I'm Employed!

I'm happy to report some very exciting news from the Owens household. Last Friday, I officially accepted a position as a High School Admissions Officer at Sullivan University. That's right, after months of job hunting, I am finally employed! Starting today, I will spend the next two weeks doing some intense training as I get ready to begin this new position.

Finding a job was the final missing piece to our life in Louisville and I am so excited to finally be settled in our new home. We have been so fortunate to find a church we love, meet new friends and re-connect with old friends this summer. I am so thankful for the time of rest I have had during our transition and I am looking forward to beginning this new chapter of my life at Sullivan University.

More updates to come. Promise.

Life in Louisville.

It's been about eight weeks since Stuart and I packed up our home in Tallahassee and hit the road to start our new life in Louisville. It was quite possibly the most exhausting move I've ever endured in all my 25 years of moving. I come from a family tree filled with veteran movers who all saw this as an opportunity for "initiation." Needless to say, we will definitely be hiring movers next time!

For those of you who missed out on all our lovely moving details, here is a quick recap:

• I sprained my ankle in the first five minutes while attempting to move our king sized mattress down the stairs [and yes - eight weeks later it is still hurting me but don't worry, I don't think they'll have to amputate].
  
  
• A quarter of our home is still in Tallahassee in the precious care of William and Jul Colle's garage. Apparently we have a lot of stuff... either that or they're making moving trucks smaller these days. We are forever thankful to them for their help! We're hoping one day it will find it's way home to Louisville.
  
  
• We left on Sunday at midnight expecting a 9-10 hour drive... 17 hours later we arrived in the Promised Land. I've never been so happy.

Three days later we were finally able to unload our truck and move into our humble abode. I spent the next week attempting to make our ancient seminary apartment into a home. Here is the somewhat finished product.

The last eight weeks have been filled with exploring Louisville, trying out new restaurants and coffee shops, visiting with old friends, meeting new friends and cookouts. We have quickly grown to love our new home. I promise to use this blog as a means to share all our life adventures and local hotspots with you.

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be moving to Kentucky, I might have called you crazy. But between our first visit and now after living here for eight weeks, I don't think I could have picked a better place for us to live! Louisville is a hidden gem - a hybrid between the comfort of the midwest with some southern charm, mixed with a hint of culture that I have missed so much from living in a big city. The good news is - we have plenty of room for visitors. So plan your trips, because we sure love company!

One Year Anniversary!

It's hard to believe that one year ago today I walked down the aisle to marry my best friend and began my new life as an Owens. June 12, 2010 was the greatest day of my life to date. Stuart and I were united as one as we made a lifelong commitment to each other. Looking back one year later, I realize how blessed I am to have him by my side each day. I could not have asked for a better husband. He is the most patient and loving man I know.

There is no greater joy than being surrounded by the ones you love most on your wedding day. Having moved around so many times in my life, it is rare that I get to see so many of my closest friends and family, and having them all together at one time is a memory I will always treasure.

Stuart and I were reflecting on how much has happened in our lives since that day. It has been such an exciting journey. Here are some of the highlights from our first year of marriage.

• Our amazing honeymoon to Maui and Napa Valley.
• We moved into our first apartment in Southwood.
• Stuart went to Ireland for two weeks.
• I was accepted into Grad School and began taking classes at FSU.
• We went to New York City to celebrate both Harlan and Stuart's Birthdays!
• We celebrated our first Thanksgiving in Tallahassee.
• Went to the ACC Championship football game in Charlotte.
• 6 months later we walked down the aisle again... as a bridesmaid and groomsman in Melissa & Caleb's Wedding!
• We celebrated our first Christmas in Charlotte.
• Stuart got accepted into Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
• Taylor & Stuart both quit their jobs in Tallahassee.
• We moved to Louisville, Kentucky.
• Stuart began his job at the YMCA.
• Taylor is a professional job hunter/stay at home wife.

If the last year is any measure of what is to come, I believe we have an exciting life ahead of us and I could not be more excited!

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband and best friend! I love you.

YMCA.

I think this video is very fitting as we celebrate my amazing husband getting a job offer! Stuart is going to be the Summer Camp Director at the YMCA in Louisville.

Words cannot express how excited and thankful we are f0r this opportunity! He begins his job in a week so we happily moved our move date up about four days.

Stuart's boss at the Y is married to a Southern Seminary graduate and it has been great to connect with her. She has already been such a friend to us and we haven't even met in person yet!

The job will only last the duration of summer but we are happy one of us has something to get us started. He has several other job interviews lined up this week that could lead to something in the Fall. It has been awesome to see how God has provided for us and we are excited to see what He has in store for us this fall!

Farewell to the Florida Lottery.

Last Wednesday was my last day at the Florida Lottery! I was sad to say goodbye to my co-working friends but was happy I got to say farewell to them in style.

They threw me a sweet goodbye party at work in our conference room and it was great to have a chance to see and chat with everyone. I think the thing I will miss the most is all of our nicknames. I'm pretty sure I have the longest "official" nickname in the office. They most likely had to shorten it to fit on the cake.

We also had a post-work goodbye party in midtown filled with great memories and hilarious stories. I will miss my Lottery Ladies for the quality life chats and good laughs. They got me through a lot and I am so glad that I will be able to keep in touch and see them on my return trips to Tallahassee.

Normally my type A personality would have me a nervous mess leaving a job without another job in waiting, which can only mean that this odd sense of peace is God assuring us we are on the right track. And while I am unemployed, I haven't had much down time over the past few days. I have started packing up our house which required me to run all sorts of errands to find boxes and packing supplies. Needless to say - I am exhausted. But I am also appreciating the freedom to get things done and have been very productive.

We are officially moving two weeks from today. Time is flying. More exciting news to share tomorrow!

Chez Pierre.

I love Fridays because there is so much excitement in the air. I love the morning buzz of everyone discussing their weekend plans and the countdown to 5:00 p.m.

One of my new favorite post-college Tallahassee spots has become Chez Pierre. I particularly like going there in the spring because the weather is beautiful and they always have live music, which makes every night better!

Chez Pierre is an adorable little Bistro with eclectic french decor and a great garden atmosphere. The twinkle lights and colorful lanterns make for the perfect evening ambiance.

I've been to Chez Pierre several times in college but only post-grad have I really come to appreciate their great deck and outdoor seating.

Stuart and I enjoyed a nice evening here last weekend as we soaked up the atmosphere. There is nothing I love more than dreaming and chatting about the future with my husband.

I wish you all a very happy friday and a wonderful weekend! Enjoy spending time with your loved ones.

Louisville, here we come!

I am happy today has finally come because I can officially announce the real reason behind my blogging absence.

We recently found out some amazing news. Stuart got accepted to Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

We are really looking forward to this next stage in life as it will bring so many new and exciting things. It will give us a chance to grow both individually and together as a couple.

We have already been stretched through this whole transition process and we haven't even left yet!

Neither one of us has really been to Louisville and we only know one person there. We don't have jobs and we're downsizing from a decently sized 2 bedroom apartment/townhome with a loft to a one bedroom campus apartment. But you know what? I couldn't be more excited!

I love a good adventure and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to start a new life together. A life where we will be challenged spiritually, financially and even professionally.

Although I have not yet visited Louisville (though that is about to change!) here are some things I am already looking forward to about our move:

• A new city to explore= new restaurants, shops, bakeries and bookstores. I am hoping this city will give me the culture fix I've been craving.
  
  
• A new apartment to decorate.
  
  
• A chance to take some classes and be challenged both spiritually and intellectually.
  
  
• The Kentucky Derby
  
  
• Visiting my friend Emily who just moved to Cincinati... which is only 1.5 hours away!
  
  
• Chicago is only four hours away.. which means I can visit my Chi-Town friends, Diana and Kaitlin... and go shopping!

These are just a few things that are on my list although I'm sure I could bore you with a hundred more.

I am hoping to blog about all my new adventures of life as a Seminary Wife and exploring a new city.

Please pray for us as we transition and begin our new journey. And if you know anyone in Louisville and would like to hook a sister up with a job or even just a good friend, give me a shout!

Taylor & Jannie in the City.

Since our last trip in September I had been dying to try Eataly. It is an Italian food market that has so many wonderful treats and was a trip down memory lane for me and my mom. It was fun seeing all the foods I used to eat as a child. We stopped there for lunch and savored every bite we had.

We ventured over to Times Square and scored some last minute broadway tickets to see Million Dollar Quartet. I hadn't been to a show since high school and was hoping to see something while I was in NYC. The music was great and we had such a fabulous time!

We wrapped up our trip with brunch at Cafe Lalo. My heart was set on this place for a couple of reasons. One, I am obsessed with all things brunch and two, it was featured in You Got Mail and looked completely charming.

After a solid breakfast, we walked to 5th Avenue and saw the tulips blooming in Rockefellar Plaza.

And then we went home to get Toby and Hudson and took them for a long walk through Central Park. I told Stuart that I might be more motivated to go for a run if our scenery in Tallahassee looked as beautiful as Central Park. I love it there.

My trip to NYC went by way too fast as always but I loved every minute of it. I came back home feel refreshed and rejuvenated. I felt like myself again. I was happy to return home to my husband and brought him home a taste of New York.

That's right. Crumb Cupcakes. I'll leave you guessing on how long it took us to demolish these. So yum.

April Update.

Since so much has happened this month, I'm going to spend this week attempting to do a quick recap of all my April highlights.

 

At the beginning of April, I was fortunate to spend five days in New York City with my mom. We always love some quality "girl time" and this trip did not disappoint.

 

My mom was dog sitting for my brother and sister in-law while they were in Florida for a couple of weeks and I decided to join her for the first half of her stay. Luckily, I got to see Lauren and Harlan for a few hours before they departed. 

 

And then we were left to watch these adorable dogs. They are half the reason I want a puppy so bad. Who could resist these faces?

 

We started our trip by getting acquainted with the neighborhood, so we strolled around the Upper East Side and did some shopping on 5th Avenue.

 

We stopped at Dylan's Candy Bar to browse around and check out all the Easter candy.

 

And after some shopping we ended our day at Serendipity with some frozen hot chocolate.

 

On our second day we did a little more shopping and strolling. Can you detect a trend?

 

While walking to a department store, we stopped by the World Trade Center and were impressed by the progress they've made since we were last here in September.

 

After some lunch we headed to SoHo and I insisted we check out the DASH store. The store was smaller than expected and a little over hyped but it was fun none the less!

 

We finished our evening having dinner at Brasserie Julien with one of my dearest friends from high school, Jess and her fiance Antonio. It was so wonderful to see them both and chatting with them warmed my heart with comfort. I don't get to see my high school friends often and I love having a chance to catch up!

Excuse the lighting... for whatever reason there was terrible reflection against the lights. But you get the picture. We had such a wonderful evening with Jess & Antonio and it was a great way to begin my trip in the city. 

Beach Day.

This weekend marked the first beach day of the year for the Owens household. Stuart and I decided to pack up the car and make the trip to St. George Island to spend the afternoon laying by the water, working on our "base tan" and doing absolutely nothing.

St. George Island is about 1 1/2 hours away from our house in Southwood, but the drive along the coast makes it completely worth it. Stuart is a veteran of the "Forgotten Coast" and likes to point out his favorite stops and memories along the way. There is nothing like a forgotten coast history lesson from Stu to make the drive go by. Once the history lesson was over, we proceeded to chat about what our future beach house will look like. Stuart was more focused on what kind of boat we should get. What can I say? We're dreamers.

We finally arrived and scouted out the perfect spot by the water. 

Once we finished our picnic lunch we relaxed in the sand and looked out at this beautiful view for about three hours.

After a few stressful weeks at work, this relaxing beach day definitely brought warmth to my soul.

Quality Time.

Last weekend was absolute bliss because I got to spend an entire weekend with my mom! Stuart and I were fortunate enough to see my mom pretty frequently last year with all of our wedding planning but now that our nuptials have come and gone we look forward to seeing my family over the holidays and occasional long weekends.

Needless to say I was excited about my quality time with my mom and of course planned our entire weekend with all the necessary stops. First, we met in Thomasville for lunch at Liam's. I had wanted to try Liam's ever since my first stop in Thomasville for my birthday and this seemed like the perfect occasion.

I was hoping to try their brunch but sadly they only serve it over the weekend so we just tried their lunch menu. It was delicious! The food and the atmosphere were so great that we sat there chatting for maybe 3 hours.

Then we proceeded to browse in all the shops and soak up all the charm there is to see in downtown Thomasville. Including a stop for gelato at Sparkle Goat Cafe. We loved how artsy it looked and course had to take some pictures.

That evening we spent on the patio at Chez Pierre where we sat for another 3 hours chatting. It was the perfect spring evening!

There is nothing better than spending quality time with your mom! My only wish is that she lived a little closer so this could happen more often.

Fruit.

I apologize again for my blogging hiatus. The past two weekends have been pretty eventful and I am finally getting around to sharing it with you all.

At the end of February I spent the weekend in Panama City Beach with Stuart and hundreds of high school kiddies for CRosSWilD's annual spring retreat.

I always love getting a chance to hear Stuart teach and was really looking forward to a weekend filled with time for reflection and worship.

One of the greatest things about getting all of the churches within CRosSWilD together is that I get to see some of the kids from Wakulla and Crawfordville who use to go to the church where I interned with Stuart many moons ago. The girls in that youth group were my first small group ever and I always affectionately refer to them as my "babies."

At the time when I interned with them they were hyper little middle schoolers and now they have grown into beautiful high schoolers who have developed such a mature faith and love for God. It was the greatest joy to sit with these young women and just hear their stories. I was beaming with pride and tearing with joy. It was such a testimony to me of how God has continued to grow them even in our time apart.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5