Catching Up.

Wow, so it's been a pretty good while since I've last blogged. Well, like I warned, nursing school is back in full swing which barely leaves me time to remember to eat and shower. So, since I have a few spare moments on this Friday night, I decided to spend it catching you readers up to date...
...Nursing school definitely hit me like a ton a bricks. Unlike the past two semesters, we weren't "eased" into this semester, we were hit head on and full force. We have already had two tests, with another one in about a week. Also, we started our first clinical rotation this week, so it's been a hectic week around the Gates' household. Unfortunately, while today was supposed to be my first day on the floor with patients at Blair E. Batson, I was not so lucky on my way to the hospital. At the early hour of 5:30 this morning, as I'm headed to Jackson, two deer decided to conveniently leap in front of my car. The first deer cleared my path, but the second deer wasn't so lucky.. neither was my car. So, I get in touch with my teacher and she excuses me from clinical for the day and advised that I stayed home and regained my composure. I was, and still am, pretty upset when I think about the accident, but I'm also very thankful and fortunate that it was not any worse than it was. However, I will be without my "princess" car for the next few weeks as I have nearly the entire front end replaced. On a happier note, my Couch to 5K plan with mom is still underway. I honestly was not sure if I would hold myself accountable to running as busy as school makes me. To my surprise, I have found that I CAN fit exercising and eating healthy into my schedule and my physical stress has decreased tremendously! I advise all of you to find at least one area in your life that you can modify to improve your overall health. It has been one of the best decisions I have made this year! I don't have much more to catch you guys up on and I don't want to type away and bore you with the gruesome details of school.. So, I hope everyone has a splendid weekend!

God loves you
love Him back,

-Cait

3rd & 1

So, I've let a few days slip away without blogging.. mainly because it has been cold and nasty around here and we haven't really been doing anything that would remotely be of interest to readers. However, the pace of our lives is about to get much quicker, especially mine. I say the word "pace" with a pun intended. I began training today for my first 5k. I'm doing a training program with my mom called "Couch to 5K". Being a runner in high school, it really makes me excited to get back into running.. for health reasons as well as personal satisfaction. We plan on running the St. Patty's Day 5K in March and then begin training for St. Jude's Half Marathon in December. Wish us luck! :)
Secondly, my life is about to get crazy as I return to school tomorrow. The title of this blog, "3rd & 1" reflects how I feel about my education in the year 2011. This is my LAST year of nursing school, and I'm looking at it like a football game (got to make it fun somehow!). I start my third semester of nursing school tomorrow, which I like to look at as a third down. After this semester, I only lack one more (thus the "and one"). Once fourth semester is over and done with, I will feel as if I have made the first down in a very important game.. the game of life. I can not wait to cross over that yellow first down marker and be DONE DONE DONE with nursing school. Excuse me if this sounds cheesy to you, but I like football.. and if I can find the slightest bit of glamour in nursing school by relating it to a football game, my cheesiness will be worth something.

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and were/and continue to be safe in this gloomy weather!

Until next time, God Bless

Set, Hut!
-Cait

Eat. Pray. Love.

So, now that I've gotten everyone caught up (for the most part) with what happened in 2010.. I can start blogging about our lives in 2011. So how does the phrase (coined from the popular movie, of course) "eat, pray, love" relate to the Gates in 2011? Well, it relates to our family in two different ways.
First, it is how we have spent the first week and a half of the new year. With myself still on Christmas break, I have been able to spend time doing what I love best- cooking and baking. Needless to say, we have spent the New Year eating, as I experiment and prepare different meals and goodies. Next, we have spent the New Year in prayer. Our church started going through a "one year Bible" together. This particular Bible is split up into daily readings (not in chronological order). There are a few passages assigned to read each day and, by the end of 2011, we will have read through the entire Bible together as a church. Much prayer has taken place alongside studying the Bible together. Now, for love. Because I have not had my nose stuffed in a nursing book for the past week and Matthew has had some time off from work, we have been able to spend more time loving on each other. By loving, I don't necessarily mean cuddling and handholding, but by spending precious time together. Our trip definitely provided us with much needed quality time and, surprisingly, we have found that we have been able to make more time for each other at home, as well.
Secondly, I am not one that normally makes (or sticks to) New Year's resolutions. However, if I had to pin down a phrase that best sums up how I plan to spend 2011, it would also be "eat, pray, love." During the new year, I am determined to still keep up with my cooking and baking (maybe as a stress reliever from nursing school!)- and I'm also determined to find and experiment with healthier recipes. I also have challenged myself to dive into deeper and develop a stronger prayer life. I was tested with many different circumstance in 2010- both good and not so good. Without personal prayers and the prayers from friends, I can honestly say I would not have been able to deal with and cope with these situations in the way I did. Not only is prayer powerful in one's personal life, but it can be powerful in the lives of others also. I want my prayers to make a difference in someone elses life this year, not just my own. Now, for the final "resolution", love. I want to spend this new year (our second year of marriage) developing a stronger love for my husband. I want to develop the type of love taught about in 1 Corinthians 13. I challenge myself to be patient, kind, not envious, not boastful, not arrogant or rude, and not evil. I want to rejoice in the truth. I want to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things. Most of all, I do not want my love towards my husband, family, friends, and others to fail. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7) I think practicing a more selfless love would be a good challenge to present to my readers.
What are your resolutions? How do you plan to KEEP them this year? What makes you more determined to follow through with them?
..just some food for thought.

Until next time, God Bless.

With 1 Corinthians 13 love,
Cait

1st Anniversary Trip

Well, I think I finally have an idea on how to blog. So, as I mentioned in my previous blog, I want to dedicate a post to the trip Matthew and I took for our first anniversary. So, here we go. (I apologize in advance for the lengthiness of this post)

Sit back and enjoy the ride. Considering we had an eleven hour drive, enjoying the ride was the best option. Two days after Christmas, Matthew and I left our quiet town of Raymond, MS and headed East. After driving nearly 600 miles, we reached our destination of Savannah, Georgia. Now, normally, I would have been too tired to do anything after such a long ride; however, the city was too beautiful not to get out and explore immediately! We spent a few hours on the town that night exploring the Historic District of Savannah. From Revolutionary War monuments, "haunted" homes and churches, and bright city lights, Savannah was beautiful at night.

The next morning, we woke up and walked to Savannah's largest city park, Forsyth Park. If the city was not pretty enough with its bright lights, the huge Oaks and Spanish Moss only added to its beauty during the day. The weather was a bit brisk, but we enjoyed walking through and relaxing in Forsyth Park. Once we left the park, we roamed around and enjoyed looking at all of the homes and their intricate architecture. I have never seen so many gorgeous homes in one location before. We eventually made our way back down to the Historic District, which took on a completely new look during the light of day. I felt like Matthew and I had traveled backwards in time, namely to the 1800s. The city streets were lined with beautiful buildings, gorgeous trees, and more history than a text book. Savannah was not only beautiful, but polite. It was so nice to visit a city that was not filled with honking horns, loud volumes, and rude mannerisms.

Forsyth Park

Shopping at the Riverwalk

War Monument

After spending most of the day in Savannah, we decided to drive about twenty miles to Tybee Island. Tybee Island, with is sapphire water and gorgeous East coast rocks, is not a city that rings a bell when people hear its name. However, it is gaining popularity as a vacation hot-spot after being home to the setting for The Last Song. Now, I'm a sucker for a good book- especially a Nicholas Sparks' book. Naturally, I loved the film version of his book as well. While we were visiting Tybee Island, we decided to scout out some of the locations used in The Last Song. We were able to find the church from the film. Interesting enough, the church was built specifically for the film on a vacant lot (so the burning scene was able to take place). After the movie, the church was moved to the main highway and is being modeled into a wedding chapel. We were able to walk around inside and outside of the church and take some pictures. Next, we decided to search for the beach house used in the movie. We did not have success in locating the home that day because it was beginning to turn dark, and we honestly had no idea how to navigate the island. Fortunately, on our last day of the trip, we were able to find the home that was used as Ronnie's dad's home in the movie. Once back in Savannah, we decided to go ice skating at the Civic Center. Ice skating with Matthew is always a treat- even if he is much, much better than I am.

Tybee Island

Inside the church from The Last Song

Next morning, we wake up and head even further East to what I will have to, hands down, call THE most BEAUTIFUL city I have ever visited- Charleston, South Carolina. From the moment we parked in downtown Charleston, my breath had already been taking away. From palmettos and a church filled skyline, to horse drawn carriages and southern mansions, I was in southern belle heaven. Matthew and I took a carriage tour of downtown Charleston to get a feel for the city and learn about its intriguing history. We heard of wars, the great fire of Charleston, film and television settings in the city, and ghost stories. The tour was one of the most entertaining events I have participated in. After the tour, we explored Charleston ourselves by foot. Charleston had SO much to offer- and even more to fall in love with. Walking through Charleston made me feel as if I was walking on the set of Gone With the Wind. We enjoyed admiring homes that, on average, were approximately 10,000 square feet. These homes had the most magnificent architecture and detail I have ever seen. If the homes weren't gorgeous enough, the churches were stunning. It's such a shame, in my opinion, that today's society has little appreciation for historical buildings and the preservation of them. I think the respect Charleston has for its city and history is one of the main reasons I fell in love. I could go on and on about Charleston.. but I think you guys probably get the picture by now.

Leaving Charleston, we decided to check out a South Carolina beach- and decided on the shores of Folly Beach. Much different the Tybee Island, Folly Beach had lighter, more crystal-like water. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset over one of the piers and then headed back to Savannah (note: these cities are two hours apart from each other).

As I stated earlier, we visited Tybee Island once more before we departed from the East coast (one of the saddest moments in my travel history). Again, we were able to location the home used in the film, and had a great time exploring its premises (hey, there was not a "no trespassing" sign- free game, right?!). We also visited the Tybee Island museum which was located inside of a battery (where ammunition was kept) that was used during numerous wars. Before we left, we climbed 174 steps to the top of the Tybee Island lighthouse. I have always found lighthouses fascinating, so being able to climb one was almost dream-like. From the top of the lighthouse, we saw miles of sapphire shore, making it even harder to come to terms with reality.

Reality was this, our trip was over. I am usually one who, although I love to travel, cannot wait to get home to my bed. This trip was another story, however. I have never fallen in love with a location like I did the Southeast. Everything about these quaint cities and their southern charm won me over. If life played by my rules, Matthew and I would move and be East coast bums. Dream on.

Well, I've rambled on for far too long now.. and if you're still reading this, congrats! I didn't bore you too bad!

Until next time, God bless.

Georgia on my mind...
-Cait

New Year. New Blog.

Hey! Well, blogging is definitely something new to me, but I figure since it's a new year, why not give something new a shot!? I always love to read everyone else's blogs, so I decided to make one myself! This blog will be used to allow readers to keep up with mine and Matthew's busy lives and what we are currently up to.

Before I get started blogging about 2011, I've decided to give a quick (if that's possible) overview of what happened in our lives during 2010!

Matthew and I got married on December 19, 2009.. which meant the majority of starting our new life together took place in 2010. Here's some pictures from our big day :)

So, after our wedding, we flew to New York City for our honeymoon. Being in NYC during the Christmas season was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Not only did it feel like a "real" winter, we got to experience beautiful white snow and the gorgeous lights of the city. We had such a blast and hope to go back in the future.

After the honeymoon, we enjoyed spending our first married Christmas together with our precious families , as well as moving into our new home. It happened to snow on my birthday, so here is our home, snow covered. :)

Once Christmas break was over, it was time for me to start nursing school at Mississippi College. This was a huge adjustment, but I am so very thankful that I have such a supportive husband who was by my side step by step. Once my first semester of nursing school was over, we headed straight for the beach. Sadly, on the second day of our vacation, Matthew experienced a sever sunburn and sun poisoning, limiting our "fun" for the rest of the trip. Although we did not get to spend  much time on the much, having quality time together in our condo was a nice was of relaxing after the semester.

Matt spent most of the summer working with his lawn and landscape business, while I spent most of the summer at home. We took another trip in July to New Orleans as a small getaway. While we were there, we also attended the Michael Buble' concert (my favorite singer!). Our trip was wonderful and we really enjoyed walking around the city, eating way too much, and enjoying each other's company. When we got home from NOLA, Matt surprised me with a Shih-Tzu puppy, whom we named Romeo. He is now our child, and will be an only child for quite some time. :)

Once the summer was over, it was time for me to start my second semester of nursing school. It was a tough semester, but it flew by. Fortunately, I passed the semester with grades that were extremely pleasing to me. Once the semester was over, Matthew and I celebrated our first anniversary! We went out to eat steaks that night and then went to look at Christmas lights. Afterwards, we ate the top tier of our wedding cake, which, surprisingly, tasted exactly like it did a year ago.



Our Christmas season was wonderful. We decorated the house, hosted a Christmas party, and enjoyed doing Christmas-y things, such as wrapping gifts and baking (my favorite hobby!). We enjoyed Christmas with all of our families once again and had a beautiful time. We spent the day after Christmas packing for what would be OUR Christmas/Anniversary present to each other- a trip to the East Coast!  We left on the 27th and headed out for Savannah, Georgia. We stayed in Savannah the entire week of our trip, but we drove to other cities and spend the day exploring them. On our trip, we visited Savannah, Georgia, Tybee Island, Georgia (home of the film site for the movie The Last Song- it was very neat seeing all of the film locations for one of my favorite movies), Charleston, South Carolina, and Folly Beach, South Carolina. We had such a fabulous time on our trip, and when I have more time, I will dedicate an entire post to details about this splendid trip. We spent NYE and New Year's Day unpacking, relaxing, and eating.

Well, that's a not-so-short version (sorry!) of how we spent our first year of marriage! I hope you enjoyed reading about our fast-paced and exiting life. I'll be back throughout the year to update the world on what we're doing in 2011.

Until then, God bless.

Hugs,
Caitlin