Charleston, SC and Philadelphia, PA-Anniversary Reflections

Judd and I have been so blessed throughout our lives and our marriage. We have officially known each other for 6 years now. As I think back over our 1 year courtship, 1 year engagement, and our almost 4 years of marriage, I am blown away by how we have grown as a couple and individuals.

We will be celebrating our 4th anniversary on May 14th, 2009. Each anniversary we have celebrated has been in a different city. Our first anniversary, we were both full time graduate students. We were too broke to go anywhere exciting, so we had a romantic weekend at my parents house (they were out of town) in Birmingham, AL. That anniversary is so funny to think about now. We tried our best to make it a special and romantic time. Judd bought yummy hors d'oeuvres, champagne, strawberries, etc. to accompany our top layer of wedding cake. We ate it while having an indoor picnic on my parents den floor. We spread out a blanket and candles. That anniversary will always be so special to me. We were so young and so new at marriage. It was great!


Our second anniversary was spent in Charleston, S.C. Judd and I had just graduated from Auburn with our Masters degrees. He was being recruited by a firm in Charleston. This anniversary was especially wonderful because not only is Charleston just about the most romantic place ever, the firm payed for our whole weekend. We had a fantastic time. Judd was offered the position and we spent the next two months debating whether to move to South Carolina or Philadelphia, PA. It is amazing the things and places God has had in store for us. After much prayer, we followed his guidance and moved to Philly.

Anniversary Dinner

Our third anniversary was spent in Philadelphia. At this point, we had lived in Philly for almost a year. We enjoyed our time there, but knew that living there any longer than a year was not a part of our life's plan. God truly had a hand in this one...Judd was recruited out of the blue by a firm in my hometown of Birmingham, AL. about a month or two before our anniversary. Just to make sure we checked all of our options before moving, Judd contacted the firm in Charleston one last time. They gave him a second offer to work for them over the phone. Again, we have been truly blessed. We spent the two months before our anniversary in great deliberation again trying to decide where to build the rest of our lives together. We ultimately chose Birmingham. It was a great choice. Our anniversary fell within a few days of our move out date from Philly. We had one final good-bye to Philadelphia/Anniversary dinner at The City Tavern. This is the oldest restaurant in Philly and it serves the same historic food that it did to our nation's founding fathers. We ate on the balcony and had such a lovely but bittersweet experience there because we knew we were about to leave.

I so wonder what lies in store for us on this 4th anniversary. God has been so good to us. He has provided us with such love and support. We have already had so many great expereinces as a couple. I am so grateful to have such a loving, supporting, compassionate, and thoughtful husband. I hope we are continuously blessed with many more happy anniversaries!

Mobile, AL-Mardi Gras

Judd and I had the pleasure of joining our friends Tripp, Candice, Mrs. Carolyn (Nana) and Mr. Ralph in Mobile for Mardi Gras this year. We truly had a blast. Candice was such an amazing hostess! Thanks so much for letting us stay with you!
Tripp was the First Knight at Mardi Gras a few years ago. The year that he was on the court was our first time down to Mobile for the Mardi Gras celebration. It was so much fun to watch coronation and the parades. We have gone back every year since Tripp was on the court, except last year because we were in Philadelphia. We love Tripp and his family so much! We are so grateful that they invited us down again!

The pictures below are of us watching the Crewe of Columbus Parade, eating at the local hot spot--The Dew Drop, watching the Mystics of Time Parade (MOT), and preparing to go to the MOT Ball after watching the parade from the Athelstan Club. Yay for Mardi Gras!!! Yay for being back in the south!!!! Even bigger yay for such great friends!!!

Amy in Africa

A very close friend of mine who is about to graduate from pharmacy school at Auburn University, Amy Pennington, is on a medical mission trip to Ghana, Africa. She is a true steward of Christ. I know she will bring so much to the people there. She is keeping a blog of her experiences. Please follow Amy as she touches and helps to save the lives of the people in Ghana. She is including prayer requests in her blog. It would be lovely if we could all join together in prayer for Amy, the other missionaries, and for the people they are attempting to reach everyday.

http://amykinafrica.blogspot.com/

Colby's Kitchen!!!

Judd's brother, Colby, just had the cabinets put in the kitchen of the house he is renovating in Brewton, AL. They are a dramatic improvement from what was in the kitchen before. (Scroll down to some older posts to see some "before" pictures) They look great Colby! Nice job picking everything out Brenna!

The 314th goes to Iraq

As mentioned in my Christmas post, my brother, Sgt. Bryan Tull, left for Iraq this past weekend. He will be in Iraq for a year long tour. Bryan is a broadcast journalist in the Army Reserves. This will be his second tour to Iraq. I am thankful that he knows what to expect this time. Please keep him and his unit--the 314th--in your prayers. Being the journalists that they are, they will be maintaining a blog throughout their tour. It has already been a great tool for communication with family and friends since they boarded the first plane. Via the blog, we were able to keep up with them as they traveled. They flew from Ft. Dix, New Jersey to Iceland. They will then travel from Iceland to Kuwait and then to Iraq. Please find the link below.

http://blogsoverbaghdad.com/soldiers/

Almost There

In a previous post I mentioned that my brother-in-law, Colby, is fixing up Judd's parents former rental property. He has put a lot of time and effort into the project lately. The house is so close to completion. Colby's precious girlfriend, Brenna, has been keeping us up to date with photos as the progress continues. See below.

Kitchen Light Fixture

Kitchen

Kitchen (before cabinets)

Utility Room

Bathroom with light fixture

Bathroom showing floor

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Guest Room

Tull Family Christmas

This was a special but unusual Christmas for Judd and me. I haven't had a Christmas while living with mom and dad in about 7 years. Also, my brother, Bryan, deployed two days after Christmas for his second tour in Iraq. Christmas proved to be a great opportunity to spend time as a family. Christmas eve night we made homemade gingerbread houses. The boys (Judd, Bryan, and my dad) all had various boy themed houses. Bryan had a gingerbread man domestic injury on his, Judd had our dog Cole made out of dark purple gum drops using the potty in the front yard, and dad made an outhouse to accompany the other homes. Although the boys weren't fully in the spirit of things, my mom, 84 year old grandmother, my brother's girlfriend Laura, and I all made sweet little houses. I liked grandmother's ginger church the best. :)

After opening presents on Christmas day, we worked one of the hardest puzzles ever. It was nice to do something like that together. Finally, the day after Christmas my Aunt Rosamary, Uncle Allen as well as my Cousin Monica, her husband Eric, and their son, Zack came to see my brother before his deployment. It was wonderful to see them. Judd and I had not seen them since we moved back from Philadelphia. The picture below is of all the Tull cousins and our significant others. It is so nice to be back in the south and near our family.

Cousins on the Tull side (left to right: Abby Langham, Judd Langham, Monica Snead, Eric Snead, Zachery Snead, Laura Weems, and Bryan Tull)

Beautiful Christmas Music! Enjoy!

A colleague of mine forwarded the Casting Crowns Christmas album link to me this week. It will allow you to continuously play all of the songs on the album for free. It is such beautiful music. I thought it was so great that it needed to be shared. I hope you enjoy it too! MERRY CHRISTMAS! God bless you all! Thank you for being in our lives!

http://www.reunionrecords.com/castingcrowns/preview/

Scripture to Remember

I came across this scripture passage from Philippians the other day. It is something that Judd and I really need to remember.

We are so grateful to have the opportunity to live with my mom and dad while we look for a place of our own in Birmingham. Although, living in a household with 4 other adults has not been easy. This passage is one that we should think of often. We need to stay positive, thus having a positive influence on those around us. I hope the passage below will help you too. :)

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice." Philippians 4:8-9

The House Formerly Known As Rent

Judd's parents have owned the home next door to theirs for years. They rented it to others in the past, but for the last few years it has been vacant. Colby, Judd's younger brother, has decided he wants to fix up the "rent house" and move in to it.

The house needed a lot of work. Colby has begun the renovation process. See the pictures below for some "before" and "under construction" photos. Since Colby has put so much time and effort into it and he will be inhabiting it shortly the house needs a new name. It is no longer the rent house--hence the title of this post. :)

We are so proud of Colby and can't wait to see the finished product!!!!!

I will continue to post pictures as the renovation develops. Check back for updates.

The "rent" house before

The "rent" house in the renovation process