A little about us!

Well, obviously I haven't been doing the best job of updating on here. Suprising, I mean, it was a resolution after all. Anyways, the Mr. and I have been facing several challenges here lately that have been keeping me rather preoccupied. So, here I am.

Summer is here. It's one-million degrees here in Alabama, and it will only get hotter as the days progress. Usually we've already headed down to the beach by now, but, due to $1500 in car repairs, we are post-poning that trip until August. Oh well, the more time to plan and get excited. Honestly, with as busy as we both are right now, I don't think we could leave right now anyways. James has been blessed with a crazy-full work load. One of his recent jobs led him to a little place called "Saks Fifth Avenue", and if you get a chance, you should ask him to describe it to you. I would, but he has FORBIDDEN me to step one foot in those doors. :) Hearing him describe the $500 dresses is pretty entertaining. I'm a little over a month away from taking my State Licensing Exam for Dental Hygiene. Oh yeah, did I mention I finished somewhere in the top twenty-five of my class with the ever-coveted "A" average? Good. Now I did. It's a wonderful feeling to be DONE with those classes, and now I just PRAY I can pass these Boards.

My Grandmother, Memes, had a stroke about two weeks ago. She is currently at St. Vincent's, and will hopefully be moving to a rehab facility soon. As of right now, she has no control over her left side, but she does still have her speech and memories. She is so special to all of us, and we can't wait to get her back home. Please keep her in your prayers. We all love her SOOOO much.

It's never good to dwell to much on the negative things in our lives, so here our some of the HIGHLIGHTS of the last few months:

*Finishing the ADHP Program (With an "A", lol)
*Taking Bridal Portraits, finally, with the amazing Audrey Allison and two aspiring photographers she's training.
*Finding The Office DVD Board Game on sale for $10 at Books-A-Million. (Funny story, way back in 2009 when we got engaged this was the only thing I had asked for from James. He got me a diamond instead, and we never could find this game after Christmas. Now we have it. Three years later. I can't wait to beat him!)
*Wonderful Easter with the whole family at Mema's. So much fun spending time together.
*Special (late) Mother's Day dinner with Mom, Dad, Justin, Catherine at Olive Garden.
*My old (and they most certainly are old now) youth pastor, Tony, and his wife Angie, are in town from Ohio for the weekend. Love getting to see them. And, if you've never played Apples to Apples, you should. It's hilarious!

We have so much to be thankful for, even though sometimes it's hard to remember how truly blessed we are.

Praise You in the Storm

This week, our little community was devastated by tornadoes. It has been heart-breaking to hear the stories and see the pictures of the havoc these storms caused. So, tomorrow, I'm volunteering to help in whatever way possible. It's a little, ok, a LOT out of my comfort zone. But, I'm praying God will use this as not only an opportunity to remind me of my countless blessings, but also for me to share His unfailing love with others. Please pray for the hundreds of people affected by this storm and for me to be a witness for Him.

15 Months and Going Strong!

A funny thing happened this week, the 17th came along, and I completely forgot it's significance. This may not seem like a big deal to you, but I celebrate every little holiday that comes along! Even more shocking, it was my sweet husbands text the next day that not only reminded me of the day, but also how lucky I am to be married to a man who is willing to subject himself to almost of all of my goofy holidays, a million unnecessary pictures, countless shopping trips, random vacations, my crazy mood swings, a ridiculous number of vehicle mistakes (cough, cough, garage door, cough, cough), and any other little idea that pops in this crazy brain of mine. I am beyond blessed to be married to my best friend. So, while ya'll might get tired of all my mushiness, I only pray that we are still this in love in fifty-years.

 

On a different note, also this week, we were visited by the Rainbow Salesman. Now, some of you more experienced folk may laugh at my willingness to allow these crazy people into my house for the promise of a free vacation, but, we are still newlyweds, and I do love vacations. So, we agreed to listen to their "short" presentation. After three and a half hours, we finally had our house back, and managed to hold onto our $3,000, although, as a consequence, I am now fully aware of all the dust mites, dead skin cells, and other critters apparently ransacking our home. Also, if I don't get one before we start having babies, allowing my precious child to crawl on our floor is the equivalent of letting him or her smoke 4 cigarettes a day, so, I am starting a savings fund for that stinking vacuum cleaner today.  One good thing came out of our little experience though, when the poor guy caught on to how hooked I was, he tried to imply I could pay for it out of "my money". Well, let me tell you, it was with great pride and confidence I could let him know that we only have ONE money, so he was going to have to re-evaluate that little tactic. Haha. That is seriously the most exciting thing that has happened this week to the Pannell's, well besides James bringing home a picture of himself from 1998, too bad he won't let me share that one! :)

My "REAL" Job.

Since I'm basically putting my whole life on here, I guess I can't forget about my "real" job. Working at Teaching Things since I was 16, with my real mom, and my second mom, I had been a little spoiled as to what a "real" job was like. How many places will let you off at the last minute to go watch a football game, get your hair done, or just go home because it's Saturday afternoon? Not many, I tell you. I love that store, and I'm pretty sure I'll keep working my few hours a month until I'm 100 years old. But, alas, I had to go ahead and grow up and get a "real" job. 

I've been a Dental Assistant since August 2008 and, as ya'll probably know, I'm approximately five and a half months from receiving my Dental Hygiene License. I am truly fortunate that I enjoy each of my patients, and love taking care of them.  We are interviewing someone to take my place as an assistant, and I honestly feel a little sad that I won't be the one caring for them during their treatment. I guess the point of all this is that I am definitely blessed to sincerely enjoy my job. Today, my name was put in the computer as it's own chair, (which basically means these our now MY patients), so, I guess it's getting official. So, as I enter this new chapter of my career, I'm a little nervous, a little excited, and a lot proud of how far I've come in the past three years. Those are my random thoughts of the day, as I was reminded no matter how tired, busy, or plain cranky I get about my job, it truly is a gift from God to work in a field that I love, with wonderful people.  The end. :)

Then Comes Marriage...

Well, as you probably know, James and I have been married for a little over a year now! We said "I Do" on October 17, 2010, and it truly was every bit as wonderful as I dreamed it would be. We were married at the church where I grew up, Trussville Southside Baptist. Growing up, I used to dream of walking in those doors towards my groom, and then, finally it happened. We had over 200 guests, and we love and appreciate all those who were able to make it, and our dear friends and family who weren't able to attend. The support and encouragement we have received over the years has been priceless. Anyways, here our a few pictures from our special day!

So, we were married, and we ate, and we danced, and we took one million photos, and hugged our parents and headed to the HONEYMOON! And, let me tell you, a honeymoon may not seem like such a big deal to you until you get married, but after that wedding, you need nothing more than shutting off your phones and sailing away for a week. And that's just what we did. We went on a cruise to Cozumel and Calica, Mexico. We did whatever we wanted for a solid week, with no other worries or stress. Everything was perfect. Perfect weather, perfect places, perfect food, perfect HUSBAND.

Unfortunately, the trip had to come to an end, but the fun and love has not! We have the best time being married, and I'm learning to get used to all the responsibilities. It's not always glamor, somebody has to wash the clothes, do the dishes, cook dinner....but, when you are married to your best friend, even those boring tasks are enjoyable.

First comes love....

Since I'm planning on spending a little bit of time on this little project, I decided I should tell you the story of the Pannell's. From the beginning. Some of you probably were around as our little relationship grew and grew, but for the rest of you, here goes. 

We originally met at a New Year's Eve gathering at a friends house. James hadn't started attending MVBS yet, so I really didn't pay him to much attention. In 2003, as a Junior, James transferred to Huffman, and was literally the class clown. It might seem hard to believe, since he is kinda quiet most of the time, but this boy has jokes. I was a cheerleader, volleyball player, and basketball "player" (keep your comments to yourself). James played basketball too. So, we traveled a lot together. But, we really didn't talk too much during that first year. His senior year, he started flirting with me. Yep. And I was one giddy girl. I remember in the beginning telling my hair stylist all about him, and her asking me "Are ya'll sure ya'll are just friends? It sounds like you are in love with him?". Which was kinda the beginning of me realizing how much I cared about him. But, perpetually the jokester, he never asked for my number. In February 2005, shortly after Valentine's day, he finally did. It was soooo sweet. But did he call? Not for a little bit. However, when we finally started talking, we could never quit. I would pace for hours as our conversations went on to 10:00 (because that's as late as you are allowed to talk to boys on the phone), day after day. Fast forward three months, and James is graduating. For some reason, I hadn't heard from him in a while, I'm sure it was one of those silly things we do in High School, but, in the parking lot of Goody's, classy right, he asked me to be his date for dinner after graduation. So, on May 20, 2005, James graduated high-school, and took me to Applebees. Go big or go home, right? Afterwards, we watched a couple of awful movies on my couch, and finally he reached over and held my sweaty hand. I'll never forget it. 

In Fall of 2005, I started at Parkway Christian Academy, and things were hard at first. James was at Jeff State, and I was surrounded by a whole new crowd of people. So, inevitably, we broke up a couple of times. Funny though, we would still talk every night, until I was over my crazy mood swings, and then be happily together again. One time, it was different. Things were not looking so good, and after leaving my house, he didn't come in or wave goodbye as he drove away. I remember being devastated, but, it had been my choice. Shorter that night, we got the call that James and his best friend had been in a wreck while mudding. That night everything got put in perspective. We talked and cried for hours, and we finally said the "L" word. And, truly, from that moment, our lives were never the same. My grandmother spent the next year begging me not to run away and get married on graduation night, at least not without telling them. 


So, the next few years, we spent pretty much all our time together. Our houses were literally 5 minutes apart, so I would hang out there until 10:00, because even when you are in college, you can't stay with boys after 10:00. I finished my program at UAB, got my first full-time job, or as I refer to it, my real job, because Teaching Things is just too wonderful to be considered a job. And I waited for a ring. I drove James crazy. Every time someone got engaged, I would be sure to point it out to him, and make sure he realized how ready I was. But, James, James is a planner. He never wanted to put us in a position were we weren't ready to fully support ourselves. So in December 2009, I finally got my ring. My dreams were finally coming true! I married my Superman in October 2010, and I'm so glad he made me wait. We have our dream home, a loveable dog, and a sweet kitty, and nobody but God knows what the future holds for our little family. 

Welcome 2012!

Well, we survived, and perhaps thrived 2011, and here we are in 2012. A brand new year, full of opportunity, challenges, and whatever else may come our way. It's amazing how many of our friends are starting families now, it seems like only yesterday we were goofing off in class. Or, should I say, James was goofing off, and I was busy being the "NERD" of this relationship. For future husbands everywhere: IF YOU EVER ARE PLAYING THE NEWLYWED GAME, YOUR WIFE WAS NOT A NERD IN HIGHSCHOOL. Absolutely not. No matter how much you might think it is the correct answer, you will NEVER hear the end of it! Don't believe me? Ask my husband!  Haha. Now, James and I are on DAY 445 (Yep, there's an app for that) of this incredible journey called marriage. I am all about this fairytale too. He truly is my Prince Charming, and instead of that feeling fading as the days progress, it definitely gets stronger. Don't get me wrong. There are finally days where I would rather he not offer one more opinion, but I also realize more now than ever that God designed James just for me. No one can make me as happy, mad, focused, crazy, delirious, as he can. Enough mushiness, let's talk about 2012.

I have several resolutions for 2012, as mentioned previously. One of those is hitting the gym. Yes, I am "THAT GIRL". I eat whatever I want, drink one million sodas, and really never give it a second thought. However, since I love and adore my husband so much, I would like to spend as much time here on earth with him as possible, so I figured I better change some of those bad habits. Not to mention, ever since the wedding, pounds seem to just appear on there own these days, and while I'm still "little", I'd kinda like to stay healthy. Exercise is so different now, compared to playing volleyball and cheer leading in high school. I never gave a second thought to the hours of conditioning, and could quickly rebound to the next activity, now at the ripe old age of 23, an hour at the gym can kick my butt. So, the husband and I are on day 2 of our new exercise "regimen", and maybe, by making ourselves accountable, we can stick to this for longer than the obligatory gym contract for which we eagerly signed and payed.

Here's my ramblings for the day, and since another of my resolutions was to blog more, I guess I'll be talking to ya'll soon!