Friday, September 28, 2012

V.O.L.S.

Sometimes I miss college. I was SO ready to be out, but now that I am ... I'm ready to go back. Isn't that just the way life works. ha. I couldn't wait to get out and have a job and be able to come home every day and leave my work at work and not have homework. What I didn't realize was the amount of free time I had. I remember saying these words over and over again "I'm SOOO busy." Busy ... bah ... I didn't know what busy was. My busy consisted of: watching bachelor every Monday night, going to sorority events, going to get froyo 5 times a week, football games, spending quality time with friends, attending campus ministry events, and the tiny amount of time I spent in the actual classroom. Now my day consists of working from 8:30-5:30 everyday. Oh yeah and not to mention I wake up at 7:00 to be ready to leave for work at 8:00 and then I get stuck in rush hour traffic on the way home and usually get home around 6:00...then I go to bed at 10:00 or 10:30 to wake up and do it all over again. So that leaves me a total of 4 hours to do what I want to every day. By the time I eat dinner and exercise that knocks me down to about 2 hours. 2 hours people! I'm not trying to have a debbie downer attitude because I'm so grateful for the wonderful job and life I have been given. I am simply just trying to emphasize how great I had it and didn't even realize.

So I would like to take this time to give a shout out to all the wonderful things college entails ...

-Living with friends! Humes. Laurel. Red Saile. These places hold wonderful memories for me. I thoroughly enjoyed living with my best friends.
-The freedom to take a personal day if needed. If you are still in school skip one day just because you can.
-Social events and meeting new people everywhere you turn! I  mean everytime I went to the library I saw 500 people I knew.
-Chi Omega. Being in a sorority was really fun. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to meet so many people and do so many neat things.
-Football games as a student. Enough said.
-Wearing t-shirts EVERYDAY.
-I said ... WEARING T-SHIRTS EVERYDAY.
-Late night adventures. Like driving down pedestrian.
-Getting free stuff walking to class. How cool is that?!
-Sleeping until 9 or even 10 sometimes
-Being free during the day

Don't get me wrong ... there are plenty of great things about being out of school. But if you are still in college live it up while you can. Just sayin.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Happy Birthday!

Yesterday was my sweet husbands Birthday.
Happy Birthday to Andy. I just love Birthdays. My family is really big on birthdays. By this I mean we have "Birthday Weeks." Birthday Weeks generally start the Sunday before your birthday and continue until the next Sunday. It is great.
Andy on the other hand doesn't seem to think Birthdays are that big of a deal.
So this year I decided I would show him just how much fun Birthdays can be!
We started this past weekend and went to Buckberry for a very fun prebirthday celebration.
He had the day off yesterday! So he was able to spend his actual birthday day relaxing and rejuvinating. He was greeted by a Birthday display for him. He loves Pumpkin Muffins so I made some just for his birthday, and put them on our You are Special plate. He woke up and ate some pumpkin muffins, watched TV with Colbie, met me for lunch downtown, played golf, took a nap, met me for dinner, and got ice cream. Successful day? I think Yes!
It is kinda funny how as you get older your standard of fun changes. Andy said yesterday was like the best birthday EVER! And I really think it is because he didn't have to work, he played golf, and we got to go out to eat (3 things that were normal pre marriage. No we have no money or time. Newlyweds.).
Tonight we are having his guy friends over to eat Pizza and watch the braves game for his Birthday. I made some homemade ice cream and other dessert goodies ... so hopefully it will all go well :).
Then we will finish out his birthday week strong by going out to eat with both of our parents this weekend. 
Bottom line...Birthday Week = Best idea everrrrrr. 

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Have you read Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? It is such a cute little story. I read it with my kids this summer at Cedar Springs. I thought of this book yesterday after hearing about Andy's day. He had one of those Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Days.

He opened yesterday ... which means he has to get to work at 5:15am. At 5:45 (oops) his phone was ringing and he poped out of bed and got on his work clothes as fast as he could. Well that was a great start to his Monday. Then as his day at work progressed he put a piece of the ice cream machine on wrong and spilt ice cream everywhere. Once again ... oops! A couple other minor things happen such as forgetting something he was supposed to have, etc. But the cherry on top of the day was when he came to Sequoyah to meet me to run after I got off work. We were in two cars, so I handed him my key to put in his car so we only had to run holding one set of keys. Instead of dropping my keys in his car he dropped his. He locked his keys in his car. Oops.

He says as soon as he did it he looked at me and I gave him this look. The "I can't believe you just did that. I am so pissed. You are an idiot" look. I didn't know I had that one. We ran the first 1/2 mile in complete silence. Not because Andy was bothered by the fact that he locked his keys in the car, but because I was(Why? I'm not sure). If you know Andy you know that he is a glass half full kind of person. He always has a positive attitude about things, and rarely lets things get to him.

I tell you this story about Andy's day because it made me realize I too often let little things bother me. Who cares if Andy locked his keys in the car. No big deal. Call Tripple A. Problem Solved. I so admire the way Andy looks at life. I want to be more like him in the way he brushes things off when they go wrong.
So here is to having a glass half full kind of day!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Love Story in 22 pictures

Have you seen this yet?! If you haven't look at it now. Sweet. Sweet. Sweet! 22 Pictures
Best. Weekend. Ever.
But seriously. This weekend was SO much fun. Andy and I went up to the mountains on Saturday and stayed in a lodge that night. It was the coolest lodge. Everything was warm and rustic feeling. The molding of the rooms were lined with wood trim, and everything was decorated cabiny. Here are some pictures of the lodge/our room ... 




We got there and walked around for a little while. To say it was beautiful is an understatement. Everywhere you turned was a wonderful reminder of our Fathers creation. Then we ate and went on a mini nature hike. We enjoyed just having time to sit and talk ... and most of all just being away form the busy pace of life.
Here is the view form our porch ...


The birthday boy on our nature hike ...
The next morning we woke up and went to the main lodge for breakfast. We sat on the porch and drank coffee and just enjoyed being together. They provided a breakfast, and I had oatmeal (surprised?) ... I love morning. I love coffee. I love oatmeal!

The boy scout in Andy came out this weekend. He had so much fun keeping a fire going in our cabin! Don't worry ... even if it wasn't cold we had our fire going! Thanks dear

After we checked out we went to Chop House (Andy's fav) for Lunch, and then to Jcrew outlet. Andy picked out two shirts for his birthday. And I may or may not have gotten a couple things as well :) It is like when you are little and you get gifts on your siblings birthday.
All in all this weekend was the perfect amount of doing something and not doing anything. It was relaxing, and really refreshing to spend the weekend with my Husband.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Buckberry

I am taking Andy to Buckberry Lodge (Click Here to check it out!) in the mountains this weekend for his birthday. We are only going for one night ... but we could not be more excited. We haven't gone anywhere just the two of us since our honeymoon. Nobody tells you that your honeymoon will be your last trip for a while... so if you are engaged I am telling you YOUR HONEYMOON WILL BE YOUR LAST TRIP FOR A WHILE!
 We are itching to step out of this busy busy pace of life and just relax.
I have never been to Buckberry, but I wanted to go somewhere close (because Andy has to work Saturday day).
It looks beautiful! I can't wait.
Happy Friday! 8 and 1/2 hours until the weekend. I think I can. I think I can.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Good Morning. Ritchie and Powell.

Meet my desk :)
There is where I sit all day long ...
This is what I look at.
Hi front door.
I really like my job. It was hard to adjust to being in an office vs working with children ... but now that I have I enjoy it. I like working downtown. A lot! It is fun to be so close to my parents. I meet them for lunch atleast once a week. I like dressing up ... it makes me feel important and put together. I like organizing. I take that back. I LOVE organizing. I organize basically all day everyday. It is great. I like being the first one people see when they walk in our office. I like answering the phone (now that I know how it works). I like my job and my job likes me. All is well in the world.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Noise

"Don't let the noise of the world keep you from hearing the voice of the Lord."

I read this quote today as I was reading this daily devotional.
Andy and I were just talking about how much we having going on ... we have both felt like our last few weeks have gone by so fast! I find that when I am too busy I push out the things that matter most in life (like listening for my creators voice). This was a great reminder to be aware of getting caught up in the world, and all the noise that comes with it. Do you ever feel funny in the silence? Sometimes I do ... I wish I didn't. I am so used to having the TV or radio on that when it is silent I am oddly aware of it. So ... I challenge you to take time today and turn off all that noise. Who knows what you might hear :)

Monday, September 17, 2012

Weekends are so refreshing aren't they? This weekend was just wonderful!

Friday I celebrated the life of my dear friend Chelcie ... A couple friends went to Bravo to celebrate. Here is the beautiful birthday girl with the You are special plate.



Saturday Andy had to work. He wore his orange and white tie to show his support for the vols ...
Colbie wanted to be just like daddy. So she supported the vols too :)
I went downtown before the game started to participate in all the pregame festivities. I just love the energy that comes with football season. Orange and White everywhere!


Andy came right at gametime. We sat with my parents and enjoyed the game even though we couldn't pull out a win.


We spent Sunday relaxing and rejuvenating. We went to church and then Jason's Deli with friends. After lunch we went to the pool (even though it wasn't sunny). It was very relaxing to just sit and talk! Later in the afternoon I walked with my sister, and then Andy and I grilled out Salmon for dinner. After dinner we took Colbie to the dog park. She loved it, we loved it. It was a success. We were both pooped and decided it would be fun to rent a movie before bed. We got The Safe House from redbox. It was a great movie ... very action packed. If you haven't seen it you should!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Colbie

Hi. My name is Colbie. If you haven't met me yet you are really missing out! I am a Yorkie-poo. I am 2 1/2 pounds, and 3 years old.
Here I am with my Dad's foot so you can get a feel for how little I am ...
My parents adopted me just a few months ago. My dad surprised my mom for their anniversary with ME! I like my new mom and dad. Here is me with my mommy (Don't tell dad but I like her most) ....


Here is me with my daddy ....
Let me just tell you a little about myself.
I like to sleep. I sleep a lot. It is what I do most of the day. Here is me sleeping ...

One thing you should know about me is that I DON'T like to be left. At all. My mom and dad think this might be due to the fact that I am adopted. I am scared I am going to be left again. My mom said this picture reminds her of me ...


This is how I beg for food ... I really like almonds. They are my favorite. I will sit and shake for just about any kind of people food. I love human food. ...
Here is me with my Memaw. Sometimes I call her Granny too. She really doesn't like being called memaw or granny. So that is why I call her that ...

I like to be near my humans. I crawl into their lap no matter what they are doing. I love to be near them ...

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy make me get my hair done. I reallllllllllllllllllllllllly don't like getting my hair done. As soon as we walk into the beauty parlor I start shaking. It just makes me nervous. Here I am with a bow in my hair. It didn't stay very long because it was itchy ...  

I like to play. I have a couple toys that I really like. I like my blue ball, and I like my Zebra (or Zebee as we like to call it). BUT my all time favorite toy is ice. ICE ICE ICE. I love ice. I chase it all over the floor and I love to lick it. I will play with it until it melts. Here I am with Ice. It somehow got stuck to me. Ouch ... 

Soemtimes I can be a baby. I get scared of silly things sometimes ... Here I am getting really scared of Oatmeal ...
I LOVE TO GO "BYE BYE" ... I get so excited every time I hear the words "bye bye!" I get excited just thinking about going "bye bye!" Here I am in my bye bye bag ...
This one time my mom and dad made me sit in this thing ...
I don't know how I feel about it. My great-grandmother got it for me. I feel like a baby Kangaroo ...
The last thing you need to know about me is that I love the vols. Here I am showing off my UT bandana. I can't wait for the Florida game on Saturday. ...
Well. I hope you had fun getting to know me. I would love to play with you sometime!
-Colbie

Thursday, September 13, 2012

How does she do it?

So my mom is amazing! Let me explain ... I just started working in a law firm (as you should know if you read my blog) and wear "business casual" attire everyday. Closed toe shoes are a part of that attire. Before starting work I didn't have very many dress shoes, but I did have my handy dandy pair of black Tory Burch shoes. I got them my senior year of HighSchool. So they were old and worn out ... but still great shoes. Much to my surprise they squeaked. This may not sound like a problem but trust me it was. With every step I would take everyone in the office would hear me. I called Tory Burch and they basically said sorry too bad.
soooooo... I told my mom this and she said Oh just give them to me and ill send them back and get you a new pair. I laughed at her and said there is NO WAY they will send you a brand new pair of shoes in place of this 5 year old ratty pair! I already tried! She said, "You just wait and see. I'll get you a new pair free of charge."
So I waited ...
and waited....
and yesterday she hand delivered a BRAND SPANKIN NEW PAIR OF SHOES! I can't believe it! How does she do it? She is amazing.

I have decided I need to be more assertive. She ALWAYS has this kind of thing happen. She always gets exactly what she wants, and can basically make people do what she wants. She is amazing.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

1312 Bradford Lane

Well ... we went by the house yesterday to get an estimate on how much it would be to fix some of the things the inspector found. I made a mental note before we got there to take a picture, and somehow I remembered :). It isn't a great picture ... but it was the best I could do on my phone. You can't really see the left side of the house or the garage form this picture, but you can get a feel for what it is like.
Andy and I love the house! Why do we love it:
- It is old and charming. I LOVE old things. Andy says, "You love old things that are nice. That doesn't count as liking old things." But I think it does! I grew up in an old house, and I think it is how I developed a love for old houses. I don't like the new cookie-cutter phenomenon that has taken over with houses. Nothing wrong with them ... it just isn't me.
-It has hardwood and brick flooring. It is beautiful. I'm obsessed.
- It has a porch and a fenced in back yard :). A neat and secluded back yard. Colbie will like running around and playing in the grass.
-It has a fireplace! 2 actually. I love building fires.
-The master bath has 2 sinks. Thank goodness! I feel like Andy and I are always wanting to use the sink at the same time. This will be a really nice feature.

It is really fun to think about owning a home! This house is potentially where we will bring our first baby home ... weird. I am looking forward to decorating it and having people over. Yippee. I'll keep you updated on how everything turns out. That's all for now ...

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

September already?!?

Life is funny. Especially post-college life. Things are so different and a lot of change is happening, and time really does fly. But change is good! It has been hard for Andy and I to adjust to working ... and the time and demands that a job places on you. Working has made us appreciate time off, and time together a whole lot more. We have been keeping ourselves busy in our free time:)

Last Thursday Andy played on a church basketball team with his brother and some of his friends. It was fun watching him play. I miss watching him play baseball ... so it was fun to watch him in his "sport element" again.
Here they are praying before the game starts. Tender.


Friday night Andy worked and I went to a dollar (which is really $2.50... DUMB) movie with friends. We saw Spider Man. After the movie I felt like I had spidie powers ... it may have been because it was late and I haven't seen that hour in a long time ... but I came home and shot out my arm at Andy and pretended like I was spider mad. He laughed. I'm silly.

Saturday Colbie and I spent the morning together! She came with me on a bunch of errands and then visited with Uncle Brett while I walked with Aunt Calli. She loves going "bye bye." Everytime you ask her if she wants to go "bye bye" she gets SOOO excited. She wags her tail and runs all around the room. Then when I get her bag down from the closet she runs over to it and hops right into it and lays down on her own.

Andy and I supported the Vols in our orange shirts and sunglasses all day. GBO! I'm so glad it is football season ... and I can't wait for the Florida game on Saturday.


We had good intentions to go to the game Saturday ... but when it started pouring rain we opted out. We ended up going to the Condo with my fam and watching football on TV, and then we all went to dinner. We went to Chophouse (YUM) so I would say it was a good trade off.


Sunday after church Andy and I picked up Pizza and took it to our friend Chris's house. We watched golf and baseball ...and then played in the pool. It was very relaxing!


Sunday night we grilled out. It was the perfect way to end the weekend. Oh and we got our very first Tomato! So naturally we picked it and ate it with dinner.

In other news ... we might have purchased a house :):):):)! We started looking (kinda just for the heck of it) and ended up finding one we love. It is the cutest little house ... I just want to give the house a hug. We made an offer and had it inspected so as long as everything clears we will be homeowners ... yes HOMEOWNERS. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. 1312 Bradford Lane 37919. If you live in Knoxville drive by and see it ... you will want to give it a hug too!