My interview

3 things in my closet I'd rather not live without...

-my tan, leather knee high boots

-my Joes Jeans

-my Burberry coat

Perfume I wear

-Marc Jacobs

-Vera Wang

Schools I've attended

-Hoover High School

-The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

My favorite holiday

-Christmas of course

Jobs I've held

-preschool teacher

-church office manager

-administrative associate

Jobs I'd like to have

-kindergarten teacher

-travel agent

-author

Movies I watch over and over again

- Father of the Bride

-Bride Wars

Favorite Reads, recent and old

-Something Borrowed and Something Blue

Favorite things to do

-take a nap

-go fishing

-watch movies

-travel

-read

-take pictures

-be with my family

Now what about ya'll?!

Frog turns 3

My little frog, my nephew Jack, turned 3 years old on Saturday, July 11. I still can't believe he is already 3! To say he is three seems so old, but I know in my heart he is still a baby (well in my eyes at least)! His birthday party was so fun this year and laid back. Janelle's in-laws had his party at the lake. Their house is so beautiful, and of course it was decorated so cute! It was a pirate themed party, but most of his gifts were from the movie Cars. That is his favorite movie right now. He is obsessed with watching it! The weather was beautiful for his party. They had a pirate pool set up, and other games for the little ones to play. Clara was so cute in her tiny little, pink bikini. She put her feet in the water in the baby pool, but wasn't too fond of it. She is so dainty! Clara is walking now! She is too cute. She walks pretty well, but she is very cautious when she walks. She does not like to fall down.

For Jack's birthday present this year I wanted to get him something a little different. He has a lot of toys and books, so I thought I could get him something he could have forever. I found this great place at Christmas Village at the BJCC last fall. It's called Simply Written Designs. They are based out of Florence, Alabama. She has the cutest designs. Hunter and I have a bible verse in the shape of a cross framed in our house. I also did a design for Clara's first birthday. I got a bible verse done in the shape of a leotard. She also added a tutu on the skirt with some cute pink fabric. For Jack, I had a bible verse made in the shape of a turtle. She also put some really cute fabric on the shell. She will personalize it for you putting their name on it, and she has tons of different paper and prints to choose from. They are great gift ideas for people of all ages!

Not Me Monday

I seriously don't know how I got to work on time today. It was pouring outside, with a great amount of thunder....my perfect sleeping weather! I could have stayed in bed all morning listening to that. Is it just me or does anyone else love thunderstorms the way I do? I loveeeee a good thunderstorm. I love to cuddle up on my couch with a good book or a good movie. I could listen to thunder and rain all day!

Here is my not me Monday (please don't' judge ;-)

I did not sleep in until 6:50 , knowing I have to leave the house around 7:10 to get to work on time. I did not skip my shower so I could lay in bed a little longer.

I did not steal (borrow) my neighbor's hydrangeas, and while doing so I did not step on the board by their fence and bust a hole through it.

I did not stick my gum underneath my seat in the movie theater yesterday-agh! That is something I would normally never do.

I did not watch 4 episodes of Sex and the City yesterday when I have already seen them 5 times in the past year.

I did not eat pizza for four straight days in a row. And I most certainly did not bring a pizza lunchable today.

I hope everyone had a great weekend! I know we did. We celebrated Jack's third birthday! I will post pictures soon! Have a great Monday!

Us lately and summer reading...

Sorry for my lack of posting. I don't know why I haven't been posting like usual, but I miss it! I'm back. Hopefully I will keep more on track now. Lately Hunter and I have had a really busy summer. I can't believe we are in July. The older I get, the more time flies by! I miss being young and time creeping by! We had a great 4th celebration at Hunter's family's lake place. My grandparents are in town from California which has been great! We spent the day at the lake and spent the evening watching the fireworks. It's definitely not my favorite holiday, but I love holidays in general because it brings everyone together! The weather was great for the day too. We were worried that it would be too hot for my grandparents, especially since they are used to 0 humidity and breezy weather. We definitely lucked out! It was a great beautiful day! Thank you to my sweet-in-laws and Nannie for having us have a wonderful holiday!

We also celebrated my brother's birthday this past Tuesday-the big 29! He's getting up there! haha On Saturday we are celebrating my nephew's 3rd birthday! I can't believe he is already 3 years old. It seems like yesterday when he was just a little newborn sleeping in my arms. He is still as sweet as can be. I hope he will always be my "little frog." I will definitely have some pictures to post after his birthday party at the lake!

I don't know about ya'll, but I am overwhelmed with all of the good books that are out or are coming out soon. My favorite authors are all putting out books this summer...I hope Emily Giffin will soon too! I am currently reading, "The Fixer Upper" by Mary Kay Andrews. It's based in the south so I love it. It's a cute, fun, easy read! My next book will be "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. It's cool that she graduated from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa-Roll Tide! My mom and sister have both read it, and they have loved it! I can't wait to get my hands on it. Then for more exciting book news, Sophie Kinsella is coming out with her new book-"Twenties Girl" in a couple weeks. I will be buying this one for sure! And last, but not least, Jennifer Weiner is coming out with her new book "Best Friends Forever." All of these books seem so good. I have a lot of reading to do!

What other books am I miss out on? Does anyone have any good suggestions?? I am always looking for new authors and new books to read!

Wish List Wednesday

I can't remember where I saw this, but I saw a post chain called "Wish List Wednesday." I loved the idea so I thought I would give it a try! Since Wednesday happens to be least favorite day of the week, I will definitely be wishing away!

I wish....

I wish I was in Highlands, NC right now

I wish I had a gift card to Target

I wish I could be at home taking a nap

I wish Hunter could have his dream truck ;-)

I wish it would rain...our plants need some water!

I wish I could see my niece and nephew everyday

I wish all of our family lived in the same city so I could see everyone anytime I wanted!

I wish I had the summers off like I did in college!

I wish I would lose 15 pounds, but not have to do any work for it-haha

I wish I could be in Canada...my ultimate dream vacation

Speaking of Canda, the Bachelorette has made my love of Canada even bigger! The train ride was kind of corny for the show aspect, but as far as the actual scenery it is insanely beautiful. I hope to one day be able to go! This is where I would love to stay...

The Fairmont at Lake Louise

Reality show, reality show, where did you go?

I am guilty. Guilty of loving reality shows or should I say so called "reality shows." What happened to things been real on tv? I am so sick of people acting and setting up particular false scenes on reality shows. I used to love Laguana Beach. It was so fun, seemingly innocent, and it didn't seem planned like the way The Hills has been arranged. I tried my best to get into another guilty pleasure of The Hills this past season, but I just couldn't commit. The set ups were too staged, the scenes were so unbelievable, and the last episode ruined it for me. Can we say d-r-a-m-a-t-i-c? It shouldn't be called "The Hills" anymore....it needs to be a sitcom. While I am ranting about the show, can I also say that Heidi and Spencer really disgust me? I will leave you with something I find humorous...

Heidi compares herself to Mother Teresa. She wants to act like her and be a role model. Here is my question, would Mother Teresa pose in Playboy?

hmmm I think not.

Happy Anniversay House!

On Saturday, May 30, it marked our one year anniversary of owning our home! I didn't remember it, and Hunter did-I was shocked! It was actually very sweet because Hunter was so excited to say that we have been in our house for one whole year! Well, it will be a year for me in August, but we closed on our home on May 30, 2008. I will never forget that day. We had so much going on with work, our wedding plans, the house, etc. We both took the day off from work so we could move furniture in and get the house cleaned. The closing was so exciting! When I was handed my very own set of keys to our house I couldn't help but smile. It was such a memorable moment for us. I remember walking to our cars leaving the lawyers office, and we both couldn't stop smiling! We spent that afternoon moving, cleaning, and trying to organize our stuff. Then I rushed home to get ready for our couple's shower we had that night. The shower was a lot of fun, we got a lot of great gifts, and when it was all said and done, we were exhausted! It was only the beginning though. We spent the rest of the weekend cleaning, painting every room in the house and tearing up carpet. We had the best help too-both of our families were there to help! We couldn't have done it without them!

It's so weird to think that it has already been a year. We have had so many great memories in our home, and it's only the beginning. We have already done some kitchen remodeling, last weekend we did some yard work and added our own personal touches to it, and one day (not anytime soon) we will have a nursery! God has really been great to us. One thing I have learned is that owning a home is more work than you think. When we took our keys and signed our life away I didn't know how much work and fun we had in store for us! I have learned a lot about owning a home this past year. When something goes wrong, my dad isn't there to call someone to fix it or when the house is a mess I am responsible for cleaning it. Mom-I owe you an apology for not understanding the true meaning of cleaning a home. It is a lot of work. Even though cleaning is not always the best part, I do find pleasure in doing it. I love going to bed at night with a clean house.

Hunter and I are so happy that we found our love nest. It truly is the perfect home for us! Here are some pictures from how it all got started...

We love our backyard and Susie does too!

My favorite room in the house...our master bedroom! It's so cozy!

Our den....some of the furniture has been rearranged since this picture was taken

Toothpaste boxes

Growing up I always envied my friends and family, especially my sister, who had specific things they collected. My best friend growing up collected sea shells, my best friend from high school Stacy collected Winnie-the-Pooh bears, and my sister collected penguins. She loves penguins...stuffed penguins, penguin pictures, penguin movies, and just penguins in general! I loved helping her collect over the years. To this day I still pick up special items with penguins to give to her. I assume she still has a love for them, but maybe I should ask her. I don't want to be the person who keeps giving her stuff and she is too nice to say, "Enough!" I most certainly do not want to be categorized with my grandfather who has been sending empty beer bottles to someone who once made a comment about how he admires old beer bottles. The sweet man who will remain anonymous kindly receives the package, unpacks the bottles and then puts them in storage in his basement. After admiring other's collections I decided that I wanted to collect something. What did I collect you ask....toothpaste boxes! Yes I am being serious-toothpaste boxes. Don't ask my why I decided on my idea of glorified trash, but I did. I remember my mom getting so frustrated with me because I would have drawers full of empty, dirty, old toothpaste boxes. I finally gave in and knew this wasn't my thing, and I threw them all away...every last one...well I did keep one. I will never forget it. It was an old Aquafresh box that was still in good shape. I thought to myself that if I so happen to start collecting them again, I would like to have one original! Just in case you are wondering, the box is no longer with me. I think my mom "misplaced" it.

Over the years I have been admiring vases. Gorgeous vases that come in all different shapes and sizes. I adore a fresh bouquet of flowers, and I also adore the container they come in. I graduated from collecting toothpaste boxes to vases, and I couldn't be happier! I have a fairly big walk in closet in our house, and on the top right hand shelf sits all of my vases. I have petite vases, fat vases, round vases, and really tall vases. I even have some vases that look impossible to fill, but I know one day I will find some use for it! My mother-in-law gave me one of the most beautiful vases for Christmas last year. She knew I had my eye on a certain centerpiece that held 5 individual bud vases. The first time I saw it, I was. in. love. I could see it on my table. I envisioned having a baby shower or a wedding shower at my home, and I would envision which flowers I would put into the vases. My imagination ran wild! On Christmas morning, I was thrilled to open the box to find my imagination was going to come to life! My mother in law is the best! She always pays attention to the little things, and she is always caring for everyone but herself! Is there something you collect?! Let me know because I might surprise you with a gift someday!!!

Here are some vases on my wish list:

This one is a must have for me.....get ready for how pretty this is!

A new rake and a precious pair of gloves

My title says it all...well most of it at least. On my way home from work yesterday I was noticing all of the pretty yards at different people's homes. Instead of taking my daily left turn on Park Avenue (yes I live off Park Avenue...aren't you jealous?!), I took a sharp right towards our local hardware store. I purchased a rake and a cute pair of gardening gloves. I knew that these were not the ones that would hold up the longest or even provide much comfort, but I thought it might make the work more fun to have something cute to look at while I work. I knew I would have a good 2 hours before my husband would get home from work so I rushed inside, took Susie out, and went straight to work. I wanted to impress him. I raked several beds out in front of our lawn with dead leaves, old pinestraw, and random other things that shouldn't be in the beds. It looked like it was going to be fairly easy to do, but it wasn't at all. We have a lot of ivey that has a long vine attached to it. Every time I would get a great grasp on the leaves, the end of the rake would get caught in the vines. I knew it would be easier if I would grab the bunch of dead leaves with my hands, but I hate to get my hands dirty so I hesitated a lot. You are probably thinking, "you wore gloves, so why would you be afraid to use your hands?" That sounds logical, but once I saw how cute the gloves were I didn't want to get them dirty! I was acting ridiculous. I'm just glad my husband wasn't there to see it. I would never live it down. After a long hour of raking, I gave in and used my hands, and to my astonishment it wasn't bad.

I also decided to pull the hose around to the front of the house so I could wash off our porch that was covered in pollen and dirt. I ended up soaking the area so much I had so push some water off of the porch so no one would slip on our steps. After all was said and done, I was very proud of myself. I had 4 huge piles of dead leaves and such ready to be thrown away, washed the porch, swept the side porch, and pulled weeds out of some ivey. I then went inside, took a nice, long shower and laid on the couch watching my taped shows for the day. When my husband came home I kept waiting for him to say, "Wow babe you really out did yourself or the yard looks great!" I got this-nothing, not even a what is the hose doing in the front yard or why is the front porch wet or where did the huge piles of leaves come from? I didn't say anything because I thought he would eventually notice once he took the trash out. Before I went to bed, I said, "Man my back hurts from working so hard today." He asked why would my back hurt from sitting in a chair. I laughed and asked him how in the world he didn't notice my work? He still didn't know what I had done. After explaining everything I did he said "Oh well thank you," and turned right back to baseball. At this point I thought it wasn't worth making a big deal out of it. I decided to give myself a pat on my back and get some shut eye. In the back of my mind I thought, "Just you wait until you clean the bathroom for the first time, and want me to acknowledge it-haha!"

Home and "Not Me"

We made it home safe and sound from California! It was such a wonderful trip. There is nothing I needed more than a trip to the Sunshine state and a long weekend filled with my family! The big celebration was for my grandfather's 80th birthday party. It was a golf themed party with a special emphasis on the Masters golf tournament. A lot of their friends wore some serious "get ups" that made everyone laugh! Each family also wore matching clothes. We were very easy to spot-Alabama golf shirts and seer sucker. When my grandparents friends would say hello they would say, "You must be from Alabama darling!" An Alabamian is almost always spotted when you go to the west coast! I unfortunately do not have the pictures downloaded yet. Here is one I will borrow from my cousin for the time being. Let me introduce you to my big, "fat", Catholic family ;-)

And of course, a very good example of the attire is this...

Now on to "Not Me Monday"...

I did not blast my horn for a couple seconds at a young couple doing some serious making out in the truck in front of me in at in intersection. I did not drop my mouth open and yell, "You are too young to be doing that!" I did not cry on the plane while we took off in Houston, and I did not tell Hunter I wanted him to ask the stewardess to land the plane because I needed to get off. I most certainly did not burp loudly in the parking deck of my husband's office building, and make him very embarrassed and upset with me. I did not almost wreck my car over a little spider that was running across the dashboard in my car. Last, but not least I did not nap for almost 6 hours yesterday.

To fly or not to fly...

I have been sitting at work wondering why my stomach has been in knots...literally...knots! I have felt nauseous all day, and dizzy. I kept thinking oh I'm just tired or I just ate something that didn't settle, but it just hit me-I'm nervous about Friday. Not nervous because of the actual day, what I will wear, or if my luggage will get to California (that could be a reasonable concern), but I'm nervous because of the flying part. I don't believe there is anything more terrifying to me than to fly. I have had so many bad memories of flying growing up. Not from scary happenings although some, but from my "panic episodes." I honestly thought I would never be able to fly with one of my family members ever again after each flight. Everyone would take their turn sitting by me. Mostly by force or they couldn't find another seat. I can't say that I blame them. I have had a lot of annoying moments on past flights. I cried one flight from the second we took off till moments before we landed in California. That was a 5 hour flight sitting next to my sister. It's a miracle she continued to sit to next to me. She raised her voice at me a couple of times, pretended to be asleep hoping I would stop bugging her, but nothing seemed to work. Finally my mom was determined to make our flights bearable for everyone. She discovered cross word puzzles and word searches. I laughed at her when she bought them, but after being forced to focus on them and play them, it actually took my mind off of the flight. I'm really not that bad anymore...well I can control it better. I don't usually cry often, I don't panic on the outside, and I don't annoy the person next to me (except for Hunter).

I remember when Hunter and I went to New York with his parents in Christmas of 07. I was so excited to go, and thrilled to be taking a vacation with my soon to be in-laws, but horrified of the flight. I was so nervous I was going to embarrass myself in front of them! Luckily Dedee is just as good as my mom. She came prepared...Sudoku style! At first I wasn't sure what to think of it, but after playing it for a while with her, I was hooked! Every time I started to look nervous she would pull it out and say, "Gosh I need help with this one!" I knew she didn't really need help, but it made me focus on the game! I know I sound crazy, but this really is a true fear of mine. Planes are so crowded, stuffy, full of strangers, bumpy, etc. Is anyone else afraid of flying? If so, what do you do to help yourself from not being scared?

California is calling me home

7 days from today Hunter, myself, my mom, dad, brother, sister, neice and nephew are all boarding this

Where we will land here

To be greeted by these fabulous people

To attend my grandfather's 80th "Golf Themed" birthday party

And while we are in southern California we plan to spend some time at the most magical place on Earth

And watch some good Angel's baseball...

I can barely wait!!!!! I will have LOTS of pictures to post once I return home!