Happy Father's Day!

So I just have to take a second to write a few words about my dad. Today's the one day I can be super-cheesy and sentimental about my daddio. He's always been such a great supporter and encourager to me, and I am so blessed to have him. We can talk about anything, and do. I'm definitely a Daddy's Girl, but I really feel like he just makes me want to be the best version of myself because I've never ever wanted to disappoint him. I don't know how my parents did it, but they raised me in a way that made me really want to make responsible choices (even if I didn't always succeed at that). They gave us enough freedom, and me and my sisters have always respected their opinions on everything. I've always talked to my dad about everything. Everything. When I got married, Brandon became the guy who I tell everything to. But I still talk to my dad almost every day, and I know he'll always be there for me no matter what. He taught me what it meant to love the Lord in a way that made me curious and passionate about my faith. He taught me what it meant to do the very best you can do at everything you can by putting your whole heart into it. He taught me how to ride a bike, read the Bible, do algebra, and drive a car. And most of all, he taught me what to look for in a husband by being such a great Christian leader in our family. He always did his very best to be the closest thing he could be to an earthly example of our Heavenly Father. I feel so blessed. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

We're HOMEOWNERS!

After a CRAZY week, we are finally moving into our new home! We are loving every minute of it. We were so excited to sign all the papers and hand over that check after thinking we weren't going to get the house. We found this house a while ago, and closing was set for Thursday, June 11. Everything went perfect- inspection, survey, foundation assessment, even loan application stuff. We were so excited. But about 10 days before closing, we found out the seller had a lien on the house from the IRS. Ewwwww. So we were just sick, thinking there was probably no way we were going to close by June 11. And we would have been fine with waiting except that our low interest rate was locked, but only through the week. And since we locked in our rate, the interest rates have sky-rocketed (comparatively speaking). The difference in rates would be astonishing. So we just really prepared ourselves to lose it. We went to small group Wednesday night, and all our friends just loved on us and prayed that everything would work out. We were stressed. The seller kept convincing us (and our realtor) that he was somehow going to make it happen because he knew that we might walk away otherwise. Well, he pulled it off. He overnighted the funds, made the phone calls, and then literally took the paperwork all around the city to get the lien released. And all that happened late Thursday afternoon just before our rate expired. We closed first thing on Friday, and everyone was so excited. Our realtor and loan officer were just giddy, assuring us that we got the most amazing deal and that it was a miracle that everything came together at the end.

We closed on the house Friday morning, and spent the weekend moving in, with the help of some AMAZING friends. We had so many friends that came to help- moving boxes and furniture, cleaning out cabinets, lining drawers, you name it. Now comes the fun part when we start making it really feel like home. There's still lots of work to do, but we're so excited to get to work on it. We feel really blessed. AND we now have a guest bedroom so all you out-of-towners can finally come visit! And for all you Dallas friends, grab a paint brush and come over!!!


Living in boxes- it's a work in progress!


Bailey is loving her new house.

Just What We Needed

This past week was perfect. We had the best vacation full of sleep, sun, good food, movies, and wayyy too many laughs. We even did a little crime fighting, but I'll write more on that later. We had quite an adventure after my beach bag was stolen while we were swimming in the ocean. We had the most perfect weather- sunny with a light breeze until it rained a little on Friday when we went shopping. Brandon got to do some fishing which he thoroughly enjoyed. He caught several flounder, sea trout, a big mean crab, and some mackerel- he even took pictures which we no longer have due to the unfortunate events of the week. We took walks on the beach with my family every night, enjoyed just talking and catching up on everything. Of course, I got a little emotional when we had to say goodbye to my family. But I just feel so blessed to have them, even if it is several hours away. I'll post pictures and the full story of our crazy crime-fighting adventure soon.

Florida, Here We Come!

So we're off to Florida for a wonderful week of relaxation with my family. We're driving to Austin tonight and flying from there so that Brandon's sister can keep Bailey for the week. We're excited not to have to worry about the pup for a while. We go to the same place south of Tampa every year, and I love every minute of it. Brandon loves it because there's a mile-long pier out into the ocean that he can fish from while I lay out on the beach. It's so relaxing and fun to be with my family and just enjoy being with them. We just play on the beach, watch movies, eat good food, and catch up on sleep the whole time. Every night we take long walks on the beach and even have crab-finding contests. Oh I can't wait!

Two years ago TODAY (May 29, 2007) was the day that Brandon proposed to me on the beach there. It's a very special place to me. I was dying to be engaged and Brandon had just got his job in Dallas. I had become convinced that it was just never going to happen and we'd never get married, mostly because every member of my family is a mean, dirty liar. But he absolutely blew me away. I was totally shocked. His sweet family even came down to surprise me and stayed for the first couple days. His dad even videoed the whole thing, which is also so surprising that Brandon asked him to do that. I'm just so glad he did, and now you can enjoy it for yourself...



Oh and I finally figured out how to do a collage picture thing for my blog! It's my first, but it'll have to do for now. More updates after our week at the beach!!!

Blog Makeover

So I'm having blogging issues. I'm just not good at this. I see all my friends and their cute little blogs with their creative layouts. Well, I can't figure it out for the life of me. I found this background which I thought was kinda cute, but it just doesn't look like I want it to. I want a really cute picture/name collage thing but I don't get how to do it! Help! How do yall make it so stinkin cute?? Maybe I'll just get Brandon to help me figure out something. But I'd love some advice from some of you experts out there. Ugh.

Jon and Kate

I just can't even handle it. Everyone's talking about how their marriage isn't going to make it. If you've seen the show, it's easy to see that Kate is obviously not the easiest woman to live with. But I can't imagine that her nagging personality just all of a sudden showed up because of having two sets of multiples. I have to think that Jon knew the woman he was marrying- it's clear that she's always been a little controlling. But it must be so difficult to really focus on a marriage when you really only have time to worry about your 8 children. Managing that household must be just about impossible. But they've always seemed to deal with the cameras and, really, ignore the fame to some degree.

I guess all the cameras finally got to them. Stupid paparazzi caught him out at some bar, and the marriage came crashing down. Whether he cheated or not, he has officially apologized for making some stupid decisions and he knows he was wrong. But it seems like Kate might not be able to get past it all. Of course, I can't even imagine how humiliated she must feel. But I just pray that they both somehow find it in themselves to be the one to give in and get determined to make the marriage work. Kate seemed so sad and defeated in this first episode, which is not at all like Kate. And Jon seemed so upset- angry with the paparazzi for ruining his life, but also so sad that he screwed up so bad. I love that they both focused on their kids as their first priority in all this. They both expressed that those kids are of utmost importance to them, so maybe they'll find a way to work out their problems for the kids' sake. Those kids seem so oblivious to it all, even at their birthday party when their parents were obviously avoiding each other. It was so terribly awkward.

I hate that they're having to work through all their problems in front of the whole world. It's just heartbreaking. I just pray that their faith and their kids will help them find a way to get through this. They even renewed their vows to show their children how important that is to them. Watching the season premiere on Monday night was just absolutely heart-wrenching. Kate mentioned how they always thought they'd overcome all those divorce statistics (which are especially bad for parents of multiples), but now she's not sure she can say that anymore. Oh I hope she can find it in her heart to forgive him and work through it. I hope they are willing to give up all the fame and fortune, whatever it takes, to resolve all their issues. I believe they can absolutely make it through this, but it might take some drastic measures to survive it all.

It just shows how delicate marriages are. I'm no expert on marriage, but I know that a relationship has to be focused on and requires constant work to keep it healthy. I feel so blessed to have husband who I know cares about our marriage as much as I do. And I am so grateful for good, open communication. I think all of us should use this as a little reminder to give special attention to the relationships that are important to us. We should constantly be praying for our own marriages and the marriages of those we love. Any number of problems, small or large, can absolutely destroy a happy marriage. Luckily, God is bigger and He will continue to bless us if we look to Him for guidance.

Go Rangers!

We got to go to the Rangers game yesterday with our friends James and Holly who had extra tickets for the big Memorial Day game. In addition to a little sunburn, we had a really good time seeing them again. Unfortunately, the Rangers did not play such a great game. The Yankees killed us 11-1. It was ugly. Very disappointing. But at least we had a fun afternoon with our friends!

In other news, our option period on the house ends tomorrow, so it looks like it's going to happen! I'll give more updates on that with pictures and everything soon. We're just trying to make sure that everything is going to work out. Fingers crossed!

Puppy Party

This week Bailey had the pleasure of having her cousin Baxter stay with us all week while Kim and Philip are on vacation. I've taken them to the Dog Park like every day this week so they can get all of their energy out. They are having a BLAST. Of course, playing hard means being just absolutely exhausted.



They go in rounds- they play like crazy until they both crash or need a water break. So funny. But it was definitely chaotic in this little apartment. Next week, we'll do a little switcheroo so Bailey will stay with them while we're in Florida. I can't WAIT to go to Florida. It's our annual trip with my family, and it's always one of my favorite weeks of the year. It's going to be a perfectly relaxing week, and I am counting down the minutes until we get there. This week we've got a lot of packing and house stuff to be worrying about. I'm so ready to leave on Friday and see my family!!! No work, no dog, no responsibilities. Just laying out, playing around, and maybe a little fishing for Brandon.

This weekend we got to have a lot of fun hanging out with friends from church. Friday night we got slaughtered in softball, but I actually hit a ball further than I have in years. And this weekend Brandon learned to put up sheet rock for the kitchen ceiling while I painted some trim at our friends Jon and Bobbi's new house. There's a lot going on in our lives at the moment, but we're enjoying it all one day at a time. We are so blessed with such wonderful friends and family who are so supportive in this crazy time in life. Hope everyone gets to sleep in tomorrow!!

Sara Craddock, M.S. CF-SLP!!!

Finally, I can officially say that I have my Master's degree in Communication Disorders, and shall henceforth be referred to as Mrs. Sara Craddock, M.S. CF-SLP. Wow. While I really never could have guessed that I would be an alumni of UT Dallas, I am so grateful for my time there. It's been two really great years learning to do what I really love. Leaving ACU was so unsure. Leaving a familiar town with all my friends where Brandon and I had grown so comfortable. Not going to Nashville to be close to family, but moving to Dallas with no friends or knowledge of what life would be like. I was so ready to be engaged (shoutout, Jess) but would be living with family friends I'd never met. And I had no idea what to expect out of Grad school. But things turned out to be better than I ever could have imagined.

UT Dallas was really the perfect place for me. I got to go to classes with the friends I knew from ACU, and we got so much closer. I had such good experiences though, learning how to best help individuals with communication disorders. My first semester, I adored the little toddler who I motivated to communicate with me. I also worked in a public school and in a private practice with supervisors who were such great mentors. Some of the best experiences were at Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation and a swallowing clinic last semester, where I learned how to work with adults and with babies who had trouble swallowing. My very favorite was my internship at the hospital. I had great supervisors who gave me enough responsibility to really help some patients. I realized very quickly that it was my passion, and I'm so excited about my upcoming job where I will work to patients with similar needs. It's weird to think that I'm done with school forever. Something like 20 years of schooling and it's finally over. I'm so excited that I'll never ever ever have to take a test or write a paper again. I am so lucky to have had such great teachers and experiences in my life. But I finally feel like an adult, even though I know the new job will take some getting used to.

My sister, Jessi's graduation from nursing school was on Friday. I was sad I didn't get to be there to see her graduate. My dad just barely got to make it to Dallas on Friday night in time to see me graduate early Saturday morning. I was so glad he came. My parents have always been such advocates for a good education, and I'm so lucky that I'll get to work doing something I'm passionate about. Here are som pictures from this weekend...


See, there I am!


Walking across the stage!!


How I survived Grad School: Brianne, Cortney, and Becca.


My wonderful hubby. Look at that smile-- he's a little excited to about to have a second income in the family :)


My sweet Dad- Thanks for coming all the way to Dallas!


The GORGEOUS flowers Brandon's parents sent me. So pretty!

Of course it rained all weekend. But I guess that's good luck for me. It rained at ACU graduation and the morning of our wedding, so it just somehow felt right. But maybe it'll get sunny this week. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Almost there...

Whoa, only 3 Days until I graduate!!!

This Saturday I'm going to GRADUATE!!!! I can't believe this time is finally here. Hallelujah!!
All of my SLP friends at ACU graduated this past Saturday. I can't believe it's the end of such a big chapter in our lives. Congratulations girls!!!

Last night I went out with the girls (Cortney, Becca, and Brianne) for our big graduation celebration dinner. I just feel so blessed to have had them with me these past two years. We've gotten so close, and I can't believe it's now about time to go out into the real world!!! Becca actually just got engaged, so she has a wedding to be planning this summer. So exciting! Here's a picture of the four of us the night she got engaged and another one we took last night when we all went to dinner.



Love you girls!!!



So last Friday we had a big 'Check Out Meeting' for those of us graduating to get started on our licensing paperwork. I never knew there was such a mess of paperwork to do. And then I'll have to fill out more forms after my CFY and then renew everything every year. Whoa. But I know it's going to be worth it. Soon I'll be a licensed CFY/SLP and then in 9 short months I'll be an actual licensed Speech Pathologist with my C's (Certificate of Clinical Competence) and I'll sign my name with M.S. CCC/SLP at the end. I'm pretty excited.

On Saturday, Brandon and I spent the day doing some house hunting. We've been thinking about it for a long time, and we've decided to buy if we can get into something we love. Which actually we did...So we might actually be purchasing our first home. But more on all that soon.

Until then, I'm pretty addicted to HGTV while Brandon is pretty addicted to thinking about house stuff. And we're soaking up these possible last days of apartment living- no yardwork, no surprises, no storage, no long commute, and no cabinet space. Homebuying- yikes.