Easter in Dixie

Eric and I are finally home with my family for Easter. This is the first time that we have been able to celebrate with them since we met 6 years ago. Easter weekend started a little bit earlier for me than expected due to some unexpected events at school. Thursday morning at 9:30 I was headed back home from Mobile instead of staying at the hospital and I also had friday off of school. With all this extra time I know I should have utilized it wisely and got a lot of work done and instead I just enjoyed my long weekend off of school :) Oh well!

Saturday morning I went with my mom to her bootcamp workout class. Mind you I have not had an intense work out for quite some time due to my crazy school schedule and I must admit a lack of motivation on my part. The class was held in downtown Cathedral Square in Mobile. After a brutal hour of running and every lunge and squat you can think of, we made our way over to the Spot of Tea for breakfast. Yummy! I got the Monte Cristo and it was divine. Following this we went home showered and went to lunch with my mom's friend at the Olive Garden, followed by shopping for easter clothes and easter dinner. Then we made our way over to my brother's house and visited with them until dinner time. We all went to Champy's, a really good fried chicken joint here in Daphne. It was also very good. Eric finally got off work and tried to meet us there for dinner, but unfortunately he is still learning his way around, and I guess he misunderstood me when I told him the name of the restaurant, so he ended up eating his meal take out at home :(

Sunday morning was lovely. We all donned our Easter Sunday outfits and headed off to church for a beautiful 3 hour long service. Afterwards, we rushed home to take pictures, cook easter dinner, and hide 100 easter eggs in the yard for the grandkids. We had a blast enjoying a very yummy dinner, the egg hunt, and watching the Duke/Louisville basketball game. My sister-in-law's parents were in town and were over at out house for easter. They are from Kentucky and are huge Louisville fans. We were a little upset because in our household we are all huge KU (Kansas Jayhawk) fans and they lost in overtime this weekend. So even though we are bummed out our team was out of the tournament we enjoyed watching the other games this weekend.

Eric and I have enjoyed many Easters together over the years. Since Easter 2009 he has surprised me with Easter baskets, candy, flowers, jewelry boxes, love notes, even a Kindle, but this year we kept it simple. We exchanged easter baskets of course. He knows me well and included a few of my favorite candies…Godiva Dark chocolate truffles, Reese's, Starburst jellybeans, but my favorite of all gifts came in a little tin egg. Inside the egg he had written the most beautiful of all letters I have ever received. He handed me the letter before we left for church but I had no time to open it until I was sitting in church. When I read the letter, a stream of tears quickly began to flow and I was overcome with emotion. I love my husband so much and I am so blessed to be sealed to him in the temple for time and all eternity. He is my best friend, and the love of my life. We have been so blessed this Easter season and are so grateful for our Savior who gave everything,  even his life, so that we could all return to our Heavenly Father someday. He suffered for me individually and knows my heartaches, my sorrows, my burdens, my pain, and can lift these from me though the power of the atonement. I am so very very blessed!

Here are a few Easter pictures we took yesterday. Enjoy and God bless!

After Church

Us with my mom

With my Dad

Easter baskets

Group shot minus the photographer

Daddy's girl

My brothers with my mom

Eric rocking on the front porch

Thomas egg hunting with his daddy's help

Allie even found a few eggs

Thomas's big Easter egg from the Easter bunny

Walking around outside the house

Allie wasn't that into it…maybe next year :) 

Thomas has enough candy to last him till Halloween!

The New Hale Pad: You Little Picture Lovers

New Bedroom Stuff Set! It Is Amazing!

The Bathroom

The Kitchen

The Dining Room

The Living Room

The Porch

Just Another Day In Paradise

Well here I go. I now, unfortunately, have a lot of time on my hands these days. So, I have decided to create some articles, short stories maybe, fiction, non-fiction, and hopefully make all of my, 2, followers laugh, cry, comment, giggle, scoff, or just enjoy reading something of mine online. Maybe I'll be reposting some previous articles from previous blogs I have written in and add some to those while I'm at it. But be excited! Don't choose to be offended and yes you will be the one who chooses that, it wont be my fault. Thats all I gotta say...for now.

Time to Write

I have been working at www.fsbitools.com for a little over a month now near Salt Lake City Utah. I graduated with my Bachelors finally in July of this year in Communications/ with 2 minors one in Professional Writing the other in Business. I really would like to do entertainment management and teach school someday. No particular level right now, High School or College I really think that I would enjoy though. This weekend the real estate market tanked again sending it to an all time low the country is slowly being taken apart piece by piece. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has its strongest foot forward right now and it is exciting to see the brotheren being the so open with the world right now. Conference was amazing!

The whole majestically conducted oratorio of the last days that our heavenly father has set forth is clearly taking shape within a very hostile environment. God does not bend to mans wimpers for equality in there sin. He will watch as we as members strive to bring each other up and with all hope bring some more of our brothers in sisters to assist in this great work of spreading and obeying this his gospel which he has set forth by the hand of his servant the prophet and his apostles. So scary, yet so exciting knowing with a perfect assurance that I am exactly were my Heavenly Father wants me to be working to be as good as he wants me to be.

This is another attempt for me to blog on a somewhat regular basis. I hope that I find the time to express my feelings on this thing I call "my hero complex" and possibly get some good feedback in the process.

I have had this "complex" ever since I was young, I think I developed it by being the guy who always stood between most of my friends in a fight. Either with their parents, their friends, my other friends, or whomever. I was the one trying to smooth things out. Their were many times were I ended up the object of scrutiny, but not as many times as I saved someone from doing something they might soon regret I have been told.  Life for me in a very realistic sense left me thriving on intense interactions between people. 

I hated the situations and still wish everyone could just get along, but in the end I guess I can say I felt accomplished as a problem solver growing up and generally comfortable in my role as a mediator between two or more people. I never had great advice to give I feel, at least nothing of any real consequence to anyone I think, but I was told later on in life that conflicts resolved by me were resolved not because of my words usually but because of who I was and what I stood for mostly. Some people felt dumb when i stepped in others felt juvenile to an extent and generally respected me for not being one-sided in a situation. 

This complex hasn't been all praise and respect though. I have had to earn that my whole life one individual at a time. I had my fair shares of brawls in the street, encounters with law enforcement when someone or I lost tempers. I've had my trials that just seemed to go forever and ruts that I have believed would never end sometimes. Life is not always a hero's tale as I wish it were. In fact, I hope for learning trials most days so I can see the perspective of those around me. I have found I can do this in a hundred different ways without getting burned I can help people who are morally in a bad situation without bringing myself down to that level myself. In the words of Gordon B. Hinckley, "You don't need to grab hold of an electric fence to see if there is a charge, especially when there are high voltage signs posted all around you."