Picture Perfect...Or were We?

Well, it's taken me a week to get around to it, but I would love to share my adventure in wedding planning with you from last Saturday. If you know me at all, you know that I love a camera, a picture, a scrapbook...I think this is the best way to preserve your most precious memories...I don't have as much time to scrapbook as I would like, but when I finally slow down I have enough to keep me busy until I'm old and gray...

As most of you know I have been engaged about six weeks now and am rolling right along with the wedding plans. I have been eager to begin brainstorming a "Save the Date Card" along with the pictures to go on it. Jason's friend, Angela, is quite talented when it comes to photography and leaped at the idea of taking some pictures for us on Barton's campus - where we first met over eight years ago.

The process of planning a wedding has been fun...for the most part...with a tiny bit of stress tied in and a whole lot of opinions. Last Saturday was by far the most fun I've had in the entire process. I will admit that it started out a little awkward, as you know I do not like to be in the spot light and am trying to realize that I have to be for this occasion.

I leave you with two of probably the most amusing pictures she took last week. By the end of the photo shoot we were the most relaxed and goofy that we had been the whole afternoon. I don't want to share the ones that will be on the card because I am still undecided and haven't seen all of the final products yet.

Have you ever seen anyone so delighted to be

chocked by the man she was going to marry?

Ummm....bless his heart.

She said YES!

For my faithful readers (I think we may be up to about 15 now) - Here is a story I never want to forget...enjoy.

I went to bed last night thinking about how much my life had changed in the past year, how much it had changed in just the past week...but our story begins way before that...

In the winter of 2004 I was a junior at Barton College. An interesting guy caught my eye who was in one of my J-Term classes and through a streak of boldness I asked him to work on a group project with me. I could tell that he was an amazing Christian guy (you don't find those very often), but that he was interested in one thing - getting the project done and checking it off the 'to-do' list. Those of you who know me, know I'm not very bold, so when the project was done and he graduated that spring, I was quite disappointed to know I probably wouldn't see him again. Thanks to the modern technology networking age we live in, I could not have been more wrong. Seven years later we found each other on Facebook - both at different points in our lives. I was actually going through one of the hardest times of my life and was desperate to talk to someone who had no personal connection to me or the people around me...

It took weeks, but on February 18th, 2011 I met this same guy, now a pastor in Grifton, NC for coffee. I was on a mission. I had a list of questions, mostly about theology, and a one track mind. Jason answered most of my questions and pointed me in the direction of finding my own answers. We met about three weeks later for another coffee and to monitor my progress on my search. After another coffee or two he suggested we go to dinner. Being the naive person that I am, I thought "Well, if we are going to spend three hours drinking coffee, we might as well eat a meal instead." Jason's thinking was more like, "This girl is going on a date with me." A week later he suggested an obvious date and I waved the red flag. I'm a girl you have to spell things out for, so on April 9th, 2011 he did just that and we decided to start dating and see where things went.

I won't give you all the details of the dating journey - but it was one always intended to follow in God's will. We dated with the potential and intention of marriage...and although I had basically no dating experience, I had always had the thought that you shouldn't date anyone if you couldn't imagine marrying them.

Let's fast forward to last week, past months of fun adventures and many wonderful conversations. This was my first 'real' Valentine's Day. Jason came on Tuesday and cooked dinner for me and watched a 'chick flick' (write that down in history). It was a great night in. We had a big night out on Friday. I was full of anxiety Friday at work - we were going to get all dressed up and eat at Caffe Luna in Raleigh before going to see Le Mis. This was way out of the box for me...You can take the girl out of the country and dress her up real pretty, but you can't take the country out of the girl! It was a fantastic night and fun to do something out of the 'norm'.

On to February 18th, 2012...The next morning one of my dearest friends and I were going to breakfast. She had to push pretty hard to get me to commit. I knew Friday night would be a late one and I've wanted to sleep in for several weeks on a Saturday. As we were walking out the door she handed me a white envelope for me to read. Inside, I found the first clue to a seven hour scavenger hunt. Jason had mentioned this idea at our first coffee and I had responded with such excitement he decided it was a great idea for sometime in the future. The scavenger hunt took me to many places that had been important to our relationship with three of my absolute dearest friends...At various times during the day I thought I was a participant in Jason's favorite reality show, The Amazing Race. I have given a little summary of each and included a picture. If I gave every detail this would be more of a novel and not a blog post so I'll spare you the intricate details....

1. Stop One - The first clue lead us to Starbucks, but on our way, Tracy and I stopped to pick up Jennifer. We were off on the greatest adventure of my lifetime. Jason made it a point for me to talk to many strangers throughout the day - starting with the girl at the Starbucks counter. After coffee with my friends sponsored by Jason we were off to stop two.

2. Stop Two - My next clue sent me to Barton College, specifically the Library where I would speak to the man at the Reference desk, who remembered me from being a student there seven years ago. This search took us to the stacks to find a specific book and another clue to send us to another spot on campus. After stop two at Barton we were off to lunch.

3. Stop Three - Our first meal together, that Jason thought was a date but I didn't was at Chilis. We eat here a lot! Much to my surprise, my 'big sister' Stephanie pulled up and ate with us. After lunch, sponsored by Jason, Tracy and Jen went home and Stephanie was my chauffeur for the rest of the afternoon.

4. Stop Four - The clues at Chilis lead us to the Wilson Movie Theater. Jason and I have seen four movies here and I was quite worried I would have to sit through a two hour chick flick with Steph to earn my next clue...Fortunately I didn't. The lady at the ticket booth gave me my next clue and we were on the road again...

5. Stop Five - Stephanie and Jonathon's house. Jason and I had borrowed their movie room in August to watch a movie. I must say it was the best date I've ever planned (I've only planned five our six). My clue there took a few minutes to solve and then I knew where to head next...

6. Stop Six - This stop was approximately five hours into my day long adventure. I was having a blast but a little disappointed that I hadn't seen Jason. You see, he came up with this story that he had an all day prayer conference, but being the intuitive person I am - I saw right through it. So all throughout the day I expected him to show up...he never did. The final stop was one of my favorite on the journey that day, and on our journey together. For our third date, we had gone to the blooming festival. Although the festival was a bit of a flop, we sat for the longest time in front of the tax office and talked, just getting to know each other. I don't drive down main street without thinking about it. The clue here specifically said: "GAME OVER - Go Home, I hope you have enjoyed your day of recalling our love."

WHAT!!!! Hopefully if you are still reading you had the same reaction I did. Stephanie and I went to my house talking about all the details that had gone into the day and I knew that I just couldn't be over yet. As we pulled in the driveway I see another envelope taped to my door. This was it - the final clue...

Stop Seven - I was on my way, alone, to my favorite place on Earth. If you know me at all - you know that means Lake Gaston. Jason was waiting for me on the pier at my parent's place. He calmly walked up to the car and asked me about my day. We walked hand-in-hand to the pier. We spent a few minutes listening to 'our song' and reading a few scriptures together. He then got down on both knees and asked me to be his wife.

So many people ask me - were you expecting it? Well yes, I was, like I said earlier we had dated with intent for over ten months. Were you crying? No - I cannot describe the peace that came over me when I finally saw him. The scavenger hunt was wonderful and I enjoyed every moment of it - but I was so ready for the end result, I was so ready for him to be waiting for me at the final destination where ever that may be. I know with this next step in my life I am going to face a lot of change. Change is not a bad thing - but it isn't always easy. I know there will be a time of transition as important decisions are made and carried out...but I know this journey has been hand picked for me by a God whose plans are greater than mine. He has blessed me beyond what I deserve and I cannot wait to see what His future holds for me.

Librarian-to-Librarian

Last Saturday, a friend of mine and I traveled to East Carolina University to participate in the Librarian to Librarian Summit. This was our second year attending and our first year facilitating. It was quite an experience, and overall a successful one. I would say the most exciting part of the day was meeting James Ransome, a Children's book illustrator. I don't have a ton to share about him, but I was excited to chat with him for a minute and have him autograph a few books as well as a poster/print for my media center.

Wanna know a secret? I desperately desire to have a children's book published one day...who knows - maybe my new friend James can illustrate it for me! :)

Mother Daughter Weekend

My past two post have been a bit emotional, so I leave you tonight with something fun!

This past weekend marked the 2nd Annual mother-daughter beach weekend with Amy, Jane, Lydia, mom, and myself. I have been counting down for it since before Christmas! Last year, over the three day weekend in January, we took off to the beach. Jane's mom owns a cottage at Emerald Isle with more than enough room for four women and a little one. We had the best time catching up, crafting, sleeping, shopping, and of course farkling!

We started off our weekend with dinner at Rucker John's - my favorite! When we arrived at the cottage the temperature was a warm and toasty 50 degrees...BRRRRR...Much to our dismay - the heat was broken! We layered on the blankets and toughed it out. It was like camping...but with indoor plumbing. Thankfully the guy was able to come after lunch on Saturday and fix the heat...but apparently it's not so hard to stop a train after all. :)

Saturday afternoon was spent shopping and dinner was seafood...Well...seafood for everyone but Allison. I think we all know if chicken is an option that's what I'm eating! Once we returned to the warm cottage it was time to FARKLE! Readers - if you have never farkled before you don't know what you are missing!

I don't have much else to say about the weekend - it was fantastic. I love getting away from reality and I love spending time with these women. My mom is my dearest friend. Amy is the type of friend I can talk to anything about, she doesn't judge me or make me feel like my issues are irrelevant. Lydia - is adorable - and growing like a weed! Jane is always ready to teach me a new craft. I am BLESSED! I look forward to continuing this tradition for years to come!

Grandma Rose

Some of you will remember that I wrote about Grandma Rose back in March. I wanted to take a moment and update you on her. During the chaos of Grandma Batten's health struggles, a room became available at a wonderful nursing home that specializes in Dementia and Alzheimer care. Grandma Rose has adjusted wonderfully to the change. She still has days when she asks to go home, but for the most part, she seems content.

I find it hard to visit her. It's not like going to see Grandma Batten when I can just pop right in, carry on a completely normal conversation, get a hug and head out the door. It's different with Grandma Rose, sometimes she can talk to you, and sometimes she just sits quietly. It is also a challenge to get used to the other busy women who live in her unit. They are always up to something, walking, moving furniture, talking, dancing, etc.

Christmas was a hard day. It was the first time in 54 years that dad didn't spend Christmas morning in his mom's house eating her traditional Christmas breakfast. It was my first Christmas in 28 that I didn't. We did go visit Grandma after church that day and she was not having a good day. It's almost like she knew that day was an 'out of the ordinary' day and she wasn't where she needed to be. It was hard to see her hurting and not being able to help her. I did take some pictures, to capture another Christmas with her, but I'm keeping them for myself and my family...not for the world wide web.

I am so thankful for the memories I have with this sweet woman when she was her 'old self'. I'm also thankful for the chance to still visit her. There is no doubt in my mind that she doesn't know me more days than she does, but I know her. I love her. She's still my sweet grandma.

The year of 2012 holds a lot of promise and hope for our family. It also holds the possibility of the inevitable - change. Change can be a good thing, change can be a bad thing. Change can hurt, it can bring joy. It can cause road blocks, it can create a new normal. No matter what - I have promised myself - to spend more time with the people I love, and less time stressing over the things that don't matter.

Though my Heart is Torn...I will Praise You in this Storm

*Please note - I started this post on November 5th, 2011. I came back today to check my drafts and have wanted to share this story with you for a long time, so I decided to edit and post.

Nov. 5, 2011...

Hello Faithful Readers - all tenish of you. A dear friend of mine called me last week and said, Allison I read your blog the other day and you are way behind! I haven't been able to access my blog in about three months. I am so excited to finally be back...honestly I need something right now to help pass the time.

My Grandma Batten was admitted to the ER at Rex hospital last Sunday. The past seven days have been some of the most emotional I have experienced in quite a while. Her oxygen levels were very low and she was retaining a lot of fluid. Things have been up and down all week. I'm carefully typing this post and trying to keep it simple, as I am running on very little brain power and sleep.

January 16, 2012...

Wow - so much has changed since this last post...I will try to catch you up quickly. Grandma spent a little over a week in various places of Rex hospital at the end of October and beginning of November. She went from ICU to a regular room, to CCU, back to a regular room and was discharged to a local rehabilitation and nursing care center (hopefully for a temporary time before going back home). This time was one of the most trying and scariest that our family has ever experienced.

On Wednesday, November 2nd, Grandma could talk of nothing but going home to be with Jesus. It was hard to sit by her bedside and listen to her wishes and desires, to hear her ask my brother questions, me questions, make sure mom knew exactly what she wanted, right down to the outfit she wanted to wear. She was having a party that night in her hospital room, while the rest of us yearned for her to stay with us, to stop 'talking crazy', and to just put up a will to fight. The following Friday, I could hardly drag myself out of bed. I woke up with a very heavy heart and foggy mind. I went to work and cried my way through morning duty...Came into the library and cried my way through open check out. I was caught between my obligation of work, and needing to be with my family. I knew something was wrong that day. Now for those of you who know me, I am a strong person. To see me cry is usually because it's linked to tragedy. To show emotion is something I taught myself not to do (not in the sense of crying anyway) a few years ago. I had to stop crying over everything in order to survive. Luckily, a dear friend at work knows me better than I know myself. She finally walked across the hallway, told me she had a sub lined up to come in at 11:30 and that I was going to visit my Grandma. I was incapable of making that decision for myself, thank goodness God gives us friends to look out for us!

I got to Rex between 1 and 2 and spent about two hours with grandma and some other family members before they took her down for an upper GI procedure. They took her down around four and my Aunt (who had flown in from TX the night before) desperately wanted a shower and a nap. I, not being one to like sitting around, volunteered to drive her to my uncle's. Jason went with me and we stopped at Starbucks on the way back. The idea of drinking coffee, away from the hospital, and attempting to talk about something other than all that had gone wrong was so appealing to me that afternoon. No sooner had we gotten our coffee, Jason's phone rang. I could tell it was my mother, and I knew if she was calling him, instead of me, it was bad news. Grandma had coded...That's all they knew. Rex is not even a mile from Starbucks, but it seemed like an eternity between getting in the car and getting back to my family.

Immediately all of these thoughts start flying through my head...bad thoughts (this could be it)...good thoughts (like how glad I was that SL sent me home from school that day because it could be the last time I saw my grandma). The next few hours seemed like a life time. The hospital Chaplin spent a lot of time with us. There was a lot of waiting, and walking down long halls into secret rooms. Through this process I found out that giving up the show Grey's Anatomy a few years ago was a good thing, I already knew too much about those secret rooms and was certain they took us back there to break the bad news to us. Fortunately, they were able to bring her back, but she was on a respirator and things would be touch and go for a while. I think she was asleep for about three days. There were times of consciousness when she would wake up, try to talk, smile at us and go back to sleep. But for the most part - she was on vacation (in a sense).

Things are such a blur after that, from the three days in CCU and then moving to a regular room, and within a week she was moved to rehab. I realize that families go through things like this all the time, and more times than not, the results are a lot worse than what we went through...But I do know this was the most trying time my mom's side of the family has ever faced.

I learned a lot through those two weeks, and the ones that have followed...

- Don't take a moment with the ones you love for granted. Okay, so they drive you absolutely crazy sometimes, so what. If your grandma wants you to come over and sit with her - do it. If your granddaddy wants you to go to a parade with him, do it.

- Don't forget to praise God in the storms, and in the sunshine. It was so easy to pray while Grandma was in the hospital - we had nothing but time to pray...But we, as humans, so often forget to stop and thank God when he actually gives us (or in some cases doesn't) what we ask for.

- Work...is not the most important thing on the face of this earth. If you have a feeling in the pit of your stomach saying 'go' - then do it and don't look back. I love my job, the kids, and the people I work with, but they are not the top priority in my life.

- God is not going to leave your side...how quickly we leave His sometimes though...

Here is is, two months later, and grandma is doing fantastic. She still lives at the rehabilitation center and her loving husband has been to see her almost every day. She was able to spend the day at home on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She's lost a lot of weight and is feeling stronger on a daily basis, she has even walked a few steps. Granddaddy has also been able to take care of some of his health issues that have been put on the back burner for a while. Our prayer is that once she is home, that she will continue to work hard, do things for herself, and not settle into the old way of life.

Highlights of Summer

Today started my seventh year working for NRMPS. Sometimes college feels like a lifetime ago...and sometimes the first day in my classroom feels like yesterday. I've been preparing mentally all week for today's return to the creek. This will be my fourth year as a media specialist and my first full year of not working on grad school while working - that is a huge relief!

A few days ago I was reflecting on the time I had this summer to do exactly what I wanted. This is the first summer in four that I haven't been either in grad school or working a part time job, or both. I thought I would share with some of my faithful readers the fun that I had this summer with a little countdown (these are in no particular order):

BABY LOVE - I had the chance to visit with the Griffin's and their little girl Natalie. She is such a smart girl! At a little over nine months she is now working on her walking skills. I was able to spend some time with the Carmichael's and their little girl Lydia. She at almost a year is walking all over the place and saying a few words. Last but not least I spent a little time with Lindsay and Collen this summer. It has been amazing watching these three little ones learn and grow over the past year.


WILMINGTON - I only made it to Wilmington once this summer, but boy did I enjoy my time there. I always like staying with Amy, Gary, and now Lydia. While I was down I also got to spend a day with Jason and meet his brother Jeremy.

READING - I have so enjoyed reading books this summer that I picked and not that someone told me to read. This summer I read HEAVEN IS FOR REAL, CRAZY LOVE, TILLY, THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, THE HELP (that was really more of the Spring), and I am now working on REASON FOR GOD and A LINEAGE OF GRACE.

JULY 4th - So - usually this is just an okay holiday for me. I always enjoy spending the weekend at the lake with family and friends and a good fireworks show...but this year JULY 4th would certainly be on the top ten list (if there was one). I spent the weekend at the lake and Jason came up to join in the fun. *insert cheesy music here* - I've always wondered what it would be like to do things that have always been a 'tradition' - like the lake at fourth of July and the fireworks - with someone else. It was such a great experience sharing this with Jason. We also had a blast with some friends from his home church on Monday.

DISNEY WORLD - Blaire and I went to Disney world this year! We had wanted to go after our fifth year of teaching but Blaire's liver had other ideas, so we did it after year six instead. We stayed at a 'grown up resort' this time as opposed to a kid friendly. We had a great view of Cinderella's Castle from our beach area and could get to most of the parks on the monorail. It was a lot of fun! Look for more pictures and a separate post later.

LAKE GASTON - Well - if you know me at all you should have known this was coming. I absolutely love lake Gaston. It's the one place that I can go and completely relax! I was able to spend time there with Blaire, Tracy, Jennifer, my family, many other friends, and Jason this year. I even got brave enough last week to 'teach' Jason how to drive the wave runner. Again, if you know me at all you know this was a challenge b/c I don't like riding on any sort of transportation with anyone. He did such a great job of making me feel safe...until...he decided we need to do a few donuts and the waves tipped us right over...when I knew I was going off the wave runner I grabbed his life jacket and took him with me. :)

MOVIES - I've seen some GREAT movies this summer both at theaters and rented from Red Box. These include: GREEN LANTERN, TRANSFORMERS, WINNIE THE POOH (hey we all know I am a six year old at heart), THE SMURFS, SOUL SURFER, GULLIVER'S TRAVELS, and THE HELP.

BIBLE STUDY - My Bible study group wrapped up a six week study in early August called HE SPEAKS TO ME. I really enjoyed the time of fellowship and growth with some awesome ladies this summer. God has amazed and blessed me beyond what I deserve over the past year.

JASON - Okay - I might embarrass him, or perhaps myself, but you have seen that I've mentioned him several times in the above list. There's no doubt in my mind that this summer was so great because of him. It amazes me how an experience (like the lake on fourth of July, or the aquarium) that you have done many times in your life can be almost brand new when you have someone to share them with. That's all I'll say about that...for now. :)