Finally, a break!

July was such a busy month!

Remember all this from my last post?

• Beaufort for July 4th weekend
• Softball games
• Chaperone for Youth at their Summer Camp
• Eclipse with my girls (and the husband)
• Weekend at the lake
• Softball games
• Weekend at the lake
• Softball games
• Sewing on a very important birthday gift =.)

Well, softball is finally finished!  I had so much fun playing this year!  I think it might have helped that we won a few more games than in years past? I don’t know. But I had a great time getting together with friends every week! =.)

August should be much more relaxed, but our days, weeks, weekends always seem to fill up fast. I have a ton of birthdays to celebrate this month!  I can’t wait to celebrate with Tiffany and Kelli for their birthdays! =.)

Our circle of friends is growing, and I love that! =.)

Here are a few more pictures of the past month…I love my life! =.)

KarleighAva, Allie & Elixir (Lixir), Mama’s new puppy AceLixir with her big sister, Roxy Paisley, Lixir, & Ace

It’s crazy how fast that little puppy is growing!  My Mama hasn’t even had her a whole month, but she’s getting taller and gaining some weight.  And she just loves on Ace!  I love watching them all play together! =.)

This weekend will consist of LOTS of cleaning!  My house has taken the brunt of my busy schedule.  I keep putting off a true cleaning!

Unless, that is, Marc guilts me into going to the lake tomorrow. =.) Hah! =.)

Alright…an hour of work left…I can do it! =.)

Have a great weekend, y’all! =.)

GREAT weekend! =.)

This weekend was so much fun…but it went by WAY too quickly, as seems to be the trend, recently. =.)

Friday night, I headed over to help tie up the programs for Krystle’s wedding.  Holy cow, she’s getting married on SATURDAY.  I.Can’t.Wait! =.) A bunch of us ladies were hanging out at Krystle’s mom’s house to finish up the programs and some other stuff she needed finished for the reception.  Some of the Good Time Girls were there…seriously, so fun. =.) I love them! =.)

Oh, and I found my shoes for the wedding…I’m in love.  I’m not sure how long I’ll actually stay in them, though…they’re a bit high. =.) But so gorgeous! =.) And they were on sale for $20.  Score! =.)  I can’t find a pic online, but I’ll be sure to show y’all later.

Saturday, I painted my nails…they were looking rough.  Now they’re pretty, again! =.) Then, I headed to pick up KT and meet Katie so we could go to the Bridal Luncheon.  We went to the Carolina Inn.  It was my first time there.  It was really nice!  And we were in the Coral/Fish room…so fitting for the bride! =.)

Good Time Girls In-Training: me, Katie, Jennifer, Sarah, KT, Krystle, Victoria, Megan Good Time Girls! =.)

After the luncheon, I picked up the dogs, and KT, Katie and me met the boys at the lake.  It was such a hot day…the lake felt wonderful!  We had a great time, and Paisley had a blast swimming and chasing waves! =.)

Here’s all the girls from the lake:

Stacy, Katie, Krystle, KT, me

We spent Saturday night at the lake with everyone.  Woke up on Sunday, cleaned, washed sheets and towels, and went back out on the lake.  The boys were having fun wake surfing, and it was the perfect day!  The sun was out and there was a great breeze.  Heaven! =.) We headed back to the lake house, packed up and came home.

It was a very nice, relaxing weekend.  I believe it was prepping us for this weekend, which is going to be so.much.fun.  I can’t wait for the wedding!

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Happy Monday, y’all! =.)

I’m back! =.)

I had a great weekend!  I stayed pretty busy, but it was slow-paced, so I got to relax.  I really enjoyed my weekend, but I missed Marc!  He was at the beach fishing, so we didn’t get to spend a lot of time together.  That’s the only downside to the weekend.

I did, however, get to spend some time with my Daddy, so I loved that! =.)

Friday, I took a half day at work so that I could go and see Allie graduate from pre-school!  She was so cute in her cap and gown!  However, I forgot my camera in my car, and I was driving Marc’s truck.  I’ll have to get some of the pics I took with Wendy’s camera, though.  Precious! =.)

Friday night, I went with the fam to see the Durham Bulls play at home.  We had a terrace to ourselves, and it was great! =.) So much fun!

Allie & her friend, Mackenzie Ava with my DaddyAva with my Mama Allie hugging the mascot, Wool E. BullDo you see all of Allie’s silly bandz? She loves ‘em, but she wouldn’t share!  She gave me one at lunch, but took it back at the ball game.  I like them, though…might be going to get a bag for myself!! =.) Haha!

We stayed ‘til the very end of the ball game, but then it started raining.  I mean, hard.  Durham was experiencing some major flash flooding, and I was driving right through it…by myself.  Remember, Marc wasn’t with me, and I met the rest of the family at the game straight from work.

As I was driving along, being super careful and going super slow because it was raining in sheets across the road, it started hailing.  I was just praying I’d make it home.

Then it happened.  A limb/branch/tree – whatever you want to call it – fell from the sky and landed on my car.  Directly in front of my face, to be exact.  It hit between the hood and the windshield – right on top of the plastic piece that houses the windshield wiper.  You know, the windshield wiper that now doesn’t work because a tree hit it! And there’s a big ole hole in the plastic. And my windshield is all cracked.

It scared.me.silly!  No fun – AT ALL!  I called my parents to pick me up from a gas station.  I rode home with my Mama while Daddy drove my car home – probably 20 miles or so – in the down pour.  With no driver side windshield wiper. My nerves were shot.  And – don’t forget the flash flooding.  There were places with 6+ inches of water standing in the middle of the road.  So when you drove through the water, going 20-30 mph, it would fly up on your windshield so you can’t see what’s right in front of you.

Here’s my poor car… Luckily – the most expensive thing to replace will be my windshield.  That’s getting fixed tomorrow.  And Marc’s already fixed my windshield wiper.  Now…just waiting on the plastic piece.

So, so thankful for where the tree limb hit.  If it had hit any further up into my windshield, it would have shattered, and it would have caused a LOT more damage (from the rain). And, God kept me safe!  My Explorers (I’m on my 3rd one…I know!) have kept me safe each and every time! =.)

On Saturday, I spent the day with my Mama and grandma! =.) Marc and I are a part of our friends’ wedding June 12th, and my Mama’s making my dress.  I tried to find the pattern online, but it’s not on the website.  Anyways…it’s so, so pretty! I can’t wait to rock it at the wedding.  And it has pockets!!  Marc doesn’t get why I love the pockets.  Boys take for granted the fact that ALL of their clothes ALWAYS have pockets.  Girls…not the case.

Mama finished the dress yesterday, and it fits great!  Now, I just have to figure out how to do my hair to show off the bow detail on the back! =.) So pretty!

And I got to spend the day with 2 of my absolute favorite people.  It was great.  I love spending days with them. =.)

Sunday, I went to church, then came home and worked on my resume and a few other things around the house.  Softball season starts tonight (if we don’t get rained out), and I really wanted to get in some batting practice, so my dad said he’d go with me to the batting cage.  I swung at about 80 balls, and I have sore muscles, now!  I had a great time with him, though. Then, we went to dinner with my Mama at La Cocina…my favorite Mexican restaurant.  Love it!  It was so good! =.)

And while I was being lazy for most of the day, Marc was busy catching LOTS of these: He brought a ton home.  We grilled some last night for dinner – yummy! =.)

Monday, I so enjoyed sleeping in!  It was great!  I lounged around and was going to wait for Marc to get home so we could go shoot my new gun.  I wanted to get comfortable with it.  Well, he left and about an hour and a half into his drive, he had to go BACK to Beaufort.  So, his 3.5 hour drive ended up taking him 6 hours.  He was pretty tired when he go home.  Since I knew he wasn’t going to be home as early as expected, I went shooting with my Daddy.  It felt like an early Father’s Day because I got to spend so much time with him this weekend.  It was absolutely wonderful.

And that is how I spent my weekend.  I hope yours was fantastic, as well! =.)

Such a bad blogger…

I don’t know why y’all still follow me, unless it’s the fact that I’m not gonna fill up your Reader! =.)

But I’ve been in a funk.  I’ve got nothing interesting to blog about.

My weekends are almost always the same.  Dinner with friends on Friday.  Hanging out with friends on Saturday.  Church on Sunday.  That’s my wrap up!

And while we aren’t getting near the amount of snow as some of the states north of us, we’re still getting a little bit.  It’s been nice.  I know – don’t get mad at me for saying that!  We don’t get a lot of snow, and it’s so pretty when we do! =.)

It snowed this past Friday.  And it was all melted by lunch on Saturday.  Perfect snow!  And we got almost 2 inches overnight.

I have 2 favorite things from the past two weekends:

1.  Dear John.  I saw it with Tiffany, Kelli, Katie, and KT.  I really, really liked it.  I read the book way back when it was first published, so it’s been awhile.  As I was watching the movie, bits and pieces kept coming back to me.  I loved the movie, though.  And I knew I would cry.  I cry at everything Nicholas Sparks.  But it wasn’t about the love story side of it.  It was all the scenes with John’s dad.  So precious!

2. Game Nights.  Last weekend, we played games with 2 other couples on Saturday night.  We finally played Pictionary Man, and then we played Cranium.  Needless to say, the girls won. =.)  We’re awesome! =.)  Then, this past weekend, while we were all together to celebrate February birthdays, we played Imagine Iff and Cranium, just the girls.  So.much.fun.  I absolutely LOVE board games!! =.)

Perhaps I’ll have some exciting things to post about this weekend.  I leave Friday for New Orleans for work.  I fly back up Tuesday night.  That means I’m leaving Marc at home by himself.  I think he’ll survive.  I imagine he’ll enjoy being able to play Call of Duty without me interrupting when I get home from work.  (Seriously, I’m close to hating that game)

And that’s all I have.  Told you I sucked as a blogger! =.)  Guess I’m just in a funk.  I bet if I had more Vitamin D (i.e. more sun), I’d be more interesting! =.)  I love my snow, but I’m ready for spring! =.)

Have a wonderful week! =.)

And I leave you with this awesome quote I found! =.)

“Your life is your garden, your thoughts are the seeds.  If your life isn’t awesome, you’ve been watering the weeds.”

–Terry Prince

Walking in a Winter Wonderland…

In my part of North Carolina, it’s rare that we see substantial snow.  And by substantial, I mean more than a few inches.  You see, when we get more than an inch, cities shut down.  Our area just isn’t prepared for snowfall.

Which is absolutely GREAT if you’re a kid, because all you want to do is play in the snow.  And you definitely don’t want to go to school if there’s snow on the ground.

However, if you’re a teacher, you understand that snow days = less Spring Break.  Kids don’t think about that part of it, though. =.) And who could blame them?!? =.)

The weather people were forecasting anywhere between 4-10 inches at my home.  Depending on where the lines were, it could be a mixture of snow, sleet and freezing rain. 

So, on Friday around 6:00 pm, it started snowing.  It was gorgeous!  Lovely, beautiful flakes of the white stuff.  I absolutely loved it.

People in my office…not so much.  You would think that the world were ending with just the prediction of snow.  I went to Appalachian State University.  That means that I had the potential to see snow from November through May.  Since I’ve graduated and moved back home almost 5 years ago (has it really been that long?), I’ve only had 3 snows worth counting.  One this past weekend, one last year, and I’m sure there was another one before that.

Needless to say, I don’t mind the snow. =.)

And I got some pictures of the house before the dogs and trucks ‘messed’ it up. =.)

The snow was still falling… Isn’t it just beautiful and clean looking?!? =.)

We decided to go sledding, so some of our friends came over.  A few miles from the house is a road with a massive hill.  Perfect for sledding! =.)

Here’s the girls: Sarah, Katie, me The boys: Marc, Chad, Rob

The start of “The Hill”Towards the bottom… So.much.fun!! =.) These are the boys… SarahKatieAnd me…I had to steer with my hands…

On Sunday, Marc had to work some, so I hung out with my Mama and Miss Ava.  She’s simply precious! =.)  She and Mama came over to my house to walk the dogs, so when we got back to Mama’s house, and took off Ava’s toboggan (her hat), her hair was just crazy!!  Love it! And my IRL friends will like this – she’s more pale than I am!! Haha! =.) And please ignore the make-upless face

She fell asleep before I left…sweet girlOn Monday, I woke up to this beautiful sunrise with the moon between the trees.  I had to take a picture of it (before I left for work…)

Hope you had a great weekend!  It’s almost here, again!! =.)

Have a happy day, y’all! =.)

Ready for the Weekend!

Last week, my week flew by.  It was great!  I worked on 1099s and W-2s, and I was busy.  This week, I finished all of my tax stuff last week, so I didn’t really have anything to do.  I mean, I’ve had a few things to do here and there, but definitely not enough to keep me busy for a 40-hour week.

The bookkeeper position at our church has become available.  I’m really hoping that it’s a good fit for me.  I would love a little extra money, I’ve not had a raise or a bonus in close to 2 years, now, while my house payment keeps increasing because we have our escrow included.  It’s a bit frustrating.  And stressful.  I need our company to make money, so that I can make just a little more money! =.) And so that my mind will stay busy and occupied and WORKING!  I’m getting bored, which is making me irritable.  But I don’t want a new job.  I like my job.  I just want my work to pick back up so I feel like I’m actually deserving of a full-time salary paid position.  Does that make sense?

So, back to the bookkeeper position.  I’d love to do it.  Not only because it would bring in a little more cash to the household (i.e. our savings account), but I would like working with the church.  I love our church, and I would love to be able to contribute in some way other than just attending. =.)

I love to sew and craft and do all those other fun things that come with crafting.  I told my Mama today that she and I should open up an Etsy shop.  I would absolutely be just ridiculously happy if I could make a living off of selling items on Etsy.  I could do what I love, and stay at home while working.  That’d be perfect for when we have kids!  I would love to be a stay-at-home mom.

That would be my dream job.

That, or to work at a library.  I love books. =.)

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On another note.  We’re supposed to be getting between 5-10 inches of snow tonight, into tomorrow afternoon.  Everyone at my office is just dreading it.

I’m not.  I love snow.  It’s beautiful.  Especially out where I live.  Being in the country, our driveway doesn’t get plowed.  We just drive through snow.

And it also reminds me of Boone.  I mean, we don’t get anywhere near the amount of snow, and it’s a completely different type of snow (Boone is more powdery, here, it’s wetter), but it’s still snow.

I thought I had pics from last year’s snow, but apparently not on my work computer.

If we’re lucky, I’ll have some for you tomorrow.  With the dogs playing in it.

And, now that I’ve gotten excited about it, we won’t get any snow. =.)

Hope you have a great weekend!  Stay warm! =.)

Weekend Wrap Up

We had such a nice weekend!

We weren’t sure if Marc’s dad and stepmom were coming up until late Thursday.  The guys are building a ramp for Marc’s grandma that fell.  Lyman, my FIL, doesn’t want her walking up the steps to their porch/entry door to their house.  I think he, and Grandpa Johnson, would just feel a lot better if there was a ramp for Grandma Johnson.  However, the ground is so wet from all the rain we’ve been getting around here lately.  So, they couldn’t do it this weekend.  Lyman and Melinda might be coming up this weekend, instead, depending on the weather.  It absolutely poured here last night, but it’s windy today.  Maybe it’ll dry out. =.)

So, instead, we went out with friends.  There were 13 of us total, and we went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, then we went bowling.  By the time we finished eating, it was around 9, so we got to “Cosmic Bowl” in black lights.  I was so excited, because I outscored everyone except for one guy on our first round.  It was a lot of fun just hanging out with everyone.  One of our guy friends spent the night at our house on Friday so that he and Marc could stay up and play a game on the PS3.  After I turned off the subwoofer and asked them to turn down the volume, I slept.  They didn’t go to bed until around 4:30.  No, thank you!

Saturday was just a low key day.  We slept in, which was fantastic! =.) Marc and our friend, Chad, started playing their war game again, so I took the dogs over to my parents house and hung out with my Mama.  She sewed up a few things for me that I needed fixed, and we talked crafts. =.) She’s decided that she’s making everyone something hand-made for Christmas this year, and she’s going to get started on it, now!  We went through some of her old fabric.  She received this “a craft a day” calendar, and one of the crafts tells how to make a cover for a camera strap.  Since my camera’s strap is kind of old and dirty, I want to spruce it up.  So, I’m going to piece together these 6 brightly colored scraps that she has, and make a strap.  I’ll show when it’s finished! =.)

We had a lazy Saturday afternoon, then headed over to our friend’s house for dinner.  Pulled pork that was delicious, with some sides.  Three of the girls there have weddings this spring/summer, so there was TONS of wedding talk! =.) Then two of us slipped away to catch some of the Duke/Clemson basketball game. =.)

Sunday morning, we went to church, then went to the 3rd membership class.  We learned a little about our spiritual gifts and where we can serve using those gifts.  It was pretty interesting.  Of the 15-20 people in the class, 8 of them were from our life group.  We totally represented! =.)

After class, we grabbed lunch at Red Robin with our friends, Chris and Jennifer, who are getting married April 24th.  The we headed to Family Christian Stores to pick up some devotionals for Marc and myself.  I’m excited about mine!  I picked up Women of the Bible, and it’s a 52 week study.  So, so excited to learn about some of the women that aren’t taught or talked about as much. =.) Marc chose the Max Lucado Devotional Bible.  I think I’ll be reading that one next! =.)

We lounged around at the house and I did some laundry before we went to bed.

It was kind of a lazy weekend, but I absolutely LOVED it!  I needed a low-key weekend.  And it was nice to have Marc home to lounge with! =.)

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Oh, and I won a giveaway a few weeks ago, and I haven’t posted, but I’ll post about it this week!  I’m in love! =.)

Slightly disappointed?

I had such high hopes for tonight!  The hubs is going fishing in Beaufort this weekend, so I was planning a weekend by and for myself.  And I was excited.  Like super-excited to be resting this weekend after about 3 weekends stuffed with plans.

And my previously planned weekend was perfect!  Tonight, I was going home to change directly into my pjs, watch Nights in Rodanthe (no, I still haven’t seen it), and veg out.  Heaven!  Tomorrow, I was going to sleep in, because I am in desperate need of sleep, and then take down our Christmas decorations (don’t judge – we were out of town last weekend =.).

Then, Marc calls earlier this morning to tell me that his dad and step-mom are coming up for the night, so I’ll have guests.

Crap.

There goes my blissful evening.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind that they’re coming up, or that Marc won’t be here so it’ll just be them and me.  I like them. =.)  They’re great in-laws.

But they weren’t in my plans.

And I don’t really do well when my plans change.  Not always, really, just when I have my mind set on something. It drives Marc nuts. =.)

So, tonight, instead of relaxing, I’ll be entertaining.  After I race home after work to vacuum and pick up a bit, as we didn’t find out they were coming until I was already at work this morning.

And I still have Christmas stuff up! =.( I so need to get all that stuff down, and would have, if I had known we’d be having guests.

Oh, well. They’ll be leaving tomorrow, so I can still do everything I had planned for Saturday, except maybe sleep in.  Such is life. =.)

Hope you have a great weekend, everyone! =.)  Stay warm!!

Weekend Recap

This weekend was absolutely wonderful!

I was in Charleston, SC last week, from Wednesday through Friday for work.  It’s my favorite training event of the whole year.  It’s just people who share my position in different offices across North and South Carolina.  It’s laid-back and relaxed.  We send in our questions/discussion topics, then a lady from Austin, TX flies out to spend two days with us, answering any and all questions we may have about a myriad of things.  They can range from processes and procedures, to programming and preferred vendors, to time blocking and best practices.  While not everything that will be addressed is applicable to everyone, it’s so much better than the international training that seems to be geared towards all the newbies with really just the most basic of topics.

Anyways…I got there on Wednesday evening, and met up with some others for dinner.  We went to R.B.’s, and it was delicious!  I had a GREAT salad, and a spectacular dessert of key lime pie.  Yum! =.)

Thursday, we had class until around 4:30 p.m., then some time to relax a little before dinner.  I enjoyed 27 Dresses on HBO while I waited for dinner.

Dinner was at a great restaurant called Crave.  Delicious!  I had a salad with lemon vinaigrette (delish!), ravioli, and tempura cheese bites.  It was all wonderful! =.)

Friday, we spent in ‘class’ until around 2:30 p.m., then I headed up to Charlotte to meet Marc and Katie at Grant’s house outside of Monroe.  Friday night, we went to Dave and Buster’s at Concord Mills, and had an absolute blast! =.)  Marc and I were awesome in Air Hockey.  They have a table where 4 people play at a time.  We played couples and opposite sex.  We played some shooting games, some skee ball, some racing games.  Then Katie and I gave all of our tickets to this little girl who really wanted a stuffed animal.  Too cute!

Saturday, Grant had to work at the Boll Weevil Festival in Marshville, which is the town he’s working in for the next year.  It was quite interesting. =.)  And that’s all I’m gonna say on that one…

We went to Razoo for dinner on Saturday, after TONS of deliberation on where to eat.  It was great!  Very tasty Cajun food. =.) And a gator bowl…=.)

Sunday, Marc and I went to Concord Mills to look around…I’m quite proud of myself, as I didn’t buy anything while we were there, other than a Mocha from Starbucks and a Sprite out of the machine that looks more like a TV with a 4 ft by 2 ft touch screen menu.  Very weird, but kinda cool.

Then, we headed home, and I was pretty much lazy for the rest of the evening.  I was a bit frustrated, as my laptop wouldn’t connect via wireless at the hotel, which offered free internet, and at home, it wouldn’t connect via Ethernet cord.  Not too happy about that.  Gotta get with the tech guy at work to see if he can get it fixed for me. =.)

And, that’s my weekend, in a very random matter.

My favorite thing about this weekend, though, is that we didn’t have anything planned.  We weren’t on a schedule.  We could decide we wanted to do something, then do it, with no time restraints.  It was glorious!  And it almost felt like a vacation! =.)

I did learn how to hit a golf ball this weekend.  We practiced with golf ball sized wiffle balls in Grant’s back yard.  I didn’t think I would enjoy golf, and now I know that I don’t.  However, I can see where if I were better at golf, I might then enjoy it.  I still don’t plan to watch it on television, as it’s just really boring to me.  Sorry for those of you who enjoy it! =.)

I hope your weekend was wonderful!  What did you do?!?

 

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…”  Matthew 6:34

So tired...

You would think that after a long, relaxing weekend at the lake, I would be well-rested and ready to take on a 4-day work week. Not the case, here. I am so tired!

I did okay on Tuesday, not too tired. I didn't get to eat dinner with Tiff and Kelli - Tiffany's sick, and Kelli has a skin thing going on - so I went to Marc's last softball game of that league. It was nice, they lost the first game, so we thought they would end up playing on Thursday. Nope. They opted to play at 9 pm, instead. Not a problem, except that I rode with Marc, so I couldn't go home and go to bed, like I wanted. =.)

Wednesday was fine, too, really. I drove in to Cary, and it wasn't that bad. I haven't been in any bad traffic, really, so that's been a blessing. I was busy yesterday, catching up on some things that needed to be done after closing out the month last week. I thoroughly enjoyed my evening last night, as Wednesday is "Man Night," according to Marc, and they all hang out at my brother's shop, and work on 4-wheelers. So, I got to enjoy watching So You Think You Can Dance, which was pretty good - it looks like they're going to have some awesome dancers on there, this year! And I love Ryan! So glad he made it to Vegas! =.) And then I watched the premiere of Glee. I have mixed feelings about the show, so far. Some of the stuff is just beyond corny. But I LOVE the songs! =.) Especially the pilot episode version of Don't Stop Believing.

This morning? Did NOT want to get up and drive an hour to work. I know there are people who drive further than that every day to go to work. I'm just not used to it, and I don't particularly like it. Typically, it takes me 25-30 minutes to get to work, so that's what I'm used to. Driving today was brutal! There wasn't any traffic, but it's overcast, and it really just makes me want to crawl back under my covers in my dark bedroom with a few blankets, and go back to sleep. And it's really quiet in the office today, so I'm still tired. I usually wake up and can talk to people, and get people who come into my office, but they're all at a meeting until after 1pm, so I think I will be battling my heavy eyelids until they return.

I hope you are having a fabulous week! It's almost Friday! =.)


"The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him." Nahum 1:7

I am so behind!

I have so much to write about and just not enough time to do it!

Quick weekend recap (in list format, as that's just easier):

• Friday night, I was exhausted. I headed out to Charlotte on Wednesday for some training classes on Thursday and Friday. I left the hotel around 3:15 p.m. Friday afternoon. It took me an hour just to get to Concord, the traffic was so bad. So frustrating! So what should have taken 2 hours, took 3 hours, instead. I didn't really want to go out.
• Friday night in Hillsborough is Hog Day...annual event, and the festivities start Friday night with the pig cookin'. We headed over to Rob and Sarah's for dinner, then we were going to walk around Hog Day for a bit before heading home. We didn't even eat dinner until 9:30, I think, so we just went home after that.
• I slept until 10 am on Saturday! I guess I was pretty tired. Then, I went with Mama to a baby shower for some of her cousins. It's always nice to see family that you don't get to see often.
• When I turned on the water to take my shower before going to the baby shower - nothing. There's still something wrong with it! Something about smaller gauge wires on the pump than in the wiring to the house, so it gets overworked, or something like that. I'm not sure, but it's frustrating.
• Marc, Rob, and Grant were working on the well when I got home. It's fixed, but we need an electrician to come replace the wires from the pressure box in the crawl space to the fuse box inside the house. More $$. I'm not sure when we'll be taking care of that.
• We went to dinner with Grant's family Saturday night to celebrate his brother's birthday. We went to The Homestead in Timberlake - it was wonderful! =.) Such fun!
• Sunday, we helped a friend, Stephen, move into his new house! It was hot, but it was fun. Stephen's helped us out around the house a lot while we were renovating, so we owed him. =.)
• After helping Stephen, we rushed home to get a shower before heading over to Mama and Daddy's for dinner. We had baked potatoes and steaks on the grill. I just love my family so, so much, and I'm so blessed to have parents who have been married for so long, and who show me what a family is supposed to be. They've always been supportive, and I just love them so much!

That's my weekend! I've got another busy week ahead, though!

Monday: Softball Game Tuesday: Softball Game Wednesday: Dinner with my favorites! Thursday: Training in Cary all day Friday: Mama and Daddy's 32nd Anniversary Saturday: It's my Birthday!!! =.) Yay!! =.)

Hope you have a great week! =.)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

Feels like forever...

...since I've written! Last week was crazy busy, and then that kind of just went into the weekend.

I have tons to blog about, but not the time, so I'll leave you with a few pictures and a video from the weekend...

Karleigh eating her watermelon at her birthday party on Saturday morning. The juice was running down her neck and into her shirt. Hilarious!

Ava eating her birthday cake Saturday afternoon. She loved it!

Doesn't Allie look like she's supervising? She had the best time on the water slide and swimming in the pond!

And this would be my husband as he attempted a back flip on the bike.

(I apologize for the poor videographer skills - I think I expected him to keep going up, and he didn't)

Hope you enjoyed! I should have some more pics up for tomorrow's Wordless Wednesday. I got some of the most precious pics of Ava yesterday in her swim suit!

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgae you." Ephesians 4:32

Weekend plans, updated

Last night, Marc and I were kind of picking up around the house - filing away some old bills and stuff so things are just more tidy, and he shares with me his ideas of what were doing this weekend. So, on top of everything that I have on my list, he has even more! He also told me last week that everything outside (i.e. mowing the lawn, spreading mulch, etc) is the "man's job." So, I've been rubbing that little bit in all week. You see, here's what he wants to do:

• Set posts for lean-to on the shed
• Pressure wash entire house
• Stain back deck
• Stain front porch
• Paint back door (inside and outside)
• Paint closet doors in carport
• Paint facial board on the front porch
• Spread mulch

I still have on my own list to paint all the stuff on the inside of the house.

So last night, he was telling me I'd have to help him do something outside (I don't even remember what it was, now), and here's my reply: "Well, according to you, it's the man's job to do everything outside, so I can't help." He loved that! =.)

Also, nowhere on his list does it include cleaning the entire house. I'm talking all out - vacuum, dust, mop, spit shine - everything. Blah.

However, after we work our tails off tomorrow, we're going on a date! =.) We still have a gift card that his dad and step-mom, Lyman and Melinda, sent us for our anniversary. We're finally gonna use that.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend! I just hope mine is productive! =.)

"I am the good sheperd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me...and I lay down m life for the sheep." Joyhn 10:14-15

Plans for the weekend...

I'm actually kind of 'dreading' this weekend because we have so, so much to do around the house before next weekend. Here's the to do list before next Thursday:

• Paint interior doors to match 'new' trim
• Paint window frame in dining room to match 'new' trim
• Spread mulch in various locations around the house
• 'Install' the new horseshoe pits
• Clean the house from top to bottom
• Wash towels for the guest bathroom
• Pressure wash the outside of the house, all porches, and the carport
• Mow the lawn

Hopefully, we'll get most of this done this weekend, because next week will be busy - softball games Monday-Wednesday, and probably picking up from the week, washing dishes, etc on Thursday before they arrive Friday afternoon.

So, while I dread this weekend because of all that I have to accomplish, I am going to feel WONDERFUL when it's all done.

I wish I could be like I Dream of Genie, and wiggle my nose, and it be done. Wouldn't that be awesome?! =.)

Yay!

**This is a long one, and pretty random, so feel free to skip if you want! =.)

Today has been the best day! =.)


Well, work was work, but other than that, today was great! At lunch, I went to Old Navy in hopes of finding some cute summer clothes - and I did! I'm super excited - I found a cute pair of brown khaki shorts. This is HUGE! I haven't purchased or worn a pair of shorts (except when working out, going to the beach/pool, or playing in a softball game) in well over...7 years, I suppose. I'm not sure why I stopped wearing shorts, but I did after high school. Marc doesn't understand why, either, and hates that I don't wear 'em.


Maybe a little background? We got married in March of 2006. At that time, I was extremely happy with my weight. I feel like I looked my best. Between March 2006 and December of 2008, I gained about 20 pounds. I'm not gonna say my weight, because I'm still embarressed and upset that I let my weight get that out of hand. Anyways, part of my problem with wearing shorts had to do with the problem I had with my self-image. I was just completely uncomfortable in my own skin, and hated wearing anything that: 1. clung too tightly to show my waist expansion and 2. clothes that showed body parts (legs, arms, etc) that were no longer toned. So, as one of my goals for 2009 (not a resolution, because I feel like goals are better to reach for and attain) was to lose some weight (20 pounds) before: 1. the summer and bathing suit season and 2. before we started trying to have a baby. Well, Marc and I went on a diet together in January, and that didn't last so long. I didn't get enough exercise, so watching what I ate was only helping so much. My current weight loss 'regimen' is 3 parts: 1. track what I eat (I'm using weight watchers online), 2. exercise, and 3. eat healthier. I started doing this seriously about 5 weeks ago. Over that time period, I've lost 6.5 pounds. And in that 6.5 pounds, I've lost down one size, so I'm starting to feel more comfortable and confident in my body. It's nice!


So...sorry for that boring little interlude! I didn't realize I was going to go into that. If you're still reading, thanks! =.)


So, after my great finds at Old Navy, which were the shorts (regular price), a darling 3/4 sleeve black khaki jacket ($13.99), and a long sleeve blue striped henley ($2.97), I was super stoked. I spent less than $40, and my jacket is just adorable! It'll be great to dress up some jeans, or wear to work. Love it!


After work, I went to the grocery store. We're having a cookout for our Life Group tomorrow night, and I need stuff to fix. I'm in charge of slaw and a dessert, and I'm making a low-fat Lemon Pie, that's SUPER easy.


After dinner, I went over to Mama and Daddy's and took Paisley and Ace to visit. Mama and Daddy are starting to move into thier new house. Mama's really sentimental, I suppose that's where I get it from, and she's found a lot of neat stuff that she wanted to show me that she's had in storage. Most of the stuff is from my great grandmother, Mama Hall. Mama gave me a cameo from Mama Hall. It's the large one in the photo. She said it's a real one. Mama Hall was born in 1900 and passed away in 1988. I was 5 then, but I have little snippets of memories about her. More than that, I have the memories that Mama and her family has told me, so I feel lilke I know her so much more than any of my other great grandmothers. The stick pin in the picture is also a cameo, but that's from my other great grandma, Great Granny W. So excited about both of those. The other pendant in the picture was Mama's and I'm going to try to find a chain or some type of string that will go well with it.



So, to wrap it up, I spent time reminiscing with Mama instead of actually helping her get anything moved tonight. She seemed pretty okay with it, though. Daddy took a picture of us looking through her jewelry box, but I don't have it. I want a copy of the pic - I hope it's good! =.)

And why was I doing all of this tonight, instead of spending time with my husband? Well, he is at the beach with the boys - they're in a big fishing tournament this weekend. I'm hoping they win big - I'd love for the money to go towards our flights for our Jamaica trip. Wanna know who he's at the beach with? The people who made this...boat, for lack of better word:

This was our transportation for July 4th, 2008, termed the Party Barge. We took this out to Carrot Island in North Carolina, where we hung out all day on the 4th last year. And, while most everyone else was soaking up the sun, I was constantly slathering my super fair skin with 50 SPF sunscreen and hanging out inside the party barge. It was complete with a grass tiki bar, screen porch, and windows. I'm hoping the boat they're taking on this fishing trip is a bit more reliable than this one. So much fun, though! =.)

So, hope you've had a great week, and your weekend is even better!

I received an award from Heather over at Small Town Girl, and I'll post that tomorrow. Thanks!


"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed." James 1:13-14

Weekend Recap

Yesterday was wonderful! Marc played in a benefit softball tournament - he ended up playing almost all day because they kept winning. I went and watched 'em play until it was time for Allie's birthday party. Allie wanted a Pony Party, so she could rider her pony, Sugarfoot. There were tons of kids there, it was a beautiful day, and so fun to watch. I got to hang out with Miss Ava, and I got a great picture of her on Sugarfoot with my Daddy helping her. So precious! I'll post pictures later this week - I'm too lazy, right now! It was such a great day spent outside! I, of course, got too much sun on my shoulders, so I'll be constantly applying aloe lotion in hopes that I avoid peeling. =.)

I am so excited about the series we're doing at church. It's called, "It's time to grow up!" It's all taken from the book of James, and how there are so many people who attend church, and have for years, but are still in their infant stages of their relationship with Christ. If we look at a growth chart (line graph) of our relationship with Jesus since the day we were saved, then it should be, overall, a line that goes up. Of course, it'll have some dips, but generally, it should go up. Pastor Ken challenged us to journal for the next 10 weeks each day - and not just about our day, but about our relationship with Christ. We're supposed to write down some of our goals, and then just journal about how we are in regards to our goals. I'm excited about this. I feel like I really need some depth to my spiritual relationship with God, and I hope this will help me with that. And, along with that, I really want to do a more involved daily devotional. I do one at night, but it's not what I'm looking for. Hopefully, I'll find what it is that God's pointing me towards.

I am so blessed! I got to spend my afternoon with 2 of my favorite women - my Mama and my grandma. I love when I get to spend time with them - no time limit, no agenda, no plans. It was so much fun! We just hung out at Mama's house. I miss that so much! When I was in college and would come home for the weekend, I would meet them for lunch on Friday's. I was reminded of those times today, and I really miss that I don't have as much time to do that anymore.

One of my goals for the next few months is to slow down. I'm really tired of being on the go so much. I feel like we always have something to do, and I'm ready to just hang out at the house this summer. So, my blog might get boring if that actually happens, but I'll be happier! =.)

I'm working on my Mother's Day gifts. I'm really excited about them. When I get them done, I'll be sure to update.

Sorry for the randomness of today's post! It's not really what I planned to write, but oh, well.

Hope you've had a fabulous Sunday! Enjoy the summer like weather! =.)


"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." James 1:2-3

Sunshine =.)

Yay! For the first time in what feels like forever, we have SUN! I love looking outside and seeing the sun shining with a bit of a breeze (even if there are some gusts around 30 mph)!

You see, this week has been very dreary outside (and inside my office, as well). I work at a real estate office, and I do all of the processing and check writing (basic accounting duties), as well as some office managing. Each month, an invoice goes out to each agent in our office for monthly fees that are incurred, and the office pays for them in advance. There are some agents in my office that never, NEVER, NEVER pay their invoices. When I submit my monthly financials to our international office, I get 'dinged' for having an accounts receivable balance (sorry if this is too technical for some of y'all, but this is my every day jargon).

So, for as long as I've been with this office (4 years in June), there has been this particular agent, her daugter as her assistant, and her other daughter as an agent, who have consistently paid their invoices only when they've been producing, and have a closing - the office just retains their outstanding bill as payment from their commission. Well - that only works when an agent actually has a closing. Needless to say, this group hasn't had a closing or made any money off of real estate in probably 6 months or more. That means that I have to beg for a payment. And let's just be clear - I can take a credit card. I'm not a bank, you can't borrow from me/my office, which is, in essence, what they're doing.

Finally, this week, I've just been really frustrated with this situation because, honestly, it's been 3 years, they don't have the money to pay the bills, and I'm not expecting a payment. The best thing to do in this situation is to "fire" them. As an independent contractor, you can't necessarily fire them, but you can ask them to leave, and release them from the real estate commission, and the company. And, wait for it....




MY OFFICE OWNER IS FINALLY GOING TO RELEASE THEM!

This is SPECTACULAR news for me, because I no longer have to chase after them like a bill collector!!!!! So, after being in a very bad mood at work for the last week, I actually have a smile on my face! =.)

I'll be bouncing around the office in a super great mood next week as they are moving out of their office! =.) I know that sounds mean, y'all, and I'm not like that, but these are just NOT nice people! They're rude, disrespectful, messy, and mean. No one in our office likes them because they're just not nice!

Therefore, besides the fact that it's Friday, and that UNC plays basketball in the Final Four this weekend, next week is actually looking pretty stellar, as well!

Have a great weekend, everyone! =.)



“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”- Hebrews 12:2