Maybe Next Year...

Is it really time for 2010 already? 2009 sure did fly by! And I, for one, am glad to see it go!

I've had some amazing things happen this year; my precious little niece arrived in August, my sister and I finally got to "meet" our two oldest sisters (I'll post about that later!), and I married my best friend. However, this year has brought many hardships upon me and my family. I'm ready for 2010! A new year, a new decade and a brand new start!

Do you guys have any New Year's Resolutions? I never make resolutions because, for one, I am never determined enough to follow through with them. What's that song lyric by Saving Jane? I've got good intentions, but I never follow through. That suits me perfectly. I'm determined, for right now anyway, to make some changes in this upcoming year. Maybe now that I've confessed that here for all the world to see, I'll have some motivation to keep it going? Hopefully.

When I started thinking about resolutions, I wondered where they came from. So, I headed over to Google. Many of the websites are saying that New Year's Resolutions began with the Babylonians. Now days, we promise to lose weight, become debt free, quit smoking, etc. The Babylonians? They vowed to return borrowed farm equipment. Makes sense. It also says that the early Christians used the first day of the new year to reflect back on mistakes they made the previous year and then they would resolve to fix them. Again, makes sense.

Let's see...following with the early Christians, here are my mistakes and what I plan to do to fix them. :) Enjoy!

• In 2009, I ate entirely too much, resulting in me gaining too much weight. 
• In 2010, I plan on starting a reasonable weight loss plan. I'm ready to shed these unwanted pounds!
• In 2009, I was so focused on the wedding, that I was too lazy tired to keep up with keeping our apartment clean/organized.
• In 2010, I plan on cleaning/organizing our apartment and keeping it that way.
• In 2009, I spent too much money. Way too much money.
• In 2010, we plan on getting out of debt as much as possible.

Okay, I know there are only three, but if I have too long of a list, then there will be no chance of me sticking to it!


Everyone have a fun and safe night tonight! Don't drink and drive, call someone!

Me, my hubby and some others friends are gonna watch the Chick-Fil-A Bowl! UT vs. VT? This will not end well!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,

Mr. & Mrs. B

"Blogger's Block"

I feel like I should write something today, but I don't have anything to say.

My parents' electricity  finally came back on this morning. There is also someone coming to cut the up tree  today. I'm so happy they're finally able to come back home and not worry about being in someone's way! Whit, Nathan and Emma get to come home and have Emma where she belongs!

Here are some pics of the damage the tree did:

You can see how many trees fell that night! They were so lucky only one actually hit the house!

At least dad's icicle lights held up! :)

There are so many people in our area still w/o power and, now, many are w/o water. I still can't believe how lucky me and my hubby have been throughout all of this. We were without power for only 26 hours, compared to those who have been w/o since Friday evening. We haven't lost our water and there's no fear of us even losing it. I've gotten to come home to a warm apartment, cook a hot meal and take a hot shower everyday. This whole mess has really given me a new outlook on things. It has made me realize that I need to be a lot more grateful for things, instead of complaining over everything.

I can't wait to see my family tomorrow. I was already so homesick, but knowing that they're up there suffering and there's nothing I can do, has made it so much worse!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Blizzard '09

When I was younger, we had two blizzards: 1993/4 & 1996. I was only 10/12 years old, so to me, it was fun. It meant I got out of school and got to play in the snow all day. Our power went out, but it was fun b/c we had a fire place, kerosene heater and a bunch of blankets. It meant that I got to snuggle up under a bunch of blankets w/ my family. We drank tons of hot chocolate and played in the snow for hours a day. Those two blizzards are why I love snow so much.

Now, fast foward to 2009. I'm 25 years old, married with a job. And, I still loved snow. I was so ready for this snow storm to hit, but I was pretty skeptical that we'd get any at all. Usually, the weatherman will predict snow, but we won't get anywhere near what was predicted. This time? Ole' Dave Dierks hit the nail right on the head.

Friday it started raining around 11:00 and around 2:00 or so, we saw the first signs of snow. By 3:30, we were in a full on blizzard. The main branch called and told us to shut the doors at 4:00 and get home. Ashley and I made it home safely. I was really concerned about making it up the hill that our townhouse sits on, but we made it up the hill with no problem. Her boyfriend, Jay, was here when we got home and said he'd take us back out to the store in his truck. He was so nervous! He kept telling us to hurry and that we had fifteen minutes to get what we needed and out. Well, fifteen minutes was almost too long. We barely made it back up the hill! Thankfully, we did and made back in to Ashley's warm apartment. In all of the fuss, I happened to lock myself out of our apartment. Kevin was having to work late on a leak and wasn't home for me to get in. We headed over to Ashley's sister's apartment b/c they had a kerosene heater. They live in the apartment next to us! We ate and just waited for the power to go out. It kept flickering and around 8:00, the transformer outside blew and we were in the dark. My hubby made it home five minutes later, but had to catch a ride from a co-worker who had a truck and had to walk up the hill. I was so glad he was home! When he got home, we packed up the eggs, lunch meat and cheese in his lunch box and put it on the picnic table on our patio. We packed snow all around it. We also sat our milk out there, too and then I put chairs over top of them so the Devil Cat and his buddies wouldn't get into it. Ashley had an empty fire pit, so we put things in it, as well. We put the screened lid on top of it and packed snow all around it. We were quite proud of ourselves!

Our makeshift fridge!

The firepit fridge!

The next morning, we had 7.5" of snow! I called my parents to let them know we were okay and that we still didn't have power. Dad told me that a tree had fallen thru their roof and that they didn't have any power either. :( I was so upset. I hated being so far from them! Whitney had taken Emma to a friend's house that still had power, so I had some relief, but not much. We spent the day tubing down the hill and boiling a pot of water on the kerosene heater to make hot chocolate! We headed over to Ashley's once it got dark and played poker. Around 8:00, our power came back on! Thank God! We were all so excited. Jay said we should turn every light in the house on! haha!

This is what it looked like when we fell asleep!

This what we woke up to!

Me & my hubby out in the snow!

My parents are still without power and my mom is all to pieces. Whit still has Emma at her friend's and mom says she isn't eating well and won't stop crying. :( I'm trying to tell them to get the baby and just come down here. We have room for them to stay here and its warm. It may not be comfortable, but it will do! Mom said that when she called the power company they told her that there are 10,000 people in the area without power. :( Plus, she can't get in touch with the insurance agency to file a claim until tomorrow. There's no emergency number or anything.

This was the first "crisis" I've had since I've been out on my own. It has really made me feel grown up, knowing that I can handle things as well as I did. I learned that, although snow was fun as a kid, as an adult it isn't so much fun. It was nice watching it snow, waking up to the beautiful view and enjoying the quality time with good friends. But, having no power, not being able to get ahold of my family that's an hour away and not knowing if my other friends are okay wasn't so nice. I never realized how much my mom and dad had to worry about when it snowed. I also realized how much we depend on cellphones, tv and the internet! Its scary!

I hope everyone is okay and that you're warm out there! Please pray for those who aren't so fortunate to have their power back on!

This is the view from our front porch.

I've yet to use the panoranmic setting on the camera correctly. It is still pretty though!

You Are My Sunshine

Friday is finally here! I never thought it would get here. I've realized that I am just flat out homesick. Not living at home with my parents homesick, but I hate being an hour away from them, my sister and my little niece. They send me pics of Emma everday, but I still feel like I'm missing out. My little niece is my favorite person (aside from Kevin, of course) in the whole world and she always puts a smile on my face. In the  four short months she's been here, she's wrapped everyone in our family around her little fingers. Including Uncle Kevin. And, she sure does love her papaw. Dad babysits her while Whitney & Nathan work, so he's around her more than any of us. When dad walks into the room, as soon as Emma sees him, her little eyes light up!

I never imagined I could love something so much, so quickly. Before Emma was born, I loved her so much I couldn't stand it. She was the joy our little family needed. Whit had been pregnant once and lost it. We were all devastated. But, a month later, God decided to grace Whitney and Nathan with a positive pregnancy test! She told us all on Christmas through a letter from "baby Carpenter". Kevin said it must be a smart baby if it could already type! He's a nut.  Dad knew it was a boy. He just knew. He has only ever had daughters, so he knew it was his turn to have a boy in the family. But, the day we found out Emma was a girl, well, he was instantly won over.

I can't believe she's here. The night she was born, I cried and cried. I couldn't even speak. She was so beautiful. For the first few weeks, everytime I saw her, I'd cry. I was just so happy she was here! I'm looking forward to watching her grow and learn new things. I can't wait to tell her all kinds of mean things on her mommy and give her lots of candy, just to send her home to her mommy. haha! I worry about her when she's sick. One night she stayed w/ me, and the whole night I was awake because I was afraid she'd get under the covers somehow. I worry what life will be like for her once she's older. And the thought of anything happening to her absolutely scares me to death. Its so overwhelming! I just can't imagine how I'll feel once I have my own!

I mean, how could you not love this little face?

Ready to go to Mamaw and Papaw's!

This really made me laugh. The doctor told her to put Emma on her belly more. So, she did.

My Mamaw

I talk a lot about my mamaw. I think about her everyday. She truly was one of the most amazing, if not the most amazing person I have ever known. She was a petite little thing. When I was in third grade, I could wear her size 6 shoes and was just as tall as she was. I passed her up pretty quickly and, thanks to her cooking, never stayed as skinny as she was! I can still remember how soft her skin was and how pretty her hands were. Her knuckles were big, but I still wanted my hands to always look like hers! Of course, I have chubby hands and fingers. She always took care of her nails and always wore her rings. Her fingers were so little that her rings never stayed where they should. The diamonds were always sliding to the side of her fingers. She always wore keds, capri pants and little knit shirts. Every Friday she went to get her hair done at a beauty shop in town. I only heard her curse once or twice the entire fifteen years I had her. And as I got older, I realized how much of an impact the death of my papaw had on her. And I never ever realized how she truly held our family together.

I once asked her if she was going to have a sweetheart for Valentine's Day and she said that her sweetheart had left her and she'd never have another one. In the year or so before she passed away, her mental health began to decline. She was forgetful and sometimes she'd say things in a really hateful manner and then turn right around and be fine. She told my mom that everyone thought she was crazy, but she really just missed papaw. The Tuesday before she passed away, the doctor diagnosed her with alzheimer's. He told my dad and my aunt that they needed to take her truck keys away because he thought if she got out, she wouldn't make it back. So, they did and it killed her. They told her that she had lost them. And, love her heart, she had everyone of them in the front yard looking for her keys. Wednesday was the last time I saw her. Every five seconds, she was hugging my sister and me, telling us how proud of us she was and how much she loved us. All that week, she said little remarks to people..kinda like she knew? She told my uncle Jackie that everyone was going to be there that weekend, but she told my mom she didn't need anything from the grocery store. She told the florist that he was gonna be making the flowers for her casket soon and they better be pretty. And they were. She passed away on Saturday that week, the day before Mother's Day. We had just gotten back from shopping for her present and noticed her blinds were still open. She never had them open after dark. My dad told me to keep calling until she answered, but Dad was the one who answered. I've never felt so bad for my dad and even my mom. I couldn't imagine how they felt when they found her. My dad told me the hardest thing you'll ever have to do is bury your mother.

After she passed away, our little family fell apart. I was only fifteen, so I don't know what happened. For years, I didn't get to speak to any of my cousins. I didn't know what any of them were doing or how they were. And the same for my aunts and uncles. I'd pass a few of them in town and they'd speak to me, but it was never for as long as I wanted. Finally, me and my cousins have gotten to the point where we've decided whatever happened, happened between our parents, not us. And its been so fun catching up with them! We're all really busy with our own lives, but we've had one mini-reunion and we're planning on having a Christmas dinner next Saturday! I'm really excited! It may be too late for my dad and his siblings to make amends, but it isn't us. Like my cousin Felicia says, once they're gone, we're gonna be all we all have.

Sorry for rambling, I've just this on my mind a lot lately! Some other events have happened in the past month, but I can't post about that yet. There are still some things to be discussed. But, believe me, once I can, you'll be hearing all about it!

Etsy Treasure Hunt

I won! I won Mary Ruth's  Etsy treasure hunt! Happy dance! You can read my entry post, here.

Mary Ruth, I tried to post a comment both yesterday evening and this morning, but it won't let me see the box for the CAPTCHA, so I can't post it.

Here is my acceptance speech:

I'd like to thank my mom and my mamaw for instilling in me the love of unique Christmas candles and cozy crocheted snowflake ornaments! And my fellow bloggers, because without you, this would not have been possible. Thank you!

One of the many Christmas Candles.

Seriously, I was pretty excited about winning. I was having a rough day and that put a smile on my face. :-)

Kevin and I went Christmas shopping last night. We did pretty good sticking to our budget for everyone and even had some money left over, so we treated ourselves to Chinese for dinner. Yum!

I was raised in a household where presents, no matter what the occasion, are to be a surprise until you open them. We were never given any hints as to what they were or even allowed to open them early. We always got a pair of cozy winter pj's and we could open those on Christmas Eve. This year, Kevin and I decided just to get our gifts when we were with one another so that we could keep up with the budget. We made a deal that we can't use them until Christmas though. I told him next year we aren't doing that. I wanna keep it all a surprise! haha!

We also went to Target b/c we had a gift card from my big sisters (yay!) to spend. It really made my day to pick up a few things for the apartment I've been wanting!

Wanna know what my favorite thing I got was?

Over The Sink Colander

I have been wanting one of these for the past year. We didn't even have a colander, let alone one of these cool ones! I can't wait to use it! :)

It's Wednesday, thank God! We're half way through this week...and I can't wait until Friday! Today seems like its going to be a good day though. I sure hope so!

Tuesday? Really?

So far, it has been a rough week and its only Tuesday. I'm not really sure what's going on, but I've come to the conclusion I need to stay in bed this week and cut out communication with anyone and everyone. People are really getting my nerves this week. I feel like at any second I'm going to snap someone's head off. Do you guys ever feel that way? I'm sure you do. I'm also feeling...just weird, for lack of a better word. I have so many emotions going all at once.

Here's to hoping this week gets better!

A Few Of My Favorite Things: Edition #2

Update on the devil cat from this: Back To Reality. For the past few days, the wind has been horrible. The trees have been blown over onto the electrical lines, causing thousands in our area to be without power for days. On the day that it was the worst, I had a horrible day at work. I couldn't wait to come home and just relax! When I walked in, I noticed that a small sign I have hanging above our back door was laying in the floor. When I stepped further into the kitchen, leaves and dirt everywhere. Our back door had blown open and the wind had blown the leaves and dirt in. After the door had been blown open, apparently DC took this opportunity to come in where it was warm. While here, he decided to get into our trash can, knock it over and spill all of its contents onto our floor. Next, he decided to hop up on our kitchen table and get into a brand new loaf of bread and a pack of hamburger buns. Then, I go upstairs and he had gotten into the trash in our room! I was furious! Luckily for him, he had gotten out of the apartment by this time. If not, I can't imagine what I would've done to him!

Today its rainy and its cold. I have so much I need to do, but I just wanna curl up on the couch and be lazy all day. But, it seems I've done that so much this past week, that our living room and kitchen are extremely messy. However, due to it being cold and me just wanting to lay here w/ a warm blanket, I thought of my next Favorite Thing. :)

When I was younger, I couldn't say "blanket", instead I said "minket". And ever since, its been a running joke with me and my family. A few years ago, mom got me a gift and was sooo excited. It was a mink fleece blanket, so technically, it was a "minket". haha! She got us all one in different colors and I carry the thing with me on every trip I go on, like I'm a baby with a baby blanket. I love this thing.

I can't find a picture of the exact one she's given us, but I have found something that looks like it:

Touch Of Class Micro-Plush Fleece Blanket

If you guys ever have a chance to buy one of these, please do! They're awesome! :)

Hope you are enjoying your Sunday!

Mais Fica = More For Me

 Melissa found a blog yesterday and has brought it to my attention.

Now, when I find a blog I like, I usually read the latest posts they've written and then follow from there. However, I am slowly, but surely working my way through this woman's blog. Mais Fica is hilarious, and, on a day like I'm having today, I need some humor to pass the time away. Be careful, because, as she'll openly admit, she needs a "mouth filter". Nonetheless, her posts are extremely entertaining and she definitely doesn't hold back on what she's thinking. There have been a few times I have cackled out loud when I was reading. The posts about her hubby killing a bug for her or her getting into her Spanx are my favorite. So, if you have a chance, check her out!

Snowflakes. :)

Today I'm entering my first blog contest! How exciting!

Its actually really simple! Momma Ruth is having a weekly treasure hunt on Etsy. Each Friday she'll give us a "theme" to search for on Etsy, we find something that we like or is meaningful to us and then post about it. After we post about it, we go back to Momma Ruth's blog and enter it into the McLinky box. Can someone explain to me what that is?

This week's theme is snowflakes. :) I was really excited when I saw this! I immediately headed over to Etsy and started my search. Wow! Soooo many pages came up with so many cute items dealing with snowflakes. I honestly didn't know what I was going to choose.

That is, until, I saw this:

Fine Threads

When I saw this, I couldn't help but smile! This instantly reminded me of my mamaw! As a side note, when I mention my mamaw, it is my dad's mom. I don't have a relationship with my mom's mom. It also reminds me of my mom. When I was younger, we'd spend several evenings going out and buying all kinds of Christmas decorations. My mom and mamaw would get all kinds of candles. They'd be shaped like nutcrackers, snowflakes, Christmas trees, etc. They'd set them up all over their houses. Everywhere you turned, there was a candle. But, my mamaw also made her own Christmas decorations. She'd crochet ornaments that looked somewhat like the one pictured above and would also make ornaments out of the plastic sewing canvas. She made some for my mom's tree and she still has them!

A Few Of My Favorite Things: Edition #1

For those of you who do not know me, The Sound Of Music is my favorite movie of all time. The time frame, the location, the music and Julie Andrews...what's not to love? For as long as I can remember, anytime it came on the television, I stopped whatever I was doing to watch it. It will never get old to me!

I was looking around my apartment last night and was just thinking of how blessed Kevin and I were at our household shower, as well as things given to us beforehand. When I first moved out on my own, I had nothing. I wasn't prepared whatsoever! Fortunately for me, I was blessed enough to have parents who had things they could give me to start me out right, well at least make it easier on me. Mom refuses to throw anything away, in fear that we may need it again someday! And although I loved having dishes, pots and pans and a coffee pot, I longed to have new ones. Things that were mine and Kevin's that I got to break in all on my own. Needless to say, even though I wasn't expecting tons of gifts, I was more than excited to go through the home section of Wal-mart & Target looking at all the stuff I could use in our apartment! It was so fun picking colors and coordinating everything to match! We decided to do our kitchen in pea pod green, red sedona and khaki with black accents, our half bath in khaki, brown and burgandy w/ white accents, upstairs bath in black, white and aqua and our bedroom in black and burgandy. None of it matches or makes the apartment flow, but it was so fun to give each room its own look & feel. When our shower came around, we got everything we needed and more! We barely have any room to put it all! haha!

So, I thought about my movie and I thought about all of our stuff..and I got an idea. I'm going to do a post about "a few of my favorite things". I can review them or just tell you why I love them so much! :)

Today's Favorite Thing(s) are my Canopy dishes from Wal-Mart. The Canopy line has all the colors we wanted, so we can coordinate all our dishtowels, placemats, napkins and, even dishes.

We registered for two sets: Pea Pod Green and Sedona Red. And we received both! :)

I love these dishes! I was reading some of the reviews on them, and several said that after only a few weeks, their dishes chipped and had to be replaced. One reviewer said that they aren't microwavable. I have had no problem with them at all. We've used them almost everyday since we've had them. They aren't chipped or scratched and I've had nothing happen to them when we put them in the microwave. I love the coffee cups! They're the perfect size for me. I love coffee, but I can only drink so much!

Does anyone else have these dishes? What do you think of them?


I hope you enjoyed this post! I'm looking forward to sharing my favorite things with you! :)

New name, new look! :)

I meant to post this last night, but I couldn't find my camera! :)

Yesterday after work, I went to the Social Security Administration to change my name. I'm legally Mrs. B! :) I dropped my middle names and my maiden name is now my legal middle name. When I was little I couldn't wait to get married and switch my name so that I could be linked with my hubby! But, as I got older and I learned how the tradition of taking your husband's name began, it turned me off from changing mine. I mean, it was basically a property transfer! You were no longer your father's property, but your husband's, so you had to change your name to show it. Gah.

During the year or so that Kevin and I had broken up, I was sure I would never get married. I was ready to be that independent, well educated, college professor that grew old alone. I'd travel the world until my doctors told me I was too old to get on an airplane and then I'd retire in a big house w/ tons of cats (even though I despise them). I thought that, even if I did get married, I'd keep my maiden name...still show my independance! And even after we got back together, I thought for sure I'd keep it still. But, as time went on , I thought what's the use? I wouldn't pass my name on to our children, and I definitely wouldn't join the two names w/ a hyphen b/c my name is too long. So, I decided to keep it as my middle name. Still keep that tie w/ my parents somehow!

After that, I ran by the DMV to get my new driver's license. I didn't even think about a picture, so I had my hair pulled back in a pony tail. And to top it all off, they won't let you smile. Grrrreat.

When I got home Ashley cut my hair. I love it! :) It's shorter than what I thought, it's completely okay with me! My ends were so damaged and dry from not getting trims and from high lighting it so many times for the wedding. It feels so much better now! :)

Here are some before & after pics for your viewing pleasure! Enjoy! :)

The back of my hair, before. :)

The back of my hair, after. :)

The front of my hair, before. :)

The front of my hair, after. :)

Christmas Memories

I keep reading on Facebook about how people need to finish their Christmas shopping. Me? I haven't even started. I mean, I have ideas of what I want to get everyone, but those can only go so far if you no have money. Now that the wedding's finished, we will have some extra money, but it won't be enough for what we want to buy for everyone. Isn't that how it always goes? I'm thinking of opening up a Christmas Club account this January. That'll at least give us some extra money next Christmas.

Our parents keep saying not to get them anything, but I couldn't imagine NOT getting them something. After all they've done for us this year, I feel as if we need to get them a little something. Of course, there's no question about our nieces and nephew. Emma's only four months old, so we can't really buy her any cool toys for her to enjoy right now. This is Jayden's second Christmas, but last year he was only two months old, so he'll actually have fun ripping the paper off the presents! Makayla's three years old now, so she knows exactly what's going on! I'm really looking forward to that! I'm still not sure what to get Kevin? Any ideas? What are you guys getting your men?

I've been printing off Christmas candy recipes all morning! I'm really excited! Hopefully, it'll all turn out okay? I'm not the best at baking, but I sure do give it my best! My plan is to be like my mom someday. That woman is the best cook in the whole world! Everything she makes tastes amazing. I always know its Christmas time when she's making peanut butter and chocolate fudge, as well as applesauce cakes! Yum! Dad, Whit and I always fought over who would get to eat the fudge off the sides of the saucepan when she was done! haha!

My favorite Christmas candy! :)

I'm also going to attempt to make this:

Tiger Butter Fudge! This was first introduced to me by Kelli when we worked together @ FOL. I've loved it ever since!

I've also looked up some punch recipes! That's another thing that makes me think of Christmas. My sweet little mamaw always made punch at Christmas! She would always be dressed up in a pretty little Christmas sweater and a Christmas aapron. She'd set up the punch, as well as Coke and some other sodas, on a little table in the foyer! It was always so fun to spend Christmas at her house!

What about you guys? Do you have anything like that that reminds you of Christmas? Nothing like the usual stuff (trees, snow, Santa, etc)!

The Today Show...

....always gets me thinking.

This week Matt and Al are in Afghanistan giving us an inside look at how things have progressed over the last [almost] eight years. When I heard eight years, I almost fell out of my seat. Has it really been that long? It's no secret that life over in the Middle East is tough. I, myself, am particularly interested in the treatment of women in those areas. Thank you Dr. Nath & Dr. Wilkey!

However, this morning Matt was saying that the average life expectancy there is 44 and that a majority of the adults suffer from post traumatic depression. For almost twenty years now, this poor country has been in a war of some sort. Could you imagine? When I heard that, it broke my heart for these poor people. What have they done to deserve a life like this? And what is so special about me that I was born in the United States? Where I'm free to dress how I want, speak to who want, become educated and pick a career, and, most importantly, marry a man that I chose to love, not one that my father picked for me? I've always said that if I had been born in the Middle East, they would've killed me my first year. I've always been for women's rights, especially as I've gotten older.

It just really got me thinking this morning. I know a lot of people are angry w/ how the country is being run (or, in mine and Erica's case, was being run), but I think we all need to sit back and think about this for a second. Everyone complains about our government and those involved in it...what if we lived somewhere where when you complained about the government, you were imprisoned or put to death? Or your life was in danger for going to the polls to vote against Obama? Or, like in the Phillipines, be brutally murdered b/c you were going to support someone opposing the current man in charge?

This wasn't meant to be a post about Obama, so ignore that, but I just wanted to get across how I was feeling today! No matter how mad you are at our government right now, be glad that you can voice that. Be glad that you aren't in any danger of being gunned down when you leave for work or the grocery store in the mornings. And women, be glad that you can choose to work or stay home w/ your babies, that you can become educated and choose to marry for love. :)


Okay, so, I'll step down off my soap box now.

Have a good Tuesday!

Back to reality!

Today was my first day back to work since Thanksgiving! And, believe me, I was not ready. I just wanted to stay snuggled up in my nice, warm bed! However, I got up and proceeded to get ready. My morning was great until I stepped outside to warm the car and stepped on, what we call, "the devil cat". Seriously.

Let me tell you about "the devil cat" and all his/her little buddies. There is a lady who lives in a house across from us who is the epitome of the term "cat lady". She lives alone, aside from the dozen cats running free on our hill. They typically keep to themselves and usually aren't any trouble (there have been a few trash can incidents). They even run from us if we try to touch them. That is fine by me. I am terrified of cats. My mother hates them and raised us to feel the same. However, my fear of them started about six years ago when I was babysitting and the little boy's cat attacked me. No joke. I digress. I'm assuming since the temperatures have dropped, these poor cats are freezing. Saturday night Kevin stepped outside and said that a few of the cats were on the cars out front and actually trying to get attention. He opens the door to come in and, next thing I know, here comes this black cat, which we have all began calling "the devil cat".

Anyway, I step outside this morning and, instead of stepping on my welcome mat, I step on something soft and furry. "The devil cat" goes flying through my door, scaring me and causing me to scream at him. I was strapped for time, so I decided to let him/her wonder through the apartment until its time to go. Bad idea. The second I start trying to coax him outside, he looks at me like I have to be the stupidest thing ever. He then begins running from me. So, here I am, trying to leave for work, but I'm chasing this stupid cat around the apartment. Eventually, Jay hears me running around from next door and comes to my rescue. Later on, I found out that "the devil cat" had somehow gotten into Ashley's apartment w/o them knowing last night and stayed in her kitchen all night! He scared her quite a bit this morning, too!

I was hoping this would be the end of "the devil cat" for today, but it wasn't. When Kevin & I got home from Wal-Mart this evening, three cats were on top of Ashley's car. When "the devil cat" saw us, he got excited. haha. Kevin rolled down his window and the DC jumped from her car into ours. DC starts loving on us both, so we decided to let him in for a bit. He was fine until he started using me for a scratching post and I panicked. So, poor little DC is, once again, outside in the cold.

I wish I could've had something a little more exciting to post about, but today was your typical, boring Monday. I hope yours was better than mine! :)

Doesn't he look mean?

Time sure does fly!

One year ago today, my hubby proposed to me! I can't believe how quickly this year has went by. We already had a date set before he proposed and, at the time, November 28 seemed sooo far away. I didn't think I'd be able to wait that long! But, before I knew it, it was November 27 and we were rushing around decorating and finalizing last minute details. Now, our wedding has come and gone! We've been married for 8 days, and even those 8 days have flown by! Before we know it, we'll be celebrating our first anniversary. While on our honeymoon, we mentioned coming back to Destin, but not in the Winter! Shew! So, we mentioned maybe saving up enough money to go to New York or something like that? But, seeing as how our anniversary falls on Thanksgiving weekend, New York City will be outrageously expensive! Hrm...
In other news, rumor has it that Virginia Tech and Tennessee are going to be playing in the Chik-Fil-A bowl. Can you only imagine how that will end? I'm more worried for my dad's and brother-in-law's relationship! Nathan, my sister's hubby, is a die hard VT fan. And, its no secret my dad is a die hard UT fan. This could mean the end of several other relationships in the area, as well. haha! We all know who Kevin and I will be rooting for, but, no matter who wins, its bound to be a good game. So, everyone just say a prayer for my family that night! haha!

That's all for now! I'm going to leave you w/ a picture of me and Kevin from the night we got engaged. :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday!

Camera Crazy

Mom & Dad let me borrow their camera to take on the honeymoon b/c it takes better pics than mine. I've been playing around w/ it tonight. I worked so hard on this little picture, but I love the outcome! haha! :)





I was playing around w/ our rings and one of our wedding ornaments. My wedding bands weren't turned the right way, but it worked out anyway!


Also, Kevin and I had our first "disagreement", if you will, as a married couple. He was rooting for Florida Gators and I was rooting for the Crimson Tide! And, well, we all see who won that argument, don't we? ;) Hopefully, this is a sign of things to come! haha!

My first day...

...and post as his wife! :)


Today is our first day home from our honeymoon...and I guess my first official day as a wife!

And guess what I woke up to?





The first real snow of the year! I found it rather neat...my first day home as his wife and the first real snow, all on the same day! I love snow, so I was super excited! I even woke Kevin up to look! haha! The snow has since stopped, but it was a nice way to wake up!


We haven't done much today. We're worn out from the eleven hour drive back yesterday. Until our honeymoon, I had yet to drive through a state I hated. That is until we entered Alabama. We spent six of our eleven hour drive there and believe me, I was never more excited to see Tennessee! Mapquest got us lost on the way there, so here we were, driving around in the middle of nowhere in Alabama. This place had nothing on the small towns we have here!


However, we have had a chance to hang up a 5 piece Sconce Set from Bed, Bath & Beyond we purchased w/ a gift card we received as a wedding gift! I was so excited! I have never been in that store b/c its totally out of my price range, but once we got in there, I was in Heaven! I love all things dealing w/ decorating our tiny apartment, as well as anything that has to do w/ the kitchen. My goal in life is to be Martha Stewart (aside from serving prison time, of course). The walls in our apartment are wood paneling (which I despise) and its so dull looking. Our poor bedroom didn't have anything in it, so we thought the sconce set would be perfect above our bed.




I didn't get the bed in the picture b/c I have yet to make it up. My mother would say "Now, Tiffany, I didn't raise you to be that way", but I hate making up our bed. haha!


We also need to clean. Does anyone want to come clean our living room for us? It isn't that bad...see?





Okay, so maybe it is. But, Kevin says he's going to help me. Anyone wanna take bets on that one? Haha!


Well, I better go get started! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! :)