old cities, new friends & a great weekend

k:
Well, I wanted to post this blog as soon as I got home on Tuesday, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down and write. Last weekend was so great. I went into it not knowing what God had in store for Anthony and I in Savannah. I mean, we both KNOW that He wants us there, but you never know what you will have to endure to get there. I needed to head back up to find a place to live come March, so Mom, Lucie and I decided to make it a girls weekend while we were at it. It was so much fun! We realized that it hadn't been just us three since about 4 or 5 years ago when we went to NYC together. No kids, no husbands, just us.

This is a crazy story and it might be a long one… just hang in there with me.

So, just when I think my life can't get any more crazy, something REALLY crazy happens. Where to begin... well, almost 7 years ago I had just graduated from UNF and was sort of wandering around, not really sure what I was doing with my life. One day I got a really weird urge (now I know it was definitely the voice of God) to move to Orlando. Why? I have NO clue! I didn't know anyone in this city… no job, no friends, no home... nothing. But I moved anyway. During my hunt for an apartment (a really cheap one), I overheard a girl talking to her leasing agent in an apartment complex that mom and I were checking out. Her story sounded very similar to mine and her needs were exactly like mine. Mom and I looked at each other and before I knew it, I was tapping her on the shoulder. About 5 minutes later, we were on a golf cart looking for a 2 bedroom apartment together. Six years, 2 apartments and a house later, we were still roommates until I got hitched and we had to 'break-up'.

Most of you know this story... her name is Jenn and she is still one of my best friends to this day. (and we even work together now!) Divine Intervention, no doubt!
















Jump ahead to this past weekend:
Saturday morning. Just drove in to Savannah and went straight to a property management office to get some keys to look at a few properties. Started making small talk with a cute couple in the office, Maggie and James from SC. After eavesdropping a little (once again… I guess that's my thing), I realized that they were looking at the exact same properties that we were about to look at. So I say, "Oh, you are looking at the same ones as me!" And Maggie replies, "Well, you guys are welcome to tag along if you'd like. We might as well save the gas and look at them together." Right at that moment mom looks at me and says "This is really weird. DeJaVu, big time right now." So we chuckle and hop in the car.

We saw some incredibly awful places. From rotten ceilings falling down, to midget-size doors, to appliances that must have been from the 1800s and slanted floors that might give you a case of vertigo... well, let's just say it wasn't going well. AT ALL. By that time Maggie and I were realizing that we had pretty much the same taste and nothing we were seeing had met our standards yet. We also realized that we both had made a previous appointment for later that day with the SAME guy to look at his apartment. Just weird. So, I told her that I had a meeting at 2:30 with a different guy and I had a good feeling about his property and that they could tag along if they wanted. 2:30 rolls around and we meet Rob. He is the owner of an "apartment complex" that consists of a bunch of old historical houses in a 2-3 block radius that he has flipped and turned into apartments and townhomes. So, we are walking around checking them out (not too thrilled about what we were seeing). After seeing all of our possibilities, I think Rob realized that we weren't too impressed.

He stops mid-sentence and says,
"Ok, you [pointing to Maggie] need a one bedroom, right? And you [pointing to me] need a 2 bedroom, right?"
"Yep," we replied.
..... [long pause].....
"Can I just entertain you guys for a minute?"
"Um, YAH you can!," I said.

I could see his wheels turning. I knew he had something up his sleeve and this whole time I kept saying I had a good feeling about this place, but it turns out it's not for the reasons I thought. He continues to tell us that he is just finishing up flipping this house [that he was planning on selling as condos] about a block away. Just so happens that the downstairs apt is a 1 br and the upstairs apt is a 2 br. Brand new EVERYTHING. New insulation, plumbing, ac/heat, carpet, floors, appliances... everything! Perfect? I THINK SO!!

Ten minutes later we were signing our applications in his office while playing with his doberman puppy, Ava!

Here's our house: Our door on the left, Maggie's door on the right.
















This is the back... our stairs go up and you enter through the kitchen. We also have our own 'driveway' for parking (it's not done yet), which is unheard of in Savannah... most parking is on the streets. YAY!




















Here's a little tour for ya!




Our doors... this is my new friend, Maggie :)
















And this is my new friend Ava... she fell asleep on me while I was filling out my application. So stinkin' cute! I told Rob he has a dog sitter now.





















It's weird how God works in my life. He never ceases to amaze me. When I find myself doubting even the least bit, BAM! there He is, throwing it back in my face. Probably saying, "Duh, Katie... why do you doubt me?" (God says DUH in my head all the time... don't judge.) I was so incredibly relieved to find a place. That meant that we could relax for the rest of the trip and go to Paula Deen's instead of searching for a place to live. (Paula Deen's was amazing, btw!)

Lucie and I resting in a little boutique. My back and Quin needed a break. Mom was still shopping, as usual. :)

















After lots of shopping and eating (and car battery dying), we headed back on Sunday afternoon… bellies so full of fried chicken and gallons of sweet tea.
There's lots more pictures of us, but you'll have to bug Mom and Lucie for those.

Lucie and I went on to St Aug to see this little girl:
(Nana bought her a ring [bling, bling] in Savannah)






































On Monday, we decided to take a picnic to the fort... it was beautiful!































































And then it was time for me to leave.
Reagan put one of daddy's socks on to walk me to my car.




















Needless to say, it was a great weekend! We can't wait to see all of you in Savannah (even though we won't have a spare bedroom... bring your sleeping bags!)

until next time…

hold the possibility

k:
Ant gave me a book for Christmas… Practice Random Acts of Kindness. Here is an excerpt that stuck with me. And you'll probably be hearing more out of this book in the future.

Hold the Possibility

If you can imagine it,
you can create it,
if you can dream it,
you can become it.
-William Arthur Ward

"Me second child died when he was four," recalled Clea. "It was such a devastating experience that it took me years to recover. My whole life seemed to have suddenly gone from bright technicolor to drab shades of gray. Just getting up in the morning was a major undertaking. I couldn't understand how this could happen, and I had no hopes for the future. It seemed like everything was empty of meaning and feeling. After I'd been wallowing for six months in grief and depression, my younger sister came to me and told me it was time to start living again. She told me that I had to fix a picture in my mind of a day in the future when the sun was shining and I was playing with my daughter, laughing and having fun. She told me that even if it seemed impossible, I still had to imagine it could be true."

"I tried, but it was very difficult. After a while I could see it, but it seemed buried in the shadows. Gradually, the picture became more and more clear to me until, indeed, the day came when I did feel exactly as I had imagined. Then more and more days began to feel like that."

Fortunately, not all of us have to go through what Clea did. But we each hold the capacity to draw toward ourselves the things we want in life through envisioning their possibility—even if right now they seem impossible. If you desire more love, compassion, and peace of mind in your life, you can begin to create that reality by holding the possibility of being more loving, compassionate, and peaceful. What would a picture of what you want look like? Make is as detailed as possible, and take a moment each day for the next week to imagine it.

savannah-bound

k:

this weekend ant and i took a road trip to check out savannah. he hadn't ever been there and i've only been there for a bachelorette party and st. patty's day, so neither were more than a day/night. Thursday night we headed to OP to stay with mom and dad... lucie and reagan were there, too, so that was a bonus!





we left on friday morning... ant had scheduled a tour of SCAD for that afternoon. we got there JUST in time for the tour to depart and it turned out to be fantastic. we had a great guide named Julie and she took us to the building where ant will be spending most of his time in the next 3-4 years... the Illustration bldg!



The tour was very informative and we got to see lots of cool stuff like the library, the graphic design building, the fashion building and the awesome student center that is oozing technology and coolness! The campus is really spread out around downtown, but it's awesome because you can ride your bike or walk anywhere. there are bikes EVERYWHERE! of course, this really excited us because that's one thing we love about where we live now. it's actually pretty awkward driving in the city because there is so much traffic (cars and people), so it's better to just walk or ride your bike.




after the tour we were able to meet with an advisor to ask questions and such. so, we soaked in all we could and then left to find our hotel. i found a new place near river street that was pretty much brand new and we were extremely pleased... AND i got a sweet last minute deal... thank you, expedia!

after the hotel check-in, we were starving and ready to eat. we tried our luck at a BBQ place called Barnes. ant said they were the BEST ribs he's ever had! ... EVER!! i was impressed! (he doesn't look too happy, but he was putting on a show - surprise!)




Saturday morning we SLEPT IN... it's always so nice to do that! we enjoyed a little complimentary (semi-decent) hotel breakfast and then headed out for our trolly tour. our guide's name was Mickey and he was great! we got to see all the sights and learn a lot of the history of savannah. we got to go inside the huge cathedral in town, which was so beautiful!







And then Ant saw this in the stained glass:

(for those of you who don't know, that's the name of my fiesty aunt mary!)

After the tour we stopped to have lunch at the city market and it was fantastic! (all the food was a hit) That was when it started raining and got really cold. So we headed back to the hotel for a nap and some coats. After the nap we got our second wind and headed back in to town to check out the shops and find some grub. We came across a lot of sweet vintage shops that I can't wait to tackle later and this really awesome bee store. We got to meet the founder and developer of all this amazing honey and body products made out of honey and bee's wax. They even had a honey bar where you could sample the different kinds of honey. I've never been too much of a honey lover, but after that experience, I LOVE honey! I also realized that my favorite chapstick comes from there so I got a new one that I love and we also walked out of there with a great smelling bar of orange blossom soap and some hand butter :) (it's the little things!)

After walking in the rain for a while, we stumbled across a sushi joint that was recommended by a possible new savannah friend. They served this complimentary fried flatbread sort of thing that was really yummy and they had white sauce on the table!!! (for those of you who don't know, i LOVE white sauce in japanese restaurants!)




After really great sushi and a nice walk in the rain down to river street, we came across what will be my new favorite place... the candy kitchen.

just like a kid in a candy shop:




this is how they cool the taffy before it gets stretched and wrapped:


So, after some candy and a few drinks at a bar down the way, we called it a night.

Sunday we drove around to check out some places for rent and then started to make our way back home. So, it's official... we're moving to Savannah!! We were so in awe of the city and the history. It's just beautiful everywhere you look and everything has a story. We both feel like God keeps opening all the doors for us to be there and we have a great peace about it. We know it will be a challenge, but as long as we know we're there for the right reasons, we'll be great! Now, it's just a matter of finding a place to live! Mom and I will be heading back up in a couple weeks to scope out some apartments (and hopefully lock one down). Right now the plan is to be up there by the second week in March. (Everyone is invited to come up for St Patty's day... don't know if we'll have room for you, but we'd love to see you!)

stay tuned...

babies, raises & pomegranate margaritas

Today my best friend Heather and her husband Shawn (officiant of our wedding) welcomed a baby boy into their growing family! His name is Baylor Dunnigan Sendler. All are healthy and it's really hard to not be there with them! Here's a pic for you:



And today must have been the day for blessings because I randomly got a $2 raise at the church... thank you, Jesus! God just keeps giving us little signs here and there to justify our decision to go to Savannah and that was a huge sign! Now, we just gotta get school paid for!!

Also, Ant and I decided to have a burrito night tonight so I got all the fixin's on my way home from work. He suggested making homemade margaritas and guacamole. Let's just say, the pitcher of pomegranate margaritas were a perfect compliment to the amazing (and quazi-healthy) burritos and yummy guac that we threw together... mmm.... we're stuffed now! (and STILL workin' on the margaritas!)

peacocks & scholarships

k:

So, today was an eventful day.

This morning I woke up and proceeded to take MoMo outside, as I do every day. However, today I look down the sidewalk and notice peacocks chillin' in the neighbor's yard and walking down the sidewalk to our front yard. I was so intrigued... I took Mo back inside before she saw them and went into attack-mode and yelled for Ant to come down and check them out. By this time they were in our front yard just walkin' around like they belonged there. I have NO idea where they came from, but I couldn't stop wondering how they got there and where they were going. Was I supposed to call animal control in a situation like that? Well, I got some pictures, but unfortunately, didn't get a picture of the pretty ones. Turns out there were 3 beautiful males with gorgeous coloring and then 2 females that weren't so pretty. (of course those were the ones i have pictures of)...






For those of you who don't know, Anthony has been accepted to Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)! Well, this is a private school, so you can imagine how expensive it is to go there, not to mention the cost of art supplies and books and such. So, Ant has been DILIGENTLY researching and applying for scholarships since November when he got accepted. It's actually really hard to get a scholarship as a white male (especially when you have a full time job!). Well, tonight we met with a lady who is one of the organizing members of DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution). It turns out that my mom's side of the family (aunt Mary, aunt Lucie & Bom) are all members of this highly regarded national organization. This lady, Clare, is helping Anthony with referral letters and applications and it's very possible that he will get a decent (not great) scholarship from them (thanks to his AMAZING portfolio!!!). We still have a long way to go to fund his education, but this is a good step and I'm really proud of him for all that he's accomplished so far! So, if all goes well, we will most-likely be moving to Savannah at the beginning or middle of March. It is definitely bittersweet because we have made Orlando our home and have so many amazing friends down here. This is a total leap in faith for us and we KNOW God will provide!