and because of good things that the Heavenly Powers gave him in the past he ignores the shape of things to come

Alex will be here in  a week!! :) So excited to have him here even though it is just for the weekend! Then hopefully if all goes as hoped and planned he will be back for a while in 5 weeks after that! Then we can breathe easy for a while as we plan our life! haha Even though the distance has been especially hard I can't help but remember how lucky we have been! I DID get to go visit him SIX TIMES and he got to come home twice in the last 6 months.. Thinking back on that I would say that we really don't have much to complain about. However, it does make me EXTREMELY grateful and full or respect for those that are in the military or those who are missionaries because I can not imagine what it would be like for Alex to be gone and only able to talk to me every fews days all the while not knowing whether he was safe or not. So with that I say it's about time for us to count our blessings especially considering we already all have much more than we deserve.

My last trip to AZ was AWESOME! We has so much fun! We got to go to Vegas one night which was not really what I expected but still very fun! Surprisingly, it was a lot more romantic than I imagined. I especially liked the water show in front of the Bellagio. And the roller coaster at the New York hotel was OBVIOUSLY a favorite. I think my favorite part of the AZ trip was floating down Salt River. We rented three tubes (two for us one for the cooler). At first the rapids were a little quicker than we expected. The lazy river wasn't so lazy in some parts. We did lose all of our clothes, snacks, and sunscreen, but it was so worth it. 

Now, we're back to reality and counting down until Alex comes back! On a good note, his hand is doing better all the time! :) I think we all know who to thank for that! So far, grad school is going great! I really, really like it. Not too overwhelmed yet..writing a 30 page paper might change my mind. I feel like it's where God wants me..even though somedays I am guilty of objecting. With all being said, I will leave with a quote I read this morning that spoke to my heart. (It's actually from Beowulf--nerdy I know)

"and because of good things that the Heavenly Powers gave him in the past he ignores the shape of things to come. Then finally the end arrives when the body he was lent collapses and falls prey to its death; ancestral possessions and the goods he hoarded are inherited by another who lets them go with a liberal hand."

Bored and Thankful

Even though Kelley has already written on this thing today I decided to make one too because as of late my day consists of going to the field, stretching my legs and arms and doing some strengthening work on my fingers and wrist until I get these gross pins out of my hand and can actually sweat again.. And the rest of my day is usually consisting of talking to kel on facetime,skype, text, or the phone.. We have tried them all.. So now when she goes to work I get really bored and need stuff to do.  Being that there is only a few of my friends out here in AZ right now and some of them are occupied when their girlfriends come into town or whatever the case may be, I have been able to venture out into the dry state they call Arizona. I have been to almost every mall in the phoenix area and have really found a great hobby in people watching. (It's really fun.. i try and think what they might be thinking when they are walking by) lame, i know, but what else is there to do.. So these times are often very lonely, tiring, and boring but one thing it has made me do is really understand how much I love my home, family, and most importantly Kelley. Although this stay in Arizona will hopefully be short lived in the grand scheme of things I am very thankful for this time because it sometimes lets me think too much which can get you into trouble or can help one realize what they have in their life and how important that can be and that you never want to lose that.. My things that I have realized I have that are great is God most importantly, my family, and my wonderful fiance who sometimes probably wants to kill me because I have too much time on my hands. Either way, if she wants to kill me or not she wont be getting rid of me... 


Kelley came out to Arizona about a month ago and we got to enjoy some of the great things there are out here. Her trip was highlighted by some fun activities, like the movies, the wildlife zoo which i strongly recommend, and some good relaxation with me since I had just come out of surgery. The 10 days she was here were great because it was the longest that we had spent together at one time since last offseason. The zoo was incredible and featured so many cool animals that neither of us had really ever seen up close before. From rhinos to the smallest monkeys and mice you have ever seen before. We ordered in a lot of food as well and probably gained some weight. Overall it was a fantastic trip and I cant wait for her to get here again in 9 days. When she comes this time we will be able to experience a lot more things since my no sweat rule will be gone, which will be really nice. Hopefully a lot of pool time and maybe even a trip to Vegas, yo'll just have to wait and see. For now thats all I got.. I'm gonna go watch some more TV and possibly read a book. woohooo! 

God Bless
K&A

Here's a little update on our life for ya'll :)......

Alex gets his cast off and pins out MONDAYYY. Thank the Lord! I think he is beyond ready to be out of that thing.

I am graduating in one week from Friday. I never thought the day would come that I would graduate from college. AND THEN I will then be off to visit my Alex in AZ for 12 days! We can not wait! I think this has been the hardest separation for both of us thus far. 

In our near future, I will be moving to Clarksville and going to grad school there. It has really worked out perfect in most aspects, and I think we feel good about saying that this is defiantly God's plan for this time in our life. We are so excited about the off season and being in the same town for a while! We will have a lot of fun and hopefully do a little wedding planning. :)

With this being said, I would like to mention that we are beyond blessed and continually amazed at what the Lord has given us. 

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.  If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34 

You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?  Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!  So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

Matthew 7:9-11

:)

After weeks and weeks of preparation and some words of encouragement from Kelley, I am now making my first post on our blog!!  My hesitation for writing was simply brought on by Kelley's fantastic writing ability and I was afraid she might put me to shame, but like the true competitor I am I turned this into a challenge for myself and I'm very excited to start these blog entries on the reg, almost as excited as I am about my engagement and plans for life with my best friend in the world!

As you can tell from Kelley's entry I am a very smooth individual.. I say this because what guy do you know of that has eyed a girl for a whole year while attending the same school as her, had mutual friends with, and even saw regularly but didn't ever talk to her once, can get someone to ask them to their sorority formal.. well thats how lucky I got!!

I transferred to MTSU my junior year to play baseball knowing no one and craving a destination that I could feel comfortable in. Having grown up in the middle tennessee area I always knew MTSU was there and never really saw myself going there. I always saw them as my dad's teams biggest rival. But I am so thankful that I did go there. Not only did I find some of my best friends in life in that year, I also was introduced to Kelley! I'm not going to go in depth as to how we met because Kel already did but lets  just say I got pretty lucky.. She never mentioned in her post that the whole year before we met at our friends apartment I had searched her on facebook routinely (i know.. how creepy), tried to find places where she might be (after seeing her at football tailgates, taco bell, church, etc...tell me about it, how did I not pull the trigger), and asking people in her sorority about her.. Although I never got a chance to meet Kelley face-to-face our junior year and my only year at MTSU, I was fortunate enough to have my roommate, who was dating a girl who just happened to be friends with this cute girl I had been eyeing for a good while. After meeting Kel (finally!!!!!!) I made the move and of course asked her to be my friend on facebook, only because I failed to get her number off of her dog's tag.. I then deleted my facebook soon after because I was going to Arizona for a month to play and I wanted to clear everything from life and really focus on baseball for this one month.. I remember this being so hard for me to do at the time even knowing that I had only met this girl once and by now she had already forgotten me most likely, but I did it anyway, and I said a prayer after I did it saying, "God if it is meant to be for me and this girl, she will still be there when I get home, and you will make it work out between us." So I did it and when I got home this girl who I had been dreaming of spending quality time with remembered me enough or was encouraged enough by her friend to take me to her formal.. How exciting!!! After that first date, I knew Kelley was the perfect girl for me.. so I then bugged her after it enough to con her into thinking that I was perfect for her.. jk. She really does like me a lot..
 *so much for not going in depth.. sbi (sorry bout it) haha

I can't express how awesome it is to find someone who shares the same feelings about God and how important it is to have him in our life together. I thank the big guy everyday for giving me someone like Kel! That is all for now but with my broken hand and my likening of this blog thingy I'm gonna post another one about Kel's recent trip to AZ while I'm on the shelf because of my broken hand.

Alex

our story

We are Kelley and Alex. We are 22. We're engaged!! and this is our life.

Alex and I met last fall at a friends apartment. I took him to my formal in November. He told me that night that he was going to come back take me to see a movie, but since he lived an hour away I didn't really believe him. Sure enough about a week later, we had our first real date. He drove back to take me on another date and just to hang out one night over the next couple weeks. Then I went home for Christmas break. Our one hour distances turned to two. In our efforts to hang out and not be awkward, creepy, or overbearing, we had to get creative. Luckily, I have a crafty, confident, and determine fiance who came up with the idea to get Usher tickets. So, I made the drive to Clarksville to hang out with this guy who I was starting to like. I think for me I would say that was the turning point. Alex came to Jackson a few days later  for new year's eve. Brave boy. He met my most of my friends and family and thankfully still hung around. :) I would say that is when people say the rest is history. We quickly became really comfortable and close. We learned a lot about each others lives. I think its safe to say we are a lot the same and in some ways a little different too. I think we would both agree that our lives up until our meeting have been unique in their own ways but none the less prepared us greatly for the life that we will explore together. On June 20, Alex asked me if I would be his best friend forever along with giving me a beautiful ring and asking me to marry him. Of course, I said yes. And so begins the journey to our forever. And yes June 20 was exactly 7 months to the day after our first unofficial date to formal. We know 7 months isn't a long time. I used to be quick to judge people who rush into things. But when God puts someone special into your life. It doesn't take long at all to figure out that He intends that person to stay.  We now live our lives somewhat apart since Alex travels everywhere playing baseball. But we are very much together on every other level. I am fortunate enough to be able to visit often as we travel around creating little adventures. We created this blog to share with people our life and our story and hope to maybe inspire and encourage people along the way. Like most people, we are in the constant process of planning our lives. We don't really know where we will be from month to month, but we have fun. And we embrace our crazy adventure with our great love--for God, for each other, and for people.