Welcome to CAL!

Today was my first day at my new school. 
I will be honest. I was/am nervous. I miss my "normal". I miss knowing everyone as I walk down the hallway. I miss my teacher friends. I miss feeling like I am home. BUT...Today was a great day!  I am having a hard time putting it in words. Christian Academy of Louisville is a place that can't be explained. Over the past months, I have had the privilege of meeting several different teachers and leaders and I knew then something was different. 
With only a public school teaching background (and NEVER teaching 6th grade), I really didn't know what to expect when it came to teaching in a Christian School System (btw CAL is the largest in the USA). I was overwhelmed. Today, we spent the morning in God's word. I was prayed for, asked to lay my fears down, given verses, and taught what it means to teach at Christian Academy of Louisville. 
What did I come away with? The people at CAL are not only labeling themselves as a Christian school but they truly live it. They urge it and have it in all conversations.  They want my character to display Christ, they want my lessons to have Biblical integration, they want me to share God's word with my students, and pray with them. 
 I left today with a peace. It truly is a blessing to be starting a new journey at CAL. Pray for me as I start teaching 6th grade. I am finding joy with the "older kids"! 
And if you every find yourself living in Louisville, check out Christian Academy of Louisville. 

http://caschools.us/es

WE MADE IT!!

Welcome to Louisville!  It is hard to believe that Adam and I have been here a month. This move is something that has been discussed, since we met, and to think we are finally here and making a home is surreal. Louisville is a great city. We have enjoyed exploring and eating the good food the city has to offer. 

Before making the move, we spent the last few weeks in Mobile saying goodbye to our precious friends, family, and church family.

 

This, by far, has been one of the hardest parts of the move. 

We miss our friends and family so much. 

SO MUCH. 

We were blessed by many people helping us with the move. 

Dauphin Way, we love you. Thank you for loving us. 

Our family..we miss and love you beyond words. We can't say thank you enough. 

We left Mobile on Sunday, June 28th and arrived in Louisville on the following Monday. 

So thankful for these two for making the trip with us.

Adam and I are doing great. 

We are busy getting ready for this next season of our lives. 

Adam is preparing for classes to start and I am busy working on my new classroom.

 (I can't wait to share more about my classroom once everything is done!)

More pics of 2711 coming soon!

I will leave you with just one! 

Top 16 Reasons to Love Mobile

Adam and I are officially on our way to Louisville, Kentucky. I can’t even express how much we are going to miss Mobile, Alabama. This has been my home for 8 years and JAT has lived here his whole life. To say we are leaving a piece of our heart, in this city, is for sure an understatement. I wanted to jot down a few things and places that makes us love this city so much. 

(Of course, our number 1 is our family. Living in Mobile, put me only 2 hours away from my hometown and we loved getting to spend so much time with our Mobile family.) 

Top 16 Reasons to Love Mobile

1. Dauphin Way Baptist Church. The people, that make up this congregation, mean the world to us. Our family is here. I had no idea what was in store for my life when I first visited Dauphin Way as a college student. I could have never dreamed that I would end up meeting my husband, getting married, and starting our ministry together all in the same place. Oh, how we love these people. 

2. Old Dutch Ice Cream. Y’all. This place is my personal favorite. There is nothing like Praline Pecan Ice Cream.

3. Dinner Downtown Mobile. Here are a few of our favorite places to eat.

Mediterranean Sandwich Shop-Moes BBQ-Kitchen on George-Dumb Waiter-Cafe 219-Spot of Tea-Bicycle Shop-Callaghan's

Panini Petes- The Farmer’s Market is also a favorite of ours.

4. The Crescent Theater. We love this place. (I am sure hoping Louisville has something like this downtown). We love watching movies at the Crescent. Our favorite time to visit is during the Christmas holidays. They are always playing classic films. (And an added bonus, if you go early you can score a recliner!)

5. Carpe Diem. We can't get enough of coffee and that means we LOVE Carpe. We also enjoy participating in the Santa Run, that they host, every Christmas Eve. It’s one of our favorite things to do with one of our favorite families! 

6. Mobile Library. The library is the best. Now, I know every city has one of these but we are going to miss Mobile’s library. The downtown branch is just wonderful. 

7. The Causeway. If the city wasn’t enough you can always drive to Mobile Bay for dinner with a view. A Tait favorite is ED’s Seafood. We have celebrated many special occasions there. I also enjoy Original Oyster House! 

8. Other Mobile Restaurants. Enough Said. 

Butch Cassidy’s-Big Time Diner-Foosackly’s- The House

Pollman’s Bakery

I can’t even name them all. So GOOD. 

10. Ashland Midtown Pub. This place deserves its on number. It is one of the BEST. We have made it a birthday tradition. 

11. Go Jags! Adam recently graduated from the University of South Alabama. We have loved having a home team to cheer on together. 

12. Sugar Rush and Flour Girl. Sugar Rush is the place to go for delicious doughnuts and Flour Girl has our all time favorite cupcake!

13. Azalea Trail Run. This year was our first year to run the race but we loved it! I am hoping we can come back for it in the future. 

14. MARDI GRAS. Adam said that it is going to hit him that we have moved when it is Mardi Gras season and we can’t go to a parade. This is our absolute FAVORITE thing to do with Adam’s side of the family. Let’s not even talk about how much we are going to miss this big event. Oh, and the King Cake.. I can’t even. 

15. Living Near Water..This might not even make sense to some, but there is just something about knowing you live near the gulf. It is a short drive to Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores/Orange Beach. I didn’t realize how much we take this for granted. 

16. Historical Homes. Call me crazy, but for some reason I always enjoy going for rides through the historical districts. I have claimed several of the homes “ours” and love looking at all the aspects that make them unique.

PS: Another favorite thing of mine to do is to drive across the bay to spend the day on the Eastern Shore.  Adam would not agree but I will say that a day spent in Fairhope, Alabama is a day well spent. The quaint town is picture perfect. I have dragged JAT over for fireworks and dinner and he did enjoy himself. 

Oh, and who can’t forget the Grand Hotel. We spent our 1st year anniversary at the Grand and it was perfect. We absolutely enjoy making a quick trip over to Point Clear to enjoy the pool and bike rides at the Grand Hotel. 

We Are Moving

WE ARE MOVING!!

If you didn't already know, Adam and I will be moving to Louisville, Kentucky.  Adam will be attending the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. We are so, so thrilled about this new opportunity! In just 6 weeks we will be making the move and we covet your prayers.

Throughout this whole process one of my biggest concerns has been finding a teaching position. The Lord has taught me so much. I can't even start to describe it. I recently finished BSF where we studied the life of Moses. Throughout the study, we see the Isrealites doubting God, right after He clearly showed them that He had a hand on them. Yall, this is me. God has and is continuing to show me that He is all over our move to Louisville. But, being the person I am, He provides and I still doubt...Just like the Israelites. Thank you Jesus for not giving up on me.

 It is in, what seems to me the oddest circumstances, that He lets me know He is in control. There isn't a week or even a day that someone doesn't come to me and say, "Oh I have a friend in Louisville" or "I have a friend who teaches there", or even, "I'm from Louisville". God has used the people around me to show me that even when I doubt and have little faith, He is still in control. I am currently still looking for a teaching position, but I know, that in His time, He will put me exactly where I need to be. Doors are being opened. I am so thankful to be surrounded by people that are doing everything they can to help me find a job. The power of social media can be a great thing! Thank you to those sweet friends, who have reached out to other friends, to help this girl find a job. I appreciate you so much!

As we leave, the city that we love, we are sad to be saying goodbye to our families and friends. Mobile, Alabama has been so good to us. Our families, Dauphin Way Baptist Church, and our dear friends, WE LOVE YOU. Thank you for pouring into our lives and marriage. Adam and I cherish each and every one of you. Thank you for loving us so much.

Simple. Life.

Simplicity.
As I sit at my house alone right now (only because Adam is gone to play basketball), I can’t help but think of how simple life seems to be. For the majority of the time, the house work is kept up, laundry done, dishes clean, and my love for throw pillows are in order. Life gets busy-yes, but it is simple. Maybe it's the slowness that comes after a busy holiday season but I seem to feel that it is right where God would have us to be..living a life of simplicity. The Maggie that I know would be so discontent about the simplicity. She always wants the next thing, doing the next step, rushing through the now moment. But I’m not. Right now, at this moment, life is simple and I am totally ok with that. God is teaching me a lot and just what I need at this moment in life.

I wanted to record this little thought that has been brewing in my brain. In years to come, as I look back on my writing, hopefully with kiddos running around, I can smile knowing that for a period life wasn’t too busy and the house was clean!

Adam and I enjoyed a date night on Friday! A little gift card shopping and dinner at one of our favorite spots in Daphne!