks as one of my top favorites and it was wonderful sharing it with you!  I look forward to MANY more fun adventures with you for the rest of our lives :)

Christmas in Omaha!

As stated previously, we are blessed have AMAZING families!  My parents came up the week Gigi and Jabo left and stayed for 8 days!!  Can you tell how excited I was to have them here??? And so were the puppies!!

I took them to many of the same places, as they are our favorite places we've found here, like this one! The Old Market Passageway - my favorite spot!  Pure greenhouse between buildings, nice and warm, and beautifully strung Christmas lights from ceiling to floor all in the greenery.

The weather did not quite cooperate while they were here though.  It went all the way to 0 degrees!  Poor mom and dad were freezing!! So naturally, we did not spend much time outside until the weather got warmer for them :)  Thankfully we did some winter-izing in the apartment the day before the cold hit.  What timing!
Oh, and have I mentioned that we sat by a warm fire every evening? Sooooo nice...

Clay and Dad got to have some quality "guy time"! Clay took Dad to an indoor cigar bar with a large walk-in humidor.  I think they enjoyed themselves!

I truly enjoyed cooking with Dad all week! It was so nice having help in the kitchen!  Our Christmas dinner was pretty simple but good! :)  Merry Christmas from the Downs's/Whatley's!

Thankfully it did get warm enough for us to walk on the pedestrian bridge on their second to last day here!  What perfect weather - nice and warm!!

Thank you both SOOOOO much for coming, helping, and staying so long!  We really at a wonderful time with you here and truly enjoyed your company!!!  We love you and miss you tons!! Can't wait to see you in a few months!

Gigi and Jabo's Great Adventure!

 Clay and I are very blessed to have come from such WONDERFUL families!  We were not able to afford a trip home (and Clay started a new job which meant he had no time off accured yet), so our amazing parents flew in to spend Christmas with us!  

Gigi and Jabo spent a blissful 4 days here which we packed full of filling their eyes with our beautiful city scape, our favorite secret spots,

and of course, trying out our local breweries!

Something really neat about local breweries is that you can get a "flight of beers" - a 2oz sample of every beer the company makes.  Naturally, Clay and Jabo had to get it! 

While Gigi and Jabo were here, we also checked out old train depot which has been turned into a museum.

And every Christmas holiday, the largest tree in the city is placed in the center of the depot and is decorated from top to bottom!

Across the Missouri River is a pedestrian walking bridge where you can walk from Nebraska to Iowa, allowing you to be in two places at once! Please notice the remains of snow.. which of course resulted in epic snowball fights!

We had such a fun time with you both and are looking forward to your next trip up!! Thank you for such a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!! We love and miss you!

Welcome to Omaha!

As you all already know, we have recently relocated to Omaha, NE!  I have the most amazing husband in the entire world who just won’t give up on me.  He knows what my career goals are and continues to support me and push me toward them – which is how we wound up here.  Clay helped me apply to schools where there is a strong meteorology force in the area, so there would be something for both of us.  I got accepted to Clarkson College, which is located nearly in the center of Omaha (only 5 miles from our apt).

There are two large public libraries only minutes from home.  Also, have I noted that there are four Targets, two Sam’s Clubs, and seven Catholic churches?! We are not used to having a choice of where our parish will be, but we are enjoying seeing each one and selecting the best for us.  I’m sure we’ll tell you all about it when our minds and hearts are made.

Our new home is only minutes from many shopping centers and only a couple miles from the heart of Omaha.  Where we are though feels like a place all on its own.  You don’t hear all the sounds of the city and there is plenty of green around us, which I definitely enjoy!  We have a semi-enclosed courtyard right outside our front door.  We have a courtyard/garden view from our bedroom loft window.  All windows are double-panned with a distal screen.  Weather has been wonderful! It has steadily been in the 70s to mid-80s, and may I add that there has been ONE humid day?!  Lately it's been getting a bit chilly tho! I’m sure you won’t be hearing these praises come this winter, but for now, we're enjoying being “corn huskers”!

Here are a few pictures of our new place..before..during..and now :)We love and miss you all!

  

Young Couple Beauty Tips

If you are like us, you are a young married couple taking things day by day.  Money is tight but fun and laughter is plentiful.  We have recently uprooted from our beloved South and have moved out to the Midwest – which means money is even tighter now!  I have found, with the help of my best friend Kacy, a couple of helpful cheap beauty tricks that won’t break the pocket book.

The first is an undoubtedly underestimated concealer that packs an amazing punch!  It is Erase Past by Benefit. This tiny glass container costs a whopping $10 and its regular size $30.  The thing that makes this well worth your buck is that it takes very little to get your desired effect!  Most of us have dark under-eye circles from some reason or another.  The thing we all have in common is the quest to find something that is easy and effective – and that won’t break the bank!  This is where I would suggest Erase Paste to anyone.  All it takes is a small dab to conceal the worst of dark circles.  If you are like me, it would take multiple applications of my concealer to cover my circles semi decently.  And by that point, it felt like my eyes weighed a ton.  With this, it takes 3 seconds per eye.  You still feel, and look, bright-eyed and ready for the day!  This is the best thing to get my day started!

If you are like me, maybe not as ghostly white, and are in need of a tan before an event, I have the thing for you!  Sure if you have time to lay out by a pool or can afford spray tanning, I say go for it!  Otherwise, this next item might be your saving grace.  FakeBake Flawless is a self tanner that, believe it, doesn't look like a self tanner!  It comes in a travel size and regular size.  The travel costing $16 but is enough to last multiple applications.  The kit comes with a protect-ant glove and an application mitt along with the tanner.  It is quite easy to apply and you can use the treatment once a week until you get your desired shade.  This is great for me since I do not have time to tan, money to spray tan, and I don’t want to have leathery skin when I grow old from using tanning beds.  I will definitely be using this again prior to Kacy’s wedding this October!

Please note: any tanning, spray tanning, or use of self tanners must be done so properly, because we all care about you, and don’t want you running around looking like this! 

While I have been talking about spending money, here is something that will save you money!  It is a one time purchase with multiple uses.  If your husband likes his hair short, like mine, this is a must.  For about $30-$40 you can buy a set of Conair Hair Clippers and be your husband’s stylist!  Clay has thick, coarse, curly hair and this cuts it like a breeze.  It is light, easy to clean, and does a great job with his crazy hair.  I have been cutting his hair since we've gotten married and it has saved us tons of money over these couple of years!  I would advise all my friends to do something similar to this as an easy way to save some dough.  I know my sister-in-law cuts her husband’s hair with scissors – a very talented lady, I might add, because I tried with Clay’s and couldn't!  Any way you do it, you should!

I hope you have found these little tips helpful in your everyday!

May your lives be blessed and filled with love and laughter, from our family to yours!

Thank you!

Clay and I would like to say thank you to everyone that helped us save Digby!  We have amazing family and friends.  We couldn't have done it without any of you. So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Oh, and Digby says thank you too!

Just check out how well this guy is doing!

Digby has really become one of the sweetest dogs we have ever met.  He showers everyone he meets with love, thinks he’s a lap dog, and enjoys basking in the rays.  He can still be a little neurotic sometimes, especially in the morning or when he randomly chews on things, but we love him all the same.  Have I mentioned that his favorite past time is getting every toy out of their toy bin, laying down in the middle of them, and going from one to another playing with each?!  He is absolutely hilarious!

Digby now weighs a whopping 38 lbs! When we found him, he weighed a total of 25 lbs.  We are so happy with his progress.  Thank you, Jared Harney, for performing Digby's surgery!  If anyone is needing a good veterinarian in the Arab, AL area, please seek out Jared at Westside Veterinarian Hospital!  He is a wonderful guy who truly cares about your pets.

Digby and Homer are best buds! They are virtually inseparable!  So Homer says thank you too, for giving him a brother and a best friend.

Thank You All!