Fun-Filled Family Weekend

The one big bad negative about living in Madison, MS is that me and Alan are, what we consider, far away from our families. I am five hours away from my parents and three and a half hours away from my sister, her husband and my niece. We are also three and a half hours away from Alan's family. For some, this may not seem that far away at all. However, considering we have never been further than an hour and fifteen minutes away from our immediate family members and have lived in the same city as most of them our entire lives, it is quite a change for us. So when weekends like this past one happen, I am in hog heaven! My mom, dad, sister and niece, Anna Scott, came to the pretty little city of Madison, MS to visit for the weekend. We missed Scott, my sister's husband who had to work, but I am sure Mary Catherine will bring him to visit very soon. Here is a recap of our fun-filled weekend!  

They arrived Thursday night to a meal cooked by yours truly!! It was my first attempt to cook for my family (besides Alan). I was so nervous and slaved in the kitchen for two days straight trying to make sure every last ingredient was perfect.  They cleaned their plates and couldn't stop talking about how impressed they were with the food. Either they were being truthful and it was really good, or they love me too much to tell me it wasn't :) 
On the menu:  Garlic Parmesan Crusted Chicken, made from scratch Mac & Cheese, Green Beans, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie topped with Ice Cream for dessert. (I give pinterest all of the credit.)

During dinner, Anna Scott decided to explore the den area and found the "balls" on my coffee table to be quite entertaining. So much so, that she decided to tear one up! She got off easy because she is just way to precious to get upset at her. We took pictures of the mess she made instead! 

On Friday, I had a tennis lesson at the country club. I scheduled it for Friday, so that Anna Scott, and of course Mom and Mary Catherine, could watch me play. I knew that she would love it since her favorite thing to say and play with is "BALL!" She was happy as a lark in the 98 degree weather watching me play. I can't wait to start teaching her lessons! 

We went to the Pizza Shak for dinner on Friday night. Alan and I had never been there but we heard it was a must to try in Jackson. And let me tell you, we did not leave disappointed. It was some of the best pizza we have ever tasted!

When we got home from dinner, someone discovered the putting green in our back-yard. She LOVED it!

"Ball" Heaven

Mary Catherine, Dad and I went for an enjoyable run on Saturday morning. This has started to become a tradition when the three of us are together and I really enjoy this special time. After our run we showered and headed out to do a little shopping and grab some delicious lunch and ice cream! There is a Cold Stone Creamery right around the corner from our house. Although this sounds like a great thing, when you love ice cream as much and Alan and I do it can be quite dangerous. We are going to have to limit ourselves to how many times (per week) we stop by for a scoop.

Before they left Saturday evening I knew that we just had to take Anna Scott to the park near our house. It's called Strawberry Patch Park and is such a cute area. It was a play ground for kids,  a walking trail and a pond. We visited with the ducks and Anna Scott got to swing, one of her favorite things to do!!

We had such a wonderful weekend!  It was so nice to for everyone to be in the same place for a couple of days (missing Scott, of course!).  The hardest thing about this move for me is feeling like I am missing watching Anna Scott grow up. At her age, she is doing new things every day and not being close to her breaks my heart.  I loved watching her do all the new things she has learned since I last saw her.  My favorite thing is hearing her sweet little voice say "ball" and then grin from ear-to-ear! I am so grateful that my family makes the sacrifices they do, despite their busy, busy schedules, to visit me and allow me to get my "family fix."  Even though we don't get to see each other as often as we would like, it sure does make the times that we get to see each other so memorable and special.  There is nothing quite like family, and I am so blessed with mine!!

Unfortunatly, cleaning house, laundry, and a trip to the grocery store are calling my name. 

Happy Sunday! 

June Wrap-up: Beach, Lake, the Move, and Memphis

To say that I have been busy the past few weeks would be huge understatement. And the fact that I have been without internet service (or TV) for the past TWO weeks has put a huge hold on things such as blogging. But as of today we finally have internet access (still no TV) and I am ready to hit the ground "blogging." I will try to wrap up the happenings of June in one post. Please bare with me, it's gonna be a long one! 

Mid-June the Stewart, Cease and Laney crew headed to the beach for a week.  Our trip consisted mostly of eating, sleeping, shopping, jogging, swimming, tanning, and did I say eating? We had an absolute blast. It is a rare occurrence for all members of my family to be in the same place at the same time due to our crazy busy schedules, so we soaked this week up. We laughed until we cried and I cherished every moment. 

What would I do without him?

Wonderful Parents

Miss Priss was ready to hit the beach! She LOVED it!

Girls, Girls, Girls

Aunt Allison loves this baby! 

 Once the beach trip ended we headed back to Alabama and spent a relaxing weekend at the lake with Alan's parents.  The Ceases treated us to a delicious meal at our favorite spot on the lake- Springhouse. This is where we ate the night that Alan proposed and it will always have a special place in my heart, not to mention they have the best shrimp and grits in the south!

 After our weekend at the lake we were off to Birmingham for a week of all work and no play.  The time had come for us to pack up our Birmingham home and head to Madison, Mississippi. Alan is completing his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, MS.  We will be spending the next four years here in Mississippi. We have been here for two weeks now and I can already tell that we are going to love it. We are living in a adorable sub-division in Madsion, MS, a super cute area about 10 miles north of Jackson.  Both of use are actually working in Jackson.  Alan of course is at the UMMC and my office is only one mile down the road! I am working for a Surgical Breast Oncologist as his Nurse Practitioner. I am so excited about my new job (more on that later).

With mixed emotions and much excitement we managed to load up all of our "stuff" onto a massive U-Haul truck, travel 3 1/2 hours to Mississippi, and unload the U-Haul in a days work.  Of course, that would not have been possible without help from our wonderful family and friends. We thank you! 

Noone I would rather begin this journey with other than this guy.

I would have packed up this bundle of joy if her Mamma and Daddy would have let me.

This was on closing day and is a tad blurry but welcome to our new home! We love it!

*Home Sweet Home*  We accept visitors any time!! I will be posting more pictures of the house soon so stay tuned.

 :)

 Last but not least, this past week I was sent to Memphis for four days to train for my new job.  I was extra excited about this work trip because I got to stay with one of my best friends from college.  She works as a nurse at St. Jude and graciously opened up her adorable condo for me to come crash for the week. Robin and I were sorority sisters and nursing classmates at Samford.  She was a bridesmaid in our wedding and I loved getting to spend a week with her! It felt like the good ole' days and we loved it! 

Robin took me to Jerry's Sno Cones in Memphis. A must if you are visiting the city. They were delicious, especially in 104 degree weather!

It just so happened that Lady A was in town while I was visiting. We had a wonderful evening sitting on a blanket, singing along to this amazing band.  If you haven't heard Lady Antebellum live, I recommend you do so. It  was a perfect ending to a wonderful week with this sweet friend. 

Memorial Day Weekend + Jackson Fun

We spent Memorial Day weekend on Lake Martin.  Alan's family has a lake house on Lake Martin and I must say, it has become a favorite place of mine to get-away and relax.  Alan has spent most every weekend of his summers for the past fourteen years on Lake Martin soaking up the sun on the lake. He is an avid skier and a can handle a jet ski like a pro. His love for the lake has rubbed off on me and I can tell that we will spend many more summers at Lake Martin.

We invited my sister and her husband down for the weekend and had a wonderful time being lazy.  Eating, sleeping, tanning, and boating are a few of our favorite things and that's pretty much all we did for four days straight!

Me and the Sister enjoying a relaxing Pontoon boat ride on the way to dinner. 

Strange seeing a picture of you two by yourselves!  Won't be too much longer before Anna Scott will be enjoying the lake as well! 

We loved meeting up with Mary Katherine and her husband Bradley at Sinclair's for dinner! 

Alan and his dad enjoyed some golf while I was their chaffer.  

Sister time in the sun! 

Loving this day with this boy

I have come a very long way with my skiing skills over the past two summers.  I would have never dreamed that I would be able to slalom but I guess after 500,000 face plants, something just clicks! 

We had a wonderful weekend with family and friends! We sure are going to miss this place as we journey on to Jackson, MS the next four years. I can assure you that you will find us here every free weekend we get from April-September! 

Yesterday we ventured to Jackson for a very special event.  The Hogans are a family in Jackson who  have taken Alan and me in and treat us as if we have been a part of their family for years. They call us their "adopted children" and I am sure you will be hearing more about this sweet family. We are so blessed to have connected with them and they are such a blessing to us.  The youngest of their four children is expecting her first baby in October. The Hogans threw one big party to reveal the gender of the baby. Such a cute idea! We were delighted to be included and had a wonderful time meeting new Jackson friends.   

With Dendy, the Momma-to-Be at the big reveal! 

No worries, the necklace around Alan's neck is not part of his personal wardrobe. The invitation to the party asked you to wear Blue if you thought it was a BOY and Pink if you thought it was a GIRL.  We both wore blue! They had necklaces, crowns, etc. in pink and blue to add to the fun. 

It's a GIRL!

We can't wait to meet this little one in October! Congrats to Jason and Dendy! 

Wish this picture wasn't so blurry but I couldn't leave it out.  My good friend and sorority sister at Samford, Casey, just moved to Jackson (the girl in the LSU shirt).  She started PA school last week and I am so thrilled that she will be in Jackson with me!! While in town, I visited her at her super cute condo and also got to visit with Robin (another sorority sister and nursing friend from Samford) and her sister Dana, who also lives in Jackson.  Blessings all around! 

We are anxiously awaiting our big move to Jackson in just two weeks. We have found the perfect house, I got a great job as a Nurse Practitioner, and we have already made some precious friends. Everything is falling into place just as God intended. Prayers are always welcome seeing as it will be a very big adjustment for both of us. Just as my sister said in her speech at our wedding, sometimes change is a good thing! 

Medical School Graduation

Our family has had many major *fun* life changing events over the past six months.  One of the biggest being mine and Alan's wedding! I will be posting about our wedding when I have all the pictures back, but until then I will catch you up on the other good ole' times we have been having! 

My sister and my husband ended their long journey of Medical School on May 20, 2012.  I was right by their side every step of the way, encouraging them and praising them for their hard work and complete dedication.  Couldn't be more proud of their accomplishment! 

Mary Catherine will be completing her residency in Radiology at Baptist Princeton here in Birmingham.  Alan and I will be headed to Jackson, MS (in just a few short weeks!!) for him to complete his residency in Emergency Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. 

The "core four" as we like to call ourselves.  My father graduated from UAB Medical School in 1984.  He participated as an alumni during the graduation ceremony, a very special moment for our family. 

The graduates with family (missing a few) 

After they received their hoods! Officially Dr. Laney and Dr. Cease! 

Alan and his parents 

 My family 

It is a very comforting to know that we have three doctors in our immediate family. We may have some very "different" discussion than most families have at their dinner tables but it's fun nonetheless. It takes a very special person to be a doctor and these three above are "extra" special! 

I cannot wait to see Alan and Mary Catherine blossom during their residency into wonderful Doctors. They will touch many lives in many different ways and they already have my utmost respect.

Happy Graduation :)