The Gilpin's

Canvas Is "In"

2010-02-04T18:55:00.000-08:00

Throughout my few 26 years I could count on one hand the number of things I have ordered form Lands End. Not that there is something wrong with the company, quite on the contrary, they have a fantastic reputation for quality fabrics but I have always felt their focus has really been on an older target market. Perhaps the preppy mom versus the trying not to age too quickly twenty-somethings. But I was all too pleased to find a new and younger line called Canvas from Lands End. They still seem to be testing their niche with this line because the selection is limited, however, very promising I must say. Upon my visit, I found quite a few things I would love to add to my little wardrobe but in an effort to budget, decided to refrain from the entire "wants" list. This yummy yellow peacoat was on the on the top of said list and at a ballpark price of $80 dollars, really quite a steal! I sadly could not justify the purchase; being that here in MS you are either frigid cold or miserably hot this coat may not have found a home on my body as often as I would have liked.

I was super excited to find a generic pair of Wayfarer's and did convince myself this was a necessary purchase. I have been eyeballing the real thing since summer but could not commit to the steep price tag. I finally made up my mind I was going to bite the bullet and what do a trip over but these beauties...

and for half the price! Love to find a steal, don't you?!

Tales of Christmas Past

2010-01-08T07:54:00.001-08:00

I am fully aware that it is January 8th and I am just now posting about my Christmas festivities but as is my usual motto "better late than never", right? With two weeks off, and almost that long for Andrew, we really were able to enjoy our holiday this year. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with Andrew's family in Hattiesburg and were able to drive to Memphis on Christmas Day to spend a few days with mine. It was soo nice to come back home after being away for something like 5/6 months! That is entirely too long to stay away from a place you love so much. Unfortunately, Andrew's Christmas present to me this year was not an announcement that he was going to allow me to move back to my beloved abyss but hey, there is always next year? I had the chance to see several of my sweetest friends and of course consume some delicious grub, life is good!

One of the true highlights of the holiday season was traveling all the way to Sugarland, TX ((pretty much Houston)) and spend a FANTASTIC weekend with one of Andrew fraternity brothers, and good friend, Kris Crawford & his wife Laura Lynn. They bought a beautiful new home a little while back and were throwing their first Christmas shin dig! Andrew and I had not been back to TX since their wedding, over two years ago, so we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to see them in their world again. I am so glad we decided to make the trek because we had so much fun! I was even able to see one of my funniest and sweetest friends Erin while we were there so it was just a perfect weekend! Hubs even conceded to the peer pressure and tried sushi, WHICH HE ENJOYED!! You have no idea how much progress this is for me and my relationship with sushi!! I have yet to get him back to a sushi restaurant but this is one large baby step for mankind, you have just have no idea! To say the least, the trip was a true success in more ways than one. We left for Houston with a party of three and came back with only two, which would normally seem like a slight hiccup but if you know Kevin Maloney this really would be quit normal. That's a story for another day!

Christmas Eve after church with the "mini" - and no she doesn't pick her nose, at least not yet!

The hubs and the one we left behind

One of my favorite peeps

Hubby was also able to attend the Sugar Bowl this year, much thanks to Mazoud, and originally I was going to attend but decided to stay at the hizzy and let the brother-in-law go. From the looks of the view, I may be regretting that decision! They had a really good time though and that, all in all, is what matters!

Merry Late Christmas Everyone! Here's to more blogging time in 2010!

2009-10-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

I mean, what the hay has been going on lately? Not only have I just completely not felt like blogging, most nights it really doesn't even occur to me! Put me in the bag girl blogger corner please! Really, not many show stoppas happen in my little life these days but we have had a few fun events to partake in the past month or so. A few weeks back a bunch of us threw and engagement party/shower for Rachael and Danny! It was the most fun I have had in quite sometime, so much fun in fact, that the next morning I literally thought to myself I teach children and I am too old for this. It was all well worth it though. I got to see friends I haven't seen in months (( because if you didn't know I live in a hole far far away from all)) and we were all so happy to celebrate the upcoming nuptials of two amazing people!! Can't wait for the wedding and our stay at the Alluvian - this is exacting news because I have heard so much about this hotel!

Other than that... it is FOOTBALL SEASON! Yes!! Mississippi State Football should be everyone's favorite past time! I love the entire package they call tailgating, and the game - well you can't beat 'em! But this year we have seen some of the best games we have experienced in some time. No, we aren't "winning" yet - but dang at least we are finally competing and I could not be more proud of our Bulldawgs! We are going to get there ((insert knock on wood)) and I can't wait for Mullen to experience a GREAT success at State, he deserves it! I actually got chills and squirted one during the Florida game... not sure this combination has ever happened to me before?!?

The almost newlyweds in their new snazzy grilling aprons!

The hostesses minus the burly men - who were most definitely doing something manly at the time

The hubs and I - he was so cute and cozy this particular evening!

some of the boys - Mazoud's first game of the year and his day of birth!

some of the girlies

Wish I had more pictures from Starkville - but I have been terrible with the photogs this year! Got several good ones from the FL game but I'm lazy and don't feel like getting them off the card!

Going to see the mini this weekend. It was her 1st b-day on the 27th and we are going to celebrate with a partaa on Saturday! - oh and speaking of b-days, turned 26 on the 20th - booo, I am over the hump of "mid-twenties"... and that sucks!

Better Late Than... REALLY Late

2009-08-30T16:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 Years! Just a little late - August 18th to be exact - was Andrew and I's 2 year anniversary. Two years has flown by and has been a slow creep. Seems crazy to say but we have endured so many different things that when looking back on the past you think wow that seemed so long ago and didn't that just happen yesterday?! We had our annual celebration this year in the lovely city of Chattanooga, TN. My brain automatically ventured to sand and sun during the planning stage of our retreat but Andrew thought it would be better to experience some place we hadn't already been together. I am so happy he made such a suggestion! Although, I am from Tennessee I had not been to Chattanooga since childhood and Andrew had never been before so it was the perfect weekend destination. We both took Friday off of work so we were able to leave Thursday night and make it half way, to Birmingham. This turned out to be the perfect plan because we made it to Chattanooga for an early lunch and a half day visit to the Aquarium! That night we had an AMAZING dinner at Blue Water Grille -oo wee, it was the best meal I have had in quite awhile (we actually even discussed going there for a second night!) I must also insert here that I have discovered a new favorite cocktail! A pomegranate mojito! If you have not been so lucky as to have sipped this fine beverage you must do so very soon!

The next day we made our way to all the touristy places - Ruby Falls (beautiful and highly recommended!), Lookout Mountain and the Incline Railroad. It took all day Saturday but it was so nice to spend every minute with just the hubby. That night we had another great dinner at Easy Bistro and followed it up with a free concert by the river. The band, Pappa Mali, was a New Orleans based Blues band and SO GOOD we even bought their CD although I should mention they are much better live!

All in all it was a perfect vacation...literally could not have been any better and I was sad to have to go home, mostly because Andrew and I don't get enough time to just relax, do something new and just be totally alone. We had an amazing time!

Utopia

2009-08-23T11:38:00.000-07:00

Although almost a complete month has past since our family vaca to Miramar Beach, Fl I am still dreaming about my 7 days in Utopia. We had so much fun relaxing, soaking up the glorious rays and consuming much pleasure at all the local eateries. ((We were even were able to experience the prescence of John Cohen who seemingly was vacationing at the same time. He passed right by our table at LA Langiappe and of course hubby was the only one who noticed. We were eating outside on the back deck so I "tried" to get a good shot but he apparently was not concerned with my photo op b'c he wondered too far away!)) This year we rented a house which was amazing. Andrew and I were able to stay in the Carriage House that was attached to the main house by a walkway. May I just say, personal air conditioning unit, a balcony with a beautiful view and an extremely cozy bed. It was heaven! The house had it's own private pool and surprisingly half of our time was spent there rather than the beach, especially on those sweltering afternoons when all we wanted to do was refresh our sunkissed bods!! I could go on and on about how much I love the beach but I think I will just end with a few snapshots so that I may reminensce!

((our beautiful niece Mary Ashley))
this was our last day - hence actually being UNDER the umbrellas!

All the girls- even the mini!

Andrew and his beautimus sisies!
The Family

Our Humble Abode for 7 Days!!

Baytowne

Boston/ BLC Conference iMovie

2009-07-31T14:27:00.000-07:00

Nothing to exciting in regards to iMovies, but it is my first one so I was happy to be able to complete it. Hopefully they will get better! and ps - please no laughing at the dorky intro I didn't know I was going to have to record myself as you can see by my complete awkwardness!

BLC '09 from Rebekah Gilpin on Vimeo.

So Tired

2009-07-30T22:55:00.000-07:00

Second week away from home. First the beach, pictures coming soon. Second, Boston for work, video coming soon. This has been my lengthiest blogger dry spell yet. I am so tired but I will not be away too much longer, promises promises.

Yes, Please

2009-06-29T17:43:00.001-07:00

I was recently BLESSED by my district and was chosen as one of a few to receive a brand spankin' new MacBook and iTouch. They are so amazing and I have not been able to stop playing with them. If I had the means to,right now, I would go straight to the nearest store and purchase one of each for myself...the only altering being that I would get the iPhone instead of just the iTouch. All this playing with graphics driven technology has really driven my hunger for more. For quite some time I have been eyeing the Canon Rebel EOS 450D (or Nikon D90, I mean can't be picky here). I can really appreciate the difference in quality these cameras produce and I WANT ONE! There are so many things the hub and I want to save for and a super expensive camera is understandably not on the top of the list. But a girl can dream right? A little more on the feasible and more attainable wish list is PhotoShop Elements 7. Although, not the "real deal" PhotoShop, PS Elements is the second best thing for us nonprofessionals. I just keep thinking how much more wonderful this little box of software could make my baby canon pictures. Last year I had the opportunity to attend a Photoshop Elements and Premiere Elements workshop given by actual Adobe employees and WOW, I was shocked at how much the programs can do. It was truly impressive, I now know what everyone has been raving about. Dreams dreams...

Whats Been Up?

2009-06-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

Quite a bit to answer that question! First and foremost my dad is home from the hospital after a successful surgery and we had a great surprise 60th birthday party for him to boot! As you will probably notice dad wasn't feeling on top of his game that day but he was in really good spirits and was able to enjoy the party anyway! Happy Birthday to my dad, and thank you thank you for all the prayers!

We have also been to the Coast with Andrew's sister Ellen and brother-in-law Blaine with baby MA in tow. We headed out to the islands at about 10:30 and left about 4:30 so it was a good day of sun and sand... the best combination to ever enter my life! MA is becoming the regular coast baby never whining even when the adults complain about the heat! To top off the entire trip Andrew caught our dinner... a DELICIOUS flounder which I baked the next night! mmmm!

2009-06-17T18:27:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy and intense this week. For some reason, during the almost entire two years Andrew and I have been married it has been impossible for us to go on a two-three month stretch without something pretty significant impacting our lives. And here we are again. My closest friends know that about 7 months ago my dad was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and was in the hospital for a little over a week. It was an absolute shock! He lost about 40 lbs, consisting of mostly fluid trapped near his heart, delt with an extreme change diet due to sodium intake, less energy and generally just not feeling well. He pulled through it slowly but surely and although it was constantly in the back of my mind I had come to the point finally, that he was going to be "alright". That is until about 7:00 Monday evening when I got a call from my mom saying they were back in the emergency room.

Dad was finally admitted back into the hospital at 3:00am that same night and has yet to come home. He had a heart catheter today to tell us if he had a blockage that would result in a stint or that there was no blockage and his heart simply was not beating as it should resulting in surgery and a heart defibrillator. Unfortunately, the results were as both my mom and I had secretly been thinking separately it was. There is no blockage and my dad is going to have a defibrillator surgically placed near his heart very soon. For those of you who don't know... this means that each time my dad's heart begins to beat irregularly or skips beats totally he will receive an electric shock directly to the heart. It is apparently painful and can cause a person to faint. In a nutshell this is not the result we were hoping for.

I believe that God does not give us things we can not and are not meant to handle. But I will confess, it has taken a lot for me not to be angry and ask, why? I know most daughters would say the same but there is not one ounce of my dad that this condition should be taking away from us. It is not fair and it is not right but what can we do? There are times when I truly think I can't take one more thing and that it's all just too much for one person to handle. But this isn't happening to ME this is happening to the best man I know.

This is the first that anyone outside of my family has heard this news so first I want to apologize for not communicating as I should (I've never been good or comfortable with expressing things like this) and two, ask for your prayers. For my dad especially but also for my mom, she is the strength for him right now and she needs someone to give her the strength and peace she needs during this time too.

Gianni Binni & Bentonville

2009-06-10T16:57:00.001-07:00

I returned late Monday from a vaca to Bentonville, AR. And I must say that it was just what the doctor ordered. No stress, relaxation and shopping. I understand Bentonville may not seem like the ideal place to vaca however my sweet sister-in-law Michelle resides in this lovely town so it was the perfect opportunity to hop in the car and get away!

During my visit we hit what could possibly be the mecca of all outdoor malls. Pinnacle Hills Promenade! I for one can appreciate a good mall but this is really something and if you ever pass through you must for the love of everything beautiful stop here! At this venue of loviless I was pumped to snag two of favorite things for the season. Tribal flats and wedges. Glory! Both were made by Gianni Bini! I heart this designer! I fell in love about four years ago when I was looking for the perfect wedge to go with a purple shirt... I was frustrated because I hate things that are matchy and I couldn't find something that just complimented my planned wardrobe. And then, like a shining beacon of light there they were calling out to me! Brown, green and an o so slight hint of purple wedge! Gianni Bini, I love you. The best part about my friend Gianni, he doesn't always price his footwear above costs of the working woman. There have been times when I have been disappointed to see a pricey duo of deliciousness but more often then not I find them at the perfect price point to fit into my acceptable shoe purchase scale.

I picked up a few more things but these were definitely my favorite purchases of the entire outing!

My posting would be forever long if I talked about all the places we traveled and shops we visited during my stay but I had an amazing time through it all! If not for the distance away from my family and friends I would pick up and move hubby and I to Bentonville in all of the 7 1/2 hours it would take to get there! I can't give enough props to the home of Wal-Mart. Michelle works for Welch's there and I think everyone else who lives in the city works for some other vendor of Wal-Mart... could by why it's so nice there!! It's surrounded by mountains and is just one of the cleanest and well kept cities I have been too, I will miss it!

Unfortunately the two pics below were the only pictures that came out of my adventure, very random I know!

This the first night of the visit when I persuaded Michelle to go out on a run/bike excursion. The weather was perfect there and her neighborhood is so cute! When we came to find her a house about a year ago the house next door was for sale as well... to my despair it was sold upon my return!

I have no idea what was so funny here but it must have been something good for me to make that horrendous face!

Dating

2009-06-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

Last week my 50 something mentor teacher said something to me that struck a cord. She told me that she and her husband "never stopped dating". To this day she and her husband still date, she mentioned that she knew eventually her two sons would leave the nest and then where would she be? Looking at the person next to her and wondering who he was now or still in love with the man she has grown with for so many years. I have often heard similar remarks but for some reason this time it just stuck with me. Maybe because Andrew and I have gone through so many changes in the first two years of our marriage or maybe just because at that moment I was actually listening. I don't believe that young 20 somethings newlyweds typically have this problem because for the most part we don't have children and are able to go out to dinners and movies as we please. There is always a party, shower, wedding etc to attend or just going out to dinner with friends and so normally there isn't much separation time to be had. But when you look back and think on it how many times are you just "alone" with your spouse? Alone meaning no television, no Internet, no...other people. Not to say that everyone should drop off the face of the earth and become antisocial but you get my drift here. In any case it just made me think. Everything is so fast paced these days and I for one can let everything else just take me away, then day is gone.

It all seemed to come together in a sense this past weekend. On a whim I called Andrew from work last week and told him I thought the Coast, Outlets and Seafood were all calling our names. Hub loves the Coast as do I so he was in immediately. We took our time Saturday to enjoy the morning and by noon we were off. We hit the outlets at about 1:30 - or a slice of heaven whichever you prefer. Andrew and I normally don't shop for clothes together. It is more of a my shopping for him and bringing it home thing, but today it was all us. He allowed me to stay until 5:00 with a few I like thats and don't you want to go to this store, impressed! After my little (or not so little) shopping spree we were off to Bay St. Louis to eat at Trapini's. Andrew's parents raved about this place but it was out first visit. And a visit it was. The food was delicious, we made friends with the owner and the people watching was fantastic! But I must say the best thing about that dinner was spending it with Hub. It was nice to settle in the moment and just enjoy being with him.

After dinner I really wanted to go down to the water and dip my toes in. It was already dark so there were a couple of families out with their flashlights searching for crabs. We didn't find any crabs but I was able to immerse my toes in the warm waves just long enough to be eaten by mosquito's. Romantic notion, pretty scenery, not so practical without a bottle of Off.

As we headed back to the car Andrew got a call from our friend Patrick. I had been texting Megan (his wife) during dinner so we were finally able to catch up with each other! They invited us to their newly built home which was literally about 1 min from our beach location. There home was beautiful! It had the "old coast home" feel which I love and interior was just a wonderful as the exterior. You could tell immediately they put a lot of thought and effort into all the details. Hopefully next time we will plan a little better and actually be able to visit with them longer!

So in a nutshell, I love dating my husband! I can't stop mentioning to him how much fun I had this weekend and I honestly don't think it could have gone any better. We didn't plan out all the little details we just, went! So nice.. now your turn!

Finito!

2009-05-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Well folks, that's it. I am now officially one year down. Technically, as of Friday at 12:25 with tears flowing and the sight of yellow disappearing in the distance I was able to say, I did it! Although I had students who tested me beyond my wildest imagination and I was constantly surprised by the affect 11 and 12 years could have on me I can say I would not change a thing. With the "bad" if you can call it that, there was so so much good. God blessed me with an amazingly forgiving, sweet and intelligent group of kids and I could not be more thankful for them. Yes, there were many trials, tribulations, tears and frustration but there was more laughter, hugs, I love yous and thank yous! The decision to change careers after three years in a totally different atmosphere could not have been for the better. I have said it before but I will say it again, when we listen to Him we WILL be on the right path. I will miss my kids more than most of them will know. They will be right across the street but it seems so far away. Countless requests to move up were made, and considered just a bit I must admit, but I know that my place, at least for now, is in the 6th grade. It is such an amazing and interesting age. It saddens your heart to see some of the decisions children of this age feel they are ready to make but what an amazing opportunity to see those who choose the "right" way!

Next year will be a true test as the 5th grade class moving up are expected to be much "different". But I feel more confident and absolutely better prepared to tackle this venture head on! It is not yet official but it looks like I will be keeping a 6th grade homeroom and will actually teach 5th and 6th grade Science. It will be very different from my routine as I knew it this past year but something that I am actually pretty excited about. It will give me more time to be hands on and will take my lesson plan load down from 3 to only 2! yippee!

Anyhoo, I have nixed any school pictures from my personal blog in the past but I thought with the conclusion of the 08-09 school year AND seeing a post of a veteran teacher with her entire class that it might be ok to post just a few. These were taken the last day so several of my students are missing but I love the photogs just the same! Here are my little - or not so little boogers!

Please excuse the bare hideous walls! MCT was the week before - aka NOTHING on walls week!

This picture actually took me by surprise when I saw it. I didn't realize how much my boys had grown throughout the year! Please look at the fella all the way to the right - I mean is he 17?! They were always saying I was small (length rather than width no doubt!)- no wonder they thought so!

Now - one week wrapping up at school, two weeks vaca and then on to Masters classes and Science Partnership Program where safety glasses and calculator are required EVERY day. Someone say a prayer!

Weekends Past

2009-05-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Isn't it depressing to think that weekends pass us by so quickly? It seems two whole weekends have just swept through while I sit and wonder where they went and how yours truly could have gone so long without posting. So here I am hoping to brush away those nasty Monday blues.

I think I will begin with last, last weekend. (2 weeks ago). Don't know how it happened but somehow Andrew and I landed ourselves in back to back weddings. This weekend just to happened to be his! Hub was asked to be in a friend's wedding who he grew up with and now just so happens to be our neighbor. Good in cases of absent cups of sugar, although no such occurrence has hindered us as of yet. The wedding was another outside wedding and was surrounded by a forest of trees and summer breeze. Lovely.

Sorry no pictures to be had, small hiccup with timing.

Other than the wedding, hub and I just worked on our own projects at home. Andrew worked on our garden which will hopefully produce scads of fresh cucumbers, eggplant, squash and tomatos very soon. (He just mentioned this very evening how much they have grown because of that all natuaraaal rain water - no comparison to that darn sprinkler). While he was busy doing manly things I took my happy self and headed for an old wooden window frame. I decided to refinish this true blue antique from an old home of the Knight family (Hub's mom's side) so I took to cleaning the disgustingly gritty grimy window panes, stripping the old paint and sanding to get to the "good wood". However, that is all she wrote during this particular weekend. Those few seemingly simple things took a lot longer than expected and when complete this girls tired little hands were pleading "no mas!" The next time I pull out said project I will no doubt have a pint of not yet purchased but certainly delightful turquoise paint in toe. This should finish up presumed masterpiece!

Below you will find our works of art.

Well I didn't say to everyone, but to us in any case!

Now this past weekend wasn't much of a hoopla either but hey it was fun and relaxing which in my world equals marvelous! I had just completed administering my first MCT2 to 19 little humans so stress, ulcers, headaches and 6th graders were now three sheets to the wind. (DID I SAY ONE MORE WEEK?!). Focus... anyway Andrew's sister & brother-in-law came into town and brought their mini Mary Ashley. We haven't seen her in almost a month so we were excited to see all the changes. Crazy is all I can say! I must also give a shout to the hub here as well because as you will notice in this next picture he was the first to feed MA her first full bottle of the weekend. Mind you this was Sunday night right before car seats and sleep would ensue. MA was a little off kilter the entire weekend due to travel and adjusting which lead to weird eating habits and fussy bottles but the lovely gent below was able to work his magic!

I also decided that I would feed the masses/treat them to this sugary delight on Saturday morning. This Monkey Bread was made with love and devoured in all of 20 minutes tops! If you are looking for an early morning crowd pleaser bake this bad boy! Only alteration to the recipe was 1 1/2 - 2 cans of grands buttery biscuits opposed to 3 cans small unbuttery!

I am cheating here because this picture was not snapped on a weekend at all... these funny looking people were on their way to the 5th/6th grade dance on a bumpin' Thursday even'n. Can you tell I made hub go with me? Ahh he had fun he just won't tell you so!

Just had to add it for your viewing pleasure.

Polar F6 So Exciting!

2009-05-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

I ordered this little gem today and I am so excited! I just wish the postal service worked on Sunday's so that I might be able to adorn my wrist with it one day earlier! It may look like just an ordinary watch but no, it is the Polar F6. Sounds very complex and intimidating doesn't it? It is actually a multifaceted watch, ahh haa!! This particular gadget not only gives you the time but it will check your heart rate, count calories burned, beep when you have overexerted yourself, keeps a fitness journal of your 12 most recent work outs and this list goes on. The angels are singing! I have been secretly yearning for a heart rate monitor for quite sometime and it so happens that while waiting to tan at the gym awhile back a lady had this one on and was telling her other lady friend about all it's functions and how much she loved it. The Polar people should really hire this gal because she had me sold and she wasn't even talking to me! I have been checking online & in stores and was distressed too see a rather intimidating price tag to go along with the intimidating description! But I was unwavering, I did my homework and found one for $20 less than the one in the store plus free shipping people! Someone wanted me to have this watch I do believe! I am PUMPED and can't wait for the feel of that smooth cool rubber to hit my wrist!

Side note - I did invest in the pink version (even though I hate how everything that is sports related for women is now pink, yick) but if you are like me then you will be relieved to know that it is more of a taupe with slight pink undertones in person...very niiiice!

Spring Blooms With A Wedding!

2009-05-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

Rehearsal, R. Dinner & Silky's After

Alright, I think you have now been allotted ample time to recover from the near saga I wrote a couple of days ago. I feel as though you may be ready for me to bestow upon you yet another adventurous traveling weekend story. This one just so happens to be an even more joyous occasion, Jacqueline and Micheal's wedding!! We traveled to Memphis during what could not have been a more beautiful or perfect wedding weather weekend! Jacqueline's nuptials as well as rehearsal/rehearsal dinner were all dependent upon the graces of mother nature and needless to say she came through! Jacqueline and Micheal were married at the Metal Museum downtown and it was absolutely one of the most beautiful wedding locations I have ever seen - it's right on the river and has the most amazing view! Being from Memphis as well as the female gender one would think most places of this nature would be hot on the radar but this was a venue I had never seen, it was gorgeous! The rehearsal ran without a hitch, so the soon to be Carpenters had us quickly on our way to the rehearsal dinner. The dinner was hosted on the roof top of River Inn of Harbor Town, the food was delicious and we had the perfect summer evening to enjoy it! **I must interject here that myself and a few of the other bridesmaids had to make a quick pit stop so that I could try on a different BM dress due to what was plainly put, silly, on my side. Jacqueline allowed us all to choose our own style of dress from J.Crew and I loved the one I chose BUT I was worried I may be showing certain "assets"a little too much and Emily was nice enough to trade with me. Now looking back I think I would have been just as happy in my own dress but I tend to over think things, what's new! Props to Emily though, she is amazing and such a laid back friend, not many people would trade dresses on the fly!** Anyhoo back to the wedding!

The Wedding

Saturday morning we awoke to yet another gorgeous day and perfect setting for a spring wedding! Jacqueline's colors were yellow, orange and white which just added to the breezy spring atmosphere! Being the multi-talented bride she was Jacqueline added some unique hand-made touches including cones filled with rose petals to throw, flower paper balls which hung from the tent ceiling and tiny little ceremony place cards for both families. Jacqueline looked amazing and Micheal was perfectly dressed to play the part of future husband! After the couple said their I do's we sank our teeth into some Gus's Fried Chicken and danced by the river! If it sounds like a great wedding...that's because it was!! Congrats again to Jacqueline & Michael, thanks for letting us be a part of your day! Can't wait to see you again as the official Carpenter duo!

Super Bulldog Weekend (a little late)

2009-05-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I have been traveling these past few weekends and due to exhausted Sundays there has been little blogging! So this post is a little late but I figured better late then never, right? A couple of weeks ago the great city of Starkville hosted a small utopia we call Super Bulldog Weekend. There has been many crazy SB Weekends in the past but this year I must admit it was all about enjoying sports, seldom eaten foods and sites seen not nearly enough. We made the three hour trek to Starkville and headed straight to the baseball game to meet Laura Lynn, Crawford and Owen. We we were playing Kentucky, the establishment from which coach Cohen used to draw his rather large check, so we were excited to get there and see how it all played out. Unfortunately, we lost that game but we combated that sour taste in our mouths with a yummy dinner at the Veranda. Brad and Casey were already there so it was a perfect opportunity for all of us to drink a few cocktails, eat some sushi and catch up with all of our friends! Brad's family still owns his condo in Academy Village and he was nice enough to let us all pack in there for the evening so we, meaning only the girls of course, snuggled into our blow up mattresses as the boys went out for a little "site seeing." The next morning we awoke to thoughts of pillowy doughnuts and ice cold milk, off to Shipley's it was! It was packed but that chocolate covered yumminess and perfectly bite sized doughnut holes were just the thing to jump start our day. Later we all showered and changed so that we could get to Mugshots in plenty of time to still make the game but really we should have known, this was going to be out of the question. It was an hour wait and the hostess, to be honest, was a bit rude. So we decided to stroll across the street to what used to be Lucky's. I don't remember the new name of the place now ( I am sure it will be something else when we go back anyway) but they had a balcony, cold beverages and food...all of life's necessities. After devouring some MORE food we, the girls again, left the bill for the boys and went on our merry way to do a little shopping. I was on the hunt for a new purse but was depressed to leave empty handed. Our hubs soon followed to retrieve us and take us the baseball game...which we won! The game was really good and was even tied at the end of the 9th inning but wouldn't you know that as it went into extra innings it begins to rain. Yours truly of course ran for cover so that frizz hair would stay calm and "WHACK", crowd roars - yup - the game winning hit!!! I missed it!! I would say I am still mad about that but honestly the fact that we snatched the chance to sweep away from KY makes up for it every time I think about it! We headed straight from baseball to the spring football scrimmage. That too was interesting, Mullen had them do the dawg pound rock uuuuhhh I loooove it!!, "bull in the ring" and had a kick off b't the two kickers! It was nice to finally see some competitiveness and some fire back into the team. I hope this is the year we start to make our comeback. I really like Mullen and I think he is exactly the kind of coach we should have hired to begin with. Young, energetic and accustomed to winning! wooo I didn't realize how long this post was getting so I guess I will blog later on this week about Jacqueline's weeding! Stayed tuned :)

He is Amazing!!!

2009-04-25T07:03:00.001-07:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I lasted posted but I must tell everyone that things have been going well! Once again God has answered our prayers! I think it only human nature to still question even after He continues to provide for us but looking back there are times when I am ashamed that I do so. As many of you already know Andrew has been in school obtaining a second degree in Forestry. He has been in school full time for about a year but we knew that this upcoming summer he would not be able to take any classes due to scheduling. So we had hope and of course prayers that he would be able to find something in the forestry field during that time. After speaking with one of his teachers about how the economy was really affecting the job market we were left with little hope and I personally was feeling a little lost in my own pity. I don't know when I will learn my lesson... last Friday Andrew was talking to a guy in his class who was leaving a job to take a new full time position. He mentioned to Andrew that he should look into taking his place, about that same time Andrew's teacher walks in. They talk about the position for approximately 2 minutes and his teachers says "oh yea Andrew I was thinking about you for that job, actually let me call the guy right now" Boom, an interview is set for the next morning! Andrew goes in, meets with the two owners and is offered the job that same morning! What?! I would say things like this don't happen for us but I should alter this statement to say God is showing us His way. I believe that we are both finally on the path He has had planned for us and through our resistance He was not going to make it easy. Now that we have chosen to be submissive and truly listen He has in all ways possible made this flow more smoothly than we could have ever imagined. I do not and can not thank Him enough.

As a little side note as I am sure everyone has been on pins and needles (sarcasm here) wondering how my bod pod went with the new trainer I thought I would give you a tiny update! Chris - aka new trainer - is super nice/not intimidating in the least and the bod pod was actually pretty interesting! I need a re-do because I ate and drank something two hours before which apparently is against the rules! So my results were skewed...hopefully by A LOT! Update on the re-take soon! The workouts are going very well and I am finally happy to say I am excited to go to the gym again! Chris has been giving me a lot of great things to do and the with the combination of my spin classes and training sessions I am finally back into going everyday! It was definitely time and hopefully I will start to see some success from my work sometime in the future! NOW if I could just get control of the diet part...yick!

A Promo and A Question

2009-04-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Has anyone tried these? I saw a few commercials awhile back with some cheesy kids and "cool" mom and thought to myself, that seems a little gross. But soon after my fellow 6th grade teacher started toting these to school for lunch. They always smelled so good and looked yummy to boot! So I ventured out to the local wally world and picked up a pack. Mind you they were 9 fridgen dollars but I would have to say pretty worth it. They aren't the healthiest little buggers but very much worth the caloric intake when eaten in moderation. They are 150 calories and 7 g of fat for 3. I portion them out for my lunch ( I take 7) and I don't eat anything else so really it isn't that bad - I come out at a little over 300 calories and 14 g of fat. The fat I suppose gets you but you can burn 300 calories just by laughing a lot! In any case if you are into bringing your lunch to work or simply looking for some easy finger foods for your next game night you may want to try these!

Now... hair. Food and hair yes I know but this is what my brain is like most of the time.

I was reading my favorite informational magazine ahem.. Star...and whilst thumbing through the beauty section came across a couple of things that sparked my interest.

First: The TwinTurbo 3200 coming in at a nice $199

In most instances I would immediately brush aside a 200 dollar hair dryer but I have lets just say "interestingly thick" hair which takes what feels like an entire day to dry ( not to mention I MUST Chi on a daily basis which requires the rest of my precious hours). The caption for this little jewel reads as follows " Want to speed up drying time at home? Use an ionic blow-dryer: The TwinTurbo 3200 in particular is remarkably fast drying and superpowerful! WOW! I may need to invest don't you think?? Has anyone tried out this bad boy I would so like to call my own? If so, please do tell!

Second: Orlando Pita "Dry Conditioner" Renew. Apparently this is the fist ever dry conditioner for "instantly" healthier hair. I love to have shinny locks and thought this may be the perfect buy. It is launching exclusively at Sephora where you can also receive a FREE "Dry Shampoo" when you use the promo code REFRESH. I haven't decided yet whether I am going to try this out but if someone does please let me know how you like it as well!

Spin is BACK!!

2009-04-02T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce I am officially back in the game!! I have joined a new gym here in Hattiesburg called Anatomies! I have been a faithful member of the "Y" since high school (with a slight hiatus in college for the dear ol Sanderson) but while in Jackson I really became addicted to my Spin classes. They were awesome, mostly due to the teachers. So logically when I moved here I transferred my membership after confirming they offered Spin as well. To my disappointment, however, they were just not the same - the teachers were nice but I hated the music they played and I didn't really like their style of classes. So, I became completely unmotivated and quit going. Soon after I cancelled my membership and have been searching for a new gym ever since. I googled spin classes in Hattiesburg and stumbled upon Anatomies. Tonight was my first night of Spin and I honestly felt like I was home! They had Amazing music and the teacher was fantastic, I knew I missed going but I just didn't realize how much! I came out and told the girl I was headed to get my wallet!

Now, as many can attest and to Hub's great displeasure I am a true SUCKER! If someone is persistent or basically just pitches an idea I will be guilted in to "buying", it is downfall that I don't know how to break! So there I am writing out my check and Barbie (or membership personnel, call her what you wish) gives me a brochure on the BodPod... oh dear.

You guessed it. Next Wednesday I will be suiting up in my finest one piece to meet with "Chad" so that he can stick me inside this contraption and tell me just how fat I really am! This THING measure your BMI. I had my BMI measured a few years back but people, that was a while ago and let me tell you I am not prepared to see what I may be faced with, ugh... how did I get myself into this? Not only that but Chad (whom I haven't even seen) and I will be working out for an hour after the BodPod experience has been completed. I've had a personal trainer before BUT again that was about 2 years ago and the first day I worked out with him I almost threw up! I did get more resilient as the months went on but all I can picture is my pale face looking up at some big, muscley tanned man right before graciously ask to be excused to the ladies room! This can not be good.

I will keep you posted but please be thinking of me, I will need your prayers!

"I Get That a Lot"

2009-04-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Has anyone seen this show? I have never even seen a commercial for it but I have to say I laughed out loud all by myself last night! The show is called " I Get That a Lot", celebrities are placed in actual "real people" jobs where they basically try to rile up the customers by acting dumb, crazy, inappropriate etc. It really was just hilarious seeing people's reactions. Most of them can tell something isn't right so the mix of trying to figure out "is that who I think it is?" and trying to make sense of the weird situation they are in just makes for a funny show . There is something about candid moments that I just love! Not to mention the one I caught showcased my girlfriend! You may know her, her name is Jessica Simpson? Ok so she isn't my girlfriend but I do have a serious girl crush which has been going on since Newlyweds aired! (Don't like her singing that much though so that's kinda weird on my part) Anyho that was my spiel on TV for this week, check it out next Wednesday if you get the chance!

Hubfest 2009

2009-03-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday Andrew asked me if I would be interested in going to Hubfest. He introduced the idea with this thought "it is a festival with a lot of arts and crafts but I haven't been in years. We went every year as kids but all I remember is that is was really hot and mom always made me hold her hand!" I laughed out loud with a mental picture of my husband as a little rug rat (he was ridiculously cute as a child) walking around the streets of downtown Hattiesburg furious because he had to hold his mom's hand, miserable in our beloved southern heat! If anyone knows Andrew, he is ALWAYS hot so it was just that much more endearing for some weird reason.

All he needed to say was arts, crafts and festival... where do I sign up? My in-laws were in town this weekend so I thought it would be just me and Mrs. Nancy but to my surprise the boys decided to join us! We walked through the tents, listened to some surprisingly really good live bands and did a tiny bit of shopping. There weren't too many vendors that really peeked my interest but just when I had come to the sad truth I would leave empty handed Andrew pointed out a tent with a medley of Christmas college themed gifts/accessories. They had tons of cute pillows, ornaments, towel wraps etc but I finally settled on this little trinket:

Hubby was in a super sweet mood and purchased it for me! I just love it! I normally due a silver and vibrant colored themed Christmas tree so I thought this would be perfect! I can't wait to see how it looks next year! Visit College Town Christmas LLC sometime, the owner was really sweet and she had a lot of cute stuff!

We made a few more stops but no further purchases. I concluded my first experience with Hubfest a success and hope to make a repeat visit in 2010.

She Said Yes!

2009-03-23T16:49:00.001-07:00

So this weekend was a celebration for one my sweetest and closest friends Jacqueline! She is getting married in almost a month exactly so we gathered in Nashville TN to provide her with a weekend of pure shenanigans ... what else could a girl ask for right?! Here is the hottie bride in one of my favorite pictures from the entire weekend!

We went to Lime Friday evening, it was an upscale American Mexican eatery and so delicious!! I ordered the fish and chips which was simply scrumptious! The fish was not fried it was baked in some luscious crispy yumminess and was truly some of the best fish I have had in awhile. If you over analyze blogs, as a I do, you will notice a small glass containing a conspicuous clear liquid accompanied by 4 limes. This is what Bethenny Finkle calls a "skinny girl Margarita" You may have seen Bethenny on The Real Housewives of New York City - she is crazy but that is how I like 'em. Anywho... she is a chef known for her healthy style of cooking and on the show she orders this drink. It always looks so refreshing in her tiny hand and I have been longing to order such a beverage. After much hype, only in my own mind of course, I get the courage to explain to our waiter what I wish to order - silver tequila on the rocks, a splash of triple sec and 4 limes squeezed. So how was it you ask? "OK"... it was not terrible but it also was not the tasty tonic I had hopped for. It really needed sugar which would have defeated the "skinny" I suppose but dern sweet is what makes a margarita right?

Later that evening we made an appearance right up the road to Broadway Brewhouse where BF Tracy stalked down the cutie from Lady Antebellum! I didn't get the picture with my camera but BF was able to snag us photo by announcing we were with the bachelorette. He had a lady friend with him, who was not cute by the way, who didn't seemed too pleased by the attention but he was very kind and happy to allow us the coveted fan shot. Much later, a not so desirable but funny nonetheless photo was taken. Pee Pants was standing inconspicuously in front of me when I noticed the first tug of the jeans, I look down from the hand tugging and notice just what is bothering this fellow... his pants are completely wet from the bootie down! So what else is a girl to do but sneak camera out of purse and take picture paparazzi style! We all stand and wonder for awhile convinced what we see on Pee Pants is indeed...pee pee. That is, until fearless BF once again comes to the rescue! Courageously she approached PPs friend and plainly asks, did your friend pee in his pants? PPs friend looks over and dies in laughter hailing PP to actually come OUR way! He asks what event has occurred and PP replies sadly, "a girl spilled her beer on me." I begin to feel a pang of guilt as he requests to see the picture, he looks at it with puppy dog eyes and asks me " did you really look at me and take this picture with full intentions of making fun of me?" ummmm....silence.... no??? You did! he replies... WOW this guy is making me feel really terrible. He begs that I not post it on YouTube (since when can you post just a picture on YouTube? but anyway) and I agree while a little giggle musters it way out of my lips. No YouTube just Blog!

The next night Emily made us reservations at Cabana's which was also incredible! We had our own little cabana where we were stared out by every passerby, yes it was annoying but still had no affect on our amazing meal! Hallie and I shared a lobster and scallop pot pie OMG!! and I had side of roasted asparagus, once again OMG!!! After dinner we headed to a couple different places one where we just so happen to bump in to the fella you see above and below. Best known as Cowboy Troy! We stared for awhile wondering how we knew him when his apparent manager approached us, confirmed our guess and asked me if I had a camera! Why YES! Manager was super nice gathering us all up to take two shots so as to get the perfect picture!

Cowboy Troy soon after made his way to the stage to join the band already playing to sing some Hank Williams Jr, "Family Tradition". This just happens to be one of hubs favorite ditties! It was amazing and really neat to be so close. Only problem, giant woman in front of me proceeded to ruin perfect action shots with her man sized hands! This was only one of the pictures either her ginormous hands or water head decided to disturb errr.

Here is Jacqueline with her 2nd bachelor of the weekend! She met a total of 4 that weekend but I thought this one was the sweetest. He kept saying how in love he was and how excited he was to be getting married. He even asked Jacqueline if she was as excited as he was to tie the knot! They came all the way from Indiana so I hope they had as much fun on their trip as we did!

This dude asked Jacqueline to marry him on the streets of Nashville! He kept screaming "she said yes!" I really think it must be a life dream of his to propose to someone with the way he was acting! Or maybe it was just the intense beauty of our dear friend that drew him straight to his knees!

And at the conclusion of our night and weekend really... the 4th groom! He was a mortgage broker from somewhere far away, can't remember, and was actually super funny. He talked politics with us and agreed Obama is a moran, I liked him instantly!

All in all the weekend was chocked-full of good food, better times and the best most precious friends! It was so much fun and absolutely worth the 8 hour drive! Congrats again Jacqueline and I can't wait to stand by your side on the soon to be most amazing day of you life!! Love love love you!

SEC CHAMPS!

2009-03-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Although I know this is a bit delayed I just wanted to give a "post shout out" to our Bulldogs! I have been trying to thoroughly enjoy my coveted time off but winning the SEC Championship was just too much to contain until next week! Being in Hattiesburg we weren't able to attend nearly as many games this year (the Wednesday night games sort were not in the picture this year) but wow beating Tennessee during our fourth game in four days would make up for that any day! Tennessee had it coming to 'em being that we lost to them earlier in the year in a third over time - which we should have won but let's not get off on a tangent here - so to beat them for the Championship was simply sweet victory! Everyone wanted to give Stansbury a hard time and I even heard mummers of the word "fire" but I stayed true and held on to the hope with our dear Meo (you might have seen the always black or maroon clad mother of three praying/screaming in the stands) clung to. Winning was the only way we were going to get a bid to the NCAA and if you listened to the ignorant CBS announcers you would have thought we were out of the running before the game even started but our boys were not to be doubted - they wanted that win, they wanted the NCAA and that's exactly what they got!!

Tonight is big night though and yet another test- will we beat the # 4 seeded Washington Huskies and advance on? Yes I think so... stayed tuned!

25 Things You May or May Not Want To Know

2009-03-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

This was a list that I decided to make for FB but I thought I would share it on the blog as well...

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I am married to a man who challenges me daily but rewards me with a deep unconditional love that surprises me often
2. The Lord has given me a new opportunity this year to teach 6th graders the subjects a feared the most but He blessed me with the ability to conquer those fears and provided me with the conviction to never question His path
3. I am obsessed with spin class and it is one of my dreams to become certified to teach it one day
4. I love everything food related hence the reason I can not shed those extra 5 lbs!
5. I love to travel and experience new places, I especially would love to travel to Australia and Africa - unfortunately my hub likes the ground too much!
6. Semi-related to # 5 - I am revealing for the first time a strange to do on my "bucket list" - I REALLY want to ride an elephant - I simply love the gentle giants and to see them in their own environment would be something special.
7. Laughing is my favorite past time
8. I miss Memphis and all my best friends who live there!
9. I have a problem with impulsive shopping but I am getting better!
10. I believe there is no price too high for a good fitting pair of jeans!
11. Sun and sand are my favorite combination and I would stay in such a place for the length of my lifetime if given the choice
12. I am the worst about keeping up with me cell phone, anyone can tell you I probably won't answer and when I call you back I will say that I didn't hear my phone or that I didn't check it - please know it is definitely and unfortunately the truth!
13. I love Fox News and I am a devout follower of Fox and Friends
14. I like to run but wished I LOVED it
15. Baby fever has begun but it has yet to become full blown
16. I have the best and most supportive parents in the world! They have guided me with a strong sense of right and wrong but have allowed me to make my own decisions and are their to catch me when I undoubtedly fall - they always know what to say and never make me feel ashamed for taking the wrong road.
17. I was in love with our first home, cried the day we sold it, but trust God's light at the end of the tunnel
18. I have some of the best friends in the WORLD and often feel I am undeserving
19. Hot is my favorite season and I long for my own pool
20. I have a dirty vice called Reality Television - bad but so so good!
21. I wish I were more witty
22. I can hold a grudge but it tears me up - something I am continuously working on
23. I am a TERRIBLE driver but please do not tell the hub I admitted it - my driving is a big enough argument as it is
24. I love cooking and trying new recipes
25. I work at and pray for patience and peace so that I may be a better wife, daughter and friend - I will always be a work in progress

I tagged a bunch of people on "The Book" so I won't tag anyone here but I would love for you to make a list too!

Lazy Magnolia

2009-03-08T12:49:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago Andrew and I decided it was a great weekend to cook out so we loaded up and headed to the local Corner Market. Because it is more of a "specialty" grocery store they carry several different types of more unique brands, if you will, of beer. As we were strolling by the specialty section in question what did we spy but a picture of our friends Megan and Patrick on the front of the Lazy Magnolia box! This was not a shock in the sense that we had not seen the boxes before - they came with said beer to our Shack Up Inn weekend - but we just thought it was hilarious that we would spot such a find in the 'burg. Megan doesn't have a blog - although I WISH she did ;) but she does read them so Megan if you happen across this post I want to thank you for my silly giggle while at the grocery store.

Although this in no way relates to Lazy Magnolia and beer model friends I did want to let you in on one thing we did with the groceries we bought during our outing. A scrumptious treat I like to throw together when grilling, Cheesy Taters. I retrieved the recipe from a grilling magazine I bought for Andrew but I really don't use it at all anymore. It is best just go with "eyeballing it" measurements in my opinion! All you need are a couple of peeled and sliced potatoes (new or baking, both work fine). Grated cheese, cooked bacon (best if cooked right before you are ready to put it on the grill), and onion. Simply grease your tin foil, I use EVOO but you can use what you like and slap - that is a serious technical term - everything else in layers on top. I add some salt, pepper and garlic powder but to each his own. Fold the foil together tightly and set on grill. Be careful because you can scorch the bottom so just watch it. It is ok to peek every once in awhile. It should take about 20 mins maybe less depending on your fire.

Here is the before:

And the after:

Now I never said this was on the crash bikini diet but if you like cheese and potatoes you will think you have died and quite literally gone to heaven. MMMM!

I've Been Hiding

2009-03-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

Not hiding in the real sense of the word hide because unfortunately I could not press the pause button on my life so that I might totally engross myself in my new secret obsession. I have been totally and absolutely spellbound and I am wondering if there is any hope of my recovery in the near future? Ladies and gents I am here to inform you about what has grabbed my entire being for the past several days:

Stephanie Meyer and her enchanting masterpiece most call the Twilight Series. Yes, I am fully aware that this is a book about vampires and for the sadly unfamiliar (as I once was) you may think a bit on the strange side. But let me put your reservations to rest. I have NEVER in my entire 25 years of reading felt this way about any book. I began these 7-800 each page books last Friday and I am on my last one (the fourth) today, Thursday. This should tell you just a little bit about how entranced you can become. Stephanie Meyer has a way with writing that I have never experienced before. Every single morsel of words she gives you, you greedily steal with the selfish need for more! I like to read (the hub calls me a nerd) but I never actually felt true emotions while reading like I have with these books. I quite literally have felt my heart racing, on several occasions actually, I have cried, spoken out loud being so furious I wasn't sure I could turn another page and felt an overwhelming sense of bliss (that's the BEST part). I have read for endless hours depriving myself of a good night's rest, procrastinating on work and ignoring hubby just so I could read "only one more page". I kid you not, I think about what is going to happen while I am work!! I am ranting like a lunatic, I know, but as I am sitting here writing this post - I had to pry my rigid fingers from the pages to write this - I am still furiously wondering how it will all end. Who knows if any strangers actually read this but my friends can attest, I am no crazed sci-fi freako I promise. I just had to get the word out about this magnificent treasure. They are a MUST READ and I wish I could express in a less fanatic manner just how wonderful they are.

I also must give a shout out to my friend Mallory, for without her I would have continued to be a believer in the naysayer attitude that this was just another Star Wars trilogy (my apologies if that was offensive to SW lovers out there). Again let me just say this is like no other book and happily gives no resemblance to anything dealing with light sabers (sp?)!!!

Good Reading Everyone!

Uh oh!

2009-02-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

Someone has entered my life who is so sweet she is almost edible! Unfortunately she is way too dangerous for me to be around in large doses! How can that be you say? Well, anyone who knows me knows my, not love, but extreme passion for all things beautiful - aka shoes! Enter now, my niece! She is too amazingly precious and her tiny little feet have been begging for a stylish pair booties! I bought these pink beauties as one of her first gifts but her teeny tootsies were simply too mini to fit in them! Alas, she has grown and Aunt R was able to have her dreams come to fruition! Hub is on the rampage about no more shoes for me but he never said Mary Ashley!

Also purchased: babies first polo - horse without question is pink! Short sleeves are not conducive to our wintery weather but pics are soon to come, until then I will let you anxiously await!!

Disclosure: MAs mommy and daddy may not be pleased with me plastering babies pictures on the Internet so unfortunately not face shots, but believe you me... she is beautimous!

Techie?

2009-02-19T15:25:00.001-08:00

Techie? Not at all, in fact I am not even sure that's how you spell "techie" but let us not ponder on the unimportant. I returned this afternoon from the MECA convention in Jackson. I was excited and reluctant to go when I was chosen to attend. Excited because I LOVE learning new ways to incorporate entertaining and stimulating things into my lessons no matter what the avenue and reluctant because I feel inferior to all people in the technology world. In this day in age it seems everyone knows how to email and surf the web and I am no exception here, but a guru I am not. I have to tell you though I had an amazing time and if given the opportunity I would attend this convention a million times over! It was so interesting to see all of the latest and innovative sites, programs and gadgets teachers are using to engage there students. I love using my Promethean (I actually would die without it) and my web cam but wow there is so much out there that I simply just didn't know was available. The only downside is that I don't know where to begin! I learned about everything from PhotoShop Elements and Premiere 7,which is AMAZING by they way, to actually programming my own animated clip - crazy! I have always admired those teachers who integrated the use of technology into there classrooms in unique ways and I have put forth great effort in trying to do so in my own this year but I realize now that there is so much more that can be done! In fear of sounding like a huge goob, I can not wait to start getting my hands dirty with all of this!! The end of the year is slowing inching its way into my near future so I really needed something to rejuvenate my will to stay energized and once again I think God has given me a way to do just that! Sounds silly but I have to tell you that I have been praying for patience and guidance a lot throughout this year and just when I think that I am losing my game the Lord gives me something that lights my fire again!

Happy Day Of The Valentine!

2009-02-15T09:11:00.000-08:00

I should really say happy LATE Valentine's Day as it is now officially the day after! But in any case, I hope you had a wonderful one! The husband and I ( mostly I) decided to go see this movie in celebration of the Love Day. You may think, "what a romantic movie Rebekah geez" BUT I must contradict your anti-romance movie thoughts. In an effort to keep you in suspense until you actually fork out the 1 million dollars it takes to see the movies these days I won't give away the story line but I will say that it was super cute, sweet and tear provoking all at the same time. In my opinion, the perfect combination for a night of bliss. It was a fantastic view into reality and the sad truths that we as women are blind to more often than not. On the flipside, it does seem that we can also be blind to truths that are destined to bring us great happiness!

As you might already be keenly aware, I am no love doctor so I will keep moving right along to the conclusion of our o so romantic night. Chili's! Ok, yes maybe not on the top ten list of your favorite places to dine on the most romantic day of the year but a fine establishment non the less. And I must add still open and serving dinner at 10:15. We decided not to eat before the movie to "miss the crowd" HA! We must have been under the assumption that most normal people eat dinner between the hours of 6 and 8, apparently not on Saturday night in Hattiesburg! After searching for a spot to park the car, we enter the door and what is awaiting us but a long line of people and a waiting list! What!! After standing in middle of entry way trying not to seem awkward because the rude hostess would not take our name she finally acknowledges our existence and rudely states that if we want to sit at the booth in the bar to "go get it". We shrugged and made our way to said booth. We wined on water and diet coke and dined on queso dip and sandwiches while watching people sip random fruity concoctions and one proposal which unfortunately was one of those moments which you were embarrassed to be witnessing (they were sitting at the bar and the ring came out on her ice cream??) I have to tell you though it really was the perfect end to a simple and sweet date night. So on this long-winded note I will say so long for now and wish everyone a wonderful day!!!

We Shack'd Up

2009-02-09T16:09:00.000-08:00

That's right ladies and gents the hubby and I "shack'd it up" this weekend with 8 other couples and 3 single chicks! Friday afternoon after school Andrew and I packed up the truck and headed to an adventure in the Delta. We have a rather large group of college friends who only seem to manage getting EVERYONE together during weddings so we decided that maybe we should just do a weekend getaway where we had nothing planned & just spent some time enjoying the company! Our sweet sweet friend Megan, being the fantabulous organizer she is, set us all up for a lovely trip to Clarksdale, MS and here is where we landed:

This is a shot of our love shack - our bed had a sweet hand me down faded blue comforter with a bleach stain free of charge, and please don't forget two yummy "yellowish" pillows circa 1920 (or earlier). I must insert here that this actually was one the most comfy beds I have had the pleasure of lying in. The sheets were surprisingly cozy, probably due to several washings but hey who is complainin', and the mattress was super soft! It definitely served for 2 restful evenings!

This was Bill's House - which was the venue for our gatherings due to its large community area aka living/dining room as well as the temporary digs for three of the couples in our group

Ahhh and here is our extremely snazzy and ultra-glamorous Electric Blue Shack. We shared it with our friends and my old roommate from Jackson, Kristen and Drew. It was just like the old days minus a shower with water pressure and central heating.

The ladies ready for their night on the town...

On Saturday night we had reservations at a restaurant in downtown Clarksdale called Rust. It was soo delicious! Due the the size of our party we had a set menu and although I was tempted to order them all I settled on the shrimp and grits with sausage while the hubster ordered sirloin, garlic mashed potatoes and sweet string beans - the scrumptious fresh kind.

This is what the boys did whilst we the females took our glamour shots inside and talked about how we loved that purse and wanted those earrings.

Saturday afternoon, with nothing planned, the girls decided to do what I personally love doing the most. Shop! We took a little time beforehand to have a photo shoot minus the make-up and spiffy duds. Little did I know just 30 minutes later I would snag a great deal on two pairs of Nicole flats - both 60% off thank you very much! Yessss!

This is a random picture which I just so happen to adore. I started playing around with my new Christmas present and captured this amazing shot of the boys fire!

These pics are of Blair's ENGAGEMENT! And oh so lovely ring! She was sooo excited and I thought Eric, her now fiance', did a wonderful job of planning out the proposal. I can't think of anything better than getting engaged with all your friends by your side! Congrats Eric and Blair!

This last picture is at Morgan Freeman's bar, and our destination after dinner, Ground Zero. We didn't stay long but it was a really interesting place and I would suggest going if you ever just happen by Clarksdale.

So as you can see we had extremely pleasurable weekend and there was fun to be had by all!! Although I failed to mention I was sick most of the weekend and went to bed both nights at 2 instead of 4 (like most others) I still had an amazing time and I can't wait to do it again!

And I mean PS! - Can someone please tell me how to shuffle these dern pictures into an order which actually makes sense?! I am still in the dark about how to get them in the order I want errrr.

Sweet Baby

2009-02-04T15:17:00.000-08:00

Sweet Baby, that is what everyone called our Dixie. From the vets who held a special place for her in their hearts, to our family who loved her beyond what any words could express, to absolute strangers; everyone called Dixie a sweet baby. Sadly I must say Dixie left us on Sunday at 8:00 in the morning. We are now almost positive that she had been suffering from smaller seizures for 6 months maybe more and we just didn't realize. It is still so painful to think we were witnessing moments that must have been so frightening for her and just didn't have a clue. I don't want to talk much about what happened or why because what is most important is that we lost a TRUE member of our family and we will not be the same without her. You will have to pardon the second picture but it really portrays how much fun we had with Dixie and most of all how much we loved her as a "6th kid". Andrew picked her out in Starkville as a small puppy and all he can remember is how she kept coming out of the pack seemingly knowing how much she might mean to him and the entire family one day. I don't know when our sadness will be relieved but I can be sure that the sadness will never overcome the complete joy she gave all of us. Wasn't she beautiful!

A shower and missed friends!

2009-02-01T15:36:00.000-08:00

This weekend Andrew and I were finally able to make a trip back to my home town (and top places to be), Memphis! One of good friends, Jacqueline, is getting married in April so we did what all girls do best... threw a shower for her! We all had so much fun sharing in her celebration and it was such a pleasure being able to honor a person who truly deserves all of the happiness which is about to come her way! I must also be a little selfish and mention how much fun it was too see all of my sweet high school friends who I don't visit or talk to nearly as much as I should!

My friend Jessica is due to have her first baby in April and I haven't seen her since she broke the news so it was really exciting to see her growing belly and finally tell her congrats in person! I really love all my friends and could go on forever about how lucky I am to have such amazing people surround my life!

Meanwhile, Andrew spent the day with Joe (the hubby of my best friend Tracy) while we were at the shower. After we returned the four of us, along with the Cantrell's, decided to grab dinner at Osaka! A seemingly a harmless and delicious endeavour! I should preface this story with a note: Joe has a special talent many may not be aware of: he seems to form instant buddy status with all waiters and waitresses he encounters!! I don't quite know how it started or what Joe did to be able to pick our cook but we were quickly able to acquire the culinary skills of "Jose". We began the dinner with a "clink" and warm Saki, no not Joe and the boys... Joe and Jose! Jose was fabulous, he managed to cook everyone a scrumptious meal while he and Joe partook in several more scary looking shots of something called purple haze?? Eventually all plates were licked and tummies full however, Joe never a quitter, wasn't quite finished. He first had be invited back to the KITCHEN were he was offered a beverage and a few high five slaps from his new comrades. You may notice one of these said fellows in the small kitchen door window adjacent the maybe more familiar sight of Joe's face! Ahhh what an evening it was!! Have a mentioned I miss Memphis?

All in all this weekend was definitely worth the 4 1/2 hour drive and I hope to make it again sooner rather than later.

PS. Sorry these pictures are in some sort of scrambled weird order. I don't quite have this whole blogging thing down to an art yet!!

A BIG decision!

2009-01-29T15:52:00.000-08:00

This folks is what I had planned for the upcoming summer months! Relaxation, beach, sleeping, shopping, etc. This year has been a whirlwind and I really have loved every minute of it but one thing I have definitely been looking forward too is my summer vaca! Rewind to two days ago... I was approached by my principal who informs me that I have been selected for yet another wonderful opportunity which will allow for further growth in my career. This one in particular will allow me to become a "highly qualified" science teacher in 6th-8th grade. Now, in this economy there is something to be said for having "extras" under your hat to whip out in times of need but of course there has to be a catch right! Just one small little thing... I must attend 4 entire weeks of class during my summer break, insert tear trickling down the cheek here, and no not a half day friends but a full 8:30am-4:30pm class! But of course there must be yet another catch! This time luckily it is of an opposing nature, I will receive tons of free materials for my class, get 9 hours of graduate credit and lets not leave out that I get paid for each day I attend. HMMMMM, now you see the dilemma. How can I pass up such a gift just for the sake of a few summer weeks...right? Right! And so I said: "absolutely"! While I know I will miss my lazy days I truly feel as though God is leading me down this new, challenging and rewarding path. He is opening doors for me I never knew were shut while completely testing my will to listen to his answers along the way. He has allowed me to experience great sadness in these past months but He has also shown me His power to make things right in the lives of those who want it. So I will once again follow his direction. I am excited to see what this opportunity will bring and will think about lazy days in my dreams!!

Well...

2009-01-28T20:43:00.000-08:00

OK! So... Yes, I promised myself and the hubby I would never do this but alas I could no longer "just say no" to the blogger temptation! I consider myself somewhat of a master blog stalker so I figure, why not right? Now I do use the word stalker lightly my friends, so please don't let me worry you but I really just enjoy reading about all the fun new products people find and all the other goings on they feel like sharing! So I am going to attack this new endeavour as a great way to express some of my random thoughts and maybe I will find a few interesting things to share with you along the way too! Here is to beginning 2008 with something brand new!