livin' on love

Book Club Friday 1.27.12

2012-01-27T14:40:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! I'm linking up again this week with Book Club Friday.

This week I'm reviewing Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them both legions of faithful fans.

Lauren reviewed this book on her blog and she loved it, so I decided to check it out. [Lauren introduced me and Lee to The Hunger Games, so yeah, I trust her judgment!]

I loved this book! It was really easy to read [I started reading it on Friday and finished it on Sunday] and I thought it had such a good message about all relationships: romantic, friendship, family, pretty much everything. It's funny and a little sad at times, and I felt like part of me could identify with all the main characters.

I'll definitely be looking for more books by these authors.

Oh, How Pinteresting

2012-01-25T18:59:00.000-08:00

I've really been trying to cut back on my time on pinterest. But I check it a lot looking for ideas for school and it sucks me in every. single. time! I keep finding things to add to my to-do list even though I don't have time for what's already on the list!

Here's what I've been wasting my time with this week:

It's funny because it's true

via

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies...I'm gonna have to make these really soon...definitely won't help with the 10-pound Challenge...

via

I really want to do this to the mirrors in our bathrooms

via

White queso dip

via

And an outfit...I'm just gonna have to find that top for a good bit cheaper!

via

10-pound Challenge Week 1

2012-01-23T14:48:00.000-08:00

I didn't start off the 10-pound challenge as strong as I hoped I would. I didn't lose any weight...but I didn't gain any either.

I did exercise 5 days this week, so that was good. Wednesday and Friday were my off days because I wasn't feeling too great. I mainly did the 30-Day Shred and a little jogging. It was cold and rainy most of the week so it was hard to get motivated to get outside and jog.

I didn't do as well with my eating. My friend moved to Nashville this weekend, so she came over Monday night to hang out for a little while and we decided to go get ice cream. Horrible decision, I know, but ice cream is kind of our thing. We just had to go one last time! I felt like I spent the rest of the week making up for that decision. I drank two Diet Cokes two days this week, but every other day I just drank one. I'm really working on that. But I did drink at least six glasses of water every day :)

I definitely didn't do as well as I had hoped, but it wasn't a TERRIBLE start. I know what mistakes I made and what I need to correct this week.

My goals for this week are to continue drinking six glasses of water a day, only ONE Diet Coke a day, exercise five days again, and to eat fruit with my sandwich at lunch instead of Chex Mix [I do love my Chex Mix though!]

Sleep Talkers

2012-01-22T09:35:00.000-08:00

Lee and I both tend to talk in our sleep. We say some pretty hilarious things [they're hilarious to me anyway], so I thought I'd start documenting them.

Last night Lee fell asleep on the couch while I was reading. I told him I was going to sleep after I finished the chapter I was reading.

After I finished the chapter, I said I was going to bed. He said [asleep on the couch, mind you] that he was going to finish his chapter then go to bed. I just accepted that and he fell back asleep. I was starting to get up to go to bed, then, out of his slumber, Lee starts the following conversation:

Lee: About a million dollars a day.
Me: A million dollars a day? For what?
Lee: Just driving around.
Me: I'd drive around all day for a million dollars!
Lee: Just...transport.
Me: Well do you get to listen to the radio or anything while you're driving around?
Lee: Sometimes. Not when it's just me and you.
Then he woke up with a really confused look on his face

Anybody else have crazy conversations when you're sleeping?

Gun Powder and Lead

2012-01-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

Remember this conversation?

Well, we did something about that this weekend.

A new shooting range opened pretty close to our house recently and Lee went with his work last week as a team building activity, and he had a really good time.

Saturday morning Lee suggested that we head over the shooting range. I've been wanting to learn to use a gun for a while now so I agreed. After we decided to go he started talking about buying one instead of just renting one. We had been discussing it for a while, so we decided to go ahead and do it. So off we went to Academy to get ourselves a pistol. We are now the proud new owners of a 9mm.

After we got the gun we went over to the range so I could learn to use it. Since I had never been to a shooting range I didn't know what to expect. They had all sorts of different targets you could buy. Lee got us a zombie Hitler target. Of course we were shooting zombies!

Some of these bullet holes were from me! See the one right in the middle of his hat? Here's a closer look:

See the little one? That was my shot. I was pretty proud! But most of mine didn't really hit very close to the target. I was just trying to hit the paper at all!

So now I know how to use a gun, and I feel a little better about being here without Lee when he's out of town. And in the event that our home ever gets broken into again [or the zombie apocalypse], I'll have a better plan than a frying pan.

I feel like I should mention that we understand the seriousness of owning a gun. This is not a toy to us.

10-pound Challenge Day 1

2012-01-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

Today I started the 10-pound Challenge!

I'm not gonna lie, I was not happy when I weighed myself this morning. I was several pounds heavier than what I thought. But at the same time, I'm excited about the challenge. I want to lose one pound a week--that's all! That's so doable. I'm planning on making small, gradual changes in my diet, and get back to exercising consistently.

I should be able to do pretty well on my diet this week since I've started back to school and packing my lunch every day. I'll be taking a sandwich [on 100-calorie sandwich thins--those things are delicious!] and fruit for lunch every day. My main diet goal for this week is to drink at least six glasses of water every day, and only one diet coke a day. I'll allow myself to have one Dr. Pepper or Mr. Pibb a week because I love them and there's no way I'm giving them up completely!

I want to work out for at least 30 minutes five days this week. I already exercised yesterday and today so I'm off to a pretty good start! I started jogging again yesterday and I'm definitely going to have to work my way back up to where I was over the summer, but I'll get there. I've been doing the 30-Day Shred again to try to tone up.

I'll be weighing in and posting updates every Monday!

Last Semester

2012-01-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first day of my LAST semester of grad school! I swore after graduating college that I was done forever, but alas, here I am. I really am done this time!

We had workshops yesterday and today to prepare us for our student teaching and everything we will experience this semester. I thought it would be boring, but it really wasn't. We had some interesting speakers and the days went by really fast. I think this semester is going to fly by!

When we got there yesterday we found out where our placements are, and I got one pretty close to the house! I am so excited that I'll only have a 25-30 minute drive every day instead of the 45-minute one I had last semester! I won't have to leave the house until after 7 every morning! I'll be in a 5th grade classroom then 2nd grade for the second half of the semester.

After our workshop today we met the teachers we'll be working with this semester. I met the teacher I'll be with the second half of the semester really briefly, so I don't really know much about her yet, but the teacher I'll be with the first half of the semester seems so nice!! She seemed to really love her jobs and the kids in her class. I was a little nervous about 5th grade, but she made me feel so much better! I'm so excited!

Tomorrow's my first day out there and I can't wait to get started!

Drown 'em, Tide!

2012-01-10T08:11:00.000-08:00

Last night Alabama played LSU in the BCS National Championship Game. We had played LSU back in November and lost in overtime 9-6. It was heartbreaking, but one of the best defensive games I've ever seen.

When I found out Alabama was going to get the chance to face LSU again in the National Championship I just had a feeling we were going to win. I wasn't nervous all day, which is weird because I usually get nervous for regular season games, but I was pretty calm yesterday. I just felt good about it.

Once again, this was a defensive game. We attempted seven field goals [and made five], and I was having flashbacks of that game in November. We were leading 15-0 in the fourth quarter and feeling pretty good about the win, when Trent Richardson broke a run for a touchdown! I LOVE Trent Richardson and I'm so glad he got to put the ball in the endzone for us.

This guy here had a pretty good game too! Courtney Upshaw from my hometown of Eufaula, Alabama played like a beast and won the Defensive MVP award! So proud of the hometown boy! Can't wait to cheer for him on Sundays :)

I'm so proud for The University of Alabama and the city of Tuscaloosa. It's so nice to have something to lift everyone's spirits after the long few months we've had since April.

Roll Tide Roll!

Photos via al.com

10-pound Challenge

2012-01-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

So...I gained some weight over the holidays.

Not as much as I have in the past, but still.

Now I want to lose that holiday weight and a few more pounds, so I was really excited to see that Erika at Newlyweds on a Budget was hosting a 10-pound Challenge! If I lose 10 pounds in 12 weeks I'll be entered to win a prize! Ten pounds in 12 weeks is a realistic goal, and why not try to win a prize if I want to lose weight anyway?

The contest will officially begin on January 16, and I'll be posting updates every week or so. Maybe I'll do some before and after pictures too. Not sure about that one, but maybe.

If you're wanting to lose some weight you should sign up too! Let me know if you do and we can help keep each other accountable!

Book Club Friday!

2012-01-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

I've actually had time to read since I've had a break from school for the past few weeks, so I'm linking up this week for Book Club Friday!

This week I'm sharing The Midwife's Confession by Diane Chamberlain.

Here's the summary from Goodreads:
Dear Anna,
What I have to tell you is difficult to write, but I know it will be far more difficult for you to hear, and I'm so sorry…

The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind their close friend Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle—her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her friends and family—described a woman who embraced life.Yet there was so much they didn't know.

With the discovery of the letter and its heartbreaking secret, Noelle's friends begin to uncover the truth about this complex woman who touched each of their lives—and the life of a desperate stranger—with love and betrayal, compassion and deceit.

I picked this book because I read The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain over the summer and I LOVED it, and this one had pretty good reviews on Goodreads. I liked this one, but I didn't love it. I kinda had it all figured out about halfway through, so that disappointed me a little. I always have guesses of what's going on when I read books like this, but usually I'm wrong and there's something I never saw coming at the end, but I was right with my guess about this one.

Maybe I should be proud of myself instead of disappointed?

Overall, it was a good book and I'll keep reading other books by her.

I set a goal for myself to read 50 books this year, so we'll see how that works out! I'm on my second book of the year, so I'm on track right now!

Lee watches too many zombie movies

2012-01-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

For whatever reason, Lee loves zombie movies. And zombie TV shows. I don't do well with blood, so I try not to watch them too much. But my husband loves them.

We have conversations about the zombie apocalypse all the time. [And the robot uprising, but that's neither here nor there.] He'll ask me all the time, "If I were a zombie would you shoot me?" Most of the time I tell him I don't know and his response is something like this: "It's not something to think about! You WILL shoot me!"

I told you that to tell you about this conversation we had the other night:

We were driving down the road and Lee tells me he wants to get an ax, "not that we necessarily need one, but just in case..."

...I'm thinking at this point that he's going to say in case he needs to chop something...

"...but just in case of the zombie apocalypse. I was thinking today that we don't have enough zombie weapons in the house. We don't have an ax, we don't have enough bats, we don't have a gun."

...I was clearly off...

He was so serious about it!

I guess we need to get prepared for the zombie apocalypse!

New Year's Weekend

2012-01-02T14:14:00.000-08:00

2011 ended on a high note and 2012 isn't starting off too bad either!

Friday night we went to a Japanese steakhouse with a couple of our friends and then we went to see The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I haven't read the books and I had no idea what the movie was going to be about, but I LOVED it! I'm not gonna lie, I was confused for about the first half of the movie, but I thought it ended up being really good :) One of the friends we went with has read all the books and she suggested watching the first movie then reading the second two books, so I may do that.

Saturday we just hung out for a while. Lee brewed some beer and I did a little shopping. That night we went over to some friends' house to watch the Auburn game and celebrate the new year. I didn't want to take my big camera so these are some that one of my friends took:

Me and Lee, obviously

This one cracks me up...they are being so silly and I look like I'm trying to get away from them! Look at my earrings, I must have been moving fast!

New Year's Day was one of the laziest days I've had in a long time, and it was AWESOME! We slept really really late then just hung out on the couch watching movies and TV and reading all day. We watched The Help because I got it for Christmas and Lee hadn't seen it yet [it was just as awesome this time as it was the previous two times I had seen it!] and Star Wars. In my 27 years on this Earth, I had never seen Star Wars. Shameful, I know. But now I've seen it and...well, I didn't hate it.

I think the dogs enjoyed the lazy day, too!

It's been a great start to 2012! I've got a really good feeling about this year!

Peace out, 2011

2011-12-30T09:55:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's almost 2012. I can't believe how fast 2011 has gone. It was an eventful year with Lee and me in school, the awful tornadoes in April, my awesome job over the summer, and spending time with our families over the holidays.

It has definitely had its ups and downs, and I'm excited about a new year!

There are lots of things I hope to do in 2012:

Get a JOB! A teaching job preferably, since that's why I've been in school for the past year and a half!
Get new bedroom furniture. The stuff we have now is a mixture of the stuff Lee and I had in college. It's all pretty nice furniture, but it doesn't really go together at all. We've been married for almost four years, so I think it's about time we got some grown-up bedroom furniture.
Run a 5k. I had planned to do that this year, but time just got away from me. I'm going to start running again today, so hopefully I can run one soon!
Make some stuff on my Silhouette Cameo Lee got me for my birthday! I've had it since October and I [shamefully] haven't even taken it out of the box :( I can't wait to learn to use it, and hopefully I can play with it before I start back to school in January.

I have a few New Year's Resolutions, but they're the boring ones people make all the time like work out more and stick to a budget, so I'm not really going to talk about those!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-29T07:46:00.000-08:00

Christmas was BUSY this year!

We got back from the ski trip around 4:30 on the 22nd, then we unloaded the car and went to pick up the dogs from Lee's mom's house [a little over an hour away]. We went to dinner with his mom and sat around and talked for a little while and got back home around 10:30. We were EXHAUSTED when we got home so we went straight to bed.

The next morning we got up and finished up a little bit of shopping. I got to Target around 8:30 and I was so glad I went pretty early because there was hardly anybody there. Lee and I ate a late breakfast at Panera [their cinnamon crunch bagels are amazing] then came home and did our Christmas together. He did really good this year [as usual]! He got me an Erin Condren planner, a new camera, a zebra hat for skiing, The Help movie, season 2 of Modern Family, and a couple of other little things that I had wanted :) I got him some new gloves for skiing [I gave him those early so he could use them on the trip], a new keyboard for his computer, a burger press to make stuffed hamburgers, and some other little things. It was a good Christmas :)

New hat :)

My parents came to town on the 23rd, so after we opened presents we spent the rest of the day cleaning and wrapping presents. I didn't wrap one single present before we went skiing, so we had A LOT to do! Lee helped a lot. When my parents got here we used Lee's new burger press to make hamburgers and just hung our for the rest of the night.

On Christmas Eve morning we went to Lee's dad's house for brunch and to open presents with them.

Lee's dad and stepmom with my parents

Me and Lee

Me and my folks

After we got back from there we went to my sister's house to spend the night. We did presents with my family that night then watched my nephew open his presents on Christmas morning.

Riley with his Nana

In his new truck

Me and the hubs

This one cracks me up...Riley wanted his mommy!

Seesters

We left my sister's house around 11 on Christmas morning and headed over to Lee's grandmother's house to do Christmas with his mom's side of the family. We had an awesome lunch and opened presents over there. We stayed there until late that afternoon then went to his mom's house to open presents with her. I made her a wreath I saw on Pinterest and I was so excited to give it to her!

Lee's roommate from college was in town for Christmas so later that night we got to hang out with him. We had not seen him since last Christmas and it was SO good to see him!

We went to lunch with Lee's mom the next day then came back home. I've spent the last few days trying to get this house back in some sort of order! Hopefully we can start the new year with a clean, organized house!

2011 Ski Trip

2011-12-28T17:30:00.000-08:00

We went on our ski trip the week before Christmas this year. Lee's brother's girlfriend graduated from Alabama on the 17th, and we headed to West Virginia on the 18th. We drove most of the way that day and stayed at a hotel about an hour away. We got up early on the 19th and drove the rest of the way up the mountain.

It hasn't been very cold this year, so there wasn't much snow and a lot of the trails weren't open. I think all the blacks were closed, but that obviously didn't bother me, seeing as how last year was the first year I got off the bunny slope :)

My ski buddies for most of the trip

I think Lee was disappointed that the "good" trails were closed, but he decided since he couldn't ski those he was going to whip me into shape this year. [His words] I guess he did a pretty good job because this year I learned to buckle my boots all by myself AND I skied a blue trail! Two of them actually!

After I skied my first blue...I was so excited

We got two and a half good days of skiing in before it started raining on our last afternoon.

This is how foggy it was that day

We went night skiing our second night and that was a lot of fun! I didn't get any pictures of that, though :(

Lee said this was the first year he had actually had fun skiing with me. That sounds mean when I type it out, but he just meant that every other year when he's skied with me he had to stay on the greens and go really slow. [I did ski with his parents and stepbrothers on those trips though, so he could ski the "fun stuff" with his brother!] This year he still had to go pretty slow, he just got to go pretty slow on some blue trails too :) I can't wait to go again!

I'm back...for real this time...

2011-12-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

Well...

I keep saying I have a blog so I can have memories of everything that's going on in my life, but then everything that's going on keeps me so busy I don't make time to blog about it.

That's going to change.

Now.

I got a new camera for Christmas so hopefully that will encourage me to take more pictures. [Not surprisingly] I had been bad about that too. Now I just have to learn how to use it :)

Here's a picture taken with the new camera on Christmas Day:

Well hey there

2011-10-30T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's been just about forever since I've blogged. The whole reason I started a blog was so I would be able to look back one day and remember everything that was going on in my life. The problem is, here lately there's been SO MUCH going on that I haven't had time to blog about it. But I'm going to get better. I'm gonna try to set aside a little bit of time every week to document what's been going on.

School is really tough this semester. Our teachers told us that this semester would be a little better than last semester, but that was inaccurate. It's been way more demanding. But I've only got a few weeks left, so I just have to power through. Then I'll be student teaching next semester :) Lee stays really busy with school too. He has class two nights a week until 10:00, so we haven't seen much of each other this semester. It'll all be worth it in the end, though.

We've had lots of birthdays and other family celebrations to keep us busy pretty much every weekend. Plus it's football season so my Saturdays are all pretty much accounted for. Roll Tide.

Due to the above [and being sick off and on all semester], I have hardly worked out AT ALL this semester. That's about to change. I may not work out for a long time, but I WILL work out at least four days a week. I have the Zumba DVDs and there's a 20-minute workout on there. I can do that.

Yeah...come on Carly...

via

In other news, I got an iphone the other day, and I'm already obsessed with instagram! Here are a couple of pictures I took of our babies:

Spoiled thang

He's pretty ferocious, huh? [He was yawning!]

This is Alabama Football

2011-08-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up with Lindsey today for her football link-up! You know I can't pass up a chance to talk about my beloved Crimson Tide :)

{2007 Spring Game...Nick Saban's debut}

I am counting down the days until football season! I'm just now starting to get into professional football, but I have always loved Alabama football. I was born a Bama fan. My older brother and sister both went to Alabama. My life plans were as follows: Graduate high school. Go to The University of Alabama.

{2007 season...Nick Saban's first game with Bama}

So that's what I did. In August of 2002 Sunny [my twin sister] and I packed up and made the move to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. First order of business at orientation: buying football tickets! [Seriously. That's the first thing I remember doing.]

{With Sunny and some of our friends before a 2005 game}

I called myself an Alabama fan up until that point, but my love for Alabama football was nothing then compared to what it is now. I have a confession: I grew up watching Alabama football every week [or listening on the radio if the game wasn't on TV] but I didn't understand the game until I was in 8th grade. I remember watching a game on TV and saying, "Ohhh...I get it!" and then I just understood. We never missed a game on TV, but we didn't get to go to that many games in Tuscaloosa. There's just something about being there that made me absolutely fall in love. Hearing Bear Bryant over the speaker, watching the hype video, hearing "THIS IS ALABAMA FOOTBALL!" Gives me chills!

{2005}

I was in school for the 2002-2006 football seasons. Not good years for the Tide. Three different coaches left or were fired during that time. One never even coached a real game! We didn't beat Auburn a single time during those years. [If you don't know, the Alabama/Auburn rivalry is HUGE around here. We talk about that game all year. You're one or the other. You're not a fan of both.] A few weeks after I graduated, we hired our current coach, Nick Saban. He came in and turned the program around.

{After the 2009 SEC Championship Game}

We went undefeated and won the National Championship in 2010. Lee and I weren't able to go to that game, but we did get to go to the SEC Championship that year. You can read about that here.

As bad as it hurt for Auburn to win the National Championship last year, it's pretty awesome that the state of Alabama had back to back National Champions. I'm just hoping we can bring that championship back to Tuscaloosa after this season!

I've been through some really good seasons and some really bad seasons, and one thing that has never changed is my love for the Alabama Crimson Tide :)

The Budget

2011-08-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Lee and I have been on a budget pretty much since we got married. We never did Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University or anything like that, but we did read one of his books. I like a lot of things he says, but there are some things that I don't necessarily agree with. Like credit cards. He doesn't think you should use them at all, but we put EVERYTHING on our credit card. We get points for the dollars spent and then we get gift cards with those points. I can see how some people might get in trouble with credit cards, but we make sure we have the money before we buy anything and we pay off our card every month.

Anyway, since I've been back in school we've been pretty strict on our budget since we're doing without the money I was making. We've been following the budget just to get by without going into even more debt than my student loans are going to bring. I knew the student loan debt would be a lot, but I was talking to my mom the other day and realized it was going to be a WHOLE lot. I really already knew that, but I had been trying to not think about it too much.

I was a little depressed for a little while, but now I've decided it's a good thing because it's got me really motivated to really stick to the budget and cut back where we can. I really want to figure out how we can cut back in ALL the areas of our budget.

I'm going to start setting a few goals at the beginning of every month and then report back on how we did. I'm also going to start writing about any really good deals I find or other ways I've found to save/earn money.

August goals:

Keep our grocery budget below $250 (I mean really, there are only two of us, shouldn't be too hard
Pay at least $50 extra on the car payment
Get back into couponing (I had been doing pretty well...not extreme by any means, but I was definitely saving money...and then I just kinda quit)

That's it for the August goals...I figured I'd keep it pretty simple since this is the first month I'm doing this :)

Seven Years Ago Today...

2011-08-02T08:33:00.001-07:00

...I was moving into my crappy apartment on the third floor of Preston Place

...I was excited to be living with my sister and best friend

...It was ridiculously hot [kinda like it is today]

...The air conditioner in the apartment wasn't working

...I met the boy that would become my husband ♥

This is one of the oldest pictures of us I could find this morning...I think this was our first Christmas together

I love you, Lee!

Finished

2011-07-29T08:39:00.000-07:00

I am finally finished with my summer class! I had a paper due at midnight tonight but I went ahead and finished it yesterday! It was so hard to get motivated, but we're having a family party at our house tomorrow so I need to spend all day today cleaning up. It's such a relief to be finished! The class wasn't that bad, and I really like the teacher, but it's nice to have a few weeks without that hanging over my head :)

So now my plans for the rest of the summer are to finally finish Harry Potter [I'm about halfway through the last book and I should finish this weekend] and read as many other books as I can before school starts back. I'm taking the Praxis in a few weeks so I'll study for that too, but that shouldn't be too bad.

I'm really going to try to take a lot of pictures at the party tomorrow night and post those next week!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2011-07-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! I'm linking up with The Vintage Apple this week for Oh, How Pinteresting! These are some of my favorite quotes I've found on Pinterest recently. I posted some of my other favorites here.

Source: tumblr.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: wherewomencreate.typepad.com via Sarah Marie on Pinterest

Source: makemestfu.net via Kristin on Pinterest

Source: ilovecharola.tumblr.com via Carly on Pinterest

Ruth's Chris

2011-07-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law's birthday was Thursday [the big 5-0!], so to celebrate, HE took US to Ruth's Chris last night! Pretty sweet! We went there for his birthday last year, and I am loving this birthday tradition! There were a lot of us, so we got our own little room :)

Clyde with all his kids [the light was really bad but this is the best pic I got]

Me and Lee, happy after eating our delicious steak

I always get the same thing when we go: the ribeye. It never disappoints. I could only eat about half of it though, so Lee had the rest of it for lunch today :) And their sweet potatoes are AMAZING!

Happy Birthday, Clyde!

Book Club Friday: Children's Book

2011-07-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! Since I'm working my way through the Harry Potter books right now and those really don't need a review, I wanted to post about one of my favorite children's books:

You Are Special by Max Lucado

Have you read this book? It is so sweet! The message is basically that you are special and important to God no matter what others think about you.

My Children's Literature teacher read it to our class last semester and I teared up in class. It's such a sweet, important message.

I bought this book the other day as part of a two-year-old's birthday present. I don't think it's ever to early to start letting him know how special he is :)

It's a children's book but I think I'm going to have to get a copy for myself!

HIMYM Wisdom

2011-07-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Today I've got another piece of wisdom from How I Met Your Mother. If you're not watching this show, please do. It comes on lifetime and the CW all. the. time. And I think another channel too, but I can't remember which one. I'm not even watching them when they air the first time...Lee is really weird about watching TV shows in order, but anyway...

This quote is from "Happily Ever After" from Season 4.
Kids, you may think your only choices are to swallow your anger or throw it in someone's face, but there's a third option: You can just let it go, and only when you do that is it really gone and you can move forward.

That really stuck with me. Just let it go. People are gonna do things all the time to upset you or make you mad, and sometimes it might actually be best to go with one of the first two options. But sometimes you just need to let it go.

Just let it go and move on.

What I'm Loving

2011-07-06T09:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! I'm linking up with Jamie again this week for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving that I got to see my old roommate/best friend on the Fourth of July!

{This is us at her bachelorette party back in 2007}

Life has been crazy for us over the past year or so...especially for her, she's been dealing with a lot...and we haven't gotten to see each other much. I was so happy to get to see her Monday. She had a baby in January and I got to meet him too! It was such a good time. I think things are starting to slow down now so hopefully we can see each other more!

I'm loving that I'm finally reading the Harry Potter books. I know I'm so far behind on this, but what are you gonna do? I finished the third one this morning and it was SO GOOD. I liked the first two okay, but I LOVED the third one. I'll be starting the fourth one this afternoon :)

Speaking of books, I'm loving that I won a First Reads giveaway on Goodreads this morning! I never win giveaways! I just set up my account this weekend and I'm still trying to figure out what I'm doing, but I think once I get it figured out I'll really like it! If you're on Goodreads you can find me here. I'm always looking for new books to read!

I'm loving Pretty Little Liars!
I didn't watch when it first came on, so I missed the first several episodes of the very first season, but now I'm hooked. I never miss it.

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July!

{via}

We had lots of fireworks in our neighborhood last night! The people about two houses down from us set off a lot. It was really pretty but Ellie was scared to death! I thought her little heart might explode! She couldn't get close enough to me and Lee. She's always liked to be held, but she's never wanted to be held like this before:

I don't think she's a fan of the holiday!

Three-Dollar Date Night

2011-07-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

Lee and I had a fun, cheap date night last night! We've pretty much already spent all of "fun" money we had budgeted for July so we have to be pretty frugal this month.

We made sandwiches and headed out to the park for a little picnic. That part was kind of a fail, though, because there were SO MANY flies! I had to scarf down my sandwich so the flies wouldn't land on it! This was our company while we were eating:
After we finished eating we walked around the lake for a little while. These little ducks were just walking across the street like it was nothing! I thought it was funny!
After we left the park we went to Target and got a couple of popcorns, then came home and watched a movie that we got from Redbox. [We watched No Strings Attached...I wasn't that impressed]

So we paid about $2 for the popcorn and $1 for the movie. Plus we got a thing for a free Redbox rental next time! Pretty fun little cheap date night :)

Book Club Friday!

2011-07-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Happy July! I'm linking up again this week for Book Club Friday!

This week I finished Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella.
I was at the library looking for something light and fun to read while I was working at the pool, and this one looked cute.

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads:
When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident—in a Mercedes no less—Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed.

Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all.

Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?

With the same wicked humor and delicious charm that have won her millions of devoted fans, Sophie Kinsella, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Shopaholic & Baby, returns with an irresistible new novel and a fresh new heroine who finds herself in a life-changing and utterly hilarious predicament…

I never really got in to the Shopaholic books, so I didn't know if I'd like this one or not. It was pretty cute, though. It won't be topping my favorite books list or anything, but I did enjoy it. It was definitely a good "sit by the pool and relax" kinda book :)

Now I'm trying to get through all the Harry Potter books...I want to read them all and then go see the last movie in the theater. I realize it comes out in two weeks, but Lee challenged me and I obviously accepted. I'm on the second book now and plan to have at least the third one finished by the end of the weekend!

This Summer I Will...

2011-06-27T06:49:00.000-07:00

...read Harry Potter...all of them...I know I'm horribly late getting on that bandwagon, but whatever. I've read the first one before, but it was a long time ago, so I'm going to read it again. I'm starting them tonight.

...lose 10 pounds...4 down, 6 to go

...cook a lot, and freeze a lot of meals for us. That way when I go back to school in the fall I can just pop something in the oven when I get home at night instead of eating sandwiches or Zaxby's every day

...get a good tan...which should be easy since my job is to sit at the pool

...run a 5k...I started the Couch to 5k [again] back in January, so obviously I should have finished it a long time ago, but with everything that happened in the spring semester I got a little behind. I kept at it though, and I'm about to start the final week! I've found a few 5k's pretty close to my house so now I just have to decide which one to do!

What are your plans for the summer?

Word

2011-06-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

I love Pinterest. I could spend hours on there every day just browsing. One of my favorite things to do is look at the prints to find quotes that I like. I put my favorites on a board called "Word." Here are some of my favorites from that board:

{Just Be Nice}

{The only person you can control is yourself}

{We all have flaws, but we all have awesome parts too}

{I need to remind myself of this when I get in one of my irrational moods}

{This is one of my all-time favorites}

{To me, ice cream=happiness}

Let me know if you want an invite to Pinterest!

What I'm Loving

2011-06-22T06:21:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up with Jamie again today for another What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving that Lee put a new wireless card in my computer last night! It had been messed up for a while, and the other day my wireless quit working all together. It was really frustrating, but it's all better now :) Lee had to pretty much take the computer apart to put in the new card, but he got it back together with just one screw left inside!

I'm loving that I got to go to Bama Rising last week!
It was amazing and it raised $2.2 million for tornado relief! You can read more about it here.

I'm loving that I finally got around to organizing my closet yesterday. I got a bunch of clear plastic shoe boxes from The Container Store a couple of weeks ago and I finally got them all arranged. I feel so much better now that it's done. Now let's just see if I can keep it clean!

I'm loving that Lee got a welcome basket the other day from his new job!
Isn't that adorable? And so thoughtful! It had chips, crackers, peanuts, candy, all kinds of stuff! He seems really happy at the new job so far :)

I'm loving that I'm going to see Miranda Lambert in concert next month! I just adore her!

Lastly, I'm loving that my cousin Lauren has started a new book review blog, Lauren Gets Literal. It just launched this week. You should go check it out; I know it's going to be awesome! [Lauren introduced me and Lee to The Hunger Games books, which certainly didn't disappoint!]

Bama Rising

2011-06-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

Bama Rising was held last Tuesday night at the BJCC in Birmingham. Tickets sold out in about 15 minutes the day they went on sale, so I was so excited that I was able to get tickets. I went with...

Sunny...

my friend Cally...

and my friend Erica.

None of the husbands were too interested in going, so we had a girls night. I haven't been to THAT many concerts in my life, but this was hands down the best concert I have ever attended! There were so many good people there: Alabama, Sara Evans, Dierks Bentley, The Commodores, Martina McBride, Alabama boys Bo Bice and Taylor Hicks [remember them from American Idol?], Darius Rucker, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Sheryl Crow...I think there were like 20 people/groups there to perform!

It started at 7:30, and we didn't get back out to the car until almost 1:30 in the morning, but it was so worth it. Our seats were pretty good, but they were a little bit far from the stage so it's pretty hard to tell who's who in all my pictures. This one is from the end of the concert when everybody who was still there [or awake maybe?] came back out and sang "My Home's in Alabama." Definitely shed a tear or two during this one.
I'm so glad I got the chance to go to this concert. All of the performers came for free, which made me like them more than I already did [and I already liked them a lot!], and Bama Rising made about $2.2 million for tornado relief. It was such a good time, and something I'll never forget!

Book Club Friday!

2011-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when I ran across Book Club Friday last week! I want to read as much as I possibly can before I go back to school in the fall, so I'm always looking for suggestions! I thought I'd link up this week to share about my new favorite book, The Help!
*This is my first time linking up, so I'm sorry if this one's already been done a lot!*

I mentioned it briefly in this post, but I wanted to give a little more detail today.

I had heard so many people talk about how good this book is for a long time before I got a chance to read it. NPR compared the book to To Kill a Mockingbird, which is another book I LOVE. I've been wanting to read it since probably February, but I was really busy with school this past semester, and the only books I had a chance to read were for school [most of them were actually pretty good, but sometimes you just want to read a book of your own choosing, ya know?] so as soon as the semester was over I went and bought this book.

The book is kinda long, but I read it in about a day. I couldn't put it down! I remember telling Lee when I was almost finished that I didn't want it to end. Here's the synopsis from Kathryn Stockett's website:
Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

This is absolutely my new favorite book. I don't normally read books more than once, but I definitely think this is one I'll read over and over. Oh, and the movie's coming out in a few months and I can't wait!

What I'm Loving 5.25.11

2011-05-25T06:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Wednesday! I'm linking up with Jamie again this week for What I'm Loving Wednesday!
I'm loving The Hunger Games books. Thanks to Lauren, I'm hooked on them now! I finished Catching Fire last night and I'm planning on starting Mockingjay today. They're a lot different from what I normally read, but I've been trying to branch out, and these are so good!

I'm loving I Heart Publix and Southern Savers. I think I've mentioned them before, but they are helping me save so much money at the grocery store! Last week I spent $19 for about $60 worth of groceries. Definitely not extreme couponing, but it's helping a lot!

I'm loving that I get to see my whole side of the family this weekend for my dad's birthday! Lee and I only get to stay for one night since I start my new job over the weekend, but I'm glad we get to see everybody even for a little while. My nieces and nephews are all just growing up so fast! I'm REALLY going to try to get some pictures!

I'm loving Pinterest. I finally got an invite a few days ago, and I'm loving it more every day. There's so much to look at and so many ideas! I spent most of my time yesterday looking at different recipes and here are a couple I think I want to make:

{Pork Loin}

{Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars}

Do you have a Pinterest account? I'll be happy to send an invite if you want/need one!

Frozen

2011-05-23T13:28:00.000-07:00

Our refrigerator keeps stuff cold. REALLY cold. We bought some strawberries last Monday night and when we ate them Tuesday night they were pretty much frozen. We can't keep lettuce for very long because it freezes in the fridge. Here's what I found yesterday when I went to get a Diet Coke:
The picture doesn't really show how swollen the can was, but if you look at the top and bottom of the can you'll see it. It was COMPLETELY frozen! I'm used to my cokes being pretty much like icees but this was crazy. The really weird thing is that there were other cans in there and only this one ended up like this.

We've tried adjusting the settings on the fridge every way we can. We've turned it to the warmest setting, and when that didn't work we tried it on the coldest setting, thinking maybe it was backwards or something. Now we keep it pretty much in the middle, not that it makes a difference! Stuff freezes either way.

I'm sure there's an easy way to fix it, I'll just have to do some research to figure it out.

And just for fun, here's what it looked like a few hours later when it thawed out:

Cleaning Schedule

2011-05-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

One of my goals for the summer is to get my house really clean and keep it that way. I'll only be working part-time and taking just one class online, so I think this is something I can and should do.

I think I'll do best if I give myself certain things to work on every day, so the plan is to spend the next few days getting all the rooms really clean [like cleaning out the closets and everything] and then start on a weekly cleaning schedule. Here's what I've come up with so far:

Monday: laundry, bathrooms, office
Tuesday: living room, guest room, vacuum
Wednesday: laundry, iron, grocery store
Thursday: kitchen, dining room [sweep and mop]
Friday: laundry, bedroom, vacuum

I'll change this up if I decide something else might work better, but it's a start. I think doing laundry three times a week should be plenty since there are only two of us, but we'll see.

Some things, like dishes and general straightening up will be done daily as needed. That's the goal, anyway. We'll see how this goes!

What I'm Loving

2011-05-18T07:32:00.000-07:00

I'm linking up with Jamie today for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving that Lee and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary yesterday!
{You can't really see in this pic, but his Groom's Cake was a Celtics cake,
and they ended up winning the championship that year!}
I remember thinking that May 17, 2008 would NEVER get here, now it's already been 3 years! We went to the beach last week and went out to celebrate our anniversary while we were there, so last night we had dinner at home. Lee cooked steak and I made sweet potatoes and macaroni and cheese. He got me a fondue pot and we had strawberries and cheesecake with chocolate fondue for dessert! But we made WAY too much fondue for two people and ended up throwing most of it away :(

I'm loving that I FINALLY got to read The Help while we were at the beach!
I had been wanting to read this book for so long, but I was so busy this semester I didn't get to read anything besides books for class. I said as soon as the semester was over I was going to get this book and that's exactly what I did. It DID NOT disappoint! I couldn't put it down! The movie is coming out in August I think and I can't wait!

I'm loving that Lee got a new job! He starts the day after Memorial Day and we are so excited. His new job is closer to the house [but with traffic it might take him the same amount of time to get there] and it's more of what he went to school to do. I'm so happy for him! I got a job for the summer too! I'm going to be working at the pool in our neighborhood making sure people have paid their HOA fees when they come in and keeping the pool clean and whatnot. I have orientation today and I'll get my schedule then!

I'm loving that the group Alabama is putting on Bama Rising in Birmingham next month!
There are going to be a ton of awesome people performing and the money will go toward tornado relief. Hopefully I won't have to work that night...if I do I'm gonna beg somebody to switch shifts with me. I REALLY want to go!!

I hope everybody has a good Wednesday!

Getting to Know You 5.15.11

2011-05-15T18:28:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've linked up with Keely for Getting to Know You!

1. have you ever gone to see a movie by yourself?
No...it's not something I'm really opposed to though. Lee has gone to a few by himself when it's movies I don't really want to see...I just don't see the point in spending the money for something I have no desire to see

2. would you rather go through a tornado or a hurricane?
If you read my previous posts I think you'll know the answer to that one...definitely hurricane

3. have you made summer vacation plans?
We just got back from a week at the beach...we may take a few other trips but nothing big...we'll both just be working for the rest of the summer

4. what's your favorite accessory?
Umm...I have this one necklace that has lots of different colors in it so I can wear it with pretty much anything...and I do...I wear it all the time

5. have you ever been thrown a surprise party?
No :(

6. are you friends with your neighbors?
Sadly, not really :( They all seem really nice, but we don't know them very well. I met some of them a few weeks after we moved into the house and I locked myself out! I had to go use their phone and call Lee to come home and let me back in the house! It was embarrassing but they were really nice. But other than that, we mainly just wave when we see them or say hello to them. We're a lot younger than most of our neighbors and just at different points in our lives.

7. what's the last movie you saw in the theater?
We just saw Something Borrowed last night. I had read the book a long time ago, so I didn't remember ALL the details, and I think that made it more enjoyable. Usually I compare movies to the book too much. Can I just say that I ♥ John Krasinski?

8 what's your favorite food network show?
Throwdown! And anything else Bobby Flay is on. I adore him.

Isaiah 54:11

2011-05-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

"You are sad and discouraged tossed around in the storm. But I, the Lord, will rebuild your city"

Isaiah 54:11

One of my best friends works at Regions Bank in Tuscaloosa. Her branch was okay, but a lot of them went to the branch right on the corner of 15th Street and McFarland, which is right in the middle of all the damage, to cook and give out food to people working to clean up. They had a tent set up too so people could sit and eat or just rest if they wanted. [It's crazy to me that the mall and that branch of the bank are still standing...everything right across the street from them was absolutely destroyed]

We went out there yesterday afternoon to help out. It was absolutely amazing to see all the people wanting to help and just doing whatever they can. Donations were pouring in the whole time we were there. It really did my heart good to see that.

People from our rival schools are getting donations together and sending them in. I read yesterday that the New York Yankees donated $500,000. Charlie Sheen was in Tuscaloosa today and I heard he spent/donated a million dollars for supplies and such. [I'm hearing now that's just a rumor]

{via}

It's been about four years since I lived in Tuscaloosa, but I think I will always consider it home. I've never been so proud of my home.

No Better Today

2011-04-29T15:24:00.000-07:00

Things seem even worse today. I can't stop crying.

I heard on the radio about an hour ago that there were 45 confirmed dead in Tuscaloosa and 446 still missing. I read that 8 University students had been confirmed dead. It's just devastating.

All of our family and friends are safe, but my heart is broken for the people who lost their homes and family members and friends. I can't imagine what they're going through right now if I'm this emotionally hurt.

Lee had a friend who had damage to his house in Tuscaloosa so he went to help him clean up instead of going to work today. I was going to go help, too, but Lee told me to just stay home. He said it was chaos and it would have taken me 3 hours to get there.

Tuscaloosa will never be the same again :(

Heartbroken

2011-04-28T06:42:00.000-07:00

My heart is absolutely broken right now.

At about five o'clock yesterday afternoon a mile-wide tornado absolutely destroyed the city where I spent five of the best years of my life, the city that I still consider home.

All photos via tuscaloosanews.com

We live about 30 miles from Tuscaloosa right now, but I'm there for school every day and Lee works there. I was home all day yesterday because my school was canceled and Lee came from work at lunch [thank goodness] because of the threat of bad weather, but Lee's brother and sister and lots of our friends live in Tuscaloosa, so watching this monster on the news was terrifying. It went right by his brother and sister's apartments, but they're okay. Our friends are all okay too, but some had damage to their houses.

Here's a video somebody took from the parking lot of the mall. I'm not sure how the mall is still standing. I'm also not sure why this person was in the car filming this and not in a safe place, but it's an amazing [and terrifying] video. This thing was a beast.
The damage is horrifying. It looks like bombs went off in Tuscaloosa. It beats all I've ever seen.

The pile of rubble on the left was a Big Lots yesterday morning

So many cities in Alabama are absolutely devastated right now. I'm so thankful all my family and friends are okay, but heartbroken for those who lost their homes and family members/friends. What a crazy day.

If you're reading this, could you please take a minute to say a prayer for everyone affected by this storm?

on the mend

2011-02-20T14:58:00.000-08:00

After being sick off and on for two weeks and going three days with no voice, I finally sucked it up and took myself to the doctor after school on Tuesday. They drew blood, swabbed for strep throat and flu, and took some x-rays...not fun! Then the doctor came back and told me I had walking pneumonia...again. I had walking pneumonia about a year and a half ago, and I'm just about tired of getting it! I felt a lot worse this time than the last time, though. So they gave me a steroid and an antibiotic shot, and four prescriptions to get filled.

I finished up one of my prescriptions today and I should finish another one tomorrow. I really don't like the way it's made me feel...I mean, I'm feeling better than I was, but I've just been kinda woozy and haven't had much of an appetite. I feel like it's affected my mood, too :(

I feel almost 100% better, I'm just still trying to get my energy back. I've gotten a lot of rest this weekend, but I still feel drained. I've only got four days of class this week, so hopefully I can get back to normal by next weekend!

I'm Pitiful

2011-02-13T12:50:00.000-08:00

I've been sick for going on two weeks now. It started last Tuesday afternoon, and every time I've thought I was getting a little better I ended up getting worse. I can think of at least 3 nights in the past two weeks that I've gone to bed around 8:00. I got home from class Friday morning around 10:30 and got back in the bed and stayed there all day. I finally moved to the chair in the living room around 4:00. It's just really gotten a hold of me this time! Guess that's what I get for taking generic vitamins :(

I've felt a little better for the past couple of days, and I feel pretty much better today except I have NO voice. I sound pretty pitiful, but I feel a lot better. Yesterday we went to the store and got me some Mucinex. That's the stuff right there! I had never used it before but it has made a HUGE difference. We got that and some Hall's vitamin C drops. I've had so much orange juice lately I can't stand it anymore so hopefully the drops will help.

I think poor Lee has it worse than I do, though. He's not sick, but I've been pretty much out of commission, so he's done EVERYTHING around the house for the past week and a half. He's always helpful around the house, but he's done all the dishes and laundry, kept everything clean, taken care of me, AND done all his homework for school. I don't think he's had any time to just relax and enjoy himself, but he hasn't complained once. Gosh I love that man ♥

This is an old picture I found of us from May 2007...we had just gotten engaged about a month before :)

We're about to take advantage of the nice weather we've having today [and the fact that I'm feeling a little better right now!] and take the dogs for a walk, then it's back to do more homework!

Again?

2011-02-03T18:15:00.000-08:00

We are having ANOTHER ice storm in Alabama! Well, I'm not sure if it can be called an ice storm just yet, but we are definitely having freezing rain and ice again today! That's two times in as many months in 2011. Crazy considering I had never even seen anything like it until this year.

I got out of class today at 3:15. Once class was over I got a text from my sister-in-law saying that she didn't have to go to work tonight (she works on campus) because of the weather and that classes were canceled starting at 3:30. Then I saw the email from the University saying that classes were canceled. Yeah. I got out of class at 3:15 and they canceled them at 3:30. Don't I have the best luck? ;)

I headed home right after class and I had to pull over on the way home because my windshield had iced over. I couldn't see at all. It was so scary!! We are just not equipped to deal with this kind of weather here in Alabama!

Lee was supposed to have class at UAB tonight from about 4:00 to about 10:00, and I thought for sure they would cancel them. But no. UAB did not cancel any operations tonight, even though the roads in Birmingham were pretty terrible. Lee was going to try to go to class, and he was headed that way, but he turned around when he saw a truck lose control and come flying down the side of a hill. The guy was okay but Lee said if it had been his car it probably would have been totaled. Scary!

So tonight we've just been hanging out relaxing. I haven't been feeling good all week, so I went to bed around 8:00 last night and I'll probably go to bed early again tonight. We're just gonna hope we don't lose power!

What I'm Loving 2.2.11

2011-02-02T08:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday! I'm linking up with Jamie again this week for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving that I got to have lunch and spend the afternoon with Lee yesterday, even though neither of us was feeling very good. We don't normally get to do that during the week, so it was nice :)

I'm loving that Tuscaloosa got a Gigi's Cupcakes last week! [Not really gonna help with the whole losing weight thing though!] I had heard how good they were, and I went for the first time yesterday. They were out of the two that I really wanted, so I ended up getting a Cookies & Cream for myself and a Midnight Magic for Lee. They were having a Valentine's special on a box of four, so I also got White Midnight Magic and Birthday Surprise.
Sorry this is such a bad picture, I took it in a hurry! But don't they look delicious? Obviously White Midnight Magic is on the left and Birthday Surprise is on the right. I didn't get a picture of the other two before we ate them, but they looked just as good!

I'm loving the pretty weather we had last weekend. It's rainy here now and getting cold, but at least we had a couple days of sunshine and temps in the high 60s. It sure was nice.

I'm loving my puppy dogs.

[So ridiculously spoiled!]

They bark at EVERYTHING and drive me crazy sometimes, but I sure do love them. They are always happy to see me, and I swear they know when I'm upset or not feeling good. We had to read Shiloh for my Children's Lit class last week, and there was a quote in there that pretty much summed up how I feel about my dogs:
"If Jesus ever comes back to Earth again, I'm thinking, he'll come as a dog, because there isn't anything as humble or patient or loving or loyal as the dog I have in my arms right now."
I teared up a little bit when I read that! I mean, they really do have all of these qualities ALL the time. Okay, maybe they're not patient ALL the time, but you know what I mean :)

I'm loving my family.

[This is pretty old, so I have a niece and two nephews missing in this picture, and my parents aren't in it, but we never seem to get pictures of my whole side of the family when we're together!]

I am so blessed to have been born into and to have married into such a wonderful loving family. They are my support system and my best friends, and they mean the world to me!

HIMYM Wisdom

2011-02-01T07:10:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I had never really watched How I Met Your Mother until a few months ago. I watched every once in a while when it was on Lifetime, and then my awesome sister-in-law gave me the first season for my birthday. I was hooked. Lee kinda has this rule that when we start watching a new show we have to watch it in order, so if we started watching season 1 on DVD when season 4 was airing on TV, we'd have to catch up on DVD before we could watch on TV. I usually go along with it, but I refused to do that for HIMYM. So we're watching them all out of order. It's just such a good show!

Besides being really funny, the show has some pretty wise quotes. I'm going to start posting some of the quotes sometimes as they stick with me. This quote is from the Thanksgiving episode of the first season:

"Life has plenty of good parts. It's the rough parts that make you thankful you have people to share it with."

It's always good to have people you love with you during the happy moments in your life, but it's the not-so-happy moments in your life when you need somebody. Those rough times are when you find out who your friends really are, and it makes you thankful you have those people in your life.

My Fitness Pal

2011-01-23T13:59:00.000-08:00

In my last post, I posted about wanting to exercise at least five times a week. I'm happy to report that so far I've followed through with that resolution! I've been doing the Thirty Day Shred almost every day, AND I've started back on the Couch to 5K. I finished up Week One today :) I didn't write in my last post about wanting to lose weight because that's pretty much ongoing for me, not really a resolution.

A week or two ago a friend of mine started posting on facebook about a website she had been using to track her calories and exercise called My Fitness Pal, so I had to go check it out. I've been using it for about a week and so far I love it! I had signed up for Weight Watchers online, but I think I'm just going to let it expire and only use My Fitness Pal when it runs out because MFP is FREE and Weight Watchers is not.

A while back I used SparkPeople and it was pretty good, and MFP is set up a lot like SparkPeople, but I think I like it a little better. I don't really know why, just personal preference I guess. When you set up your account you tell them how much you weigh, what your goal weight is, and how much you want to lose per week. Once you do that it tells you how many calories you should be eating a day. You can track all your food and all your exercise on the website. I was really impressed with all the food in their database. Lots of restaurants are in there. And if you're cooking yourself, you can just enter your recipe and how many servings and it tells you how many calories are in each serving.

I LOVE that it has a free app for iphones and Android, too! Weight Watchers right now doesn't have an Android app. So when I'm at school or anywhere I'm not at my computer I can still list what I've eaten and not have to try to remember it.

I really didn't mean for this to sound like an ad for MFP, I just really like it! We'll see how long I stick to it!

2011 Resolutions

2011-01-11T13:00:00.000-08:00

Now that we're about a third of the way through January, I thought I'd finally post some of my resolutions for the year. I usually don't like resolutions because I feel like people never keep them, but I think all of these are pretty manageable. So, in no particular order, here are my resolutions for 2011:

{One}

Keep my house clean/organized. I just want it to always be clean enough that if someone were to just show up, I wouldn't be embarrassed about the house looking messy. I got in an organizing kick the other night and cleaned out/organized both of the linen closets in the house. We cleaned out and organized the closets in the guest room and office a few months ago, so they're still in pretty good shape. Now I just need to clean out the bedroom closet and I'll be pretty happy. Once I've gotten that done I'll just have to spend a few minutes every day putting everything back in its place. Shouldn't be too hard, right?

{Two}

{via}

Work out more. Yeah I know, that's pretty much everybody's New Year's Resolution. But I want to work out at least five days a week, even if it's just for 20 minutes. Sunny gave me Just Dance 2 for Christmas, and I feel like it's a really good workout [it definitely gets your heart rate up!] and it's fun, so I want to try to play that a lot. And I started over on the Thirty Day Shred yesterday. It's only about 25 minutes, so I feel like I should be able to make that much time to work out every day, even when school gets me really busy. I know I'll miss some days if we go out of town or anything, but every day I'm at home I'm planning on doing it. I want to get the Zumba game for the Wii, too, but I just can't make myself spend the money on it right now! Which leads me to my next resolution...

{Three}

{via}

Get better about using coupons. This is more of a necessity than a resolution. We're trying to save as much money as we can right now, which is kinda difficult with me being back in school full-time and not having a job, so one way I'm trying to help is by getting better about using my coupons. There are tons websites that have stores' weekly ads and coupon matchups, so all I have to do is look at these websites, see what I need/might need eventually that's on sale, and cut out my coupons. My favorites are I Heart Publix, Southern Savers, and Money Saving Mom. I found another one the other day that I had not seen before, Be Centsable, that has a roundup of grocery ads by state. I haven't used this one much yet, but I think it'll be really helpful. Since I've been using coupons I've been saving about 50% on groceries. I just want to get more consistent about it this year.

{Four}

{via}

Get a new hobby. Lee said that one of our resolutions should be something that's just fun for us. What I really want is a DSLR camera so I can learn to use it, but we just can't afford that right now. Two things I'm thinking about are getting a sewing machine and learning to sew [I've seen some basic sewing machines for really good prices] and taking a cake decorating class. I think both of those would be fun, so I'll just have to do some research and decide which one to do. I don't know if there even are any cake decorating classes around here, so that might make the decision for me :)

I'm planning on doing an update once a month on how I've done with all of them. Hopefully that will help keep me accountable :)

Ice Storm 2011

2011-01-10T08:00:00.001-08:00

{via weheartit}

Last night I experienced the first "ice storm" of my life. First we have snow on Christmas, now we're having an ice storm?! What is going on here? It's probably about a quarter-inch of ice, but we aren't really equipped to deal with that here in Alabama. The dogs don't know what to do when I take them outside! Lee is working from home today, thank goodness!

My plans for the day are to finish the book I'm reading [Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner...this is pretty much the last book I'll get to read for pleasure until this semester is over] and then pretty much just be lazy and hang out with my puppies for the rest of the day!

Ski Trip

2011-01-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

A few days after Christmas we headed to West Virginia to go skiing. This year I actually got off the bunny slope and skied on "real" trails! I was terrified the first day but I pretty much got over it by the second day. By the last day I had made two major accomplishments: I fell down and got up all by myself, and I learned to buckle my boots all by myself! I know that's really not very impressive, but it was a big deal for me :)

Once again, I failed to take any pictures on my camera. Here's how the conversation between me and Lee went pretty much every day we went out skiing:
Lee: We forgot to get the camera
Me: That's okay, we'll get some pictures tomorrow.
Lee: I can go get it now if you want me to.
Me: No, that's okay. We'll just HAVE to remember tomorrow.

And yeah, we never remembered. Lee's brother did take a picture of us on his phone the last day and sent to me:
Pretty much everything I have on in this picture I got for Christmas this year :) I figured if I'm not a good skier I at least wanted some cute ski clothes to wear!

We spent our New Year's Eve in West Viriginia...I was asleep by 11:00...I just couldn't take it anymore! We woke up the next morning and skied for a few hours, then we came back in to watch the Tide whoop Michigan State in the Capital One Bowl.

{via al.com}

The guy bringing down the quarterback in that picture is Courtney Upshaw. He's from my hometown :) He's making us all so proud!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

Just like it does every year, Christmas came and went with a quickness!

My parents came up on the 23rd and spent the night with us. Lee and I went to Firebirds that night before they got here to celebrate winning first and second place in his fantasy football league, and we've had steak on Christmas Eve the past couple of years so that's kind-of become a tradition for us. We also opened our presents from each other that night.

On Christmas Eve we just hung around with my parents that morning, then Sunny, Joey and Riley came over that afternoon. When they got here Mama and Daddy gave Riley his Christmas present, a Radio Flyer wagon, and then went for a walk to let him ride it and enjoy the nice weather [it's a good thing we did it then, because it SNOWED on Christmas Day so they didn't get to take him out in it then!]

After the walk we came back in and opened presents from each other. Riley helped :)

Ellie and Bruce Wayne were clearly excited about all the presents ;)
After that we visited a little bit more and then SANTA came through the neighborhood! I tried to get a picture but my camera wasn't fast enough. So here's a picture of me and Lee in front of the tree instead:

My parents stayed with Sunny on Christmas Eve so they could be there for Riley's first Christmas morning. We got up early Christmas morning and went by there to say hey to everybody, then we headed to Lee's grandmother's house for Christmas with his mom's side of the family.

It was cold and rainy when we left the house, and by the time we got to her house [about an hour later] the rain had turned to snow!! I've never had a White Christmas in my life, and probably never will again, so it was pretty exciting! This picture is from when we got to his grandmother's, probably around 9:30 that morning:
It snowed pretty much all day, and the yard was completely covered in snow by the time we left, but of course I didn't think to take any more pictures.

That night we went to his dad's house and had dinner with him, then later that night we met up with Lee's old roommate. I had not seen him since our wedding in May of 2008, so I was REALLY excited to see him! [But once again, I forgot to take pictures] He lives in Cincinnati now, so he was pretty amused at all of our reactions to the snow :)

The next morning we had brunch at Lee's dad's house and did presents over there. Brunch with them the day after Christmas has kind-of turned into a tradition, and it's really fun. His stepmom makes a lot of good food [and mimosas!] and it's just fun to hang out with each other. We left pretty early that day because it was still snowing and down here in Alabama we're not really equipped to deal with snow, so we didn't know what the roads would be like later.

That pretty much wrapped up Christmas 2010 for us :)

Roll Tide!

2010-12-20T12:15:00.000-08:00

I love this commericial! It's airing on ESPN right now and I'd say it's pretty accurate.

The youtube description for the commercial says this:
"Roll Tide" is a universal expression among 'Bama Nation, versatile and applicable in nearly every situation as a greeting, farewell or standard cheer or praise.

Sounds about right to me!

It's not crazy, it's sports.

ROLL TIDE!

We Need a Little Christmas!

2010-12-16T18:29:00.001-08:00

Since I did it last year, I wanted to post a few of the Christmas decorations we put up this year too!

My little snowman family in our entryway

Our new tree is REALLY tall! Lee couldn't even reach the top with the step stool! We had to bring in one of our outside chairs [they're pretty high] so he could stand in it to put the star on top.

Our niece had been playing with the gravel in our backyard on Thanksgiving, and when we brought the chair in we found out she had left us some in the chair!

One of my best friends gave us this "Our First Christmas" ornament :)

Ellie and Bruce Wayne's "Aunt" got them this ornament this year. We had gone to the Christmas store at the mall and we saw this ornament but I didn't want to pay for it. I went to get something to drink and she told me she had bought something for some of her other friends and asked if I wanted to see it. I saw Ellie's name first and thought "Oh, they have an Ellie too!" but then I saw Bruce Wayne's name, and she said "It's for yall!" So sweet!

I bought these last year and Lee said they should be next to each other on the tree :)

These are just a couple of tables in the living room. Nothing too exciting, but there's one of those Bath and Body Works candles I'm obsessed with!

We have stockings on the mantle, but it looks pretty much the same as last year so I didn't post that picture.

That's pretty much it for Christmas this year. It's pretty simple but I'm happy with it. I've already got plans of what I want to do next year!

What I'm Loving 12.15.10

2010-12-15T10:00:00.000-08:00

I'm linking up again this week with Jamie's What I'm Loving Wednesday :)

I'm loving that I passed my teaching music class this semester! I've never failed a class, but I was really and truly afraid that I might fail this one. I am not very musically inclined [my dad sucked up all the musical talent in our family!], and my teacher and I didn't exactly see eye to eye, so I was just hoping to get by with at least a C, but I ended up with a B+!! So I ended up with about a 3.8 GPA for the semester...not bad for my first semester as an official graduate student!

I'm loving our new Christmas tree!
I got this tree last year because our ceilings in our house are so high it made our old tree look kinda Charlie Brown. I did love our old tree though, and I gave it to my sister-in-law so I know it's in a good home :) I'm going to post the rest of our Christmas decorations later this week.

I'm loving that we're going to Nashville again this weekend for the Titans/Texans game!
Lee got the tickets for me for my birthday. [I'll be wearing this shirt, even though nobody will see it because it will be under all the other layers I'll be wearing!] I'm not a HUGE NFL person, and I kinda just picked the Texans as my favorite team because I can't really watch football if I don't have a team to cheer for. My favorite football player from college, DeMeco Ryans, is a Texan, as well as Kareem Jackson and Antoine Caldwell, other former Bama players. DeMeco's hurt right now though, so I won't get to see him play :( If I had to pick another favorite team it would be the Titans just because I like Nashville, so I don't really care who wins, I'm just excited to be going to my first NFL game :)

Speaking of football, I'm loving that Lee and I are in the championship game in his fantasy football league! I could actually win the whole thing this year! Last year my fantasy team was really really bad and I was expecting pretty much the same thing this year, so it's pretty cool that I could win. Lee would never get over it if his wife beats him in fantasy football, though.

I'm loving using my Christmas china!
It's the M. Bagwell Simply Christmas collection. I wish I could use it all year. I got most of the pieces when we got married, but I still need a few so I've been asking for them for my birthday to finish up the collection. I was so busy last year I completely forgot to get out all my Christmas china last year so I couldn't wait to use it this year!

I survived the semester!

2010-12-14T19:41:00.000-08:00

Last week was pretty crazy, but I survived. I had finals every day except Wednesday. The tests I was really concerned about were Tuesday and Thursday, so at least they were spaced out and I was able to study all day Wednesday for my Thursday test.

My Thursday test was at 11:30 that morning, so I woke up pretty early to get ready then study until it was time to leave for my test. I got about halfway to Tuscaloosa before I realized I was still wearing my slippers! Thank goodness I called my sister-in-law and her roommate let me borrow some shoes! She's so sweet...they were leaving the apartment before I got there but she left me four pairs of shoes to choose from :) So anyway, I was clearly not in a mental state to be taking a test! But I actually think I did better on that test than I did on any other test in that class, so it worked out.

I had another test at 11:30 Friday, then I drove home right after I finished and we headed down to Panama City for Lauren's rehearsal dinner. Lee wanted to be sure we got there in time for cocktail hour, and that we did. I needed a cocktail [or several] after all my finals!

Me and Lauren at her rehearsal dinner:

We had a lot of fun at the wedding and reception, and then we got up Sunday and visited with everybody for a while and then headed home. It was such a good weekend.

For the past two days I've just been relaxing a little bit and trying to get this house back in order...I let it get to be a complete mess during finals! I'm gonna try to get my Christmas shopping done in the next few days and finally wrap some presents. I haven't wrapped the first one yet, I need to get on that!

What I'm Loving

2010-11-24T12:55:00.001-08:00

I'm linking up this week with Jamie's What I'm Loving Wednesday! Here are some of the things I'm loving right now:

I'm Loving that all my family [except my older sister and her family] is going to be here for Thanksgiving tomorrow! Most of them are coming to spend the night tonight! We get to see all these cuties:
I'm Loving the turkey cupcakes I made! [pretty bad quality I know, I took them with my phone!] I found them here on one of Tatertots and Jello's link-ups. I'm not creative, so I'm always checking those out to see what I think I might can make! Hers were way cuter, but I was still proud of mine :)

I'm Loving that we're going to Nashville to see the Rockettes Saturday! I saw them a few years ago in New York and I really liked it. We're going with Lee's parents and grandparents, so I'm glad that we'll get to spend some time with them since we won't see them on Thanksgiving. [This is the first Thanksgiving I know of...maybe ever...that Lee hasn't spent down at the beach at his grandparents' house]

I'm Loving The Nate Berkus Show. I DVR it every day because I'm never at home when it's on. He's amazing :)

I'm Loving the Glee Christmas CD. Two of my favorite things combined! And yes, I went and go it the day it came out :) Happy Thanksgiving!

I Have a Problem

2010-11-01T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. I CANNOT stop buying Bath and Body Works 3-wick candles. It's a sickness. They just put them on such good sales and I just can't help myself!

Right now I'm burning this one in the kitchen:

And this one in the living room:

I have Kitchen Spice and Pumpkin Patch waiting their turns. I know it's past Halloween now but I think the pumpkin can last me until Thanksgiving :)

This morning I got an email from Bath and Body Works that their candles were on sale for 2 for $30, [which is obviously not as good as when they're on sale for 2 for $20, but I don't know when that sale is gonna come around again], and there was a $10 off $30 coupon in the email, AND I had gotten a coupon in the mail for a free signature item with any purchase. So I obviously went and got more candles. Today I got these:

I got this one because Lee told me he liked it when I dragged him in the store this weekend :)

And I got this one just because it smells Christmas-y and I liked it :)

When I checked out they gave me another $10 off $30, and a coupon book, so of course I'll be going back before too long. They definitely know what they're doing! But at least my house smells good!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-29T20:40:00.001-07:00

Lee dressed up for Halloween at work today...he took it way back...
I feel so safe knowing that I'm married to Quail Man :)

On another note, I'm really going to try to blog more...school has just had me so busy! Once I finish with all my homework I just want to go to bed!

I hope everybody has a safe and happy Halloween!

Friday Fives

2010-09-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

The Friday Five this week over at Just Me and My Life is 5 Things you Want from csnstores.com. This was a lot of fun! It was hard to narrow it down to 5 things, but here's what I came up with:

1. A fondue set.
We've gone to the Melting Pot for my past two birthdays, and every time we go it makes me want a fondue set of my own. Whether or not I'd use it if I actually had one is another story :)

2. This giraffe print luggage set.
I've been wanting this luggage for so long!

3. A new comforter set.
I think this one is really pretty.

4. This mirror jewelry armoire.
I love that it's a full-length mirror too!

5. The Paula Deen cookware set.
I just hate the set that we have. The one we have is what we registered for, and there's really nothing wrong with it, I'm just not good at cooking unless the pots and pans are non-stick, and ours are not. Plus, I love red :)

Now if you go play along you'll be put in the drawing to win a $35 gift card!

Memory Lane

2010-09-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend one of best friends from high school had a baby shower so I went home for it. Before we left on Sunday I got out my mom's big box of old pictures and started looking through them and found this one:
That's me and Sunny when we were probably about four, eating boiled peanuts. We both still LOVE them [which explains why I was so happy when Lee made them for my birthday!] and daddy had some waiting for us when we got home...and then went and bought more when we ate up what we had!

Life is [and always has been] good when we're eating boiled peanuts with our daddy :)

Ready for Fall

2010-09-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

Where is the fall weather? I mean, school's back in and it's football season again, so where's the cooler weather??

I am usually a summer girl. I love the longer days, the beach, the pool and all the other stuff that goes along with it. USUALLY. It seems like the older I get, though, the more I love fall. Not hot anymore, but not cold yet [because I definitely HATE cold weather]. So I'm definitely looking forward to fall...even though we only get about two weeks of it here! [I'm exaggerating but fall really doesn't last very long]

We had some fall-ish weather over Labor Day weekend that really got me ready for it! Now it's back in the 90s every day :( So I've decided this weekend I'm going to put up my fall decorations to kinda try to trick myself into thinking it's cooling off!

We don't have a whole lot of fall decorations because I'd rather spend the money on Christmas decorations, but I try to get a couple of things every year. Yesterday I got some fall flowers to put in the living room to replace the orchids [haven't decided if I like them or not yet] and some hand towels for the kitchen. I can't even remember what all we have already.

This afternoon I found this and thought it was a really cute idea:
I'm not crafty at all, no matter how hard I try, but I think I could do this. AND it's pretty cost-effective! I think I'll take a shot at it this weekend. I'll report back on how it turns out :)

Birthday Weekend :)

2010-09-05T16:55:00.000-07:00

My birthday was Thursday. My sister-in-law makes the best cookie cakes ever, and she made me that one. She's the best.

The kind people at ESPN gave me college football for my birthday! I had been not very patiently waiting for football season to come back since January 7, so the start of college football was just about the best present I could have gotten :)

The only thing that wasn't so great about football season starting on my birthday was the fact that I had class until 8:00 Thursday night, and the South Carolina/Southern Miss game started at 6:30. So I missed most of that game :(

BUT I have an awesome husband who made it up to me! I got home, and he had pizza and beer waiting for me, and these:
He went to the farmers market Monday and got the peanuts, and then Monday night I started talking about wanting boiled peanuts. He said he thought the farmers market was only open on the weekend, but that he would get some for me the next time we were in Tuscaloosa on the weekend for a game. I told him that was fine and well, but that meant I couldn't have them during the game Saturday (and then I pouted for a little while). I'm pretty sure his response was something like "That's too bad, I'm sorry." Then he changed the subject. When I got home Thursday night saw the crock pot out I still had no idea! I thought he had made me cheese dip. I was so excited when I saw that they were boiled peanuts! He had never made them before, but they turned out really good!

This was also waiting for me:
That's the shirt that he got for me to wear to go with my other present: tickets to the Texans/Titans game in December! I'm so excited! I've liked the Texans since they drafted Demeco Ryans in 2006, and now they have two other former Alabama players, so I for sure love them! And we're pretty close to Nashville, so I'd always kinda liked the Titans too. I can't wait for the game! (And yes, I realize that I got a short sleeve t-shirt to wear to a football game in December. We didn't really think that one through. Guess I'll just have to layer)

And Lee had flowers sent to me Friday afternoon.
I think they're pretty, even though they aren't what he ordered. He was hoping to surprise me with them Friday afternoon, but the florist called me Wednesday afternoon to set up a delivery for Friday. I've never had a florist do that before. I doubt he'll be ordering from them again. But to me, the thought he put into it was way more important than what they looked like.

Friday night we went to dinner at The Melting Pot. It was so good! We went there for my birthday last year and decided to go for my birthday again this year. Here's a picture of us after dinner:
When we got back from dinner my parents got into town and they stayed with us until today. Yesterday we watched football all day while we counted down to kickoff of Alabama football. My sister, brother-in-law and nephew came, and Lee's mom and stepdad came. We cooked out and ate a ton of food and just had a good time. We had a cake from Edgar's that was decorated for football.

SO, SO GOOD!

I had kinda been dreading my birthday this year, but thanks to my awesome husband and family (and nice facebook messages helped too!!), it turned out to be really good. Presents and stuff are nice, but to me there is really nothing better than spending my birthday kicking off football season with the people I love :)

Today is Beautiful

2010-08-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

One day earlier this week I was walking back from class, and there was a guy behind me who just seemed so HAPPY. He spoke to everybody he passed, and then he said, "Today is a beautiful day. I'm gonna enjoy this day." Then he looked at me and said "How 'bout you?" So of course I said I would, because who would say no? But then I realized that I had not once that day taken time to think about how gorgeous of a day God had given us. The weather had FINALLY cooled off a little bit, the sun was shining, and it really was a beautiful day.

I want to be like that guy. I want to be thankful for all the blessings I do have in my life instead of harping on the little things that aren't going my way.

I got this email from my dad this morning that reminded me of how I felt that day. I don't usually send forwards, but I wanted to share this one, so here it is:

"A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat.
A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words.
Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?"

The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote: "Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it."
Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?

Moral of the Story:

Be thankful for what you have.. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith and drop the fear.
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling…
And even more beautiful, is knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

If you appreciate this message, please share. You may touch someones heart today and forever. Enjoy your weekend with a heart of gratitude...

"Faith is not about everything turning out OK; Faith is about being OK no matter how things turn out."

OWWW

2010-08-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am HURTING today. Lee and I are on Day 3 of P90X, and I am some kinda sore! We started the P90X on Monday night, then we got up early yesterday morning and did Day 2, and we were SUPPOSED to get up before work and school this morning for Day 3, but when my alarm went off I could BARELY move. I'm not hurting as bad right now as I was last night though. Last night I didn't want to move. I parked myself on the couch and read a book and tried to move as little as possible. It was hard to not move, though, when you have two spoiled dogs who have to be on the couch with you all the time, but jump down any time they hear ANY noise, then want to be picked back up. (They CAN jump onto the couch, they just don't know it...that's probably for the best so I can at least kind of control when they're up there and when they're not)

So anyway, my arms, back, and now legs are killing me AND it's the first day back at school for the fall, so I'm walking around campus with a backpack (which obviously is not good when your back hurts...at least I don't have any books to carry around yet!). I told Lee that if we are going to deal with being this sore, we HAVE to finish this program, and not quit a month into it. I'm not exactly following the meal plan, but I do feel like if we stick with this we'll get some really good results.

To make myself just a little more pitiful, I had to go get a shot and a TB test today :( I don't do well with needles at all, so I was really dreading it, but ready to get it over with. This was my third attempt to get all this done...third time's a charm :) The first time I went to health center on campus the line was almost out the door, so I left, thinking I could just get it done at the walk-in clinic close to my house. So I went there yesterday to find out that they could do the TB test but not the other shot I needed. So this morning after my first class I went back to the health center. I tried to make an appointment for this morning so I hopefully wouldn't have to wait so long, but they said that because they had not treated me there before that I could only come in as a walk-in. That just didn't make any sense to me, but whatever. The line wasn't nearly as long today, and I was only in there for about half an hour. And it didn't hurt too bad. I've had the TB test before so I knew it wouldn't be bad, but I wasn't sure about the meningitis, so I was a little worried. I told the nurse about my issues with needles and she did a good job distracting me so I wouldn't get all nervous and forget to breathe or anything (yes, that has happened to me before!). And now I've got an awesome band-aid with the Tasmanian Devil on it where I got my shot :)

Funny Little Story

2010-08-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

I had a job over the summer that I had to quit last week because it didn't work with my school schedule. It was a pretty well-known retail chain that sells soap and lotion and stuff like that. I enjoyed the job and the people that I got to work with, and it seems like a really good company, so I hate that I had to quit, but I just couldn't make it work.

But anyway, back to the story. My last night there was last week, and we had gotten some new Halloween themed hand sanitizers. A girl came in with what I'm assuming is her mother (it could be her aunt, friend, whatever, but for the purposes of my story we'll go with mother) and they were looking at the hand sanitizers. I had not seen the new Halloween ones yet so I was looking at them with them, and we were smelling them and showing each other the different ones. The mother saw one called "Vampire Blood" and showed it to me and her daughter. The daughter looked at me as serious as could be and said, "Is that really what vampire blood smells like?"

How do you respond to that?? I just stood there for a second trying to figure out what to say when the mother laughed and reminded her that vampires aren't real. I took that as my cue to walk away and let them shop around on my own (and so I could turn around and get a little laugh out of my system)

I'm glad I was able to get a funny little memory for my last night there!

Lee's consultant

2010-08-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

Lee's working from home today and look who's helping him out:

She has no idea she's not a person!

The Boys of Fall

2010-08-07T06:01:00.000-07:00

I think I've mentioned a time or two (or seven or eight!) how much I love football, especially The University of Alabama football. I've been counting down to football season for at least two months now (and we still have one long month left!). A few weeks ago when I thought I couldn't be any more ready for football season, I heard this song. Oh man. Then the video came out earlier this week. It brought tears to my eyes. It's "The Boys of Fall," by Kenny Chesney. If you haven't heard it or seen the video, here it is (it's kinda long but so good!):

{Here's the youtube link}

(As an Alabama fan, I was watching for Alabama clips the whole time and was getting a little upset because I never saw any, but the video goes out pretty dang strong!)

And since I'm on youtube, I wanted to post a couple of Bama football videos I've come across in the past couple of weeks.

This one is a hype video to get everybody pumped for this season:

{youtube link}

And this one is supposedly the new intro video they're going to show in the stadium:

{youtube link}

Win or lose, I love the Tide! Only about a month until the season starts (Alabama's first game is two days after my birthday, and college football actually starts on my birthday! I get the best birthday present every year!) I'm going to continue my countdown now...

What a week!

2010-08-06T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's been a pretty busy couple of weeks! These summer classes are KILLING me! Right now I'm taking an online math class (I started that one in June), a regular math class (a five week summer class) and last week I had a one-week Intro to Education class. Even though that class was over last week, I still had two papers due for it this week. When I say papers, I mean one of them was just 3-5 paragraphs and the other was a 3-page research paper, so they didn't have to be long or anything, but still. And I had a math test on Wednesday in the middle of my papers being due. Next week I have a test on Tuesday and then two finals on Thursday. Then I'm done with summer classes! Whew! I'll get a break for ALMOST a week then fall classes start. I'm excited about fall classes because they actually pertain to my major and they're not just deficiencies I didn't take my first time around.

So my plans for today are to get to everything I didn't get to do this week. I want to get this house clean, pull weeds in the yard, get some homework done and go to the grocery store. We'll see how much of that I actually do get done! My mom is in town keeping Riley since Sunny had to go back to work yesterday (he doesn't start at daycare until Monday) so she's going to come stay with us when Sunny gets home from work today :) Tomorrow I have a baby shower to go to and I have to work a little bit on Sunday, so I guess I should really try to be productive today!

Five Question Friday

2010-07-23T20:30:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday! I had to work tonight, so I guess my weekend is starting now...even though I have to work Sunday night...during the season premier of Mad Mad :( Thank goodness for DVR [sidenote to Bright House cable: if your stupid DVR messes up during Mad Men Sunday like it always does when I record The Bachelorette, I will throw a fit...just sayin'] Anyway, I thought I'd link up to Mama M.'s Five Question Friday :)

1. What were your school colors?
In high school we were red and white...college colors were Crimson and White...Roll Tide! Probably about 90% of my t-shirts are crimson Alabama shirts...

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?
That I have a "beautiful soul" :)

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?
I guess it's kind of expensive...I prefer Charmin Diamond Weave. Right now I'm using Cottonelle because it was on sale but I'm going right back to my Charmin when it runs out!

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?
Nope, never had a surprise party thrown for me :( We had one for my dad though when he turned 50. He really was surprised!

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?
It was a tough decision...it was going to be either my laptop or my phone, but I'm gonna have to go with my phone. I mean, I really need my laptop for school and everything, but if it died I guess I could get by without it and use Lee's desktop. My phone, on the other hand...I don't know what I'd do without it. I don't actually KNOW anybody's phone number anymore, so I couldn't call anybody from my house phone if I didn't have it. Plus, if I didn't have my computer I could get on the internet with my phone, and the other day I got a "groceries" app! I haven't used it yet, but I'm pretty excited about it :)

I hope everybody has a good weekend!

Weekend Fun

2010-07-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend my childhood bff came to visit! She lives in Eufaula right now so we don't get to see each other as much as we'd like, but we always pick right back up without missing a beat :) She brought her boyfriend with her, and his daughter because we had not met them yet.

We had so much fun! They got into town Saturday afternoon and we went over to Sunny's house for a shrimp boil. This was the weekend I tried to get better about taking pictures!

The bff and me

The twin sister and me

The other bff and me

I was trying to give him a kiss and he laughed! Not the reaction I was going for! :)

Sunday we got up and played some guitar hero, then we went to Full Moon (home of the biggest bbq potato I've ever had!) for some lunch then did a little bit of shopping then to Yogurt Mountain! They weren't allowed to leave Birmingham until we went to Yogurt Mountain! Shannon has been before, but her boyfriend and daughter had not, so they had to experience it...plus, I'll take any excuse to go there :)

I clearly blew my diet this weekend, but it's okay. We had such a good time :)

it's the little things in life

2010-07-16T11:17:00.000-07:00

Ever noticed how the little things in life sometimes (probably even most of the time) make you happier than the big things? You know, when you're just having a regular day, not particularly bad or good, and something that's not really a big deal at all can just make your day? I love those little things.

Here are a couple of little things that have made a couple of my days this week pretty awesome:

1. Tuesday night I had to work until about 9:30, and then I was planning on studying the rest of the night for a math test that I had on Wednesday. When I got home from work, Lee told me that he had gone to the store to get some salad and he got me a surprise while he was there since he knew I'd be up later than normal. He told me that he was going to get me ice cream (because we all know how much I LOVE ice cream), but he knew I was trying to lose weight and didn't want to mess me up too bad. So instead he got me some Luigi's Italian Ice. It wasn't any big thing that he did for me, it was just the thought behind it that made me so happy :)

2. I think I've mentioned on here how much I hate cleaning the bathroom. I don't mind cleaning the sinks and even the toilets, but I detest cleaning the shower. It just seems like no matter how hard I try, I can't ever get it really clean. Then I'll go to take a shower the next day and it looks like I didn't even try. I saw a commercial the other day for the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Bath Scrubber and figured I'd try it. I've tried everything else, so why not? I used it today, and I am absolutely IN LOVE with it! It wasn't perfect, but hey, my shower never is, so I'll take it! It really did make my day to find something that works on my shower!

I might start doing this kind of post more regularly. That way, if I'm ever feeling sorry for myself I can just look back at them and be reminded of the little things that make me so happy :)

I hope everybody has a great weekend!

it's an exciting life...

2010-06-30T14:59:00.000-07:00

Not really. Not lately anyway. I've been pretty boring for the past few days. I was supposed to have my astronomy final tomorrow, but we were ahead of schedule in the class so our teacher gave us the option to take it yesterday. I probably could have used the extra time to study, but I figured I could just suck it up and stay up studying all night Monday and then be done with it. So that's what I did. I studied all night Monday night, went and took the final at 10 yesterday morning, then went to the library and studied for my astronomy lab final, and took that at noon. I obviously wasn't as worried about the lab final as I was about the lecture. Now if I can just get through my math classes next month I'll be moving on the stuff I'm actually interested in!

In other news, I'm patiently waiting to go see Eclipse on SATURDAY! I'm going with some of my friends from work, and I haven't seen them since my last day, so I'm as excited about seeing them as I am about the movie :) I'm re-reading the book, so I'm trying to get finished with that before we go.

Also in random news, a piece of the bottom of my computer fell off today. Something tells me that's not good?

one down, a whole bunch to go

2010-06-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

I finished my first class of the summer semester yesterday! It was definitely my favorite of the three I'm taking right now, BUT I had to carry a keyboard clear across campus every day, so I won't miss that! I'll be done with all my classes for the first summer semester Tuesday, and I have a final Thursday, then my first (summer) semester back in school will be complete!

I knew I'd be busy this month, but this has been crazy! I spent my ENTIRE weekend studying. Well, most of the day Friday, Saturday night (we had some family stuff and I worked a little bit during the day) and ALL DAY Sunday. I'm taking an online math class right now, and I had been working so hard on my other two classes I got behind in it so I had to spend most of the weekend catching up on that. I had homework and quizzes that had to be done before my test yesterday (and let's just say I'll need to study a lot harder for the next two tests!)

Next month I'm taking two math classes (one is the online class I just mentioned) and an Intro to Education class. The Intro to Education class will only last a week though, so I think next month is going to be a little less stressful, and I should be able to better manage my online class.

Since I'll only have class for two hours for most of next month, I'm actually going to be able to go back to the gym! (Which I'll need since I won't be walking near as much to and from class.) A friend of mine said she's going to join too, so we can go together. I'm excited...I've actually missed the gym!

I guess that's all I have for an update today!

How Lee Proposed

2010-06-18T12:05:00.000-07:00

I'm participating in Kelly's Korner's Show us Your Life today...it's proposal stories :) So here's how Lee proposed:

Lee is a little bit younger than me, so when I graduated and got a job he was still in school. He was an MIS major and ALWAYS had projects and group meetings. Plus, he was the president of a club in that major that had meetings every Tuesday. So for his last year and half of college we hardly ever saw each other. It was tough.

One Tuesday night his meeting got cancelled so we were going to have a date. We didn't see each other much during the week so I was pretty excited. When I got home from work that day he met me at the top of the stairs at my apartment with my favorite flowers:
He had cooked dinner for me and had it waiting...I think it was chicken cordon bleu...not the kind you buy frozen in the box (not that there's anything wrong with that stuff, it's delicious...I have some in the freezer now!), but he had actually made it! I know he's made that for me before, I THINK that's what he made that night!

It was a gorgeous day (April 3, 2007)...it was warm outside but not hot, and the days were starting to get longer. So while we were eating I said we should go get ice cream and eat it at the park (which worked out PERFECTLY since that's what he was planning on doing).

We were heading to get ice cream (listening to a CD of sweet songs he had made me...he gave it to me later that night and it was labeled "Marry Me Mix") and he said he was really full so why didn't we just go to the park and walk around a little while. We got there and walked around a little bit and then sat on a bench in front of the river and were just talking. The sun started to set and he said "You know I love you more than anything in the world," to which I responded "Yeah I know" (haha). Then he got up and said "I brought you here to ask you a question," got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. I don't think I ever actually said yes now that I think about it! I was just crying and nodding!

And we DID got get ice cream when we left the park!

I don't have any pictures from that night, but here's the first one I have of us after we got engaged:

Easter 2007

So that's our proposal story! I think he did a good job ♥

Know What's Awesome?

2010-06-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

My computer is connected to the internet right now through my phone. We're at a friend's house who doesn't have wireless internet, so Lee hooked it up so I could get on and watch my online lectures through the phone. Maybe it's not a big deal to any of yall, but I think it's pretty cool! Thanks for setting it up for me, Lee :)

Now I'm off to study...since that's the reason he set it up for me in the first place!

I hope everybody's having a good week so far!

Getting to Know You!

2010-06-13T08:53:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday, so it's time to play some Getting to Know You with Keely!

1. If you could have one of Superman's, powers which one would you want? Superhuman strength..Flight..Superhuman speed..X-Ray vision..etc
Well, considering that this month I have to walk completely across campus with a keyboard about as big as I am in about 90+ degree heat, I'd pick superhuman speed. Next month I might change my mind though!

2. The best thing I ever won is....?
Super Achiever. 7th grade. SWEET.

3. Have you ever skyped with a bloggy friend?
Nah, I don't skype

4. What is your favorite Summer month?
Do I have to pick? I really like July...maybe because of the 4th of July? Not sure. And then there's August...ah, August. ALMOST football season...

5. Pool, Lake, or Ocean?
A couple of months ago I would've said ocean...I love playing in the waves...but last time I went to the beach I saw five stingrays right there by the shore and it kinda freaked me out.
You can see two of them really well in this picture.

Plus, stupid BP is trying to ruin the Gulf of Mexico for EVERYBODY...but I probably shouldn't get started on that one again.

So now I guess I'd have to say pool. You can always see what you're swimming with in a pool :)

6. One of my favorite Summer memories is.....?
Summer in college...no stress of classes...just working and hanging out with my friends. One summer I interned with the park and rec department and I loved every single second of it.

7. What's your favorite secret bargain?
It's not really a secret, but I love getting good deals at the grocery store and CVS with the help of Money Saving Mom, Southern Savers and I Heart Publix. Buying groceries is kind-of like a game to me now to see how much I can save. And now that I'm back in school and only working a few hours a week, saving on groceries is a really big deal!

8. Do you plan on or have you been watching the World Cup?
I haven't yet and I doubt I will...I really don't get into soccer very much (or at all)...right now I'm watching the NBA finals...go Celtics!

I hope everyone has a great Sunday! I'm planning on studying and doing homework ALL DAY. This month of school is absolutely killing me. I don't mean to wish my life away, but I am REALLY looking forward to July!

I just have to say...

2010-06-08T19:37:00.000-07:00

that BP makes me SICK. I wouldn't usually post about something like this on my blog, but I am just really disgusted right now.

The oil spill happened. Can't turn back time and undo it. I get that. I'm even moving past the part of BP knowing there were problems on that rig. But first there was that awful commercial, and then today I read this article. So, let me get this straight. BP is out there spending money on making and airing commercials, and buying phrases on search engines to bump themselves to the top? Am I understanding this right? I was a PR major, so on one hand I understand wanting to let people know how hard you're working to make this right, but on the other hand, I'm a resident of Alabama and a frequent beach-goer who has family on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico, so I'd rather SEE what you're doing to make it right than to hear what you SAY you're doing. Why don't you spend that money you spent on the commercial and buying phrases to give jobs to the fisherman and others who are out of work and can't support their families right now because of YOU? I see them on the local news every day...LOTS of them aren't getting anything from BP!

I have always used BP. I've had a BP card since I was sixteen. Not anymore :(

Memorial Day Braves Game

2010-06-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

Last Monday (Memorial Day), Lee and I went to a Braves game with my friend Cally. I had not been in about three years, and Cally had never been to a Braves game, so we decided to go. We got tickets for really cheap, and the Beach Boys were doing a concert after the game!

It had been really rainy all weekend, and it rained some on the way to Atlanta, but it didn't rain while we were there! It was really, really humid and muggy though.

Me and Cally at the game

Me and Lee at the game (I realize that my forehead is ginormous, but it was so hot I really didn't care!)

Before the game, since it was Memorial Day, they had all the different branches of represented on the field, and they also had family members out on the field. It was really nice, and I may or may not have teared up.
The Braves won the game...I think the final score was 9-2, and the Phillies manager got thrown out! Very exciting! After the game we waited about 45 minutes for them go get the stage set up for The Beach Boys concert, then we heard them sing one song, then we left. I was just so hot and ready to get home, plus, I don't know if they have had any concerts there this year, so I don't think they had all the sound worked out just yet.

We had a really good time at the game. I don't know if the Braves have put their employees through a customer service workshop or anything, but every single person working there was really nice. So kudos to the Braves for that--it made our experience that much better :)

Another weekend gone

2010-06-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

I really think somebody does something to make time go by faster on the weekends...I just don't know where this one went! We had a good weekend, just kinda busy!

Friday after my class was over I went over to Sunny's to help do her hair. We had fun hanging out, and I love seeing my sweet little nephew :) And I think her hair looks good :) After that I went home with every intention of studying (yep, on a Friday night...you WISH you were as cool as me! haha!), but I ended up working on a birth announcement for Riley instead. I think it turned out pretty good. I'd like to start making them for people, but I need a lot more practice. I might post it on the blog if Sunny decides to send it out.

So yeah, no studying Friday night. Saturday the PLAN was to get up, study, clean up (like serious cleaning), and then we had a wedding to go to. So of all those things, only one actually got done, and that was going to the wedding. When we woke up we decided to take the dogs for a walk, and then by the time we got back from walking and got showered and all that it was almost lunchtime (yeah, we slept kinda late!). So we ate some lunch and then we went to Lowe's and Academy because we need a new weedeater and Lee wanted a grill from Academy. We bought neither. When we got home it was almost time to leave for the wedding! Then after the wedding some friends called and we went to see Get Him to the Greek. I thought it was pretty funny. THEN when we got home I finally studied some.

This morning we got up and went to church. We're trying to find a church around here to join, but it's hard because it seems like we're never here on the weekends. We want to find one with a lot of people our age because we really want to get involved in Sunday School, but we just haven't found one that feels right yet. When we got back from church we took a nap (I love Sunday afternoon naps!) and then I studied again. Well, I call it studying. I had to miss a class Friday to go to an orientation for my online class. My professor puts his lectures online so I was watching that and taking notes. I need to actually STUDY them tonight.

Tonight I made Ricotta Parmesan Chicken from The Fairhope Foodie. It was really good! If you have a Publix near you (or even if you don't), you should check out her website. She makes a weekly menu based on what's on sale at Publix that week. This is the first thing I've made from her website but I'll definitely be making more! Now we're just hanging out watching the NBA Finals...Lee's always been a big Celtics fan, so I'm a Celtics fan by marriage :)

Back to School, Back to School

2010-06-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first day back to school! The month of June is going to be CRAZY busy for me! I have one class five days a week, another class four days a week, and a three-hour lab three days a week. I'm taking Astronomy and a music class. Astronomy is going to be not so much fun, but I'm liking music so far. We're learning to play the keyboard so we can play it for our students :) The only thing I don't like is that I have to carry a big keyboard all around campus with me. It's probably about as tall as I am! Luckily my awesome sister-in-law has offered to drive met to class in the mornings so I don't have to carry it around SO much!

I'm going to go study now...I have my first quiz in astronomy tomorrow...this is my first college quiz in like four years, so I'm kinda nervous!

Getting to Know You!

2010-05-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! I haven't played along with Keely's Getting to Know You in a few weeks so I thought I'd join back up today!

1. Have you ever snooped around someone else's house? Umm...I really don't think I have...

2. Can guys and girls be friends? ( thanks Jen!) They can be...I think most of the time though, one has feelings for the other, even if they never act on it...does that make sense?

3. Can you curl your tongue? Sure can!

4. Have you ever stolen anything? I'm not a thief...although I am barred from Cinnabon at the mall where I worked a few years ago...I didn't steal anything (really I didn't, it's on camera) but they accused me of it. I had to go to the police station in an interrogation room, and he read me my rights and everything! It was so scary! Sooo....I don't make purchases from Cinnabon!

5. Would you rather talk on the phone or text? I text unless it's something that needs to be discussed, or if I just want to catch up with somebody

6. Memorial Day plans? I was in a wedding yesterday, and tomorrow we're going to the Braves game

7. What do you do to relax? Just put my feet up and read or watch tv...if the weather's nice I like to go for a walk

8. Do you do anything to honor those that have died fighting for our freedom? Not besides just remembering them and thanking God for them. I buy the little poppyseed flower things they sell...

Last Day at "The Coupon Place"

2010-05-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's my last day at work. I work at a shared mail company and one of my friends called it "the coupon place," and I thought that was pretty funny :) But my time there is almost up. I worked there from the time I graduated from Alabama until Lee and I got married. When we got married we moved to Memphis, so I obviously had to leave my job. The day I left they had a shower for me and Lee. It was May 5, so it was a "Cinco de Carly" shower. They had me a pinata filled with candy and money!
When we moved back to Alabama a year later, I was excited and blessed to get my job back (well, a really similar job anyway). I work for an amazing company. It's a company that really cares about its employees. I work with awesome people that I have the honor of calling my friends. And now I'm leaving again.

I know going back to school to be a teacher is what I'm SUPPOSED to be doing. I know it. The way everything is working out makes me more sure of that every day. But it's still sad to know that I won't be seeing all these people every day anymore. The good news is that I'm not moving away, and I know we'll still be in touch. We're already planning more lunches together and we're going to see Eclipse in July, but it won't be the same as seeing them every day. One of my best friends at work is pregnant and I'm sad that I won't get to see her every day and see how much she's growing, but I know that I'll be around to go visit that little boy when he gets here! I just have mixed emotions right now. It's good to finally know what God's plan is for me, but it's hard to leave my comfort zone. This job and this company is what I know. It's scary to leave all that to make such a big change. I'm just so thankful that I was given the opportunity to work at this company back in 2007 and again in 2009. I've got some great memories, and some great friends that I'll never forget ♥

'Cause I'm spontaneous like that...

2010-05-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

All day at work Friday I thought about the beach. My brother and sister-in-law and nieces were going down there. My parents were going down there. I wanted to go down there. So at about 4:45 Friday afternoon I emailed Lee and told him I wanted to go to the beach. His response was "Huh?" I said "I've been thinking about the beach and I want to go this weekend."

I'm not a terribly spontaneous person [I feel like I used to be though], and Lee is less spontaneous than I am, so it was hard for him to just pick up Saturday morning and drive five hours to the beach. We didn't have any big plans, but we were going to clean up and little things like that, so after work I went to the gym then came home and cleaned and washed clothes all night [until I fell asleep on the couch around 10!] Then we got up early Saturday morning and left at 7 to head to the beach!

We got down there around noon and went to the pool to hang out with the family. We stayed around there for a few hours, then we went over to Lee's grandparents' house to see everybody for a little while...except Lauren...I want to see you next time, dangit! Then Saturday night we went out to dinner with my brother and sister-in-law. It was SO much fun spending time with them. I miss them so much.

Sunday morning we went to the beach so my sister-in-law could get some pictures of my nieces. I actually took my camera this time!

My adorable nieces

This might be one of my favorite pictures ever...she wanted to feel the waves splash her feet

Mama got splashed!

We left around lunchtime Sunday to get back in time to go to our LOST party...I haven't watched since about the middle of last season...I had just gotten all confused...but Lee was really mad with the ending. It was a quick trip, but I'd do again in a heartbeat. It was such a fun weekend. It's worth the five-hour drive to spend time with my awesome family and be at my favorite place on the planet. Plus, one day we'll have kids [good Lord willing], and it won't be quite so easy to just head down there for a couple of days!

Two Years

2010-05-17T06:00:00.000-07:00

This was me and Lee two years ago today:

Yep, today is our second anniversary! I remember thinking that May 17, 2008 would NEVER get here, and now it's our two-year anniversary! Time really does fly.

In those two years, we've:
~Moved to Memphis
~Gotten our two babies, Ellie and Bruce Wayne
~Moved back to Alabama
~Went back to the jobs we had BEFORE we moved to Memphis
~Bought a house
~Watched LOTS of football
~Gone to Atlanta to watch our beloved Crimson Tide win the SEC Championship Game
~Watched on TV as the Tide won their first National Championship since 1992
~Welcome another niece (my brother's second little girl) and another nephew (Sunny's first baby, who was actually due on our anniversary!) into the family

I'm sure there are lots of other things that should be on the list, but I can't think of them at the moment.

Lee is still just as sweet to me as he was when we started dating :)

It's been a good two years, and I can't wait to see what our future brings!

Happy Anniversary, Lee! I love you!

I'm Back!

2010-05-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

I'm really going to try to be better about updating my blog. We've just been so BUSY! (Which is one of the reasons I should update my blog more, so I can look back and remember what all we had going on!) My goal is to try to update at least twice a week.

The biggest thing that's been going on is that I'm going back to school! I'm going back to get my master's in elementary education. I know, it's a pretty terrible time to want to be a teacher with proration and all that, but this is really what I think I'm supposed to do. So for a couple of months all I did every night was study for the MAT. That test was SO HARD...but I passed! To get into school I had to place in the 50th percentile and I was in the 82nd! I was so happy I almost cried. I had only been nervous before one test in my entire life (Finance at Alabama...I had to pass the class to graduate. I had to get seven questions right--out of 50--to pass the class and I wasn't sure I did that...but I did...and I graduated with honors!), and the anxiety I had before that test was nothing compared to the anxiety I had before I took the MAT. I literally almost made myself sick.

It's going to take me a little over two years to finish up. I have to take some liberal arts classes that I didn't take my first time in school over the summer, and the classes are only offered during the day, so that means I have to quit my job at the end of this month. I turned in my notice Monday, and my last day is next Thursday. I'm excited about going back to school, but I honestly work with some of the best people you'll ever meet, so I'm sad about leaving everybody. I'm hoping I can find a part-time job soon.

In other news, Lee and I went to see Love and Theft, Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw in concert Friday night. It was part of my anniversary present from him, which was really a sweet gift considering Lee really doesn't like country music at all!

We didn't get to see any of Love and Theft because we were already running a little late and it took us a good half-hour, 45 minutes to find a parking spot. (Note to the good people at the Verizon Wireless Music Center: Do something about the parking situation. Something is seriously wrong there.) We got in, paid $18 for two beers, and got to our seats right when Lady Antebellum started. They were amazing.

Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum...she's just gorgeous

Tim McGraw was awesome too. He just has so many good songs!
Both of these pictures are obviously of the big screen at the concert. We actually had pretty good seats, it was just hard to get a good picture of the stage.

So that's a (not so) little update on my life lately!

Getting to Know You!

2010-04-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back for some Getting to Know You this week!

1. If you could star in any movie genre..what would it be..romance..horror..comedy..suspense or action?
Hmm...probably comedy

2. Do you recycle?
Not like I should...we have recycling bins at work for aluminum and plastic so I always use those, but that's about it

3. Have you ever been to a strip club?
Can't say I have!

4. Do you have a nickname?
Not really...some of my good friends call me Carly Dawn, but that's just my middle name...

5. What's a name you can't stand to be called?
"Twin!" Sometimes people would call me and Sunny "the twins" and that really drove me crazy

6. What are your Summer staples?
flip-flops! I don't think you can ever have enough...I REALLY want these right now:
I love Yellow Box flip-flops, and I could wear these for football season too!

7. What was the last thing you bought for yourself?
Some shorts yesterday...nothing too exciting, I just needed some!

8. Are you happy with your boob size?
Yeah I guess so

If you want to read about Riley...

2010-04-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to Sunny's blog. (I realized this morning that I forgot to link to it last night. Sorry! It's been a long couple of weeks!) She's got some pictures of the sweet little guy on there too! I'm sure she'd appreciate the prayers :)

I have another nephew!

2010-04-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

At 12:21 am Monday my newest nephew entered the world! You can go to Sunny's blog to see a picture and read a little bit about him. He's in NICU right now...he's doing okay, but Sunny and Joey came home today and he's still at the hospital. If you're of the praying persuasion, please say a prayer for Riley and Sunny and Joey. I know Riley is in good hands, but I know it's hard for them to have to come home without him.

Weekend Recap

2010-04-12T18:23:00.000-07:00

What an awesome weekend! As soon as I got home from work Friday we went to Lee's aunt's birthday part. It was really good to see all his family. His stepsister is pregnant, and I haven't seen her since they told everybody. She's already got a little bump! Here's a picture of some of us from the party:
This is is me and Lee and his brother and sister, sister's roommate, brother's girlfriend, stepdad, stepsister and her husband, and cousins. Sometimes I forget how short I am, and then I see one of these pictures :)

About an hour after we got home from the party, my brother, sister-in-law and nieces got here. We stayed up talking until about 1:00, then my niece woke me up at 6:00 Saturday morning. Any other time I might would have been irritated about getting up so early, but I love them so much, and don't get to see them as much since they've moved so I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible.

We had Sunny's baby shower Saturday afternoon. I don't have pictures, but this time it wasn't for lack of effort! I took my camera with every intention of taking lots of pictures, but I didn't think to check the battery Friday night and when I got it out at the shower it was dead :( But my mom had her camera so I took lots of pictures with it. She didn't have the cord with her to put them on the computer, so my dad has promised he'll send them to me either tonight or tomorrow. THEN I'll post them! She got lots of stuff for Baby Riley and we got to see some really good friends that we hadn't seen in a while :)

After the shower we went over to Sunny's house to have a cookout for my mom's birthday. My grandmother's birthday was last week too, so I got them a strawberry cake from Edgar's...the best cake ever! (Pictures of the cake are on my mom's camera too, so I'll post them as soon as I get them from Daddy) We got home at about 9:00 Saturday night and I fell asleep as soon as we got home and slept until 7:30 Sunday morning! I think I finally caught up on sleep!

NOW I'm just trying to make it through this week to get to another awesome weekend. A-Day, Alabama's big spring scrimmage is this weekend and one of my best friends from home is coming up for it. I'm going to be sure to charge the camera battery before Saturday!

This & That

2010-04-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

I got behind on the blog again...I swear I'm gonna get better! I've been so busy lately, and a little bit (okay that's an understatement) stressed out. But the stress levels are going down and I'm starting to feel at peace with everything. I'll post about all that later, but for now I'll just do a little update on life :)

I came home one day last week to Lee in the kitchen floor with a bunch of towels. There was water all over the floor and we couldn't figure out what was leaking. I got some more towels and started trying to help dry off the floor and Lee opened the freezer door...water was dripping from the ice bucket. Whew, okay, the ice maker's broken, no big deal. Then I started thinking...wait a minute...I'm pretty sure the ice wouldn't melt just because the ice maker quit working. Yeah, definitely not. EVERYTHING we had in the freezer had thawed out. Boo! So then we looked at everything in the fridge. It wasn't working anymore either. Not cool. Literally. Thankfully we still have our home warranty so we didn't have to pay too much to get it fixed, but it still sucks to have to throw out ALL your food. That was last Wednesday. We had cooked a pork loin in the crock pot that day so we got a bag of ice and kept it in the cooler all night, then we both took some to work the next day to keep in the fridge there. We were going out of town for the weekend so we weren't too worried about that.

The guy came to look at it Friday and said he'd have to order a part. So we were without a refrigerator or freezer until Tuesday. Lee went to a fast-food place Monday morning and got a whole bunch of packs of jelly, so we've pretty much been living off that since then. (They're both fixed now, I just haven't been to the store yet!!)

This weekend we went to the beach with my parents for Easter. My dad has a friend who's a pastor down there that he had not seen in a long time, so we went to his church Sunday morning. He seemed so excited to see my dad! The weather was BEAUTIFUL down there. I love the beach so much. It was hard to come home.

I've spent most of my time after work this week trying to get all the weeds out of the yard. We were THAT house on the street. I was really embarrassed. I was afraid we'd get a letter from the HOA telling us we needed to do something about our yard! We finally got most of them up, but I noticed more already yesterday. Plus it rained pretty hard last night so I'm sure I'll spend more time this weekend pulling more.

We're gonna have a busy weekend this weekend, too. But I'm so excited about it! Tomorrow night we have a birthday party for Lee's aunt. Then my brother, sister-in-law and nieces are coming up to spend the night with us. There's a shower for Sunny on Saturday, and it's my mom's birthday. Then Saturday night my sister, brother-in-law and nephews are spending the night. One of my best friends in the world is coming up for Sunny's shower too, so I can't wait to see her! So that pretty much sums up my life over the last week! How have YOU been?

Catching Up

2010-03-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

Sunny informed me last night that I was way behind on my blog...so it's good to know I've been missed! :)

March 18-21 we went with Lee's family to Snowshoe, West Virginia to go skiing. I took my camera, but of course, I didn't take any pictures. His brother's girlfriend is better at taking pictures than I am, so she got one of us and put it on facebook for me...so here's the picture of us on the slopes:

I had been skiing with them before a few years, but they've all been skiing since they were like two, and that was my first time, and I got frustrated (and scared, I'll admit it) and quit. We went last year but I didn't ski. This year I told Lee I'd ski as long as he let me stay on the bunny slope the whole time, and he did and I was happy :) Also, I think it's worth mentioning that last year we got stuck on the side of a mountain in the snow. We were following his dad but he had gotten a little bit ahead of us, and we had no cell phone service so we couldn't get in touch with him to turn around. We were in a Honda Accord and not at all equipped for snow. It was really scary. Finally some guy came by and pulled us out. I'm happy to report that this year there was no getting stuck :)

We got home late last Sunday afternoon and washed clothes, watched The Celebrity Apprentice and went to bed! We were sooo tired!

This week the weather FINALLY started getting warmer. I love Springtime, but my allergies do not. I felt pretty bad all week long. Lee is pretty much the best husband ever for putting up with me last week. I was just a mess.

I'm finally feeling better today and have spent most of the day cleaning the house since it was pretty much neglected all week. I guess at some point this week I'll get out in the yard and pull some weeds. The TruGreen man came knocking on the door Friday afternoon asking if we wanted them to do our yard. I'm sure he went to almost everybody's house, but it still made me feel bad when he knelt down, touched some of the weeds in the yard, and said on their first service they'd get rid of our weeds for us!

Getting to Know You!

2010-03-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday! Time for some Getting to Know You with Keely!

1. What's your favorite Easter candy?
I don't think they're technically Easter candy, but Starburst jelly beans! They sell them all year, but Easter's just about the only time I eat them for some reason. I had my first bag since about this time last year this week. A close second is Reese's eggs...mmm
2. Who do you think is cleaner..men or women?
Women for sure...but some of the things I experienced when I lived in the dorm my freshman year of college made me wonder for a little while...girls can definitely be gross sometimes too!
3. Which do you prefer..wordy blog posts or ones with pictures?
I don't discriminate...I love them both!
4. Were you popular in highschool?
I mean...I don't think I was unpopular
5. What's your bra size?
C
6. How many states have you lived in?
Alabama and Tennessee (only for a year)...if I ever leave Alabama again it'll have to be for the beach
7. What's one blog you read every day?
She doesn't post every day, but I love Amanda's blog...when she does post I'm all over it! I just think she's awesome
8. Peanut butter or Nutella?
I've never actually tried Nutella...we had it for a little while because Lee liked it, but I never tasted it

I hope everybody has a good week! I've got a short work week coming up...I'm pretty excited!

In Ten Years...

2010-03-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Kendra tagged me to play the 10 year game!

Here are the rules:
Post where you want to be in 10 years
Pass along to ten of your bloggy friends

So here goes...

In ten years...

I will be 35...yeah...moving on now...

I hope to have a master's degree (more on that another day)

I hope to be in a job I love (more on that later, too!)

I hope to have made at least one person's life better just by being in it

I hope to have no debt...except probably a house payment

I hope to have a child or two

I hope I'm healthy and happy, and I hope my family and friends (including all of you!!) are too

Since I'm such a rule-breaker, I'm not going to tag 10 people! Because I'm still getting to know all my new blog friends, I want everybody who hasn't played yet to play along! Please leave a comment and let me know if you played!

Getting to Know You!

2010-03-07T13:02:00.001-08:00

Getting to Know You time with Keely!! :)

1. Are you more of a talker or a listener?
I like to think I'm a pretty good listener...I can be a talker sometimes though, especially when you get me around all my best friends...and if I'm drinking!

2. Bra. Underwire or wireless?
Definitely underwire

3. I wish I was.....?
Sunny took my answer! Haha! I WOULD like to be a little bit taller though, seriously!

4. The Academy Awards are on tonight..will you watch?
I'll turn it on...I don't know how much I'll actually watch though.

5. Do you put your deodorant on before or after you get dressed?
After...I've tried it both ways, and it seems like I'm better at not getting it on my clothes if I do it after.

6. Would you rather do the dishes or clean toilets?
Dishes. See my post from yesterday...I DETEST cleaning bathrooms! (And apparently I'm pretty bad at it, too, because it doesn't even look like my shower's been cleaned at all...sad)

7. How much did you weigh at birth?
Like 5 and a half pounds, I think? Something like that. A pretty good size for a twin!

8. If you could only buy one thing for the Spring/Summer season..what would it be?
A comfortable cotton dress! I just love them so much! I've seen some really cute ones at Target this season, but so far I've only bought this one from Maurices:
I haven't had a chance to wear it yet, though, because it's been so cold! But yeah, those kinds of dresses are my FAVORITE!

I'm off to the gym now (I've talked myself in and out of going about seven times now, so I'm going to go before I change my mind again!) Then, we had a change of plans last night and went to eat at Joe's Crab Shack instead (where we had the most awkward waiter who thought it was appropriate to tell us how much money he makes a year???), so we're grilling tonight! Mmm!

Spring Fever!

2010-03-06T13:24:00.001-08:00

This weather is giving me some serious Spring Fever! The thermometer on my back porch says it it 70 degrees right now! It's warm and the sun is shining and that makes me happy!

In honor of the nice weather, today I did a *little* Spring Cleaning! This morning I went to the gym, tanned and did some laundy (holla Jersey Shore...gym tan and laundry!)...still doing the laundry...it never ends :( Then I cleaned the living room and finally tackled the bathroom. I HATE cleaning the bathroom. We've done a pretty good job keeping the living room clean here lately so really all I needed to do was dust and vacuum (and Lee vacuumed for me b/c he's sweet), but the bathroom is a whole other monster. I just CANNOT keep the shower clean no matter how hard I try. I know I should really just clean it more often so it doesn't get that bad, but it's really hard to make myself do that! BUT I'm pretty much finished now, and it looks pretty good. I may organize the linen closet in there tomorrow and then it will be REALLY clean...until about a week from now and it's all messy again!

In a little while we're going to take the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood, then we're grilling some hamburgers tonight. It's perfect grilling weather!

Geeze I hope it doesn't get cold again!!

Getting to Know You!

2010-02-28T14:22:00.000-08:00

How do Sunday afternoons get here so fast?? I'm watching the Olympics gold medal hockey game--USA just scored and tied it up!--and thought I'd play the Getting to Know You with Keely for this week!

1. Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive?
Neither! Those both sound really really scary to me! But if I HAD to choose I'd probably pick bungee jumping...you don't have to remember to open a parachute or anything like that when you bungee jump, do you?
2. When using a public restroom to you squat over the seat or sit?
Definitely squat
3. Favorite flower?
Daisies! I've always loved them and Lee got them for me the night he proposed :) I really like orchids, too
4. Pedicure or manicure?
Pedicure I guess...I don't get either done professionally very often though
5. How many siblings do you have?
I won't count in-laws because I have kind-of a lot now. But I have a twin sister, a brother and another sister
6. Do you pee in the shower? (gasp!)
No.
7. Bikini, tankini, or one piece?
Bikini, probably shouldn't, but I do
8. Where do you hate to shop at, but go there anyway?
Wal-Mart. I hate Wal-Mart for so many reasons, but sometimes there's just no way around it. I pretty much have quit going, though. I really don't even remember the last time I went.

That's it for today! I hope everybody had a good weekend!

Rest in Peace, Rajaan

2010-02-26T20:35:00.000-08:00

If you know much about me, you know that I love Alabama football. But when it comes down to it, I am really a fan of the SEC and *most* of the time I want all SEC teams to do well. (There are a few exceptions but that’s not the point of this post). I read the SEC blog on ESPN.com everyday, and I found an article today that literally made me cry at my desk at work.

Rajaan Bennett was an 18-year-old from Powder Springs, Georgia, who was shot and killed in an apparent murder-suicide on February 18. He had just accepted a full scholarship to Vanderbilt University.

From what I’ve read about him, he was quite a guy. His father was killed in a car accident when he was 10, and after that he became the man of the house and helped his mom take care of his special needs brother. You can read the article on the SEC blog here or CNN’s article here. I won’t get into it too much because I think you should read the articles, but even if you don’t read the articles, please at least read the essay he wrote the week before he was killed (taken from the SEC blog on ESPN.com):

"Strength"
by Rajaan Bennett
Somebody once told me that, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13). Life hasn't been a walk in the park for me, but I'm thankful for the obstacles, hardships, and accomplishments that GOD has provided for me. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be the Rajaan Bennett that you know today. I wouldn't have things any other way.

Strength is the ability to do or bear things in the state of being strong.

In the year of 2000, I moved from the streets of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to the suburbs of Powder Springs, Georgia. A year later, my dad died in a horrible car wreck, and as a ten year-old, I knew he wasn't coming back. This tragedy rattled me to the core. I felt as if there was no need for me to live. I wanted to be as happy as the kids with dads and moms.

Some days I would wonder - why me? But eventually, I realized that it was my turn to become a man. As I became older, I came to notice that in life you use strength as a blanket to protect you from this cold world.

I am the oldest of 3 and I have a brother with special needs who I have to take care of. I have to balance school, sports, friends, and family - and it gets so hard, but I push myself. I push myself like a sprinter who is neck and neck with an opponent with 10 meters left. With the strength that I posses, I feel like I'm Hercules.

I matured faster than all of my friends - and there will never be a time that I will give up. I may complain, I may refuse, and I may even cry about it, but I know I have to do what I have to do.

I work hard at whatever I do - just for that man upstairs to smile down on me with the rays of the sun ...and they feel so warm. My drive cannot be stopped or even slowed down, because every obstacle has a way around it. Every day I become stronger from the weights physically, the books mentally, and life emotionally.

There is no limit to my strength and at the end of the day, I want to be known as the strongest.

Why I didn't work out last night...

2010-02-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

Lee and I got new phones last night and we haven't been able to put them down! I'm blogging from the phone right now :) I think it's killing him because he's driving right now so he can't play with his phone!

Lee got a Droid and I got a Droid Eris. I would put pictures but I don't know how to do that from the phone just yet. Really I don't know how to do much on this phone just yet--I tried to send a text earlier today and had to send Lee a test one first to make sure I did it right. I'll get there though!

I won't be posting much from the phone I don't think, I just wanted to play with my new phone while I was bored on our trip :) I hope everybody has a great weekend!

New Challenges

2010-02-24T17:18:00.000-08:00

I decided a couple of weeks ago that I needed to add something different to my workout routine. The gym is still SOOO crowded since it's still early in the year, so sometimes that discourages me from going. So I've started two new things: Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred and the Couch to 5k.

The 30-Day Shred is HARD, yall. I was going to order it from Amazon with my Swagbucks, but Lee's sister and her roommate had it and let me borrow it. (There's a lot of jumping in it, and they live in an apartment, so they hadn't been using it because they're considerate of their neighbors), so if I didn't like it I wouldn't have been out any money, so now I can spend my Swagbucks on something else :) I decided I was going to challenge myself to actually do the DVD 30 days in a row and see what happens. I started last Thursday, but I didn't do it Friday so I'm counting my 30 days as having started Saturday. I haven't done it yet tonight, so I guess I'm four days in right now. Today is the first day I haven't been sore! There are three levels, and you work your way up as you're ready for a more difficult workout. I'm obviously still on level one. I still really like it, though. It's only about 20 minutes, so I feel like every day I'll be able to make 20 minutes to work out. I'll keep you posted on my progress!

A few weeks ago Lee decided he wanted to start running. I had done the Couch to 5k a while back, so he decided he'd do that. Have any of yall ever done that one? You can download a podcast every week for 9 weeks, and by the end of the 9 weeks you should be able to run 5k, or 30 minutes without walking. We're on week 3 right now. Our neighborhood is VERY hilly so it's pretty tough! He's been getting up and running before work, and I've been trying to get up with him, but I really like my sleep so it's hard for me to get up any earlier than I have to! I've gotten up with him one day so far. We're trying to go on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays so I'm REALLY going to try to get up with him in the morning. I did feel really proud of myself the day I ran before work :)

Oh, and I found the *best* Wii game last week! Just Dance! It is so much fun, and really good cardio! I danced to three songs Saturday and I was exhausted! My mom and Sunny probably thought I was crazy on Saturday because I kept talking about how excited I was to buy it, but then after they played it with me Sunday they went and bought it too! It's on sale this week at Target for $29.99, too, so you should check it out :)