8th Anniversary

On July 10th, Jeremy and I celebrated 8 years of matrimony! It's been an amazingly fast 8 years! God has brought us through so much and we are so thankful that He gave us each other. There is no other person I'd rather walk this crazy life with. :) On July 7th, we were able to go out and celebrate thanks to Groupon and our friend Emily. Emily graciously babysat the boys so that we could go out sans kids. Thanks to Groupon, we got a great deal on a local vineyard tour.

Treehouse Vineyards is a small vineyard in Monroe, NC that has been open for about 18 months.  They make a variety of muscadine wines that are both rather sweet. Our Groupon gave us a winery tour, tasting, and a sample.

The actual treehouse on the property. You can rent it out for date nights. Sadly it is rented out until December.

8 Years! 

After the tour, we had dinner at Miro Spanish Grill.  We enjoyed reflecting on the last year and "planning" the years to come. We pray that the Lord gives us many, many more together.

10 Year "Meet"-iversary!

June 8th, 2002, I woke up that morning feeling horrible.  The night before our Camp Willow Run staff had gone to Rocky Mount for a night out.  We were going from my house over to another girl's house to watch a movie.  Because I knew where we were going, I led the caravan.  Sadly one car of 2 guys got caught by light and lost us.  I tried to go back and find them but to no avail. (We later find out that they just decided to go back to camp, since neither one of them had a cell phone at the time to locate us.)

I felt horrible for losing them, especially since I was attracted to one of the guys in the car (Jeremy).  The next morning at camp, I ran over to his boxcar first thing to apologize. Luckily he didn't seem to mind and I ended up going to lunch with him and bunch of other staff guys.  

While we were eating, everyone commented on what a pretty day it was and how we should go sailing.  We agreed to meet back at the dock after changing into our suits. Wouldn't you know? Jeremy and I were the only two to show up.  We decide to go sailing together...it turned out to be an epic trip! We spent time talking and getting to know each other. While we were out there, the wind died. We were two inexperienced sailors and had a hard time trying to get us back in.  Finally 4 hours later, we have a ski boat tow us back to camp.  

We arrive back to camp where everyone has gathered for dinner, right by the docks.  Of course we were now the talk of camp, but we really didn't seem to care. During that 4 hours, we really got to know each other and began to fall each other.

This year marks 10 years since we took that first boat ride. The picture above was our first picture together taken a few weeks after that trip.  We look so young..and skinnier! 

Jeremy and I were reflecting on the past 10 years just the other night.  It seems like this picture was taken so long ago yet it seems to have gone by so fast.  It's amazing to see how the Lord has directed our path and now we are married with two awesome little boys. I love this man and feel so blessed that the Lord has put us together. I can't wait to see what the Lord has for us in the next 10 years!

God's Provision

As 6 pm rolled around on May 8th, I began to get worried because Jeremy hadn't got home from work yet and the boys and I were ready to eat. I started to feed the boys and Jeremy finally came home. He joined us at the table kind of quiet and we both made small talk about our days. After the boys left the table, Jeremy told me the reason he was late. He said his immediate boss had stopped him on his way out the door to tell him something. He was giving him "a heads up" that he was going to be laid off the following week. The company was struggling financially and the company needed to reduce their budget.  As many of you know, Jeremy worked for a small company and his position was the only one that had 2 people doing similar roles.  Because he was the second one hired, he was the first to go.

Of course, both of us were in shock.  Neither one of us saw it coming.  Jeremy was working on creating a mobile apps program, which the company needed to continue competing in the current market.  He was the ONLY one working on it! So they kind of shot themselves in the foot, but that's not our problem.

I've always kind of worn my heart and my emotions on my sleeve, so of course I begin to cry.  My brain begins working overtime on how we are going to survive. My little part-time income doesn't even pay the rent.  Jeremy was great through the only thing.  He continued to remind me that God had a plan for us

God is faithful though and He had a plan (like He ALWAYS does!).  Many people began praying for us and networking for us to help Jeremy find a job.  We are happy to say that just 15 short days later, God has a provided a great new job for him.  He is now working for a small company here in Charlotte called Epic Notion, where again he will be developing/designing websites.  This job comes with many benefits, like working from home, a raise, more vacation days, a new computer, and hopefully better medical insurance than we used to have.  Jeremy's new boss is a believer and really values family time, which is a huge blessing.

We know that in this economy many are struggling to find jobs and have been for a while. We are cannot thank God enough for blessing us and taking care of us.  Thank you all for praying and continuing to encourage and support us.

My Funny Valentine

This Valentine's Day I wanted to do something special and unique for Jeremy.  Thanks to my Pinterest addiction, I found the greatest idea...a year of dates!  

The fancy box I found at Michaels to hold all my big envelopes. (Thank you Michaels for your awesome coupons!)

Each month has a date envelope

Inside each envelope is a date, a marriage challenge, and 3 coffee talk questions (serious type questions that evoke conversation besides always talking about work or the kids).  I found this great website that had the challenges and questions already written out for me.  With the help of my sister in law Lauren, we made each card cute and stuffed them in their appropriate envelopes.

Valentine's night Jeremy opened his first envelope.

This was at home date that we could do once the boys went to bed.  We both love fondue so this was a fun treat for both of us.  Thanks to coupons I got this fun chocolate for free so we kind of cheated and didn't really have to heat chocolate.  (It served it's purpose though).  While eating, we went over our coffee talk questions.

It was a fun to have something different planned than our normal Saturday "catch up on shows on Hulu" night.  We're already looking forward to March's date which is a movie night out to go see the Hunger Games!! :)

I'm excited about the year to come and anxious for him to open each envelope. Hopefully I won't blab them before time. :)

7 years as Mr. and Mrs.

(not my favorite pic from the day, but 1st I could find)

July 10th marked 7 years of martial bliss for us. Some days it feels like we've been married forever and other days, we can't believe it's been 7 years. This year for our anniversary we decided we wanted to have a fun evening, not so much the romantic night out we always do. With having 2 young kids, we rarely just get to go and play together any more.

One thing we love about Charlotte is all the fun things there are to go do and see. One really neat place is the US National Whitewater Center. Not only do they have rafting, but they have rock climbing, kayaking, ziplines, biking, geo-traking and more. We decided for our anniversary that we would go ziplining. We felt like it would be a fun memory from our days at camp where we met.

Emily, one of Jeremy's awesome co-workers, volunteered to babysit for the afternoon so we took off to the center mid-afternoon. Because of time, we could only zipline but it was sooo fun. I wasn't allowed to take a camera so you'll have to just imagine it with this picture from their website. It's a 1,123 foot zip-line that takes riders off from the top of the 46 foot Mega Tower and fly over sections of Class III and IV whitewater rapids.

It was so hot that day and we had to wait a while, but it was worth it. Jeremy and I really want to go back and do more stuff. After that, we went and had dinner Cabo Fish Taco . Cabo has been featured on Food Network and we can see why. We both had these AMAZING tuna tacos! After dinner, we headed over to Amelie's for dessert. Because of the time, we took our desserts to go.

After the boys went to bed, we enjoyed our desserts on the back porch. While we were eating, I made Jeremy do a little reflection. Together we thought about 7 things we had learned in the last 7 years. Here they are in no particular order:

1) God always provides. No matter the situation God has always provided the money, the job, the wisdom, etc. that was needed.

2) Having lived in 5 different places in 7 years, we are great packers and unpackers. We can do it at super pace (hence the reason my house looked like we had lived in it forever just 2 weeks in). We have also learned not to be pack rats.

3) Our first year of marriage our small group read the book Sacred Marriage. The author stated that marriage was like a mirror; it helped you to see your own sin. This has never been more true. I have seen more of my own flaws, esp. selfishness and pride, come out than ever before.

4) We aren't cut out for small town living (sorry Mom and Dad!)

5) We balance each other out well. For example, he calms me down when I get worried or anxious and I help him get a little more excited about things. Also I help him be more social. :)

6) Life doesn't always go as had planned but everything worked out beautifully and better than we could have imagined.

7) We are never settled. Both of us are always looking toward the next stage or project.

We feel very blessed to walk this journey together and there is no one else we would rather do it with. I hope that we have many many more years together and are able to look back and name hundreds of things we have learned together. I love you Jeremy and thank God every day for you. :)

Update on Jeremy

I was reminded today that I hadn't updated everyone on Jeremy. Having so much go on with Oliver, he kind of got pushed to the back burner. Jeremy did go to the doctor last Wednesday morning before we had Oliver's MRI. The doctor said that he did have vertigo. I was surprised to hear that vertigo is a symptom not an illness. This being said, if it's a symptom, shouldn't they try to figure out what it is a symptom of? Wouldn't you want to check his ears or head? Anyway... the doctor did give him a medicine to take as soon as a spell begins. This should stop the dizziness and help him to feel better quickly. Luckily he has not had another spell...come to think about it...I don't even know if he went and had the prescription filled/picked it up. Typical for him though...he's not one to take medicine.

Thanks for thinking about/praying for him. We're hoping these spells are behind us!

February= Medical Month

When it rains, it pours.. especially for us this month. All the boys in our family have some kind of medical issue going on.

Oliver...As I wrote about previously, he is scheduled for his MRI tomorrow at 1. Unfortunately, his older brother has shared his cold with him and now he is stuffy and has a cough like a seal. We went to the pediatrician this morning to get it checked out and luckily it is just congestion and nothing else. As long as he doesn't have a fever, he is cleared to have the MRI tomorrow.

Jeremy..2 Fridays ago, Jeremy had this weird dizzy spell that lasted hours and was accompanied by nausea/vomiting. Because he had just worked out, we thought it had to do with that and dismissed it. Well the following Monday, he had another one, this time just after getting up. A third episode occurred on Thursday night, this time being the worst. I finally made him make an appointment with the doctor and he will go in the morning before Oliver's MRI. Vertigo runs in his family and we are thinking this may be the diagnosis but we will wait on the doctor.

Owen..yesterday Owen's physical therapist shared some medical articles with me; she believes she may have found a name for Owen's issues. She believes that he may have gravitational insecurity, which is a sensory processing disorder. You can read about it here and here. I feel like it was one of those lightbulb moments where you are wow. It totally describes Owen and explains his fear of swings, inability to walk up stairs, and his caution when changing to different surfaces. Normally this is something an occupational therapist would work with, not a PT. Therefore after talking with his service coordinator, we are having an OT evaluation on Feb. 21. After reading the articles, it looks like this is caused by a small organ in the ear and it's ability to process changes in gravity. We wonder if it is related to vertigo because that could explain a lot. Poor little guy has also a cold for over a week and it's now turned into a sinus infection. We were prescribed an antibiotic this morning for him this morning at the doctor too.

Surprisingly, I have a peace about it all. I've been studying Isaiah on Tuesday mornings and I have just been reminded of the Lord's soverignity and provision. The Lord is in control of all things and nothing is a surprise to Him. He made my boys exactly as they should be and He gave them to me. They belong to Him and He has given me the job to take care of them while on this Earth. He will give me everything I need to take care of them.

So that's the run down of the boys...we're not going to talk about the pain in my right knee (similar to the one I had in my left knee before surgery)..we have enough going on right now. :)

Jeremy's Birthday

This past weekend we celebrated 27 years of Jeremy! For his birthday, we got him a new patio set. Thanks to Lowe's end of summer 75% off sale my parents and I were able to get him this awesome set for our back porch. He got it a week early but fun none the less.

Sunday, I made him his favorite cake (red velvet with his mom's homemade white icing) and the meal of his choice (shrimp creole). My mom (Dad was out of town) and our friends the Langstons came over to celebrate with us. We sat on the deck and enjoyed his birthday present.

Owen and I are thankful for Jeremy and feel blessed to have him in our lives. Thanks for being the best husband and dad anyone could ask for! We love you!

Reminiscing

Do you know where this is?
Or this? It's the beautiful view from Beacon Heights on the Blue Ridge Parkway outside of Blowing Rock, NC. For those who don't know, this where Jeremy and I went on first date in Boone and where he proposed. Sunday, while we were visiting J's family, we went back to visit this spot. We took a picnic and hiked up there for lunch.

Stopping along the path for a photo op. Owen had it easy; he got to ride up the mountain.Checking out the view.
J and Owen standing on the edge. I was one nervous mommy!
That's a long way down!
Mommy, do you always have to give me kisses?


Our little family on the rock face. It was fun to go back and spend some time there. Last time we were there, we were getting engaged. Now we've married for 5 years and have a son. Wow!

Oh What a Night...

July 10th marked our 5 year wedding anniversary. We have been blessed the last 5 years; no matter what the Lord has thrown at us we have come through it together even stronger. The last 5 years have been awesome! We have moved 3 different times, gone to seminary, were part of an amazing church, gone through multiple crazy jobs, and had a terrific son. Having Owen has not only brought us closer, but it has made me fall in love with him even more. There is nothing like seeing the man you love care for and love on your son that you created together. (I'll save you from all the mushiness as I wrote it in J's card.) We have had an amazing journey up to this point and I can't wait to see what the next 73 years bring (we're both planning on living until we are 100. :))

Originally I was bummed that were weren't going to be able to do anything special like a trip or anything because of finances. I should have known the Lord was looking out for me. :)


To celebrate the event, Jeremy planned a special date night. (Thanks Nana and Papa for babysitting! Hopefully next time he'll go to bed easier for you!) He made reservations at The Mint in downtown Raleigh for early in the evening. We got all dressed up (yeah I forgot to take pictures) and headed to Raleigh. Evidently we are old people already and eat dinner before most hip people in Raleigh so we were the only ones in the restaurant. Jeremy said he "arranged" for private dining. :) We had an AMAZING 3 course dinner! The manager found out it was our anniversary and gave us a gift certificate for 10% off the next time we came.

After dinner, Jeremy had plans for us to peruse an art gallery. Once we got there, it wasn't what we thought so we decided to find something else to do. I suggested we go down to the BTI Center and see if they had any cheap seats left for the play Jersey Boys.


Again the Lord's hand was at work..we found a parking space right in front of the theater (free!) and walked up to the ticket counter. Jeremy asked the lady about seats and she passed some tickets through the window. She told us they were free and to pay it forward to someone else! FREE tickets!! Once inside the theater our seats were upgraded due to empty seats. (Later we looked to see how much those seats would have cost us...$85 a piece!!)

I cannot say enough about this play! Jeremy and I knew we would enjoy it but we didn't realize how much. The play is the story of how the group Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons began. Their repertoire includes..Oh What a Night, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, Can't Take My Eyes Off of You, and Working My Way Back to You Babe. It was a great show that had you singing all the way through.

We had a wonderful evening full of food and music. It was so nice to spend time just the two of us and to celebrate all the Lord has blessed us with over the last 5 years!

Father's Day

Sunday was all about dads. Seeing how both of ours were out of town, Owen and I were able to dote on Jeremy all day long. Owen woke up SUPER early in excitement so I got up with him to let J sleep in. We made him breakfast in bed and showered him with gifts and cards. Because Owen and I are fighting a cold, we had to skip church so we did home church. We miss the Summit so much so we listened to an old sermon online. After lunch, we worked on some projects then decided to go for a walk. We bought Owen a wagon for Christmas and thought that he was finally big enough for a ride. To say he loved it would be an understatement! He actually squealed with delight and chatter and smiled the whole time.

All smiles and kicking his feet.
His eyes are closed but you can see how big his smile was.
Jeremy pulled him up and down the street. He thought it was so fun!


At the end, he was still just as happy. After the walk, Owen took a little swing.
Then hung out with his daddy in the hammock.
Later, Owen and I made Jeremy some shrimp shishkobs and rice. We had a wonderful relaxing day. We feel very blessed to have Jeremy in our lives and we hope he felt appreciated yesterday.

As for our dads, we will celebrate with Jeremy's dad when he comes down this weekend and then with my dad when he returns from his vacation in France. (Rough life, uh!)

To Jeremy

Happy Father's Day! You truly are the best Daddy in the whole world. From the very beginning, I was attracted to you for your love of kids. I was amazed at how easy it was for you to interact and love on them (maybe because you still are a kid at heart! :) ). I knew that you would make an amazing dad but I never imagined how great you have been with Owen. You were a great supporter during the pregnancy and were even more amazing once he arrived. Thank you for all your help with diapers, feedings, baths, playtimes, etc. Most of all, thank you for praying for us daily. Owen is blessed to have you and he knows it. He lights up at your presence. He loves to play with you and you know just what to do to make him laugh and smile. I love watching you two interact and can't wait to see how your bond will grow in the years to come. Everyone says he looks like you; I hope he has inherited more that. You are one talented man, Jeremy Cox. I pray that he will love the Lord and the Word like you do. I also pray he is as tech savy, artistic, and creative as you. I pray though that he picks up my love for the best sports team. Go Heels! :)

Enjoy some of my favorite pictures of you and Owen. I love yoU!

A little bragging..

I have to brag on my husband a little. Over the last few months, he has been working hard to refinish this tv cabinet. We were given the cabinet when we moved in by my aunt and uncle. The cabinet was originally a white wood and we wanted it a cherry to match the rest of our stuff. When Jeremy started this project, he had no idea the beast it would become. From wood breaking to a veneer finish, it just presented more and more challenges. Jeremy persevered and this weekend we finally moved it in. It looks great and adds so much to our room. The picture doesn't really do it justice due to the lighting. But it really is great!

Another one bites the dust..

Since moving to Nashville, it seems like we have had the worse luck with our stuff. First our refrigerator died then our vacuum cleaner and now the computer. A month or so ago, the computer stopped charging and the power cord would not work. We had it looked at it and they replaced the AC outlet. It worked fine for the last month until this week when the computer would start freezing for no reason. Finally this weekend it finally would not come on anymore. After some research, we found out that the motherboard went out. Due to the age of our laptop, there was no point in trying to have it replaced. Because it would cost more to fix it, we decided it was better just to replace it.

Though we don't really have the money to replace it right now, we needed a computer. My husband is trying to do some freelance graphics work and he needs a computer to do it. He really wanted the new MacBook Pro but sadly they are $2500 and we do not have that kind of money. We compromised and got another PC (which was SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper) and as he gets jobs he can save up for the MacBook. I am very thankful to have a new computer. It's sad how dependent I have become on having one.

We are praying that the rest of our stuff will stay in working order. We really can't afford to replace anything else!

Wordless Wednesday

A Year in Review

One thing I love about keeping up with a blog is that I am able to go back and see how the Lord has worked in our lives. 2008 was an amazing, exciting, but also hard year for the Cox family.

The year started off hard as I was in the midst of a major discipline problems in my classroom. I was constantly upset and frustrated for a handful of males students. Later the situation would escalate and led to many conferences with my principal. She would later give me a poor review and ask a behavior specialists to come in to assist me. This was by far my hardest year of teaching.

January also brought the beginning of Jeremy's job search. We started off by following a lead to Charlotte. Though we were offered the job, we feel very confident that we were not supposed to be there.

February brought the best news of all...we were expecting our first child. The blog the next few months was potporried with updates on my belly and the baby growing inside of it.

May brought a month of graduations. My brother graduated from ASU and Jeremy graduated from seminary. It was a huge milestone for both of them! We celebrated by taking a family trip to Williamsburg, VA.

This year was also the year of weddings. This summer we went to 8 to be exact. We were really excited for all our family and friends but it was exhausting..and expensive!

I spent the summer sewing and preparing for Owen's arrival.

Jeremy searched and interviewed for jobs all year and finally at the end of July accepted a job at Nash Community College. The job was not church related and was back in my home town...totally different than anything we imagined. We were grateful for the Lord's blessings and now can see how His hand worked through the whole process. (Jeremy is now enjoying his new position and have adjusted to life in a small town.)

In July we also celebrated our 4 year anniversary. It was our last one kid-less!

August brought a new teaching position for me. I moved into a specialist role as a technology teacher. It was an awesome position and perfect for the state I was in (big!).

September brought the early arrival of our beautiful baby boy. He is such a joy in our lives and we couldn't imagine our lives without him now. As you know, his birth was easy but the days following were very hard. He is now healthy and strong and growing like a weed!

October 31st we bought our first home! We feel like such grown-ups now! We spent most of November unpacking and organizing.

The holidays were great and we enjoyed all of Owen's firsts!

What an amazing year! We can only praise God for His many blessings and provisions. I can't wait to see how the Lord is going to work in 2009! Happy New Year!

Anniversary Recap

As I said yesterday, my husband is awesome. He was super thoughtful yesterday and showered me with love and surprises. From the moment I woke up, there were little notes everywhere.. in my Bible, on my computer, in my phone, etc. My phone, which includes my planner, had two new events in it. It said I had to be ready for lunch at 12 and then I had a surprise appointment at 3:30 and gave the address. Of course, I googled the address, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Jeremy came to get me for lunch with a box in hand. What was inside??

The final season of the Gilmore Girls!! My collection is now complete! Seriously, I have a random obsession for this show and had already finished the first 6 seasons earlier in the summer. I was so excited to get the last season. I've already watched 2 episodes.

We then went to lunch...Moe's and the Naked Swirl (frozen yogurt), both are my favorite fast food places.

3:30 rolls around and I go to the address I was told and it was the Iatria Spa!

Jeremy had reserved a one hour pregnancy massage for me and it was amazing! So relaxing!

When I returned home, we went to dinner downtown at 518 West.

It was super yummy! Then we came home and watched our wedding video. :) It was a fun day and a great way to remember the last 4 years! Today we're off to the Asheville area for another wedding...this time for our dear friend Colleen. Have a great weekend!

4 years strong!

To my amazing husband, can you believe we have been husband and wife for 4 years? It has been an amazing (and fast) 4 years. It's hard to believe but I love you more today then I did then. You have proven to be a man of faith, strength, wisdom, and determination. You have shown me unfailing support and love through it all. I can laugh, cry, and be silly with you unlike anyone else. I feel blessed to call you MY husband. As we begin to start the next phase of our family, I can't wait to see you with Owen. I know you are going to be an amazing dad! Happy Anniversary!!

Follow Up & Party Time

First of all, thanks to everyone on their advice and comments. They were very much appreciated and taken to heart. I have been praying a lot about the situation and seeking the advice of trusted friends and I feel like I am more at peace. I am still not 100% sure that this is where God is calling us but we will continue to seek His guidance.

The church did call us today and have asked us to come back and talk with them. They would like us to come on a weekday so that I can see the school in action to see how I like it. They said they would also like to talk job description and salary with Jeremy so it is looking like they would like him to come on board. We will make a decision once we visit again. I am hoping that another visit there will allow me more clarity. I feel like Jeremy has it more than I do. Please continue to pray for us that the Lord would give us clarity and direction.

In other fun news, my friend Keva had her annual Pink and Red Party tonight. We all brought a sweet or salty dish and a $10 gift (pink or red) for the game. Once there we hung out and ate, then Keva had a cute little craft for us to make. I can't tell you about it because one or two of you may get it next week. :) Then we played a version of the Christmas game Dirty Santa but we did fun girly presents. I brought this super cute Vera belt and really wanted to take it home but Keva got it. Instead I brought home this awesome retro apron. Overall, it was a fun evening and I'm glad we postponed our Boone trip so that I could go. Great job, Keva! Alright, it's off to bed.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's a visual of today's festivities minus the HUGE family shot (all 20 people) which I'll post it once my cousin sends it to me. Hint: Put your mouse over the picture and the caption will come up.

Because it's Thursday and Thanksgiving, here's this week's Thursday Thirteen (well 10)---Things I am Thankful for:

1) That I am loved by my Savior. No matter what I do He could never love me any more or any less. I thank Him for his everlasting grace and mercy. This year has been an emotional and tough year but the Lord is forever faithful and soverign.

2) My amazing husband. I truly am blessed with a husband who is caring, loving, and has such a servant's heart. He puts up with my craziness, drama, and still loves me all the same.

3) My incredible family. I have such a supportive and loving family who not only are close by but that I get to see often (which is super important to me!)

4) My friends...you guys are great...thank you for being there.

5) Living in the seminary "bubble"-- though I joke about it often, I love that the Lord has us living in this bubble for this stage in my life. I have learned so much about being a wife, a mom, and a follower of Christ. I wouldn't change these last 3 years....well maybe not having a dishwasher I would.

6) Our church...they have a true heart for the Lord, for serving one another, and serving the world

7) That I live in a country where I am able to speak freely about what I believe, think, and feel

8) For the the little joys in life...pumpkin spice lattes, frozen yogurt, Grey's Anatomy

9) That I have a job where I can make a difference in the world and in our family. I'm thankful that I have had a stable job over the last 3 1/2 years while Jeremy has been in school.

10) That Jeremy's school is paid for so that when he graduates in May we will be school-debt free.