Celebrating Our "not so little" Ones

October = birthdays in our house.  Two of our babies were born in October.  Our youngest baby celebrates his on the 17th.  This year was an extra spooky one as we took he and some buddies to Nashville Nightmare.  I'm not sure if the haunted house or eating dinner at Hooters was more fun?!?   October is simply the best month to have a birthday in.  There's Halloween, fall festivals, candy, pumpkin carving, and HAUNTED HOUSES. 

We celebrated at our house with family and friends on Saturday night.  There's a young lady at South Warren High school who is a very talented baker.  I'd reached out to her mom via Facebook to see if she would be willing to make his birthday cake.  Isn't it incredible???

Larie brought over some of her delicious tea cookies.

On Sunday, which was Miles's actual birthday, he and Matt went out for a round of golf at Franklin.  

I worked with the golf boosters to set up for the 2021 SWHS Golf Banquet at South (which was the primary reason we didn't plan for any birthday festivities on his actual birthday).  Miles had an extra special weekend doing all the things he enjoys with people he loves.

Our eldest baby has a birthday on October 22 - less than a week after Miles's.  We'd talked earlier in the week, and she asked what our plans were for the weekend.  Since she's away at school, and I don't know her schedule most weeks/weekends, I wasn't sure.  We knew we wanted to see her but weren't sure what she had going on.  The first plan was for us to come to Louisville on Saturday.  She had plans with her friends the day of her birthday which included eating out and going to some haunted houses.  However, those plans fell through and everyone ended up having other things to do. The more I thought about it, I told her it just didn't make much sense for us to come up unless had something to do/somewhere to go.  I texted her on Friday and told her...why don't I just come get you after work and you can stay with us this weekend.  She liked the idea, and it worked out that her roommate Piper was coming home already.  

Glad we were able to spend her birthday weekend with her at HOME.  Shannon was sweet enough to pick her up some cupcakes, and we enjoyed a nice (birthday) evening chilling with the Mags in their hot tub.  We got to sleep in on Saturday and have breakfast at Corner Bakery.  We ran some shopping errands to get her some things she needed, and the kids did some crafting and pumpkin carving.  It was the perfect Saturday with everyone under one roof!  You count these blessings when your kids leave home.

I didn't want to take her back Sunday.  It gets harder and harder to leave her behind.  However, we collected her man Adam once we arrived in Louisville, made a quick shopping stop to St. Matthews mall, and ate lunch at Texas Roadhouse.  The drive home was sad, but I'm thankful she's on this college journey and handling it well.

Beach Please and Thank You

 Y'all we got to be TOTAL bums for the week in our absolute favorite spot - Destin!!!  I could totally live in Florida and never get tired of the ocean.  This was the first year in MANY years that the weather wasn't the best - rainy and sort of overcast and ominous.  However, we were still able to have beach time every single day.  

What made the trip even more special was that Karson was able to come with us for a few days.  Her fall break at UL landed on the Monday and Tuesday of Warren County's fall break.  Months ago I started looking at flights out of Destin, and wouldn't you know it, there was one leaving out on Tuesday afternoon heading to Louisville.  To top it off, it was SUPER cheap! #scorebig

She's officially "off the market" to boy suitors these days and has found herself a very TALL and wonderful young man named Adam.  He also golfs which means he and Matt are already trash talking!  He fits right in with our crazy bunch.  He was sweet enough to drive her to Bowling Green Thursday night.  We fixed a feast for them, and he was able to met her knucklehead brother Isaac.  He'd met Miles twice already when he was in Louisville for golf tournaments.  After dinner, they headed out to explore the lovely metropolis of Bowling Green.  He had to go back to Louisville on Friday and wasn't able to come to the beach with us this time.

The trip down took forever, but we sort of expected that since everyone in this area tends to migrate south for the break.  We were able to check in a little early and enjoy a few hours on the beach Saturday afternoon.   Because we were sharing a condo with Matt's family, Karson shacked up with my sister's family who had some extra room.  Plus, it gave she and Elizabeth some time together.  

Her bff's since birth and the traditional 3-pack beach picture. Somehow she's managed to shrink, and they've continued to grow =).  I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to recreate this photo. 

I'm not trying to be a miser, but eating out in Destin is a small fortune.  It also puts a major hurting on my stomach.  I like to eat out a couple times and cook a majority of the time (oh how this has changed through the years).  Day 1: usually consists of pizza since we are getting there late.  Day 2: I made spaghetti.  Day 3: was Karson's day since she was leaving the next day which meant we were eating at Jackacuda's.  We discovered this place last year on vacation.  They have the BEST sushi.  Matt, Karson and I all purchased shirts to commemorate the occasion (last year) which we proudly wore Monday night.

Recreating the LOVE pic from last year.  My two blonde clones.

Our group of 30 took over Emerald Dunes - we're a HERD!

It's never easy to say good-bye, but we took our little Cardinal to the Destin/Fort Walton airport Tuesday afternoon for her flight home. Adam was able to collect and take her back to campus when she arrived in Louisville which was only two short hours.  Thankful for the time we got to spend with her.

Side note:  the weekend following our fall break was "UL Parents Weekend."  We knew we wouldn't be traveling to Louisville for that after a long week and travel home from Florida. Extra thankful for the time spent at the beach and that stand-in family were there for her in our absence.

 

The remainder of the week was spent golfing, relaxing, shopping and eating....typical beach life stuff.

 

 

My friend Larie makes the absolute best Caramel Apple Sangria which she shares with us!  It tastes like fall in a cup!

Hot tub takeover!!!

Shannon and Elizabeth had to cut their beach trip short due to volleyball, so we decided to eat something fancy on Wednesday night.  A friend of mine who used to live in Destin was always posting food photos from a local restaurant called Boshamps.  Y'all...it was incredible!  We will definitely be returning in the future.  And, in typical Deaton fashion, Matt and I purchased shirts.

I got the pecan grouper and have NO idea what the rest of our group got.  I was too busy stuffing my face.  The wait for this place is unreal too.  The hostess told us 2.5 hours unless we could find some seats at the bar.  Challenge accepted.  The four of us circled the bar like vultures waiting to find some open spots.  We finally score some seats together.  It would've been a nicer to have been seated, but we were far too hungry to wait that long.

Miles enjoyed mini golf more than real golf this week - he played multiple courses!

 

Golf side note:  Miles finished up with the season with the Spartans Rolling Hills the Tuesday prior to fall break.  When golf is hard, it's really hard.  That day was super hard for him.  However, he powered through with his team taking a 3rd place finish.  We're super proud of his growth and accomplishments this season.

Miles was usually paired up with a young man named Ben Banton from Franklin Simpson.  These two had a great time playing together this season.  We're thankful for his friendship and getting to know his sweet parents.  

There's nothing like sunsets on the beach.  The last day of our vacation, the guys were out golfing later in the afternoon, and Debbie, Vicky and I decided to share some key lime pie on the beach and watch our last sunset.  Debbie titled our group The Sunset Party.  It was a nice end to a beautiful week.

We'd planned to leave super early Saturday morning.  We packed up Friday night for a quick departure.  Matt's phone starting going off early, and I thought it was his alarm.  I got up, used the restroom and assumed it was time to get going.  However, it was a missed call from a Russellville number and only 2:30 AM.  I tossed around the bed and Matt was stirring as well.  I whispered to him....it's 3 AM....if we leave now, we'll miss traffic and be home around 11.  He agreed and we took off.  We made great time, and it was super nice getting home so early and having most of our day.

On Sunday, we celebrated with Poppy.  He was able to come to the beach with us, but it was tough on him.  Trips like that are not easy when you're 94.  Heck, they're not easy when your in your 40's.

October is a full month of celebration for our family!  Miles is up next!

Drum Roll Please....

I can't really think of a time in my life since the age of 15 that I didn't have some sort of job. 

When you graduate from high school and are doing your best to find a suitable plan/career path, you tend to lean towards things you are good at.  At the time, I was a fairly decent journalist.  Working in that industry made sense to me.  I was the Sports Editor of the BGHS Purple Gem, and at WKU, I worked for the College Heights Herald as an Account Representative.  The summer of my junior year, I got a coveted internship at the Courier Journal.  Advertising felt like a field that I could flourish in and did.  After college graduation, Matt and I got married and moved to Valdosta where I started working as a sales representative for the Valdosta Times.  Eight short months later, we decided we were too far from home and made the move back to Bowling Green.  Obviously, there were a lot of other factors that contributed to that decision, but I won't go into great depth on that.  I took a job at the Country Peddler for a little while before joining the BGISD school system as an instructional assistant.  I loved that job!  Working with teenagers everyday and being in a school environment felt like the right fit for me.  After I got pregnant with Karson, staying home with our kids became a priority to us.  We'd sacrifice and save to make it work.  I taught part time at Greenwood Park's Early Education Preschool when the kids were little.  Needless to say, taking a 10-year pause to raise kids has a profound impact on you especially in the career-realm.

SKyPAC opened and took a chance on me in the ticket office in May 2012.  After being a SAHM and working in a Christian-school bubble, it felt like I'd been thrown to the wolves.  After my first night in the ticket office, I went home and balled my eyes out.  What in the world had I gotten myself in to?  I wasn't at SKyPAC long before I met one of my best friends - Artist Andee Rudloff.  She brought energy and a positive outlook to the organization and eventually brought me into the fold of arts education at SKyPAC.  I loved everything about my job but primarily making an impact on children.  At the end of the day, people are what matters the most.  I made lots of wonderful memories there and will forever cherish those moments and friendships made.

Little did I know October 2020 was going to deliver one of the most challenging blows!  It was a Friday afternoon, and I received a call from the President of our board to meet that afternoon.  My gut told me today is not going to end well.  The pandemic financially hurt lots of industry, and the performing arts and entertainment venues were at the top of that list.  All my co-workers assured me that I was too valuable to SKyPAC and that my fears were unfounded.  I worked hard the last eight years and took a lot of pride in my job -wearing many hats and always jumping in to learn new roles and assist when needed.  I tried to calm my nerves, but I received the blow I was expecting.  They laid me off with no definitive plan to bring me back on.  It hurt, and I did my best to handle it professionally.  The sad part about the scenario was that we were schedule to go to Florida on vacation the very next day.  Everything felt like a blur.  My co-workers were shocked.  No one knew what to say. 

I didn't feel like taking many pictures last Fall Break considering the circumstances.  This is one of my favorite ones though.  Karson, Matt and I went to Jackacudas and had some of the best sushi.  Something about that night felt peaceful, like everything will be okay.

Here we are almost a year later!  There were a few bumps in the job road, but I finally found a new work home at Skyctc.  I've been with the Business Division since February 1 - almost eight months.  It's been a welcomed transition, one that I have truly enjoyed.  I have a wonderful supervisor and team of faculty members that I work with.  The benefits, PTO, and flexibility are the absolute best.  It's the perfect fit for our lives right now.  AND, I still get to work with students and make a positive impact on them.  

Me and my Skyctc peeps - the finest group ever and I'm fortunate to be part of this successful team of women.

After typing ALL of that (sorry for the dissertation), it's not the primary purpose of my post.  The purpose of this post is about my spectacular husband MATT!!!  Pastor Matt, Coach Matt, Principal Matt, y'all know who I'm talking about.  

About mid-June, the lead principal at South Warren Middle School took a new position at Franklin Simpson High School.  After 10 years in education, Matt felt like it was the right time to spread his wings and try something new.  He's been at SWHS in a few roles which began with student teaching there.  He went on to become a teacher, coach, dean of students and is currently an assistant principal. Matt applied for the position last summer.  However, with the timing of the old principal leaving and trying to open the school, the decision was made to make the current assistant principal the interim until after the first quarter, which ends after fall break.  This week was the WEEK.  I couldn't help but have my own personal pre-Fall Break flashbacks resurface.  I knew Matt wanted this position.  I wanted it for him!  He didn't just need this, I felt like I needed this too especially two weeks before Fall Break 2021.  No dark clouds this time!!!

The announcement was made yesterday at South's Auditorium.  

Presenting South Warren Middle School's NEW Principal....

Mr. Matthew Deaton!!!  We're so proud of him!!!!