A New Kind of Blog

Josh and I have been talking a lot lately about writing a blog together. Maybe this will help me be more successful at maintaining it! We have a post in the works right now...so stay tuned!!!

Thanksgiving

I LOVE Thanksgiving and basically the holiday season. This is why I began it a few weeks ago, which includes putting my Christmas Tree up. That's right folks, it's been up for a good two weeks. :) I just LOVE having it up and lit and looking all Christmasy. Because I have a wonderful husband there is even two gifts sitting under the tree just for me ;). But, back to Thanksgiving....

I thought I would write down some of my favorite thanksgiving memories/traditions, because, hey it's that time of year. :)

1. Getting dressed up. I don't know why, but ever since we were little we have always gotten dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner (which at our house is around 2pm). We then immediately after change into pjs, so as better to facilitate the much needed nap.
2. Pickle plate. My mom always makes a pickle and olive plate that's on the table. I love it. Kristie tries an olive every year because she hates them, but I love them.
3. The year I was responsible for the mashed potatoes. :) I didn't finish making them and they were all lumpy. Everyone was pretty upset... but I got a phone call, what was I supposed to do. hahahahaha.
4. The year I learned to cut my own turkey... no, I don't mean carve the turkey, I mean use a fork and knife to cut my own turkey meat, that was on my plate. I am pretty sure I don't have the coordination skills of a two year old, so this was a tough task for me... yes I was 16 and yes, my dad cut my meat until then. So shush.
5. Any year when we had cousins and aunts and uncles and bunches of people, because I love my family more than anything in this planet.
6. Playing pictionary with the Sterlings.
7. Playing boggle with Holly, because she makes up more words than a neologist (google it).
8. Discovering that I really do love stuffing.
9. Watching my mom make stuffing... i.e. tearing the bread into our big green Tupperware bowl, that I now own and will make my own stuffing in.
10. Watching my mom and aunts cook, because cooking in our family also means 1. drinking wine and 2. singing.
11. Being somewhere where it actually snows on Thanksgiving and getting to watch it snow from the warmth of inside.
12. Sleeping on the Sterling's couches - because they are the best couches in all the land. If a House marathon happens to be on, then so be it!
13. LEFTOVERS!!!!!!
14. Waking up ridiculously early just to go shopping, which is just an absurd idea... unless there are 6 other women that will go with you.
15. A day after Thanksgiving movie.
16. "Kid's Wine" is what we called sparkling grape juice in our family. We always got to have it on thanksgiving with dinner. We would go through about two bottles because there is nothing better than that, ever.
17. Green bean casserole. I think it is the most delicious thing on the planet, and it's not Thanksgiving to me if I don't have this tasty treat. Pretty much everyone else in my family thinks that's silly, but it's just true. So there.
18. Family. I have mentioned a lot of memories with family and just being with family in general, but there really is nothing better. I love our family and I love having thanksgiving with them.
19. Thanksgiving at Poppy and Nana's house. It was just magical and we had a kids table and it was the bomb.
20. Thinking about making the holidays special for my own kids. This isn't a memory or a tradition, but the holidays, birthdays, and all of that jazz were always special and a big deal at our house. I can't wait to do that for my own family.

What do you love about Thanksgiving/the holidays?!?

All of us waiting for turkey. There are at least 9 of us on this couch.

Playing Pictionary. It's madness, and it's wonderful!

Wedding Details Part II

Well, after we ran through the lobby, remember, running 30 minutes late, we finally got into our cars. Thank you Valet. We drove, in the snow (flurries not snowstorm) to our location. Thankfully, the roads were no longer icy. When I went with the photographers the previous day they were ridiculous. We parked our car at Riverwood Mansion and headed up to the bridal suite. My in-laws were waiting in the room for us at this point, but everyone was dressed and ready but me. One of the coordinators at this time came up and told us that there was a problem. My mom has told us all of our lives, "On your wedding day, if you get married then it was the perfect day...nothing can go wrong that will prevent you from being married." So, immediately this is what I thought. Apparently, the baker had a heart attack that morning and neither my wedding cake or my groom's cake would be ready. I was SUPER bummed because I wanted to see our grooms cake more than just about anything. Maybe some day... But, the day must go on... we can get married without a cake, so let's do this thing. They had bought a plastic cake that was sitting in the foyer in place of the real cake. They also baked sheet cakes and served them to our guests. I guess no one was any wiser as several people told me that the cake was delicious. Oh well....The rest of this whole time before the wedding is a bit of a blur. I remember taking some pictures with Hailey and brushing my teeth but I really don't remember how we "wasted" the 2 hours before the wedding. I pretty much just remember sitting in the bridal suite just me and my dad getting really really anxious and having tons and tons of butterflies in my stomach. I kind of feel like that now just typing it! I stood at the top of the stairs listening to all of our music being played. Dad and I walked into the room and I remember thinking, "I can see everyone's faces" I don't know what I was expecting but I didn't realize I would see everyone looking at me... it was surreal. I saw Josh and he was just smiling really adorable like... this was also probably the fastest walk down the aisle that ever was because I was so excited... there was no pacing myself... I got to Joshua and we held hands... I was shaking like crazy. Josh later said he couldn't tell if it was him or me... but then he realized that it was most certainly me. I also didn't want my veil behind my shoulders so it would show in the pictures. I tried to mouth this to Josh but he just kept pushing it behind my shoulders, so I just did it myself... and everyone laughed. Josh's dad lead a beautiful ceremony. I really wish I could remember more of what he said exactly. I remember bits and pieces, but I think I was just too excited. The ceremony was the perfect length and we excitedly exited the ceremony and were alone, married, and happy as ever.... for 2 seconds. We were then surrounded by our bridal party and family. It was the BEST. We hung out for a couple minutes while our guests were directed to the food... which was brunch by the way... and it was delish. Josh and I had a private table upstairs and they had all of our food ready and waiting for us. I wish it could have lasted even longer. The whole day was really just a blur. After we walked out of the ceremony (because I really don't have many details of between) we got in the car and Josh said, "Do you want a coke or something?" and so we drove to the nearest gas station and he got us some Big Gulps. Whadda guy I tell ya. We went back to the hotel and took more pictures and I was exhausted... That pretty much wraps up the day... we left for our honeymoon at about 4:00am the next morning. Tired. :)

Whoever invented the honeymoon was a genius, because if I had to go back to work after that I would have been worthless. We had an amazing day!!!

Wedding Details... more for me... but you can read them too!

I know that our wedding was all of 8, nearly, 9 months ago.. but I never jotted down any information from the big day. I know there are probably already details that I have forgotten, but I wanted to write down what I do remember.... blurry lines and squiggly fingers as we go back in time....

January 8, 2010... the Friday before our wedding. Really, I should probably start with Thursday since that is when my family came in town... but most things that happened on Thursday were just me running around like a crazy person with crazy eyes and crazy brains. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was probably a little stressed. Thank heavens for fantastic sisters who take off work and drive up late Wednesday afternoons to help you be a normal person. Seriously. But anyway, after running around BG all day getting my tan on and nails did we (Kristie and I) drove to Nashville to meet my parents at the Opryland Hotel. It was awesome.

When we got to Nashville there were already things to be done. My photographer buddy, Hailey, had come into BG and rode with us down to Nash-vegas. She wanted to see the venue to get an idea of what she would be shooting. So, after picking up my other photographer, Laura, we went to see the venue. I am SO GLAD I did that. It put to rest many concerns I was having. They were already set up and already so wonderful.

We had a fantastic, immediately family and bridal party only, rehearsal dinner at Mere Bulles restaurant in Franklin, TN. Josh's sister, Heather, put together a darling slide show of our lives. It was pretty great. Dinner was great and probably the only thing I really ate that day. I just wasn't hungry... again, probably nerves and anxiety. We went back to the hotel and I just prayed that I would be able to sleep. But then, I remembered that we hadn't put together the CD's for the reception yet. I know, I'm kind of a last minute type of gal. :) I also left my CDs in the car.... which was valeted who knows where. Thankfully, my Mac lovin' photographer Hailey, had thousands of songs at my disposal to choose from and make a delightful mix that I still enjoy listening to. So, I would say I went to be around midnight. I should also mention, before going to bed I wrapped my stomach in saran wrap... it's a model trick to make your waistline smaller. It worked, although it was a really sweaty, crinkly night in bed. It's cool... I didn't sleep much anyway. I remember lying in bed at 4 am thinking... just go to sleep, just go to sleep. That didn't happen.

January 9, 2010... the big day. As I said, I was up at 4 am. I laid in bed until about 5:30 or 6 and woke my sister up. We were supposed to have hair at 6:30 in my parents suite so we went down to their room to wait for my stylist... who was 45 minutes late. However, she is the bomb and I really adore her. While we waited my fantastic dad went down to the hotel cafe and got coffee and bagels. He's an angel. He was also fully dressed when we got to the hotel room at 6:00am. What an angel. While my hair was being done my brother and his wife came up. They had a little present for me, my childhood teddy bear. It was awesome. I held him while I got my hair done. It was a really sweet sentimental touch to the morning. We also had hired a make-up artist the day before from a boutique... we bought the make-up, thank heavens, for her to use... however... she did not show up... ever. Sheesh. So, I did my own make-up and tried to emulate the test run that had happened a day earlier... again, I'm a last minute girl. I think it turned out just fine. I bought the wrong kind of eyelash glue for my fake eyelashes though... so that was a bummer. My mom wasn't very excited about that since she told me specifically to make sure I did not buy the single application eyelash glue. I had a stress ball for a brain... so... whaddya gonna do. So, running 30 minutes behind we went to the venue. I got to see my aunts and an uncle in the lobby of the hotel on the way down. After small smooches we were on our way. At some point during this chaos I texted Josh that we were running behind. As usual, he was cool as a cucumber and told me not to worry. He's pretty great.

Okay, if you've read this far you're a real buddy. I am going to do a Part II for the ceremony and after... To Be Continued!

I bet you didn't know...

These are often my favorite blogs about people... so I am going to do this.. check it.

1. That I love the number 4. I was born on 4/14/84 and that's just cool.
2. I am pretty obsessive compulsive about some things, like toilet paper and matching socks.
3. I have never worn a pair of mismatched socks (as long as I have been in charge of dressing that part of my body).
4. I don't like chocolate ice cream. Too much chocolate in general makes me sick to my stomach.
5. I used to hate hearts on everything, now I love them.
6. I never cried about anything that wasn't seriously traumatizing until I met my husband. Now I cry at stupid commercials and completely nonsensical things.
7. If caramel is a flavor option that is the one I will choose.
8. I love penguins. I think they are fascinatingly human-like.
9. I am super awkward around people I am meeting for the first time if I don't know anyone else.
10. I have a silly guilty pleasure of watching The Bachelor. It's just entertaining.
11. I love to read non-fiction.
12. I have a twin... just kidding.
13. When I was growing up I thought Michael Jackson would create all the music in the world and there would be no new music by the time I was old, which when I was a kid that would be about 30.
14. I am pretty good at picking apart and making better resumes, cover letters, and other job documents. Hit me up.

A Nashville Weekend

Josh and I decided to head to Nashville for a date-night weekend. (As mentioned in the previous post). We stayed at a Marriott in Franklin/Cool Springs that we have stayed in before. It was great. We ate dinner at a restaurant across the street called "Boscos." We just got appetizers because it was semi-late to be eating dinner (8:30pm). We shared the fish tacos and spinach and artichoke dip. Both were delicious. However, does anyone notice that spinach and artichoke dip often smells like a baby diaper? Because it does... anyway... we had a grand night. In the morning we woke up and went to the Green Hills area and shopped at West Elm (LOVE IT) and Anthropologie. We ate at California Pizza Kitchen (yum!) and had an all around blast. After that we went to the Green Hills mall and checked out Z Gallery. We found some things we loved but didn't end up buying. I am a little tight with my money and couldn't justify spending too much. Then we went to Target in Belle Meade. It was CRAZY! All of the college students on the planet were there buying an entire apartments worth of goodies. We too were in the market for house items, so we just crammed right in next to them. Luckily, Josh nor I had a panic attack. Shew. It, of course, started to downpour while we were shopping. People coming into Target looked like someone had thrown buckets of water on them. We lucked out and the rain stopped before we had to go outside. We saw a pretty rainbow on the way out. It was awesome.


Alright, so that is basically what has been going on. I LOVE when Josh doesn't have to work. I wouldn't rather spend anytime with anyone else. He's such a trooper about everything. We are so excited about next weekend because Josh doesn't have to work Saturday OR Monday... look out Tampa... here we come!!!

Here is your funnest fact of all the fun facts:
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end

Fact obtained from www.fun-facts.com

Yay!

For Diana, my only reader

There are any number of things I can write about. How many of them are interesting though? That is the challenge. I will do my best to be entertaining.

Josh does not have to work on Saturday! (Hooray!) so we are going to go to Nashville and spend the night. We will probably do some "back to school" shopping so that I can have some new clothes for the first day of school. I am not a teacher, but I am an academic advisor and at University. If I want the kids to relate to me I have to have some sweet style. This is just the truth. We have to decide where we are going to eat... but we will probably enjoy some delicious frozen yogurt courtesy of Sweet Cece's. Diana, you must go here next time you are in Nashville. We had it when I got back from Canada two weeks ago. I have to say I have thought and talked about it many times since then. We are also probably going to go see a movie. We will probably see Eat, Pray, Love since it is my turn to pick.

We are going to Tampa, FL to see Josh's family for Labor Day. That is sure to be exciting. We get to be down there for three full days and then will leave early in the morning on Tuesday. We are both very excited. Josh needs a vacation in the worst way. He's a very hard worker!! I hope to do something fun like go to Busch Gardens. We never got to do that while we were living there.

I heard a good story at church last night. There was a little girl who was very sick and had a rare blood disease. She also had a very rare blood type (I don't know what it was) and the blood bank did not have enough to give her the transfusion. They tested this little girl's brother and he had the same blood type as she did. The doctor's asked the little boy if he would give blood to his sister to make her feel better. He, of course, said, "Yes!" They let the little girl and boy lay next to each other while they extracted the blood from the little boy. Towards the end the little boy became lightheaded and asked the doctors a very serious question. He said, "Will it hurt when I die?" the doctor's were astonished and quickly explained that he wasn't going to be giving his sister ALL of his blood, just enough to make her better. The little boy agreed to give his blood to his sister fully expecting that he was going to die. He was going to lose his life to save hers. I think this story brilliantly illustrates how much we underestimate children. They are unbiased, loving, little people. They are not jaded and wise beyond their years... but maybe that sentence doesn't make any sense... because it is when we grow older that we loose that sense of the childish heart. The children aren't tainted by life yet. Maybe they are the ones who know it all....

and so I leave you with that. What's that you say? you wanted a fun fact? well alright!

Abraham Lincoln had four children, Robert Todd Lincoln, Edward Lincoln, Willie Lincoln, Tad Lincoln. Only Robert Todd Lincoln survived into adulthood.... and had a middle name. I don't know if that last part is true, but he is the only one listed with a middle name... so I win.

Fact taken from www.fun-facts.com