Brittany's Blessings

So many things

2012-02-15T21:59:00.000-06:00

There are so many things I'd like to blog about. I absolutely love blogging and the way it brings lives together and shows us glimpses of how others live. I'd love to be blogging about my baby boy, my amazing husband, my great family, my awesome job and coworkers, my Sunday school girls, my church in general, etc. etc. etc. However, I haven't been! I could blame it on my current graduate program or just being a mom or just being busy. But I'll just say I haven't done it and I'm sorry. I really want to start blogging again regularly since I haven't done it in about 3 years! My posts since then have been pretty sporadic at best. So here I am starting back, just a little at a time :)

Some of my current passions and things I may look to blog about soon:
Vince
Grant
Family life in general
School - My master's degree program
Church
Youth Ministry
High School Girls SS Class
Friends
My Favorite Things
Vince's Favorite Things
Project 365
Organizing
Meal Planning
Cooking

So, what do you think? Have you been blogging regularly? I read every day (okay....multiple times a day) but I want to make sure I'm checking in and posting regularly as well. Help keep me accountable, okay?

Our Christmas Card 2011

2011-11-23T22:30:00.003-06:00

Be Jolly Christmas Card

Create personalized Christmas card designs at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Merry Christmas! This year we decided to have Brandy take some pictures for us in November. We absolutely love them! We did a few outside and then went into a friend's setup garage studio. These turned out so great and I am so happy we went inside. Vince would not sit still to get a family picture outside. There was too much to explore. I ordered cards from Shutterfly and Tiny Prints this year. I can never decide so I just choose two designs :) I did front and back photos and just switched them between the two cards.

Tiny Prints

2011-11-10T14:55:00.000-06:00

Are you working in your Christmas planner yet? I have yet to formalize mine but with so many ideas swirling I know I need to get it put into one spot quickly. I also need to drag out my old laptop to get my Christmas card list off it. I organizede them last year but since Santa brought a new computer I haven't switched my list over. Speaking of cards, have you seen the Tiny Prints cards yet this year? Here's my favorite. I spotted it a few weeks ago and then looking back this week it was still my favorite. I love the different patterns of letters and the cheerful yet homemade look to it. I know I've posted some other cards from Shutterfly already this year but I love to get a few different card designs. I can't pick just one!

Christmas Card

And I'm a sucker for a good address label, especially when it matches my cards, so I'll have to get a few of these:

Address Label

And to really match all my Christmas paraphanelia wouldn't it be great to have these customized gift labels?!

Gift Tag

Tiny Prints has cards, notebooks, calendars, and lots of fun things to look at. One of my sorority sisters posted her new business cards that she had just ordered from Tiny Prints. They were gorgeous, very sophisticated, but fun!

So, do you send out multiple designs or one single Christmas card each year?

Giveaway Winners

2011-11-07T19:56:00.001-06:00

This morning I randomly picked the three winners of the Shutterfly cards. I wrote each entry on a piece of paper.

I folded them up, scrambled them around, and blindly picked three names.

Congratulations! I'll be emailing you the code for your 25 Free Christmas cards.

Christmas Cards & a Giveaway

2011-11-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas time is coming! Christmas time is coming! Christmas time is coming and I've got to order cards. I LOVE Christmas cards. It is so fun to look at all the different designs each year and carefully select our family card. I've been looking at Shutterfly lately (while making my Halloween Photo Book) and trying to figure out which card to use. I ordered from them last year and the quality of their cards is outstanding. They are thick cardstock and great picture quality. Theirs are so much better than the typical photo paper cards. Last year we had lots of pictures and lots of updates on our Christmas card. We told about Vince and changes in my job and all about Grant. This year I want to do something different. I think we'll just do something very colorful and happy. We are having so much fun with Vince as he learns and discovers each day. I want to show that happy one year old spirit off with a fun, colorful card. Here are some of my top pics. I don't have the photo yet, so it will probably just be a matter of plugging the final photo into each one to decide.

December is also a big birthday month in my family, so I may be also ordering some birthday invitations. They are adorable!

Okay, so who would like 25 FREE 5x7 Christmas cards from Shutterfly?

Shutterfly has given me the opportunity to share with 3 readers.

To enter, just comment to this post and tell me which Shuttefly card design is your favorite.

For additional entries:

1. Link this giveaway post to Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know you did that.

2. Tweet about this giveaway (with link) and leave a comment here letting me know you did that.

This giveaway will end Sunday, November 6 at 11:00 p.m.

31 Days of Thanks: Day 4

2011-10-04T21:00:00.002-05:00

NOTE: Days of Thanks will continue Nov. 5 with day 5. Thanks!

Today I'm thankful for my roots! I have lived in Kentucky my whole life, well within a two-mile radius my entire life. When I wasn't living in my hometown I spent four great years in Lexington at the University of Kentucky. Here's a post I never got around to posting earlier, my accent vlog, there's no denying my roots!

Accent Vlog (9/1/11)
I loved watching some of the accent vlogs posted on Jenna's blog. So last night I had Grant watch Jenna's husband's vlog and he agreed to do it! ~~So here are our accent vlogs~~. Here is mine, I'll have to figure out why Gran'ts won't load correctly. I think it's so funny to hear yourself on video, I sound kinda country I guess. Western Kentucky accent :)

I wish the list of words to say had included huge. Grant never pronounces the "h" in huge. I think it's the oddest thing.

So here's ~~our~~ my vlog. Go back to Jenna's and watch everybody else's too!

So, what do you think? Is this a Southern or Country accent?

31 Day of Thanks: Day 3

2011-10-03T21:45:00.001-05:00

Thankful for all our military men and women. And to the families who are left behind.

31 Days of Thanks:Day 2

2011-10-02T22:22:00.001-05:00

Today, I am thankful to have my first draft for my literature review turned in! I am currently working on my Master's degree in Elementary Education. I'm in the Research class, which they say is the toughest one I'll have. I'm glad this is the toughest one and that I'll be finished with it in December, yay!!!

Today was a great day at church. Lots of my Sunday school girls performed in the worhsip this morning. They are such a blessing!

This afternoon my wonderful husband worked around the house and cleaned up my car while I was busy writing. I am definitely thankful for him!

Lastly, our fish fry at church tonight was a great time. I love watching Vince explore new things and new people. He's back in a "friendly" stage again where he'll go to most people. He seems to especially like men. I don't know if it's because they're funny, funny looking, or what! LOL

I'm glad I'm taking time to write these things down. It's the small things in life that make up our life :)

31 Days of Thanks: Day 1

2011-10-01T22:45:00.002-05:00

So today I'm linking up with the Nester and starting a 31 days series. I am going to blog the next 31 days about taking moments in each busy day to notice the things around me that I am thankful for. I think it is so easy to be caught up in the busyness of life that I often forget all I have to be thankful for. I want to cherish all the cuddles and giggles with my baby, I want to get excited when my husband and I can have actual conversations! I want to remember this time in my life and keep these memories. I hope through this series I will also inspire some others to look around at what you're thankful for.

Today, I am thankful for time with family. We took a family trip to Reed's Orchard to help my mother-in-law Sherry celebrate her birthday. We had lots of fun! Vince wore a "Bones" shirt with a light-up basketball on it. Grant had a dancing skeleton in his college days and his parents still have it. Its named "Bones" and now Vince loves to push it and dance with him. You can see Vince pointing to his shirt in one of the pictures below. We had a great time on the huge tube slides there. They had a great incline so we went fast. Vince rode down with each of us. We shot out so quickly that there weren't any good pictures, but we loved it.

See you tomorrow for Day 2!

Four years ago

2011-07-20T23:18:00.000-05:00

Four years ago today, July 20, 2007, I had lunch with my Mammaw Eloise for the last time. We celebrated her birthday at Catfish Dock, her favorite restaurant. We are both very cold natured and had our jackets on in the restaurant. I'd taken mine off for the picture outside. I'll always remember how cold it was that day! We laughed about never going anywhere without a jacket. I would leave for a trip to Florida and receive word six days later that Mammaw had passed away. The breath was knocked out of me. It was totally unexpected and I couldn't even breathe when Grant told me. He and mom had been talking on the phone back and forth that day. I sensed something was up, and couldn't take it any longer. Everything went through my head as to whether someone had gotten bad health news or a car accident. I knew that they wouldn't be calling like this unless it was urgent.
I've missed Mammaw constantly since she's been gone. She was such a funny person and very easy going. I hope I'm a lot like her. As time goes on the pain isn't as bad, but it shows itself in new ways. I wish more than anything that she could meet Vince. Oh, she would just LOVE him. I'd love to still be able to go over to her house and sit on the sofa to ask her about cooking, growing up, talk about crafting, and UK basketball. I know she's in the best place of all, heaven. She's getting to celebrate with Pappaw Fred and Jesus :)

Happy Birthday Mammaw! I love you.

Vince & Kermit

2011-04-03T10:21:00.000-05:00

We've been cooped inside for most of March. So even though we weren't feeling our greatest, Vince and I caught a ride with Aunt Brooke and Grammy to go shopping yesterday. Brooke was wanting to get her three boys some Adidas outfits and I looked for Vince, Grant and myself. Vince ended up getting two pairs of khaki pants (a size for now and one for later), a safari outfit for our day at Animal Kingdom, and Grammy got him a first Easter onesie and bib. I started and finished my search for a post-baby swim suit. I also got Grant part of his birthday gift for later this month... shh!

While waiting on Brooke to finish up Vince got to meet a special friend to his Cousin Jake. Jake was born 22 days after me and he was in love with Kermit when he was little. Vince sat with Kermit a minute and I got some pics. He is really content with being able to sit up and feed himself when we go out. I'm glad of that because I like to go!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cheering on the Cats!

2011-04-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

Our whole town (state) has shut down for the night...

We're cheering on our Cats!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Good Morning

2011-03-28T08:06:00.000-05:00

The cats won last night?

YES!!!!!

Spring is Here

2011-03-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

We've had our front door closed all winter keeping the cold air out. Vince was thrilled when I opened the door up to a wonderful Spring day!

A mommy's view

2011-03-20T23:04:00.000-05:00

I am an official mom now... this is my view whenever I have to take a tinkle! They always say you'll never have anymore alone time...

Power Lifting

2011-02-26T16:20:00.001-06:00

Grant has been working out and power lifting this year. He loves having his guy time!

The last Saturday in February they had a Power Lifting competition at the local gym. It was fun to watch them test their strength! I was so proud of my strong man!

Grant won third place in the dead lift!

Here is the team - the PoweR zone. Where personal records are meant to be broken!

36 Weeks

2011-02-23T22:07:00.000-06:00

Here's my boy, Vince Charming!

He loves making funny faces! While I'm putting makeup on he gets up against the mirror on the door and makes faces at himself. He makes himself laugh!

Mirror Mirror

2011-02-10T10:00:00.001-06:00

Mirror, mirror

On the wall,
whose the fairest of them all?

Mommy!

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Valentine

2011-02-08T18:59:00.000-06:00

Will you be my Valentine?

Love,
Vince

Splish! Splash!

2011-01-15T23:17:00.001-06:00

Vince was taking a bath!

First bath in the big tub - 1/11/11

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

What to expect on your first Christmas

2010-12-26T22:42:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody! Mommy usually does the writing on here, but today I thought I would. This past weekend I got to celebrate Christmas! I've never done that before. I got to visit Santa at the mall and he brought me toys, but Mommy and Daddy say that Jesus is the reason for the season. I think he was the baby in the play at church. I can't wait to learn more about this Jesus!

I thought I should tell y'all about what to expect on your first Christmas from my point of view. Make sure all the little babies you know read this!

First, there are lots of presents you get. You should thoroughly enjoy everyone of them. If Grana and Grandaddy get you a car to ride in, ride in it around their house as long as they will push you.

When there are bigger cousins around be careful! They can move fast and aren't always gentle. But one thing is, they sure are great! They love to pat me on the head and make me laugh. I know we'll be best friends!

When you get to sleep on Christmas Eve, make sure you sleep well. There is too much excitement during the day to get a good nap. Sleep as long as you can, even if Mommy & Daddy have to help you wake up the next morning.

There will be lots and lots of pictures. Just sit back and let them have their way. Once the pictures are over, the fun of opening presents can begin!

Stick close to Mommy & Daddy, they have links to Santa! P.S. They are just overall pretty awesome.

When Grammy & Pappaw give you snow gear and a sled you should use it! Bundle up until you can't hardly move and then get out in the snow. It's lots of fun!

Daddy can pull you around in the snow and even go down hills. An infant sled with a seatbelt is a must for enjoying snow sledding on your first Christmas.

I think that's about all now! I hope you enjoyed your Christmas as much as I did. I guess I'll have to let Mommy take back over.

Love,
Vince

Christmas Decorations

2010-12-13T15:46:00.001-06:00

Here is our home decorated for Christmas! This is our red, black and white tree in our dining room.

This buffet is next to it and I continued the same color scheme.

This is V's tree in his room. It was his dad's and Grana let me bring it home. It has ornaments that cover the lights. They are Candy Land figurines. I want to add more to it as the years go.

Our family tree is in our living room. It holds our sentimental ornaments. I love it! It's white with colorful ornaments - very whimsical.

Here is our makeshift mantel. This bookcase usually sits where the tree is. I scooted it down and decided to put our stockings on it.

Finally, here are two ornaments we had to add this year for V man.

I'll be adding some of our smaller decorations later including our bookcases that flank the TV and our collection of UK Christmas snowmen, etc.

Thanks for stopping by!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Walking at Church

2010-12-11T10:29:00.001-06:00

Today after Vince's nap we loaded up and went to walk in our church's gym. It's so nice to have a warm spot. I brought lots of toys for V to play with. He has started really yanking on his toys... Or Mommy's hair whichever is closer!

Here he is loaded in the stroller!

Mommy's view from above

V in action! We had lots of fun :)

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25 Weeks Later

2010-12-08T10:24:00.000-06:00

These are pictures of my baby boy the day he was born and 25 weeks later. He is in the same gown and receiving blanket. He is so precious in both! I can't believe how much he has changed!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

2010-12-04T10:05:00.000-06:00

Here's a quick photo shoot of Vince with our family Christmas tree.

Checking out the ribbon on this nearby package he grabbed!

So glad the bumbo helps him sit up safely.

He doesn't suck his thumb habitually, but he was really liking it right here!

Nan & Jane Anne

2010-11-28T10:00:00.000-06:00

We put our tree up before Thanksgiving, so once the Crowders and Nan came home from Connecticutt, we had to show them our tree. Vince was more interested in seeing his Nan - He was only one month old when she left to spend time with her daughter in CT. We're so glad we got to visit with Jane Anne (Grant's only cousin on his dad's side) and his Aunt Lana and Philip. Vince was glad to see them again and very glad they left Nan behind this time!

V's Favorite Things

2010-11-22T12:54:00.003-06:00

After watching Oprah's favorite things last Friday, I thought I would make a list of some of V's favorite things! I would like to try and keep it updated to help us remember, too!

Vince loves his formula! He takes 7 ounces every 4 hours. He's started some solids, but still loves a good bottle :) He takes the store brand from Kroger, it's called "Comforts for Baby." In case you don't know, the store brand and name brand formulas are all regulated and are exactly the same product, but at different prices. I can buy his formula for about half of what Enfamil or Good Start costs. I've bought a few cans of name brand formula when I had enough coupons to get it free. Otherwise, V always drinks Kroger or WalMart formula. (Click on any product pics to be taken to their website. You may want to right click and open in new tabs.)

This is not our exact diaper bag - I guess Target switches pretty often, but this is the update version. Ours is darker with circles on it. We have that drawstring net pouch on both sides where this only has it on the left. I like having two of those b/c that's where I put a bottle on both sides. You can tighten the drawstring and they stay in perfectly! This has big pockets on the front where I can throw my random chapstick, phone, camera, etc. There is a top zipper pouch on the top where I put my wallet. It has a handy pouch on the back for a changing cover. Inside there are pockets on both sides and the big opening closes with a velcro closure. The straps are a good length that I like, or it has a detachable shoulder strap to use it as a messenger bag. My favorite part about it is that it has these stroller clips on the top. They click onto his stroller or BONUS: the shopping carts at Kroger, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. It is so handy - b/c otherwise your diaper bag takes up half the space in your cart. It also keeps your phone handy right beside you with the baby infront of you.

This is another favorite of V man. This is Mr. Square. It is a plush book. He doesn't care about reading it but He loves to hold it and feel it and chew on it :) The hair is funny - that orange stuff on top. The hanging square feet rattle and crinkle. He loves when I put it in his lap to play with. This was a shower gift and I'm so glad we got it!

Finally, for this round of V's Favorite Things is his swing. This is the FisherPrice Ocean Wonders cradle/swing. We didn't register for a swing at first because babies sometimes hate swings. To say Vince LOVES his swing is an understatement. My sister Brooke let me borrow hers. It is a Graco Pooh swing from 2004 when Dawson was born. He really liked it, so I knew that she would need hers for when she babysits him. So we used a BRU coupon and bought this one. V loves it because it has a great mobile on top. The animals circle around him. There is a glowing aquarium with fish and water to look at underneath too. We've never used the tray - the swing calms him down and he takes his naps in it. This has been a lifesaver for us. It is also great because this swing will plug into the wall. The older swings only take batteries and swings will go through batteries quickly - the big D ones. If you needed to move it away from an outlet you can use batteries when needed. I would definitely recommend this swing to any new parents. There are more toned down and pleasing "decor" swings, but I don't think they are as interesting for the baby, and it's all about him. The colors are bright and don't fit in with our decor, but Vince doesn't care! So now, neither does Mommy :)

What are some of your baby's favorite things?

Shutterfly Christmas Cards

2010-11-22T10:42:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again! I am so excited to begin working on this year's Christmas cards. I like to do a special card each year. The year Grant and I got engaged we sent photo cards to our close family and friends. The next year we were married and I handmade every Christmas card we sent. Last year our card had pictures of us, our new home, and an ultrasound pic of Baby Sharp on it. This year we have our bouncing baby boy Vince to show off! I can't wait to get the perfect picture and card put together. I've been browsing Shutterfly lately looking for the perfect card and some perfect gifts. You can see all their photo cards HERE.

I love these fonts! I also think it was a good idea to do the black and white photo with this card. It lets the font be graphic and not fight each other.

I love this card too because of its simplicity. There are so many great options I am going to have to decide my picture first, because I could choose ALL of them!

This one is so happy! And I love that it says joy. We have had lots of joy this year. We are so blessed! I also love that joy only comes from God and Christmas is the celebration of his son, Jesus' birth. I also love that this card has room at the bottom where we could add a Bible verse.

Christmas Parade

2010-11-22T09:56:00.000-06:00

This year Vince stole the show during the Central City Christmas Parade. I drove Grana's convertible and she and Vince rode along. Vince loved looking at all the people along the route. You could hear people the whole time saying, "Look at the Santa baby!"
Grandaddy rode his Harley and they went first. He was able to park and watch us come by later. Daddy took pictures and video.

Driving through town

Posing with Grandaddy's Harley

Our family

Vince and I were traditional in our red and white - Daddy had to support the Big Blue! (It is a little hard to wear red, even for Christmas Haha)

Workin'

2010-11-17T21:25:00.000-06:00

I don't think I've mentioned on here yet that I have started back to work. Because of a few things I didn't return to my pre-baby job. I am now a part-time SAHM and a part-time substitute teacher! I am loving the work schedule because I get to stay home with Vince two days a week and then work three. I also don't have to work on holidays or when Grant is off which is great :)

I am in a few online classes right now and have been working all last night and ever since I got home today on work that's due in about 1.5 hours. About to have Grant proof it so I can be done!

I've got lots of pics to update y'all on and Christmas pics to share about!

Growing Growing Growing!

2010-10-29T22:40:00.000-05:00

18 Weeks

2010-10-25T14:38:00.000-05:00

When Vince was 18 weeks gestation we found out he was a boy! 18 weeks into his life he is such a happy baby boy! We are so blessed to be his parents!

Mommy's Little Pumpkin

2010-10-18T22:54:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, we went to pick up some pumpkins. Vince was wearing his "Mommy's Little Pumpkin" oufit complete with a jack-o-lantern on his butt! We got one for each member of the family and are really excited to carve them soon. The lady selling them even gave Vince a mini pumpkin since it was his first Halloween!

Go Cats!

2010-10-18T22:44:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a great time for UK sports. We started off the weekend with Big Blue Madness introducing the new basketball teams.

On Saturday, the football team played South Carolina. SC was favored to win, but the Cats pulled off a great victory. It was an exciting game!

We bleed blue!

Our little Wildcat

He loves being a wildcat :)

Grammy and Pappaw found the costume and they bought a 6-9 months size for him. Hopefully it will last through March Madness! We love our football team too, but it's really all about basketball in the Bluegrass!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T20:43:00.000-05:00

Playin' Around

2010-10-12T10:41:00.000-05:00

Vince made a new friend on the way home from the mountains last week. He made "Teddy" at a Build-A-Bear workshop in a Knoxville mall. He loves it when I put Teddy on his stomach and he can feel his soft fur. He still loves his own hand most of all, though!

He has also started to like his jumperoo! He can sit up in it good now. He almost reaches the floor, but not quite. He played with some of the toys he could reach, but eventually was just satisfied with his hand! haha

He's turning into such a big boy! I am so happy to be his mommy.

Shows Us Your Life - Kitchen

2010-10-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

Here's my kitchen:

When we moved into the house there was panelling throughout the kitchen and attached dining room. When we began removing the paneling to drywall, we had to pull down some of the existing (original to the house) cabinets. We decided then (I pleaded and begged and Grant agreed) to put in new cabinets. We had custom cabinets built to maximize our space (which is small). I absolutely love them! They are painted white and then have a chocolate glaze over them. The previous owner's family had just put in a new oven and stovetop so we bought a fridge and microwave to match. No, we didn't get stainless steel because I didn't want to always have mismatched appliances. Plus, I think the white is clean looking and easier to keep clean than stainless.

I got these canisters at a yard sale this summer. They are CorningWare. I added the little homemade chalkboard tags with some ribbon I had around.

Who says you can ever have too many bottles? - Not Vince :)

The Great Smoky Mountains

2010-10-06T16:39:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we headed down to Tennessee with Grant's parents. We spent the weekend in Pigeon Forge and had a great time. When we arrived Saturday, I looked up another blogger, Brit and went to one of her downtown Gatlinburg favorites.. It was called Best Italian and it was pretty good. (The marinara was sweet, which I loved!) Here's a photo of our family outside the restaurant with a little Fall scene.

The next day was cold and rainy all day. We stayed in the Pigeon Forge and Seveirville area to shop and eat. We went to Tanger and got Vince some jeans and new pj's at Baby Gap. Vince talked his mom into a sweatshirt and I got a caramel apple! We ate at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. It was good. Vince had a bottle after we finished eating. Driving through I noticed the Christmas shops and had to stop in. We got a Gatlinburg ornament with a bear and a squirrel to commemorate our visit. Grant also bought Vince a new book called "Mommy and Me." The book is really sweet and so is my husband - I thought that was so thoughtful of him. It shows what Mommy and Baby do all day long together from waking up to going to sleep. I love it because I am a SAHM right now which I am absolutely loving! I didn't think I would ever be able to do this, soI am so happy. I know it isn't long term so I am trying to enjoy every moment until I find a part-time job.
Here's a picture of Vince meeting Santa! He was really looking around and checking everything out. We did a quick wardrobe change with a Christmas sweater that Grana just bought at the Carter's outlet.

Here's the entire group at the Chimenys. I love the creek and all the stones! It was cold so Vince and I stayed up by the truck and inside most of the time. The others went walking around some.

Here we are warming up by a fire in the Great Outdoors. It's at the park entrance right outside of Gatlinburg. It felt good after being in the cold air!

15 Weeks

2010-09-29T20:56:00.000-05:00

Vince is 15 weeks old today! That seems like such a big number to me! This week he has been such a good baby! He is hardly ever fussy at night now. This is a great improvement from the weeks on end when he could go from sunshine to rainstorm in an instant. He absolutely loves his hands! He will suck on them and play with them. He holds onto his blankets and toys now. He loves having a blanket to hold onto. This morning when he woke up he was just so happy! I went in to get him and he was holding onto his blanket and holding it. It soothes him so much to have it nearby. And any receiving blanket will do - thank goodness! He is such a fun little boy right now and we love listening to all his talking and noises. He can say "good" very well now. I love you so much Vince and the past 15 weeks have been the very best of my entire life!

3 Months Old!

2010-09-29T08:09:00.000-05:00

2010-09-28T11:34:00.000-05:00

One Month Old

2010-09-28T11:31:00.000-05:00

Vince 0-3 Months

2010-09-28T11:21:00.000-05:00

In love since day one.

2010-09-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

Baby Moon

2010-04-27T20:33:00.000-05:00

Grant and I headed out last Thursday afternoon for our first vacation since our honeymoon, and our last vacation as a family of two! We took a "Babymoon" to the Smoky Mountains and had a wonderful time. We got to enjoy the national park, downtown Gatlinburg, and the outlet mall in Pigeon Forge. Here's a pic of us at the sign. It was great because they had a wooden post sitting there with a camera sign on it. It was perfect for setting the 10 second timer and getting a great picture. No waiting around for a stranger to offer!

We went to the "Chimneys" and put our toes in the water. It was freezing! I would have loved to gotten out and climbed all the rocks, but that's not a good thing when you're 31 weeks pregnant, so I carefully made it down to a big rock to sit and Grant got to do the exploring.

Here's Grant sitting on the biggest rock he could find!

We had a great trip! Here's an itenerary of what all we did:

Thursday: Grant worked a full day at school and I left work early to meet him and leave. We ate at Fazoli's in Clarksville and went to Best Buy to buy a new camera for the baby(Baby's Momma!). I've got a great big camera with a good zoom for soccer games, etc. but I've not been using it for everyday life. So, I decided I wanted another Kodak Easyshare that was small enough to keep in my purse with me at all times. I am loving it! Hopefully it will also inspire me to blog more having pictures readily available. We left Clarksville and made it to Pigeon Forge to check into our hotel at bed time.

Friday: I woke up at 4:15 (well, 5:15 mountain time) and could NOT go back to sleep! I tried until I got bad heart burn, took a rolaid and that just made my stomach hungry! I finally plugged in the computer and watched tv until I could finally get Grant up. We went to Gatlinburg and ate at the Pancake Pantry. It was really good! I got silver dollar pancakes, crispy bacon, and hashbrowns. Grant got pancakes, eggs, and sausage. We walked around in the shops, and bought lots of taffy! Grant played some arcade games and I ate a shaved ice. We would walk a little and then take a break on a bench. Luckily, it was not crowded at all! Then we headed up the mountains into the national park. After exploring up there, we went back to the hotel in Pigeon Forge and I took a nap! I was sleepy after getting up so early! We ate at Olive Garden that night and went shopping at the Tanger Outlet mall. Grant got some clothes at Nautica and I got a Coach Diaper Bag! It is soooo cute!

Saturday: I slept a little longer, but was still anxious for Grant to wake up so we could go get breakfast. We went to McDonald's and got breakfast to go. We ate it in our hotel room and just stayed in until around lunch time. I wrote a few thank you cards, caught up on blogs, and we watched some movies on TV. We went to Gatlinburg to pick up a Fannie Farkle lunch to picnic in the park, but it started sprinkling. So we just rushed straight to the park for some final pictures and then got the Fannie Farkle to go on our way back through. We went back to the hotel and waited for the rain to clear... and watched some more movies! haha We went back to the outlet mall and found Vince's coming home outfit at Strasburg. It is so adorable! We also got swim suits so we could swim at the hotel's indoor pool. Grant got some tennis shoes, I got a dress and sweater, and we both got lounge pants/shorts at the Gap. We were exhausted after shopping (atleast I was). We ate Moe's for dinner and headed to the hotel pool.

Sunday: We woke up and ate a Waffle for breakfast at the Hotel. Then we loaded up all our stuff and headed for home. We pulled out of the hotel around 8:30 so we had our own worship service as our church at home was about to start. We sang praise songs, prayed for those on our hearts, and we both preached a little! We stopped in Clarksville again on the way home for lunch and to update our registry. We still have 3 showers left, and Mom said I didn't have enough stuff on there. So we added more! We ran into my best friend and 3-year college roommate's parents while we were there. It was great to see them! We made it back in time for Grant to drop me off at church to attend a baby shower. The mommy-to-be is due 12 days before me. They havne't found out the gender, so it was fun to compare notes! I'm pretty sure Vince is a bigger baby than baby Potts by looking at our bellies!

We had a great time on our babymoon! Did you and your husband take a babymoon before jumping into parenthood?

Week 25

2010-04-27T20:31:00.000-05:00

Growing Belly!

2010-03-06T06:30:00.001-06:00

12 Weeks

16 Weeks

18 Weeks

It's a boy!

23 Weeks

I am 24 weeks today and will upload a new picture later, but just thought I would update my progress! We are so excited to met our baby boy!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-01T07:13:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've blogged! 2009 was a great year for our family! I turned 23 in January and Grant took me to Patti's to celebrate. We spent our winter and spring months very busy with work. I worked six day weeks for my first tax season and Grant was getting ready for CATS testing at school and coaching baseball for the high school. We celebrated Grant's 26th Birthday in April at a baseball game and Texas Roadhouse after. I was so happy to finally get my Saturdays back!
We also spent the winter and spring months house hunting! We looked at lots of houses and made offers on a few before finally finding our home. Our offer was accepted on Memorial Day weekend and the fun began! We closed on the home June 29th and started work immediately! It's been a lot of work to get where it is, but definitely worth it!
Grant started his first season as head coach of the new Mustangs soccer team in August. He is a great coach! The players love him and the refs hate him! haha The team had a great winning season and were runner-up at District.
You know what they say, new house new baby. We are now waiting for our baby! I took my last month of birth control in August and in October we found out we are expecting!!! We are so excited! Grant is the best thing ever. He is so excited for our baby to get here. He is also so good to me. I have been very sick for the last 6 weeks and he has been doing everything! He cooks me biscuits (the only thing I can eat!) and cleans up the house and dishes every night. He decorated our house for Christmas and even added a second tree this year! Grant spent his Christmas Break organizing the house. He has cleaned out my closet, reorganized the guest bedroom, cleaned out the garage, taken down the Christmas decorations, and decked the attic for seasonal storage. He's been very busy!
We can't wait for what 2010 will bring! Hopefully it will include blogging more! I guess that should be one of my resolutions!

My Wedding Dress

2009-07-24T18:08:00.000-05:00

Here is my wedding dress I wore July 12, 2008 when I married the man of my dreams. I looked at tons of dresses online and in magazines before I ever steeped foot in a bridal shop. I decided to go to two local shops one Saturday just to test the waters. I found a dress at each shop that stood out, but just weren't right. I decided to wait until I was back at school in Lexington and go looking there. The day that UK played Louisville in football I went shopping. I took my mom, and my two best friends/bridesmaids Holly and Whitney. (My two sisters and other bridesmaids were at home in wky). We went to one shop and I grabbed some dresses. There were two that were simple and classic like I was wanting. I tried on the first. It was strapless and looked horrible on my chest. It was close to $1000. I tried on the next one and it was perfect! It had rouching around the waist and fell away from the hips with a box pleat. The deep V-neck with spaghetti straps had enough detail to keep interest. The taffeta fabric was gorgeous! I stepped outside and EVERYONE loved it. It was the one! But there was no price tag.... I got really, really nervous. I just knew it would be more expensive than the first dress because it was so much prettier! So the sales assistant took the numbers and went to look up the price. She came back.... it was a ballgown from Moonlight Bridal's Destination line. It was only $400! I was so pumped. That was definitely within budget. I loved this dress. I needed a little bit of alterations and hemming. The first time they hemmed it I hated it! It was way too short. I felt like could see my ankles. So I took it back and they let it out. I guess I like my dress the way people like their curtains... with a little puddle :)

I had to have a blusher! I thought it was one thing I would be old-fashiony about. I think it is so pretty and I had Dad practice so I didn't get a big hump when he lifted it and gave me away!Here's the puddle!

Baby Brock

2009-07-23T22:41:00.000-05:00

Introducing the newest member of the family, baby Brock.

Brock was born June 17th - his parents 9th wedding anniversary. He is the third little boy. His big brothers Dawson & Isaiah are helping Mommy and Daddy feed and burp him. Isaiah (just turned 2) can also be caught swiping paci's if they're left out. Ha! He's been off a paci for a year, but now he wants to be a baby every once in a while.

MidTerm is over!

2009-07-22T21:43:00.000-05:00

Grant just got back from his mid-term for his summer class. Yay! Only 4 more classes left. We are celebrating with Dairy Queen ice cream. Yum!

Play Ball!

2009-07-22T21:01:00.000-05:00

Maddie played softball this year with the Hot Tamales!

She was a great player and had lots of fun :)

I can't believe Uncle G got Isaiah to pose for the camera!

Chad & Laura

2009-07-22T20:54:00.001-05:00

On June 13th we welcomed another Chad into our family! I forgot my camera and stole these pics from Leanne so I don't have any of the bride and groom, but this is my younger cousin by 3 weeks. I was born January 3, 1986 and she was born January 23, 1986. We've grown up together and now we've both graduated college, started jobs, and gotten married. I can't wait to see what the future holds for Laura and Chad. I know they are very blessed. We used to say they would be the next John & Kate plus 8 because Chad is Asian and Laura is blonde.... but I don't want them to lead to divorce.... but I bet their kids will be just as cute!

This is Laura with my nephews Abe and Dawson, and niece Maddie. I can't believe they were all looking and all smiling! Leanne pulled off a miracle :)

Another Wedding!

2009-07-16T22:15:00.000-05:00

Grant was a groomsman for one of his best friends growing up. Brandon married Stephanie in June and we went to Lexington to celebrate the weekend. They got married trackside at Keeneland and we went downtown to DeSha's for the Rehearsal Dinner. Here's one of the guys at Triangle Park... aren't they romantic?!

Wedding Season

2009-07-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

We celebrated the wedding of one of my sorority sisters in Louisville this past May. My pics of the bride and groom are on my phone... not sure how to transfer them. They had a great wedding and reception. The reception was downtown at a history museum. The place was very chic! Congrats Breanna & Drew!

Holly met us at E-town to ride to the wedding with us. It was great getting to catch up again. She's moving out of the apartment we shared in college at the end of this month. We lived together one year in the sorority house and two years in the apartment. It will be sad to finally be giving up our apartment!

We're Homeowners!

2009-07-16T21:53:00.000-05:00

Grant and I purchased our first home this summer! Our offer was accepted the Sunday before Memorial Day and we closed on the house on my sister Leanne's birthday, June 29th. We've been busy working on renovations. I'll try to keep you all updated on our home improvements!

Kindergarten here we come!

2009-05-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

Tonight was Dawson's preschool graduation. He did a great job saying his bible verse and his poem. Each child dressed up for the job they want to do when they grow up. Dawson was a construction worker. He said a poem "Construction work one day I'll do. I'll use hammers and nails to build something for you, and it won't cost that much!" He's been telling it to us for about a month!

I found out tonight that Maddie graduated from kindergarten at CC elementary tonight too. I didn't even know they had kindergarten graduations anymore! Mom & Dad went to visit her before Dawson's. I got to see both of Maddie's preschool graduations and she would always say a poem or two and sing songs. Maddie's preschool wore caps and gowns to graduation. So cute!

New Mr. & Mrs.

2009-05-17T15:17:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Josh & Sarah!

They had a beautiful wedding yesterday. It was so much fun to watch them say their vows and listen to the great music. They had decorated the church beautifully. And of course I love seeing all the old pics in their slideshow. Hope y'all have a great week in Jamaica!

Here are pics of me with the bride and maid of honor!

Baby Reese

2009-05-17T15:06:00.000-05:00

We had a great visit with Amber & Corey yesterday morning. We only got to see Reese for a few minutes before she had to go see the doctor. She was so precious! Amber put her pretty gown and bonnet on to get her hospital picture. Amber & Corey are going to be such great parents. Here's a pic of Sarah, Amber and I all piled onto the bed. We were the Summer Brides last year at church. I think it will be a few more years before we add more babies to the group.

Olivia Reese

6lb. 11oz.

20.5 in.

May 15, 2009

It's a Girl!

2009-05-16T07:48:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to our good friends Corey & Amber on the birth of their first child! Aanmber called me Thursday to let me know they were on their way to the hospital. Friday morning when I woke up I couldn't wait to find out if Resse was here yet or not. Amber's sister Tori had emailed me her phone # to call for updates. Amber had a hard night. Around 6am she had only dilated 3cm. They gave her an epidural. Around 10am Amber & Baby Reese were under a lot of stress. The doctors decided they couldn't deliver naturally. They took Amber for C-section and Reese was born healthy! The cord was wrapped around her neck twice so it was a blessing that the doctors knew to do the C-section. Amber was upset about having to have a C-section, but I know it was best for mom & baby. I pray she heals well.

Grant and I are going to go visit them this morning in BG at the hospital. Our other friends, Nathan & Sarah, are going with us. We will have to carry on the DINKs(Double Income No Kids) status without Amber & Corey now! Haha.

Today is also a special day because my good friends Sarah S. is getting married! I am so happy for her and Josh. They live in O'boro where Sarah works at the hospital. Josh is taking a test for the E'ville fire department TODAY!!! He found out he could take it about a month ago, so they moved the wedding back an hour. He will have about 2.5 hours to get from E'villle to G'ville (about 1.25 hrs away) and get ready to get married! I'm praying everything goes smoothly for them today. I also pray God blesses their marriage the only way he can.

I hope to post pics soon! (And pics of the baby shower too!)

Praying for a healthy mom & baby. & daddy too! Amber is in labor at BG!!

2009-05-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

Sick Day :(

2009-05-05T14:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday started out like most Mondays, and stayed that way until about 4:45. I was meeting with colleagues and then went back to my office to finish something up. I got an overwhelming weak feeling. I never get super hungry at that time so I didn't know what was up. I finished up quickly around 5:05. Mom had stopped by the office b/c she had a doctor's appointment in town so I knew she was going to be shopping at K-Mart. I stopped there to see what she was getting adn still felt awful. At this point I was starting to get a headache. She bought me some Wheat Thins and a bottle of water and I headed towards home. Grant had set up an appointment to look at a house and I hated to miss it, so I went to meet him and was definitely nauseas by this point. I was afraid I might vomit at any second. I put all my focus on not getting sick while we were looking at the house. Once I got home I crashed. Told Grant to get me a trash can with a bag and took my place on the couch. The rest of the night was spent lying watching tv, sleeping, and the rushing trips to the porcelain throne. yuck. My throat is sore today, I guess from the vomit and the fact that I didn't risk trying to take my allergy pill last night. I've been nauseas today and had a horrible headache, but I've kept my food down so far. The exciting food that is- toast, then some mashed potatos and biscuit.

I'm hoping I can get some good planning done tonight for the upcoming baby shower on Saturday. I'm hosting the shower at my mom's house. It's a double baby shower for my sister-in-law Jordan & my sister Brooke. We've got decorations & favors ready. I need to get the food planned out and figure out chairs and table arrangements.

Let me know if you have any good recipes for an 11am baby shower for 15-20 people. I'm making the cake and can't wait to post pics after!

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

2009-05-03T00:02:00.000-05:00

I didn't technically scrapbook today, but I did last night and today I went shopping at Hobby Lobby... so I think it counts!

Today I went shopping with my mom & dad today. Mom and I planned today since it was "Friends & Family" weekend for Macy's and the Loft. We got lots of shopping done and got to end the night by seeing my cousin Catherine walk into her junior prom. She's growing up and looked gorgeous. I'm about to go to bed now, but I'll try to show some pics of my purchases and the prom couple tomorrow!

Kitchen Tour

2009-05-01T23:47:00.000-05:00

Kelly is hosting a kitchen tour today on her blog as part of a new weekly party, "Show us where you live Friday"

So, here's my kitchen:

And of course we have to show some school spirit! The candle on top of the stove to the left is custom-made. Theresa made it for us before our wedding. It's a pic from Rupp Arena my senior year.

I love these canisters! The square ones are from our Target wedding registry and I got the round "Pasta" one from a local gift shop. I also love the aluminum trivet. It matches lots of our aluminum serving pieces.

Here are our everyday dishes. We have multi-colored Fiesta dishes. I love them! Everyone always talks about how their white dishes work for everything, but having 2 of each color lets me mix and match for every holiday or mood! I also love the red polka dot dessert plates for holidays. I added the "S" to a silver platter after seeing it done by joysofhome.blogspot.com

You can see that I need to wash dishes... practically no bowls clean! There are only big spoons left in the drawer too! We've been eating breakfast at home, lunch at work (packing) and grabbing food however we can at night this week. The bowls and spoons are high. ha!

Here's our table. It's got two benches which is great for squeezing in lots of friends and family!

Thanks for touring our kitchen! Hope you enjoyed!

Zumba

2009-03-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

I just got back from my first zumba class with Leanne and Brandy. They've been before and Leanne invited me last week to go with them. They picked me up and we headed over. The class was crowded and I saw several people I know. Turns out, the majority of them were on their first class too! I think I will try to do the Monday night class and just continue walking / wii fit the rest of the week.

Let's hope I remember my dance moves for next week!

Disney Night

2009-03-23T20:05:00.000-05:00

Last night was the Valentine's banquet at church. Yes, it was a month late, the ice storm is to blame for that! We had a great time. We had breakfast with the characters complete with mickey mouse head shaped pancakes. After that there were several different acts. Our Sunday School class did "Disney Idol" for who would be the next Disney Prince or Princess. We didn't get a group pic which makes me so upset! Grant was a baseball player and I was a fashion princess. We didn't win, but it was still lots of fun. I got this photo from Kim

on her facebook photos. I think Mom might have more pics, I'll have to get them from her sometime.

Spring-Time

2009-03-19T21:54:00.000-05:00

I am absolutely loving this spring weather! I've gotten to go walking three times this week and it's such a blessing. My friend Sarah and I walked twice and it was great to catch up after such a busy winter time.

On Wednesday night Holly, my best friend from college, came to visit. It was great to see her. I haven't seen her since Christmas time. She is on Spring Break this week from UK. I am so proud of her. She will be graduating this Spring from the Communications Disorders program. She has already been accepted into two grad schools and is expecting her letter from UK this week. I know she'll be in!

Tuesday night I went to a Pampered Chef party with Mom & my sister Brooke. We had lots of fun just enjoying some great food and fun. Tomorrow I am meeting my mother-in-law for a women's event at her church. It should be a good time.

My other sister Leanne invited me to Zumba (Zoomba).... for Monday night. The first class is free so I guess we will see how well I do!

Engagement Photos

2008-06-25T22:54:00.001-05:00

Hello All!

The wedding is coming quickly! With all those preparations and my new job I haven't posted in a very long time :(

So if anybody is still checking in on me... check out our pics from Clinton Lewis. You can browse them by going to http://www.studioauspex.com/ then clicking on clients and then brittany vinson and then at the top where it says categories there is an edit section where we had him put some of our faves... otherwise you'll have to look through all 3 hundred and some. Hope you enjoy!

I'm an employed accountant!

2008-05-26T10:12:00.000-05:00

Friday I had an interview and was hired at a CPA firm in Madville. B. & Co.
I start work June 9th! So I am really excited and need to finish up lots of wedding stuff and go shopping for clothes!

Thanks for all your prayers!

Painting our House

2008-05-25T15:56:00.000-05:00

We've gotten all the ceilings painted, two coats on the living room and hallway walls, and just started working on the trim last night. I was working on a window and Grant started painting the inside of the door. To my luck Dad walked in the door about when the window was getting tricky (it didn't take long). So I got to hand over my brush to a professional and take a few pics. Here are some pics of it coming along...

Happy to be supervising :)

Long Time No Post

2008-05-17T17:36:00.000-05:00

I would like to dedicate this post to my oldest sister Leanne. She has sent two emails and given me in-person harassment due to my lack of posting this week.

Grant and I have found a house to rent. It's actually my mammaw's rental house. The family hasn't sold it yet so we are going to rent for a while. We have started painting the ceilings and the doors. It needs a little TLC from the last renter... he enjoyed putting 3 different colors of walls in the living room! So we are putting lots of neutrals up and paint all the trim white again to makie it look spiffy! It will hopefully also improve the house for when it goes on the market.

Here are a couple pics of our picnic the other night. We had to load up a pot and grab some goodies from our "shower room" (Mom's previous guest bedroom :) )

The Makings of our first picnic

oops I guess I didn't remember to put the meat in the pic... oh well!

Here is the master of the midget grill:

Successful Day

2008-05-09T11:32:00.000-05:00

Mom took a day off yesterday so we could meet with some people and get lots accomplished for the wedding. We were successful I must say.

Lunch @ Fazoli's
Allergy Doctor's Appt: new medicine (the grandfather of Zyrtec), eye drops, and an appt in three weeks for an allergy test
Meeting with our florist. We finished up some details with the bouquets and reception table cloths. Also go all the info for the guys' tuxes
Dress fitting for me and Mom at Elizabeth's. I also bought the earrings I will be wearing and found the shoes I want to get. Go back in 2 weeks for next fitting.
Picked up Grant's wedding band at Brinker's..one of the biggest purchases I've ever made!
Mother's Day gift for Mom and checked on bridal registry at Baker's Rack
Snack turned supper at Steak-n-Shake. Chocolate milkshake and fries were wonderful!
Luggage research for our upcoming international travels
Mother's Day gift for Mammaw Steele
Drive Home
Wal-Mart trip in CC
Watched Grey's Anatomy....crazy!

Commencement

2008-05-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

Freshman Year Roommates & Accounting Buddies

The Sharps

Vinson Family

After Graduation

Leaving Rupp with my sweetie :)

Graduation

2008-05-07T10:22:00.001-05:00

A diploma for Mom & Dad! It's a certificate of appreciation for all the love and support they have given me to help me reach graduation!

Grant's Certificate of Appreciation

Opening up a gift from Mom and Dad... a UK Diploma frame

(only pic I have of Lelia right now... we're going to do a replay sometime soon since they got out of Rupp quick after the graduation)

Another graduation present from Mom and Dad

Moving Out

2008-05-06T08:19:00.000-05:00

Lots of family came up Saturday around lunch time to help me move out of my apartment. We went to Cane's and Moe's for lunch then started the process. Here's a pic of my home away from "home" for the last two years. Everyone was surprised at the number of steps to go up and down!

Near the end...

We were almost finished... then I remembered my bathing suit was in my dresser drawer! And there was a pool and hot tub at the hotel! So luckily Chad was able to shimmy to the back and get it out! Woo hoo!

2BC Shower

2008-05-06T08:10:00.001-05:00

What a wonderful shower we had! Special thanks to Martha R, Connie L, Sarah C, and Brooke G for throwing it. There was a spread of fruits, veggies, petitfours, and other goodies inside the parlor while we opend lots of gifts in the foyer. We got so many good things for our future home. We are so blessed to have friends and family who love us so much to give so generously. Martha had everyone gather in a circle around us at the beginning of the shower and they prayed over us. That was really special. Thank you to everyone who made that such a great shower.

Finals!

2008-04-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

My final finals to be exact. I am 1 study guide, 2 quizzes, 2 papers, 6 finals, and one moving day away from graduation! I am really excited and I have lots to blog, but it will have to wait until next week.

Please pray for me with all I have going on this week with finals and homework and packing!
Also pray for my family as they travel to Lex this weekend for the commencement.

Allergies

2008-04-23T19:15:00.001-05:00

I've been on my Zyrtec and Nasonex for a while now, but I am still feeling the itching in my eyes. Apparently a lot of people around me are probably feeling it too.

The Worst Cities for Allergies

Happy Earth Day!

2008-04-22T09:41:00.000-05:00

I am really excited about Earth Day this year since I am trying extra hard to be green. I hope some of you are too! Things I am trying right now:

-less water when washing dishes, shaving legs, brushing teeth
-using reusable water bottles and food storage
-buying organic as much as possible
-turning off & unplugging anything not in use
-recycling
-driving less (which is hard since I am still in Lex and driving home)
-using less paper (double-sided printing)
-no plastic bags at the grocery and other stores. I either carry a smal load or bring my own bag

What are you doing?

Only a few more days...

2008-04-15T21:05:00.000-05:00

until I am a college graduate! I am full-speed-ahead finishing up my 18 hours of classes. So from now until May 2nd it'll be lots of education video summaries, music lessons and assessments, and test studying.

This Thursday is the Grant's birthday and Sunday is our 2BC Church Bridal Shower. So I am looking forward to a big weekend. I know we should have lots of fun!

Did you see the Biggest Loser Finale tonight? We finally got a female winner! I say finally, but this is the first time I have ever watched more than maybe one show in a season. I caught this one about halfway through and it's been pretty cool watching their transformations... if only I could get more inspired to get healthy. They are so in shape! Makes me tired just writing about it :)

UK student killed in hit-and-run near campus

2008-04-14T22:54:00.000-05:00

UK student killed in hit-and-run near campus - Campus News

Please be in prayer for this girl's family and her friends on campus. There was a memorial service tonight on campus. Her funeral and burial will be at her home town in Utah.

I didn't know her personally, but she was on the equestrian team with one of my sorority sisters. They were good friends and from all I hear she was a great person.

Her sister welcomed her first child into the world on the same day she died. This is surely a very stressful time for a family with such tragedy and joy so close together.

RPC Wedding Reception

2008-04-10T13:05:00.000-05:00

I decided to change my header to look less wintery. I wanted to also do a bridal theme since we are in the double digits countdown to the wedding! Here's a pic from my wedding photographers site. This couple had a private tropical wedding then came home to celebrate with friends and family for a big reception. I've listed at the bottom of my page the contact info for the photographer, Clinton Lewis.

Relay for Life

2008-04-09T17:57:00.000-05:00

The main tents and home of the all-you-can eat Qdoba

Alpha Gam tent and Grant chowing down on the Qdoba

The Luminaria Service

The Grant Desk

2008-04-09T17:54:00.000-05:00

Future Principal at his desk

Grant had to take a seat and see how it would feel to have a real desk!
We went furniture shopping a couple weeks ago just to look around
and think about what we are going to need for our apartment in July!

Miss Bachelorette

2008-04-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Whitney got me a "Miss Bachelorette" Sash and it had blinking lights!

Here's the group of girls at my personal shower. We had one more girl show up a little late.
I had it in Lexington where I was able to invite some high school friends and my sorority sisters.
Special thanks to my bridesmaids Holly for throwing it and to Whitney for hosting the games.

Organics @ VS

2008-04-01T21:56:00.000-05:00

Here's my latest shopping spree. I didn't even have to pay for it! Leanne got me a VS gift card for my birthday back in January and I finally found the perfect items to use it on! I'm really happy to see more stores offering organic products. I even switched Dad over to organic milk! Thanks for a great shopping day and some really cute stuff Leanne!

Calories I've burned today...

2008-03-27T22:03:00.000-05:00

according to Daily Plate I have been more active than I ever thought!

Walking 158
Writing 95
Attending Class 622 (wow!)
Brushing my Teeth 14
Scrubbing the Bathroom 67
Light Straightening 121
Watching TV 176
Changing Linens 9

These are based on their activities and cal/hr I just told about how many minutes for each.
So I burned around 1262 calories today.

I kept up with what I ate and I had 1789 calories. Not too bad.. but I think I need to start on some real exercise!

My Daily Plate

2008-03-27T10:15:00.001-05:00

I've been so busy lately I haven't kept up with my January/early February exercise routine. I am hoping to get a little more active once the weather gets better. Today it's raining cats and dogs. And the bad part is that Relay is Friday night. It's supposed to be in a field (grass) on campus. There is no rain plan... just tents, ponchos, and umbrellas. It is supposed to be raining until Tuesday. So please pray that the rain stops and Relay is not a muddy mess. Or that there is a thunderstorm and they are forced to postpone. I know it will be miserable to be out in the rain for 12 hours. yuck.

So back to the healthy part. I had a nutrition class this summer and we did a diet analysis on what we ate for a week. I discovered an online tool to help track food and exercise. It is the Daily Plate. You can search for your favorite foods and it will save it for you. It knows most brands and you can even set up meals to save. I have a breakfast and lunch saved and it's really convenient. It lets you decide how many calories you need per day based on your current weight, your activity level, and the amount of weight you would like to loose per week.

The exercise part will let you search for different activities they have the calories burned per hour for. I was able to look up my walk to class for 20 minutes and 45 minutes of writing will sitting for during class this morning! I know that's probably not really legit, but hey it makes me feel a little better about making it to class in the pouring rain. Y'all should try it out and let me know what you think!

Not Much

2008-03-25T10:03:00.000-05:00

going on around here right now. I am starving and about to make some lunch. I have also been busy getting everything ready for Relay for Life on Friday. Our team has raised almost $1000 for UK's RFL.
Please pray for Jenny S and her family as she unexpectedly lost her uncle Sunday night.
My sorority house mother, Mom Retha, lost her best friend last week to cancer. She was pretty upset about it last night during dinner. I told her I wanted to put a luminaria in memory of her at Relay and I think it really meant a lot to her.

Back to boiling water and Rachel Ray show.

Just for You

2008-03-24T22:13:00.000-05:00

I can't believe you're missing my blog writing! That's very sweet. I appreciate it so much that you read it just to learn more about me. I can't wait to see you next!

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I think I may have broken

2008-03-19T12:32:00.000-05:00

my pinky toe. I was watching the Biggest Loser this morning on TiVo and was going to walk over to the apartment complex and work out afterwards. I forgot my parking pass at home so I have been parking on the street and there are very few spots to find. I have to wait til night to drive if I am going because during the day EVERYBODY tries to park on our street. Most of it is yellow lined or fire lane. So I heard pouding outside and I jumped up out of the chair and rain through the hallway to check the scene from our front (only) door. SMACK! I nailed the hallway table. ugh. pain pain pain. I continued on towards the door limping, and rain was pouring down. So I thought.. I will wait and go right before my class and then I won't be out as much in the rain. Then I finished the show and got ready for my shower and that's when I realized the pain had not gone away and now my little bitty pinky toe is huge! and cut up a little bit. So there go my dreams of exercise. I'm now limping around our tiny apartment hoping that broken pinky toes heal quickly.

Weather,

2008-03-18T20:25:00.000-05:00

The weather has actually been ok today. There was only a small bit of rain on the way home from all of my classes. Holly got home early from work tonight so we went for a walk outside before I had my Relay for Life meeting. The weather was great but it was starting to get windy.

Today in my communication class we talked about language and then specifically about regional words like using the word coke for all variations of soft drinks. And then about Appalachian Speaking. Here's one of the examples on phrasing and terminology:

CM DUX!

MR NOT DUX!

OSAR! CM WANGS!

LIB! MR DUX!

Can you decipher that?

Rain, rain go away!

2008-03-17T22:07:00.000-05:00

Not sure if y'all have noticed or not, but it has rained almost every Tuesday and Thursday of this semester! In the last month I have noticed it and mentioned it to a classmate and she agreed! She is only taking one class this semester but we have umbrellas with us almost every time we meet. I am dreading it for tomorrow. I will be on campus most of the day and cold, wet walks are not that enjoyable :(

Snow Day

2008-03-11T21:54:00.000-05:00

Memorial Hall with a blanket of snow

Senior pose with the Business College in the background

Grant and I went roaming across part of campus for a few fun shots. We were wishing we had sleds to ride down the bowls at the library. I doubt there will be more snow while I am in Lex, at least I hope not!

Spring Break :)

2008-03-06T12:27:00.000-06:00

I only have one more class until my Spring Break begins! (I will actually have to do an online test in the morning... but no more cold walks!)
I will be heading Lville after class to meet up with the Grant and his parents. We're going to eat dinner and hit the mall. Then it's back to Lex until Sunday.

I am going to TiVo some shows tonight.. the Grant says I am a TV-holic! I will have to see Survivor, Celebrity Apprentice, & Lipstick Jungle. I can't help it... I just love it! I also really like reality shows (not the crazy ones) like those mentioned and anything on HGTV. I think reality tv is all about how people live and how they deal with life. It's pretty interesting.. it's like a video blog! haha

What are your favorite shows?

Busy Week

2008-03-04T19:44:00.000-06:00

This week has been crazy! I was home for the weekend and waited until Monday morning to drive back to Lex. I was halfway thru my trip and I stopped for a pit stop at E-town. After a quick couple minutes in the gas station I returned to my car and turned the key. Click Click Click ugh. try again. Click Click Click. I called Dad and he thinks it sounds like I have battery problems. So I called AAA and they said a local shop would call and let me know how long it would be. After about 20-30 minutes Dad was already on his way to trade cars with me. He made it to the gas station before the repairman left. We drove on to the next exit and ate at Arby's... we left the car running outside! So now I am driving around in Mammaw's car this week and hopefully I can get my new battery cable and get back to normal. I have 3 tests and a paper due this week plus meetings and other things going on.

I just got back from a Relay for Life team captain meeting on campus. I am raising money for our March 28th Relay and I am really excited! I am urging all of you who read this to go to my site (the link is to the left) and give whatever you can. $5 or $50. We have all been affected by cancer and I hope to really make a difference. I can also get you a $5 luminaria in honor or memory of a cancer fighter. Please take part in this to support cancer survivors and in memory of those we've lost!

Abe's Birthday

2008-03-04T19:40:00.000-06:00

Abe's 2 year old collage

Cute goody bags! Very Crafty!

My only pic of Abe (I took some for Mom on her camera... more later)

The Woman of the Hour!

Job Search

2008-02-29T12:13:00.001-06:00

Today I am working on my job search. I've been trying to perfect the resume and get some more cover letters ready. I have done one day of "pounding the pavement" a month or so ago, but those have lead to nothing so far. I am just praying that God will lead me to the right job for me in the right place. There are lots of things uncertain right now so I am also just trying to be patient and see where God leads.

Duluth Trading Challenge

2008-02-26T19:33:00.000-06:00

Stud 4 Sure

It’s somewhere in the bottom of your toolbox, buried under all the gear you actually use every day. And when you finally do find your stud finder, what do you discover but, the batteries are dead. Here’s an easier way. Stud 4 Sure uses two incredibly powerful magnets that stick to metal like a cheap suit on a used car salesman. Easily finds metal studs behind drywall – even sticks to screws and nails hidden below drywall so you can locate wooden studs as well. No batteries ever needed and it’ll stick to the top of your metal toolbox so you don’t have to go digging every time you need to find a stud. Made in USA.

This can be purchased online here

Maggie challenged us to find our favorite product description at Duluth Trading. What's yours?

Our Day

2008-02-25T17:34:00.000-06:00

I am preparing a small presentation as a get-to-know you exercise in my communications class. Everyone is encouraged to showcase a website they like and I figured my blog would show off blogging and show my class a little more about myself. Hello Classmates!