Mother's Day

Hello All,

We recently celebrated Mother's Day around here, as I am sure you did as well. We got together with our Mother's, tried to make them feel special, and gave them little gifts. Everything is so different now that Clay and I are married. It is always so hard to decide when you will go see who, on what holiday, and how long you will stay before you leave and go see the next person. Thankfully, both of our parents are very understanding of this, so we don't feel pressured or guilty to get back to the other set of parents at a specific time. That is the way family should be though, and we are so blessed to have this. Mrs. Melanie and my Mom are such great examples of this, and practically everything in life. They each have different characteristics that I hope to carry on when I become a Mother. Mother's are so valuable and they literally mold us into who we are to become. Thank God that our Mother's are Christian, brought us up in a loving environment, and raised us with a good foundation to lean upon. They deserve the best that life has to offer. I wish I had pictures to show you our beautiful Mother's, but I never took any pictures (that they would approve of) to share with you all. :)

Yesterday Clay was asked to be the Music Director at our church in absence of three other men. The original director was out of town due to work, the back-up went golfing out of town, the back-up's back-up was also out of town due to work, so they called Clay in as the "fourth string" to lead the music. He did such a good job and I was so proud of him getting up there and leading worship for our church. I will have to admit, he was super excited to fulfill this request!

In other news, I have been cooking a variety of new things around here, some of which Clay  is not crazy about, but all of which I love. I bought a new cookbook at the Christian Bookstore, Cooking with Grace, and it has the best southern foods around. I have already tried my hand at cooking Green Bean Bundles (which are green beans wrapped in bacon with a brown sugar mixture on top) and a Southern Cornbread Casserole (with onions and red bell peppers) that is out of this world! I love southern cooking. The other day we ran out of sugar and I thought we were going to go crazy, because I always have sweet tea readily available to drink around here.

I also just started my summer classes a week ago from today. I can already tell they are going to kill me to be a pain, but I am so ready to finish school and get my degree that I think I can live with it just this once. If everything goes as planned I will graduate in December with my Bachelor's Degree in Health Services Administration. Oh how I look forward to that day. Graduation is coming up for many in about a week, and I know they are all excited. We have gotten four invitations to graduations so far, and I know of at least one that is still on the way. It seems like everybody grows up and leaves all at the same time. I am sure I will be sharing pictures of graduation with you shortly.

Until Next Time,
Tiffany

Updates

Hello All!

It has certainly been a while hasn't it? I get so caught up in everyday life that I forget I have (an amazing 6) followers that want to read from me! :) I will share a few things from my life as of late, and hopefully you will enjoy reading it.

Recently it was Easter (well, over a month ago) and this was mine and Clay's first Easter together as a married couple. Growing up in the Ragan house we always had Easter baskets made for us each Easter morning by the Easter Bunny (Mom). My mom was always, and still is, so good at being festive during each holiday. This is one of the great qualities that I want to carry on from my mother, and so I told Clay that we were going to start this tradition in our new family. Easter morning came and out came the baskets filled with goodies and candies, but Clay had an extra surprise for me. I had not had the time, and quite frankly I did not think we had the money, to buy a new Easter dress this year. I was content with that though, and had already decided on a dress I already had to wear for the day. Well, Clay came out with this beautiful hot pink dress. He had bought it for me while we were on vacation in St. Augustine. Apparently he had Hanna go with him so that she could approve the dress for my taste in clothing before he bought it. This was just the sweetest thing ever and I was so overjoyed. He really surprised me and he knew it, because I could not stop smiling the whole day while I was wearing it.

                                               Our first Easter as Mr. and Mrs. Clay Dale!

Next on the list to discuss is baseball. Everytime we turned around we were headed to a baseball, softball, or little league game. Clay's siblings Johnny, Becca, Anna, and James all played baseball and softball this season, so that took up alot of our afternoons. They all played so great and have such natural talent. This was John Isaac's last season because he graduates this year. It was a bittersweet moment for all, especially for Johnny and Clay, because Clay was one of his coaches. Johhny is dating a super sweet girl named Katie who is also a senior this year. At both of their last games I snagged this picture of the two of them. So sweet!

Johnny and Katie at their last baseball/softball game.

Hanna also just started her new job at Zaxby's! She is so cute. I went over to see them on Saturday and she was so excited about starting on Monday. She had memorized all of the facts about Zaxby's, i.e. where they originated from, who the original owners were, when they first opened, I mean everything! If you have a question about Zaxby's, ask Hanna. I'm sure she'll know the answer to it.She has such a sweet and bubbly personality, I know she will do great working there.  

                                                          Hanna getting ready for work!

Another BIG thing on my list of accomplished things is this semester of college! I was in a total of four classes this semester, with a final grade of A, B+, B+, and B. Last semester I got all A's, so I was a little dissapointed in myself to get 3 B's, but I keep telling myself that I have a job, I'm doing college, and I have a husband, so I'm doing alright. :) (Justification? Not hardly, but at least it makes me feel better!)

The last thing I will say is about my Grandma. I see her everywhere I turn, quite literally. Ever since she passed away, my mom and aunts have been going through her things in her home trying to clean it out. Every time they see something that someone might need they just give it to them, because they would rather someone in the family have it versus it ending up at a garage sale or thrift store. Because of this I have received multiple things from Grandma's home including yellow curtains, vases, an angel or two, and the most important thing to me, her sewing machine. I have caught myself telling Clay when he asks where it came from that "Grandma gave it to me". Although that isn't completely true, I really do think that in some weird way she did. If she were alive, she would say that she would want someone she loves to have it and use it. The reason why her sewing machine was so important to me was because she taught me how to sew using the same one. When I first started going to college, and did not have a job yet, I went to her house everyday that I didn't have school and she helped me learn. Eventually she helped me sew my own apron. It took a few months, but I could say at the end that I helped sew it, and I learned valuable sewing skills from that. When my aunts told me that I could have Grandm'a sewing machine I was so overjoyed. I've already stitched Clay's shirt up, made an apron, and a banner that I hang up on my mantle in the Spring. She was so crafty and I am glad that I was able to spend that time with her before she passed away. Those are memories that we will never forget.

       This is my Grandma, one of the most Godly women I will ever have the pleasure of knowing.

Well, that is it for today. I hope you enjoyed my updates.

Until Next Time,

Tiffany