without borders: June 2014

Miami Wedding weekend

We have been preparing all summer for the wedding of 2 of our close friends from Auburn Nic and Stephanie. Part of the reason for taking the Gainesville assignment was so we could be close for their big day in Coral Gables, FL. It was still a 5+ hour drive!

Austin's ready

Austin was asked to be one of Nic's groomsman for this black tie affair. We met Nic and Stephanie during our time at the Auburn Wesley Foundation, the methodist campus ministry at Auburn. We are so thankful for their friendship and we were also thankful for a weekend where we could relive the good times with so many of our friends we met at Wesley. These are good people.

We attempted to do Miami two ways: cheap and with a dog. This was a tall task and not easily accomplished. We found a place to stay on airbnb.com and gained a new friend in Jim, the Miami local whose (cozy but cheap!) backyard apartment was ours for the next three nights. Austin and I can now say we shared a twin bed.

I didn't really know anything about Miami going into this, but I now realize This city is probably the opposite of a place that we like to vacation. Expensive, overcrowded, dreadfully hot, arrogant, and difficult to understand.

I did enjoy this afternoon at the pool, let's focus on the positives

I'm pretty sure that I am one of the few people that has driven around South Beach for a hour ugly crying because there is no place to park and no dog friendly beaches to be found any where. When we did find the dog friendly "beach" the next day, it was smelly, full of trash, bugs and on the bay. Not for human swimming.

On to the wedding!

Our campus minister David who performed our wedding, he did a great job at this one too!

The wedding was beautiful, and Austin and I had a great time attending our first black tie event celebrating our friends. It was held at the Westin Colonnade in the heart of Coral Gables, very swanky. One of my favorite parts of the day was getting to wear this dress I rented on renttherunway.com (what a genius idea!) It is one of my favorite things I have ever worn, second to my wedding dress. We had fun looking fancy!

I had to return this dress today and it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do

We are so blessed to have friends like these. We may not see each other but once or twice a year, but you can always count on their support and love. Wedding after wedding I have seen how our Wesley friends are the last ones to leave, keeping the party going until the very end, and cheering the bride and groom out the door. This weekend was no exception. They were all there to support and love the bride and groom, who have shown that same support and love countless times to their friends as well. These are some amazing, talented, loving people and I thank God for their friendship.

The Groom and Austin

So congratulations Nic and Stephanie, we are so happy for you and thankful we could be a part of your big day!

But I probably will never go back to Miami.

Happy birthday Tucker Melton!

As you might have gathered from last week's tweets, we celebrated Tucker's birthday last Saturday! It has been 2 years since Tucker was born in Montana. We celebrated with swimming, a bath, and some pupcake:

Geez we are obsessed with this dog. He has brought us so much joy, introduced us to new folks and stirred up conversation wherever we go. Thanks for helping us make friends Tucker! I thought I would tell you all the story of how Tucker became a part of our family, with lots of pictures of course!

We both knew we wanted a dog early in our marriage. Austin was game for anyone he could play frisbee with, while I needed a dog that wouldn't make my allergies go nuts, which is what happens with any shedding and animal hair. We had found a great solution in the goldendoodle (poodle + golden retriever) because they did not shed and had a playful and loving personality. My family had their goldendoodle, Gracie for about a year at this point and we loved her! That is how we were first introduced to our breeder Donna at Suwanee Goldendoodles.

Our one big hurdle was the price. As newlyweds we didn't really have $1500 to drop on a dog. We decided we would have to save up and wait for a dog. I contacted Donna anyways, voicing our desire for a goldendoodle and asking about upcoming litters and payment plans. Donna then asked us if we were interesting in becoming guardians.

I had no idea what this meant, but I was thrilled when she gave us the rundown: we would pay for a dog at a discounted price, then spend the next year getting Tucker medically cleared and AKC certified in hopes that he would become a Suwanee Goldendoodles stud. If he sired a successful litter, we would get paid a fraction of the earnings from that litter. We said yes! We would love to be Tucker's guardians.

Tucker had his first litter of puppies over Christmas with his girlfriend Scout. There were 5 boys and one girl, because "the Melton's only make men" (Austin's words).

We have loved being Tucker's parents! We take him everywhere we can so he can meet as many people as possible. This summer he has loved playing frisbee on the beach! He starts up good conversations with strangers wherever we go.

Because of Tucker we have been able to meet new people, share his story, and share our story. "Designer dog" or not, this boy is loved and will provide that same relationship for other families who receive his puppies.

Lots of hugs to our dood!

Gainesville life

First off, I want to tell you all thank you for your prayers and support during this time in our lives. It isn't always easy to be away from our friends and family and we are thankful for those of you that reach out while we are away. We are humbled that you are reading about our adventures here on the blog!

While there have been several low points here in Gainesville, we are determined that we will make it through the summer! It seems like everyday there is something that isn't working, another fee or amount we are being charged for, or something that has taken longer than we thought. It has left us feeling frustrated, on edge with each other, and wondering if our luck has run out.

Austin has been looking for work since we moved here because extra projects with SCS (his Alabama company) have dried up for the most part. He has looked for odd jobs on craigslist and the like and had an interview with a company for a part time job of restocking and organizing greeting card displays at stores around town. It has taken several weeks for the interview, the subsequent hiring, and the actual training to take place. As more time goes by during this process the time he will have to actually work has dwindled down, leaving us wondering if it was worth going through all the trouble. Valuable lessons in time management!

My work has been different than what I have experienced in the past. While I am learning new things and gathering new skills, some nights I feel like the PICU is over my head. It has led me to some serious thinking about my future in nursing: Do I want to work in a PICU, or stick with general pediatrics? Do I want to go back to school and pursue my nurse practitioner degree? Would I like to continue to work in acute care and night shift, or would I like something else like a clinic with a set (days) schedule?

We both have time now to think through and talk through these things with each other, and we are still interested in pursuing travel nursing assignments until we make more decisions about our future. We ask that you pray for us both as we seek God's will for us in our perspective careers.

We have been so blessed by our new church home, City Church in downtown Gainesville. We were able to start attending our small group a few weeks ago and it has brought joy and much needed community in our lives. Again we are so thankful for those that are willing to reach out and share their community with us and make us feel at home. We have loved getting to know you, hanging out with you, and talking through the gospel with you.

I think it's so amazing that new city like Gainesville can feel so cold, big, and lonesome until just a few folks reach out and create a space for you. It has made me see the city differently. Friends suggest new things to do or restaurants to try or invite us to things and all of a sudden this place has memories and moments that are special to us.