My, how time flies…

4 years ago…

It was raining and sleeting with a little bit of snow and wind.

The sun was still shining. =.)

 

I got a manicure and a pedicure.

I went to the flower shop.

I went to the hair salon.

I had my make-up done.

I went to church.

 

I put on my great-grandmother’s pearl necklace.

I put on my grandmother’s pearl bracelet.

I put on my own pearl earrings.

I used bobby pins that used to belong to my great-grandmother.

I put on a beautiful, satin, off-white dress with beading.

I put on a veil and two garters, one with a little blue.

I put on off-white shoes.

 

I picked up a beautiful bouquet of cream flowers.

I took pictures with my favorite gals – friends, family, more family, more friends.

 

I took my Daddy’s arm, and walked down the aisle.

 

Four years ago, I was surrounded by my favorite people.

And I married my love.

 

Happy Anniversary, Marc! =.) I love you more today than yesterday! =.)

“For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24

Waiting

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” – Psalm 27:14

Don’t you just love how God speaks to you in a pre-planned way?  This verse is from my desktop tear-away calendar.  I always look forward to seeing what it says each day; to see how God is talking to me; to see what He’s going to tell me each day.

Today, He’s telling me to be patient.  There are some things in my life that I expected to be a lot easier than they have been, and to happen a lot faster than they have.  Things that seem to come so much more quickly for others than for Marc and me.  And it’s so frustrating and disheartening, most of the time.  It’s hard to watch and see.

So, today, God is telling me (AGAIN) that I need to wait for Him.  It doesn’t matter that I think I’m ready.  God’s not ready.  Rather, God’s plans are perhaps at a different pace from the plans I have all mapped out in my head.  Isn’t that usually the case, though? =.)  More than that, I KNOW, without ANY doubt, that God’s timing is absolutely perfect.  Above all else, God’s plan for my life is perfect.

I just have to wait for the Lord. =.)

Fill in the Blank Friday

Yay!  I love having something automatically to write about! =.) And I love that it’s Friday! Yay! =.)

So, Lauren over at the little things we do does this every week!

1. Today I’m wearing black dress pants, gray tee, blue and gray pinstripe vest…with SANDALS! =.) Yay for warm weather! =.)

2. My favorite childhood food was broccoli, rice, and cheese. I know, odd for a kid!

3. A day that I am too busy to love on my pups and the hubs is a day that I’m too busy.

4. The last movie I saw was Fame from Netflix. I wanted it to be better the second time around. It wasn’t. The next movie I want to see is Bounty Hunter – Love Jennifer & love Gerard! =.)

5. My favorite smell is Marc’s body wash/cologne, because it means that I’m in his arms.

6. A weird little quirk I have is certain things in my house (i.e. my jewelry box) must be lined and straightened ‘just so’, while other things I don’t care about (i.e. the coasters on the end table).

7. When I take personality quizzes, they always say I’m a good listener, trustworthy, a good friend.

Hope you enjoyed!  Have a wonderful weekend!  I’ll be enjoying the beautiful 75* sunshiny weather tomorrow! =.)

Rewind…

My life has been crazy, hectic, and busy, with a few mellow days in between.  I’ve not had a chance to blog at work because I’m actually WORKING.  I know – amazing concept! =.)  Real estate seems to have finally picked up.  I hope it stays this way! =.)

So, here’s a little rewind of my life for the past month.

A month ago, I was in New Orleans for a convention for my company.  I got to fly down, stay at a nice hotel with pretty much everything, save a little souvenir spending, paid for.  It was great.  It’s my first time to NOLA.  What an experience!  It was the weekend following Mardi Gras, so there were still some crazies down there.  And it was right after their big Super Bowl win, so I think they had been partying constantly.

My hotel room

View from my balcony Some of my favorite sights from New Orleans

Seriously?  Beads EVERYWHERE!A river boat River Cable CarSt. Charles Avenue Cable CarRobert Lee Memorial Spent some time in the WWII Museum  And my favorite find? Isn’t it great?!? =.) I love it!

Neat story – one of the owners of my company knows somebody who is business partners with the owner of a major hotel in New Orleans.  The hotel owner, let’s call him Mr. Big.  Mr. Big lives in the penthouse (of which it’s named after him, and you need a penthouse key to even get to the penthouse floor) of said hotel.  It has a view of Bourbon Street, Canal Street, and everywhere east and west.  Half of the penthouse is his patio, which has a hot tub overlooking Bourbon Street!!  He had a private party, and everyone who was in NOLA from my office was invited.  Seriously?  Coolest party ever.  There were musicians playing quietly while everyone mingled and munched. It was a bit chilly, but the rooftop view was just amazing.  So gorgeous to see the city from above all lit up.

This is Canal Street Opposite of Canal Street, towards Mississippi 

And I have pics of his actual patio, but that might be a bit too private to post.  So cool, though! I had already left, but apparently, Gr*mmy winner E*rving M*ayfield showed up to play some before they all headed to his club off of Bourbon Street.

And now, the most jaw-dropping part of the evening?  We’re all just standing around chatting and meeting people, when out comes Mr. Big’s pet…KANGAROO!  Really, a kangaroo!  With Saints colored beads on!! =.) So cool! =.)

That’s pretty much my whole trip to NOLA.  I didn’t go to Bourbon Street at night…just not my scene.  We had lunch down there one day, but it was on the end of Bourbon close to Canal Street, so I still don’t think I “experienced” Bourbon Street.  I don’t think I’m missing anything.  Just my opinion, though. =.)

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The weekend after I returned from New Orleans, I spent some time at my brother’s house.  He put up this huge rope swing for Allie, my niece.  She wanted to show us how high she could swing.  It’s crazy, but TONS of fun.

**I took the pictures to make it look like she was swinging super high.  She was high, but not as high as it might appear.  I promise!**

She loves her swing! =.) And Ava – she’s just a cheese ball!  Every time I pointed my camera at her, she would grin…she’s such a mess! =.)She didn’t want to be left out! =.)

********************

This past weekend, we headed down to Beaufort for a relaxing weekend with Chad and Katie.  We had a GREAT time!  Thanks for letting us tag along, y’all! =.)

We didn’t get down there until around 10:30 pm on Friday night.  We slept in a little, then had some errands to run for Chad.  We spent Saturday afternoon with Brad’s parents, who were down there, as well.  Please continue to keep his family and friends in your prayers.

Brad’s niece, Maddie, was loving on some Marc.  She was so cute!  She would just snuggle up to him on the couch.  He was eating it up, too!  She’s been really clingy to all of Brad’s friends.  She’s only 5 years old, and if it’s hard on us at 26, I can’t imagine what it’s like for her.

We headed back to the house to hang out and watched some ACC basketball.  We might have napped just a little! =.) Then we headed over to Johnny & Jan’s condo and played Just Dance for the Wii all night.  It was so much fun!  Makes me want the game!  But really, I think I just want it so I can practice, because Katie and me were awesome!  We are so going to beat Jan and Jessica next time!! =.) Haha!

Just Dance makes for some awesome action shots!! Chad & Katie Marc and I (don’t you love the audience?)  Brian & Chad (to Eye of the Tiger)Serious air guitar Cooling off on the balcony  Katie & I =.)

On Sunday, Katie took me down to Front Street so I could explore a little.  I’d never been before.  And I finally got me a pair of Croakies – they’re pink! =.)

I love all of the old houses…I love the sailboats on the gate! Low tide I could so live there! I miss it already! =.)

If you made it through all of the pictures, thanks for reading! =.) Have a great evening! =.)

ABCs of Me =.)

ABC's of Me!!

Age: 26
Bed Size: King – love it!
Chore you hate: All of them? No – I really hate cleaning toilets. 
Dogs’ names: Paisley & Ace 
Essential “start the day” item: Caffeine Free Mt. Dew =.) 
Favorite color: Blue
Gold or Silver: Both! =.) Most everything I own is White Gold or silver, though
Height: 5'8
Instruments you play: Absolutely none!
Job Title: Market Center Administrator (or a bookkeeper)
Kids: 2 pups for now
Living Arrangements: a home in our hometown
Mom’s Name: Cathy
Nickname: Britt
Overnight hospital stays: None
Pet peeve: Bad drivers, close talkers
Quote from a movie: Nobody puts Baby in a corner. Love me some Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing! =.)
Righty of Lefty: Righty
Siblings: 1 older brother
Time you wake up: About 6:15
Underwear: Yes?
Veggie you dislike: Okra –ick!
Ways that make you late: Slow drivers on country roads & thinking I have more time to get ready than I really do
X-rays you have had: Dental
Yummy food you make: Broccoli Casserole
Zoo animals you like: Giraffes and Polar Bears, and penguins =.)

Stay tuned for your (un)regularly scheduled programming! =.)

Hope your Monday is going great! Have a spectacular day! =.)

Still doesn’t seem real…

Something awful has happened.  We lost one of our friends.  That was Tuesday, March 2, 2010.  We lost our friend Brad at the age of 26.  His birthday is tomorrow, March 12th.

He died while doing tree trimming work.

You see, Brad was a firefighter.  On his days off, he and several other firemen worked for a tree trimming company.  On Tuesday, Brad was working, and fell from a tree.

He didn’t survive.

On Thursday, a ton of people turned out for his visitation at the funeral home.  The firemen were lining the hall leading to the family.  They show so much respect for their fallen.  They had their fire truck in front of the funeral home for the service.  There was a huge flag hanging from the raised ladder.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The fire station even had this banner made with Brad in all of his fire gear, In loving memory.

The funeral was Friday.  Gosh, Brad was loved.  He was loved so, so much.  The church was completely packed with all of his family and friends, and his fire family.  The service was just wonderful.  The preacher spoke a little, then the fire chaplain spoke.  After that, they opened it up to friends who wanted to say something about Brad.  His superiors and co-workers got up and talked about Brad and his work ethic.  How he was just great at being a fireman, and how he loved it.  Everyone told great stories.  We laughed and we cried.

The firemen all lined up again as Brad was taken out for his final ride.  All of the city fire trucks led the way.  It was all so touching.

At the graveside, they gave him a fireman’s burial, and a Mason’s burial.

It’s just so hard to watch his family and friends going through all of this heartache.

With all of this happening last week, it’s made me realize how God hasn’t promised us tomorrow.

So, live each day to the fullest.

Make sure everyone knows you love them.

Don’t take friends and family for granted.

Thank God for the blessings He has given you in this temporary life.

Make your life MEAN something…even if it just means you’re a great mom, sister, brother, son, father, daughter, grandmother, grandfather.

Don’t let a day go by where you regret your decisions.

Take advantage of your life, your love.

 

And for Brad:

“The road goes on forever, and the party never ends.”