White Christmas

Christmas was a white one this year and it was so pretty! We spent Christmas Eve at Nan's house. The food was oh-so-delicious like always. It was great to be with everyone again. As we were leaving Nan's it was starting to snow. We woke up on Christmas morning to a winter wonderland. Snow was everywhere, and it snowed pretty much all morning too. We spent the afternoon/evening at Granny's house. Davy was so much fun. He is getting so big. It's hard to believe that our first Christmas with him he was just barely a month old, and now he is 4! He's such a big boy and such an absolute joy to be around. God knew exactly what He was doing when He gave us him. And I am forever thankful to have such a fun, loving, sweet little character around.

Disappear Much

The last few weeks here have been C.R.A.Z.Y.
To catch everyone up, it's going to be a bullet-style post kind of day.

• FINALLY got to go home and see my daddy a couple of weeks ago. I took off work early and headed to Greenbrier. We had a great weekend. Friday night was spent at the season opener high school football game. Saturday the whole family gathered at Nan's for some cooking and games and family time. Lance came in and we hung out that afternoon, so that was fun. We had a party for my Uncle Steve's birthday and most of our family came together for that. Sunday was church and family time before I headed back to Knoxville.
• I put an offer in on a condo and it got ACCEPTED. I was floored. I am so excited about owning my own place. The amount of money I have put into renting is ridiculous, and rent prices are only going up. I decided that it would be a much better investment to own versus rent now. I close sometime this month and can't wait!
• Work is going well. I love my job at the credit union. While it's not something I went to school for, I feel like I am in the right place right now. I love doing hair, but right now, I just don't have it in me to do it all day everyday. I like being able to do it when I want to do it. 
• Preschool stuff is keeping me busy at church each week. It's growing and we have more and more visitors coming that have small children. I love it! They are all great kids and I have a blast with them each week.
• Football has officially started and we kicked that off Saturday here in Rocky Top! I have pictures from the game, so  there will probably be another post on that sometime soon!
• My Thirty-One business is soaring right now. I had great sales last night, much thanks to my awesome customers! I have really enjoyed the huge amount of parties that I've been having lately and meeting all the new people. I have had several new ladies join my team as well, and that has been awesome! I'm praying that it continue to grow! If you haven't visited my Thirty-One site, please do so! 

I think that about covers everything. At least in a quick way, anyways! I hope to do better about my blogging now that I am somewhat caught up on everything that has been going on in my busy life. 

Happy Labor Day!

Fancy Fourth

I made it back to Greenbrier for the 4th for the first time in a few years. It was great to be back home with family. We had a very busy weekend filled with The Turnin' of the Pig, church, family cookout, and church picnic and fireworks. I loved being able to spend time with my sweet family the whole time. I was able to share with everyone about my trip to Guatemala and even got a few family members excited about and interested in a trip there next summer.
Lance and his new girlfriend came in on Saturday. We spent some time at the Turnin' of the Pig together walking around, playing games, and catching up. I miss him so much so I was very glad to get a day with him. We spent most of the time watching Davy play games and laugh and run around. He loved riding the pony and got to ride it two times that night. There is just something about small town life. It's the little things, like hearing the train come through town, and homemade ice cream by the sweetest ladies in town. Such a great night!
Sunday was church day and family day. We had a cookout at Granny's house after church with a lot of food and fun. After filling up there we headed back to church for a cookout and fireworks. My cousin, Josh, always puts on a good show with the fireworks and this year was no different. Although this time we almost had a few fires...they turned out awesome. The show gets bigger every year it seems like.
The only thing missing this year was my sweet Daddy. He is still in Iraq, watching the sand blow by. Most of his squadron are home. He is on the last leg coming back, so he still has a few more weeks in the sandbox. I can't wait for him to come home! The Turnin' of the Pig was NOT the same without him. I am so proud to call him my Daddy

plane tickets, family time, lake, ice cream, sunshine

This has been one crazy week. Our trip to Guatemala was postponed again. Delta canceled our flight for yesterday morning so Kim, one of the greatest women EVER, spent all day re-booking our flights. I'm all set to fly on June 21st.

Spent a little  lot of time on the mountain this weekend. Our annual family cookout and family time was amazing as always. Sam and I drove up Saturday and spent the day and then I went back on Sunday after church. I love being at Uncle Lanny's house. It is always so peaceful.

We kicked off our version of VBS at church last night. Can I just say that 60 preschoolers is a little crazy. I have never been so exhausted as I was last night. They had a blast though. I have plenty of pictures...I'm just too tired tonight to load them.

Today was a relaxing day working on a little June Bug stuff and spending the day at the cove with the boys. They had such a great time swimming. After getting cleaned up and a little lunch we headed to the mall for some ice cream. They were both in great moods...always a plus!

My Daddy

This is a picture of me and my sweet Daddy before he left for Iraq. We were blessed enough to be able to spend a few days with him at Camp Shelby before they headed out. While Camp Shelby is not our favorite place to be, it feels like home when you're there with your daddy. I miss him so much. I haven't talked to him in almost a week. I'm so thankful for the daddy that I have and the sacrifices that he makes daily for our country. He is such a great leader and takes such good care of his men. His job is important to him and he does it with pride...all to provide for our family and for our country. Please pray for our soldier's safety and that they come home soon!

Family Weekend

Last weekend my sweet, sweet cousin Emily and her boyfriend Shannon came to Knoxville to see me. We had such a great weekend catching up, spending time together and going out! I have missed being around her all the time and I'm so glad they decided to come up and visit Ryan and I. Hopefully they will come up more in the future now that they know how much fun we are!

Fun Friday

Friday we loaded up and headed to Pigeon Forge for some dinner at Calhoun's and putt-putt golf! Putt-putt always makes for some fun family time and a little competition. Tanner swears that Sam and I lost, but we like to think different!

Beach Trip 2009

At the end of June, Samantha and I packed up and headed to the beach for a few days with mom and dad and Caiti. We went to Navarre Beach, right outside of Pensacola in Florida. We got to spend a few days with Tiffany and Stephen since we were close to their house and we had a blast. I'm glad I had a few more days off of school so I could get a few days in at the beach! The weather was nice the entire time we were there. It only rained the last night we there and that was after we had already come in off the beach. The ocean was really cold, and there was a lot of seaweed coming in, so we spent a lot of time at the pool. We had a really great trip and I'm so blessed to have such an amazing family!

My 21st Birthday!

I had a 3-day birthday celebration last week and had an absolute blast! I'm so thankful for my amazing friends and family that helped me celebrate. We started on Friday night at midnight and went down to the strip for a little while. That was eventful!
Saturday I had dinner with some amazing friends at Calhouns on the River. My amazing big sister Sam went all out and got me a yummy cake too!
Sunday I went back to Greenbrier and spent Mother's Day with my mommy and the rest of the family. We had a delicious Sweet~n~Sassy cake, some homemade ribs and bar-b-que and more..compliments of my daddy, the wonderful cook!
The first 21 years of my life have been amazing, eventful, and full of great memories...so here's to 21 more!

Easter 2009

Easter was filled with a wonderful time spent in precious Greenbrier with my even more precious family. As always, it didn't last long enough for me. Davy was so sweet hunting Easter eggs this year. He's such a doll. I know I talk about it all the time, but I absolutely love loving on this precious baby. He's such a blessing to our family and will never truly know how much he is loved. And it's only by God's choosing that he is a part of our family.

A Day with Baby

Before I left my sweet small town I spent some quality time with the handsome, sweet, little man that stole my heart the moment I looked into his big brown eyes. I can't believe how big he is getting. He is always talking and always moving. I had so much fun "flying" around the house with him, playing farm, and being doggies with him yesterday. I miss him so much already and can't wait until Easter when I get to see him again!

So far behind...

I am so far behind in my blogging. I have been so busy lately I have not had a chance to update in about a week. Nothing too interesting has happened. A lot of school, a lot of work, and a lot of church. I'm not complaining though because life is wonderful right now. I have a few posts that I just can't seem to finish. They're good though, so keep an eye out for them!
Tomorrow I'm leaving to visit my hometown and my family and I can't wait. I talked to Davy the other day for about 20 minutes and he is just as precious as ever and I can't wait to love on him!
We're going Sunday to find dresses to wear in Rheanne's wedding. I can't believe that it's that time! I'm looking forward to a girls day with my best friend!

As I was driving to work today, or maybe it was home from school, I can't really remember right now, but anyways, I was thinking about how I'm excited to be going home for the weekend but also how I'm going to miss Northstar on Sunday morning. I'm so thankful for my sweet church and for the people there. I really feel like God sent me Northstar at just the right time. Each week I learn something new and God reveals something else He has in store for me. I've grown so much in my time there and consider myself blessed to have such a Godly church. It makes me thankful to live in a country where we are allowed to worship freely and openly.

My laundry just finished so I need to go swap out more. I promise that I'll do better on my posts next week...and I'll finish the ones I've started. Maybe I'll get one finished and posted tonight :) But that's a huge maybe!

A Sunday with the Sister

Last Sunday after church Samantha and I decided to play outside. It was such a spring like day and we were determined to take full advantage! We ventured out of Knoxville and made our way to Big South Fork State Park and spent the afternoon walking the river and basking in God's creation. It was such a beautiful day and to have the opportunity to spend it not only with Sam, but to feel God's presence around us was amazing. I have always been in awe at all God has created for us to enjoy and while we were out in the mountains I couldn't help but think how intricate each tree, plant, and rock was. There were pinecones on the ground and Sam and I had a discussion on what God was thinking when he decided we needed pinecones. So simple and unique, yet so perfectly created by God.
Before we headed back we also had the chance to stop by my Uncle Roger and Aunt Dulcie's house for a quick visit. We had a yummy snack of pulled pork sandwiches with homemade BBQ sauce and it made me miss my Aunt Dulcie's yummy southern cookin'. I can't wait to have another afternoon to go back!

My best friend and her babies

I was so glad that I got to spend time with my childhood best friend and her 3 babies when I was in Greenbrier for Christmas. We had such a good time catching up and playing with the kids and shopping. Alison and I have been friends since I was 5. We cheered together, lived next door to each other until her senior year of high school, and have remained close since then. I was one of the first ones to know she was pregnant with Noelle, the first one to know with Noah, and close to the first one to know about Christian. I was there in the hospital with her with Noelle and Noah, and I was so sad that I missed Christian's birth. Nonetheless, we've remained close and I love being Aunt Emmy to those sweet babies!

Seriously, it's Friday already?

This week has gone by in such a blur. I have been so busy doing all sorts of crazy things. Sunday and Monday I spent some time with my cousin Matt and his wife and their two girls in Gatlinburg. It was so fun and I'm so glad I got to hang out with them. We had a blast shopping, eating candy, and swimming at the indoor water park.
Tuesday it was back to the real world with school and work. Lacey was in town so I got to spend some time with her as well. Wednesday we were back in action at S.T.O.R.A.G.E. and I was so glad! I've really missed the kids in the class and the ones in my Grapple group. They are such a great group of kids that really love Jesus.
Last night and tonight have been/will be filled with helping Kristyn get ready for the Knoxville Bride Show. She will have a vendor booth set up for Panache Productions, so if you are a bride in the Knoxville area, come to the show and check her out! She's got some great show specials going on that you don't want to miss!
Hope you all have had a great week! I'm still trying to get caught up on all the things I did when I was back home so be watching for some extra posts this weekend!

Sleepovers, Makeovers, and Magic Potions

When I was in Greenbrier for Christmas my little cousin, Raylon, wanted to spend the night with me. So of course I said yes! I would much rather spend time with her than old friends from high school anyways! I've missed her a lot lately and was so happy that she wanted to come over and have a sleepover. We had so much fun! We piled up on the bed with a box of cookies and milk and watched home videos, she made some new home videos of her own dancing and singing, and we did makeovers on each other before bed time. She was hilarious. The next morning we woke up and had breakfast and played on her Webkinz. Raylon has such an imagination and decided she wanted to make a magic potion. She found some Pixie Stix in the candy basket and mixed them with water, to which she said "Now, I don't know if this will kill you or not. Let's hope it don't!" and ran off to find her potential "victim." She chose Caiti to drink her potion. As she was drinking it, Raylon said "I don't know if that will kill you or not. I hope not!" after Caiti was finished drinking it Raylon asked her if she "felt dead." Caiti told her no and Raylon ever so satisfied said, "Well good I was hoping it didn't." She's too funny! I love that we were able to spend so much time together and make those memories. Hopefully she'll always know how much I love her and will remember the times like those that we get to spend together!

Sweet Baby Braxton

While I was home for Davy's birthday, I got the chance to love and cuddle the newest member of the family...sweet little Braxton. I got to see Braxton shortly after he was born, but never did get the chance to cuddle him like I did a few weeks ago! He's such a good baby and a super good snuggler! I'm in love, and can't wait to see him again in a few weeks! There's something about a new baby...the way they feel, the way they smell, the way they cuddle up when they get tired. I love all the sweet babies in our family, the big ones and the little ones! :-)

My favorite boy!

I'm in love with this picture. When I was home a few weeks ago, I picked Davy up early from the babysitter. Boy was he excited when his Mimi came to get him. We played for a little while, and then took some pictures. I'm so thankful that I get to be his Mimi. I can't imagine life without him, and just love him so much!