Worst Church Sign Ever

I drive past this church everyday on my way to and from work. They have recently been getting more and more clever with the slogans they're putting on their sign. This one takes the cake. The absolute WORST slogan on a church sign I have ever seen....right here in good 'ole Tallahassee.

Wow. I have no words.

LONG Overdue Cruise Review

I know this is WAY WAY past overdue, and I had every intention of posting our cruise review shortly after we returned. Time got away from me...and now here it is, 2 weeks later.

Overall, our vacation was FANTASTIC. It was so nice to get away and not think about anything back home. We had very few worries, rested, relaxed, and did our best to enjoy ourselves to the fullest extent.

The one disappointment to the cruise was how the weather affected our ports of call. We were scheduled to be in port at Coco Cay, which is the cruise line's private island, on Tuesday. This is the port we were both looking most forward to, as this was going to be our "beach day". We had every intention of finding hammocks or beach chairs, and sitting back to "chill" for the majority of the day. Wade even planned on getting in the water for a little bit, which is a miracle in and of itself! Unfortunately, while anchored a few hundred yards off the coast of the island, the winds were too strong for the tender boats to safely retrieve passengers off the ship. They tried and tried to get to us, but the wind was just too strong. The captain announced the bad news, and said we would just proceed to our second port of call, Nassau, Bahamas.

We arrived in Nassau an evening early than previously planned, but that was also the formal night for dinner, and Wade & I dressed up and wanted to try to get some good pictures. We also had no desire to venture into Nassau after dark. We did get off the ship the next morning, did a little shopping and site-seeing, and did a lot of walking. We enjoyed our time in Nassau, but we both agreed we would have rather missed that port than Coco Cay.

The following day, the captain was going to attempt to get us back to Coco Cay on the way back, but he received word that the winds were even worse than before. Sadly, we would head back and take our time getting back to Port Canaveral.

Even with this major disappointment, we still thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Our servers were all great, the food was amazing, the entertainment was enjoyable, and being together was the best. We played trivia a few times, played Bingo, attended the art auctions, and played Sudoku. I actually won 1st place in the Sudoku challenge! Wade was so proud of me. :)

Although I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I thought I would, I did get a few shots to prove that we actually went! They are mostly of Wade, who doesn't really like having his picture taken, but who else am I going to take pictures of?

Our towel animals, one of my favorite parts:

Wade, all dressed up, looking hot!!

Wade, in front of our ship:

One of our few successful self-portraits (it was hard with all the wind!):

A palm tree with coconuts (Wade had never seen coconuts):

Of course, we would never leave a location without first visiting the Harley store:

And a few other views of Nassau from the ship in port:

Anniversary cruise vacation: A+...and already planning the next one!

Saturday Morning Treasures

This past weekend, Wade had to work so I was left without my usual garage saling partner. My good friend Evelyn decided to join me, despite the wretched hour of dawn I like to get started (Evelyn is NOT a morning person). She was a trooper! We had a great time...it was so good to get to spend some time together. Our deal-finding started off kind of slow, but after a little while, we started to come across some treasures. Ev found a few books, a sweater, and a few precious baby girl outfits. Here are my finds for the weekend:

1. Books: a complete set of Nature's Wild animal books (16 total) for Quinn, a hardback copy of The Polar Express, again for Quinn, a brand-spankin' new copy of The 5 Love Languages, for Wade & I to read together, and a nice Best-Ever Cake Decorating book, for me, of course.

2. Toys: 5 Harley Davidson's for Wade (the biggest kid) to add to his collection, 3 brand new Hot Wheels, for Q for Christmas, & a Giraffe beanie baby w/tag, sticker sets, and bouncy balls, all for my Operation Christmas Child box.

3. Scrapbooking supplies: extra pages, page covers, stickers, & glue spots (all of this for $2.00!)

4. Maddie clothes & shoes, of course: Here are just a few of my favorites. Note: the tiny pink crocs.

 

5. And last, because my sister and brother in law LOVE camoflauge, for some reason:

And how do you possibly make camo girly??

Why, just add some ruffles and a bow, of course.

I-HEART Revolution

I'm so looking forward to seeing this tonight.




This is real. Lord, open my eyes to see what You see. Give me Your heart.

Where is my Fall?

Dear Tallahassee,

You are a nice, little city. I'm proud to have called you home for nearly 12 years now, and although you have changed and grown quite a bit over that time, I'm still relatively happy with you. However, there is something we need to discuss.

I think you are confused. You see, the month of October is nearly over. We have only 3 days left, and then we will be into November. Most of the rest of this hemisphere has transitioned to the Fall season. You know...cooler weather, less stifling humidity, less muggy rain, better hair days. Sweater weather...you do remember that from last year, right? Well, I think you may be a bit confused, my dear little hometown, because you are still giving me daily high temperatures of 86 degrees. You are still kindly providing me with "warm & muggy" as the forecast. Oh yes, and thanks for the inch of rain we recieved yesterday (with no temperature change). My hair remains "poofy". And nice Mr. Weatherman's advice? "Get used to it". Thanks.

So, dear old Tally, could you help a girl out? Could you give us some relief here in the Capital? I would like to NOT wear a tank top & shorts to a hayride, please.

I will be eagerly awaiting your reply...SOON.

Sincerely,

Anxious for Autumn

Soon setting sail...

Today we set sail for the Bahamas! We are both SO READY for some serious R&R. Here's to 1 Year, baby! Sun, sand, surf....here come the McKenzie's. I hope you're ready!

Just picture us on this...

On our way here...

And possibly here...

To do this...

And maybe this...

And have this...

Maybe even one of these...

And MOST DEFINITELY some of this...

See ya when we return (IF we choose to return)...

We made it! 1 year...

1 year ago today, Wade & I were preparing to stand before one another and pledge our lives to each other in the act of marriage. The day had finally arrived, and there we stood...the perfect weather (minus the wind!), at a perfect beach, before a perfect God, made our perfect day. This past year has been anything but easy, but amidst the challenges, struggles, frustrations, fears, and tears, I still look at my groom, my husband, and I can honestly say that I am more in love with him today, one year later, than I was that perfect October day. God is stretching us, transforming us, and making us stronger, both individually and as a couple, and I can't wait for the next year, and the next, and the next. Not because of us, but because we laid it all at His feet 1 year ago today. And we will continue...

Happy 1st Anniversary, Wade! I love you so much!