It has been ONE WHOLE YEAR since I last blogged. (See last year's anniversary blog here.) That is extremely sad, and a testament to how busy and fast this past year has been! First of all, I have to point out that Josh Cook and I have been married for FOUR whole years. Wow, where has the time gone?! That's INSANE. We have now officially been married for as long as we dated, so that's kinda fun to think about.
From the surprise of not seeing each other on our wedding day to the many surprises that life has thrown at us along the way, I wouldn't, no, make that, couldn't, do this with anyone other than Josh Cook. God had a plan when He put us together. Josh keeps me grounded, encourages me along the way, and helps me get out and have fun every once in a while. He's definitely my favorite.
We're getting old, folks. I know rumors are flying about when Baby Cook will make his or her debut, so I'm just going to get that out of the way now. This is NOT a birth announcement. So don't go scrolling to the bottom super fast to see if there's some sort of surprise. Sorry, there's not. But since there are probably not too many more anniversaries for me to post cute, vain photos of just the two of us, I have to take advantage of it this year. ;)
I know you've all been eagerly awaiting this moment for a whole year, so without further ado, I give you the 4th anniversary photo update of our lives. I'm sure you've all been wondering what we've been up to this past year. (Not really, since I took most of these photos from Facebook, so you've already seen them all, but I just like to look back over the year each year.) ;)
Last year, in March, our alma mater gave us the best anniversary present ever by being in March Madness and upsetting Duke. Finally, the whole nation knew of the illustrious Mercer University. All the way in NOLA, we were so proud. GO BEARS!!
For our anniversary last year, I surprised Josh by taking him to a cooking school in the French Quarter where we learned how to make jambalaya, gumbo, and bread pudding, some classic New Orleans dishes. It was a lot of fun!
I actually went to Atlanta over my Spring Break and was not in New Orleans on my birthday in April, but before I left, Josh and I went on a bike date by the bayou.
For Josh's birthday in May, we went to our favorite BBQ restaurant, The Joint, explored Cresent Park by the river, and saw "2001: A Space Odyssey" at a new, local theater. I'd say that birthday just about summarizes Josh Cook.
We had a busy summer. I taught summer school in June. In July, Josh's brother, Jeremiah came to visit us.
We went on vacation, just the two of us, to Denver, Colorado. It was beautiful!
And we met up with both of our families in Florida for a week at the beach! Then, the school year started back for both of us. I'm teaching 4th grade for the third year. Josh is in his last year at seminary at NOBTS! (Stay tuned for graduation photos in May! Hooray!) He is on staff part-time at our church as the vKids leader over children, newborn through fifth grade.
Our friends from Mercer, Mary Ann and Janay, came for their annual Labor Day visit. They too have grown to love New Orleans, so we are always happy to see them and take them to our new favorite restaurant. I'm pretty sure we all gain 10 pounds every year when they come!
Josh started coaching 3rd grade boys' soccer in the fall. They may have started off as the underdogs, but this spring, they've been winning lots of games!
In October, Josh had the privilege of being one of the officiators in our good friends' wedding. We were so happy for Dan and Kristin Goodwin. It was a happy day and a beautiful wedding (as you can see below)!
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| The wedding took place on a balcony at Jax Brewery overlooking the French Quarter. |
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| Riding home on the streetcar. So urban. :) |
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We continue to lead a Community Group through Vintage Church that meets weekly to eat dinner, fellowship, and discuss the Bible. We love the families who are a part of our group. This was our third annual pumpkin carving night in October. We each carved the other's favorite thing, and we couldn't peek at each other's until it was over. In case you can't tell, that's a bike (for Josh) and Mike Wazowski (for me). Josh knows me so well!
We went camping over my fall break the first weekend of November. It was a little chilly but fun. I saw a snake, which was terrifying, but I won't post that pic.
I've always said I'd be okay with just skipping the parent stage and going straight to grandparent. And in a way, in November, we did. Our dear friends, Justin and Eve, asked us the honor of being their little boy's godparents. So we are now PArran Josh and Nannie Sarah!!
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| Sweet baby Lofton with Nannie Sarah. I know what you're thinking, and yes, he does resemble me. ;) |
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| Lofton gave PArran Josh a Christmas present! |
At Christmas, we went home to see family in Georgia. There truly is no place like home for the holidays!
We even made a "Cajun Christmas" meal with my family, complete with Barbecue Shrimp, Red Beans & Rice, and, of course, beignets.
We had a fun little photo shoot at Christmas time for our Christmas card.
Apparently, it was a big hit among the vKids children at church. There were a few sibling fights over the card and some children still can't go to sleep without it. haha!
Mardi Gras rolled around again! One of my favorite things about living in New Orleans. Josh's sister, Jennifer, came to visit us the first weekend of parades, and my parents came the next. They loved it! (A little competitive side even came out in Joy as she elbowed people out of the way for the good beads!)
2015 is flying by! Hopefully I'll get around to blogging a little more this year. Hard to believe we've been married four years. Just trying to enjoy and make the most out of every moment we have together in this city.
