Carolina Bound

A suburban, one trailer, and 15 hours later my husband and I arrived at our destination in North Carolina on Wednesday. We were blessed to borrow a trailer from a friend at church and spent ALL day Tuesday loading the thing. It was SO incredibly hot and humid - as in over 100 degrees. Of course, this is expected in Florida, but a little break would've been nice. We managed to move all our furniture ourselves and leave behind a small portion of what will be needed when we go back for two last weeks of Florida living. Here's a photo of the accumulation of boxes in our family room with the exception of furniture already loaded in the trailer. It'll be crazy to go back and hardly have anything left! Matthew said it'll make our next trip seem like a breeze.

Oh, I can't forget to mention the little fact that this trip is really only supposed to take 10 hours... with a trailer we drive slower of course, but with a broken alternat0r which leads to a dead battery means no driving at all. Yes, we were stuck at a rest area 2 1/2 hours away from my parents' house for an hour(thank goodness it was there and not on 95!), then managed to get the car jump started and drove on little to no battery for another hour before deciding that it was too dark to not turn on our headlights... which we were avoiding using because we didn't want to suck all the life out of the battery. We managed to exit to a gas station, as the lights on the car were slowly dimming and waited another hour for AAA to bring the tow truck. Thankfully, my dad was in a very late meeting only 15 minutes away and happened to have a hitch on his truck so he could take the trailer, and the birds, and us home. What would a girl do without her dad? Needless to say, my dear husband fixed the car himself the next day and it appears to be working well. I am quite proud :) Guess the true test will be tomorrow when we drive it 650 miles back to our apartment... God has us in His hands that day as it could've been a whole lot worse!
The night before we left we added a new feathered friend to the family. Meet Monte (pronounced monty) - at least we think that'll be his name. We had several ideas, but Monte makes the most sense given that Altamonte is the city of our first "home" together and Sunny is already named after the Sunshine state. He is a blue parrotlet, which is the smallest parrot in the world. We had discussed getting one before to keep Sunny company during the day while we're at work, but didn't have easy access to any. I just happened to be at the pet store dropping off the last of the gerbils (thank goodness they are ALL gone!) and they had just weaned parrotlets in sky blue and then the darker blue. Our family may think we're crazy for getting another bird, but we didn't feel like it was a bad idea and having a friend for Sunny will be good. I guess that makes us bird people? We hope one day the birds will like each other, but for now we have to keep them supervised at all times when they're both out of the cage. Our Monte has a lot of character already and is much more active than our Quaker. He's a big bird in a tiny body! And he was quite a trooper as his first full day with us was spent on the road to NC. Our birds will have some miles on them!

Isn't he cute?

Thoughts here and there...

I have several things I wish to write about, each of which could be a separate blog post of their own. I have been putting off blogging because lately I've been quite wrapped up in reading these other blogs I have found. Amazing craft blogs, thrifty blogs, and sewing blogs have found their way into my bookmarks folder making it all the more tempting to read and set out on a creative craft adventure instead of using the time to blog myself. Tonight I will attempt to type all that I've been meaning to blog about and to do so in a concise manner, I think I'll post a photo and write briefly about each. With my almond cookie tea by my side (definitely a good purchase on my journey to acquiring a taste for hot tea), I'll begin.

This is me and my wonderful mom! She came to visit me a few weekends ago. Mom was able to come in and spend a day with my class and what a big help she was! She took down winter things in the classroom and helped put up my spring items. Mom also worked with my students, met other K teachers, and the kids loved having her there. It was amusing to them to have their teacher's mother there that day. It was special having mom come see and experience my very first classroom! The weekend followed with some relaxing, Sonny's BBQ, and shopping. Boy do I love and miss my momma :)

Remember the scrapbooking software I mentioned? MemoryMixer arrived the other week and I eagerly set to the task of scrapbooking our first year of married life. This photo here is only of the first page. Yes, it may be plain but I'm only a beginner ;) I'm working on understanding the software and sorting through page selections and embellishments can be quite a task itself! With so many options I tend to take a looooong time sorting through and deciding what I'd like to use. I told my husband I'll probably change every page I make a hundred times before I decide to get it printed. Actually, looking at this one now I think I've decided what needs to be tweaked a bit. Anyhow, it's quite exciting and I look forward to creatively scrapbooking future photos.

These two photos are our latest garage sale finds. The neat lanterns were $1 each and I'm still looking for good place for them. Apartment space can be a bit low. The pretty glass made them unique. For $2 we found this plant stand that we bought flowers for the next day. I love having color outside our apartment door. I also found a rolling chart stand for my classroom. I've been wanting one of these for a while so I can hang poems, songs, etc. that we've learned throughout the year and the kids can have easy access to it during centers. This lady had one for $8 and it works great in the classroom!

My middle sister Hillary and dad flew back to NC today. Dad happened to have meetings here in town and Hillary came since it was her spring break. It was great seeing them both! We went out to dinner, saw Alice in Wonderland (a bit strange), and went out to Inlet Harbor - a great restaurant on the coast. This is us on the jetty at Ponce Inlet. Notice the windswept hair? The weather was quite awful while they were here and that particular evening the rain had finally subsided but the wind was still blowing. I'm glad Matt & I were able to spend time with them both. Now all that's left to visit is my youngest sister :) We'll see...

North Carolina here we come! Well, not for a few months anyway. It is official - the Taflans will be relocating to NC this summer :) The what-ifs, hows, and wheres are numerous, but we know God will surely provide. We feel at peace about moving there to be closer to family. Our prayers are for guidance and job-seeking. I'm in the process of getting my teaching license in NC and he's already made contacts in the Raleigh area here and there. I got side-tracked tonight looking at apartments online. Thankfully, if no jobs turn up by the time our lease is up here in mid-July, my parents have graciously opened their home to us until we are able to locate jobs and get back out on our own. I can't wait! Family will be close again and his family will be only 7 1/2 hours away as opposed to 17! I just need to continue praying and remain patient.

I think this is all I'll write for now. It's getting late and my mind is not focusing so well - probably due to our squawking bird... poor little guy had to have his wings clipped today after a not so nice flight into the closet door. It was then that we said we'd had enough and didn't want to risk injury. I think I'll go get him and sit with my hubby on the couch as we wind down before bed.

2 Months in One Post!

About a week and a half ago, I was flying over Georgia during this time. I had about 45 minutes before the plane touched down in Florida and it was back to my husband (smile) and work. I had just spent Labor Day weekend in NC with my family and it was great!

So much has taken place since I last took the time to write. I spoke of a cruise with my family to the Bahamas and shortly following our return, Matthew and I boarded a plane to Ohio for a week with his loved ones. We stayed in his parents’ home, visited with many friends and family, and relaxed during our time up there. My in-laws planned a reception for us at their church that Saturday so those who couldn’t come to the wedding could come fellowship and see wedding photos, etc. It was nice to celebrate our wedding once more. We even had a small, beautiful wedding cake! Aside from seeing some of Matthew’s friends, we spent the majority of our time relaxing with family that we don’t see often. Actually, I hadn’t seen them since the wedding and that was 8 months ago! We held our three week old nephew (that makes 4! And one niece!), toured OSU where his brother attends, played card games with Matt’s grandma, and drove around Bellaire – enjoying the sights of his hometown. It’s neat to visit his side of the family because his parents live in a log cabin they built in the hills around 30 years ago. The property is the same property that his Grandma grew up on and the sidewalk, as well as the stairs from the house still remain. Also, the local high school was attended by Matthew’s dad, brother, sister, sis-in-law, and bro-in-law. Lots of family history in a small town that I find interesting because I’m married into it ☺



On our way back down from Ohio, we stopped in Charlottesville, VA for the night. It’s a city we have considered re-locating to in order to be closer to family. We drove around looking for garage sales as a way to get to know the area better. We were praying that if God wanted us there, we would know. We left feeling ok about the place. It’s beautiful and very historic – but we didn’t feel a strong pull in that direction. I don’t think God has closed the door completely, but it’s not in our near future. From there, we drove to my parents’ house for the night. It’s always so good to go home. I love being there at the house and seeing my sisters and parents. Walking around the property is exhilarating. The two of us left there with an even greater longing to move. We even considered moving things out of our apartment and into my parent’s basement starting Thanksgiving if I didn’t get a full-time teaching job… which leads me to my next news…

Driving home from NC after our Ohio trip was a long, bittersweet drive. We were sad to leave family behind and go back to life in the Sunshine State. We were happy though to know that our quaker parrot we’d been wanting was weaned and ready for pick up! Yes, we now have a new addition to our family – Sunny ☺ We decided on that name because it seemed fitting for a bird from Florida. He’s about 4 months old now and has quite a personality. Matthew has enjoyed building perches and play areas for him and we enjoy spending time with him, waiting to see what noise he’ll make next. So far he can say “step-up,” and makes a LOT of noise when we turn on the tv. Here he is:



Now, back to my news. On the drive back down to Florida, I received a phone call to come in for an interview at a local elementary school the following day. Well, I went and was called back the same day to come in again for a second interview, and then was called later that evening to let me know that I got a kindergarten position! I was so incredibly excited. It’s such a blessing! And here I thought I’d have to go back to subbing all school year… When Matt got home that evening, I waited for him to greet me with a kiss and I said, “do you know who you just kissed?” A bit confused, he said, “yes, my wife.” I then proceeded to tell him that he kissed not just his wife, but a teacher! We went out to dinner to celebrate and now I have a classroom of my very own.
I can’t believe we have been in school for four weeks now. My class of 18 is quite wonderful! The team of 8 K teachers I work with are such a blessing as well. So far, so good for a first year! It’s been exhausting and overwhelming, but each time I’m in the classroom most of that fades away. Now Matthew and I can really begin saving to move out of state, Lord willing! We discuss and pray about it quite often.



The day is coming to a close and sleep comes earlier now that I have so many little ones to care for. It feels great to post again. Hopefully once I get a better grasp on a schedule and routine, I’ll be able to post more! I look forward to catching up on my reading of other blogs…