All Things Chasity

Scrap Scrap Scrap...

2012-01-16T22:38:00.001-06:00

This weekend I went to Knoxville to stay with Amanda for four days of scrapbooking and shopping. We had a blast!!! Here are a few of my favorite layouts.

Rockettes and Ice!

2012-01-01T22:49:00.001-06:00

Christmas festivities started early this year. The first weekend in December Lauren and I took Jake out for a full day with just Mom and Aunt Chas. It was the best!!! We took him to the Opryland Hotel, Ice, and the Rockettes. This was the first time I had been in the hotel since the 2010 floods. It looked so great inside with everything redone. While we were there we went to Gingy's Gingerbread Decorating and had a blast. Jake enjoyed getting to take his picture with Gingy.

Our gingerbread family :)

Jake and me at Opryland Hotel. It was impossible to get the entire tree in the picture.

Nativity at Ice

The main theme for Ice this year was the movie Merry Madagascar. It was so neat!!! Even though I couldn't feel my hands and nose I can't wait to take Jake again next year.

Ice Slide

We ended the day at the Rockettes. It was a great show. We were in the VERY LAST ROW, but we still had a great view.

The week of Christmas I ended up with strep for the third time this fall. I was so sad to miss out on my Christmas plans with the twins, but last week I got to spend the morning with them to make up for it. I got the best picture of Audrey smiling while I was holding her.

The girls enjoy hanging out in their jammies with Aunt Chas. They are growing so fast. Already two and half months. I tell them all the time I cannot wait until they are old enough for us to go out on adventures!!!

Last night I celebrated New Year's with Ginny. Mexican food, wine, movies, and rockband. It was a blast. Even though I only got two hours of sleep.

Looking forward to what 2012 has in store.

November 2011...and a few Christmas Ideas

2011-11-28T22:09:00.001-06:00

I enjoyed getting to spend the twins one month birthday with them. Just cannot believe how fast they are growing. Today they turned six weeks old. I have enjoyed Christmas shopping for them even though I know they are too young to open their own presents.

I realized something this month...I AM TOO OLD FOR MIDNIGHT MOVIES!!! It has become a tradition to see the Twilight Saga movies at midnight with John and Travis. I was almost asleep before the movie even started. I enjoyed the movie, but I think next time I will skip the midnight viewing. Sorry boys!!!

I got my Christmas tree decorated the day before Thanksgiving. The best part was decorating while my parents were in bed. They woke up to a festive silver, purple, and pink tree!!! Thanksgiving stuck with the usual traditions, with the added bonus of Jay coming to town. One of the best parts of the holidays is when it brings the people I love home.

I am very much into the Christmas spirit. I have been watching Christmas movies on ABC Family and Lifetime all weekend. From my Pinterest addiction I have discovered tons of holiday cuteness!!! I love a Christmas tree to have sentimental ornaments, not just the pretty ones. My mother's Christmas tree has always and still is decorated with ornaments I made growing up. I love how our tree is unique to our family. It doesn't look like anyone else's tree. I found this wonderful blog, In My Own Style, with some really cool memory ornaments. I have added some key chains to my tree and plan to add some house key ornaments.

Also, I have enjoyed the last few years watching my friend, Amber, play Advent Fairy to a family in need during December. I look forward to being able to follow in her footsteps to be an Advent Fairy for someone one day. For more information on the Advent Fairy check out Amber's blog.

Charlotte and Audrey, your Aunt Chas loves you!!!

2011-11-12T00:04:00.001-06:00

I will never forget when Amber called me eight months ago to tell me she needed to stop by the house and talked to me. I was a little worried because this was a first. Generally when we need to talk a phone conversation is sufficient, so late on a Friday night I was caught off guard. I never expected the surprise I got. I opened the door to have Amber standing there holding a positive pregnancy test and a bib that said "My Auntie loves me". I was so excited I started screaming and jumping up and down. I was a little like one of those people you see in the America's Funniest Home Videos when the announce a pregnancy. I remember stopping to look at the test then doing the happy dance again.

I was given strict instructions I could not baby shop before the second trimester. I asked for a pass for baby gifts from Hawaii since my vacation was planned in the first trimester. I found the cutest baby bib at the Dole Plantation. The added bonus is that Amber and I share a love of Pineapple Whip since she introduced me to it at the state fair six years ago. I never excepted a second surprise with Amber's pregnancy. I was in Hawaii with Mark when Amber called one morning to tell me she had just left the doctor's office. She went on to tell me the wonderful news there would be TWIN babies arriving in November. This would bring on another happy dance with screams. Double blessings and double love, I just couldn't wait. I was beyond excited to find out I would be shopping for double pink when it was discovered there were two little princesses on the way.

I was unable to meet the girls in the hospital due to still being on antibiotics for tonsillitis, but before they left I did see them through the glass in the nursery. This week was the first chance I got to meet them and hold them since they came home. These precious princesses are 3.5 weeks old in the pictures. They were teeny tiny, but oh so cuddly. I know Amber and John will probably get on to me for spoiling them so much as they grow, but I love them more than I can express in words.

Hello Audrey!!! That little stinker was almost impossible for me to wake up!!!

Hello Charlotte!!! This little princess was so calm.

Amber dressed them in their tutu dresses I bought. LOVE!!!!!

Audrey cuddling right before she went down for her morning nap.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-31T22:28:00.001-05:00

October has been a crazy month!!! Work is starting to gear up for the holiday season, which I am not sure I am ready for again. Since Amber was on bed rest this year, I made the annual pumpkin patch trip with Toni and Peyton. I made sure to purchase some pumpkin goodies for Amber and when I dropped them at her house that evening she was starting to have contraction. The next day the girls (Audrey and Charlotte) were born.

Toni & Peyton

BABY COWS!!!! The were so cute!!!

Peyton wanted to feed the goats piece by piece.

Happy 1st Birthday Tucker!!!

2011-10-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday I spent the day in Kentucky for Tucker's 1st Birthday. There was a hayride, bobbing for apples, smores, and all the regular birthday party fun. His party was Smurf themed thanks to big brother Jake who helped with the party planning.

I got there just in time to get some Tucker lovin in as soon as his nap was over.

Jason set up a hayride for everyone through their corn fields.

It's not the best picture since Tuck and I have our eyes closed, but I had to post it.

Tuck and his Daddy (Jason).

Tucker was not interested in eating his cake, but he did make quite a mess.

The kids enjoyed burning the marshmallows rather than eating he smores.

Lauren and her sticky fingers.

Family Fun Day

2011-10-15T21:53:00.002-05:00

The beginning of October work hosted a Family Fun Day for our office. It was really fun and nice to socialize with work friends. I spent most of the day with my friend Toni, her mom, and her daughter (Peyton). Here are a few pics from the day.

Crafty Project

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jay has been dating this awesome guy named Ludovic he met while doing a semester abroad this summer in Paris. Currently they are living in different countries, so I wanted to make them a mini scrapbook of their pictures. I uploaded the pics to snapfish and made these 4x6 photo books.

I used all my scrappy goodies to dress them up and cover the front.

There are only a few pages pictured here, but the book has love quotes throughout.

Quotes I used:

Love is the compass of life.

Love waits for one thing, the right moment.

Love is life, if you miss love, you miss life.

True love stories never have endings.

Grow old with me, the best is yet to be.

There is nowhere I stop and you begin.

Lovers don't actually meet, the collide.

Amber's Baby Shower

2011-09-25T22:01:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, Lynette and I hosted a baby shower for Amber and the two little princesses. Since Amber was on bed rest we changed our originally plans to a more low key shower. The shower was mainly our crafty friends, so originally we were going to have a big decorate onesies for the twins set up while watching old movies. In the end we ended up sharing our baby pictures, opening presents, and eating.

Jennifer made these awesome onesies!!!

Michele and her new little prince!!!

Amazing cupcakes Lynette made.

Stevie kept Amber company on the couch the ENTIRE shower.

Left to Right...Jennifer, Michele, Hailey, Maddie, Mary, Amber, Lori, Lynette, Me, Heather, and Sarah.

Thanks to Lynette for sharing her pictures!!! I didn't even think to take my camera.

September Happenings

2011-09-19T13:29:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist taking a picture of Ashley and Lindsey in their banana costumes at work. These gals are awesome!

Yesterday was Amber's baby shower. Even with her on bed rest we had a blast. Lynette made the cutest cupcakes!!! There were lots of laughs and tons of baby gifts!!! One of the best gifts were onesies that said 'Twin A' and 'Twin B'.

Fall is Coming!!!

2011-09-10T22:04:00.003-05:00

I'm super excited that fall is on the way!!! Cannot wait for the annual pumpkin patch visit!!!

Happy 30th Birthday

2011-09-04T19:10:00.002-05:00

For my 30th Birthday celebration I decided I wanted to paint pottery. The crafty girls and myself went to Brushfire Pottery for an afternoon of fun. It was a blast!!! Lynette's daughter's, Hailey and Sarah, came along for the fun.

Amanda made this YUMMY cake!!!

This is the gnome I painted at the party.

Thanks ladies for making my birthday celebration wonderful!!! I'm excited for the adventures my 30's will bring!!!

Las Vegas Day 4

2011-09-02T21:08:00.002-05:00

Our fourth day in Vegas was my 30th Birthday. We started the morning off at the Paris Hotel ans Casino. We went up to the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. It was a beautiful view, but I get a little anxious that high up.

We had lunch at the Sugar Factory. It was one of my favorite places. Renee managed to be sneaky and have the server bring out a birthday cupcake. My FAVORITE red velvet!!! He was nice enough to have a candle as well.

Chihuly at the Bellagio

The painting is made out of fresh flowers.

In-N-Out YUM YUM YUM. Paula was nice enough to come down in the afternoon and hangout with us to celebrate my birthday. She drove us to in-n-out, which was Renee's first time to eat there. We spent part of the afternoon at the pool. We went back to the Bellagio for the water show. While we were inside we went this yummy dessert shop. I had the best gelato ever!!!

After the backstage tour we decided we had to see Jubilee. It was a really good show. The costumes were awesome. I was able to find this picture on Google. It is from the end of the show.

Vegas was a great birthday celebration. Looking forward to planning my next trip!!!

Vegas Day 3

2011-08-31T20:22:00.001-05:00

We started our day out at Bally's for their Jubilee All Access Backstage Tour. We had considered going to a show while in Vegas, but could not decide on one. After going through the Jubilee tour we decided it was a MUST SEE show.

Jubilee is the last show in Vegas that still has showgirls. The show has been on the Las Vegas strip for 30 years. During the show they perform to classic songs like "There's no business like show business" and then there is a Titanic and Samson and Delilah section.

These are some of the props from the show...see they large iceberg from Titanic.

This is Julie she was our tour guide. She is a Blue Bell in the show. Everyone in the cast has to reaudition for their spots every six months when their contracts are up. The minimum height for someone in the show is 5'9 in stocking feet and that is considered short!

We were not able to take pictures in the basement where the costumes are stored and in the dressing rooms, but this is a mini sneak peek. The costumes were AMAZING!!! Some of the headdresses do have elastic to help secure it when the girls are wearing them, but there are others with no fastener to help keep it on their head. They weight up to 35 pounds!!! I can't imagine walking across a stage with that on my head without any assistance. The outfits are made out of Swarovski crystals and just the bra and panty weigh in at 7 pounds.

Bally's and Paris

The Cosmopolitan is one of the newer casinos in the City Center. It was really pretty!!!

This HUGE chandelier hung in the main entrance.

Of course I loved the Cashier area because the letters were all pink!!!

This is where I won $50 at blackjack. WHOOHOO!!!

New York New York

Coca Cola and M&M World

One of my favorite shows is CSI, so the exhibit at MGM was a must see. When you go in you pick from three crime scene descriptions. Once you choose they take you to where the crime scene is set up and you make a list of notes, possible evidence and record where everything was within the scene. Once you analyze the crime scene you go through toxicology, forensics, and autopsy to get more detailed information about your crime scene and victim. There were videos in some of the areas with cast members from the show. When you are done there is a computer lab where you put in all your info to solve the crime.

Gil Grissom's office.

We ended the night at Hard Rock to start the 30th Birthday Celebration.

Las Vegas Days 1 & 2

2011-08-16T23:01:00.003-05:00

Last Thursday I met Renee in Vegas for a 30th birthday celebration/vacation. After relaxing Thursday night to recover from a long travel day we were ready Friday morning for a full day on the strip. We started out at Margaritaville for lunch then on to Circus Circus.

I read online before leaving that Circus Circus has the 'World's Largest Permanent Circus'...boy was that misleading. When we arrived we realized they only had a handful of circus acts on a small stage. We didn't realize how outdated the casino was, but we got some good laughs.

For dinner we met up with Paula who took us to this AMAZING sushi restaurant. I haven't seen Paula in close to three years. It was great to catch up and talk about old memories from when we both lived with Jay in Utah. We laughed almost nonstop. After dinner we went to Freemont Street.

Renee and me.

Paula and me.

Hello August!!!

2011-08-07T22:08:00.005-05:00

Thursday was my first day back to work after a three week medical leave. Getting back in the routine of work has been exhausting!!! After a week I went in for my first appointment with the occupational therapist. When he removed my bandages this is what I saw. ELEVEN stitches!!! Therapy has been hard and I only have one more session left. Hoping my hand continues to heal well.

While I was off I got sucked into the 'Who Do You Think You Are' tv show. I ended up starting my family tree on ancestory.com and found out some really cool information. First I started looking into my maternal grandmother's family. The more I searched the more info I found, including some really cool pictures. I was able to trace my mother's family history to where they immigrated from Ireland, Germany, and England.

When I saw this picture I felt like my grandmother was staring at me from the computer. She looks JUST like her mother, Annie Mae, who is my great grandmother. She is pictured (first row second from the left) with her parents and siblings. I knew one of Annie Mae's brothers, Wallace Alfred Montgomery, died in Pearl Harbor on the USS West Virginia. Information I found on ancestory.com showed he was buried in Honolulu, HI. I wish I had known this when I was in Hawaii because I would have visited his grave.
This lady looks like one tough cookie! She is my maternal great great grandmother named Lucy Brewer Montgomery. I just love these old pictures!!!

This is Sabray Turner who was Lucy's mother and my triple great grandmother.

In this picture (L to R) is Lucy Brewer Montgomery, Eli Brewer, and Lucy's step brother. Through ancestory.com I discovered Eli was in the Confederate Army 1st Battalion Mississippi Sharp Shooters. Some of his Muster Rolls from the Army were posted and I was able to see he was wounded in Franklin, TN in the 1800's. I find this neat because I work in Franklin.

Here are two other family members I discovered interesting info about:

Joseph Turner (my great x5 grandfather) was a Sargent in the 1st South Carolina Infantry Regiment in the War for Independence in the late 1700s. He served under Colonel Francis Marion (aka Swamp Fox) who is known for helping ensure American victory in the war through guerrilla warfare he learned while fighting with the Cherokee Indians.

Robert Thompson (my great x5 grandfather) was a prisoner of war during the War of 1812. When I located information about him on ancestory.com I found a document called US Marshals Return of Enemy Aliens and Prisoners of War that listed Robert. I'm not sure what his role was in the army because the document said his occupation was a teacher and he was in his late 40's.

Unfortunately on my maternal grandfather's side I was not able to find a great deal of information. I did discover they immigrated from England in the early 1600s. I have not been able to find much information on my dad's side of the family. It is hard because my grandfather lived in an orphanage for veteran's children in Ohio from age 11-18. The orphanage closed in 1999 and they sent my grandfather all of his records. It wasn't until then that he discovered information on his father's history.

I only have six days left in my 20s!!! I will be celebrating the start of my 30s in Vegas with friends!!!

The Big Day

2011-07-20T16:01:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday was the big day to remove the blood vessel tumor from my hand. It was an interesting experience. My mom wanted a picture of me all ready to go to the operating room.

My poor hand!!! The tumor ended up being wrapped around my nerves so surgery took longer than expected. I miss being able to use my hand!!! Tomorrow is my first physical therapy appointment.
So grateful for a mom who will cut my food and wash my hair while I am down a hand!!!

Jay's Nashville Visit

2011-07-06T16:40:00.003-05:00

Jay is in the process of moving from Salt Lake City to Orlando for his first teaching job post college. On the drive he stopped in Nashville for a few days. We had lunch at the Loveless Cafe and spent the afternoon at his sister's house. His boyfriend, Ludovic, he met while studying abroad in France was here with him.

Jay and me :)
Jay and Ludovic. This is Ludovic's first trip to the states, so it was interesting to listen to his experiences so far. The rest of the pictures are from Jay's sister, Lynlee's house. She lives in Franklin on 80 acres with horses, cows, and a creek.

My Crazy Hand

2011-07-03T08:25:00.002-05:00

About fifteen years ago I asked my doctor (one I greatly disliked to begin with) about my hand. I told him my pinkie finger would occasionally swell and it was very painful. He poked my finger a couple times and told me there was nothing wrong with it. Over the years the swelling has become more frequent and the pain more annoying. With it being on the side of my hand I knock my hand on so many things it makes it worse. There have been times over the years I have thought I would go back to the doctor (a NEW one), but I have either not had insurance or I haven't known what kind of doctor to go to. For the last year Ashley (my trainer) has been bugging me to go to the doctor. She has seen my hand on multiple occasions when it swells and bruises and tells me 'Chasity, that is not normal'.

Two weeks ago my hand was swollen worse than it has ever been. The pain started keeping me up at night and waking me in the morning. I finally made the decision to see an orthopedic hand specialist at Elite Sports Medicine and Orthopedics at Baptist Hospital. I discovered these are the doctors for the Tennessee Titans players!!! I had THREE doctors appointments this week including x-rays, an MRI, and lots of poking on my finger. My MRI even made its way to researchers at UC Davis in California. Dr. Dovan has determined I have a blood vessel tumor in my finger. He does not feel it is cancerous due to the length of time I have had it and some other characteristics, but I will be having surgery to remove it.

I never in a million years thought a tumor was what was in my hand. I'm glad to know finally what it is, but more excited to get it out of my body. I'm so excited to not deal with a big swollen, painful finger. Here are some pictures:

The arrow is pointed at the area that bruises and it's the actual tumor. See how the side of my hand swells out.
This is how it swells around to the front of my hand.
The arrow is pointing at the actual tumor. That is how it sticks out of my hand from the side.

Even more days til it's removed. :) Fifteen years of pain FINALLY gone!

Extreme Makeover Cube Edition

2011-06-15T20:23:00.002-05:00

Last Friday at work we had an Extreme Makeover Cube Edition contest decorating our supervisors cubicles. Jamekra came up with the idea to do a Hollywood Movie Premiere. Here is how it turned out.

Everyone had their own star on our red carpet.

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-30T18:09:00.003-05:00

To celebrate the holiday I spent the afternoon with a fabulous group of work friends.

Good Food.
Good People.
Karaoke .
Corn hole.
Great Times.

I am so blessed to have great people in my life.

Thank you to all of those who have sacrificed their lives and time to serve our country!!!

Scrapbooking

2011-05-22T21:35:00.002-05:00

I took this picture with Tucker two days before leaving for Hawaii and completely forgot to post it. He is getting SOOOOOOO big!!!
I have been working on a scrapbook project for a coworker the past few weeks and have not had the chance to scrap any of my pictures. I took a break from the project tonight and made these layouts. I usually keep up to date with my scrapbooking, but I am officially behind!!!!

This pictures of Aaron and me is from Thanksgiving 2009...WAY OLD, but one of the only recent pictures I have of us.

Although I have not started scrapping my Hawaii trip, all these pics were taken with Marky in Hawaii.

Last fall Amber did a photo shoot with Izzy and Lucy. Both of them are featured on the Wag! section of her website. It was hard for me to only choose TWO pictures of Izzy from the shoot to scrap. I even used some of the lace trim I purchased at Mood in NYC last year. I have been hoarding it all this time not wanting to use it because it is so pretty.

Life seems so busy these days. On top of work, school, and spending time with my friends I have added baby shower planning and Wish Upon a Wedding to my plate. Lynette and I are excited about the September baby shower for Amber and the twins!!! The date is set, the location is booked, and the theme is chosen!!! I have a few more weeks before my first Wish Upon a Wedding board meeting, so I am trying to get my 5k presentation put together. Also, the countdown to my 30th Birthday Vegas trip has started...11 weeks and 3 days!!!

Wish Upon A Wedding

2011-05-17T20:13:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago my friend Amber asked if I would be interested in helping out with an organization where she volunteers called Wish Upon A Wedding. After a few emails and a phone call to get more information I am excited for my new roll as the fundraising coordinator for Wish Upon A Wedding's new Nashville Chapter. Tomorrow night is the launch party.The first board meeting isn't until June, but I have already started putting together plans for the Chapter's 1st Annual 5K.

If you are not familiar with Wish Upon A Wedding there are many ways to get involved!!! The organization provides weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness or life altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. If you are in the wedding industry you can help out by signing up to be a wish granter. The organization is also looking for individuals who can make financial contributions, donate airline miles, and volunteer. If you would like more information checkout the website or sign up for the newsletter.

Congrats Amber & Josh!!!

2011-05-15T20:36:00.001-05:00

Last night John and I went to Amber and Josh's wedding. Here are pics with the beautiful bride!

My Fabulous Stylist!!!!

2011-05-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

Tonight I got to see my FABULOUS hair stylist Renee. It was a bitter sweet girl's night because she is moving to Texas. So sad to see a friend go, but so excited for new chapters starting in her life.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!!!

2011-05-05T20:21:00.000-05:00

Enjoy the festivities today!!!

Hawaii Day 6

2011-05-01T22:09:00.003-05:00

My last day in Hawaii Mark and I took a drive along the southeastern coast of Oahu. The flowers, ocean, and vegetation there is just gorgeous. I would love to have those views from my home in Tennessee.
This is a view of the backside of Diamond Head. Could you imagine looking at this everyday??? How awesome!!!

I loved driving the coastline.

I believe this is another view of Diamond Head.

Marky and me!!!!

My parents and a friend's husband are big Dog the Bounty Hunter fans. Before heading to the airport I told Mark we had to drive by his bail bonds location to get a picture. I felt so silly standing there taking this!!!

My vacation was amazing and I was so sad to leave. I have never been the type of person to get emotional at the airport, but when we pulled into the parking garage the water works started. Once we got to security the second round of tears came. It was a well need six day vacation with my best friend. All that quality time makes me realize how much I miss him!!! I am blessed to have such an awesome person in my life!!! Thankfully the flight back went better. Probably thanks to the Tylenol pm I took before boarding. I had a really nice girl who was a student and BYU Hawaii sitting next to me who actually lived in Smyrna while she was in middle school. The overnight flight and five hour time change did take me a week to get back on a schedule, but it was totally worth it!!!

Hawaii Day Five (Part 2)

2011-04-25T09:44:00.005-05:00

After our busy morning we ended the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We didn't have enough time to tour all the island villages, but we made it through three of them (Fiji, Samoa, and the Netherlands).

We watched the presentation in the Samoa island village where the guy (above) made fire. It was really cool.

There were also canoe rides.

This is the Netherlands island village.

Each village had different things you could do. There were activities and information on the history of the culture in each village. In the Netherlands Marky got a tattoo. (Don't worry Mrs. Teri it's not real!!!)

The Netherlands

Fiji

After touring the island villages we went to the luau at the PCC. The show was really good and the little kids were adorable when they were dancing. I could have done without the food. lol. It was still really fun though.

After the luau we went to the show at the PCC called Ha: Breath of Life. Unfortunately pictures were not allowed during the show. The dancing and the music was AWESOME. We were so exhausted from our full day that we did leave at intermission.

This was my last night in Hawaii. SO SAD!!! Only one more day to go....

Hawaii Day 5 (Part 1)

2011-04-18T09:51:00.006-05:00

Thursday morning started off with a visit to the Pearl Harbor Historic Sites. It was a gloomy and rainy morning. Unfortunately we were not able to do see everything due to the weather and our schedule, but I plan to go back next year to see everything else!!!

USS Bowfin

Arizona Memorial

Sporting our ponchos...lol...the doors in the submarine were WAY TOO SMALL. I'm short anyways and I still had to duck down to get through!!!

Mark and me inside the USS Bowfin Museum.

One of my must see places was the Dole Plantation!!!

The most amazing pineapple whip ever!!! It puts the pineapple whip at the state fair to shame!!!

Never realized this is the way pineapples grow. It was really cool to see all the different types of pineapples.

For lunch we are at Macky's Shrimp truck on the North Shore. I was a bit nervous about eating from a truck on the side of the road at first. It ended up being the BEST shrimp I have ever eaten. It's amazing I haven't turned into a shrimp because I ate so much on vacation.

YUMMY!!!

Our next stop was Turtle Beach which is popular for the sea turtles to come on shore. Mark said they probably did not come on shore due to the rainy morning weather. I was able to see them in the water, but could not get a good picture. It was cool to hear Marky talk about when he is out paddle boarding and the sea turtles will swim past and stick the heads out and look at him.

The next stop was to visit Mark's favorite beach on the North Shore called Waimea Bay. This is the only beach where I was able to find seashells in the sand.

TOES IN THE SAND!!!!

I was able to find a coconut stand on our drive that was on the side of the road. The guy was even getting the coconuts from the trees at the stand. I was not a fan of the coconut water, but I'm glad I tried it!!!

Hawaii - Day Four

2011-04-15T21:01:00.006-05:00

I started my morning by walking to the Waikiki Aquarium. It was really small, but had some interesting fish. I was in and out in about twenty minutes. The weather started off rainy in the morning and on my walk back to the hotel I got rained on. I took this picture on my walk to the aquarium. I will say it again...I just love the ocean.

The Waikiki Aquarium

I think jellyfish are so cool to watch. Although, every time I see them I think of the movie Seven Pounds with Will Smith.

It took me a minute to realize the orange thing wasn't a rock, but actually a fish. Quick glance it looks like a cool rock.

It was neat to look inland and see the houses going up the mountains. I had planned to take a tour at Plantation Village, but was unable to make it there before the tour started. My GPS and the signs on the interstate said different things which ended up with me taking a wrong turn. Once I got rerouted I ended being sent down a road that was closed. Finally I decided to go back to the hotel and in the end this ended up being a blessing. While driving back to the hotel Mark called me because he had just found out his sister was in the hospital in serious condition. He was able to leave work early, so I was relieved to be at the hotel when he returned. It was a scary situation, but thankfully his sister went home from the hospital today! God is awesome!!! Once we decided to venture out for the afternoon we went to the Bishop Museum. It is a REALLY cool museum of Hawaii History. It also includes a planetarium and a kids science museum.

The Bishop Museum

We sat through a mini lecture in the planetarium where we learned about the stars and seasonal changes in Hawaii. While we were waiting for the lecture to start outside the planetarium was a large sphere (pictured above) hanging from the ceiling that rotated while it played a movie.

A traditional Hawaiian hut. Hawaiian families lived within a complex of houses for various uses. The houses themselves might be entirely thatched, open on three sides, or made with one stone wall. Mark really liked the hut and decided he wants to build one someday. I quickly informed him that was cool...for him and I would be staying in a hotel with electricity and air conditioning!!!

One of my favorite books...Clifford...in Hawaiian.

Masks and costumes for the Tamate dance. Traditionally at the end of the performance the masks and costumes are burned.

This is a mourning dress that would be worn by a priest or relative after the passing of a loved one.

This is on the grounds of the Bishop Museum. When Mark first moved to Hawaii he was working as a PA on the last season of Lost. He was telling me part of the finale episode was taped here on the museum grounds. It was interesting to hear about his TV experiences.

All those little dots are surfers and body boarders. After the museum we went to dinner at the Kia Market where Mark is a manager. We have the opportunity to sit on the patio and have an ocean view.

View from our table.

During dinner there was a fire dancer. It was hard to get pictures because I had to turn my flash off. Even though they are blurry they still look cool.

Hawaii- Day 3

2011-04-14T20:27:00.006-05:00

I was up at 4:30 am AGAIN!!! The time change really has me out of whack. This morning after Marky left for work I sat on the lanai and watched the sunrise again. I just love the ocean!!! First stop of the day was to play 'mystery shopper' at the resturaunt Marky manages, Kai Market, at the Sheraton Waikiki. The resturaunt is really cool and right on the beach. It is a buffet and has amazing food!!!

Picture of Marky and me at the beach. The beach pictures I took on my walk to Mark's work.

Police station right on the beach.

After breakfast I went in search of Pineapple Cove a scrapbooking store I located on the internet. I took me FOREVER to find it. The owner was really nice. I enjoyed getting to talk about the scrapbooking world with someone who loves it just as much as I do. Although, I had more luck finding Hawaii themed scrappy supplies at the local Walmart.

When Mark got off work we visited the Iolani Palace. It is the official residence of Hawaii's monarchy. It was built in 1882, but is missing a great deal of the original furniture. After the overthrow of the monarchy, provisional government troops took possesion of the Palace. Government officials inventoried the contents and sold at public auction what items were not suitable for government operations. We actually had to wear booties over our shoes to protect the Palace floor from damage. It was sad to see how much was actually missing from the Palace. It seemed very empty. The basement level has an exhbit that tells the history of the Hawaii Monarchy. It was really intersting to learn about the island history and culture.

Hawaii- Day Two

2011-04-13T20:50:00.006-05:00

You would think having been up 23 solid hours sleep would have come easy...not for me. I only managed 5 solid hours night one. When Marky was up for work at 4:30am I was wide awake and ready to start the day. I spent some time on the lanai watching the sunrise and the waves come in. I love the sound of waves crashing in...it's so peaceful. When I left for the morning I went straight to Tiffany's. I've been wanting a necklace and decided to get an early 30th birthday present for myself. I also stopped into a few stores to buy presents to bring home. The International Marketplace was an interesting walk through, but not my style of shopping. It was a bit overwhelming. After shopping I had lunch at Cheeseburger in Paradise at a table with an ocean view. One thing I loved about eating at restaurants on the beach was getting to see the ocean while eating. This is the Ha'i Mo'olelo Statue (aka the Storyteller) outside of Tiffany's. Its seven foot tall and made out of bronze. The statue is supposed to depict the vision for the destination. The Storyteller reminds us of out past, of our interlinked traditions, and our cultures. She foretells the creative possibilities of our future.

Tiffany's...makes this girl VERY happy!!! I was the first person in the store that morning.

Little shopping spots in the International Marketplace. When Mark got off work we visited the Honolulu Zoo. It was small, but there were lots of animals. I was actually shocked at how open the animal areas were. I am so used to seeing animals in cages, but we were able to get close to most of the animals. My pictures were taken without zooming in.

The trees in Hawaii are so neat!

This little guy was camera shy....couldn't get him to turn around at all!!!

The turtles are HUGE!!!! MASSIVE!!!

Marky and me!!!! Downfall to vacation with two people...lots of self portraits.

I love these trees!!! I told Mark they look like overgrown bonsai trees! My favorite animal has always been giraffes, but after this trip that list now includes turtles...especially sea turtles.

Hawaii - Day One

2011-04-11T13:03:00.004-05:00

4am was absolutely EXHAUSTING!!! I'm not used to being up so early especially when I didn't get sleep the night before. I ended up feeling so sick on my first plane to Dallas. My second flight from Dallas to Honolulu was completely full and EXTREMELY long (8.5 hours). I have never had a flight this long before and was shocked to find it cause me alot of anxiety during the flight. I have always loved to fly and never felt those anxious feelings before. I don't think it helped that I was unable to sleep on the flight. I have decided that for future trips I need to see a doctor for meds, so I don't find myself in the same situation. I did have a military family who is stationed in Hawaii sitting next to me. I think having someone to talk to helped me keep my sanity on the long flight. They were really cool and I found out the wife and I had alot in common. We both watch some of the same TV shows, so we spent some time discussing them. I originally had a window seat, but was asked to change to an aisle seat which is how I ended up next to the military family. I believe it was a total God thing because he put me by people I was comfortably with. After Mark picked me up from the airport we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant where we had the best guacamole ever!!! I had took the first picture of vacation of Mark while we were waiting for our food. After dinner we checked into our hotel the Aston Waikiki Circle Hotel. It was a great hotel across the street from Waikiki Beach. We had an amazing view from our room. Halfway through vacation we started sleeping with the curtain open because it was nice to wake up and see the ocean. From this angle you can't see ocean from the window, but sitting on the bed you can :). Once we were settled into our room we went for a walk on the beach. I was so excited to have the sand between my toes. These pics are from the beach right across from our hotel.

The hotel in the background is the Sheraton Waikiki where Mark works.

Not alot for day one, but I needed to recover from the traveling. Please remember the military family I sat with in your prayers. He is deploying to Afghanistan in a month.

Missing Brandon

2011-04-02T14:15:00.002-05:00

Not a day goes by that I don't think about Brandon. A piece of my heart will be missing until we are together again in Heaven. It's almost been four years since his passing and I remember it like it was yesterday. Last Sunday I was watching Army Wives and the episode had a military funeral. There was a prayer by the Chaplin that really touched me. I know it may be a TV show, but the words were so true to what you feel as someone grieving for a loved one. Here is what was said: (I changed the name) Lord, hold us in our loss and hear our prayers for Brandon who lives beyond our touch, yet within your closeness may those who loved him emerge from the pain of grief to find comfort in the memories of times shared together and gain strength from your grace to find peace and hope again. Amen. It took me a long time to get beyond the emotionally stage of my grief, but I am so thankfully the Lord has helped me get to a place where I can think of Brandon without becoming sad.

Really...

2011-03-21T22:16:00.002-05:00

...I can't belive that in 11 days 2 hours I get to see this awesome guy!!! I am so excited for some time with my bestie!!! It sucks when you live so far apart that you can only see each other once every 15-18 months...

Scrappy Pages

2011-03-15T18:48:00.003-05:00

I managed to find some time to scrapbook today. Now Kaylee's 1st year scrapbook is officially finished!!!

18.5 more days til my Hawaii trip. I am sooooooo excited!!! I have started picking up things I need. booked the hotel, and been planning things to do. Its been so long (18 months) since I last saw Mark, so I am very excited to spend some time catching up with my bestie!!!

2011-02-28T20:21:00.002-06:00

I've been spending this week dog sitting Gage. He is most well behaved dog. I wish Izzy would follow his example. LOL.
I was trying to write a paper for school, but he wanted me to play instead.

34 days til Hawaii!!!

Getting Ready for Valentine's Day

2011-02-12T22:12:00.001-06:00

For Valentine's Day I decided to do some baking for my coworkers. I made Red Velvet cookies with a cream cheese filling. I found the recipe on Bakerella's website. It was really easy and next time I plan to try different flavor combinations!!!
My coworkers said they made them think of red oatmeal pies. Everyone loved them, but some did say the filling is really rich.

I also made Valentine cards for Kaylee to take to her class party on Monday. :)

I'm looking forward to a fun filled Valentine's Day this year!!!

CuPcAkEs!!!

2011-02-08T20:17:00.003-06:00

Amber and I both have a weakness for cupcakes. When we went to Chicago after my college graduation one of our must visit places was a cupcake shop. Amber was dying to try their bacon cupcake. Although, we didn't make it due to the blizzard maybe one day we will make it back. I have been to Gigi's on numerous occasions and they have the BEST red velvet cake I have ever eaten. Tonight we tried Lil Cakes in Smyrna and it was great!!!

All these baked goods are putting me in the mood to bake. I think I am going to bake these for Valentine's Day!!! YUM!!!

quilting

2011-01-31T17:27:00.002-06:00

Today I spent the morning piecing out the old quilt (whats on the left side in rectangles) and the new fabric I bought (on the right side in squares).

I got most of the squares sewn together with my fabulous new sewing machine.

Hoping to finish it next week, so I can take it to sewing shop to having it bound and quilted. This quilt has grown to massive size!!!

sew sew sew

2011-01-25T12:44:00.002-06:00

For Christmas one of my amazing friends bought me a new sewing machine...Project Runway version of course!!! I started a sewing project about two years ago that I have not been able to finish. This week I pulled out my unfinished quilting project. It's not big enough and I didn't have enough of the original fabric to complete it, so I got some similar fabrics from Joanns. After two hours of cutting fabric squares last night I am finally ready to start sewing again. Let's hope I remember how!!!

Little Blue Box!!!

2011-01-17T21:29:00.001-06:00

I decided to treat myself to a little blue box from Tiffany's since I worked most of the holidays this season. I don't treat myself to big purchases often, but I couldn't resist these earrings!!!

Scrappy Pages

2011-01-11T21:31:00.001-06:00

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-10T13:09:00.002-06:00

This morning I woke up to five inches of snow outside. It's pretty as long as I do not have to drive in it!!! We are supposed to be getting more snow tonight as well. All this snow makes me feel like I am living in Salt Lake City again.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T10:40:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas!!!

December 2010

2010-12-20T21:35:00.002-06:00

The beginning of 2010 brought a huge fight with Jay. We spent three months not communicating. I started to believe we would never be friends again. I'm so thankful things worked out and our friendship is now better than ever. Last night Jay was in town celebrating his 30th Birthday and we had the opportunity to spend some time together. It's been a year since we have hung out other than video chatting. It's so comfortable to be with someone who knows me so well. I'm blessed to have such a wonderful friend to share life with! Here is picture of us at PF Chang's.
Today was my Christmas baking day. I made around 20 mini loaves of Banana Bread. I love baking!!!

I'm looking forward to the New Year. Hawaii in April and Vegas in August. It's going to be great!

Mini Book

2010-12-14T14:30:00.004-06:00

For my friend's birthday I decided to make a mini book of family pictures. I used badge holders as the pages and notebook rings to bind the book.

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-14T10:10:00.003-06:00

Last week I spent some time with Jamekra, Doug, and Kaylee. I was excited to see that Kaylee loves the ball pit I got her for her birthday. Sunday it snowed ALL DAY in Nashville. I was concerned since I was stuck at work all day and I don't have much experience driving in snow and ice. Around 5:30 work let us leave early and I was determined to make it home. It took twice as long to get home, but I made it! Although, when I got to the house I almost slid right into the mailbox trying to get into the driveway.

This was the snow at work on my last break.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T21:11:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving blogland...a week late. HAHA. I managed to not take a single picture during Thanksgiving, but I had a great holiday. Ate dinner with my parents and Michele, then spent the evening scrapbooking with Amber. We planned to kick off our month of Christmas movies with Home Alone, but we could not get the DVD player to work. After ten minutes I gave up!!! After the craziness at work on Friday...also known as black Friday...I met Lauren for girls night. She had Tucker with her and I was excited to spend time with my precious lil' nephew.
I was happy to find this 'my aunt rocks' onesie at Target a few weeks ago for Tucker. Isn't he precious....even if he did PEE on me at dinner. Oh well I will be able to tease him about it when he is older.

I managed to finish Kaylee's one year scrapbook on Thanksgiving. Here are a few more scrapbook layouts. The pictures are from my phone, so they are not the best...

Monday night I stayed at Jamekra and Doug's house...aka my second home...I keep teasing them I am just going to move in. We stayed up until a little after one am putting up the Christmas tree. I had to take a picture of Doug and is FANCY LED lights he talked about forever. I'm excited for Christmas! Only two more Christmas presents to buy!

Kaylee's Scrapbook

2010-11-16T20:59:00.001-06:00

Make it Work!!!

2010-11-10T20:52:00.003-06:00

So Excited!!! I got this fabulous new book in the mail today. Hopefully I don't stay up half the night finishing it!!!

Scrappy Goodness

2010-11-09T13:00:00.000-06:00

Foster Falls

2010-11-08T10:12:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I went hiking with Ashley and Chris at Foster Falls in Tracy City, TN. We anticipated cold weather, but it ended up being beautiful!

Ashley and me. We made it to the bottom!!!

And she is a little more adventurous than me. I was to scared I would fall!!!

Roscoe came along as well.

Ashley and Chris. This was right before they decided to jump into the puddle as I walked across. I ended up drenched, but I was laughing!!! I had a blast hiking and looking forward to going again in the spring. Now I get to mark hiking off my list of things to do this year!!!

Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-28T22:52:00.007-05:00

Tonight was pumpkin carving at Amber's house. We usually watch It's a Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown while we carve pumpkins, but tonight was the Project Runway finale. It beat out Charlie Brown!!!
Amber getting the party started. HAHA. I hate cutting the pumpkin tops off. I'm always scared I will lose a finger.

John helped out too, but refused to look at the camera.

Amber always has me clean the pumpkin guts out because she doesn't like touching them. Then she does all the carving. This year John drilled holes into the baby pumpkin. Turned out really neat.

Looking forward to Amber's Halloween party Saturday night!!!

Pottery Painting

2010-10-26T17:45:00.001-05:00

Walden Farms 2010

2010-10-19T12:18:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday Amber and I made our yearly visit to the pumpkin patch at Walden Farms.

One of the main reasons we go...the yummy pumpkin goodies. We bought pumpkin fudge, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, fried apple pies and pumpkin seeds.

Last year we found the PERFECT pumpkin and it was so hard this year to find one that was just as good. Amber ended up leaving with two pumpkins.

Looking forward to carving our pumpkins this week. Will post pictures.

Two of My Favorite Kiddos

2010-10-07T22:28:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago I went to dinner with the FABULOUS Willis family. Snapped a quick pic of Kaylee chowing down.
This past Monday I was overjoyed to meet my new little nephew Tucker. Against his mother's wishes I have plans to continue spoiling him and his big brother Jake!!!

Two more weeks til the annual visit to the pumpkin patch!!!

Doggie Pics by Lotus Blossom Photography

2010-09-27T20:52:00.003-05:00

A few weekends ago Amber from Lotus Blossom Photography came over to do a photo shoot of Izzy and Lucy. Amber just opened a new division up called Wag! for dog pictures. I am in love with the pictures Amber got of the girls. I can never manage to get good pics of them actually looking at the pictures. She is a very talented photographer!!! If you are looking to have pics taking of your dogs please consider using Wag! Here are my favorite pics from the photo shoot.

Amber & Me

2010-09-23T22:25:00.002-05:00

Tonight I went with Amber to a fundraiser for an animal sanctuary called Jeans & Bling. Wanted to share a quick picture. I'm excited that next week is my last week on my current schedule and my shows have started their new seasons. I'm so ready for fall weather I already bought Halloween cards!!! In seven months I will be in Hawaii!!!

Today I am

2010-09-15T00:08:00.003-05:00

Reading: Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Listening to: Eminem (not afraid), Rihanna and Eminem (love the way you lie), Usher (DJ song), Katy Perry (California girls), and the airplanes song. I turn the volume up for all of these.

Obsessed with: Project Runway. My Hawaii vacation next year.

Planning to: Brandy will be in town next week from North Carolina. Pumpkin Patch in October. Scrapbook party in November.

Enjoying: Life in general. I love where I am in life. I'm also enjoying getting to know a new person I recently met.

Working on: Scrapbook of Kaylee's first year. Planning out my Christmas cards this year, so I can start making them.

Excited about: Tucker being born!!! A much needed month long break from grad school. Fall and all the holiday festivities.

My 29th Birthday

2010-09-14T23:44:00.002-05:00

I just realized today I never posted pictures from my birthday. I managed to get a vacation day at work and spent the day with Amber and her mom celebrating. We started the morning off at Gigi's Cupcakes where we met Gigi. She was super cool! She told us about her recipes and ended up giving me a birthday cupcake. We had lunch at one of my favorite places...CHIPOTLE!!! We spent the afternoon thrifting and at the used book store. I didn't score anything while thrifting, but I ended up with 17 books from my new FAVORITE book store!!! After the shopping adventure we had pizza and scrapbooked at Amber's house.

Here are some pics from the day:
At the thrift store.

I actually managed to load more books onto the pile before paying!!!

My birthday cupcake from Gigi's. The best red velvet cake ever!!!

This past Sunday after work I went to the Tennessee State Fair with Amber, Tiffany, and Melanie. We had a fun, but were disappointed it was smaller than usual. Here is a picture of Tiffany with her deep fried bologna. YUCK!!! I don't know how they ate it, but it looked disgusting!!!

This year I made a list of 29 things to do while I am 29. I'm not sharing the entire list because some of them are personal, but here are a few:

-Read four nonfiction books (I have managed to read two so far. The four agreements and Stori Telling)

-Kick my caffeine habit (I am still trying to mentally prepare for this, but I am down to one diet coke a day.)

-Go for a hike (my trainer, ashley, is supposed to have the perfect location for us to hike)

-Go to a roller derby

-Complete two races (hopefully this will make me love running!)

-Try new food

-Travel to a new place

-Get a massage

-Go to Sip 'n Strokes (google it! it's a place to drink wine and paint)

-Get a facial

-Complete unfinished craft projects (I am going to need a new sewing machine for this one!)

-Cut fast food out of my diet

Happy 30th Birthday Lauren!!!

2010-09-02T10:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my fabulous friend Lauren turned 30!!! To celebrate had dinner at Olive Garden and went on the hunt for a new high chair for Tucker. Lauren is about 8 1/2 months pregnant with my newest little nephew, Tucker, who I am sooooo excited to meet!!! We also had Jake with us to celebrate Lauren's birthday. While we were at Toys R Us I found these cute Shrek ears and was super excited Jake let me take his picture wearing them. He is one of the sweetest little boys!!! I kept asking him if he wanted Aunt Chas to get him something and he told me no. So much for spoiling him!!! LOL.
I am so ready for fall!!! We have finally started having some cooler weather here which makes life so much better!!! Amber and I already have our plans set up for the fair and the pumpkin patch. I'm excited for our yearly fall/holiday traditions to start!!!

Birthday Trip: Ohio or bust!!!

2010-08-13T12:32:00.007-05:00

To celebrate my birthday Travis and I decided to take a quick trip to Ohio for two days at King's Island. I haven't been since 1999 when Brandon was spending the summer with my family. My youth group used to go every summer and it was also so much fun!!! We left Tuesday night after work to drive to Cincinnati. We stayed in Mason, Ohio which we ended up loving. It was a great little town.

Wednesday started off with day one at King's Island. Although it was way hot outside we tried to make the best of it. I have fun on all the ride we rode, but I have decided rollercoasters are a different experience as an adult than as a teenager. When your an adult it's more uncomfortable in the seats, you get banged around more and it just makes you feel old. After a ride on The Beast, Travis said he felt like he had been in a car wreck. We spent about four hours in the park before it started to rain while we were on the swings. The thunderstorm caused the rollercoasters to be shutdown, so we decided to leave for the afternoon. We relaxed in our room, went shopping, had a nice dinner and went to see Charlie St. Cloud.

On day two we had planned to go back to the park, but the news showed there was a heat and smog advisory. The sky also looked like it may rain again. We decided to do some shopping and just head home early. We were also hoping to stop by and see the Stratton Family in Kentucky on the way home. Travis wanted to check out the Meijer store which is sooooo much better than a walmart!!! They had four aisles of crafty goodness!!! Even some brands like tim holtz, ki and making memories. One the way we happened upon an IKEA and I HAD to stop. I have never been to an IKEA and I am in love now!!! Since I currently don't need alot of home items I told myself I needed to wait until I move out again. To be honest I don't even remember what is packed in most of my boxes in the garage. I found a few little things to purchase because I was not leaving empty handed. I just got lost in the store and could have stayed there for hours.

I chose to not take my regular camera on our trip, but to just use my phone camera. Here are some pics.

And then the rain begins....At first I was really bummed by the rain. The decided to just enjoy vacation even if it wasn't as planned.

I fell in LOVE with the black graffiti bookshelf. I am thinking about buying it online ASAP!!! It will fit in perfectly in my scrapbook room.

Up close

This was the self serve area. IKEA was a bit overwhelming.

Looking forward to the rest of my birthday weekend. I am also looking forward to the end of summer. I can no longer handle the insane temperatures!!!

Happy Birthday Brandon

2010-07-27T21:41:00.003-05:00

Yesterday would have been Brandon's 25th birthday. To celebrate his day I bought this super cute mini cake. It's nice to have traditions to remember a special person in my life.

Last week I made this canvas for my friend Jamekra to hang in her daughter's nursery. I cut scrapbook paper into small squares and glue them to the canvas after painting it. It was something different and I really liked the way it turned out.

It seems like life has been crazy this last month!!! I worked the holiday and started working overtime for extra money to pay on my bills. My car was sick and had to be towed to the dealership. So thankful I purchased the extended warranty. Travis and I have made travel plans for my birthday. WHOOHOO. I have opened the door to let an old friend back into my life while having to take a step back from another friendship. It's hard to be friends with both people in a relationship when they start having problems especially when they pull you into their drama. I have decided to make sure I am far far far away from their drama. Over the last few months I have learned I have to make myself first in my life so that I am happy and healthy. For the most part life continues to be the same: work, school and the gym.

Scrappy Pages

2010-07-03T22:58:00.002-05:00

The last few months I have been working on scrappin my New York trip pictures. Today I finally finished!!! Here are some of my favorite layouts!
Cover pages. I love using things from my trips like ticket stubs and hotel keys in my scrapbook layouts.

Love my Tiffany's page!!!

MOOD. One of my favorites from the trip!

I had a blast in NYC, but I would love to go back. I think there are still so many things in the city I didn't have the opportunity to experience.

Hope everyone had a Happy and Safe 4th of July!!! I will be working tomorrow, but looking forward to celebrating after work!

Eclipse Midnight Showing

2010-07-01T11:42:00.003-05:00

About three weeks ago I bought tickets to the midnight showing of Eclipse for Travis, John and me. I have been couting down and super excited. John and I have seen all three movies together and after the adventures of watching New Moon had a few requirements for the new movie.
#1-We did not want to have to park a mile away from the theater.
#2-We did not want to get stuck in the first row where you can experience motion sickness from the arial overhead shots and the werewolves are shaped like apes.

The two hours hanging out with the boys before the movie started was just as much fun as the movie itself. I loved the movie.

Here is a picture of the boys and me from the theater. (travis on the left and john on the right)

June 2010 Update

2010-06-17T09:51:00.004-05:00

Haven't had the opportunity to blog in awhile. Been staying busy. Just got a new Droid Incredible phone and I absolutely love it!!!

Last week I got to dog sit Roscoe who is my trainers dog. He was the best dog ever! Took a couple days to win him over, but he was so well behaved. Isn't he cute!

June 30th cannot get here fast enough!!! Last week I bought midnight showing tickets. SOOO excited!!!

Pink Night at the Rodeo

2010-05-19T21:09:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday night I went to my first rodeo. After work Amber, Travis, John and I spent the evening at the Franklin Rodeo. I absolutely LOVED it!!! Everyone was supposed to wear pink to support breast cancer research. My two favorite events were the bull riding and the barrel racing. I didn't like the events where they tied the baby cows. It made me really sad and every time I would start to fuss about it Amber would tell me 'they're dumb, it doesn't hurt them'. I just reminded myself if it did hurt them PETA would be all over the rodeo, so that gave my mind some peace.
Don't we look cute in our pink!

Hello Rodeo!!!

Amber, John and Me. Amber just can't stop watching and look at the camera!!!

Looking forward to my next rodeo. Brandon would have been so proud of me!!! I felt so close to him being somewhere he loved. I wish I could have gone to a rodeo with him before he died. Would have been some precious memories! I will just make rodeo memories in the future knowing Brandon's spirit is there with me!

My Hero and My Angel

2010-05-12T23:57:00.005-05:00

Today is a very special day. Today is the three year anniversary of Brandon's death. For my family May 13th is a holiday known as Angel Day. Brandon is my hero and my angel. I miss him more everyday! I post a blog every year on Angel Day. My life will never be the same without Brandon. You couldn't help but feel loved and special when he was near!!!
This picture was taken the weekend before I moved to Utah. It was the last time I saw Brandon before his death. This is the way I will always remember him.

This is one of my favorite childhood pictures. We were around 2 and 6 when this was taken.

If he didn't have his John Deere hat on he was wearing his cowboy hat!

I love this picture of Brandon and our papaw. So carefree, so happy.

My friend Amber from work invited me to the rodeo this weekend. I have never been to a rodeo, but I knew this was a great way to celebrate Brandon's life. He loved the rodeo. He was a cowboy. I know being at the rodeo will allow me to feel close to him being able to do something he loved.

Nashville Flood May 2010

2010-05-03T21:51:00.006-05:00

National news hasn't covered the Nashville Flood 2010 very much on the news. I actually watched CNN's news coverage last night and nothing was said at all. So very sad to not have the support of our country. My dad's office was totally flooded leaving him to work from home. The awesome thing in all of this is how the people of Middle Tennessee are coming together to help each other.

Saturday night I actually got stuck in Franklin because it was impossible to get back into Smyrna. Thankfully a work friend, Amber, has an aunt and uncle who live in Franklin that took us in for the night. It may have not been my first choice for the night, but I am so very thankful for God's protection for my family and friends.

I have not been able to get out and take pictures due to having to work, but I was able to grab the following pics from my friends on facebook. Thanks guys!!!
This picture was taken Saturday in Franklin. (Picture by Jen H.)

The following pictures are taken from the Opryland Hotel. These were taken off a friend of a friend's facebook page.

This is a view of the Opry Mills Mall next to the Opryland Hotel (picture by Leslie P.) This is one of the hardest pictures for me to digest. I was just here Friday night with Lauren and Travis for 'girl's night.' To think that less than 48 hours it's all flooded. I used to manage the Scrapbook Warehouse store located next to the Gibson Showcase in the mall.

This is downtown Nashville (picture by Devin Belle). You can see the Titans Stadium off the right.

When I left for work this morning the stadium was not affected. When I got home from work this picture was posted online.

I know the flood will be something I one day tell my children about. It is so surreal to see all these Nashville landmarks underwater. I have pictures of myself at so many of them and it will never be the same. Please continue to keep the Middle Tennessee Area in your thoughts and prayers in the weeks to come, especially those who have lost their homes, businesses and loved ones.

How to Train Your Dragon

2010-04-28T23:14:00.004-05:00

Today I had the pleasure of spending the day with Colten and Kensley. I absolutely adore these kids!!! They bring so much happiness into my life, although I do call them birth control as well. Taking care of them makes me realize how much work it is to be a parent, even with great kids like Colten and Kensley. The kids have never been to see a movie at the theater before, so I was super excited to take them to see How to Train Your Dragon. I made the mistake of showing them the movie trailer online waaaaaaaaay before we had to leave, which resulted in the kids wanting to leave for the 12:30 movie at 9am! One of the best things was having the entire theater to ourselves!!! Colten was totally zoned into the movie and still and quiet the entire time. Kensley found the previews very entertaining and laughed through most of them. For their first movie they did a great job!

I have to say I am a little disturbed at all the stains on the chairs that show up in the pictures. You don't see that when you go into a dimly lit theater.

The kids have the cutest personalities and they say the funniest stuff. I kept a list throughout the day to be able to share.

-I suggested Kensley where her Tinkerbell shoes I had bought her for her last birthday, but she had already put her new shoes on. I guess she thought I was saying her new shoes were Tinkerbell shoes and she responded with "My shoes are princess shoes!" with a little foot stomping.

-One the way to the theater we were driving down the back roads where we pasted lots of cows, goats, and horses. I told the kids I wanted a baby cow and Colten shared that he was going to have a barn with lots of animals. I asked if my baby cow could live in his barn. He said yes and asked me what color cow I wanted. I said black. Colten's response was to tell me he would get a black Mommy cow. I asked when he was going to build this barn and he told me Tuesday, but he would need his daddy's help. Then this sweet, soft voice says I want a baby cow too! I asked Kensley what color cow she wanted and her response was a pink cow. Hmmm not sure where her parent's are going to locate a pink cow. With all the cow talk I discovered the kids think chocolate milk comes from brown cows and strawberry milk from pink cows.

-When we first got into my car to leave my radio was on 107.5 (top 40 music) playing a rap song. Kensley wasted NO time saying "I don't like this music."

Scrappy Pages

2010-04-24T23:03:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy week!!! I was excited when Amanda called my Wednesday night to tell me she was on her way into town. Thursday we spent the day scrapbooking, watching movies and watching the Project Runway finale. I was so excited my favorite (I'm not using the winner's name since Amber has not watched the finale) actually won PR. It seems the person I like never wins. Last night was super exciting because Amber, Amanda and I managed to find time to have dinner together. I love my girlfriends and life keeps us so busy these days, so I truly cherish the time we get to spend together.

Here are some of the scrappy layouts I have finished for my friend Jamekra's scrapbook of her new baby girl, Kaylee.

I've also been working on my New York scrapbook. I will post those pictures soon.

NYC Day Three -Part Two

2010-04-08T09:13:00.008-05:00

We ended out last full day in New York in Times Square. We started at Madam Tussuad's Wax Museum. It turned out to be pretty interesting!!! There were occasional times of creepiness cause all those eyes looked real and followed you! While there we did get to make wax moldings of our hands. I didn't take pictures of this because I was down one hand. My mold is pink (of course) and doing a peace sign.

Here are some pics from Madam Tussuad's. I had a hard time narrowing it down!

After the wax museum we had dinner in Times Square followed by shopping. Here are the pictures from Times Square:
The Toys-r-Us had a Ferris wheel with all these cute little chairs.

The last day of our trip we took our shared shuttle to the Newark airport for our flight home. We almost got delayed there that would have caused us to miss our connecting flight in North Carolina, but thankfully 30 minutes after scheduled we were on our way home. I enjoyed our New York trip and want to go back sometime because there are still things I want to do there. The only negative I found about New York is their lack of southern hospitality. By the end of the trip both of us were missing it!!!

NYC Day Three -Part One

2010-04-04T20:37:00.008-05:00

I have so many pictures from day three of our NYC trip that I decided to separate it into two posts. The morning of day three we took a taxi to Battery Park to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty. On the drive down we had a wonderful cab drive who grew up in NYC and took the time to tell us about the areas we were driving through. During the drive we did pass Ground Zero, but it seemed we would not be able to get close enough to take pictures. They were doing construction so there were walls up all the way around. Even though its been years since 9/11, being at Ground Zero really brought back all those memories of that day. Our cab driver even shared his 9/11 experience with us.

The security at the Statue of Liberty was tighter than the security at the airport. We went through airport style security prior to boarding the ferry, then again once on Liberty Island to be able to go into the Statue of Liberty. The 156 steps up to the pedestal were not too bad, at least on the way up that is. The steps where only wide enough for one person and wrapped around the sides of the building giving you the ability to look down and see the bottom. I have a fear of heights and the trip down the steps gave me a great deal of anxiety mixed with shaky knees. I was so excited to reach the ground!!!

Here are some pics taken from Liberty Island. Unfortunately, we did not stop at Ellis Island.
Ferry ride over. I haven't been on a boat since I was 10! All the life vests hanging from the ceiling of the ferry made me think of the titanic! haha

This was how close we were from the pedestal observation deck.

I managed to get a picture with the Statue of Liberty and us!

Our second stop of the day was to Mood Fabrics where the designers on the show Project Runway shop for their fabrics. I have watched the show since season two and have LOVED it ever since!!! When the planning for the NYC trip started one of my top three must go places was Mood. If you don't watch the show I highly recommend it!!! At Mood I realized I was totally unprepared for how amazing the store actually was! The store is three floors with each floor having fabric bolts from floor to ceiling. After 10 minutes of trying to find fabric I called Amber, so she could share the Mood moment I was having over the phone. I ended up leaving with fabric, trims, mood bags and lots of pictures.

Let me introduce you to Mood:

Show poster on the door going into Mood. The cast on the poster is from season 2.

This pic is for all my friends who are Project Runway fans! And yes, I did say 'thank you mood' as I left!!!

I will be posting part two of day three sometime this week.

Hoping everyone had a blessed Easter!

NYC Day Two

2010-03-29T21:54:00.008-05:00

Our second day in New York City started off gloomy and rainy, but we had a fun filled day. We walked a mile to our first stop at Radio City Music Hall for their backstage tour. One the way we passed the subway entrance that was less than two blocks from our hotel. This was the closest we actually got to the subway because we were both a little anxious about riding it. I had intended to go down and actually see the trains, but we rain out of time. It was cool to be walking to our hotel and hear and feel the subway trains moving below us.

This is the Macy's where all the holiday parades take place.

I was excited to discover on our morning walk that we were passing Bryant Park. This is where all the Project Runway finale runway shows take place. The pictures make it look blah due to the rainy day and construction, but it was really pretty.

At Radio City Music hall we did a tour that gave us a backstage look at the building, the Rockettes and the history of the building. It was originally built to be a movie theater way back in the day. The stage has all these moving parts that still run on their original parts. There is a Roxy Suite that is set up with the originally furniture where celebrities can have after parties or use it as their green room before performances. This room includes a guest book that has been signed by every celebrity to use the room. The book was opened to only two pages including signatures from John Legend, Mariah Carey, Monique, Cindy Lauper, and Paul Simon to name a few. The stage at Radio City Music Hall was designed to look like a sunrise inspired by the sunrise the designer saw one morning while on a boat. Even the colors in the room are a play on a sunrise. I was surprised to find out the curtain has thirteen motors. The first show customers were able to watch at Radio City was just the curtain dancing because it was such a big attraction.

This was a display of Rockette costumes over the years.

On the tour Renee and I had the opportunity to meet a Rockette. Her name was Sara and she has been a Rockette for three years.

Renee and me at Rockefeller Center. Thankfully the rain had stopped by this point in the day. We ate at a really fancy restaurant with a view of the ice skating rink. It might have been a $102 lunch, but we enjoyed it and laughed tons. I will never take free refills for granted again since I had to pay 4.00 per glass at our lunch! After lunch at Rockefeller Center we did some shopping on 5th Avenue. This picture was taken at Saks Fifth Avenue. They had a huge floor to ceiling mirror when you got off the elevator. Street vendors seemed to be on every corner!!!

I have always wanted something from Tiffany & Co that comes in a cute little blue box with a white bow. I went in not intending to purchase anything, but left with a new ring that I absolutely love!After shopping on 5th Avenue we went to NBC Studios for their tour. Unfortunately we were not able to take pictures on the tour, so I managed to get these two right before we started the tour. During the tour we saw the Dr. Oz, Sunday Night Football and SNL sets. These sets look so much smaller in person than they do on tv. During the tour we had this extremely annoying girl who was there with two boys. She had in the studios before for some school related thing and she made sure to make sure everyone could here all about her previous experience at the studio. Renee and I tried so hard to make sure we were in the opposite elevator to be able to save our sanity.

After the tour we went to Godiva located at Rockefeller Center. I have never had Godiva Chocolate before and boy am I in love now!!! It was fabulous. They had a seven pound chocolate bunny for only $150.00. Renee tried to freak me out when she asked "Do you think that bunny will fit in my carry on?" For about thirty seconds I thought she had lost her mind!

Day two in NYC ended with dinner at Chipotle making me a very happy girl. I have not had Chipotle since my Chicago trip in December 2008. When we finally made it back to the room about nine and a half hours after we left my feet hurt so bad and our hotel was out of hot water!!!

Day One in NYC

2010-03-25T18:06:00.008-05:00

While in NYC I managed to take 200+ pictures not counting the pictures I got from Renee's camera. I want to share as many as possible, so I decided to break my trip down by day.

Renee and I left Nashville at 6am Sunday morning headed to the Newark airport in New Jersey. We used the Super Shuttle service from the airport to the hotel, which turned out to be the scariest car ride of my life! I was unprepared for New York drivers. Three things I learned during our shuttle ride:
(1) the fact that there are lines painted on the road to show the lanes drivers should be driving in are only viewed as suggestions since the drivers do what they want.
(2) you take your life in your own hands when crossing the road. it doesn't matter if the street sign says walk or stop they don't really care about yielding to pedestrians.
(3) New York drivers feel that honking at traffic makes the situation better. Renee and I could never figure out if they were honking due to the traffic being stopped, for something to pass the time or just to release their road rage. It was rather annoying!

After arriving at our hotel, The Broadway Plaza Hotel, we were early for check in, but both felt the need to get settled before venturing out in the city. We were both a little overwhelmed by the drive to the hotel. We had a pizza place two doors down where we tried some New York style pizza for lunch. I quickly decided that NY pizza has nothing on Chicago style pizza. Chicago pizza is by far MUCH better! Our hotel turned out to be in a great location. We were on the same street as Radio City Music Hall and NBC Studios only a mile south and then six blocks south of the Empire State building. I would stay at our hotel again, but we did have some issues with the air conditioning and hot water. You know girls from the south REQUIRE working air!!!

One of the first pics I took in NYC was of a NYC Taxi Cab. I was so shocked at how clean the cabs were. They actually had touch screen tv's in the back where you could look at the taxi info, a map of where you were driving and watch the news.

I was so sad there were no Krispy Kreme's in NYC. Dunkin Donuts is no where near as good as KK.
The Empire State Building had a great view from their observation deck on the 86th floor. It seemed like it took forever to get to the top, but it was worth the long line. I took soooo many pictures from the top due to being in awe of all the buildings. It seemed like tall, skyscrapper buildings for miles.

On the walk to the Empire State Building we passed a church who had the fence surrounding their building lined with ribbons. After reading the sign we discovered each ribbon was there to symbolize prayers for soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, those who have lost their lives serving our country, and prayers for peace.

After a long day of travel and adventure in the Big Apple, we managed to find one of the best sushi places I have ever eaten. It was on the second floor on a street called Korea Way which was also 35th street. Here is a picture of the street. I absolutely loved all the signs!

We ended day one by curling up in our plush beds, renting The Blind Side and ordering room service at almost 11pm.

quick update

2010-03-22T20:39:00.000-05:00

It's been ages since I blogged!! The last few weeks have been really busy with work, school and the gym. I am overjoyed to be finished with my quantitative methods class. I am blessed to have two friends who actually understood my homework enough to help me. In two weeks I will be starting a managerial economics class that I pray is easier!!!

I've been on baking kick over the last month. I discovered a blog called bakerella with some fabulous recipes. My coworkers have enjoyed smore's cupcakes and red velvet cake. Both I made from scratch and they turned out so yummie! I will post pics later.

Craft wise I haven't done too much lately. My trainer, ashley, has a dress I am trying to use as a pattern to make her a second one. After four yards of brown dance wear knit I finally got the top right! Only needs some size alterations. Next step is purchasing some silk fabric for the bottom of the dress. This is my first attempt at adult clothing, so I am a bit nervous. Pics will be posted it is completed.

Currently I am in new york city on vacation. After walking approx 6 miles today I am curled up in my big bed in my jammies praying for my feet to quit hurting while enjoying some godiva chocolate. I will be posting lots of pictures from our trip when I get home. In two days I have taken over 130 pics. Tomorrow is a full agenda and then I am flying home wednesday afternoon.

Google Keywords

2010-02-15T19:41:00.001-06:00

One of the blogs I frequent is written by Kayla Aimee. From time to time she does blog posts to share the keywords people use in google that lead them to her blog. I find it interesting, so I decided to do a google keywords post.

#1-Baby Got Back Parody- google searchers will find a post from last year where Amber made her own baby got back parody video for a contest.

#2- Chasity R Scrapbook- I'm sure the work scrapbook can be found over a thousand times on my blog.

#3- Baby Got Back Healthy Parody- HMMM I am not sure about the pairing of baby got back and healthy.

#4- Go see the movie Chasity- I didn't know there was a movie about me. How fun!

#5- Looking for Chasity's Sugar Daddy- BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA I have no comment.

#6- hairbowsgalore.com scam- hmmm I have posted pics of hairbows I made with Amy on my blog, but I am clueless about a hairbow scam. A little interesting. Should I google that topic?

#7- Lotus Blossom Pictures- This one makes me happy since Amber's photography business is called Lotus Blossom Photography. I try to spread her name whenever I get the chance!!!

#8- What does LO mean in scrapbooking?- HAHA For anyone unsure of this it means layout.

#9- Sissy in sports bra at the gym- UM I don't even know what to say. I'm speechless!

#10- Trevecca room check fine- I had one of those, but it wasn't my only fine while at Trevecca.

#11- Lauren Regan and social work- My best friend from college is a social worker named Lauren. Next time I talk to her we will totally try to figure out who is googling about her especially since her name was searched more than once leading to my blog.

#12- 22 year old leaves newborn in a walmart bag- WHAT??? How did that lead someone to my blog???????

Interesting keywords searched on google. It snowed again in Smyrna today. I have lived in Tennessee for my entire life with the exception of nine months and I have NEVER seen this much snow. I have had my fill of it for the next few years!!! I've also book a trip to New York City in March with my friend Renee. So excited!!!

Happenings in 2010

2010-02-13T23:32:00.004-06:00

MLK weekend I went for our annual scrapbooking weekend to Amanda's house in Knoxville. It was so great to get away and just relax. This was my first trip since Chicago in 2008. Amanda and I visted four scrappy stores, did some regular shopping, watched 7 movies and got a great deal of scrapbooking done.
In January we had a snowed in weekend due to 3.75 inches of snow and ice. It's been years since I have seen that much snow in Tennessee. After two days in the house I started to go stir crazy, so I put on my snow boots to hike the short walk to the Hambrick's house.

I've made some great friends at work that I absolutely adore. This past week we managed to meet up for lunch which isn't always easy since we all have different schedules.

John and Travis

Amber and me.

December 2009 in Pictures

2010-01-09T12:01:00.003-06:00

I feel like I didn't blog any of the holiday happenings in my life this year, so here they are in pictures.

Started the month off by going to watch New Moon for the second time with Lauren. LOVE THAT MOVIE!!! Team Edward all the way!

I started attending a new small group at my church in December. I've only been a few times, but so far I am really enjoying it. This picture is of the girls at the Tacky Sweater Christmas Party. I was so busy with work, the gym and school I didn't have a chance to shop for a tacky Christmas sweater.

I went with Amy, Colten and Kensley to a Gingerbread House decorating party with some friends. I decided to do Gingerbread men instead of house, which in the end was the best decision since the houses are so dang hard to get together. The kids were all high on sugar before it was over with, but we had a BLAST!!! I might have indulged on the icing cause it was GOOD!!!
Three days before Christmas a special present was delivered from Iraq to Amy, Colten and Kensley. They got to have daddy home for the holidays. My heart was so happy for their family to be together for the holiday season. The day after Steven got into town I went straight to the Hambrick House to see him after work. I also harassed him with the camera until we got a picture of us together I liked. Steven's R&R is now over, so please continue to pray for him as he finishes out the last few months of his deployment and for Amy and the kids as they go through life with a huge piece of their family so far away. I love you guys!!!

This is the only picture I took on Christmas day. Izzy and Lucy in front of the Christmas tree. Such pretty girls.

My last two treats of the holiday season were getting to see Jay and Aaron. I got a picture of Aaron and me, but completely forgot to get one with Jay. It had been a year since I'd seen Jay, so it was a great way to start the new year off. He was only in Nashville for 8 hours, but that's okay!!!

Almost caught up on my blogging. I still need to post my goals for the new year. That will be next!!! Praying for everyone to have a healthy, happy and safe 2010!!!

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-01T12:10:00.000-06:00

Just a quick post to say happy new year!!! Hello 2010!!! I'm looking forward to all the adventures the new year will bring. I will be posting pictures soon from the last few weeks.

Gingerbread House Making

2009-12-16T18:47:00.003-06:00

Monday night Amy, Colten, Kensley and I went to Melody's house for a Gingerbread Housemaking Party. With four adults and seven kids we made a huge mess, but it was so much fun!!! My house fell apart after I put a green icing roof on it. The sad thing is the texture to the icing made a cool roof!!!

Kensley was loving the icing.

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-07T20:08:00.002-06:00

This Thanksgiving was spent at our house with the Wallers. Steve, Michele, Katrina, Megan and their dog Misty came over the night before for lots of family holiday fun. The holiday was a blast!!!

The fun included:
*Running with Megan
*Family Wii bowling tournament. I won second place.
*Yummu Food
*A game of sevens that I totally lost at
*Mad craziness with three dogs in the house
*Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
*Movie watching
*Mario Kart
Thanksgiving morning. Momma, Michele and Katrina were hiding from the camera while Megan was trying to eat her post run snack without the dogs bugging her.

Daddy and Steve playing baseball in the game area. Steve setup this fun video game area when he got to the house Wednesday night.

Megan and me after we got home from our Thanksgiving morning run. It was SUPER cold!!!

Yummy lunch cooked by momma, Steve and Michele!!!

Aaron and me at the movie theater. Thanksgiving night I got to hangout with Aaron for the first time in ages. We went to see The Blind Side which was a fabulous movie!!!

New Tattoo

2009-11-23T11:37:00.005-06:00

Sorry about picture quality. It's from my cell phone and not the best.
As a reward to myself for completing my 5K race in October I got the tattoo I have been wanting for awhile now. When my cousin, Brandon, passed I knew I wanted to get a tattoo for him. I spent a long time thinking about what I wanted and where I wanted it. Brandon was a cowboy through and through, so I felt the best way to remember him was a cowboy hat. He always would tell people when they were having a hard time 'you'll be strong' and through all nine weeks of race training I felt him there with me. When I was having a rough running day I could hear him telling me 'you'll be strong'. I know he was smiling down on me as I crossed the finish line!!!

New Moon

2009-11-23T11:29:00.006-06:00

New Moon. Super Excited.

I bought my tickets weeks ago intending to go watch the movie with Kathy. The morning before I got a text from Kathy saying she had H1N1 and would not be able to go to the movies with me. I was super bummed because the previous Sunday we had spent the afternoon shopping for supplies to make our cheesy twilight shirts to wear to the movie. I was super excited when a friend at work, John, was able to come with me to see new moon.

John and I had tickers for the 9:40pm showing of New Moon, so we figured arriving at 9:00pm would give us enough time. OH BOY, were we wrong! There was no parking at the theater, so we had to park up the street in the Ross parking lot. To actually get to the theater we had to walk down this hill covered in rocks- not the best thing for someone oh so graceful as me. Thankfully I arrived at the theater without falling. There were so many people we did not want to brave the snack lines. After a quick bathroom stop we headed into the theater where the only two seats left together were on the FIRST ROW!!! OMG!!! It made for a very different movie experience. I loved the movie, but I am looking forward to seeing it again next weekend from a better seat.

Over th Hill

2009-11-22T14:36:00.002-06:00

Today is Daddy's 50th Birthday!!! Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Last Monday, Momma put together a surprise party to celebrate. We had a blast! Daddy totally fell for the cover story too. He was totally suprised and it was GREAT! I had so many pictures I decided to start using picasa, so I can make collages. Enjoy!

Cookies for Soldiers

2009-11-09T11:55:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with the G Troop FRG packing cookies for the soldiers. The FRG ladies handmade Christmas cards for the soldiers, so we decided to send sweet treats along with them. Please keep our soldiers in your prayers as they serve our country at locations all over the world. Also, keep their families in your prayers as they spend this holiday season without their loved one.

I had a great time with the G Troop FRG. Thanks for letting me join you ladies!

That's 825 cookies and brownies packaged. Thanks to everyone who donated sweet treats!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-26T21:23:00.003-05:00

Amber and I have a yearly tradition of going to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin and eat yummy pumpkin goodies!!! My favorite is pumpkin fudge. This year Melanie came along with us for the fun.

Susan G. Komen 5K

2009-10-11T22:22:00.005-05:00

In July I got this idea that I wanted to set a short term physical goal for myself to jog a 5K. At first I thought I was absolutely crazy, so one day while working out with my trainer at the gym I asked her what she thought about the idea. Ashley was 100% supportive of this goal and set me up with a training plan. My friend, Amber, is a marathon runner and she suggested the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure as my first 5k. I was super excited when Ashley and Amber signed up for the race with me.

The nine weeks of training leading up to the race was full of good days and a few bad days. There were days I absolutely hated running and thought I was crazy, but I NEVER quit. Having Ashley, Amber and Heather (another trainer at my gym) by my side for all training sessions helped keep me on the running training plan.

For nine weeks I anticipated what it would feel like to actually cross the finish line and boy was it amazing. I am still in a bit of shock that I actually ran a 5k, but I am so very proud of myself. When I set this goal for myself I decided to reward myself with a tattoo I have been wanting for a long time. I will post pictures when I get it!!! In the last nine weeks I have seen just how strong I am. I look forward continuing to run (well not completely), but I have come this far with no plans to turn around. I am so proud of myself for sticking with my plans and completing my goal. One day a week for the last nine weeks Amber has ran with me to train. It was great having her there when I crossed the finish line.

Ashley and me after we crossed the finish line. What a support to have a trainer who not only trained with me 3 days a week, but ran the race with me. She kept my spirits lifted when I was ready to quit!

Momma, Daddy and me. I was so exhausted at this point!!!

Chels and me. So happy for friends who stood in the cold for 47 minutes at the finish line for me to cross.

Runner girls!!! It's the worst picture, but can you expect after running 3.1 miles!!!

The 47 minutes I jogged those 3.1 miles were 47 of the most rewarding, proudest minutes of my life!!!

State Fair 2009

2009-10-06T22:33:00.002-05:00

Last month Amber, Melanie and I embarked on our 3rd annual trip to the State Fair. It was super fun! I let myself indulge in a few treats like fudge, pineapple whip and half a funnel cake. One of my favorite things is to walk through the buildings looking at all the cake, scrapbooking, sewing, craft and photography contest entries. The cakes were super cool this year!

Next year it am MAKING Amber enter the photography contest. She has no choice! I know she can win, so I am making her enter. I plan on entering the scrapbooking contest. The first thing on my list for the fair next year is to find the baby cows (I know they are called calves, but I prefer baby cows). I think baby cows are so cute!!! Can't wait to see them up close!

The Boys Visit Nashville

2009-09-29T10:47:00.003-05:00

Over the summer Jay started working at Delta with some cool benefits for his friends who get to use his buddy passes. I was super excited Mark got to use one of Jay's buddy passes because it has been sixteen months since the last time I saw him. Even though so much time has passed since the last time I saw Mark our friendship has grown so much because we make sure we talk at least every other day. Mark has become not just a friend, but also a brother. Here are some pictures of the two days he got to stay with me.

We had lunch at my favorite sushi place called Bodeli Sushi in Franklin. They have a super cool convyer belt that moves sushi around the entire resturaunt.
Look at how much sushi we ate!!!

We visited the Parthenon.

Also, went to Bicentennial Mall.

And had a wonderful dinner at LaSiesta with Amber (she was taking the picture).

I am excited to plan a trip out to Cali in the spring to see Mark.

Family Photo Session

2009-09-26T21:25:00.005-05:00

My dear friend Amber, owner of Lotus Blossom Photography, did a family photo session with us on Labor Day. I knew this was going to be an interesting family event since my parents both hate having their picture made. It's been 10 years since the last time they were taken. I warned Amber to be prepared for the worst since my dad was being fussy about having his pictures taken, but he did great. Amber came prepared with a list of jokes making fun of the University of Tennessee. She totally won daddy over. Great bribery Amber! Here are some sneak peaks of the pics and a link to the slideshow she created with all the pictures. Amber you rock!!! If you are looking for family, engagement of bridal pictures make sure you call Lotus Blossom Photography. Amber is awesome to work with!

New Scrappy Pages

2009-09-14T10:44:00.003-05:00

After a four month hiatus from scrapbooking I finally found time to scrapbook this weekend. I am usually never more than a month behind in my scrapbooking, but I actually had pictures from January I had not scrapbooked. Here are the layouts I finished this weekend.

I'm brunette again...

2009-09-01T20:31:00.001-05:00

...well actually mocha. Just a quick post to update with my new hair color.

I'm on the Countdown!!!

2009-08-25T11:50:00.002-05:00

27 more days until Marky comes to visit. I am SOOOOOOOOOO excited!!! Due to our hectic schedules and lives we have not been able to plan a visit since the last time Mark came to Nashville in May 2008. Even though it's been forever out friendship has continued to grow. We talk almost everyday. I have warned him there may be tears when I finally get to see him at the airport. I have lots of fun planned while Mark is here and will be sure to post the pictures.

Here are some old pics of us.
May 2008 at the Frist Center with Amber.

may 2008 at the Jack Daniels Distillery

Marky, Luke and me (April 2007) getting ready to go to Jay's 48 Hour Movie Project event.

Marky and me at work before I moved home July 2007. Seth in the backgroun being silly.

Motivational ATC's

2009-08-18T20:39:00.003-05:00

Saturday I spent the day with Lauren and Lindsay to celebrate my birthday. We went to Opry Mills for lunch and shopping. We ended our fun by getting manicures and pedicures. I've decided this pampering has to find it's way into my budget on a regular basis.
My trainer, Ashley, gave me one of those singing cards for my birthday. When you open the card it sings:
"I will survive,
As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive.
I've got all my life to life,
I've got all my love to give,
I'll survive
I will survive"

On the inside of the card, Ashley covered it with all kinds of motivational quotes. Here is a picture:
I love ATC (artist trading cards) and have participated in many ATC swaps. One swap I did in the past was a favorite Bible verse. I have my top 10 ATC's from that swap hanging on a ribbon in my bathroom above my mirror. I read the verses every morning while I am getting ready. I loved the quotes Ashley put in my card, so I decided to make my own set of ATC cards with the quotes. I am planning to hang my new ATC cards at my desk at work. It seems like I spend most of my time at work, so I thought that would be the place I see them most. Here are some pictures of my favorites.

Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure

2009-08-17T17:15:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago I started training for my first 5K in October. I have signed up to participate in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure raises significant funds and awareness for the fight against breast cancer, celebrates breast cancer survivorship, and honors those who have lost their battle with the disease. I will be running in honor of my best friend Mark's mother, Teri McIver, who is a breast cancer survivor.

One of my goals is to raise $250 to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation prior to race day. If you would like to make a donation click here. Your donation will go straight to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Most importantly please keep the women currently battling breast cancer, their families and their doctors in your prayers!!!

Celebrating my 28th!!!

2009-08-14T22:58:00.004-05:00

Today I celebrated my 28th birthday. I had a fabulous day thanks the wonderful people in my life!!! When I turned 27 I never expected what God had in store for me this year. This was the best year so far!!! I am looking forward to a happier, healthier me in the coming year.

I started off the birthday celebration today with a workout at the gym. I usually use my birthday as an excuse to not do anything I don't want to, so I was very proud of myself for being dedicated to my 5k training and going to the gym this morning. After a great workout, I went to lunch with Ashley (my FAB trainer) and Kory (intern at the gym) at a local sushi place. YUMMY!!! I <3 Sushi!!!

The celebration continued at Amber's house where we both planned to work on scrapbook projects while watching Gown Crazy with Kayne from season 3 of Project Runway. Kayne was our FAVORITE designer on Project Runway and we almost got to meet him a year and half ago. We were totally broken hearted when plans to meet him fell through. After his season of Project Runway the show let all the designers sell t-shirts through their website, so OF COURSE we purchased Kayne's (even if it was overpriced at $30)!!! Amber and I had planned to take these t-shirts to our meeting with Kayne to get them autographed. So sad they are missing his autograph since he cancelled the event!!! Oh well, we still love Kayne. Hoping that TLC will turn Gown Crazy into a series becuase it was AWESOME!!!

Took a picture with the FABULOUS trainers at the gym today. Heather is on the left and Ashley is on the Right. I'm so selfish and soak up as much of their time as possible when I am working out because it's so much better having someone to workout with. I work more with Ashley with my workouts and healthy eating plan (she does't call it a diet because the first three letters spell DIE and thats just no fun!!!) Ashley has become a huge influence in my life. Love her to death!! She motivates me to be a healthier person. Without her I know I wouldn't be where I am today because having someone who believes in me, cares about my health and my progress helps me to stay committed. So many times since joining the gym if I was going there without having a connection with a trainer I would have quit and given up, but having someone who keeps me accountable is so helpful. It's also great to see someone who practices what they preach by leading an active, healthy life herself. Plus, Ashley has no problem calling me out and not letting me make excuses for bad choices regarding my health. Even when you hate it sometimes we need people to hold us accountable.
Super cool converbelt of sushi.

Last thing, it is time to vote for this years Rutherford County Ruthies Awards. If you have a few minutes please vote in the categories listed below. You don't have to live in Rutherford County to vote!!!

Favorite Charitable Event of the Year (for Greenhouse Ministries Fun Run): http://www.ruthiesawards.com/category/97/default.aspx?page=1

Favorite Volunteer (for Cliff Sharp, Director of Greenhouse Ministries): http://www.ruthiesawards.com/category/130/default.aspx

Favorite Elected Official (for Don Ash, Judge in Rutherford Couty who sponsors the Drug Court Program): http://www.ruthiesawards.com/category/100/default.aspx

Favorite Photographer/Photo Studio (please click the nomination link and send a request for Lotus Blossom Photography. We have been trying to get them added to the list for three weeks!!!): http://www.ruthiesawards.com/category/181/default.aspx

THANKS!!!!

OMG...GROSS!!!

2009-08-11T13:57:00.002-05:00

I about lost my breakfast at walmart today when I saw this in the chicken section. YUCK!