The Not-So-Desperate Housewife

Money, Money, Money

2012-02-13T22:28:00.000-05:00

Daniel and I talk about money all. the time. We enjoy talking about ways to cut corners, how much money we can save, how much we can put towards our land debt, and living well below our means. Before, when we were just learning about Dave Ramsey, it was just a way to pay off our debt and save for a house, but it has turned into our lifestyle. After looking at our spending habits, we squandered money away on things that aren't important. We've learned to appreciate our possessions and learned true contentment with our life. I've learned I am not what I drive, what I wear, or where I live.

At work, Daniel has been called a tightwad. People just don't understand the purpose behind penny pinching and watching where every dollar goes in today's high-consumption driven society. After saving for and building a home, our main goal is freedom. Financial freedom. You see, when you have to depend on each and every paycheck... you are a slave to your job. When you borrow money you are slave to the lender. You work for them. You work for the credit card company you borrow from, or the bank. If you were financially independent you probably wouldn't stay in a miserable job in a hostile work environment, either. You're free! You work for you.

I'm reading The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Dr. Thomas J. Stanley and Dr. William D. Danko. It is an enlightening book recommended and often quoted by Dave Ramsey. Do you want to know the surprising secret of America's millionaires? They are "fugal, frugal, frugal." Dr. Stanley and Dr. Danko give a different definition of wealthy that varies from the traditional Webster's version and it goes like this:

Ask the average American to define the term wealthy. Most would give the same definition found in Webster's. Wealthy to them refers to people who have an abundance of material possessions. We define wealthy differently. We do not define wealthy, affluent, or rich in terms of material possessions. Many people who display a high-consumption lifestyle have little or no investments, appreciable assets, income-producing assets, common stocks, bonds, private businesses, oil/gas rights, or timber land. Conversely, those people whom we define as being wealthy get much more pleasure from owning substantial amounts of appreciable assets than from displaying a high-consumption lifestyle.

I also liked the expression "big hat, no cattle" in the book from a successful Texan.

[My] business does not look pretty. I don't play the part . . . don't act it.... When my British partners first met me, they thought I was one of our truck drivers.... They looked all over my office, looked at everyone but me. Then the senior guy of the group said, "Oh, we forgot we were in Texas!" I don't own big hats, but I have a lot of cattle.

Total Money Makeover and The Millionaire Next Door have converted Daniel and me from spending money frivolously to learning the value of a dollar. These books have changed our lives for the better.

Birthday Parties And Wedding Showers

2012-02-12T18:35:00.002-05:00

My sweet, sweet nephew, Parker, is one year old today! Parker's dad had his birthday party yesterday and early this morning Parker went back to his mom, Courtney, to celebrate his birthday with her family.

We had a great time opening presents, eating cake and ice cream, and watching the birthday boy run wild. A few of Dan's cousins came to the party as well. It's always fun to see them.

My nephew riding in the car to go to his dad's house.

All of his presents and balloons!

Parker's personal birthday cake.

The adult birthday cake. It was strawberry and yummy!

It is time to open presents...

Time to eat cake! He knew exactly what to do and dove right in.

This picture of Parker makes me laugh.

We only get to see our nephew once a month for a couple days due to the current temporary custody agreement, so we try to spend as much time as possible with him. He is the only baby I've ever really been around and he sometimes makes me want kids of my own right now, other times he makes me want to wait. Ha!

Our friend's wedding shower was at her church today from 2-4. Daniel and I are in their upcoming wedding on March 10th and we can't wait! She had a fabulous turnout for the shower. She's going to have to register for more items -- she received three toaster ovens! I guess that's what gift receipts are for...

The beautiful bride-to-be opening shower gifts.

The bride with her many present-opener helpers.

This is a random picture I took of Deuce sleeping on Daniel's lap today. We were on the computer checking our credit report because I'm paranoid of identity theft, of course.

Come And Gone - Curacao

2012-02-11T23:34:00.002-05:00

Our final cruise port was Curacao on Friday, February 3rd. We rode the bus (more like shuttle van) to the Breezes SuperClub Resort and purchased a day pass and it was ah-mazing! The pass was $79 per person and included all you can drink and eat, all water sports involving catamarans, snorkeling, oversized pedal boats and scuba diving. Daniel snorkeled and said it was great, much better than the snorkeling we paid to do in the Dominican Republic. They also had a "circus trampoline," but unfortunately the times of operation were later in the afternoon when our cruise was leaving Curacao. The beach, water sports, pools and bars never seemed crowded and there was plenty of room to move about.

The all-inclusive drinks were pretty awesome. They used top shelf liquors. Pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris were continuously flowing. You could double the liquor in your drink. Drinks were easy to order and quick to be served. It was way beyond my expectations.

Dan and I just planned on the two of us spending the day at Breezes, but by the end of the week we had six other people from the cruise ship going there as well. Our dinner friends, the Canadians (Mike and Kim), and an older couple we kept running into at every port. I guess there's not many excursions offered in Curacao?

The walk to the bus station took longer than anticipated, partly due to the distance we had to walk and the pace of people in our group. The Canadians were dragging. Oh well, we found the shuttles and it only cost $1.50 to get to the hotel.

The following pictures we taken on our last two days at sea. On Saturday we slept all day long and only left our room to eat and go to a couple of comedy shows at night. We were exhausted from the four consecutive days at ports and caught a little too much sun in Curacao. We just relaxed!

This cute guy was left in our room.

On Sunday we watched the Super Bowl here. We sat with the older couple we met during our Dominican Republic excursion and they gave us some great seats. This is also the room, called "Mad Hatters Ball," where we watched all the comedy shows. The Carnival crew set up a buffet of sandwiches, egg rolls, chicken nuggets, and a few other finger foods. It was really nice. The only disappointment was missing our dinner in the formal dining room. I didn't get to say goodbye or exchange information with our new found friends.

While packing up, this frog kept us company.

We are beyond blessed to be able to take a vacation like this. I really appreciate my husband working so hard and making it possible for us to travel. I love you Dan. Thank you so much.

In other news, my nephew's first birthday party was today! Pictures will come tomorrow. Also, Whitney Houston died today at the age of 48.

Come And Gone - Aruba

2012-02-10T13:18:00.000-05:00

We arrived in Aruba on February 2nd and were in port from noon until 11:30PM. We didn't have an excursion planned and decided a beach day would suit us better. From cruisecritic.com, I learned the bus system was simple to use, dependable, and cheap. So our day started with trying to locate the bus station and making our way to the high-rise hotels on Palm Beach.

It is a short walk from where the boat is docked. Once we exited the port, we took our first right and the bus station was on our left. A round trip ticket is $1.30pp and we arrived at Palm Beach in about 15 minutes.

We hopped off at the bus stop near the Occidental Grand Aruba. We walked in between two hotels and when we reached the beach, this pier was in front of us.

To the right we found two places renting beach chairs for approximately $8 per person. We decided to keep walking, we didn't want to spend that much for chairs, and made our way down until we were in front of the Hyatt, where there was an abundance of empty chairs spread all over the hot sand. There were even tall stacks of Hyatt beach chairs parked at different places closer to the hotel, but still on the beach. So we just plunkered down in a chair, waiting for someone to tell us to move, but no one did. We looked for hotel guests wearing bracelets or anything to identify them by but never saw the like of any such material.

Cactus grew in an abundance! It was beautiful.

Our beach chairs sat in between two beach bars on small piers. We had a pina colada and sat on wooden stools overlooking the ocean.

The view in the beach bar.

We sunbathed for a few hours, until we had to pack up and leave for the ship to meet our table mates and friends at 5 o'clock.

The pool at the Hyatt.

Getting ready to go to downtown Oranjestad, Aruba.

The cruise port offered a shuttle to take to to the exit of the port because of how far down our boat was docked.

From left to right: Mike, Kim, Me, Daniel, Lance, and Ashley (table mates)

Where we ended the night in Aruba.

Come And Gone - Dominican Republic

2012-02-09T19:42:00.003-05:00

The second port our cruise visited was La Romana, Dominican Republic on February 1st. We booked an excursion through the highly recommended (by cruisecritic.com and tripadvisor) Seavis Tour. During the tour we saw the rocks of Penon, cruised through the mangroves, lunched/snorkeled at Catuano Beach on Saona Island, and spent some time at the sand bar, otherwise known as "Piscina Natural."

I'm usually an easy person to please, but this tour left some things to be desired. The hard, plastic, tiny seats on the boat were very uncomfortable and this wouldn't be a problem if the majority of the tour wasn't spent on the boat. Also, we had to wear life jackets. I'm all for safety, but when I'm crammed into a tiny bench seat with my husband, beach bag, towels, camera, and the sun is blazing, the last thing I want shoved in my face is a large, scratchy life vest. Daniel and I also wished we could have spent more time at the sand bar as opposed to the Catuano Beach. The beach didn't offer good snorkeling conditions as boats motored around constantly and the strong current wasn't making snorkeling any easier. I know what Daniel will most remember about this tour... they ran out of beer. When we pay $165 for an excursion that includes alcohol, we expect the rum and beer to be a flowin'. Unfortunately, the beer didn't last an hour.

On the positive side, our tour guide was very informative, the weather was great, the water was beautiful, and we made it back to the cruise ship on time (something forums had me a little worried about.)

The view from Seavis Tour's office.

We thought it was going to be a rainy day, but it turned out to be beautiful.

Our very informative tour guide.

The mangroves.

Frigatebirds protecting their nest.

Crammed into the boat and crammed into our life vests.

Catuano Beach

Heading to the sand bar.

Ahh! Paradise. My favorite place all week.

While Dan was snorkeling, he came across two huge starfishes.

A sea cucumber

Next stop: Aruba!

Come And Gone - Grand Turk

2012-02-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

Our first port-of-call was Grand Turk on Tuesday, January 31st. This day was going to be stress free travel-wise because the Carnival owned cruise port features a long beach that is located right off the dock. No worrying about planning an excursion or grabbing a taxi because this port provides free beach access, free beach chairs, and free pool access.

It was a beautiful, picturesque day. The blue salt water, highlighted by the huge cruise ships, was a sight to see.

After disembarking, we headed down the beach to grab some beers and our free rum shot from Jack's Shack. Throughout the day we hit about every beach bar trying to find the cheapest local beer. We even tried the swim up bar at Margaritaville and unfortunately ended up paying $10 a piece for a very tiny pina colada.

On our way down the beach, another local bar was handing out a listing of their specials.

Finally, we made it to Jack's Shack. The owner was still setting up, so we just settled for two locals beers and decided we'd come back later for our free rum shot.

The huge Margaritaville pool was beautiful.

The local beer was Turk's Head.

The beach was packed by mid-day.

At the Margaritaville swim up bar getting swindled.

We saw Carnival performing a life boat drill.

Also in port was the European based cruise liner Costa.

The view of Grand Turk Cruise Center from lido deck.

Grand Turk was an easy, smooth, first port. It was one of my favorites of the week.

Come and Gone - Ft. Lauderdale and Fun Day at Sea

2012-02-07T23:37:00.001-05:00

Well our 10 day adventure from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl to the caribbean has come to an end. We had a blast and were sad to see it come and go but happy to get home to Sambu and Deuce. I didn't blog my vacation countdown anymore because I didn't want to announce to the world that our house would be vacant. We did have a friend stopping by daily to feed the cats and Dan's parent's checked on the house twice, but for most part, it was unoccupied. I try to keep personal details private and I don't believe anyone I know reads my blog because I don't advertise it on any outlets such as facebook, twitter, or even by word of mouth, but it is still better to err on the side of caution.

We flew out from Atlanta on Saturday to Ft. Lauderdale with the low budget airline, Spirit. The cost per person round trip was $99, but they charge for carry-on and checked-luggage and have a weight limit of 40 pounds for checked bags. I read many complaints online about the weight requirement, but personally, I found it beneficial because I was forced to pack light and leave any unnecessary clothing behind. What helped me when I was packing, I wrote down what I would be wearing every day (mostly bathing suits and a cover-up) and what outfit I would wear to dinner. It really saved me! Then I packed a pair of black heels, a pair of sandals, and a pair of flip-flops that coordinated with the outfits, and viola... I met the 40lb requirement with still a few pounds to spare.

Dan and I only carried checked luggage so we pre-purchased our bags online with Spirit, which was cheaper than paying for it when we arrived at the airport. Out flight left on time and we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and waited for an hour in the hot sun for our free hotel shuttle to the Holiday Inn in Hollywood, Fl. It finally arrived and we checked into the hotel and made our way across the street to the closest restaurant, Denny's. We never eat there, but it was really good! We went to the gas station for some beer, came back to the hotel room to put on our bathing suits and headed for the pool. Later that night we walked maybe 3/4ths of a mile to some nearby shops and ate at TGIFridays. We've never been there before and found out their peanut butter pie is oh-so-delicious, I seriously had a dream about it that night!

The next day we boarded our free 10AM shuttle from the hotel to Port Everglades. We waited in line for a few short minutes and made our way to the front desk. We were given a zone number and maybe 15 minutes later (sometime around 11AM) we were onboard the Carnival Miracle. The day started off cloudy, but it didn't matter to us. We were just glad to be caribbean bound.

Before being able to check into our stateroom we ate Japanese food, drank the drink of the day and found our way around the ship.

We chose an "obstructed view" stateroom. It is closer in price to an inside stateroom, as opposed to a balcony room, but much bigger and it has french doors that can open to the outside. Only the majority of our view is a lifeboat with a few inches of the ocean in sight. But I love it. Our room was 4120.

After checking in, we played 9 holes of miniture golf (Dan won), did our muster drill, watched us sail away from Ft. Lauderdale, ate dinner (and met our awesome table mates), then went to bed.

Monday was our "fun day at sea" which was spent eating, lounging, and getting some sun. It was also the first formal night.

To clarify: that's my martini - not Dan's!

We were really excited about our first port-of-call, Grand Turk! I'll post about it tomorrow!

*I spent today cleaning the house. Dan went to order a new boat cover and then went looking for deer antlers in the woods. When he came home from the woods he had these in his hand. He put them in a found mason jar and everything!

It Is Here!

2012-01-26T13:49:00.002-05:00

My Vera Wang Diana dress arrived today via UPS from having it clean and preserved. I knew from the tracking number it was coming today and was going to have to stay at the house because it required a signature. That put a little cramp in my day because I need to run some errands before we leave for vacation, but luckily I didn't have to wait long - it came around noon!

The box was huge and heavy!

This box was inside the brown box. I'm planning on keeping everything in this box because it has a handle.

A box within a box within a box...

These are the contents inside: a letter, gloves, some information about the cardboard box leaving little flurries around, and my invoice sheet. I was a little disappointed that the letter wasn't regarding the alterations I had them do or letting me know if they were able to fix some of the problems (stains, fabric pick) I marked with their 'stain stickers' before I shipped it to them. It was all general information. It doesn't even mention the clear gloves in the packet, maybe I'm missing a sheet?

I went into the bedroom to try to open the box and locked the cats out so hair wouldn't get on my dress. But it is so tight I wasn't able to open it. I'll just have to wait until Dan gets home to help me. I'll know whether I approve of Wedding Gown Preservation Co. when I see the hemline of my dress. It looked horrible and still had leaves in it went I shipped it.

Last night Dan put together the cat condo that we ordered off overstock.com. I've tried to wait as close as possible to let the cats have it before we leave for vacation. It is huge and Sambu and Deuce love it. I put it in front of a window so they can perch and look out. It was easy to assemble and seems sturdy. It had two play mice attached to it with stretchy strings, but I woke up this morning to find one on the floor. Sambu was addicted to the mice and kept trying to run away with one in his mouth. The only problem last night was I noticed Sambu's mouth was bleeding and I looked in his mouth and his tooth has broken at the gum line! I looked again and the tooth was missing and I keep trying to look today and he won't let me. We initially thought he hurt his mouth on the box the jungle gym came in. It had staples on the corners, but after watching Sambu grab the mice with his mouth and take off, the tethered string would pull back with so much force we figured thats how it happened.

His vet appointment is tomorrow at 11:45. I want to get it checked out before our trip.

I took these pictures today:

**Update: Dan and I took Sambu to his vet appointment and his mouth looked fine. No broken teeth! The vet said his adult teeth were coming in and he was bound to loose his baby teeth. Sambu most likely swallowed it which would explain why I never found the tooth.

Better Late Than Never

2012-01-23T23:38:00.002-05:00

We received a wedding gift from some of Dan's extended family today, seven months after we said "I do." It was really thoughtful of them to still try to get the gift to us. Supposedly the gift givers thought we would be at a reunion that we didn't make it to and I'm still not 100% sure how the gift fell into my mother-in-law's hands. So after having our friends over tonight for cheeseburgers, chips, and drinks Dan and I decided to see what the mysterious, long-awaited gift contained.

Deuce was ready to go! He ripped the bow off!

It's a really sweet casserole dish! Deuce and Sambu had fun ripping up wrapping and tissue paper. They are entertained by anything.

On Sunday Dan's mom and I went to a baby shower at the church. The mom-to-be is expecting a girl due February 28th. How exciting! There was a great turn out and she is definitely set for her new baby girl.

Thursday Happenings

2012-01-19T23:22:00.000-05:00

The day started off with Sambu and Deuce scratching at the door at 4:00AM and I couldn't get back to sleep until 6:00AM. Then I had to get up at 6:30AM to wash my hair. Again. Twice within a 10 hour period. I tried something new last night after my mom convinced me to put coconut oil on my hair. She told me the wonders it has done for her hair after learning about it on Dr. Oz. So of course it would make my hair silky, shiny, and smooth. I decided to go ahead and wash my hair before bed so I wouldn't have to wash it early in the morning before the substitute teaching workshop. When I got out of the shower last night my hair was greasy to say the least. It was so oily it wouldn't even dry with the hair dryer. It stayed in clumps and looked disgusting, but after spending the time to washing it, rinsing it repeatedly, trying to dry it, I was exhausted and just ready for bed. This morning was a success on the hair front though. I only shampooed and was able to get more of the coconut oil out.

I went to the substitute teaching workshop at the district office from 8:30AM to 11:30AM. They had a breakfast for the 15-20 applicants consisting of apple fritters, chex mix, fruit, coffee, soft drinks and water. School administrators came to speak at the workshop from different schools explaining their usual routine for substitutes. We went over the sheets in a folder we were given and I also filled out my I-9, W-4 and preferred schools sheet. I'm hoping to sub at the elementary grade level.

I came home to Daniel cutting the grass and getting rid of the leaves. We went to the grocery store, watched tv, and headed over to another couple's house for dinner. Amanda made her special sweet meatloaf made with brown sugar, and also had green beans, potatoes, and croissants. She did too much. Hanging out with them and their two kids is always a blast. Amanda, her husband and their kids always keep me laughing.

Happy 7 Month Anniversary

2012-01-18T22:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Daniel,

You make the absolute best husband. We have an amazing relationship, I just don't know how it could get any better. You are the hardest worker I've ever seen and you support me in anything I dream to do. I'm excited about our future together... babies (hopefully), friends, church, vacations and building a home together (and living frugal, building wealth, and changing our family tree!!)

These seven months of marriage have been an absolute blessing. I've learned that growing up is hard to do but being married to you is just easy. I don't know what I've ever done to deserve you but I am oh so thankful.

You are what I aspire to be, always carrying yourself with such integrity, loyalty and solidness. You are the model son, brother, friend, (husband, of course!) and uncle.

You are so great with our nephew I can't wait to see you as a father.

I love you, Dan, and I am so excited about what our future holds, for better or worse, for richer or poorer and in sickness and in health.

Love,

Jen

Jungle Gym

2012-01-17T19:53:00.006-05:00

Dan and I bought this jungle gym by GoPetClub last night from overstock.com. At overstock.com this was priced at $101 with free shipping, then we got $10 off because of being first time customers! I think it is a great deal and I even saw it priced higher at amazon.com. We are hoping it is shipped to us before we leave for our cruise so the kitties' jungle gym will keep them occupied and not so sad from their missing parents.

I've looked at cat trees at Petsmart for wayy more. I don't know how the quality will vary, but I'm just wanting something tall enough for the cats to be able to look out the window and something that will not fall over.

I've also purchased four more of these cat cubes.

Sambu and Deuce have always had one since I got them at 8 weeks old. They connect so hopefully they will enjoy this along will all of their new small play toys I've bought for them. They are not getting any of this until the day before we fly out.

Dan and I are really looking forward to our vacation, but the only things that will keep me from fully enjoying everything are my cats.

It was an unfortunate turn of events for the passengers aboard the Costa Concordia on Friday, January 13, 2012 when the ship hit rocks and then partially sank. My thoughts and prayers go out to those people.

I've Got Mail

2012-01-14T16:57:00.003-05:00

Yesterday the school district sent me a letter in the mail stating that I could attend the substitute teaching workshop next Thursday. I couldn't believe the day after I emailed my application they sent me mail the very next day! The letter listed paperwork I needed to have complete or bring to the workshop including a tuberculosis test, driver's license, social security card, I-9 form, and my diploma. I don't think I've ever been asked by an employer to actually see my diploma, so I'll have to make a trip to my parent's house to try and find it.

I also made an appointment for my TB test yesterday and they were able to work me in that day at 5:45. Score! So Dan drove me to my appointment then we went to Outback where we still had a gift card from Christmas.

We shared a blooming onion, ribeye and garlic mash potatoes, and a brownie with ice cream.

A good bit of yesterday was spent printing out information on our cruise ports. It wore poor little Sambu and Deuce out.

They love each other.

After Outback we went to Daniel's parent's house to wait on them to get back from picking up our nephew from his mom in Atlanta. They didn't get home until around 11 that night. We stayed up with the baby until about 1 am. It was wayyy past his bedtime.

Random Musings From A Regular Thursday

2012-01-12T21:10:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up at 7:15am to two little kitties scratching at my door. Daniel came home from work around 8:30am. I put a pot roast in the crock pot and cleaned the bathroom tub, with my new favorite cleaning product, (besides Clorox wipes) AJAX. I washed some dishes, tucked Dan into bed, and went for a little jog. More like walk. It has been a few weeks since I've made any attempt at exercise so I wanted to start off slow. I'm still coughing alot and didn't know if running in the cold would make it any worse. It didn't.

I came home and hopped on the couch by 10am. I got on the computer for a bit reading blogs that I love and in the meantime managed to completely change my blog's layout. So after getting that straightened out, I called the local school district to inquire about a position as a substitute teacher. I missed the deadline to apply for the upcoming training session but they said it was fine and to go ahead and send in my application. The training session isn't full, but it's next Thursday so I hopefully everything will be in place for me to make it. I think someone is suppose to call me to set up an interview, but if I don't hear anything by Tuesday, I'm calling them. I finished the book "Wicked Appetite," took a shower, made tea, washed more dishes and by 4:50pm crawled into bed with Daniel for a little snuggle time.

Dan and I ate pot roast at 5:15pm, I packed his lunchbox for work tonight, and he was out the door by 6pm.

I read in the Bible from Leviticus 13 - 24 and now I'm in my pajamas in bed listening to the loud wind whistling at my windows.

I'm looking forward to the weekend because Daniel is off and I get to see my nephew and brother-in-law.

I've Been Blogged And My Bad Hair Day

2012-01-11T22:09:00.003-05:00

Derek Olson with Two Ring Studios dropped me a line today letting me know that our wedding has been blogged! Exciting. I'd been worried as to why they hadn't posted our wedding to their blog. "Did they not like our wedding... did I offend them... did they not think us worthy?" all ran through my mind. I am a worrier to say the least. While looking through the pictures on their blog I came to one of my least favorite pictures of my big day.

The reason that I despise this picture is because there is something about my wedding that makes me cringe and I feel horrible about saying this because every person who was trying to make my day wonderful truly succeeded, BUT.....

I hated my hair.

It was suppose to look like this (no kidding, these are pictures I showed the stylist):

I was shooting for Victoria's Secret fashion model hair. Isn't everyone?

And looked like this during the trial-run months before our wedding:

I loved it. My hair was full and curls were actually staying-put. This hair style lasted until late at night, but I had to wash it before bed because of a brown hair product that was coming off onto everything and I didn't want it on my sheets.

My hair started off looking like this on my wedding day:

But by the reception it looked like this, and I still cringe when I see it:

My wretched-looking hair is the result of:
- Me washing it the morning of my wedding day
- Not letting the stylist add this brown powder to my hair (she did it during the trial-run) for fear that it would get on my gown, veil, and hair sash
- Being in the rain for a few minutes during my pre-ceremony pictures
- The humidity following shortly after the rain resulting in my once teased up hair falling flat into knots upon my crown

Funny thing is, Daniel and my family went out for lunch the following day and I saw the stylist and she asked across the dining room if my hair stayed. I told her it did...

Seriously, on a bad day my hair doesn't look this horrible. Luckily there are only a few shots of the back of my head.

Engagement Pictures in Clemson

2012-01-09T10:32:00.000-05:00

Here are some engagement pictures taken in October of 2010 at the Clemson Stadium. I miss being in Clemson so much. The entire town of Clemson radiates at a different frequency than any other place I've ever been. You can feel it in your veins when you walk the streets of downtown.

Clemson will always be a part of me. It is where I met my husband, my best friends, and where I learned the most. It is where I hope my family spends many tailgates out in the hot southern sun, where my children will never miss a home football game, and my where children will experience the same life altering events as their mother and father.

"Yes, there's something in these hills where the blue ridge yawns its greatness."

Battle of the Bulge

2012-01-08T13:18:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken last night and it is an embarrassing (and grainy) picture of my flabby belly. What happened? Oh, being an exercise un-enthusiast, added with a low-impact job of a housewife is what happened. I'm by no means overweight, but I'm getting to the age where the weight doesn't come off as easily as it once did when I was a couple years younger. I've always carried my weight in my mid-section and I really need to get it under control now, before it becomes a bigger problem later.

I need to start getting back into my jogging routine. The cold weather has really hindered my afternoon jog. When I run in this cold my nose starts running, my throat starts burning, and my ears, from my ipod earbuds, start hurting. And it doesn't help that it's dark by 5:30. It's so much easier to lay on the comfy couch under a nice, warm blanket.

I also use to go to aerobics twice a week with Daniel's mom, but since Daniel's brother is going through a divorce and having other issues we have since stopped going. It is no excuse, though. The aerobics is free(!!) and fun. It always made it easier for me to go when I went with Daniel's mom because I didn't want her to be disappointed in me for bailing out.

Hopefully, my cold I've been dealing with for the past week will go away even more, and I'll finally get my feet to the pavement.

I took this weird picture of Sambu yesterday.

The cats can make anything out of a toy, especially this brown paper bag.

I'm In Love, Yall

2012-01-06T18:29:00.000-05:00

I'm in love with my husband. Truly, madly, deeply. Quit gagging, I know. I don't know if this feeling wears off, but I've been with Dan for over four years and it has never faded. Granted, when we lived two hours apart the year before we were married it was really hard for me. Sometimes we would go weeks without seeing each other because of conflicting work schedules, and the romance wasn't exactly kicking since we were both living with our parents.

But gosh, after our one hour spent together today before Dan had to go into his night shift, we just had fun. He really makes me laugh, he's hot, and he's smart. I started to cry when he was getting in the car to go to work. ::Drama Queen!:: I haven't been able to talk for the past few days because of my sore throat, but today I finally got my voice and my personality back and man, we just clicked.

A news story broke a couple days ago about a young girl living by herself and having to shoot someone breaking into her house with a shot gun. This led me to want to want to know how to use Dan's guns. Sometimes I have stay alone at night depending on Daniel's work schedule, so it is imperative that I have access and know how to use a gun. So tonight I had Dan give me another quick lesson to brush up on my skills in case I ever need them, and we just had a really good time and I think we were a little flirtatious with each other? But anyway, I'm paranoid that the shotgun and automatic we have are too complicated for me compared to a simple revolver. It probably will surprise you that I have a concealed weapons permit. And yes, I did take a course and had to shoot at a target. But I forget things.

Pure Agony

2012-01-05T18:56:00.000-05:00

My throat and body has been in absolute sheer pain since late Monday night. I didn't get out of bed from Monday night until Wednesday night, when I had to go to Dan's parents house to watch the embarrassing blowout West Virginia performed against Clemson.

Monday morning at 4:15am I took a shower, minus the soap. Just soaked under the hot water since I was feeling chilly. I couldn't sleep and Dan was on night shift, so he couldn't keep me warm and that's the only reason why I know what time I took a shower (because I sent a text telling him.) But he was so awesome that after working 12 long hours he went to Walmart and two different CVS pharmacies to find me the right medicines: Tylenol Cold Sore Throat, Hall's Cough Drops, and Theraflu Warming Relief Flu & Sore Throat.

I haven't been able to hug, kiss, or have a real conversation with my husband since Monday night. I miss him. And I haven't been able to talk, sing, or dance with my poor Sambu and Deuce. And my New Year's resolution of working out at least every other day is going down the drain.

I'm very pitiful and dramatic.

But I took a shower today with soap, put on different clothes, and changed the germ-infested bed sheets with some fresh.
I hope by Saturday I feel back to normal and I pray Dan doesn't get sick.

26 Days..

2012-01-02T19:37:00.000-05:00

...Until we cruise. Wow, time really flies. My research has been slacking on our vacation. I know what Dan and I will be doing in Grand Turk (Margaritaville!) and the Dominican Republic (Seavis Tours!), but I am still behind on having plans locked-in for Aruba, Curacao, and our hotel stay in Fort Lauderdale.

Rated by tripadvisor.com the #1 thing to do in Aruba is Eagle Beach.

Voted as one of the top 10 beaches in the caribbean, Eagle Beach could be considered paradise. And as an added bonus, it's free! We could always catch a cab and be beach bums for the day.

The #8 attraction is the Natural Pools, which is what I'm really interested in. Looks beautiful.

I've read you need to be in a 4X4 to reach the pools because of the rocky, desert like terrain. Also, I've read where they're overrated. Not sure if I'll get to see them.

But on Cruise Critic forums people are writing about taxi tours. Having been on taxi tours in Honduras, St. Kitts, and St. Martin, I know you can get a lot of bang for your buck. You get to visit lots of different places, have knowledgeable tour guides, and someone is always there to take your picture. The foremost talked about tour guides are Bully and Sonny. I've emailed Bully and he's booked, but he did refer me to Ivan, in which I'm now in the process of waiting for his, as well as Sonny's, response to my inquiries on their availability. I've also contacted Cerry and he's booked too! Taxi tours must be the thing to do in Aruba.

We'll just have to wait and see.

All that's left Curacao and our Fort Lauderdale hotel.

Resolutions

2011-12-31T12:37:00.000-05:00

My New Year's Resolutions are as follows:

Read the Bible to its entirety

I'm on Exodus, I just hope I can keep going.

Run more

I run sporadically to say the least. I need to be more consistent and shoot for every other day.

Get preggers

In April or May, of course.

Talk less

I talk too much. I never think before I speak and my mind and mouth don't always match. I just run at the mouth saying nothing of substance 95% of the time. I need to quit my word vomit.

Avoid getting intoxicated and embarrassing myself

I'm the biggest light-weight ever. A glass of wine... does me in. But if I get pregnant in April I only have to worry about this resolution for a few months. Score.

Be a better wife

I want to kiss more, hug more, and cuddle more. I'm always too worried about my breath stinkin' or my black eyeliner smearin'. I'm really going to regret that one day.

Chill out

I don't think I have every truly relaxed for an entire day. My thoughts are always racing and it's miserable. I need to chill out.

Pay off the land

We owe $14,004.06. We can knock this out.

I'm excited to see what in store in 2012 for Daniel and me.

On another note, Dan and I spent most of yesterday at my in-laws playing with our adorable nephew. He is 10 months old and gets to spend Christmas through Jan 1st at his grandparents with his dad.

It was just suppose to be Dan's immediate family having dinner together and hanging out. But it turned into me, Dan, his parents, Nathan, Mary Ella, Grandma Brown, Steve and Debbie. It was a full house.

Wait-Listed

2011-12-29T18:45:00.000-05:00

I applied to vet school twice. I was wait-listed twice. I thought I was a shoe-in. Good grades, great recommendations, enough experience, and God's will. I'd thought about that day, when my acceptance or rejection letter would come. I thought about it for years. I knew I would just break down and die if I wasn't accepted. I knew it was in my blood to be a veterinarian and I knew I could not be anything else. I was never a kid that didn't have their life already mapped out. I was going to be a veterinarian for cats, dogs, and horses. I wanted to be on call 24/7 and I was going to own my practice. I wanted to save lives and turn no one away.

But the reality is, it wasn't meant to be. No, it wasn't. I was never given a definitive answer on my acceptance. I was never given the courtesy of a rejection letter. You see, a wait-list letter is an "I Don't Know, You'll Just Have To Wait And See" letter. A wait-list letter means you are put on a list, and depending where your name is on that list and how many other candidates decline their acceptance, you may or may not get in. I had to wait until the vet school's term started to figure out I was not accepted, as the rest of my colleagues began the first day of the rest of their lives without me.

But I didn't "break down and die," as I thought I would. I applied again. I was wait-listed again. I worked at another vet office, which most of the time was an emergency only clinic, and decided I didn't like working there, at all. I don't think it was necessarily the veterinary medicine aspect of it, so much as the I-have-to-turn-away-crying-kids-and-dying-animals-because-they-can't-pay part of it.

Dan took me for dinner following a shift one night and I cried. The. Entire. Time. And it was because how horrible I felt for people who were unable to pay for their animals to have treatment during an emergency life or death situation. I hated turning people away. So he told me to quit, it wasn't worth it. And here I am as a housewife.

Being a veterinarian didn't work out for me but ~~I believe~~ I know God has another, greater, plan for me.

I'm really thankful I won't have $100,000 in debt waiting on me after completion of vet school. Silver lining to every cloud, right?

Financial Peace

2011-12-27T19:00:00.000-05:00

It was about this time last year when my husband turned me on to Dave Ramsey. He kept mentioning some financial guy he listened to on the radio on his way to work. Dan and I had a little money saved and we were trying to decide if we needed to keep saving or to put it to our debt. Daniel kept pushing for putting it to debt while I was more hesitant. I felt security with money in the bank. While we were in Books-A-Million, Daniel wanted to look at Total Money Makeover, a book written by this financial guru on the radio. I was still hesitant, not really interested in reading about stocks and investments, it was all too over my head.

Boy, was I wrong. We sat down in the book store, each with our own copy, and practically read the whole thing. It made sense. We needed to get rid of our debt. Fast. We've never had a substantial amount of debt by any means. Dan has always paid off the credit card each month and neither of us have car payments. But at this time we did have a personal loan for my engagement ring with a remaining balance of about 9,000 dollars. Ouch. We went home, thought about Dave Ramsey, talked about Dave Ramsey, read his website, and we decided we hated debt. We each received Total Money Makeover for Christmas. Dan was able to pay off the ring in three months. It felt amazing.

Dave's common sense approach to personal finance is all about getting out of debt and building wealth with the "7 Baby Steps,""Debt Snowball," and "living like no one else, so later you can live like no one else."

Dan and I currently live well below our means. And as of recently we are trying even harder to become more extreme with living below our means and becoming more frugal. It is worth it if we can save money to put towards our debt and eventually build wealth.

In the past year we have gotten off course with the debt snowball. Money went to the wedding and to our honeymoon and to moving in together. We went out to eat, shopped, and planned a cruise for January.

I'm making it sound worse than it really is though. The only debt we have is $15,004 for our 21 acres of land. For our wedding gift, my parents took over my student loan. What a blessing. We are eager to get this land paid off and start saving for a house. We want to put at least $100,000 down.

Sounds extreme, but I know we can do it.

Christmas is Ovah!

2011-12-26T19:37:00.002-05:00

Thank goodness. Like I said in my last post, Christmas would probably be nightmarish due to the traveling back in forth between cities and towns and families. And. It. Was. Definitely skipping some family next year.

We are more than blessed by our families. They are so good to us. Daniel's parents put money to our land debt and gave tools, gift cards, socks, underwear, candy, and Burts Bees chapstick. My parents gave us clothes, a sleeping bag, a Coach purse, money, lottery tickets, Coach wallet, and candy. My aunt and uncle on my mom's side gave me clothes and Daniel some Rainbow flip-flops. (Perfect for the cruise!) My grandparents gave us money. My brother and my other aunt and uncle gave us too much as well.

BUT we just couldn't enjoy it. We were too preoccupied with watching the clock, deciding when we needed to hit the road, and the anguish of having to ride in a car for so long, once again.

Christmas Eve at my grandmother's house. Nevermind that we were an hour and a half late.

Christmas Day at the Brown gathering.

Christmas Night at my parent's house. About to open gifts with our extended family.

My grandparent's opening the Shutterfly book.

About to open gifts with immediate family and my aunt and uncle from my Dad's side.

And finally, at 10:30pm, opening gifts with Dan's parents and brother.

Glad it is over.

Today was spent un-Christmasing the house. Decorations were minimal this year, so it didn't take too long. I was even able to break down the tree (by myself!), put it in its box, making it ready for next year.

I'm just thankful Dan and I were able to spend the entire holiday together.

Traveling Through The Holidays

2011-12-24T09:54:00.001-05:00

I must state this first: Daniel and I have never spent the entire day of Christmas Eve or Christmas Day together. Never. This will be our fifth Christmas as a couple. Daniel would usually just drive to my hometown on Christmas night. I've never been to any of his family's holiday gatherings, which sounds really of horrible of me. He sees his mother's side of the family on Christmas Eve and his father's side on Christmas Day.

This is going to make me sound even worse: We only do get togethers with my mother's side of the family (except with my aunt and uncle on Dad's side), so I see the exact same people on Christmas Eve and Day.

Why couldn't I make it to one of his family's get-togethers for the past four years, you ask? If you only knew my family and how disappointed they would be if I wasn't there. My grandma asks repeatedly what my plans are months before Christmas. My mom asks every time I see her: "What time will we be there?" "You'll be there right?" The kicker this year was my grandma asking: "Will Daniel be able to make it?"

This year Dan and I decided we were going to be together, no matter what. As our first Christmas married, we know each other comes first before the rest of our extended family. The only problem is the two hour drive between our hometowns and the constant back and forth we are planning.

Christmas this year is going to be somewhat nightmarish on the traveling front. Last night, Daniel was home from work at 8:30pm and in bed by 10 o'clock. Then he had to wake up at 2:30am, drive 45 minutes to work, dress out and be in the shop by 4am this morning. Poor Dan, he didn't sleep well last night and is running on a few hours of sleep. He should get off at 2 o'clock this afternoon and be home by 3 o'clock and we will go straight to his parents house for their Christmas Eve gathering.

Then by 4 o'clock we'll drive two hours to my grandmother's house and eat with them. We will be an hour late, but hey, we're busting our chops here.

We'll leave there, drive the two hours back home and let Daniel get some sleep. (I'll also drive the entire time, so hopefully he can sleep then, too.) I'm hoping he will just sleep late on Christmas, maybe until 11 o'clock, I don't know if he'll want to go to church.

Then we will drive the 45 minutes to the family gathering on his dad's side and eat at 1 o'clock. Leave there by 3 o'clock and make it to my parent's house by 5 o'clock. Open presents, eat. Drive back home and Daniel has to be at work at 7 am the next morning.

Absolute nightmare, right? Luckily my spark plugs and wiring was all replaced on Wednesday for $200, so hopefully my car will get us everywhere safely.

Absolute nightmare.

Recap Of The Weekend

2011-12-21T19:30:00.000-05:00

This weekend was jam packed with events. Friday night (Dec 16th) was Daniel's coworker's get-together at Bruce and Alicia's house. There was a bonfire, drinking, and some good laughs. The only problem was the hour and 10 minute drive to get there.

The next day was a wedding at the Bleckley Inn in downtown Anderson. The bride and groom are high school friends of Daniel's and the groom was also a roommate of Daniel's in our college days. There was a great turn-out, lots of embarrassing dancing, and too much alcohol to go around. I even saw a beer funnel in the shape of a boob. That's what every wedding should have, right?

Oh, and yes, Daniel and I are wearing the same thing we wore to the wedding last weekend. Different crowd, same outfit.

During the giving of the bride they played the entire song of "Butterfly Kisses" while the bride stood next to her dad and the groom stood at the top of the stairs. The recessional song was Carolina's fight song... give me a break.

More of Daniel's high school friends. They are the sweetest girls.

Take notice of the same outfits.

Daniel's cousin Drew. He took us home at the end of the night after too much partying.

Daniel and his Dad.

Daniel's high school friend's daughter.

Dan talking to the groom before they cut the cake.

She was at my wedding and everyone thought we were sisters. I love her.

The toss.

By far, the was the most entertaining garter removal I have ever witnessed. The groom and groomsmen danced freakishly awesome to different songs. One song was Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." Incredible.

More of Daniel's high school friends. I wish I would have grown up in his town. These people are a blast and always so welcoming to me.

Gotta love small town weddings.

Murphy's Law

2011-12-20T21:45:00.004-05:00

Driving to the Greenville Humane Society at 7:30 this morning, my car started shaking and having difficulties accelerating uphill. To make matters worse, my "Service Engine Soon" light, which is always on, started BLINKING. I had no idea it could blink. I don't care if my car was shooting fire, nothing was worse than the non-stop, terrifying blinking of that damn light. So, I pulled over, went to my trusty car manual, which gives the only advice of "get it serviced". Thanks. That's what the blinking "Service Engine Soon" light is also suggesting. I called Dan and pulled into Advanced Auto and they ran the diagnostics. My coolant temperature was low and cylinder 3 wasn't firing. Can you fix it?, I asked. "No." Will I make it the 40 minute drive back home? "Maybe."

I was able to drop the kitties off for their appointment and I was able to make it back home to the hometown mechanic. He told me there was an issue with a spark plug and all of my wiring was original and should probably be replaced. He told me it wasn't good to drive it but it should be fine to drive back to Greenville tonight to pick up Sambu and Deuce, but bring the car back tomorrow at 8:30 am and he'll work on it.

Next stop was the bank. On the 14th, Dan and I deleted a savings account (we have two) that doesn't have my name on it. No problems there. Five days later the account shows back up with $25. Come to find out, we have an automatic draft. So I'm dealing with the main lady at the bank and I get ready to sign off on the deleted account and notice she deleted the wrong savings account.

At 3:30 pm I left for Greenville. Luckily, I was able to pick up my newly neutered babies with no problems. They seem healthy, happy, and a little disoriented, but all is well. To have Sambu and Deuce neutered it cost $10 each. Ten dollars to neuter a male cat on Tom Cat Tuesdays at the Greenville Humane Society. That is amazing. I also purchased additional pain medications for each cat for $7 each, so in total, I walked away spending $34. WOW!

Got back and I was settling in for the evening and was going to turn on the Christmas tree and this is what I found:

I just knew the cats ripped out a wire. Great.

...But my hero came home from work and saved the day. Part of the tree just came unplugged.

Other highlights: I ran for exercise and our reservation is booked with Seavis Tours in the Dominican Republic for 2/1/2012.

When Best Friends Go To Work

2011-12-15T20:00:00.002-05:00

Ahhh... I miss Dan! Luckily this is his last night at work before he gets the weekend off. Woo Hoo! I always see alot less of Dan when he is working night shifts because he works 12 hours at night and sleeps 8 hours during the day. It only leaves an hour for dinner, catching up, and a few laughs.

On another note, the floors are vacuumed, the laundry complete, and the dishes clean. I guess there's more time for chores when my best friend is away.

Happy Birthday

2011-12-14T18:36:00.002-05:00

My brother is 28 today. Happy birthday, bro.

Dear Santa,

2011-12-13T20:30:00.000-05:00

I know I am probably on your naughty list this year due to my bridezilla actions before my wedding, my inability to know when to stop drinking, and my feverish gossiping, even when I'm in church. But maybe you will take into consideration the good I have done by having Sushi spayed and finding homes for her kittens, by not sending mean text messages to my soon to be ex-sister-in-law, and my preservence to be a good wife.

I have attached pictures and descriptions of the items I would like so it will not be confusing for your many hardworking elves.

1. 27-inch iMac

This is more of a necessity than a want because of the overflowing amount of pictures currently contained in my iPhoto. With twice as much memory than my current computer, my 30,331 pictures will not keep other programs from running slow. The 27-inch screen will allow for quicker editing and creating of photobooks which then can be gifted to friends and family.

2. Adobe Photoshop Elements 10

I've been wary of any Adobe Photoshop because of all the tutorials on YouTube and the unlimited amount of help information involving its features. If you need so many tutorials and help, it can't be user friendly. But people who have learned the program swear by it. I think it's time to bite the bullet and give Adobe Photoshop a try.

3. EOS Rebel Ti3 18-55mm IS II Kit

My current DSLR is the Canon EOS D60 that came out in 2002 (pictured below). It's time for an upgrade.

4. Devon Arched Mirror from Pottery Barn

I would like two of the arched mirrors from Pottery Barn to go over the suede couch in the living room. The mirrors would be facing a window and the light reflecting would be beautiful. I have not purchased these myself, Santa, because they are ridiculously overpriced at $599.

5. Photobooks

I still have two iPhoto photobooks and one Blurb book that needs purchasing. You would be an absolute doll if you could order these for me and pack 'em up in the sleigh.

Love,

Jenna

Singing Christmas Tree

2011-12-12T21:23:00.002-05:00

Tonight we attended the "The Gift of Christmas" otherwise known as the "singing Christmas tree" at our church. I'm not really a member of "our" church, yet, but that's another story for a different day. The Christmas tree is really a sight to see. It has between forty and fifty thousand lights that are computer controlled and change with the songs and sounds of the music. The church depicts acts from Bethlehem such as the classic nativity scene and the crucifixion. We've attended this show every year for the past three or four years. Daniel's dad sings in it and helps put together the tree. This year they shortened it (thank you, baby Jesus), no one passed out, and the fog machine was under control.

A few pictures from the night:

Waiting on Dan's mom to pick us up

You Look Wonderful Tonight

2011-12-11T14:41:00.001-05:00

Last night was my cousin's (second cousin, I think!) wedding in Charleston, SC. It was absolutely beautiful. She looked akin to Kate Middleton on her wedding day... graceful, elegant, and breathtaking. She has no siblings but shares a sister-like relationship with her first cousin who was her matron of honor. I am envious of their relationship as I have never had that bond with anyone other than my mother. I have no female cousins that I see on a regular basis or female siblings, so growing up I stuck to my mom like glue.

Anyway, the reception was a blast if only we could have stayed longer. My Dad proceeded to have wayy too much fun. My dad rarely drinks and when he does, it's light beer. He started last night off with liquor and it just went downhill from there. He was dancing with strangers and taking pictures of random people. It was hilarious, but needed to be stopped. The alcohol was flowing, the band was jamming, and we were heading to the parking garage.

During the small amount of time we were at the reception, Dan and I took pictures in a photobooth, drank booze, and ate shrimp and grits, chicken, beef, fried green tomatoes, and pasta. We watched the bride and groom dance their first dance to You Look Wonderful Tonight. Dan and I danced two dances and had to call it a night. We missed out on the cake cutting, garter/bouquet toss, and seeing them off at the end. All I can say is, it happens.

Custody Hearing

2011-12-09T20:24:00.001-05:00

My brother-in-law's custody hearing was this morning at 11:30 am. It was stressful, unfair, sad and too many lies were spoken. Lies involving my husband. Ridiculous and pathetic are two words I would use to describe my soon-to-be ex-sister-in-law. The judge asked the audience, which only consisted of family, who we were. I started to panic, worrying I was going to have to testify or say something of substance pertaining to the custody of my 10 month old nephew, but luckily, I did not.

My brother-in-law's lawyer seemed nervous. His young hands were shaking and he seemed unconfident and apprehensive when speaking with the judge. He had to tell Dan's brother to be quiet a few times and to stand if he wanted to address the judge.

But enough of that, it isn't my story nor my business to tell.

We are heading to Charleston tomorrow for my cousin's wedding. Pictures to come.

Nursery Obsessed

2011-12-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

I've started this new obsession with all things nursery. It must be said that I am not pregnant nor are we trying to become pregnant. But can anyone really put together their firstborn's bedroom in a matter of nine months? Yes, normal people can. Me, not so much. I'm too particular and obsessive. Once I have something in my mind it has to be a certain way.

For example, I searched, debated, and over-analyzed the champagne flutes for my wedding for months. I coveted the $375 Swarovski Crystalline Toasting Flutes and just had to have them as we would be toasted as man and wife and drink our first sips of champagne out of these most special glasses. But luckily, I found similar flutes for $29 from this site. But they weren't Swarovski and they weren't as shiny and they weren't as expensive. Everyone would know. But $375 for two glasses? C'mon, you didn't think I actually purchased them, did you?

Swarovski

Not Swarovski

Anyway, my time is now spent searching for the perfect furniture, bedding, mobiles, and wall decor. I have scoured for hours on end through pinterest looking for the ideal gender-neutral nursery theme. Not too babyish, in which he/she will grow out of it in a matter of months, and not too adult where he/she will be bored, just "sophisticated baby chic".

Of course, I know any theme where the words "sophisticated" or "chic" is anywhere near the title is a joke, and "sophisticated baby chic" is really just more of mere goal in which I will undoubtedly fall short.

I have found one mobile that I love (I think) and have started to try to make it on my own. I love the little houses and shadows it creates.

My version:

I didn't know I was so crafty either.

I'm loving this crib made by Baby's Dream, the Enchanted Collection, from Baby Plus Kids Furniture:

And this way too expensive Bratt Decor crib:

As of right now, I'm really liking brown and cream nurseries with hints of lime green.

And my most "gotta have it or I will just die" item? The Bellini baby cradle. *swoon*

Today Dan and I went to Baby Furniture Plus Kids and Buy Buy Baby. I still haven't found any furniture that I fell in love with in person, but I feel like the Baby Furniture Plus Kids store will be the place we end up buying from one day (hopefully). Buy Buy Baby has an awesome selection on everything. And yes, my husband is so awesome he will go baby furniture shopping with me even though we are not expecting. I have the best man in the world. (I love you Dan!)

Tomorrow is my brother-in-law's court date for the custody hearing. Fingers crossed everything goes well.

Hoarder

2011-12-07T15:36:00.001-05:00

Every since I met Daniel in September 2007 I've tried to collect a small memento from our dates, travels, and outings. Like, lots of small souvenirs. More on the lines of hoarding small remembrances of our time together. I use to collect every receipt ranging from our dinner dates to gas station receipts. I've slacked off since being engaged and definitely since being married. Like I've said before, I think I'm scared I'm going to forget something. I try to cling onto every last detail so the memories will never fade. One day, Dan and I will go through these boxes and smile, laugh, and remember.

My total collection, also entitled "The Daniel Box," is in three large plastic containers. My goal today? To downsize it to two containers. It's taking up way too much space, or maybe I just need a bigger house?

Box #1:

Yes, that is a Build-A-Bear birth certificate. And I love it.

Box #2:

Yes, that is some sort of skeletal remains.

And the big-daddy of them all, box #3:

Among the contents of The Daniel Box I found:

Turtle Shells
Football Ticket Stubs
Garter from my best friend's wedding (Dan caught the garter, I caught the bouquet)
>100 Coffee News editions
The skirt I was wearing when I met Daniel
The shirt I was wearing when Dan popped the question
The important Kroger, La Fogata, and Taco Bell receipts, among thousands of other sale slips
Hotel Keys
Birthday, Valentine's Day, and Christmas Cards
A July 2009 edition of South Carolina Sportsman in which our names are printed for coming in third place in a fishing tournament
My Mr. Bibb bobble head
Golf and bowling scorecards
Maps
Church Bulletins
Sea Shells
Dan's boutonniere from his brother's wedding
Messages that come with flowers
One of my fake ID's I used when I was under 21

Mission accomplished on downsizing. Things discarded were random bottles of lotions, a half empty bottle of Triple Sec, and three plastic "The Yard" drinking cups from Senior Frogs in Myrtle Beach and Cozumel (I saved one from Cozumel). I moved the contents from the blue bin to the extra space in the gray and clear containers. I also tried to neaten and organize as I went along.

Don't you just love productive days?

Christmas Tree Love

2011-12-04T17:40:00.001-05:00

It's been a lazy Sunday. Went to church and ate at Erskine College. Simple. Easy. Just relaxing with the husband. I love being with my little family of Daniel, Sambu, and Deuce. I think it's a bit abnormal that I want to spend every minute possible with Dan. Could it be the newlywed thing or maybe my husband is just that freaking awesome?

How about them tigers last night? Clemson dominated Virgina Tech, 38-10, in Charlotte for the ACC Championship. We ended up watching it at Trey's house and had a great time despite some loud, talkative drunks and a never ending game of catch with a dog.

I felt for the people trying to watch the game in Clemson. Reportedly, there was a power-outage due to a fire in substation, so most of the people in Clemson missed some of the game, if not all of it.

Deuce and Sambu are getting bigger by the second. They are feral beasts that think the Christmas tree was put up just. for. them.

Here are some of their adventures in the tree (pictures taken 11/28):

By the grace of God, (and the death grip the ornament hooks have on the limbs) only two ornaments have shattered all over the floor. At one point, it seemed like so many ornaments were falling off, I was sure the tree was throwing them.

A Small Town Parade

2011-12-03T13:37:00.001-05:00

I've been slack on my postings due to some family issues. Dan's brother is going through a lot right now. There is suspicion that he may be bipolar. Their grandmother developed bipolar later in life and Dan's brother is now displaying similar symptoms. But it must be mentioned, he has never been diagnosed. It could be just situational depression (what a counselor called it). He could just be extremely overwhelmed. Dan, myself and his parents spent the majority of the day at Dan's brother's house trying to help him with getting his house ready for the market, paperwork for the divorce lawyer, and trying to get him focused. It didn't help. Arguments and denial ensued. His divorce court date is this Friday and he is presently headed to Charlotte for the ACC Championship football game.

In happier news, Dan and I went to the town parade today. It was hilarious. It wasn't quite the Macy's Day parade, but it was a close second. It started at 11 and lasted around 40 minutes. Of course, Santa Claus brought the parade to a close.

The "floats" consist of truck beds, four wheelers, and trailers. My favorite part of the parade is the Hejaz's small cars. Oh, and I love to see the kid's excitement over candy and Santa.

Yes, there were at least two tow trucks in the parade.

Definitely the best float.

What is this?

Gingerbread men!

Gotta love a small town in the South.

59 Days

2011-11-30T19:26:00.001-05:00

until we cruise. I've only just begun my search on our second cruise port, La Romana, Dominican Republic. We will be in this port on February 1, 2012. Finding easy, fun shore excursions proves difficult in La Romana.

Here are some possibilities for shore excursions:

Located approximately one mile from the cruise ship pier is a replica Mediterranean city named Altos de Chavon. It is a small colony above the Chavon Gorge that is home to cobblestone streets, restaurants, a church, museum, and shops that sell local artisan craftwork.

Seavis Tours is voted the #1 thing to do in Bayahibe, which is a short drive away from the cruise port. The tour starts off with a motorboat ride down the coast of the Parque Nacional del Este (National park of the East) until the arrival to the rocks of Penon.

The tour then goes through the mangroves into the Bay of Calderas. Next is snorkling at Catuano Beach at the Island of Saona. The beach will have chairs, hammocks and a traditional Dominican buffet lunch.

The last stop is "Piscina Natural" which is a waist deep, natural swimming pool full of starfish. It is a 30 minute ride back to Bayahibe.

Another possible shore excursion option would be a day pass at an all inclusive resort, the only problem would be if the hotel is booked to capacity there may be no passes given due to overcrowding. I would hate to depend on a day pass, and not be able to obtain one, then waste a day in the Dominican Republic.

Information listed on cruisecritic.com:

Casa de Campo Resort

What You Get for Your Money: A day pass at this resort in Casa de Campo offers lunch at the Beach Club Restaurant, as well as beach access, chair use, drinks and activities. The cost is $75 per adult and $69 per child.

How to Get There: The resort is located 10 minutes from port; take a taxi.

For More Info: Visit Casa de Campo Resort's Web site or call 809-523-3333.

Dreams La Romana Resort

What You Get for Your Money: Passes here are valid for beach access, food and drinks between 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The cost is $60 for adults and $30 for children.

How to Get There: Because this resort is 10 minutes from port, you'll need to take a taxi.

For More Info: Visit Dreams La Romana Resort's Web site or call 809-221-8880.

Dreams La Romana

The resorts are beautiful though and do include all you can drink, eat, and beach facilities. But considering that our previous cruise day will be a beach day in Grand Turk, we will probably be chomping at the bit to do some snorkeling and exploring. I will most likely be emailing Seavis Tours in the near future.

O Christmas Tree

2011-11-27T18:56:00.001-05:00

We put our new tree up Friday night and I decorated it Saturday. And by the way, the lights work! I decided to have a gold and red theme to my Christmas decorations this year and they look amazing. I don't mean to toot my own horn but.. Toot, Toot! I'm just waiting on a call from the Biltmore Estate to assist in their decorating.

I started with two rolls of 21 inch wide red deco mesh purchased from Hobby Lobby for $5 a piece. This is the first year I've ever used poly deco mesh and I loved it. Super easy to use. I found it easier to manipulate than I do ribbon.

Using wire or a branch attach the mesh to the top of the tree and make your way down allowing some of the material to flow out in some areas and attaching it to the tree in others. I made the bow with the remaining mesh I had left over with the help of this youtube video.

The kittens enjoyed the mesh so much I had to put them outside.

After all the final touches:

The bottom branch, in front, appears to have non-working lights, but I assure you, they are working. The lights are underneath, blocked by branches and ornaments.

Daniel got off work early last night, grabbed a Little Ceasar's Hot and Ready and case of beer, picked me up and we watched the Clemson/Carolina game at his parent's house. Clemson lost for the third year in a row. The final score was 34-13. I'm just so thankful we weren't in Columbia.

Shatterproof

2011-11-26T12:15:00.001-05:00

Black Friday

2011-11-25T10:42:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving was wonderful. Great food, family, and husband. I decorated my parent's Christmas tree, watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and ate turkey and all the trimmings at my aunt and uncle's house. Before leaving for home yesterday evening, my parents loaded us up with ornaments. I filled a plastic bin with red, gold, and plum colored balls. I can't wait to decorate our tree. Last night we went to Dan's parents' to visit with them. They are leaving today to go to Cleveland, Tennessee to visit with their grandson on Saturday.

Home Depot welcomed me with open arms this morning at 7:30am. I bought another Martha Stewart Living Paley Pine Christmas Tree for 20% off. I have high hopes that this one's lights will work. We'll see tonight.

I drove by the mall this morning and it was packed. I should have driven by Best Buy. It was not on my route to Home Depot so I decided against it. It was reported on the news, shoppers were camping out for days in front of Best Buy trying to snag a 42 inch Sharp LCD tv for $200, among other things. I'm glad I didn't have to deal with that mad rush at Home Depot. All the Paley Pine tree boxes were untouched. Maybe it was overkill to be there at 7am to buy a tree that I've returned once already? Fingers crossed the lights work!

Thankful

2011-11-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

It has been an incredible, whirlwind year. I am, at times, guilty of longing for things I do not have. Today I reflected on what God has provided and I am truly thankful and undeserving. I am blessed.

I am thankful for my husband who works so hard to provide for us.
I am thankful for the duplex.
I am thankful for my parents, grandparents, and the rest of my family.
I am thankful for my mother and father-in-laws and that I think of them more as parents than as in-laws.
I am thankful that I do not have a car payment.
I am thankful for Daniel's grandparents.
I am thankful for Deuce and Sambu.
I am thankful we are in good health.
I am thankful I am married.

Blessed.

Thanksgiving Plans

2011-11-23T10:37:00.001-05:00

Daniel's work sends him to school periodically and he has been in a 3 day class at Greenville Tech that ends today. I woke up at 5:30 am, left at 6 am, and drove him the 40 minute drive to his class so I could pick him up 3:30 pm. Daniel, Sambu, Deuce and I are planning on leaving from there and driving to my parents house and spending the night so we can have our Thanksgiving meal at my aunt's house. I'm taking the kitties so they can get use to being away from home because I'm planning on leaving them with my parents when we go on our cruise. My parents have a large screened in back porch I know Sambu and Deuce will enjoy, I just hope they adapt quickly. I plan on watching the Thanksgiving Day parade as I do every year.

I hate we are missing out on Dan's family's get together. They are having their meal at his aunt and uncle's cabin thats very secluded and overlooks a pond. They fish, fellowship, and eat and have a grand ole' time. Dan's brother isn't going to be there this year because he, on a whim, left for Texas and is visiting Natalie. I've never been to their Thanksgiving. I know my Mom and Grandmother would be borderline devastated if I'd didn't come home for the holidays.

Deuce and Sambu are 12 weeks old today. Deuce's paw pads are pink and brown while Sambu's are solid brown. Deuce likes to go outside more than Sambu. Sambu is calmer and gentler than Deuce. Deuce is very vocal and meows more. Sambu likes to stay close to me. They both love tie wrap wires. Only Sambu growls.

"I'm Not Much Into Health Food, I Am Into Champagne"

2011-11-22T12:04:00.000-05:00

Rupert Holmes's "Escape" speaks to my soul. Except for the part where "I was tired of my lady" or when "I wrote to the paper, and took out a personal ad." I don't even read the personals and I'm not bored with my relationship. Okay, so the song doesn't speak to my soul or mirror my life in any fashion what-so-ever, but I love the lyric "I'm not much into health food, I am into champagne." So true, so true.

My family, especially my in-laws, know I love to eat, I over eat, and I love junk food. I'm working on it. Last time at the grocery store? I bought a bag of salad. Granted, it is still in the fridge untouched, but it's still an effort, right? I love processed food with all the sugars and preservatives. Yum. I love chocolate, candy bars, and frozen pizza. And for those who keep up with the news and have somehow interpreted that congress has declared pizza as a vegetable, think again, they have not. The debate is directed to tomato paste and how much of it constitutes as a serving of vegetables. Anyway, I digress.

I'm currently trying to become healthier and make lifestyle changes for when we try for children. I'm taking a prenatal vitamin, when I can remember. I'm not drinking coffee everyday and when I do, I'm drinking less of it. I've quit buying cinnamon rolls, break-n-bake chocolate chip cookies, and bags of chocolate yumminess. I don't eat fast food, but this is due to my driver's side window being broken and lacking the ability to open. I run/jog/go outside when I can. I do not buy soft drinks of any sort. I stick to water, beer, wine or margaritas.

Okay, so I guess I need to try harder, but we aren't planning on trying for kiddos until next year. I can live my life to the fullest for the rest of 2011.

Shutterfly Photo Book Review #2

2011-11-20T22:45:00.001-05:00

I received my second Shutterfly book on Friday, November 18th and I am just as thrilled with it as I was my first book. I ordered the 12X12 hardcover as a Christmas gift for my in-laws. For the past two Christmases I have made them an iPhoto photobook of pictures I have taken of Daniel and his family throughout the year. Each iPhoto book's cover layout has been the same from year to year, only the pictures have changed and I wanted to have the same cover theme for their book again this year. I looked through the Shutterfly templates trying to find one that featured four pictures on the front cover, instead of the typical one picture, to no avail. So I customized it and made a mistake. I know Shutterfly would let me correct it for free, but the mistake is barely visible, so I'll let it slide.

The mistake is the white line to the right of the bottom-right picture.

Besides the front cover, the only other problem with the book is the pictures it contains of my sister-in-law. She is now in the process of being legally separated from my brother-in-law. But I guess Shutterfly can't do anything about that now can it?

Shutterfly's online program, book quality, picture quality, delivery, and satisfaction guarantee could not get any better. They constantly email me coupons and I wait to order until I can catch a steal. I cannot say enough how in love I am with Shutterfly. They impress me every time.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Turn your favorite photos into a photo book at Shutterfly.com.

Our Broken Tree

2011-11-19T13:10:00.001-05:00

Remember the Martha Stewart Christmas tree I raved about in a previous post? How beautiful it is, how we couldn't wait to put it up? Last night, Dan and I took an hour to unpack the tree, put the three sections together, and fluff the branches to bring it to perfection. I loved it. The house was warm, our kittens were playing with the box, and Christmas music was playing in the background. We waited until we were finished putting the branches exactly where we wanted them for the grand finale of lighting the tree. Ah! The lights were on and it looked absolutely beautiful. Oh, wait. "Dan, these lights aren't working. These aren't working either on this branch." Three branches on our brand-new, $200 tree were not working. Dan tried to see what was wrong, but I told him I didn't want this tree if we were already having this many issues. So it went back to Home Depot this morning. Back to square one on our Christmas tree.

Our night in pictures:

Housewife Guilt

2011-11-17T20:42:00.001-05:00

After I moved to Dan's hometown and settled in I started working at an 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital in a neighboring city. I worked the front desk and weird hours. There were days when Dan and I had conflicting schedules and we wouldn't be able to see each other. Now this wouldn't be a problem for most, but we were newlyweds. We had been apart for an entire year before we married. I wanted to spend every second possible with my new husband. This was making me hate my job. What's even worse was I was a receptionist. I went to school because I wanted to become a veterinarian and work with animals, not work at a front desk. The animal clinic did not set up payment plans with clients, and their emergency fees were expensive. The emergency fee, just to be seen, was $86 or $106 depending on the time of day and was required up front. People would come in with their children and bring in their dying beloved pet and couldn't afford our services and I would have to turn them away. Dan picked me up front my shift one night and we went across the street for dinner and I couldn't stop crying because I felt so horrible. I turned away a dog that was hit by a car. Gosh, it was just awful. I couldn't stop crying. During my shift I went to the bathroom trying to collect myself. In the end, I told the office manager I found another job. I just wanted out.

I'm now a housewife. I cook, I wash dishes by hand constantly, I wash clothes, I vacuum, I make tea and I love my husband. When Dan is on day shift I get up at 5:45 am, fix his lunch including 2 bottles full of tea and a water, fix a carry out tea for his ride to work, lay out his clothes, turn on his bedside lamp, wake him up and walk him to the door. I want to do this. I love to do this. This makes me happy. I wish Dan would give me a list of things to do during the day. Even though I try my best to take care of the house, I can't shake the feeling of I'm not contributing enough. I'm not at all financially. Dan has been nothing but the best and always tells me I am doing way more than I should, but I wish I could do more. I could not ask for a more supportive and awesome husband, but I feel like I am failing him. I wonder if their is such a thing as "housewife guilt" because I sure am feeling it.

My Very First Christmas

2011-11-16T17:14:00.001-05:00

While at the Southern Christmas Show, my Mom told a Christmas tree vendor "this is her daughter's first Christmas." Yes, Christmas tree woman, yes, I decided to convert to Christianity earlier this year. What my mom meant to say was, this is my very first Christmas with my husband. Through college I never put any Christmas decorations up because I was always at my parents house or Daniel's parents house during winter break. What was the point? But this year it's different. I'm going all out. Daniel and I spent the majority of the day looking at Christmas trees in Greenville. We contemplated between an artificial tree or real tree for this first year thinking we could put up a real tree for now and buy a fake during the after-Christmas sales. In the end, the negatives outweighed the positives with a real tree. They need to be watered, they shed, and their limbs can't hold much weight from ornaments.

I saw some Christmas trees at Garden Ridge I liked while shopping with Mom and looked online today and noticed selected trees were now 40% off. Dan and I went to the closest Garden Ridge and found a tree we liked that was on sale. Score. We decided to run to Hobby Lobby, Target and Home Depot to check out their stock before making our final purchase. Every store is within a mile of each other so it didn't take long. We didn't find a tree we liked anymore than the Garden Ridge tree for the price, but we did notice at Home Depot the pre-lit trees' advertised that if one bulb goes out the entire strand will still stay lit. I thought most lights were like that now, I mean it's 2011, but it was something I was going to check out, just to make sure, on the Garden Ridge tree. Finally, we are back in Garden Ridge, with our cart, ready to grab it and go, but before we put the box in the cart, I pulled a light bulb out just to make sure. And what happened? The entire stand went out. Great. Back to square one on the tree hunt. I was disappointed and frustrated.

We needed to head home to eat dinner and visit Dan's grandmother on her birthday before Daniel headed into work tonight. Driving home the GPS took us on a route right by a different Home Depot. I decided to pull in wanting a tree NOW! and we fell in love. We found the perfect tree. It is rustic and pre-lit and gorgeous. I am excited to get it up and decorated.

When we were in Hobby Lobby we picked up some "shatter-proof" or plastic ornaments so the kittens will not leave shattered glass in their destructive wake. Obviously my tree theme is gold and red. We also bought a roll of gift wrap, ornament hooks, and deco mesh. Dan is off this weekend so we might put the tree up on Friday.

My Life

2011-11-15T22:44:00.001-05:00

Dear Diary,
The last couple days have been a whirlwind. I went to Rock Hill this weekend and went to the Southern Christmas Show. I've been to two humane societies in the past two days. I met my brother-in-law's potentially new girlfriend. I've just been exhausted.

Daniel is working night shift to top it off, which makes the days hazy and run-together. He worked night shift all weekend, so I decided to head home after dinner on Saturday night. Mom and I attended the Southern Christmas Show Sunday morning in Charlotte. It took us about two hours to walk through the entire convention. Mom bought a fruitcake, which she does every year, and I didn't buy a thing but I love to admire all the Christmas wreaths, trees, and decorations. We went to Carolina Place Mall afterwards and Mom purchased a dress for me to wear to my cousin's upcoming December wedding. I'm thankful I don't have to worry about my dress for that occasion anymore. We ate at Olive Garden then headed home.

Monday morning I went to my appointment at the Anderson Humane Society to have Sushi spayed. I contemplated whether it was morally wrong to be physically altering another person's animal without their knowledge or permission. I decided that since her kittens were being brought to my doorstep, it was definitely my business and responsibility to prevent more kittens from happening in the future. I dropped her off at 7 am and went to pick her up at 5 pm. Due to an emergency C-section on a dog, Sushi's surgery was postponed and she would be ready for pick up around 6:15. We ate at Peppinos and came back to the Human Society. I didn't realize how woozy she was until we got her home and let her out of her carrier in the kitchen. She could barely walk. We left her in the carrier and checked on her periodically through the night, seeing if she wanted food or water or to use the litter box. This morning I was able to make a bed for her on the kitchen floor she was content with. Around 11am she wanted out so I let her go home to her family. I hope she heals without issue and is comfortable and happy where ever she is.

Sambu and Deuce are 11 weeks old tomorrow and are due for their distemper and Leukemia boosters. I'd been thinking all day today I needed to call the vet to schedule an appointment, but I looked online earlier at the Greenville Humane Society website for information on spay/neuter and found out they offered a vaccine clinic on Tuesdays from 5:30 to 7pm. By the looks of their website, the Greenville Humane Society was a huge, state-of-the-art facility offering shots at a fraction of the price of what most veterinarians charge. Our first vet bill for Sambu and Deuce was $170. I decided I would wait on scheduling an appointment with the local veterinarian and Dan and I would check out the Humane Society.

When we arrived, their was already a line out the door. But it moved quickly and we filled out our forms of what services we needed and paid our $92 bill. Sambu and Deuce each received their distemper and Leukemia vaccines and had their ears cleaned. I also purchased a 3 month supply of Revolution. The facility was really nice. It was separated into different divisions such as clinic, adoption, and pet supplies areas. We will definitely be going back for the next boosters and to have them neutered. The Greenville Humane Society has "Tom Cat Tuesdays" which offers cat neuters for only $10.

I mean, this has got to be the most beautiful humane society ever.

After we dropped our kittens off at home we went Dan's parents house to eat dinner. My in-laws informed us that Josh would be bringing a girl with him for everyone to meet. Whaaattt? He just filed for divorce last week and the week before his wife moved to Tennessee. Whatever. Natalie was really nice and they just met this past weekend in Savannah.

We'll see what happens. I hate my family is going through so much turmoil right now.

Love,
Jenna

Raw

2011-11-13T20:26:00.001-05:00

This picture may not mean anything to you, but it sure means everything to me. This is my favorite picture of the entire wedding. To me, it beats any ceremony, family, engagement, or reception picture I own.

Anytime I am in the house trying to do something, Dan loves to get in my way and kiss or hug me. He will block doorways and practically smother me as I try to wiggle away from him, too busy tending to whatever pointless task. I usually give him the cheek because I'm busy, annoyed, my breath smells, I don't want my eye makeup to smudge, or some other impassive reason. I know one day I will live to regret anytime I gave him the cheek or felt annoyed with his amazing affection.

In this picture, I can't remember why I gave him my cheek. I feel like my breath stinks? I don't want to tongue you in front of my grandparents and church family? Not sure. But this picture shows what goes on in my kitchen so many times. It show how much my husband truly adores me. And man, do I love him back.

Another favorite thing? I'm dancing on his feet. You know how daughters dance on their father's feet? I've always done that with Dan.

I'm a lucky girl, to say the least.

Brothers.

2011-11-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

10 weeks old and 3 days. Sambu is softer and thinner than Deuce. Deuce has what I call "night terrors." He wakes from a nap, screaming meows, until he is showered with love. Deuce loves plain plastic jingle balls. They dislike Whiskas' ocean whitefish with tuna. Sambu prefers the microfiber couch, while Deuce prefers the leather. They love sunshine and each other.

11.11.11

2011-11-11T19:17:00.001-05:00

It's supposedly a very lucky day and it's Veteran's Day. Thousands of people are getting married, playing the lottery, and scheduling cesarean sections for this once in a lifetime date. I need to make a gigantuous wish at 11:11 tonight because I missed it this morning.

Dan and I watched the documentaries The Business of Being Born and Buck last night. The Business of Being Born was stopped halfway through because it was becoming redundant and slow paced. I already knew I wanted a natural, no-medical-intervention-unless-absolutely-necessary birth, if I we are ever blessed with children (we are not trying at the moment). The documentary pushed home births, but that doesn't apply to me, because HELLO!, I live too far from a hospital, just in case I do have a medical emergency.

Buck was also a tad too long for me, but Buck Brannaman is inspirational. Buck grew up as a trick roper with an abusive father and was placed into the foster care system, but was still able to overcome it all. Looking for a ranch job he became captivated by the gentle training techniques of Ray Hunt and Tom Dorrance. He has years of training and studying under Ray Hunt, years of his own practice, and years of teaching. He is undoubtedly a master at his craft.

All pictures are Ezra Olson Photography

What people are talking about: The Penn State scandal, Rick Perry's debate stumble

79 Days

2011-11-10T11:28:00.001-05:00

...until we cruise. On Monday, I sent my old passport, passport application, new 2x2 inch picture, and $110 renewal fee to the National Passport Processing Center, in hopes that I will be mailed a new passport with my married name on it. When flying and cruising Dan and I have found that having a passport with you is much easier than carrying all the other documents they require.

I'm getting super excited about our trip. After our honeymoon, I told Dan I was "island out," meaning I was getting tired of seeing beautiful beach after beautiful beach. I was more interested in going to Europe and diving into some history. But seriously, after googling the islands and looking at the excursions, I could not be more thrilled. I love cruising and waking up in a different place everyday. And what's better than in freezing January to make my way down south to the warm sands of the Caribbean? Nothing.

Grand Turk is the only port, so far, I've put some research into. I'm looking for something that is similar to Cozumel's Playa Mia Grand Beach Park. Playa Mia is an all-inclusive beach club that has an iceberg you can climb on in the ocean, an ocean trampoline, beach chairs, buffet food, and all the alcohol you can drink. Just one big party that was reasonably price. Unfortunately, when we were in Cozumel it was rainy and windy so we opted to walk around San Miguel, which was fun too.

In my research I haven't found something exactly like that in Grand Turk but it is home to the largest Margaritaville in the Caribbean. It is located in the Grand Turk Cruise Center which is right off the boat, home to shops, restaurants, and a beach. The Margaritaville has open-air dining that overlooks a free-form swimming pool which features a swim-up bar, slides, infinity edge, and cabanas. The pool, pool chairs, and beach chairs are available to use, free of charge. I've read the drinks are overpriced, but where are they not? We save money by not having to pay for a taxi and a cover charge, so the price probably evens out.

Pool at Margaritaville

Beach in front of Margaritaville

I just want something easy. On previous vacations we have always rushed to be the first ones off the boat and the last ones back on the boat. After our excursion in Grand Cayman, we grabbed some drinks at Seven Mile Beach and took the public bus back to the port. The bus was taking too long and we were cutting it close trying to make the last tender, so we jumped off the bus and took off running through downtown to the tender. Crazy. Not relaxing.

We'll just have to see what happens Grand Turk. I'm looking forward to it.

There's Always Room For One More

2011-11-08T23:22:00.002-05:00

I googled "things to do before you get pregnant" and came across these articles here and here. They've done a bang-up job on freaking me out. I've got alot to work on before I'm ready to become pregnant. I'm not the healthiest eater by a long shot. My diet consists of sugar, carbs, meat, pizza and more sugar. I drink too much coffee and I need to cut out my alcohol consumption. My fish intake is too high. I can feel mercury pumping through my veins. And I don't have a consistent workout routine.

After reading these articles, I am paranoid about everything. If I were to follow these guidelines I would need to see a dentist, banker, doctor, obgyn, and therapist. Oh, and not to mention, I have two kittens that are transmitting toxoplasmosis through their feces. And I think my prenatal vitamin has too much vitamin A.

My offspring doesn't stand a chance.

On a serious note, starting a family needs to be given substantial thought. One of the articles mentions the preparedness of taking care of a special needs child. It brought me back to reality as I was looking at Bellini baby furniture and the cutest cloth diapers.

I wish I could be a bit more like Michelle Duggar, who announced today she is expecting their 20th child. She states "There's always room for one more." I can understand having a relaxed attitude at baby No. 20, but not after having complications with their latest, Josie, born prematurely at 25 gestation weeks. The Duggar's have stated they "decided to allow God to determine the number of children." The Duggars devotion and trust in God is exceptional and I pray that He can show me the way as He has shown them. On Josh and Anna Duggar's website she states:

"Of course, both being from “large” families we knew that the question would come up, “So how many children will you have?” Anna responds, “We would be happy with two or three if that is all God blesses us with, but we believe that children are a blessing from God and we look forward to receiving each gift that He gives us.”

The decision to trust God with our family size is based on our desire to serve God with every decision of our life."

Now that is awesome.

Two Ring Studios

2011-11-07T19:30:00.002-05:00

In my honest opinion, the most important vendor in the wedding planning process is your photographer. By a long shot. Wedding pictures are the only thing you have after the big day. Your memory will fade but the pictures will last a lifetime. My wedding photographers, Derek and Galen of Two Ring Studios, were phenomenal. Freakishly talented. Not only were the pictures amazing, but they were as well. They were professional, prompt, and understanding when dealing with an over-stressed bridezilla (me). They deserve nothing but the highest praise.

They were able to catch moments from the wedding that I missed. My brother and his girlfriend embarrassingly dancing like they were on fire? They caught it. My husband showing a rare smile? Got it. Dan and I sneaking a kiss? Got that too.

I definitely recommend having two photographers shoot your wedding. I loved seeing our ceremony from two different angles. One photographer was hidden behind some ferns in the front of the ceremony and another was snapping pictures from the back.

Here is an example:

Another example of the different perspectives:

I didn't have them shoot video of the wedding, even though their video montages are to-die-for. I'm more of a picture obsessed person. I like to have the ability to print, scrapbook, and make photobooks... with video I can't do much.

I knew from the very beginning I wanted to have Two Ring Studios photograph my wedding. They were the first people I booked and the best decision I made.

They were able to make their pictures tell the story of my wedding day and it makes me so happy. Two Ring will never know how much their ability to capture the special moments really means to me.

When The Time Is Right

2011-11-05T22:07:00.000-04:00

How long should you wait after marriage to have a baby? The best age? Gosh, I've heard and read too many responses for both questions.

If you have children too young, women run the risk of being financially unstable and not employable. You miss the chance to build your career and grow in your field. If you wait too long, you have less energy and have higher chances of infertility and pregnancy issues.

On the flip side, if you have children while you are young, you have a chance to grow and learn with your kids. You can relate easily because, not too long ago, you were their age. If you have children later in life, you have the wisdom and knowledge that is indispensable to their well-being.

At my age, if you have children shortly after marriage you face questions such as, "Was it planned?" and your parenting skills will be under scrutiny. If you wait years after marriage you will be plagued with "When are you planning to have a baby?" "When are you going to make me a Grandma?" "Are you having fertility issues?" Because, of course, it's everyone's business.

For Daniel and I, 2013 is the year of the baby. Hopefully we can pay off our land, save some money, and pop out a kid. We would like to have a summer baby. Daniel likes that because the birth wouldn't interfere with deer and football season. And I like that time so I can have outdoor birthday parties and it would be warm in the house when I'd get up to feed. Weird, right?

Anyway, today has been the longest day. And Daniel had to bring it to my attention that it's actually an hour earlier than it really is. Daylight savings should not exist.

Recap of today:

Woke up at 5 to my kittens playing and Daniel going hunting.

Vacuumed the house, did dishes, washed clothes/bedsheets.

Made potroast.

Went to my in-laws and said goodbye to my sister-in-law and only nephew who may or may not be moving away for good.

Ate at El Titanic.

Suzanne came over after breaking up with someone she was seeing for a short period of time.

Dan and I tried to make a baby, then decided to wait for 2013.

I started taking prenatal vitamins.

Daniel went hunting again in the evening.

I scrapbooked.

Had plans to watch the USC game at a friends.

The friends called back later and cancelled due to tiredness.

Daniel and I ate potroast.

Allergies starting acting up and now Dan and I are lying in the bed together.

I'll leave you with a picture of my current children:

Paradise, Here We Come!

2011-11-04T20:13:00.001-04:00

We were planning on a mediterranean cruise in June, but after waiting too long to book the trip and plane tickets, the cost had skyrocketed. It just wasn't worth it. Plane tickets went from $1036 to nearly $2000 per person, round trip. No thank you. We need to focus on paying off our land and making some headway on saving for building a house.

We have been blessed to go on a rather nice vacation together every year since we started dating. We are kinda addicted to cruising. What better way is there to see different places, have your entertainment, food, and room all at your disposal for one reasonable price? Answer: There is none. During our second year together, Daniel gave me a cruise for Christmas that we would take on spring break that following March. It was my first cruise and his third. I've been hooked on cruising ever since.

We are taking an eight day cruise from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Grand Turk, Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Curacao on January 29th. Ahhh, excited! We have never been to any of these islands, so it should be an exciting experience for both of us. I just love the crystal clear, light blue water. Nothing like it.

Our flight leaves January 28 and our returning flight leaves the day the cruise comes back into the Florida port on February 6th. We were able to get round trip airfare from Atlanta to Ft. Lauderdale for $250. Nice.

Now, we just need to get our shore excursions in order. Daniel is all about wanting to scuba dive. Me? Not so much. I'm just a bit too paranoid about running out of oxygen, passing out, getting attacked by a shark, and drowning.

Here are some pictures from our past travels:

Swimming with the sting rays at Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman

Parasailing in Freeport, Bahamas

Land Rover excursion in Belize

Bio-Bay Kayaking in Fajardo, Puerto Rico

Climbing the lava rocks in St. Kitts

Honduras

The Pitons, St. Lucia

St. Martin

Planes flying over Maho Beach in St. Maarten

Wedding Gown Preservation

2011-11-03T08:37:00.001-04:00

I went home yesterday to pack my wedding dress and have it shipped out to the Wedding Gown Preservation Co. Having my dress cleaned was my birthday present from my parents. My Dad and I purchased the "celebrity line" preservation kit and it arrived shortly thereafter. The "celebrity line" offers a little bit more insurance, hand pressing, and having the dress wrapped in museum quality muslin. This is what the kit looks like:

Step-by-step instuctions were printed on paper outside of the folded box I am to put my dress in. The kit included order forms, UPS alternate delivery form, a plastic bag, stain stickers, a twist tie, UPS label, and a box.

It was the first time since the wedding I pulled my dress out of its garment bag. It was also the first time I was able to really assess the damage. I vacuumed my parents floor, put down a sheet (they have 2 very furry animals), and laid out my dress.

Yikes, the entire hem line looks shredded and it has leaves, sticks, and flowers in it. I only used a few "stain stickers" because the instructions state not to mark the hem line because that area is almost always soiled. The dress didn't have stains necessarily, so I marked the bust area due to a fabric pick. Hopefully they can take a look at it and make a couple easy fixes.

Looking at the box I thought it would be impossible to stuff my dress in it. But after some folding and rolling and squeezing, it fit! Poor Vera shoved in a box...

Along with the order forms my Dad sent an additional check for more insurance. It is $2 for each $100 of insurance. Hopefully, the additional insurance won't be needed but it is always best to yield on the safe side.

I'm dropping the box off today and I pray I am as thrilled with the final results as I am about the ordering and packaging process. Everything has gone smoothly so far. It should be shipped back to me in 2-10 weeks from the day Wedding Gown Preservation receives it.

Frustrated

2011-11-01T19:00:00.001-04:00

I'm mostly frustrated because it's my time of the month. I'm 'ill' and just generally annoyed and I hate that. I'm frustrated because when I got online to check on the cruise Dan and I are planning to take at the end of May the price jumped up $420 from 2 weeks ago. My parents were planning on going as well, as long as they could get a balcony room, and of course, those are all booked up. Why are people planning so far in advance? Damn. It's a mediterranean cruise with Royal Caribbean so I'm guessing people just don't plan to fly to Europe last minute?

What makes me even more frustrated is that I told Daniel that we should book it a few weeks ago. Like, I was adamant, but he said we should wait. But even after I told him the news about the price jump he said we could still go but it just doesn't feel as good. There is a similar cruise with Carnival but it leaves in the middle of June (too hot) and the boat holds 3,690 people (too crowded). But we will see.

I'm frustrated that my husband's hand is cut:

I'm frustrated that he doesn't feel good and I'm paranoid that he hasn't had his tetanus shot and he will have lock jaw and will have to write me letters for the rest of my life. He's the sweetest and I wish I could take his pain. That's 9 stitches!!

I'm frustrated because today is my mother-in-laws birthday and we got her a gift card and a long sleeve t-shirt in a size too big and now I'm going to have to exchange it.

I'm frustrated because I haven't been the nicest person today. I am always so ashamed when I have said anything mean to my husband. He is pretty perfect. He has been nothing but the best to me and I do not deserve his always endless kindness that he showers me with.

I'm frustrated because the conversation is always on my brother-in-law and his state of mind and my husband is often asked by his parents on what they should do. Talk to him? Help figure out his finances? Intervene? Show him this article? My husband is not a psychiatrist and I hate to see him put in that situation.

Whoa. That was a downer post. All of the crap I'm frustrated about is trivial and will work itself out. I apologize for the rant. On a brighter note, I have these two cuties/troublemakers that keep me distracted from my normal, everyday activities:

Aren't they just delish?

Trick Or Treat

2011-10-31T22:43:00.001-04:00

Tonight only three trick-or-treaters came by my house. I live in the town. Behind a middle school. Walking distance to main street. What gives? My husband and I went to Wal-Mart and bought six bags of candy. Snickers, Reese's Cups, Reese's Pieces, White Chocolate Reese's Cups, and Hershey bars were all ready to be handed out to the hundreds that were going to come knock on our door. I was expecting ghouls, goblins, witches and warlocks. What did I get? Spiderman, a suit, and maybe no costume? I guess it was a good thing the candy was 1/2 price.

We each carved two pumpkins Thursday. It took more time that we thought it would. Scraping a pumpkin is hard work. Daniel did the spider and a face. I did ghosts.

They looked solid on Thursday. But today, on Halloween, they looked embarrassingly rough. Pumpkins don't last long in the southern heat.

But at night you can't tell they are about to cave in at any given minute.

Happy Halloween!

Yesterday...

2011-10-30T22:36:00.003-04:00

was insane. Daniel was working day shift and my parents were planning on coming over to visit with me, go out to eat, and look around at Maynards Home Furnishings. My parents arrived at 10:30 am, brought me mail, my wedding announcement papers, a cat bed, and a litter box. We were sitting in the living room drinking coffee, talking about how cute Sambu and Deuce are when Daniel's parents were at my front door.

They are really concerned about their other son. He is going through hell right now with his marriage and work and, on top of it all, has suffered with depression. He hasn't been acting his normal self for a couple months now and was in Atlanta, by himself no less, tailgating for the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech game. Daniel and I had no plans to attend this game due to Daniel's work schedule and the fact I was going to spend time with my parents.

My in-laws had a beach vacation booked for this weekend and were so worried about their son, they turned around and came back home. When Dan's parents came over I knew something was wrong. They talked to Daniel and was wanting him to go to Atlanta and make sure his brother stayed out of trouble. Daniel spoke with his boss, took off work and headed home. So of course, that meant I was going to the ATL as well. We grabbed our stuff and headed to the game.

After the two hour drive, we met up with my B-I-L behind The Varsity around 3 pm. He had too much to drink and was randomly telling people *&#! you and trying to start fights. Daniel had to stop his brother from getting into it with another guy over his non-regulation corn hole boards. He didn't want to eat with us and was just all over the place.

My brother-in-law had two lower deck tickets so we were one short. Georgia Tech's stadium is wayy too small so tickets were hard to come by. After an hour of ticket hunting for 3 tickets all together with no avail, we just bought one upper deck ticket. Daniel said I would sit with his brother and he would take upper deck.

As we were discussing who would sit together, my brother-in-law gets one nasty voicemail from someone he was suppose to be staying with, and has a major meltdown in the middle of the street. I'm not going into details, but Daniel ended up sitting with him in the game and I went to the upper deck by myself, which wasn't a big deal. My seat was next to a family from my home town and they live in a neighborhood close to where I grew up.

During half-time I went to find Daniel. Clemson was looking sloppy, I was cold, Dan had to work in the morning, we still had a two hour drive ahead of us, and I was wanting to get out before traffic became intolerable. To top all this off, Dan cut his thumb Friday at work, requiring 9 stitches. It was throbbing, painful, and people kept knocking into his hand. Let's go!

After finally locating the hubs, and my now very angry brother in law, who had been trying to physically fight Georgia Tech fans, Daniel filled me in on his experience in the lower deck: Embarrassing. Dan had to keep apologizing to everyone his brother came into contact with. I told him we needed to head home, but my husband, being the most caring person ever, wasn't going to leave his obviously disheveled bro without some convincing. Nevertheless, we couldn't get my brother-in-law to let us drive him home.

We were finally in bed by 2:30 am. I left in such a hurry I wasn't able to take any pictures, not that I would really want to remember this day in photographs. I pray my brother-in-law can find his peace. Yesterday was a crazy day.

News Headline: "Georgia Tech Hands Clemson First Loss, 31-17"

Vera Wang's Diana

2011-10-28T14:28:00.001-04:00

Growing up I always new I wanted to wear Vera Wang on my wedding day. That's every girls dream, right? I never actually thought it would happen, though, considering how much Vera's dresses cost and never figured my parents would be willing to spend thousands on something I would wear for a few hours.

Well the day came, after I'd received a diamond from my new fiance, to go dress shopping. I went to Nitsas in Charlotte, which carries higher-end dresses including Vera Wang. My Mom and I looked, I thought I fell in love with a particular dress (my mom did not like it though and it was not Vera), and we ended up making another appointment to come back during a Monique Lhuillier trunk show with both of my parents. I didn't find anything at the trunk show and this store didn't carry the designer's latest season. To cut to the chase, I ended up not finding anything and decided to find a Vera Wang trunk show instead.

This led me to Maddison Row in Charleston. I made an appointment and we headed to to the coast. I tried dress after dress of Vera's latest collection and nothing thrilled me. Granted, the dresses were ragged from traveling all over the country and were a size 0. But the owner of the store allowed my mother to take pictures of me in the dresses. I liked the Diana dress, but still felt like I need to see more and left Charleston empty handed.

Charleston, SC

First time trying on Diana

I was looking through my pictures on the way home and decided I absolutely loved the Diana. It made a difference seeing the dress in pictures instead of just in a mirror. I decided I wanted to see the dresses again so I looked up where the next trunk show would be and a few months later it would be in Cary, NC and this time I would take my Dad too.

My parents and I drove the 3 hour drive to Cary, NC on February 6, 2010 to Alexia's Bridal Boutique. They seemed to have more of the Spring 2010 collection and the dresses seemed to be in better condition and there was also a representative present that worked for Vera. I tried on the Diana and just knew it was the one. So did Mom and Dad. My Mom bought the dress for me. She said that was what she was contributing to the wedding. My Dad contributed pretty much everything else. (And no, my parents are not divorced, they are just strange with their accounts.) We received 10% off since it was purchased during a trunk show, a free horsehair bow, and free alterations.

Horsehair bow

My first alterations were done on November 2, 2010. It was the first time I got to see my dress. I think I went to a total of 4 fittings before our wedding. Colleen, the seamstress, is freakishly talented.

First sight of my dress

Me and Colleen

My final fitting was only to try it on one last time before the wedding to make sure everything was absolutely perfect. And it was. On June 1, 2011, 17 days before my wedding, I finally took my dress home.

It is truly my dream dress and it is all thanks to my Mom for making sure I had the perfect wedding dress. My parents are amazing and I am so blessed.

I'm having it cleaned and preserved through Affordable Preservation. I pray everything turns out well.

Empty Nest

2011-10-26T17:36:00.004-04:00

Daniel asked around work on Monday trying to find someone who would take a kitten. Remember the six babies on my porch? Well he found someone, Bruce, who wanted two of them as barn cats. I emailed Dan pictures of the kittens, he showed the pictures to Bruce, and he then decided he wanted a dark grey and an orange cat, both preferably male.

So I met Daniel and Bruce as they were getting out of work. I brought all the orange kittens I had (3) and the grey one and was going to let Bruce decide. He ended up taking all four of them! (After a little begging, of course.) I explained that I really wanted to keep the two orange ones in the above picture together because they were never apart. Even when all the kitten were together those two seemed to gravitate towards one another. He thought he knew someone else that may want a barn cat as well. I was so relieved to find a good home.

Only problem is, I still have two kittens. And I'm getting attached. Very attached. Dan and I took them to the vet this morning to get kitten shots, dewormer, ear mites and flea medicines. And one has goopy eyes I had checked out. We've even named them which is never a good sign. Deuce and Sambu. Deuce named after Clemson's "the deuce is loose" Sammy Watkins. Deuce has a white body with white hands that look like football gloves and is always chasing after something. The name Sambu came from a cheetah documentary, The Cheetah Orphans, that aired on PBS.

Sambu and Deuce, respectively

They are 8 weeks old today and I love them.

Shutterfly Photo Book Review

2011-10-25T18:02:00.001-04:00

I received my photobook from Shutterfly today and I am seriously impressed. I chose to design a 12x12 hardcover book through the new custom path. The custom path is very intuitive to use, making it simple for the beginner photobooker. Unlike iPhoto or Blurb, Shutterfly's creative process is all done online which, I think, is the best way to go.

I was excited to see the signature orange box!

When you make a book, you must, go with the 12x12 Hardcover. What better way to see your beautiful pictures? The older edition of iPhoto on my computer does not offer the 12x12, so when I opened my orange box I was awestruck at the size. The larger size shows the pictures more clearly and really makes a statement.

The binding appears to be really solid and I can't get over the glossy hardcover finish.

The back cover

I was worried the embellishments I added would cheapen the overall look I was going for, but it was one of my favorite parts of the book and Shutterfly. You can choose a theme that comes with embellishments, sayings, frames, backgrounds, and idea pages. But you are not limited to that one template, which allows you to make your book tailored to your photographs. You can pick and chose from the thousands of different templates, themes, and ideas and it is saved to your online program. AH-MA-ZING. Loved the flower details, it goes especially well with my wedding pictures.

My favorite details

An idea page template provided by Shutterfly on the right

What makes Shutterfly superior to all others? Their 100% satisfaction guarantee. I had a little problem with my book today that was all my fault. I had a typo where I accidently wrote the same thing twice. Guess what? I emailed the company with my problem and they quickly sent me an email back saying I could go ahead and reorder. I made my changes and my new, updated book will be sent to me free of charge.

I cannot rave enough about Shutterfly. I will definitely be using them again in the near future.

You can see my entire photobook here:

Click here to view this photo book larger
Shutterfly photo books are the new way to preserve your memories. Create your own today.

Party All Night

2011-10-23T20:58:00.001-04:00

The costume party was last night and it was amazing. There was a dj and costume contest along with great food, great costumes, lots of dancing, karaoke, and drinking. It was an awesome night. The party was held at a beautiful, white, historic home with a huge front porch, large rooms, and tall ceilings all adorned with Halloween decorations out the wazoo.

Here is my night in pictures:

The Red Necks

Dan, Me, Amanda, Allen

Bag of S*** won 'Most Original Costume'

Partly cloudy with a chance of rain won 'Best Overall Costume"

I'm glad I got to spend a night with my friends and family with no drama. Oh, except when I got home. I brought strawberry cupcakes to the party in a glass dome-shaped cake carrier. When I was walking through the door after the long day, the dome lid slid off into a crash on the floor. Glass went everywhere. Under the couches, coffee table, side tables, oh, and on top of the coffee table. EVERYWHERE. Two hours later after every piece of furniture was moved and the floor was picked up, swept, vacuumed, and mopped, Dan and I went to bed.

Stressed

2011-10-22T10:49:00.004-04:00

The kittens, that aren't even mine, are ending up on my porch. I've been feeding Sushi since July and she is leading her babies to my doorstep. Sushi and a grey kitten slept on the porch last night. She is still nursing and I don't think they are receiving any supplemental feed or water from the owners. I keep a bowl of water on my porch, and I've seen some kittens drinking from it.

I'm stressed because I don't want to have to find them homes. I'm stressed because I don't like them being out in the cold. I'm stressed because the owners seem completely oblivious that their kittens even exist. I'm stressed because I'm worried they need more food. I'm stressed that one might get hurt. I'm stressed that I need to stop feeding Sushi so she won't hang out on my porch.

Sushi was in the house sleeping yesterday and I was petting her and thinking how soft she was. I remembered how wiry her hair use to be in July. If me feeding her has made her coat so much softer, it makes me wonder the type of food her owners' give her, how often they feed her and how much they give her.

The neighbors aren't the most normal, sane people either. I've heard screaming from the man of the house, he doesn't work, the wife is hardly seen, and the son is in alternative school due to expulsion from public school. Supposedly the man is abusive and they are divorced but he still lives there?

Hopefully we can find good homes. Please pray.

Since I've now said my peace... onto last night.

I cooked (slaved) over a meal of pot roast, rice, corn, baked potato, texas toast, and apple cobbler last night for my husband and our friends. And I think they really enjoyed it. We ate, drank, and walked to the Sugarfoot Festival. We listened to the band and walked around. The people there were interesting. I caught a t-shirt when it was tossed into the crowd of about 10. Awesome. It is last year's 5k shirt. Made my night.

Tonight we are going to a costume party. I'm making cupcakes to take. Pictures to come.

Scrapbook Cheating

2011-10-21T12:26:00.001-04:00

I would love to make beautiful scrapbooks that I do not consider to be tacky and horrible. But alas, I am not crafty and I'm someone who is always disappointed in their handmade projects. In my mind, more glitter and sparkle makes everything beautiful, which usually results in a cheap, gaudy looking piece. So, I turned to the "Already Complete Scrapbooks" from Hallmark. The layout is already made for you, just add pictures. The book also comes with a sheet of stickers and sayings. This is mine so far:

These pictures are not glued down, just stuck them there so I'd remember which picture went to which page.

It needs work, I know. I'll show the final product when I'm finished.

I take a ton of photos. In iPhoto I have 28,895 pictures. I think I'm scared I'm going to forget something. I take pictures, write things down, keep a journal, and save way too much stuff. To help me feel like I've documented events I've made photobooks. Here are a few:

The top book is a documentation of our relationship from the beginning, September 3, 2007 to April 18, 2009, the middle book was a Christmas gift to Dan and the last was a book I made for Dan's family. I now have two books I need to order from iPhoto and one book from Blurb. I'm currently working on one in Shutterfly and have just placed an order for a different photobook from the same company. I'm interested to compare the quality to iPhoto.

The book I'm waiting on from Shutterfly is of all my wedding pictures. It is a Christmas gift for my Grandparents. I can't wait to see it!

Sushi

2011-10-20T21:14:00.005-04:00

Today was a busy day. Spent way too much time and money at Wal-Mart getting groceries, pictures, ink, envelopes, cupcake pans... you name it, I probably bought it. Oh, except for milk. Spent two hours in the damn store and forgot milk.

I wanted to get to the store early this morning so I could get home in time to make crock pot macaroni and cheese for the first time. My outing was delayed due to Sushi.

You see that blanket with the face? A cat is under it.

There she is!

I don't mean Sushi as in raw fish. I mean Sushi as in a cat. This is not my cat. Dan and I hadn't been living at our home for too long when sometime in late July I befriend this (at the time) pregnant cat, thinking it was a stray. We were grilling chicken one night and this cat could smell our food and came hungry. She was starving.

Cut to the present time and this cat has never stopped starving. I've never seen a cat that would eat me out of the house. She is never satisfied. Come to find out, she belongs to the people who live two houses down. I still feed her and she comes over everyday and eats and naps. She is beside me on the couch right now.

She had her six kittens on August 31 and this week was the first time I saw them. They were in my neighbor's yard. The father of the litter is named Shrimp. Sushi and Shrimp. I'm still not sure whom he belongs to. An orange kitten ended up on my porch today. I was paranoid it was going to get left behind when Sushi went back to her owner's house.

On another note, my "Fun Fall Activity" puzzle is complete. Nice.

Oh, and I wasn't able to make the macaroni and cheese. Ran out of time. I might try it tomorrow. Dan is on night shift and we needed to eat dinner at 5 because I had to leave for aerobics with my MIL at 5:30 and he leaves for work at 6.

UPDATE: I let Sushi out so she could go home. Well, I kicked her out. She left and came back with three of her children. She is presently at my door growling, has jumped through the screen on the storm door (it was ghettoly taped), and is scratching and jumping at the door. I've created a monster.

Health Screening

2011-10-19T15:15:00.001-04:00

Today my husband and I went to a health screening at his work. By doing this screening and filling out two other forms, $800 will be put into a health reimbursement account to help pay out of pocket medical expenses. As of right now we don't have a need for this money (thank the Lord!) but the great thing about it is it rolls over.

We made our appointment for today at 10:05 am. I have been dreading this day because I knew they were going to prick my finger. I know, I know... wimp. I just have flash backs of being at the pediatrician and the anticipation and the pain and the band-aid. Ahhh!

So we were finally called back into a room with about 25 other people who are having the same assessment completed. The huge room was divided into sections. The main part of the room was a long table with chairs. We were told to sit at this table and fill out a sheet. Then a lady took my blood pressure, wrote it down on my sheet, handed it back to me and directed me to another station. I was waiting in line, and from my seat I could see the finger pricking station. No one was screaming. No crying. No fainting... not even flinching. Oh, but the worry and anticipation was building. I was finally called taken behind a curtain at my current station and my weight, height, and waist measurements were written down on that same sheet. This lady handed me the paper and I was directed to the last station... the finger pricking station.

I was called up, gave my sheet over, took my seat across from a lady that looked like she has done this a million times. I told her I might scream and pass out. The lady sitting beside her, with unusually bright eyeshadow, said that passing out would be a waste. I didn't ask what she meant.

The lady in front of me asked, "Are you right handed?"

"Yes."

"Give me your left middle finger."

"Ahh!"

"I haven't done anything yet. Give me your finger and talk to your husband."

Daniel was sitting behind me and I turned my head to look back at him, felt a pinch, and that was it. All done. No crying. No getting pale. No use of 4 letter words. Passing out would have been a waste. One band-aid later we were sent to another room to watch a video on the smallest screen ever. There were maybe 7 of us watching a video on a portable DVD player. Daniel and I were finally called back to another little space behind a curtain and given our results from the blood pressure, weight, and blood work assessment.

What I found out: I am healthier than my husband. Not by much, but by just a smidge. The results showed different cholesterol levels, triglycerides, glucose, BMI, and blood pressure.

We were getting ready to leave but Dan wanted to show me the workout room. Walking through the building to get to that room, we saw where the food was provided. Free food? I'm there. I grabbed an orange juice, coffee, and 2 coffee cakes. I got to see the weight room, and as we were finally leaving they were putting out lunch: Panera Bread sandwiches already packed in a brown bag. Gosh, I'm just having an ace of a day.

Dreams For The Future

2011-10-18T13:23:00.000-04:00

I have been so blessed in my life. Truly blessed. Phenomenal family, loyal friends, and even better spouse. I have wondered what I have done in my life to have these blessings. I am so undeserving. This may sound insane, but I have thought that life is so great, it is only time before something horrible happens. The absolute worst would be for something to happen to my husband. I cannot imagine life without him. I could not go on. May sound dramatic, but it's oh-so-true.

I hope we are as much in love now as when we are 85 years old. I hope I am still wondering "Why did he chose me?"

I hope I am not infertile. I've been given no reason to believe that I am, but I worry. I hope for 4, 5, or 6 kids. I want a brood the size of Angelina's. Sounds extreme, I know, but I want as many people as possible to have Dan as a father. Any child would be so lucky.

I hope my husband and I will never experience the pain of going through something as horrible as cancer or other life threatening disease.

I hope my home is filled with laughter, love, loudness, chaos but peace, and warmth.

I hope that my children will be close and "thick as thieves" and grow up together and share the same friends. I hope they have get-togethers, and BBQs, and Thanksgiving dinners.

I hope I have a sister-in-law one day that I consider more of a sister than an in-law.

I hope we can build a house and call it our home.

I hope we can pay off our land debt.

I hope I can still say 80 years from now that I have never held more respect for anyone such as I have for my husband. Upmost, deepest, humble respect.

I hope I can live up to the greatness my husband believes I have.

I hope we can follow the Dave Ramsey plan to the seventh baby step.

I hope I can one day cook as well as my mother and grandmother can. They are freakish.

I hope to one day have a closet full of adult, neutral-colored, 'the basics' type clothes. I'm just now starting to work on this.

I hope my brother-in-law finds peace.

I have been married 4 months today. It keeps getting better and better.