Surviving Hurricane Isaac

I know you all have probably been real worried about us here on the Gulf Coast (sarcastic tone..cough cough). The hype about this storm has been tremendous, and since Eric has never experienced a hurricane before he wanted to make sure we were prepared. I just laughed A LOT inside because I've been through quite a few hurricanes including Katrina and Ivan, etc. Down here in dixie if its not a cat. 3 we don't stress. Yes, we are in a mandatory evacuation area but you guessed it we didn't leave. Due to Isaac changing course so much we ended up on the the worst side of the storm (the east side) but since it hit harder and more directly 3 hours away from us all we got was a lot of rain, and a little wind. I think Eric was a little let down the storm wasn't more intense since he made us go to Home Depot and buy all sorts of supplies. In a normal week we probably get bigger storms than Isaac was. However, Eric did have work cancelled for 2 days and my University closed as well for 2 days, so we got to have a little hurricane party still. We never lossed power, although the cable did go out so we had to resort to Netflix and pajammas most of the day, while I typed a paper. I honestly can't even remember the last time I've been able to do that because of this nursing program, but it felt awesome. Although I have no idea how people could do that day in and day out. I felt like a ball of mush after 2 days. No bueno! In all seriousness the storm surge was the worst thing of all we experienced so I attached a few pics from our town so you could see it and some of the flooding.

This is the surge down in Gulf Shores, the beach we always go to. It is about 30 min. from our home.

This is a picture taken on the causeway, as its known to us. It is a road that is about 7 mi. long that crosses Mobile bay and connects Baldwin County (where we live) to Mobile County. This is about 5-10 min. from home for us.

This is just another picture of the causeway flooded.

In all seriousness we know our neighbors to the west of us in Mississippi and Louisiana got hit much worse than us, and pray for their safety. 

 BUT…….here in Daphne, AL. this is how we all feel!

We would all like to thank you Isaac for a much needed 2 day break!

Life As We Know It

Life as we know it here in Alabama:

Lunch with the main men in my life!

The joys of living on the water!

Eric is has also really enjoyed being in a house instead of an apartment. He LOVES yard work!

We enjoy lunch dates occasionally.

I get to baby-sit my niece Allie sometimes!

I have all sorts of new toys!

I get to wear PJs to school! BIG change from BYUI. I had to document this!

Aren't I just so official!

I do have days I get bored studying, and color on myself instead.

I practice frequently on friends family and even myself in the mirror for my practicals.

We celebrated our nephew Thomas's 5th Birthday! He is obsessed with toy story and woody!

Do we look alike?

Our home here in Bama!

We even get an occasional date night…I tried Five Guys for the first time on Friday! DELICIOUS!

MMMMMMMMM! Frozen Yogurt!

And thus ends life as I know it…back to studying. 

Just For Fun

So I honestly feel somedays that I have no life other than the four walls of the dinning room that I have turned into some sort of an office to do my homework every day when I come home. Imagine your life during college finals week, when you have 3 tests (each 20%) of your grade due along with a paper a practical exam and a project due, and thats pretty much my normal week! I just keep saying I can' wait till these first 5 weeks are over and I'm almost to week four and I'm still alive with all A's so I guess my hard work is paying off. Anyways, all this leads me to the point of writing this post because I don't get too many nights where I can just take a break and just be me again. I made dinner for me and Eric and my brother who is living with us until October. It was delicious and they can attest that this does not happen on most nights, and if it does its usually because they've begged  me to the point where I am no longer able to focus on what I'm studying so I give in and cook a frozen bag dinner, pathetic I know, but hey, they don't care! They're men, they are just glad that they didn't have to touch a pan. So, tonight I started looking through some old pictures from mine and Eric's wedding!! These are some of my favorite pictures for all sorts of reasons.

Kisses!

It was a beautiful day, and the flowers were AMAZING!

Car keys in hand, we were ready to go!

This is me with Lina! I have come to love this lady!!! She is Wonderful, and had been a great friend to Eric for many years and now to me!

Whispering sweet nothings :)

Me with my girls!

We were just sooooooooo HAPPY & EXCITED…we both waited so long for this day! So happy I married my best friend!

My bestie from Alabama made the long trip to Utah and Wyoming for the wedding!

"Everlasting Love"

I love this picture due to the fact that it shows my sisters REAL personality!

Okay so I promise I really am getting to the point….I just really am so blessed and as I was driving home from school today I couldn't help but see all the little things that I've been given! I just wanted share this song. It is exactly how I feel right now! Living and loving life to its fullest. Oh and it goes along with the whole theme of reminiscing about my wedding a year ago because this artist performed at our wedding! 

NIK DAY

"How Could Life Get Any Better"

And another just for fun!

The Twins Turn 79

If you know me pretty well, then you know that two of my favorite people in the WHOLE world our my twin aunts, Tia Allie and Tia Odie!!! We say, "tia" on my dad's sad, which is spanish for aunt, because we're Panamanian! Yes, thats right, maybe you're learning something new about me today. I'm 1/4th Panamanian…you know Panama, the country…not panama city…hahaha! Believe it or not, I've been asked that before. My grandmother was panamanian, who married my grandfather who was American, hence forth I'm a fourth, because my dad married an american woman too. Well my grandmother spoke very little English, and hardly ever, so needless to say I loved her to death, grew up my whole life around her, but never had a full conversation with her where someone wasn't translating. My two aunts, Allie and Odie, are the oldest in my dad's family and our 20 yrs older than my dad. They were second moms to him, and very much like grandmothers till this day to me! Some of my favorite memories as a child are of Christmas Eve and being so excited to see my Tia Allie, who lived just down the street from us, because she always brought us a gift on christmas eve….our Christmas PJs!!! And the present was always wrapped up so perfectly, with a FANCY bow and stickers all over the card. :)

Anyways, my cousins, Kerri and Karen, came into town last weekend to celebrate my aunts' 79th birthday! It was so good to spend time with the family and enjoy each others company. Also it was great for Eric to spend some time around our extended family he doesn't know too well. :)

The Birthday Girls!! My Tia Allie on the left, and Tia Odie on the right!

Think Mrs. Doubtfire and they are exactly like that!!!! Hehe, not the manly part of course hahaha

At the yacht club with my handsome hubby!

My Tia Allie!!! Best Woman Ever! And my niece Allie, who was named after Tia Allie! Thats how much we love this lady in our family!!!!

My cousins Karen and Kerri with my brother Eric and my niece Allie…she got passed around!

Other good news of the week, I took my first two tests in my Pharmacology and Health Assessment graduate classes and got A's on both! So I'm pretty happy about that! Just need to pound out a paper and a project this weekend, and study for a test in Pathophys for Monday! YIKERS! 

Also, our two nieces, Caellie and Maddie, on Eric's side of the family competed in their first Junior rodeo in Star Valley this week, and Caellie won her first belt buckle!!! We're so proud of her, and of Maddie for competeing!! Maddie's such a girly girl, but I think Caellie is rubbing off a little on her :) If only we could have been there to cheer them on! :( We love those girls and all of our Hale family and miss them so much already!

Caellie Competing! She is 9!! Can hardly believe it…she was 4 when I first met her. Eric brought me to his house with some friends of ours during a summer break from school after a rafting trip! She is growing up to be quite an amazing young lady! And I get to call her my niece now so thats pretty cool! hahaha