2011

WAR EAGLE! Our wonderful team, Auburn, won the national championship. How awesome! We watched the game with a few friends around the house and just had an enjoyable night while being ICED in. Starting on Sunday before the game, it began to snow/ice. We got mostly ice here in Hoover. The roads became impassable and got shut down, so we just stayed indoors until Tuesday. On Tuesday, I finally toughed it out and got out of the house for a couple of hours shopping for the National Champions gear! Sorry I keep bringing it up, but everyone deserves a chance to brag occasionally! :-)

Trey's still working at his job and we had a wonderful Christmas together. It was our third one as a married couple. The day before Christmas Eve, we drove down to Hurley, MS to visit Dad, Kathy, Nick, and Amy for Christmas and came back Christmas Eve. I then prepared a Christmas Eve dinner for the Hawthorne side of the family (Trey's Dad's side). It was an awesome night together. We got everything plus more that we asked for. Trey got all of the yard equipment he wanted and I got the mixer I'd been wanting. It was great. Mom shipped me down some awesome Canadian stuff too. I was very excited. We then went to Trey's mom's side of the family Christmas on Christmas Day. It was the first year that we got to spend the entire day with his family. It was very nice not having to travel, but I really did miss spending time with my own family and seeing them. I don't get to see nor talk to them near enough anymore. I especially missed my mom and sister since we didn't get to see them at all. HOWEVER, we will all be together again for Nick and Amy's BIG DAY on April 9. I can't wait for her to be part of our family. She's one awesome girl. Nick has a great catch. I'm also very happy to be part of their union.

Here's some pictures from the holidays. We also got a cat, his name is Patton. He's rambunctious, but cute. I don't have any pictures on my computer of him, but here's one of Dixie (our dog) and our back porch during the ice storm.

Update on Life...

Wow...where to begin since June???

June--

Trey began working for free at a law firm. It was an opportunity to get a foot in the door. I just hung around the house enjoying the sun and taking a quick beach trip and playing some golf with work friends. It was nice and relaxing.

July--

I went to Toronto to visit Mom. I had a wonderful time, and it was great getting to see her and the city. We did so many things...here are some pictures.

August--

Trey got hired on at the law firm he was working at for a probationary period of 90 days. We were excited. Finally a pay check again! YEA!! I started back to work for my second year at Vestavia High School teaching 10th grade Physical Science. It's wonderful and still is. I have a great bunch of kids this year.

September--

We decided that in October we wouldn't renew our lease, so we began house hunting for a place to rent. We still don't have enough saved up to buy, but renting a house is much better than an apartment! Auburn keeps winning!! WAR EAGLE!

October--

We decided to stay in the apartment until November and pay one more rent because we didn't put our notice in on time, but it wasn't much more. But, we finally found the perfect house! It is 3 miles from my work and when Trey's firm moves to Hoover, it will be about 5 minutes for him. It is 3 bedrooms, 2 baths with a finished basement, den, foyer, kitchen, and dining room. It also has a nice fenced in back yard with a fire pit! So awesome! Oh, and completely newly renovated too! We also began our new small group at church and all of the couples are amazing and so supportive of one another.

We also found out that Dad got a job offer in Mississippi so he will be moving there at some point...

November--

We moved into our house. We also found out at the beginning of the month that Trey may no longer have a job due to the firm not thinking they could pay him (or one of the 3 partners thought)...It has been a stressful month so far not knowing what will happen with his job. However, on November 16, we found out that he will be PERMANENT!!!! Praise the Lord! The answer to all of our prayers.

The house has had some kinks since we moved in...we didn't have a lot of "power" to the house and didn't think much of it except maybe rigged wiring. One night, things started sparking and I was freaking out, so we called the landlord. I talked with the electrician and he said the house was newly wired with the renovations. So, I then called the power company and they came out. A squirrel had eaten straight through the aluminum power line...we barely had any connections being made! So dangerous! BUT, it's fixed and power is perfect now. Just some minor things such as pipes leaking...but they are being fixed too. Part of moving into a house. Here's a picture of the power line:

As for Thanksgiving, since Dad is in the process of moving and Mom is in Canada, I decided to host dinner for the family. I am going to cook the full spread, and I am so excited! The guest list includes: Dad, Kathy, Daniel (our friend), Mary K (cousin), Uncle Tom, Aunt Beverly, Aunt Di, Jonathan (cousin), Scott (Kathy's Son), Trey, Me, and possibly Jenny and Conrad. I am so unbelievably excited!!

As for December....we shall see!

Forgot about this thing...

When I first started blogging, I figured I'd forget about it eventually--but not only after 3 posts! Wow :-) So, let's try to get back at it. I guess at the same time, nothing too interesting has been happening in our lives.

School ended for me in May, and I got asked to return, so I am SUPER EXCITED about it. I really enjoyed my job and the kids and now I get another chance to prove myself again to them. I think they liked me too ;-) I'll be teaching the same subject--Applied Physical Science to 10th graders at Vestavia.

Trey started a job about a week ago; well, he's working for free. But, he's getting experience in a great law firm and he is loving it. It's also nice that he's out doing something again and using his brain and his skills. He has so much to offer, but there's just no jobs available right now. It's depressing--but we will overcome it together. The job he's at now seems like it may be promising for a job in the near future. He's actually working at the same law firm as Don Siegelman (sp?)....interesting!

Trey and I recently joined a church--Briarwood Presbyterian Church. We LOVE it. They have a great message and keep us coming back; it's been a great experience together finally and we have found ourselves again with our Lord. Things just seem to fall in place perfectly now too. We have made new, great friends along the journey too.

Summer Plans???

Laying by the pool is about all I do and reading books by the pool. Some say I look as if I am a different race now....I'm going to visit my mom at the end of July in Toronto and going to visit Missy next weekend. Both will be great trips and I cannot wait. I've missed them both.

Job hunting...

Job hunting is once again a daily conversation we have. A lot of people get to ask their spouse how their day was, but I know how mine was compared to Trey's. I'm not out walking the streets in 30 degree weather. But, we still have the usual "How'd it go today?" "Alright I guess. Got to talk to some people but nothing much"; "Where are you going tomorrow?" "Well, I think here and there then here then there". It honestly just-plain-sucks. Why can't he find the perfect job he's always wanted? What are we doing wrong? We have put it in God's hands again, but we just don't understand where the path is taking us right now. Our lives have been put on hold. We had hopes of getting a house by next fall and starting the family we've been dreaming of having. It's tough, but we will persevere and make it through. Please show us our way, LORD.

On a side note, I applied for a grant to pay for me to go after my national board certification. I'm really excited about this and hope I receive it. It will be April 30 when I find out. I worked hard for it and I really think if I get the grant, that I CAN do the boards and get it first try--less than 50% of people get it first try.

Nick is moving to Dothan, it's about 4.5 hours South of Birmingham. He got a much better job. I am so excited for him! It's just weird, Dad and I are the only ones left now though....maybe it's a sign?

Please keep us in your prayers while we travel this journey again together. They are much needed!

We Survived a Year!

OK, so blogging is the "cool" thing to do now, so I am going to give it a shot. It seems like it can be fun, and now seems like a great blog to start with!

We got married December 13, 2008 and have probably had one of the best year's of our lives! A lot of people say that the first year of marriage is the toughest, but it really hasn't been that bad. We got to celebrate our 1-year anniversary day/night with my mom and Mike, which was actually awesome because we don't see them much since they've moved to Boston. We ate the year old cake (which was quite yummy) and just hung around. Nothing too fancy. We were going to do dinner at a later date, but decided we would treat each other to a gift for both of us....our 50" plasma HDTV and blue ray surround sound system. We LOVE it, and it was a great idea; we got a great deal on it. So, if you gave us Christmas money....yea, you helped pay for it too :-)

Here's a quick walk through some of the highlights of our first year as Mr. & Mrs. Hawthorne in 2009. I hope so much more of the happiness and love is to come in the future!!!

In December 2008, we went to San Francisco for our Honeymoon...

Chinatown

Alcatraz in the background

Golden Gate Bridge

In the spring, we made new friends and played trivia on Tuesday nights. That was always a good time!

http://birmingham.chalent.com/

In June, we went to Charlotte for Missy's wedding to Chris---Mr. & Mrs. Broome.

After the wedding, we drove down to Savannah, GA for a mini vacation with Erin.

All summer, we lived on Logan Martin Lake and tubed, wake boarded, and just enjoyed being on the water--speaking of, I had my surgery from busting my ear drum wake boarding and I seem to be doing great! I will know for sure on January 26.

I began working at Vestavia Hills High School in August. This is a great school, and I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to work here. I hope they feel the same! :-)

http://teachers.vestavia.k12.al.us/Hawthornesd/VHHS/Welcome.html

Trey got a job FINALLY after a year and half of waiting at the Edmundson Law Firm in August. The firm focuses mainly on Bankruptcy, but they do many other things. He has done many divorces and has found that he enjoys the family law (one thing he said he would NEVER do). It is so funny to me how things change. He loves working there and it is giving him great job experience. It is just him and one other lawyer.

www.edmlaw.net

In September, we went to the Auburn vs. West Virginia football game. We went with a group of friends and got to see my family--the Olives--from West Virginia. It was so much fun!

Our tailgating group (Trey, Me, Stephen, Anthony, Adam, Laurie, Cory, Erin, Philip, Brett)
Trey & Me with the Olives (Aunt Janice, Mary K, Uncle Sam, Christopher, Me, Trey)

In October, we moved to Hoover to be closer to work. It's been a nice relief not having to make a 45 minute drive to and from work down I-20. When we moved here, the apartments had a drawing for a free trip to New York City. And, yes, WE WON! It was all inclusive: spending cash, hotel, and air fare. We went over Thanksgiving because I have always wanted to see the Macy's Day Parade. My dad and his wife, Kathy, joined us on the trip; it was so nice! Trey has decided though that he has marked NYC off his list of places to go, and doesn't necessarily feel the need to go back. I think I could handle going back! :-)

Our hotel...

View of the Empire State Building and Macy's from our Hotel...

Best food there...Pronto Pizza (we had 3 meals there and watched the parade from here)

Parade...

December 13, 2009 marked our 1 year anniversary!

Here are some pictures from Christmas with mom and family, and from a photo shoot we did with dad! Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy the blog!