I feel I've begun... now that we're one

BIG NEWS... and it's not a baby :)

2012-01-21T18:05:00.003-06:00

Wow.... it has sadly been over a YEAR since I have blogged! I canNOT believe that! So many new things going on since then... but I'm not going to get into that right now. Today's post is dedicated to our newest exciting news.... Tyler and I are buying a HOUSE!

We are so incredibly excited! We are definitely jumping in with both feet with this house - it's a major fixer upper. But on the positive side, we know we can live in this house for a very long time.

I was able to get some pictures of the house to share with family and friends and wanted to post them on here rather than FB. I can almost hear your gasps and sighs as you look through these pics, because I know you will be thinking "Tyler and Hannah have LOST. THEIR. MARBLES." haha. But I promise you, this house is really special and has TREMENDOUS potential. I know that with a little, *ahem, ok I mean an absolutely insane* amount of elbow grease, we will be able to get this house looking exactly how we want it to.

So, without further adieu, here we go.....

Please be warned there a LOT of pictures!

This is the kitchen, window looking out the front. There is a door to the carport that you can't see on the right wall. There is a door to the living/dining room on the left. We plan on leaving the stainless steel counters and painting the cabinets white.

This is the back of the kitchen, looking out to the backyard. Door on the left is to the carport. The living/dining room is on the right.

This is the chicken/goose/pheasant tile motif above the stove. And yes, it's staying! haha I absolutely LOVE it and will definitely incorporate into my kitchen decor. :)

This one is hard to see, but it's Tyler and our realtor in the living room. This was taken from the kitchen door. You can barely make out the fireplace on the right (which is the front of the house).

Here is the fireplace, which we absolutely LOVE! It is ginormous and will be so cozy in the winter :)

Here is the fireplace and the "dining room" corner. The living and dining room are really just one big open room. I am standing at the back of the house, where the entire back wall is made up of windows.

I'm standing in front of the fireplace, looking in the kitchen. You see the dining area "chandelier," (which is super tacky and needs to be changed) and you get a glimpse of the back wall of windows.

Back wall of windows. It was night so you can't see the beautiful view of the backyard. In the winter, we can even see the river!

The entry door is on the right. Dad is going down the hallway to the bedrooms.

Hallway to bedrooms from entrance.

Guest bedroom. Windows looking out back of house.

Guest bedroom, front of room. You can see the door leading to the hallway, with windows looking out the front of the house.

Guest bath at the end of the hall.

Guest bath

Guest bath.

Venice motif in guest bath. haha! Sadly, I think this may have to stay for a while (the tile's in good shape, so we will worry about that when we need to.)

Going into the master, windows looking out the backyard.

Master bedroom. Bathroom door is to the right.

Master closets, no, nothing fancy.

Master bath.

Master bath. Lovely, isn't it? :)

Stairs going down to the basement. You see these doors when you open the front door of the house.

Closet at the bottom of the stair. Door to backyard on right.

Downstairs living room, standing at the bottom of the staircase.

Downstairs living room, windows looking out backyard. The door at the end of the room leads to the laundry room.

Dad in the laundry room.

Laundry room, window looking out to backyard. Door on the right goes to backyard, door on the left leads to the "murder room." Oh, you'll see....

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is the "murder room" (this is my special name for it)....

This will be great for storage, but you better believe I won't be heading in here by myself just for fun. So scary!! haha

This is on the other side of the downstairs. Hallway leading to the bath and two bedrooms.

Bath

Bedroom. Looks terrible because of the concrete floors and terrible paint job, but nothing a little TLC can't fix.

Other downstairs bedroom.

So now, you have seen pretty much everything and are probably thinking we are totally crazy. That's ok, sometimes I think we are too. :)

So needless to say the next few months will be extremely busy! I also plan on updating the blog a lot more with updates and before & after pics. I think it will be really fun to see how much progress we make over time.

Random thoughts of the day

2011-01-11T19:26:00.000-06:00

Happy Tuesday, ya'll! How's it going???

Today is basically my Monday, since I spent all of yesterday laying around in my pj's. I am definitely thankful for another short week, especially since I feel like we are all readjusting to life after the holidays. :)

I have nothing in particular to talk about, so here are 5 random thoughts for the day....

Over the Top

Merino Cool

1. These cute little beauties are the next polishes I want. According to my SIL Amanda, blacks and dark polishes are out. *SIGH* But those are my favorite!!! BUG! I think I'll still be sneaking by dark polishes... :)

Although I am fairly loyal to the OPIs (mostly because of the cute names), I do have to branch out occasionally!

2. I am very very excited because the girls' Bible study I was a part of when I first moved down to LR is starting back up! I have seriously missed my friend, Erin, who organizes this group and even more excited to have an every-other-week girls night! Not sure exactly when we are starting... we are just now emailing but hopefully will get this party started in the next few weeks. Just in time for Natalie to join us! :)

3. My Christmas decorations are still up.... and I fully realize how sad this is!! Maybe this weekend? No, definitely this weekend...... I hope.

4. I have a niece and a nephew that are both 4!!!! I CANNOT believe this! I have just decided that tomorrow will be a post about them... :)

5. I seriously LOVE reading blogs! I get so excited when I get home to read about all of my friends... (and stalk a few people. ha!) Even when I personally take a blogging hiatus, I still regularly read my friends' blogs... I love it!

That's all for tonight.... Have a great night everyone!

Oh, Happy Day!

2011-01-09T15:56:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! I hope you are having a wonderful, restful Sunday!

I'm very excited today, for more reasons than 1!

#1 - Today is the first day of snow!!! Since moving from NWA, I have missed the little bit of snow we seemed to get every year. But today is no disappointment! It's only been snowing for about 2 hours and already it's getting really slick outside! 1 inch of snow right now..... so let's hope it keeps it up --- I want a snow day tomorrow! :)

#2 - Tyler and I found out that our very best friends are MOVING TO LITTLE ROCK!!!!! I cannot tell you how long we have been talking about this and it has finally come true! Josh and Natalie are both teachers, and Natalie has gotten a job at Camp Robinson, the Army base in North Little Rock. She starts NEXT MONDAY so as of this weekend, they will be residence of central Arkansas!

Josh is Tyler's best friend ever, and his best man at our wedding. I have loved becoming friends with Natalie and am BEYOND excited to be able to see them all the time!!

The only downside? I think we will have to convert our 2nd bedroom to a Man Cave / Gaming room... :)

New Year's Resolution

2011-01-03T19:08:00.001-06:00

Hi everybody! I hope you all had a WONDERFUL New Year!!

I have LOVED reading everyone's goals for 2011 and what you all want to accomplish. Some goals are serious, some silly. But all are ways that we want to improve our lives - so what could be bad about that?

This year, I have just one resolution... Take and share more pictures! This came about because I have realized that the past year, I don't have hardly any pics with the kiddos!

Although we had even taken a week-long vaca with my fam this summer, Tyler and I just don't have many pics with the kids. And the pictures I did take were with my dad's camera! You see, my dad has a really nice camera and I like to take pictures. Perfect Combo, right?!? Not that I'm a very good photographer, but it has just become expected that anytime the fam get together I will take his camera and snap away. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy taking pics! (when other people have the camera, I find myself wishing I could get my hands on it. Ha!)

I think I just have to make it a priority to get pictures of my own, even if I have to shove the camera in someone else's hands and say "TAKE MY PICTURE NOW!" :)

I just don't want to look back and not have pictures with/of the kids! This is such a precious time of their lives!!!!

Well, in honor of my New Year's Resolution (and inspiration from my SIL, Amanda), I am going to catch up on some pics and videos from my iPhone!

B riding a carousal at Chuck-E-Cheese for Harry's family bday party.

MK having fun climbing on some games.

Sweet GK practicing her gymnastics skills at Harry's birthday. Such a sweet smile!!! I can't believe I didn't get any pics of Harry on my phone! (they are all still in my dad's camera--- Frustrating!

B and I on our way to see Tangled on Christmas Day.

And this is B talking about how excited she is for the movie... This is hilarious!!

YouTube Video

Well this is all I have right now, but believe-you-me, I will have some more very soon!

Have a great week everyone!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas 2010!

2010-12-27T12:03:00.000-06:00

Hi All! I hope you all had a great Christmas! I know it is always such a blessing to be able to spend good, quality time with the family, and this time was no exception! :)

My New Year's Resolution is to take more pictures, especially with the family, so I got started a little early with Christmas. I still am in a habit of taking pics on my Dad's camera which leaves me with no pictures of my own, so I only have a few pictures from my own camera. But it's still improvement, right? Here are some of my pics from this weekend!

My Mom had the great idea of taking our family on the "Polar Express" in Springdale. It was SO FUN!

The kiddos got dressed up in their pj's (compliments of my Mom) and off we went. The train ride included dinner, cookies and even a special visit from Santa. The kids LOVED IT! Can't you tell by the smiles on their faces??

Mallory and Georgia Kelley were as cute as ever in their pj's! Even though they didn't really understand what was going on, and the fact that they are both deathly afraid of Santa, I still think they enjoyed the evening. :)

Come on, this pic is JUST. TOO. CUTE!

Mallory enjoyed the blinking Rudolph nose that Amanda brought. She definitely got a kick out of it!

Harry and Brooklyn watching the lights as we passed through town. I seriously think they were expecting us to round the corner and end up at the North Pole to meet reindeer and elves. ha!

Tyler had a great Christmas, too! He got head-to-toe Manchester United gear. He even asked if he could wear his new jersey to church on Sunday! haha! (It was a definite no, in case you were wondering)

I swear, this boy refuses to take a normal picture!

Tyler and I wearing our newest outfits! I loved my new pj's from Rachel and Josh!

Christmas with Tyler's family is always so great! I just wish I would have gotten some pictures. Bug! This is why I have my New Year's Resolution.

Tyler's mom has made all of the stockings for the entire family. Last year, she surprised me with my own stocking, making me an official part of the Herriman family. :) This year, Josh got his own stocking too!

We woke up, had a great breakfast and wonderful relaxing morning, opening up presents and enjoying time with each other. I tell you what, I am absolutely blessed to be a part of this family!

Then we headed over to my parent's house for Christmas with the Wares. We had a yummy breakfast (#2 for Tyler and I) and opened presents. I do have to say, with 4 little ones, this year was all about the kiddos - which was perfect! I think Harry and B like to open presents almost as much as they like the actual gift. ha! (I even caught B helping Grandma open all of her gifts)

This picture is of Harry opening his marshmallow guns from Tyler and I.

Mom had gotten Mallory and Brooklyn cute little outfits, but I'm not so sure B enjoyed the hat. (But maybe that's because Scott squeezed her head into the 18 month-size hat. ha!) Poor thing, I think her head was about to pop!

Jo Anne had spotted a special cape from Cracker Barrel and thought Harry would love it.... and he certainly did! Here he is, so excited for his Spiderman / Batman cape!

GK and Mallory got into one of the bags of marshmallows and certainly had some fun.... can you see the big pile on the floor? ;)

Mallory LOVES wearing hats! As soon as she put this hat on, Mallory was strutting around the house, smiling at everyone. It was so funny!

The next morning (Christmas morning) Tyler and I were able to stay at Scott and Amy's to see Brooklyn see all her presents from Santa. This age is so great because Harry and Brooklyn understand Santa and truly believe in him! B was SO excited the night before, she couldn't wait to go to bed so that Santa would come that much sooner.

Here she is opening up some of her presents from her parents.

Her favorite toy was definitely her Pillow Pet, curtosy of Santa. She would not put it down all day.

That night, Amy, Mom, B and I went to see Tangled. It was SUCH a good movie! I even cried! ha!

It was a great end to Christmas day!

The next day, Mom, Jo Anne and I went out shopping, getting some great deals. Oh, I LOVE day-after-Christmas shopping! :)

Tyler and I just made it back to LR last night, and are enjoying one more day off from work together. Definitely a lazy day today, but a great end to a wonderful Christmas holiday!

I know...

2010-12-22T17:00:00.053-06:00

I know... I will never paint a room in my house red because it clashes with my hair

I know... I hate when people mispronounce the word "gyro." (Pronounced YEE-RO, not JYE-RO)

I know... My car is always dirty... always

I know... one of my favorite wedding gifts came from my BFF Whitney V. (engraved plaque with our family name and wedding date)

I know... getting in bed with clean sheets is the best feeling ever

I know... I want a Kindle reader

I know... I consider someone a good friend when they know how to order my Sonic drink - "Large Dr. Pepper, Easy Ice" is the only way to go

I know... I stole this blog idea from my friend Sarah and loved it so much I had to do it myself

I know... my mom always gives the best gifts, no matter who she is buying for

I know... I am obsessed with each "Real Housewives of..." show

I know... I paint my nails every Sunday night. I try and pick a color that will set the tone for the rest of the week.

I know... the best chapstick in the world is my Swivel

I know... when I need someone to be brutally honest, I call my friend Whitney Killebrew

I know... I have read the entire Harry Potter series 3 times, some books I've read 6 times, but it still won't be the last

I know... I have the CUTEST nephew and 2 nieces in the world, and I will fight you if you disagree :)

I know... I still miss Greece and my friends from HUG so much it hurts

I know... my TMJ is getting worse and worse. I think I will have to have surgery eventually.

I know... Tyler makes me SO incredibly happy and I am so blessed because of him

I know... Kings of Leon cd is my current guilty pleasure

I know... I am lucky to have the best in-laws ever. Tyler's entire family is just perfect and I truly think no other girl has it as good as I do

I know... if I had all the money in the world, my dream car would be a Volvo

I know... no one should talk to me before I've had at least 2 cups of coffee

I know... a shower isn't hot enough until my skin is burning

I know... we won't be having kids for at least another 4-5 years, but sometimes I catch myself actually wanting them now. Scary!!

I know... the first place I want to travel to is China

I know... when first falls asleep he twitches. Sometimes he twitches so hard, we both wake up

I know... my favorite hair product that I don't want to live without is "It's a 10"

I know... if I could go back and do it all over again, I would be a teacher

I know... I am using the lightest shade of foundation currently in production and it still is too dark for me

I know... if I don't sleep with the bathroom fan on, I will hear every noise in and outside our apartment

I know... if we could, Tyler and I would move back to NWA

I know... Tyler and I won't move back to NWA, possibly ever

I know... I will shed a tear or two when I finally go to Harry Potter world in April

I know... Tyler will be gone for 3 months next year and I am NOT looking forward to it

I know... cold, gray winter days are way better than any summer day

I know... I actually enjoy soccer and understand when I watch... thank you, Tyler

I know... I can be completely clueless sometimes

Christmas cheer down to my fingers and toes...

2010-12-21T21:54:00.000-06:00

Hey everybody! Today was a very productive day. I am about 99% finished with all my Christmas shopping! Whew.... I don't know why I always wait to the last minute, but I am glad to say that I actually have a few days left to spare.

Tomorrow, Tyler and I are packing up and heading to good ol' NWA. SOOO excited to spend an extra-long weekend with the fams! Thursday night, both mine and Tyler's family will be together for a very special evening... can't wait to share pics! :)

SO... in true holiday preparation, I just had to get my nails ready! ha!

My winter nail colors are typically dark purples, blues or greys. I'm definitely NOT a pink / red girl. BUT, being in the true festive spirit, I busted out the SPARKLES... and RED!

"A Ruby for Rudolph" is my favorite holiday shade! It's just the right amount of sparkle and a fun red with a pinkish hue.

You like??

I will be sure and post pics after our very special night on Thursday. I seriously can NOT wait! AAAH!

Christmas Cheer

2010-12-20T20:49:00.000-06:00

Hi all! Are you all running around, finishing up your Christmas shopping like crazy?!?! :)

Today, I was able to break away from the office for lunch! (A rare treat!)

I went over to my friend Sarah's house. So great to finally see her cute apartment and catch up on life. MUCH needed girl time! It's amazing how some great girl time can really brighten your day! :)

On a side note, I just saw the funniest Christmas commercial I think I have ever seen!

Maybe it's because I know every word of "Carol of the Bells" or maybe it's watching the Big Man in Red sprint for dear life, but I can't watch this enough! ha!

Does anyone else find this hilarious? Or is it just me? lol..... ENJOY! :)

Merry Christmas to My Face.

2010-12-16T21:30:00.002-06:00

This.....

....is my Christmas present from Tyler. :)

Immediately when I got home and saw the box, I opened all the individual boxes and laid out each bottle in order. I then read through the instructions and smelled each cream. I could not have been more excited! ha!

Now, in order for you to fully understand why this is such a perfect gift for me, I guess you should know that I have been using anti-aging creams since I was 17. Obsessing? Unnecessary? Slightly vain? Abso-freakin-lutely.

What can I say? I only have one face to last me my entire life.... gotta make it last. :)

What about you? What are y'all getting for Christmas? I'm having some serious Christmas-gift-block and can NOT come up with any other ideas for my family. What's on your Christmas List?

Back for Reals this time

2010-12-15T19:04:00.007-06:00

Hey all, Well I guess I finally got tired of reading all of your blogs without contributing anything of my own. :)

I. Am. Back..... like, for reals this time.

An update on my life? Work. :/

Boy, I really thought things would have calmed down after October, but that hasn't necessarily been the case. Granted, I have cut down my hours from 60+ hours a week to a mere 50 or so, but seriously....

I'm hanging in there, but am beginning to feel more and more resistant to continue to pour my life into my job. I even have called the Mom a few times and my dear, and always painfully honest friend Cortney during my times of weakness. I am definitely sticking with it through April, which is our BIG BIG event. At that point, I may be re-evaluating things....

But work is boring. What else is new?

Here are some things I've been doing lately....

1. Dexter!!

This show is blowing my mind! I know it is pathetic, but I seriously made my way through 2 entire seasons in one weekend. ha! Tyler and I just couldn't stop watching!

2. Re-reading Harry Potter series.... for like the 1,000th time!

Again, maybe pathetic, but I have not read these books like over 5 years so I have forgotten a lot of the details. I'm only finishing up book 2 right now, but plan to make my way through the series throughout the next year and then finish the 7th just in time for the last movie. This girl has got a plan! :)

3. Going HOME! During the past few months, I haven't had too many chances to spend at home, so I have been SOOOO incredibly thankful for family time. I have MISSED the kiddos like crazy, so this past weekend was AWESOME! :)

Tomorrow (believe it or not) is Harry's FOURTH BIRTHDAY!!! Oh my, I just can't believe it! I seriously remember the day he was born perfectly. And now it's already 4 years later? Craziness!!!

So this past weekend, Tyler and I made our way home to celebrate Harry's birthday. We even had a chance to play with the kiddos at Chuck-E-Cheese for a bit. It was so great because we went early on Friday and we basically had the entire place to ourselves. So fun!

(I realized that I never have ANY pictures... this definitely going to be part of my New Year's Resolution! So I stole these pictures from Amanda. :) )

I am REALLY looking forward to time with both families this next week. And promise to have pictures! :)

Now I just need to finish my Christmas shopping..... bug!

eat. pray...... WORK!

2010-08-22T19:52:00.002-05:00

Hello Blog World. Miss me?

I will go ahead and venture to say YES, since I have had several threats from friends and family saying that if they saw pictures of my sailboat one more time, they would disown me. Well, I finally gave in.

I think once I took a break, I was almost scared to get back into the whole bloggy thing. I knew I was getting busier and less interesting and thought maybe I should take the opportunity and end on a high note. :)

Well, not really. I was never going to quit blogging, I was just on sabbitical of sorts. I mean, come on, 6 month of blogging serves a 6 month break, right??? :)

OK OK, enough sarcasm. I have had lots going on and now time to get into the nitty gritty.

My life recently? It consists of eating, praying and working. Oh ya, maybe some sleeping. Seriously, our office is gearing up for our "busy season" and this could get ugly. 13 conferences in 2 1/2 months. Yes, you read correctly. THIRTEEN!!!! Thankfully I won't be traveling to ALL of them, but I will definitely be rolling in frequent flyer point by the end of November! (always a silver lining!)

So, if you don't hear from me until November, don't be surprised. But I'll do my best. :)

Also going on in my life? Well this is some heavy stuff, so get ready....

When I first moved to Little Rock, I started a girl's Bible study at Fellowship geared towards women new to the Little Rock area. It was SUCH a blessing! Out of that class I met some INCREDIBLE women and made some great friends. Friends that have made an impact on my life on so many levels.

One of the girls that I had gotten to know was name Angela. Angela and her husband were in a motorcycle accident 3 weeks ago today. Since both of their families lived a few thousand miles away, her friends in the area were her "family" of sorts. Anyway, long story short - Angela went to be with the Lord on August 2, 2010.

The entire situation was something I had never experienced. And by no means can I even begin to imagine the hurt and pain her family and husband are going through. But that has been weighing on my heart. I mean, I had only been around Angela a few times, but she had definitely impacted me.

Now, I have my fair share of sassyness and sarcasm, but this girl could put me to shame. She was SO funny, SO witty, SO full of life and love for Jesus. WHAT AN EXAMPLE!

So please, keep her family and her husband in your prayers. They had only been married 2 years. My mind really can't wrap my mind around his hurt right now.

So that has been what going on my life recently. Now, I promise I won' be MIA for 4 months again, but I am giving fair warning that the next few months will be INSANE for me, so please have some patience. :)

almost there!

2010-06-05T14:25:00.003-05:00

I am spending this entire next week away from work and home. I will. Be at Navarre beach, FL with the entire Ware fam!!! We are in Mobile,AL right now so only about an hour to go!!!! Here is a pic of our first view of the ocean today. A little brown... Maybe that's the oil??? Let's hope we get just a few days of pretty blue water before the oil hits us!!!

Ok so I just got a new phone and am still learning how it works. I can't figure out how to upload a pic a just took so you will have to tale my word for it... It's not the prettiest i've seen it but I'm hopeful for a few days of bright sun and pretty water!!! :)

Sailboat!

2010-06-01T20:51:00.005-05:00

Tyler and I had a very eventful Memorial Day weekend! Well, the first two days were fairly uneventful. We basically laid around and did nothing :) But Sunday and Monday were very productive! We got our sailboat!!!!!!

The guys we got our boat from was supposed to come Saturday but ended up not making it in town until after dark. So we decided to wait until Sunday. Sunday rolled around and we made it out to the lake.

Here are some pics of the boys unloading the boat...

Then the boys worked to put up the Main Sail...

Then Tyler and I were able to spend the rest of the weekend cleaning, cleaning, CLEANING... The outside was pretty well taken care of, but the inside had pretty much been left alone. Boy, was it DIRTY!!!

BEFORE

AFTER

As you can tell, it's not super fancy, but its ours! We definitely have some work to do, but I know we will have it looking great.

I know it sounds ridiculous, but we actually didn't go sailing this weekend. ha! First of all there really wasn't any wind, so sailing would have been tough. But when we did decide to finally go out for a bit, we had a little "issue." I think Tyler was a little excited / freaking out so when he started the motor and tried to get us going in reverse, he accidentally broke a piece of the motor handle. Yep. That's right. Broke the motor. :)

I mean, you can't write this kind of stuff.

So as we almost crashed into a few other sailboats (ok, maybe I'm being a tad dramatic) we had to paddle our way back into our slip. So sailing was a no-go. But its ok. We figured out its just a little plastic piece that we will need to replace. But that's the life of a boat-owner, no? :)

As a result, our weekend was spent entirely tied to the dock, but that's more than alright, because we really do have work to do. Oh, did I mention that we got stuck out there during a thunder storm? Yep! Which was great, because we got a chance to see all the leaks. ha!

Seriously, we totally anticipated some work. If we didn't, we would have bought a $10,000 boat. (which will never never never happen) We are actually excited to work together and make this boat exactly what we want. Some hard work, sweat, and elbow grease will make this baby looking great!

Special Delivery! and our weekend plans :)

2010-05-28T13:42:00.005-05:00

My life, as usual, has been faily uneventful. (Hence the lack of postage)

BUT this weekend Tyler and I have some VERY exciting plans! We will be spending the weekend at Lake Maumelle on our very own SAIL BOAT!

Random. I know.

But Tyler and I have spent a lot of time talking and looking and sailing and we fell in love! We found a great deal and just coulnd't pass it up! Tomorrow our very own boat will be delivered and we are planning on spending the whole rest of our marvelous weekend outside. Cleaning. Fixing up. Sailing. Eating. Cleaning. Church. Sleeping. Deep cleaning.

We haven't picked a name yet... but I'll keep you posted on that.

Here are a few pics!

I'm sure I'll have much more pictures and details after the weekend...

I hope all of you have a very safe and happy holiday weekend!!!!! :)

A video to brighten your day, because Mondays are never fun.

2010-05-17T20:54:00.005-05:00

I was just going through old pictures and came across this beauty.

I went with the Herriman family on vacation to Glacier National Park in June 2008. It was an amazing place. SO BEAUTIFUL! We all had so much fun exploring God's beautiful creation.

On one of our many hikes, this happened...

I hope this makes your day better, like it did mine! :)

Happy Monday!

A Special Prayer for You, and a Super Sweet Award! :)

2010-05-12T21:57:00.006-05:00

Tonight I can't help but think about Rachel and her Pre-Wedding Busyness. All I have to say about that is EEESH! I do not envy her at. all.

Poor thing, this week has been so busy for her (and Jo Anne) and all she wants to do is be married already! I remember that frustration so vividly, and it was probably the biggest ball of mixed emotions I've ever felt.

You want to make sure and treasure every moment, every detail you plan, all the time you get to spend with your wonderful and patient Mom, the last few days as a Miss Ware. But at the same time all you can think about is the freedom you will soon have after getting thing whole, blasted thing over with! AH!

So tonight (and this whole week, really) I'm saying a special prayer for my Lil' SIL... because I know her feelings are so much of what I felt, I have so many prayers I'm praying!

I love you Rachel and I'll see you on the other side! :)

Also, I recieved another Blog Award! (Round of cheers and fist pumps from the Herriman residence!!!! And no, not from Tyler. Ha!)

Stylish Housewife gave me the Sweet Blog Award! Thank you S.H. I love love love your blog and always look forward to what you have to say next. :)

And now, I pass this award to one special friend, Whitney. She is by far the sweetest friend I have!

The Women I Love

2010-05-09T21:10:00.011-05:00

I am so thankful for the wonderful women I have my life! Not only do have an amazing mother, who selflessly gives to everyone around her, but I also have two wonderful, God-fearing grandmothers, an aunt that I consider to be a 2nd mother, and a mother-in-law that I absolutely LOVE! Seriously, God has blessed me beyond belief!!!!!!

First off, My Momma...
This woman is hilarious. And the best part is that she doesn't even mean to be! It's not her one-liners that crack me up (she's not really the one-liner/stand-up comedian type), it's just her entire personality.

For example.....

The Ware Family likes to play games. A. Lot. We play pretty much every game you can think of. One night we played Guessture (basically charades and hot-potato mixed together) and it was Mom's turn. Halfway through her turn, she runs out of the living room and completely disappears for a good 10 seconds. And the clock keeps ticking. Everyone on her team was stressing, trying figure out where she would go and why she would leave in the middle of her turn! Well Mom comes charging around the corner, holding up a bag of carrots and shaking them profusely!!! ***In case you didn't catch it, Mom's word was "carrots" and instead of trying to act them out, she just decided to race into the kitchen and grab a bag from the fridge.*** WHO DOES THAT?!?!? haha!!!! Well, my mother does! :)

My Mom is so giving to everyone around her. I think the fact that she works for hospice explains that perfectly.... Not a lot of people can get over their own themselves or their own problems and really help others during a time that is so painful. But she can. I know she has been a blessing to so many people and touched so many lives through her work. But she doesn't just leave that attitude at work-- she carries that spirit of compassion to everyone she meets.
My momma love her family (ok, well what wonderful mom doesn't). But my mom is truly the glue that binds us all together. She can't get enough time with her grandbabies and absolutely LOVES when we can all get together. I love getting to go home now, because I know how excited she gets, and I know she actually wants me there (unlike a few time when I was a teenager, I'm sure ha!!!)

If you want the worlds best shopping buddy... this is your girl. You want to play games? You have a partner. You want to ride the biggest roller coaster? Go to the movies? Eat chocolate till you explode? You are looking at your partner in crime.

I love how much she loves coffee, the way her head perks up when she really belly-laughs, her dancing when she gets really excited, and the way she always sings "Happy Birthday to you, You belong in the zoo" to me on my birthday! :)

I catch myself sometimes doing things I know I got from my Mom. I can't help but laugh at these moments, because I know all those funny things that she does is carrying on to me. I only hope I can be the life of the family to my family one day, like she is to ours. :) I love you Mommy!!!

Next up, my Grandma and Memaw....

Wow these two ladies are so inspiring. They have lived their entire lives serving others, giving selflessy and looking to get nothing in return.

My memaw has spent the better part of her life volunteering at the hospital, nursing home and countless church activities. This woman can NOT sit still. :) She still gets out at least 3-4 times a week to orchestrate some activity at church or spend time at the nursing home. She is the leading lady for her church's "No spouse in the house" group. I wish I could be a fly in that gym when they all get together, because I just know she is walking around making sure everyone is doing what their supposed to be doing. She is definitely an organizer (hmmm, wonder where I get that? ha!).

She is a talented artist. She quilts, sews, paints and crafts with the best of them. (Again, wonder where I get my craftyness from?)

She is a strong, no nonsense woman that has so much pride in her family. She continues to give to everyone around her.

My Grandma is so similar in many ways. Grandma taught me to sew (not that I remember much of it now) and made so many of my cute smocked dresses growing up. She continued her sewing up until recently and made the cutest burp cloths for practically every child under the age of 2 in our church.

Grandma started our church's World Bible School program. She took on hundreds of students from all across the world, sharing God's message with each of them through mailing Bible courses back and forth. There is no telling how many people became Christians because of her!

Both women have read their Bibles from start to finish countless times. They are encouragers, selfless and love their families more than anything on this earth.... although I'd have to say crossword puzzles would come in a strong 2nd place. :)

Oh Annie, Annie, Annie....

I think if there is anyone on this earth (besides my momma) that truly understand me, it's you. Maybe that's because we are so much alike? Ya... that's probably got a lot to do with it.

Some people may call it no-nonsense, others may call it straightforward. But that honesty is something I know I got straight from you. :)

My years at Harding were blessed because I had you there. You and your endless supply of Nutella Crescent Rolls kept my heart and stomach happy. Plus, you always made sure I had clean underwear! ha!!!

You are my biggest chearleader! You never told me how you thought I should live my life, you just let me live it, and love me through everything.

And last but definitely not least, my Mother-in-Law, JoAnne....

I don't know why God decided I should be the lucky girl to get to be a part of the Herriman family, but for some reason He picked me!

Of course I love the entire family beyond words... but this post is all about JoAnne :)

I have some friends that didn't get so lucky in the MIL department. I have heard horror stories.... straight out of this movie...

Although this trailer is stinkin hilarious, I can't imagine feeling like my relationship with my MIL was "kill or be killed." ha!

I have had so many friends ask me "Is she really that nice?" And I LOVE being able to look them in the eye and say "She is so much better!" :)

She is the most positive person I know. She is always smiling, always encouraging, always upbeat. I know I will be uplifted after spending a little bit of time with her. She is a great listener. I always know that she is ready to listen to whatever is going on in mine and Tyler's life, big or small.

JoAnne is the best mom. Ever. Tyler and I talk about it all the time! She always gave Tyler and Rachel the freedom to live independent lives, but gave them boundaries when it mattered. Tyler and Rachel are both hard-workers and very independent and I know a lot is due to JoAnne. She is such an encourager. And she gives us support and will do anything to help, but also wants us to go and experience things for ourselves. I love that! Joe and JoAnne have really instilled a sense of adventure in Tyler and Rachel.

I am so incredibly thankful to have a MIL that I respect, admire and love as much as I do! Her compassion and serving attitude are such an example, and I pray I can be a mother like her!

So here is a special post to all the women in my life, both my real mother and "other mothers" who mean so much to me! I love so much and am so incredibly thankful for you!

Come Sail Away

2010-05-08T19:20:00.003-05:00

Per my last post, most of you know we have been looking into sailing. So today, we decided to check it out first hand!

Our plan? Drive to Lake Maumelle (about 30 minutes away), walk around the piers and hope to goodness we could shmooze our way onto someone's sailing adventure for the day.

And the plan WORKED! ha!

We saw a middle-aged man setting up his sails on next pier over, so Tyler and I made a dash over there-- you could say we were slightly stalking. :)

We slowly walked by him, casually said hi and started watching him get ready. Tyler started "sailing" talk with him and before we knew it we were on board! SCORE!

This man was the perfect guide-- he has been sailing since he was little, had several different sailboats in his lifetime (this one he has had for 20 years) and takes his boat out at least 3-4 times a week! (did I mention he was retired) Seriously, all this man does with his time is wood-work and sail... I think Tyler met future-Tyler in 45 years! ha!

We went sailing for about 3 hours. The entire time was filled with this man's sailing stories. We learned all the sailing lingo. And we got to heel, tack and jibe! (Eh? EH??? Come on, I was dying to show off a little :) )

The trip was perfect for some many reasons...
1)I had never even seen a real sailboat before, let alone sailed. I got to see if it was something I absolutely hated and never wanted to do again, or if it was something I loved! (I think I'm currently leaning more towards the latter)
2) Tyler hadn't been sailing in a long time, so it really solidified Tyler's love for sailing. Love may be an understatement-- more like obsessed! :)
3) If we decide to purchase a boat, we really learned what to look for
4) We made our first sailing friend! Jim even gave Tyler his number in case we wanted to tag along again sometime. And you bet your booty Tyler will use one of his Friday's off to do so! ha!

After sailing, Tyler and I walked up and down the piers to check out all the sailboats. We talked about what we liked and didn't like. It really helped us know what we want if/when we make a purchase.

Our favorite so far?

Catalina 22

This little beauty seems like it would be the best for us. On the smaller side, good quality boat, and a very popular "starter" boat for people.... so we think we could get a really good deal on an older one!

Even though the tops of my legs are burnt to a crisp and Tyler has permanent sunglasses burnt on his face, we really really had fun!

Oh goodness, now I'm just getting a little excited! ha! Who really knows what will happen, but hey, this was such a great day and fun adventure I just had to share with you all!

If we do end up with a boat, I promise you are all invited for a day of sailing! :)

Random thoughts to keep you updated...

2010-05-05T19:17:00.007-05:00

Well I think it's fairly safe to say that my life is pretty boring. And I am quite ok with that. The only problem with this?

No life = boring blog.

So here are the latest things going on my life (and just some random thoughts as I sit here blogging) :)

1. I recently remodeled.... you like?? :) I think I needed a makeover to get more in the blogging mood.

2. My family is going to Navarre Beach in..... um..... 4 1/2 WEEKS! Excited is an understatement. It has been 3 years since the fam has gone on vaca so this trip is long overdue.

Last time, this was our group.....

Looks like we will have an addition or two, eh?? Or maybe 3! :)

I'm so excited for Tyler to be a part of our family trip, B & H will be SO fun now that they are older, and GK and MK will be so stinkin cute in their little swimsuits! :)

3. I just found out my office "roommate" is moving home to Pennsylvania. :( Sekea and I share an office and keep each other quite entertained. At first, I wasn't sure about the whole sharing spaces concept, but that girl cracks. me. up. I will surely miss her!

4. If you would have seen me in the past 3 days, I would look something like this....

Not too cute, huh? Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling too cute, either. I feel like I am in a constant state of about-to-sneeze. With my nose running, eyes bugging, and throat scratching, I have been one. unhappy. camper. (Just ask Tyler, ha!)

5. Tyler is seriously contemplating buying one of these....
Don't worry, we aren't jumping at the first available sailboat. We are taking our time, in no hurry at all. We are just keeping our eyes open for a great deal. We have seen some pretty good deals so far, but not in our area. So maybe the next year or two (or 20) we may find our perfect little Sunfish Sailboat.

I mean, COME ON!!! How much fun would it be to hop on one of these for an afternoon! They really aren't very expensive and it would be SO FUN to learn how to sail! Oh... I'll just keep dreaming.....

5. Baby fever... I've got.

(I think my mom just peed a little when she read that! haha!!!)

Ok, let me rephrase. I am NOT ready to have a baby RIGHT NOW. NOPE. NOT EVEN CLOSE. So let's get that straight. What I am saying is that is seems everyone and their cousin Susy are having babies! And if they're not having babies, they're talking about it.

All that talk has me excited for when Tyler and I do decide to have babies. **Again, let me repeat... NOT ANYTIME SOON. (We're shooting for like.... 15 years :) )**

I'm just saying, I'm already praying for our babies to be healthy and happy. I'm already picking out names. And I'm already thinking about how great it will be to raise children with Tyler.

Thank goodness I have a 3-year, no-baby contract shoved up my arm.....

6. Rachel is getting MARRIED next week!!!!! I am SOOO excited for her! It's going to be BEAUTIFUL and everything will be perfect! EEK! Pictures to come!! :)

So that's all the randomness this girl can take for one night... maybe when I'm not constantly sneezing and sniffling I'll be a little bit more entertaining.... :)

GLEEK

2010-04-13T12:27:00.003-05:00

Yes, I am still recovering from my week in San Antonio... (it was tough, ok?) so I'm dragging through my day at work. Thankfully I have a few things to keep me focused through the rest of the day.

1. I have meetings this afternoon-- I'll get to talk with people face to face, which usually makes it more difficult to fall asleep. :)

2. GLEE IS BACK ON TONIGHT!!!!!!!

Now this may not make some people very excited, but I have been waiting for months for the rest of this season. Yes, don't judge, but I am a self-admitted GLEEK.

Maybe its because I was a dedicated Spring Singer at Harding for 3 years straight.

Maybe its because I was in choir since I was 10.

Maybe its because I was a dancer.

Maybe its because I love musicals.

Or maybe its because I have a new fascination with the Journey song "Don't Stop Believing."

But really, I think it's because deep down in my heart, I wish I was this girl.

With the "Loser" sign and all, I wish this was me. Don't get me wrong, I L.O.V.E my life, but COME. ON. Just think how awesome your life would be if you could just randomly bust on in song and dance when a tramatic or difficult situation arises..... ya, that's what I thought.

Plus, this girl has some serious sing-age abilities. I'm officially jealous!

So tonight around 8:28 ish, don't bother calling, texting, or yelling my name (Tyler) because I won't answer. I will be endulging in some GLEE!!!!!

Hello blog, have you missed me??

2010-04-12T18:52:00.003-05:00

So I basically have been very busy for work lately... so my apologies to all my blogger friends out there!!!!!!!

Here's the DL with work--- my job is event planning. This past week was our Annual National Conference. Enough said.

We had 750 attendees, 5 days of conference, and a TON of hard work. It was definitely a success, but now I am deliriously tired and haven't seemed to find time to blog (much less, tie my shoes!!!)

BUT, today I made it a point to catch up on all my favorite blogs and I was DELIGHTED.... and SOOOO EXCITED to be honored with my very first blog award!!! YAY! (Is it kind of silly that I've really wanted one for a long time now??? Well, I have. So I'm THRILLED!!!)

Anyway, because of this award, I have a few things to talk about:

A. Thank the person who gave me the award.
THANKS JESSICA!!!! I seriously LOVE your blog. Between the Sonic drinks, your love of shopping, and your lack of shame when it comes to all things Harry Potter and Twilight, I feel like you are my twin!!! ha!

B. Name 10 things that make me happy.
1. Tyler.... duh!
2. My new bible study friends and their husbands! I love getting to see those girls every week and love when we all get together!
3. Dr. Pepper
4. SLEEP (which right now, I am seriously lacking)
5. James Morrison (especially in the summer, windows down, and his music blaring)
6. Big sunglasses--- if they're not covering at least 50% of my face, I don't want them! ha!
7. Getting to hang out with my besties! (which has become quite the special treat now that we are all grown ups!)
8. OPI's "Cajun Shrimp" in the summer
9. My gorgeous nieces and nephew that I don't get to see NEARLY as much as I would like! Oh I love them so much, I just can't even stand it!
10. A great hairday! You may consider this shallow, but I don't care!!! When I know my hair looks good, I feel on top of the world! :)

C. Last but not least, pass the award along and contact the winners!
Here are girls that seriously make me happy! Every day I get excited to see what they are writing about next.
1. Cortney--- This girl gave me my first job! After hiring me at JB Hunt, we ended up working together and became great, great friends. She definitely brings the inner OCD in me! ha! And she is one, fast chicka! She's a runner and a girl that never, EVER stops!
2. Whitney--- One of my bestest friends since we were kids. We even went through the aweful, ugly duckling phase together... thank goodness we turned out half-way normal looking!!! ha!! Her blog is hilarious. She is so blunt, so honest. Some people may not appreciate it, but I love her for it! (She's the girl that you take shopping with you to tell you if it looks terrible or not! :))
3. Whitney V--- My very bestest friend in the whole wide world. Best friends since birth, and now I get to watch her be an amazing mother!! Her daughter Eden is just stinkin adorable, and now she has #2 on the way!!
4. Ginger Snap--- I love her blog! Now, I like my share of clothes, but this girl puts me to shame! If shopping were a sport she would be Michael Phelps... she's that good. :) Plus, I just think she's hilarious! And I always get good ideas from her for work-appropriate clothing. (And did I mention she's a redhead??? That might have something to do with it too! ha!)

So congrats ladies! Can't wait to see what makes you happy!!!

These are TWO of my favorite things....

2010-03-22T22:05:00.003-05:00

I've seen some girls post their Top Two Things that they simply can not live without! Well... I'd say mine are pretty obvious (well, at least one of them is!)

Item number ONE:

Do I really even have to explain this one???? I think not.

Item Number TWO:

My tempurpedic pillow!!!! Tyler parents got this for me for my birthday last year and I. Am. In. Love!!!! For me, it is the perfect amount of hardness / squishiness.

Maybe some people think that spending that much money on a pillow is absolutely ludicrous. And it is! But this girl loves her sleep (just ask Tyler, haha!). I literally get excited about going to sleep every night. Yes, I am serious! And every morning is a serious struggle...and this fancy shmancy pillow sure doesn't help with that!

I'm telling you... if I had the absolute WORST day of my LIFE and I could only pick two things (objects, no people included) to make me feel better, it would be these two things.

My mom always told me that when she died, she knew that God would have a HUGE Snickers bar waiting for her. Well for me, I think He will have my pillow and Dr. Pepper. :)

STL Here we come!

2010-03-18T13:52:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow after work, I am heading to ST. LOUIS with one of my besties Ashley! We are meeting April and Rachel, two of our closest friends! Ummmmm I can not even put into WORDS how excited I am!!!

April, Ashley and I were in the same club at Harding and lived together our last year of school. We seriously have been through SOOOO much together, and even though we are all busy, living our own lives, we make time for each other and are still as close as ever!

Rachel grew up with April in Illinois. I had never met her until our last year of school! The four of us spent practically EVER. SINGLE. NIGHT. that year staying up til 3-4 am talking, laughing, and just being ridiculous. If you can even imagine, when these three ladies get together, they make me look boring!!! :)

They seriously are some of the funniest people I know and just being around them is like drinking 7 Redbulls!

So what are we going to do in STL, you may ask???

Well, we have already made our appointment to go up in this........

Hopefully I'll come home with a few of these......

And I KNOW we will all be doing a WHOOOOOLLLLLEE lotta THIS!!!!!

Oh I simply cannot wait! We have been counting down the days for months now. My fb wall has been blowing up with comments about how excited everyone is!

I mean, I always look forward to a Friday afternoon, but I haven't this excited in a really long time!!!

Happy Birthday Husband!

2010-03-15T13:39:00.006-05:00

This is the first year that I can make that statement.... and I absolutely LOVE IT!!! :)

Today is Tyler's birthday and he is turning the Big 2-4! Old man, I know.... ;)

So here is a list of some of my absolute favorite things about Tyler. In no particular order. Just as random as they pop into my head!

His laugh... his real laugh... like when he makes no noise except when he sucks in air. It kind of sounds like a honk. ha!
The way he will always clean up after me, without saying a word, or complaining.
His confidence.
When we ride in the TT and he drives all crazy, just because he knows it bothers me.
How he always wants to cuddle.... way more than I do :)
His sincerity
How gently he is with me ( I think he knows that although I'm not a sensitive person, I am with him)
The fact that he had his first experience with outgrowing a pair of pants. (He was absolutely MORTIFIED that he had a "roll" if you could even call it that)
Even though he loves to play video games, he ALWAYS makes me the priority. He has never chosen to play over spend time with me.
His passion!
I don't think anyone can deny the fact that I married an opinionated man. But I love it!
His integrity. His word is his bond. He never manipulates situations for his own benifit.
He is a hard worker.
He wants to travel just as much as I do!!!!
Holding his hand. (when he drives the TT and we are holding hands, I always try and keep holding on, even when he has to shift gears.... just to freak him out! ha!)
The way he always always always makes songs his own version. He will add in random notes and words just to be funny.... and it always is. :)
The way he holds me accountable.
He has prettier eyelashes than me, even with mascara on. (No fair!)
He makes me a better person. He makes me think about what I say before I say it (a new concept for me), mean what I say, and pushes me to be a better Christian.
The fact that I trust him COMPLETELY. I will never have to doubt him or his intentions.
He is way better at laundry than I am.... there is a fine art to it, that I have apparently yet to learn.
Two Words: Manchester United :)
When teaching me new things... he is SOOOOOO incrediably patient with me. And that takes a special person!
He wants to make our relationship a priority.... and he does.
He means what he says and he says what he means.
His scruffy little beard
I have an excuse to always wear flats! haha!
He makes me feel like the absolute most beautiful person always.
His dedication to "The Dave Ramsey Plan" because let's face it... without him I would be BROKE!
Another two words: Haribo Peaches
He collects root beer bottles from different places. And every time he gets to try a new one, he acts like the world's no. 1 root beer connoisseur. Its pretty stinking funny
He won't just let me win games, even though he knows I love to win. I love it because I don't want to win if its not fair--- that way I can rub it in people's faces when I do win fair and square. ha!

And last but certainly not least:

He understands and accepts my addiction to Dr. Pepper

So Happy Birthday Husband! You are truly my perfect match!!!!!

March Showers bring May Weddings!

2010-03-13T22:32:00.005-06:00

Tonight I spent the evening with my wonderful SIL and her awesome friends! Rachel is getting married in May, so we celebrated with Rachel and had fun bridal shower for her!

For those of you who don't know her, Rachel is most definitely the most sincere, thoughtful, gentle-hearted human being I have ever met. You can seriously SEE Christ beaming out of her! She is such an encouragement to everyone around her. And her fiance is the same way! He is going to be a minister after finishing school. Can you tell how much I love them? :)

Anyway, her shower was so fun. I got to see some of Rachel's bestest friends and they seriously are some of the funniest people I've ever been around.

I'm not about to post all the pics I took at the shower, because that certainly isn't fair to Rachel, so I thought I would just show some of the funny faces Rachel made during the night! haha!!!

Aren't these faces just PRICELESS????? :)

After all the presents were opened, Josh did the sweetest thing. He gave Rachel a dozen roses and wrapped a long piece of paper around one of the stems. The paper was a list of all the reasons he loved Rachel. Some were cute, some spiritual, and some just plain funny. But it was a great way to end the celebration!!!

Rachel and her bridesmaids!

Sisters!

Both sisters!

It was such a fun night! I'm so glad I was able to be there and share in the fun! Now, we just need May to hurry up and get here!!! :)

Mental Breakdown

2010-03-11T21:26:00.004-06:00

I should probably start by sharing that Tyler has been out of town for work this week. Awesome.

Today was just like any other day. Wake up. Drag my sorry butt out of bed. Work. Flat tire. Go home. Eat dinner.....

Wait... what??? Yes, you read right. FLAT TIRE.

Now a flat tire by itself is definitely not the end of the world. I am level-headed enough and not that much of a drama queen to allow that to give me a nervous breakdown... I hope you realize this by now! :)

What did almost give me a mental breakdown was the fact that it took about 45 minutes to get my wheel off the car.

Thank goodness one of my co-workers knew what he was doing and was more than willing to help a girl out. But watching him try and take the doo-hicky off of the watchyamacallit for 45 minutes can stress a girl out!

All I could think about was what I was going to do if he was unsuccessful. I have no family here, the only friends close by are working crazy-busy hours and wouldn't be available, and my HUSBAND was out of town. Again, awesome.

Maybe this doesn't seem that dramatic to other people, but I was having a pitty party. And I'm not ashamed to admit that! :)

During the 45 minutes I stood by helplessly watching, I decided to spend my time the only useful way I knew how--- I prayed. But unfortunately, my prayer only consisted of "Dear God, please..." "Dear God, please..." "Dear God, please..." ha! I simply could not get anything else out. I was completely speechless. But I'm sure He knew exactly what I was thinking. ;)

After we got the spare tire on, I took it straight to the tire store to get it replaced. While I waited, I walked to a close restaurant and ate dinner by myself. Sad? Maybe. But Chinese food was calling my name...

All in all it really wasn't that big of a deal.... but I think the hardest part of the whole evening was realizing that I was completely and utterly helpless. And that small little fact was a tad... um, overwhelming... for this little lady.

Was it completely coincidence that Casting Crowns' "Praise you in this storm" song was playing on my way home? Probably not... :)

So that was one small little storm that I just had to conclude by thanking God that my car still ran (loud screeching noises and all) and I had a wonderful loving family (whether 2 or 2000 miles away).

Oh ya.... did I mention that Tyler is staying at a beach-front condo in Florida for the week??????? Awesome. :)

"That's what middle names are for..."

2010-03-10T13:20:00.005-06:00

I've been seeing quite a few fellow bloggers out there share their favorite baby names and thought that this was a perfect topic for me!

You see... I not only have 1 or 2 favorites... I have like 30.

I just absolutely LOVE thinking of cute names for the cute little Tylers and Hannahs that will be running around (like in 15 years :) haha!)

Before we begin I should warn you that I like old, weird, different, unusual names that you probably haven't heard since 1842. Hate them though you may... I just LOVE old fashioned names. I think I warmed up to this style through my SIL Amanda... Harry and Georgia Kelley? Shut up, those are cute names!!!! :) And I'm also a big, BIG fan of family names...

So let's get down to business, shall we?
*Note: these are listed in order of names I like from least to most :)

I'll start with boys, because I don't have as many. (And let's face it, they're just not as much fun as little girl names)

BOYS:
-Ephraim (One of the 12 tribes / sons of Jacob. And probably the weirdest of the bunch)
-Jack
-George
-Philip

And my personal FAVORITE...... Henry!!!

Now for girls: (you may want to grab a seat, this could take a while...)
-Ruth
-Madeline (although this one is off limits! It is Tyler's grandmother's name, and I know that Rachel has loved that name forever :) So it is undoubtedly hers)
-Claire or Claira (Claira being a family name, great aunt)
-Lilly (family name, great aunt)
-Ruby (family name, great aunt that I LOVE! She is like 98 and still spunky!)

-Gloria (My memaw and Annie's name, on of my FAVORITES!!! I just love Gloria Ann)
-Lucy... no family connection I just adore this name. I mean, can't you just picture a cute little curly-headed ginger-kid wearing a cute smocked dress? Of course you can...

And now my absolute FAVORITE!!!
Viola!

I know some of you are gasping at this name right now!And may be a little appalled. hahaha And I'm ok with that! This is my Grandma Vi's full name and I adore it. Since my mom is an only child, there is no one else to carry on those names... so I want it to be the one to do it.

Now you are probably thinking "There is NO way on this earth that Tyler will let his child me named Viola!!!" And those people would be right! :)

His response when I told him my dream name????

"That's what middle names are for..."

*sigh*

Well, Tyler refuses to really discuss names with me since it will be 27 years before that's even on his radar, so for now these are all dreams.

But you can bet your sweet bee-hind that I will have a running list until that sweet day comes!!!!

Gosh I'm lame!

2010-03-09T20:10:00.005-06:00

Ok, so this is kind of ridiculous how long it's been since I've blogged! I've totally been Mrs. MIA Bloggy McBloggerston... eesh. I am SO LAME!

So what have I been up to? Well nothing really... OK OK I won't say nothing--- this little lady has a JOB! :) (huge smile across my face)

To put it simply (very simply) I'm doing corporate event planning for American Case Management Association. It's an organization for Case Managers at hospitals, and I am helping with the conferences across the US. But don't you worry your pretty little head... I'm staying plenty busy! ha!

Other than that I have just been trying to still be a good housewife-- although I'm failing miserably-- and enjoy my time off. I guess I'm still getting used to the working schedule but I think I'm adjusting well. I really do think this job will be wonderful... SUCH a blessing and answered prayer!

In other news.... ummm... well??? Quite honestly, life is pretty boring right now. Is that a bad thing? Nope! Absolutely not! :) I guess Tyler and I are just enjoying relaxing together!

This weekend I was in my friend Sarah's wedding in Memphis! Let me tell you, it was SO FUN and SOOOO BEAUTIFUL!!! I wish I would have remembered to take more pictures, but here are just a few...

The Happy Couple at Rehearsal Dinner!

So excited!!!!

Sarah with the House Party

The AMAZING bridal brunch on the wedding day... DE-LISH!

Sarah finally able to find her way through her dress... haha!

Ummm BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Tyler and I at the Reception... seriously the prettiest wedding I've ever been to!

I wish my life was a little more exciting... well, maybe just so I would have more to BLOG about :), but I'm thankful that things are pretty calm for now... and I guess enjoying being a little lame. :)

3 years ago today...

2010-02-14T21:50:00.002-06:00

Three years ago today, Tyler gave me the best Valentine's Day present EVER. He told me those three magic words--- I. Love. You.

For those of you who know us well, you may be thinking 'They have been together for WAY longer than three years, why did Tyler wait so long?'

Well friends, you are correct, we have been together SIX years. And you are also correct in the fact that Tyler did wait a long, long time.

In fact, when my friends realized Tyler and I had been dating for so long without saying the Big, Three, Scary words, they would ask me questions like-- 'Hannah, are you nervous he hasn't said it yet?' or 'Do you think he'll EVER say it?' or my personal favorite 'Oh my gosh, Hannah, he MUST have some serious commitment issues.' :)

Ok, so people never actually said those things to me... but I know they thought them! ha!

But Tyler and I had talked about it many-a-times, so I was very content with waiting. You see, Tyler had made up his mind before we started dating that in whatever relationship he was in, he was not going throw around the I Love You's and use them loosely. He didn't want it to mean something special. Tyler wanted his I Love You to mean everything.

With this in mind, I knew that if I waited patiently (me? patient? hard to believe I know) and if we allowed God to show us whether He wanted our relationship to be the real-deal, going-to-the-chapel type thing, Tyler would eventually tell me "I Love You." And I knew that when he told me that, it meant everything to him. And me.

So leading up to that Valentine's Day, Tyler had mentioned how much he had been thinking about what he wanted to do for me and how difficult it was for him to make a decision. But no where in my mind was I prepared for what was coming.

That night he gave me a heart-shaped book, cut out of red construction paper and filled with cut-out pictures and drawings. To be perfectly honest, Tyler doesn't have the best artistic ability, so it did have a 4th-grade-art-class-ish look to it... but I think that's what makes me love it even more! ;)

The front cover said "I love..." and the inside was filled with all the things he loved about me. Some sweet things and other just funny things that I do. But the whole thing was WELL thought out and written. As I'm flipping through the pages (and loving every minute of it) I still had no clue... really Hannah? Really? Yes, really.

Anyway, I turn to the last page and it said, with great big letter "YOU!"

I looked at Tyler and he took my hand and looked at me with tears in his eyes and said "Hannah, I LOVE you."

::Tears:: ::Gasp:: ::Uncontrollable shaking::

This is what I felt! ha! And for the first time, I said to Tyler I loved him too. I had seriously been waiting to say those three words for a LONG time... I may or may not have even practiced to myself a few times??? :)

I know you may be thinking 'I mean come on, after three years we already knew we loved each other, right' Well, yes. But we didn't want to commit in that way while we were still so young and starting off college. I think without actually saying I Love You, we ACTED on those words, instead of relying on just SAYING them. Does that make sense?

We didn't want the fact that we could SAY those words to be a reason that we stayed together, if we realized that it wasn't God's will for us to be together. I think it just allowed us to truly fall in love, without the pressure of saying those words before we were really ready. Ok, I think I'm even confusing myself a little. ha!

The thing that I think is so special is the fact that to this day, when Tyler and I say "I Love You" we truly think about the words we say and how much we mean them. We don't throw that phrase around loosely.

So, to my sweet Valentine, I LOVE You!!!!!

Dragging my feet to 23....

2010-02-11T10:30:00.003-06:00

I knew it was my birthday when my Mom called singing the annual birthday song-- it goes a little something like this...

"Happy Birthday to you, You belong in the zoo
With the tigers and the lions, And the Monkeys like You!"

Thanks Mom! ;)

Well, another is here and I'm not sure I'm not totally thrilled about it.... in fact, I'm kind of freaked out! For the first birthday ever....I. Feel. OLD. Eeeesh!

It seemed every birthday growing up, I was sooo excited to say I was one year older. 'Yes, I'm officially a teenager! Yes, I can drive! Yes, I'm a legal adult!'

But now??? 'Yes, I'm in my MID-TWENTIES?!?!?' Eeesh... it just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? :)

On a happier note, I am soooo happy that this is my first birthday to celebrate with my husband! Not that we have any exciting plans, but it is nice to have him here and not 1,000 miles away in Ohio! :)

Also, I'm super excited to spend this weekend with my families in NWA! I will get to spend precious time with everyone and even a dinner with both families! I'm hoping for one of these bad boys for dessert!!! :) Shelby Lynn's please??? Yessssss.....

Now, on a completely SEPERATE note... I may have some really great news! I can't say yet what it is yet, because it's not official. But hopefully tomorrow I will be able to give some great news! (And NOOOOOO, I'm not preggo! haha, I knew someone would think that) :)

I watch for the commercials

2010-02-07T14:39:00.003-06:00

Everyone knows today is the biggest day in American sports.... but for me? It's the pinnacle of American commercials! :)

That's right, friends. I don't care who plays, who wins, or who goes home crying. In fact, the only reason I do know who is in the Superbowl is because Kim Kardashian and Kendra from the Girls Next Door have their significant others playing on both teams. Sad and pathetic? Most definitely. But I have no shame.

Tyler cares even less than I do. He was more excited for the English soccer league games today (no surprise there). He's not planning on watching at all.

Me? I will be watching..... the commercials! As soon as that game comes back on, I'm switching it back to TLC. :)

I seriously L.O.V.E. the commercials though! They are always soooo funny! But my favorite commercial this year?? The commercial for Harry Potter World!

Yes yes yes! They will give a sneak peak preview to HP World in Universal Studios and I. Can't. Wait!!! :)

More Twin Pics!!!!

2010-02-02T09:59:00.007-06:00

Ok, so I really had SOOOO much fun thinking of people's Celebrity Twins!!! Seriously, all day I could not help thinking of all my family and friends, trying to match them with someone. I'm afraid I used my best ones yesterday, but I think I still found some good ones....

Tyler and Tom Cruise... he has heard this since before we started dating. I'm afraid I don't see it too much, but in this pic I can really see it, right?

I have always thought my friend Sarah looks like Megan Fox.... which is like a HUGE compliment :).... but I"m not sure if she's ever heard this before.

I stole this from Amanda..... Chad and Woody Harrelson. I had NEVER thought of this one before, but I guess its pretty good. Although, growing up I always thought Chad looked just like Mark-Paul Gosselar (Zack) from Saved by the Bell....

Maybe its just in this pic, but I totally think Amy looks like Jennifer Connely, no?

Again, I stole this one from Amanda... I had never thought of this match, so I had to test it out. Actually I can really see the resemblance! Amanda and Molly from the Bachelor!

Ok Whitney, I tried....I REEEAAALLY tried. But dang, you don't look like anyone!!! HAHA! This was the best I could come up with! Alyson Hannigan (with dark hair only).... now this is definitely a stretch... :)

*** ALSO FRIENDS***

I have found something GREAT! MyHeritage.com You just sign up for free and they scan your face and tell you who you look like! haha Let me tell you, there are some pretty funny people that come up!

I spent a good hour testing it on all my friends and I kept getting some of the same people, so I'm no so sure how great it is... but hey it was fun to find who my matches were....

I think this was my best match overall.... I think its because we have long faces and smaller eyes, but I actually think this is a pretty close match... thoughts?

I guess its nice to know what I would look like if I ever decided to go blonde, right?!? Ha! Not very likely.....

My least favorite look-a-like??? JOSH GROBAN!!!! HAHAAH YES! Please note my 2 different look-a-like tests at the bottom of my blog... one of them listed JOSH FREAKIN GROBAN! Now THAT is funny!!!!! :)

Here is just another example of how funny this test can be.... Here is a screen shot of just one of the results...

Scott as Tony Danza, BABY HARRY as Grace JONES!!!!!! haahah, Dad as W Bush (not that bad, actually) and Chad as Owen Wilson.

Wow, talk about RANDOM!!!!

I am just having so much fun with this... last one I promise!

Ashley is Beyonce, Rachel as Brooke Burns, Me as Cate Blanchett, and April as Catherine Heigl.... now those are all good ones! (Although I'm not sure how accurate that are)

So everyone go to MyHeritage.com and try your own pictures! It can be pretty funny! Let me know who you guys look like! :)

Twins

2010-02-01T12:02:00.003-06:00

For the past week, every one on FB has changed their profile picture to their "celebrity look-a-like." I think it's so fun to see people's celebrity twins! Most are very uncanny, but sometimes... well I'm not sure if every blonde is twins with Britney Spears. :) So this got me thinking..... who is my twin???

Now I have thought and thought about this and have just decided I don't have one... bummer. I have heard some random... I mean RANDOM... people, but it's never been the same person. I've heard Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashley Simpson (pre-nose job haha!), and Julia Roberts???? Now, I'm definitely not dogging on myself, but let's face it, I am nooooo Julia Roberts. :) Anyway, I guess I'm ok with the fact that I don't look like anyone... just means I'm that much more unique?? Ya, let's go with that. :)

But as I was thinking about twins, I've realized that I have soooo many Twins in my family and friends!!! Now I'm going to start with a few today, but I'm going to continue thinking and post some more later this week...

Here are my list of celebrity twins. And I have brag a little--- These are pretty stinking good! lol :)

Rachel, Tyler's sister, and Emma Watson

Mom, and Blythe Danner and Diane Keaton. I also think she has a little bit of Susan Sarandon and Sally Fields, but these are my top 2 pics, especially Blythe (mostly from "Will and Grace")

Jo Anne, Tyler's mom, and Jamie Lee Curtis, but only from "Christmas with the Kranks." The hair is was sold me :)

Now, I have heard this since "Titanic." I have also heard from friends that watching "Legally Blonde" was a little awkward (the scene where he hits on Elle) because they just saw my dad! haha! :)

I have said this twin since before Brooklyn was born! I knew while she was still in the womb that she would look just like Boo from "Monster's Inc" and I think she does!!!

Now later I'm going to post friend look-a-likes... so any suggestions would be welcomed! :)

Who do people say you look like???

Say a little prayer for me.... or a few thousand :)

2010-01-28T14:46:00.003-06:00

So today I had an interview with Make a Wish. It was for a fundraising/events planning position, and quite honestly I thought it went really really well. I really felt like with all the questions she was asking me, it was easy to talk about why I would LOVE this job!

Now just to fill you guys in.... I WANT TO WORK IN NON-PROFIT! That has always been a long-term goal of mine. Now, I realize to some people this sounds crazy! There are definitely challenges with any job, and I feel like I'm aware of a lot of those challenges in a non-profit environment. However, I feel like the work I would be doing would have PURPOSE. Even after a bad day, I can go home knowing that I helped someone... you know???

And I mean, come. on. MAKE A WISH?!?!?! Shut up, that would awesome!

Soooo I guess it's pretty obvious that I really.... really.... REALLY want this job. I mean, any job would be wonderful right now, but this? This is special. This is a dream job! No, I won't get rich working there, but that's ok. It's more important for me to love what I do and know WHY I do it.

I won't hear anything for about 2 weeks, so just keep praying in the meantime-- I know I will!!! :)

After the Boxes are Unpacked

2010-01-21T11:53:00.005-06:00

Last night I went to a bible study here in LR with a friend from HU. Fellowship is starting a new bible study for women who are new to the LR area and/or new to Fellowship. There were about 15 women there, anywhere from 22 to 60. Most were in their twenties, relocated due to their husband's jobs... that seems to be a trend, I have found.

The woman who is leading the study shared her story of moving over 15 times in 20 years of marriage!!! Now that is just crazy! She talked about the adjustments of having to find a new church, new friends, new dentist, etc...

We spent the night talking about how moving to a new place can really be an emotional process.... and to be honest, I never thought of it that way. After hearing other people's stories, I realized that I've had a little emotional void since moving and didn't even know it! I really think this class is God's way of fixing what I was unable to put my finger on as broken. (does that make sense? ha!) What I mean is, I knew something isn't right, but didn't know exactly what it was. Don't get me wrong, I really am glad to be in LR, but after being here since October and still haven't decided on a church home (hopefully in the next 2 weeks we will though! :)), not finding a job (still pretty hopeless), and still not making much progress in the Friends Department, I'm just a little on the restless side.

So I'm super excited to meet several young girls who are going through the same thing I am. We are going to read this book:

I think this will be a great read and am excited to dig in! Also, the class has 7-10 older women who go to Fellowship, so I'm excited to have their wisdom and experiences to go along with the book.

I don't say all this to be Debbie Downer or for sympathy... that's not it AT. ALL. I really am learning to love the area and having so much time with Tyler, but I'm ready to get plugged into something. Even if we decide on another church, I think this group will be such a blessing! I'll keep the updates coming!

In other news.... the Bible in a Year??? Umm..... I'm a little behind... Already!!!

I know I know I know... I need to jump back into it! In fact, that is my plan for this afternoon. I will get back on schedule. Eeesh, 3 weeks in and I'm already behind...

Put the Peddle to the Metal!

2010-01-19T18:36:00.005-06:00

So yesterday was Martin Luther King Day, and since Tyler works for the government, he had the day off! We were of course excited to be able to spend a day together. And since the weather has warmed up recently, we decided to go for a bike ride.

(Right after we bought my bike the weather dropped to like -15 degrees so riding a bike outside was pretty much impossible. We tried it once when it was 20 degrees outside and afterwords I felt like Harry and Lloyd...except on separate bikes) :)

But the weather was a lovely 60 degrees yesterday and just PERFECT for a bike ride!

Normally we ride down to the Big Dam Bridge (about 4 miles down) and back. Not too difficult, I realize, but I'm still a beginner. :)

But yesterday we crossed over the Bridge--which was awesome by the way-- and Tyler actually convinced me to make the entire trail loop! I really don't know how he did it. I mean, we didn't even know how many total miles it was.... we simply said, we'll try. Even if that meant making it half-way before falling over dead. Eeesh....

But I'm glad to say that we finished the trail in 1 hr, 45 minutes (about 13-15 miles, we're not too sure). That may be ridiculously slow overall, but seriously it was so fun!

The beautiful scenery during the first half, and avoiding be hit by a car while riding through downtown... such a variety! :)

In other news....

This is my newest addiction... and it seriously has me obsessed!!!!

UNaddicted to shopping... its been a journey

2010-01-15T11:01:00.003-06:00

Well friends, I have been missing for a while, and I wish I had some great reason why.... but I don't. I admit it has been a mere combination of having nothing going on while I've been at home and sheer laziness. (I can feel your shame shames and your tisk tisks)

This past weekend I spent in NWA to spend time with Amy and the girls. B turned the big 0-3 so I was able to enjoy the bday party at Gymboree (sooo fun!) but I will post a few pics later!

Sooo back to shopping! :)

My friend April came into town Wednesday night to spend the weekend with some good ol' HU friends, which I loved!

Yesterday Ashley, April and I spent the day at the mall here in LR. Of course I was excited! I mean, I would have to be two coughs away from DEATH to not be excited about going to mall! :)

*HOWEVER*

Since moving here, Tyler and I have really been trying to live cheaply. And I'm not talking about limiting our "eating-out to only 3 times a week" cheap, or "I get a weekly shopping budget" cheap. Friends... THERE. IS. NO. BUDGET. That's right. We may go out to eat once every two weeks, but that's a big maybe. And only if it's under $20. And I don't have to worry about going over my shopping budget, because I don't get one! Nothing. Zip. Zilch. (Thank you Dave Ramsey!)

If, by chance, there is something I need to purchase (like for a specific event), we discuss it before hand and I have a spending limit.

So when we got to the mall yesterday I knew it was a "Look, but Don't Touch" kind of shopping day. I actually kind of enjoy knowing that I will not make any purchases when I'm shopping. Sick, right? :)

But let me tell you, this was a TOUGH adjustment when we first started this spending freeze. In fact, I'm pretty sure I had physical pain. But after a while the stomach aches and throbbing pain behind my eye faded away. And now, I feel completely great!

After a few months of being Thrift McThrifterson, I feel a sense of freedom. (Way dramatic, I know) But when I was more careless with money, I felt like I wanted more and more and more AND MORE! It was a snowball effect. As soon as I made one purchase, I was on to the next "Oh, I have to have THAT!" purchase.

But now I feel more content in what I do have. I actually find myself realizing how much people spend on things they don't need, and it's kind of disturbing. Sure that $80 bag at that super-cute-trendy-store would be amazing, but is it really worth it when you have 15 more sitting in your closet??? Not so much.

Don't get me wrong, I like to look cute and trendy like any other girl, but I'm just learning to be ok with creative combinations and repetition (wearing an outfit more than once, for those of you that are foreign to this concept. ha!)

Dave Ramsey may have stripped away my shopping freedom, but he has also given me peace. (I guess that's why they call it Financial Peace? :)) I know that while Tyler and I are SavingSavingSaving now, we will be better prepared for our future.

We still have a LOOOONG journey ahead, but I am excited to see where this takes us. And I'm excited that I have learned an invaluable lesson (while I'm still fairly young) that keeping up with the Jones' is a Never-ending, torturing, unsettling journey. I will never be the Jones', so I just need to get over it.

Now if you don't mind, I have coupons to clip...

My one and only resolution

2010-01-03T15:03:00.004-06:00

For the most part, I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. I just think if we really wanted to change things in our lives, we wouldn't magically begin to change because the clock strikes midnight. For people that say they want to lose weight, eat healthier, be more adventurous... I say if you really wanted to do those things, you would have already done it. One day is not going to change your determination. Harsh, I know...

Now don't get me wrong, those are great goals to have, but I think making it a New Year's Resolution simply means you will keep it going for approximately 2 weeks, 4 days and 6 1/2 hours before quitting for the rest of the year, and trying once again in 2011.

Sorry for the lack of optimism.

I just think people should make those decisions because they truly want it... and again, not because the clock struck midnight.

Now I say all of that kind of hypocritically this year, because I in fact have a New Year's Resolution. I am going to read the Bible cover to cover!

I have been blessed to enough to go to a Christian school and even study biblical events first-hand during my time in Greece. But I have never read the Bible from Gen 1:1 to Revalations 22:21.

I feel like God has been slapping me in the face with this idea for the past few weeks! While in El Dorado for Christmas, the preacher gave his Sunday sermon about reading the bible in a year. Then my mom talked about how much that encouraged her to do it again. (She's done it several times, and she was still just as excited to do it again, how cool is that?!?) Not to mention that both of my grandmothers have read the bible cover to cover probably HUNDREDS of times, and that is no exaggeration. So why can't I?? Then on fb, I saw a friend from my home church mention that our preacher there talked about the exact same thing! (Coincidence? I most certainly think not!)

Here was her status:

"Today our preacher spoke on the significance of reading your Bible daily. He said what is it going to be like when you die and you are standing before God and you have never actually read it from front to back. Well... God I am so sorry I didn't have a chance to read the whole thing...sorry about that! That brought it home for me. I am going to read it from cover to cover this year...it is a promise to myself."

Just an interesting thought... how can we stand before God and explain that we never read all of his written, inspired word?!? Well, we can't. Simple fact. There is no excuse!

I've done my research and found the best website! Here it is!

This site maps it all out for me, day by day. It even lets you pick the order, the version of your bible, and what day you want to start on. So now I know exactly what to read and what day to read it on. I figure if I accidentally skip a few days, it will help me get back on track.

I'm doing it Chronologically. I know some people like to read straight cover to cover, or even break it up with Psalms and New Testament everyday (I guess parts of the OT can get pretty boring) but I've decided I want to read it in the order that everything happened, almost like a story.

So far so good! I'm in Genesis reading about Abraham. As someone who loves the Old Testament (I'm weird, I know, but I just LOOOOOVE all the stories and the history of it all.) I'm excited to start off with the OT.

Now, I may or may not get completely finished by Dec 31, 2010, but that's ok. As long as I stay on track, and stay consistent I will be happy. I mean, I really think God will be please that I actually finished reading it all, not that I finished in 365 days, don't you?

Long time no blog

2010-01-02T22:01:00.003-06:00

Well I have to apologize for the lack of bloggage the past week or so. I think it is mostly due to the holidays... although heaven's knows that there has been plenty of down-time. I think I've eaten enough during Christmas weekend to go into hibernation for a solid 3 months or so...

But I think I was just enjoying the relaxing time, and honestly didn't have too much to blog about. But have no fear, this kid is back!

So... about the holidays... well let me just start by saying Tyler and I spent our first New Year's together the best way we know how... being lazy. That's right, we didn't do a thing. I made dinner, baked some cookies, and we just laid around, played games, and enjoyed each other's company. And we barely made it to 12 o'clock... we basically were passed out on the bed and woke back up about 12:08, just in time to say "Happy New Year," get our New Year's kiss, get under the covers and call it a night. Wow, I seriously think we are 63 years old already. ha! But it was great!

Christmas was of course wonderful! Being able to go home for a few nights to be with the Herrimans was great! It was even better because I was able to fully experience my first Herriman Christmas! Dinner with the extended fam Christmas Eve, candlelight service at 10 pm, then off to bed. We woke up and opened presents in our pj's, ate a fantastic biscuits and gravy breakfast, and played games.... now that is a PERFECT Christmas. Did I mention we woke up to a WHITE Christmas too?!? Even better! :)

Then Tyler and I spent Christmas night together in LR, just the 2 of us. We woke up early Saturday and spent the weekend with my family in El Dorado with my Memaw and Aunt. It was so great for our entire family to get together at Memaw's, especially because there are little babies and lots of chaos, so I really feel like that was a majoy accomplishment! :)

Sorry no pics from Christmas, I really don't know what I was thinking, but I totally forgot all weekend! Oops!

So this last week Tyler and I have just been recovering from the travelling. And TODAY was the day that we actually purchased my major Christmas present!!!

Drum roll please.........

My very own mountain bike! (A special thank you to all the contributors who generously gave $$ for Christmas! :) )

Now I realize that this is probably very random to some people. I mean, I haven't ridden a bike in probably 12 years! But Tyler has one and hasn't ridden it much recently. He really really enjoys it and I thought that would be a great thing for us to do together! Plus, I get a little bored with running (or at least attempting to, in my case, ha!). Not to mention the fact that Tyler DESPISES to run. I mean it. He can't stand it. I seriously think he would rather watch She's the Man with me 5 times in a row before going for a run. :) So it makes it even tougher for me to go alone. I thought biking would be a great change of pace for me.... and Tyler :)

Even though its 25 degrees outside today I begged Tyler to go for a ride with me. We were only out for about 30 minutes but I LOVED it!!! SO FUN!

Now the only problem, as I'm lying in bed tonight, is that my butt now hurts SOOOO BAD!!!!

Christmas shopping?? Mission accomplished!

2009-12-21T17:32:00.003-06:00

I am very proud to say that I...

1. Finished ALL of my Christmas shopping (with the exception of 2 little things that I'm going to pick up Wednesday)
2. Finished in ONE afternoon
3. Did not have a car wreck
4. Did not yell, scream, give a dirty look, or threaten with hand motions to ANYONE today!!

This by itself is quite a feat if I do say so myself. Anyone that knows me at all (that's right, you don't even have to know me well) knows that I am terrible with road rage! So to sit through all the awful traffic today and still be pleasant is WONDERFUL!

I was very excited going through all the stores, picking out all the gifts, thinking about each person and hoping they like their gifts. Although, sometimes giving gifts can be a little nerve wracking for me... I just want the person to LOOOOVE their gift and it can stress me out a little.... ya, ok, it can stress me out A LOT when I really want to find the "PERFECT" gift.

Does anybody else feel that way sometimes? Almost as if you think the person you are buying for has all these high expectations and it's your job to make sure their wildest dreams come true with your one present? Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit... but you get the idea...

But this time, I was wasn't really stressed too much! I actually tried to enjoy the whole experience and I DID!

The only exception was when I looked for my niece's princess doll... you know, the one that I blogged about, saying how it was my nightmare that every store in LR would suddenly be out? Well..... It. Happened.

Oh me, oh my, I was a little distressed. This little doll was all I was supposed to get, and I was naive enough to think it would still be readily available. I was seriously upset- mainly because I know how much she wanted this one special doll. But luckily, they had a different princess... I'm just hoping she likes it just as much!

But let that be a lifelong message to myself and any other childless woman in the world... If you ever, ever, EVER have children, do NOT wait until the week of to try and find their special toy. I will never do this again... not to my nieces or nephew, or my future children. Lesson Learned.

Bah Humbug!

2009-12-18T21:13:00.004-06:00

I know so many of you have felt this way either this year, or in years past, but I am truly feeling a little un-Christmasy! Despite the fact that my tree is decorated, I'm walking around the house in my warm slippers, and I'm craving hot cider, I just can't seem to feel the Christmas spirit. Maybe I'm in need of a little holiday season revival?? Hmm...

(PS... this is B, my niece. How stinkin cute is this pic??? I die laughing everytime I see it!)

Another BIG.... and I say BIIIIIIIIGGGG, problem is that I have not finished my shopping. Wait, did I say FINISHED? I meant to say STARTED!!!! I hear you gasps as you are reading this.... I know, I know, I know, I feel your shameful stares and "tisk tisks."

But in my defense, I do have everything picked out already. I know exactly what needs to be purchased... in detail. I just haven't actually faced the vicious holiday crowds to get them. I just can't seem to muster the ferocity (is that a word? the root word being "ferocious") to throw some 'bows and hit the mall. But I have carefully mapped out my plan of attack. I will go first thing Monday morning-- I figure this weekend will just be a nightmare.

Monday morning seems like that will be the least busy time in the next week... before all the kids wake up from not going to school. And since all the little tweenyboppers won't be in school next week, I figure they will most likely be congregating at the mall and movies. So early Monday it is.

According to my calculations, I will have approximately 4 stops to make and again, I know exactly what I am looking for, so I figure I can knock it all out in a few short hours.

But this still leaves me with an unsettle feeling that all of the presents I am planning on getting will be completely sold out. Just like in a really bad dream.... it will go something like this:

I walk into Target, and they will have all their shelves fully stocked with every kind of glorious toy imaginable. I stand in awe. Except I make a turn down the Princess dolls isle... and I am left staring at a big. huge. gaping. hole! My cute little niece, all she wants is a princess doll! And of course that will be the only thing that is out of stock, they won't get it in stock, and there is no chance to get one shipped. THAT IS MY NIGHTMARE!

But I'm sure everything will be just fine... just a few deep breaths.

So maybe once I face the madness that is Christmas shopping, I will feel a little more jolly?? Who knows, but I'm hoping that helps. If not, I know FOR SURE that by the time Wednesday comes around I will be merry.

Tyler gets off work Wednesday at 11!!! How great is that!!! Because of his schedule, he has every other Friday off. And Christmas day happens to be his scheduled day off. So instead, he gets Thursday off. And they were going to get out at 11 anyway, so we get to head to NWA on Wednesday. I am so excited! A little fam time always helps the holiday spirit, right?? :)

In fact, just to be honest, I know that my bah-humbugness is mainly due to the lack of fam time the past few weeks... and the fact that I don't have Christmas lights to plug in every night outside our house... and the fact that my Mom hasn't made me wrap all of the Christmas presents (That always happens every year. She asked me to wrap like 9 million presents and I act like I hate every minute of it... but of course, I'm always excited to! :) haha) So I think I will be completely cured the moment we pull up I-540 and I get a look out over the beautiful Fayetteville skyline.

Ahhhh.... bliss!

If not, the ghost of Christmas past might as well head my way, because I'm pretty much a lost cause at that point... :)

Hmmm choices choices...

2009-12-15T20:47:00.003-06:00

Tyler and I have some exciting things going on right now... so here is a quick recap.

Tyler is in his 1st year of his 2 year internship with the Corp of Engineers. The entire first year is spent in LR, learning about the Corp and observing. During his second year, he will have the opportunity to go to a few different Corp offices across the country for 4-8 weeks at a time. This will really let him learn about all aspects of the Corp and help him when he comes back to LR. The internship is really a stepping stone... they spend a lot of time training in hopes that he will be well-versed with the Corp so he will be a great employee (at least, that is the plan. obviously nothing is certain)

Moving on, Tyler will be able to request different locations for his "mini-internships" next year. He will probably be going to Portland OR, Alexandria VA (right outside DC). The other locations that are questionable are Davis CA, Galveston TX.

BUT the big question.... if he had the choice to request Dallas TX or San Francisco, which should he choose? I know some of you are wondering, what does it matter? He will be working so it won't make much of a difference. HOWEVER, Tyler and I have decided that we are young, newly married, and able to survive on one income, so why not take advantage of this opportunity? The intern before Tyler told us that he and his wife decided to go together. She went everywhere with him. So when he spent 8 weeks in Portland, she was there with him... and think you are getting where I am going with this??? :)

We have decided that I am going with him! I am so excited for this! Just thinking about it gets me excited! Now I realize that this is NOT some sort of vacation. Tyler will be working full time. We will spend anywhere from 4-6 weeks at any certain location. But we have spent the greater part of our almost 6 year relationship apart and are kind of sick of it! So for all the years that we were practical with everything involving our relationship, we have decided to be a little adventurous this time :). I will move where he moves, I will go where he goes.

We really have absolutely no idea where all he will be assigned to go, or how long he will go, but we do know that I will go too. I feel like this will be an incredible time for us to truly be alone, really enjoy being with our best friend & partner for life. It will be a chance to "live" (I use quotation marks bc its only for a few weeks at a time, and we will probably be in hotels of some sort) in places we would probably never live in or visit. Just saying, I've never had the desire to move to Portland. But would I like to visit for a few weeks? yes! Would I like to spend time in places I've never been? Of course!

We are NO where, I repeat NO WHERE near being close to having any details of this adventure. Everything is very "if-y" right now. But I am a daydreamer and have just been thinking, if I could choose between living in Dallas or San Fran for a few weeks, which would I choose?

Of course, just writing this sounds ridiculous. I mean, I live 5 hours from Dallas. I've been there a million times. And I've never been to San Fran, or northern Cali for that matter. I know there are probably waaay more things to do and see in San Fran. BUT, I guess my thought is that I do have a great best friend, and several other good friends, that live in Dallas. And goodness knows I don't see them enough. Also, we could take our car to Dallas (convenience is a factor!). We would be waaay closer to family. And we would fit in more. Tyler and I are both conservative Southerners... borderline squares. I'm not even ashamed to admit that! Now don't get me wrong, I think we are hilarious, fun-loving people. But I'm afraid in San Fran we would look like deer caught in the headlights. So that's just something to think about...

So if you would, dear blogger friends, please think about this rationally (Cortney, I already know your answer :) ) and take a look at these pictures, and let me know your thoughts. I just need some friendly insight as to all of your decisions!

Thank you friends for you answers.... I need a little help with this!

The Herriman's First Christmas card!

2009-12-10T22:34:00.003-06:00

My SIL, Amanda, gave me the great idea of making our Christmas card all about being our First... and I have to say I'm kind of in love. I searched all over the internet trying to find cheap, but cute, Christmas cards. And I found them!

I found these at Vistprint.com for $13 for 40! I was pretty pleased with myself :)

The three pictures (if you couldn't already tell) are from our wedding. I just wanted to share some of our favorite pictures from our big day, and I LOVE the blue and green color combo (have you seen my living room???) :)

We only sent cards to our relatives and just a few close friends, so this my way of sharing our card with everyone!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Enter to win HP Touchsmart laptop!

2009-12-09T23:43:00.002-06:00

Hey all!

Kelly's Corner Reviews is giving away a free laptop!

Click Here for a chance to win!!

Fancy, huh?

Broccoli Cheddar Soup for the Soul

2009-12-09T23:08:00.003-06:00

Today I had plans to hang out with my SIL, Rachel. I woke up feeling not so great and barely able to speak more than a whisper, so I called her up and gave her the bad news. But being the sweet person she is, she came on over anyway, with broccoli cheddar soup and cornbread in hand. (Have I ever mentioned how much I love soup and cornbread????) This was AMAZING and I am soooo thankful!

I know she didn't want to impose while I wasn't feeling well, but it really was SO great to have someone come over for a while. I slept all morning and by the time she got here at 12:30 (yes 12:30!) I was ready to be up for a while. I know all of you hate me for telling you that! :)

Anyway, she was over working on some Christmas gifts for her friends, and we were just hanging out, eating, and working on some ideas for her wedding invitiations... hark, layout design?? *my favorite thing ever*

My mom kept calling me to check up and see how I was feeling, saying that if she weren't 3 hours away she would totally bring me soup and medicine. But I told her, Have no fear, Rachel is taking great care of me today. So I just wanted to brag a little on my wonderful SIL.... I'm sooo thankful for her!

Love you Rachel

This looks about right...

2009-12-08T22:30:00.002-06:00

This picture perfectly explains how I feel today...

I felt perfectly fine this morning!!!! SWEAR! I subbed for the first time today, and it was so fun! I had 11 3-year-olds, which I think for some people could be really scary, but I buckled down and laid down the law for those kiddos! It went great! But when I got home??? My throat started to hurt, I got an uncontrollable tickle in my throat, my eyes were watering, and nose running... uh oh, I think I'm SICK!

So now my voice sounds like man and I'm curled up on the coach.... if only I had Alladin, like the girl in the pic, then my sick day would be complete.....

A few favorite ornaments

2009-12-04T17:17:00.003-06:00

Growing up, we always used the random collection of childhood ornaments and strings of popcorn to decorate our tree (probably like every other family in America). Being the only girl, I was always in charge of helping my mom decorate our tree, so I loved every year going back through all of our ornaments.

Here are two of my favorite! The first one is a "baby's first Christmas." I mean, I know its nothing magnificent by any means, but I guess I just like this one because I've had it for so long? Awww memories :)

And this one is pretty self explanitory... From Mom. I'm her favorite. And its a little red-headed girl. I think you get why I like this one so much! ha!

Well Tyler is off next week to California! He's going for work... some kind of seminar? Anyway, he's leaving Sunday and not getting back until SATURDAY! Now that is a LONG work week! So for right now, we are just enjoying a lazy weekend, maybe watch a movie tonight? I'm thinking something Christmasy!

I love the smell of pine!

2009-12-02T21:08:00.003-06:00

Sooooo, yesterday Tyler and I bought our first Christmas tree! I was definitely excited! We went down the street and purchased the cheapest tree we could find. ha! Who knew that they could be sooooo expensive!

So this little sad tree was just perfect for us. It's a little crooked and has some holes, but I still like it--- almost a little Dr. Suess-ish if you ask me?

And here are some cute decorations for our table. My mom takes care of me ;)

And here is the finished product! I had so much fun with all the ornaments and decorations. Seriously, I was running around for 3 hours straight trying to get it all done, because I couldn't wait to see the finished product!

A special thanks goes to Tyler's mom. She took me to Hobby Lobby and let me pick ornaments to my heart's content, how wonderful is that?!?! So I got to pick all the bright, glittery decorations I could handle!

I decided to go with the fun/bright colors for our tree, not very traditional, but very festive! Then we added some of mine and Tyler's favorite childhood ornaments, just for fun. :) Throughout the next few weeks I'll showcase some of our awesome ornaments... I mean, teddy bear and high chair ornaments galore. So get excited!

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-30T17:21:00.007-06:00

So I didn't get much blogging done recently, (there was a lot of family time this weekend) so here is a quick recap.

Thanksgiving lunch was spent with Tyler's family. I love going over to his uncle's house because they have so many people over and it's constant chaos with all the little ones! It's so fun and definitely a change of pace from our small little family. Anyway, no pics from lunch... but after that, Tyler and I headed to my house for Thanksgiving dinner. Now let me tell you, it was TOUGH making room for a big Thanksgiving lunch and dinner back to back. But I guess someone had to eat all that food. ;)

Here is B eating a sausage ball and playing... she is so silly!

We took some pics with Mom, B, and MK. They all had matching sweaters and mom definitely couldn't pass on that opportunity! ha!

Please notice B's face.... HAHAHA... Amy has to tell B, "No, use your PRETTY smile" hahaha

And this is the winner! So cute!

This is B..... she always makes me laugh!

I like this one, because it looks like she's snapping her fingers and saying "Heeeeyyy, how you doing?!?" haha

That night, all the couples went to see "Blindside" while Mimi and Papa watched the kiddos. And this is the result! haha

You have to watch these guys like a HAWK! There was also some sidewalk chalk on the walls too... hahaha

B riding the horsies! She had a blast at the square

Riding in the Cinderella carriage. (That's B's FAVORITE Disney princess, so she was pretty excited!)

All the families at the sqaure!

Saturday night, Tyler and I were able to watch all four of our babies. It was a handful, but so fun! Here is a pic of beautiful GK!!

We found time for one quick pic of me, MK, and GK! Ahhhh I'm in love!!! :)

Now tonight will be another eventful evening...... it is December 1st, so Tyler and I are getting our FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE!!!! It's going to be a real one, which is exciting, and I can't wait to put up all our ornaments!! YAY! I will be posting pics soon!

Stitches, New Moon, Wedding, and Kareoke!

2009-11-22T20:49:00.007-06:00

Whew! Busy busy busy weekend!!!

First of all let me start off my telling you about my little cooking "mis-hap." That may be an understatement.... just a little.

I was cooking dinner for one of our friends Lindsey. She came over Thursday night for some lasagna and The Office. But while using the food processor, I accidently cut my finger. And let me tell you, this was no little cut. This was a HUGE, MONSTROUS gash. It was gushing blood and I was FREAKING out! Thank goodness Tyler came down and was the calm, sane one. He was calming me down and trying to get me to chill!

Anyway, it didn't stop bleeding through the night so I went to the Dr and had to get 3 stitches.... sorry for the gruesome pic!

Now on to happier things!!!

Friday night I saw NEW MOON! And let me tell you, I was impressed! I was actually really looking forward to this movie, so I figured it would disappoint. But it didn't! I thoroughly enjoyed it! And I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see Whitney and my other friends Leslie and Caleb. Sorry no pics from the evening. I guess we were just too excited for the movie to focus taking pictures.

So then on Saturday, April, Lauren and I headed to Tulsa for Megan and Donny's wedding! We got there just in time to take a pic with the beautiful bride and Ashley!!! Doesn't Megsie look AMAZING!?!?

We definitely had a LOT of fun at the reception!! Here are some pics!

Bahahaha I love this pic :)

Out typical Spring Sing pic! A must :)

Getting ready to toss the bouquet! I think this pic is simply presh!

All the single ladies... holla!

Ash and her mom, I just love her. We all had so much fun dancing!

They are SOOOO happy! :)

Get down girl! Meg's sister doing her signature dance move, so funny!! haha

Dance time!

Say cheese!

Leaving the reception

So the wedding was a total success! And afterwords, since we were staying at the same hotel as the reception we decided to go to the restaurant in the hotel and sing a little KAREOKE! haha Now I have to be honest, I've never sang kareoke before... I just thought I would be way too nervous. Plus, we we got there, everyone who was there was AMAZING. Seriously I thought they were all there to try out for American Idol! I was a little intimidated. But I had to expect that being with all my girls would make me a little braver. So we all got up to the front and sang "Don't stop Believing" by Journey. We were totally wishing we were on Glee! ha! We even had some other Harding friends get up and dance while we sang so that helped too! Now I must say, not to brag or anything, but we totally KILLED it! haha! I mean, everyone else was being so serious with their singing. There were a lot of slower/country songs, so when we busted out the Journey, I think everyone there appreciated it! We even had a group of people pay the guy working there so we could sing again!!!! Can you believe that?!?! They said we were so much fun, they wanted to us to liven up the place! So we went back for round 2 and sang "It's my Life" by Bon Jovi. (The group that paid money said that was their favorite band) I think we all had so much fun and may have caught the "kareoke bug." It was such a blast!

And that brings us to today. I'm afraid it was not nearly as exciting. It has just involved a LOT of driving and being exhausted and catching up on the ol' blog! But the BEST part of today was getting to come home to the HUBBY! I have to say, 2 days apart is totally not a big deal, but it definitely let me miss him!! ha! So I was definitely glad to be back with him! HOME SWEET HOME!!

Team Jacob... don't hate.

2009-11-19T11:08:00.003-06:00

WARNING: This post may have a few Twilight spoilers! (For those of you who haven't read the books and actually care about the rest of the stories)

I know that 99.99% of Twilight fans are Edward fans through and through, so to hear someone who isn't can ruffle some feathers. Seriously, whenever I've told my friends that I was Team Jacob, I feared for my life. I'm telling ya, girls get MEAN when you semi-insult their fictitious-vampire-boy-toy. I just don't get that!

Maybe because I'm always someone to cheer on the underdog in a story, or because I just thought Edward was SOOO lame in the 2nd book, but I just had to cheer on Jacob! Even while reading the 2nd book, I knew Bella wouldn't pick him---let's get real, the whole point of the twilight books is that she gets with Edward in the end--- but I just thought Edward was waaaay to much of a pansy, especially if he's supposed to be a vampire?? Come on Ed, Man up a little.

Now, after the 2nd book I completely gave up on the whole "Team Ed/Jake" thing, because basically the game was over once Ed came back. But in lieu of the New Moon release, I figured this topic was appropriate...

So now, dear friends, am I really the only Jake fan? I figure other people are... I just haven't met any. So what team are you on???

Project Runway, I heart you....

2009-11-12T12:37:00.005-06:00

So tonight is the season finale of Project Runway *gasp* Tyler says he doesn't know what I'm going to do now that it will be over! ha! So here are my predictions...

The final three are Irina (boo!), Althea (meh), and Carol Hannah (yay!). Can you tell which one I like??

Irina is basically a fashion beeyotch, so I don't like her. Althea's ok, but still not the nicest. Carol Hannah is all things southern and sweet, so I'm a fan!

I mean, how adorable is she?? So stinkin cute!!!

So after tonight, I don't know what I'm going to do Thursday nights from 9-10! I guess I will have to find another show to obsess over! :)

On a side note, for those of you girls that don't have men that play video games, you may not realize that the Mecca of video games came out this week.... Call of Duty, Modern Warfare 2. Tyler and I even went to the midnight release of the game Monday night.

Now, I really don't have a problem with it, because he really does have a lot of fun playing with friends, but this is basically what I've been looking at the past few days. *sigh* I'm sure I'll get my husband back in a few weeks.... :)

Also, tomorrow morning Tyler and I are headed to NWA! I'm sooo excited to see family, do a little shopping, and hanging out with friends! Much to post about later!

Yes, Jesus Yoves Me!

2009-11-10T12:38:00.004-06:00

This is WAY overdue, but I really don't have much going on right now so I thought I would share this with you. This is from the weekend GK was born. I stayed with Amy to help with B and MK. Here is B singing some songs! She is seriously the sweetest little girl, and definitely loves to watch herself on the videos! haha! Sorry they are sideways, I can't figure out how to rotate them.

Here she is singing "Jesus Loves Me", or as I like to say "Jesus Yoves Me" :)

And now, "If you're happy and you know it!" SO CUTE!

I hope this brightens your day, like it does mine! :)

Birthday celebration with the besties, and a BIG purchase

2009-11-08T11:50:00.009-06:00

So this weekend, some of my bestest friends from Harding all got back together Friday night to celebrate April's 23rd birthday. It was some much needed girl time! We all have gone in different directions now, so it was great to catch up with everyone and see how all the girls were doing!

So Friday I met April and Ashley for some SHOPPING!!! I have seriously cut back on my shopping since getting married (although Tyler may not think so! ha!) So it was sooo much fun to spend some time just walking around the mall! I ended up buying a dress for Megan's wedding! So cute!

Anyway, after some shopping, Megan, Ashley, April, and Lauren all came over to my apt to freshen up before dinner and see my place. Then we were off to meet everyone else at Cajun's Wharf! YUMMMY!! It's seriously one of my favorite places! It was so good!

Ashley and Rachel

Mallory and the Birthday girl!!! I'm sooo glad Mal was able to come!

Ashley putting on April's Birthday crown... I think we were all so excited about getting together that her birthday felt more like a bachelorette party! ha! We just wanted to make it super special for her!

My loves!

Me and Ape with her birthday cake I made!

And here is the cake that I made! I had talked about it in an earlier post but didn't want to show it, but here it is! Its says "Happy Birthday Princess April." I even put real jewels on it too! It really isn't anything special, I know. It even kind of looks like a first grader wrote it. :) But it was fun to make and actually tasted AMAZING! It was Funfetti, my personal fav. :)

We sat really close to the band that was playing during dinner, so we asked them to sing Happy Birthday to April! I think she was a little embarrassed, but it was well worth it!

I love this pic!! Mal is singing to Ape. haha!

Seriously, SUCH a cute pic!

Ape enjoying the cake! She even gave a piece to the band and 2 other people who were celebrating their birthday in the restaurant too! Just sharing the love! :)

Me and the Birthday girl! So glad I got to see her!!!

Then yesterday, Tyler and I went to a gun show in LR. I had never been to one before but was kind of excited to see all the different types of guns. Tyler and I have talked about getting one for a LONG time, way before we got married. We decided that we wanted several, but knew that we should just start out with one. So Tyler has been researching for a while and figured out exactly what he wanted. We even found out a personal friend of ours actually carries the same gun. So Tyler was able to see it first hand and talk to the friend about it beforehand.

I know that to some people, the idea of having a gun freaks some people out, but we truly believe that if we train ourselves properly and are responsible gun owners, we will never have to actually use it... actually that is the whole goal. We truly hope that we never have to use it, but just knowing we do have that protection will help me sleep a little better.

Tyler doesn't quite understand why I get so jumpy, but I really do have the hardest time falling asleep at night. Every car door that shuts or voice I hear outside, I am convinced that someone is about to break in and kill us both. ha! I NEVER used to be so concerned with that sort of thing before, but as I've gotten older I guess you could say I've become more realistic. I realize that more than likely we will never be attacked by a crazed-axe murderer.... but better safe than sorry, right? So now I will be able to sleep well, knowing that we have protection if we ever needed it.

Don't worry, it isn't loaded. Tyler just wanted to show how big it was.

And here it is again. Not too big, but just what we needed.

Soooo... I am probably going back to Searcy this afternoon for a little more girl time! I will definitely have some more blogging to do after that, I'm sure! There are always fun things to talk about after spending time with friends!!! :)

Life is a ZOO!!!

2009-11-05T20:00:00.007-06:00

Today I woke up and it was like any other day....

Then my bestest friend EVER called me and said that she and her family were on their way to LR! They were spending the day here and going to the zoo! I, who didn't have any pressing appointments (that's almost laughable! ha!) was so excited to spend that time with them!

And I have to say, I have not been to a zoo since I was a little kid, so I think I was more excited than Eden!! ha!

We started off on the carousel and Eden was having a BLAST!

But then she was definitely NOT excited to get off the carousel... this was her reaction afterwords (she totally wanted another go!)

Here are some of the animals that we saw! I know that LR zoo is not nearly as fancy as some, but I was still impressed! I seriously felt like 10 year old all over again!

Here is an orangatang... I swear it looked up and smiled for me :). Probably because I kept telling it how pretty it's hair was, and that I wished my hair was that color! ha! No girl, human or ape, and resist a good hair compliment...

This was the biggest, nastiest thing I have ever seen... I mean, who knew orangatangs could have DREADLOCKS?!?! ha!

These birds were my favorite! I was seriously like an inch away from them and they just kept staring at me and my camera. I think we became good friends... we just had a connection, what can I say? I stayed around them for probably 15 minutes just taking pictures and getting right in their faces... and they didn't mind a bit! So fun!

Say Cheese! ha!

Me and Eden! Even without her nap, she was such a trooper! We all had so much fun!

After the zoo, Andrew, Whitney, and Eden came over for a bit to hang out with Tyler. Then we went to eat pizza! It was such a fun day that started out so normal! I'm so glad they called me to join them... it's always such a treat to spend my day with close friends! :)

Oh Greece, How I miss thee....

2009-11-03T21:07:00.010-06:00

Soooo.... 3 1/2 years ago, I was having the summer of my life. Summer 2006 was spent in Greece. Yes, ladies, I spent 3 whole, glorious months in a small town called Porta Rafti, just outside Athens. I went with Harding University, or what we like to call HUG (Harding University in Greece).

While there, we were able to spend time in Egypt, Israel, Turkey, and go ALLL over Greece and the Greek Islands. We also were able to finish our experience with 2 weeks of free travel all over Europe before returning home.

So why am I sharing all this with you? Needless to say, while our group of 35 people were over there, we developed deep friendships with each other. I mean, when all you spend all your time with the same 35 people its kind of hard not to completely love everyone you're with.

So this past Saturday was Homecoming weekend at Harding. I wasn't planning on going until one of my closest HUG friends (who also lives in LR) asked me to go with her. And as it turned out, ALL of our closest friends were able to go too! It was sooo amazing to see everyone. Some I hadn't seen in over a year! But it really was like we were never separated... how AMAZING is that!?!?

So to CELEBRATE, I decided to do a little reminiscing of my time at HUG.... *sigh*

In Israel, Dome of the Rock. Israel was DEFINITELY my favorite place... maybe because we were constantly scared we were going to be bombed! ha! We left the day after the war broke out (again) in 2006. Some people didn't even go simply because it was a little dangerous to be there.

Santorini.... GORGEOUS! With my bestie Jen!

Mykonos... again GORGEOUS! Don't mind my hair :)

All 5 of my besties from HUG... we even named ourselves the Foxy 5! So lame I know! haha... But we did spend most of our time scheming and planning pranks on the guys. So we tried to be sly like a fox... hence the name. Anyway, there are too many stories to blog about today dealing with all our amazing pranks...

I am proud to say the greatest prank of all involved us stealing ALL of the boys' underwear and hiding it from them for over 2 days! ha!

Some awesome castle in Greece we explored one day. We were on top, standing on the edge of a HUGE bluff, but it was INCREDIBLE!

Jen and I in Egypt...

Christy, Ashley, Me and Jen.... it is seriously depressing how tan we were. I don't think my skin will ever be that gloriously dark again....

And here is the Foxy 5!!! I know its sooo dumb, but we seriously were best friends. I love them dearly and miss everyone sooo much!

And here we are 3 1/2 years later! If you can't tell we are spelling out F O X Y 5! hahaha

Christy, Erin, Me, Ashley and Jen.... AKA... the FOXY 5!

Christy, Me, Erin, and Samantha

The memories we have made and the thousands of laughs we have shared are something that I will ALWAYS cherish! Seriously, every time I think about our nightly meetings in mine and jen's room, painting our nails and just having the best conversations, I have the biggest smile on my face! It was seriously some of the best times of my life!

You have GOT to be kidding me... does this REALLY ever happen?!?

2009-10-30T17:23:00.005-05:00

Last night was definitely a test of self control for myself. At about 1:30 am, a truck parked in front of our apartment decided that its alarm should go off for no reason. And not just go off for a bit and quit, OH NO, we are talking 8 LOOOOONG hours of car alarmage, from 1:30 am to 8 am....

You might be asking yourself 'Hannah, what's the big deal? Can't you just drown it out after a while?' Well dear blogger friends, I have decided to include a short little video so you could understand what I was going through. Even though it was the middle of the night and I was sleep deprived and delusional, I was still thinking about you guys and your need to fully experience this car alarm. So here is a little snipit for your entertainment....

And the best part of this? This clip was only 35 seconds long! ha! You should try 8 hours!

Seriously though, there was no way for me to drown it out! One of the interesting things that I learned this AM is that we do not have a single place in our apt that is NOT connected with our outside wall. All of our windows face the parking lot, so there was just no chance for me...

Now my husband is another story. We were both up for probably about 1 hour, then I realized that Tyler had deserted me and returned to Dreamland, a place that I desperately wished to revisit. Instead I made my way downstairs, ate some cereal, and watched whatever show I could find that wasn't Paid Programming.

I noticed the alarm was slowing and getting a little weaker-- the battery was dying!

I dose a little here and there, but at 5:30 am, I had had enough. I called the police (non-emergency number of course) and politely told them that I was about 3 minutes from smashing a crow bar through the windshield of the truck. I had even called our management, but NO ONE DID ANYTHING!

Finally, at about 8 am I realized the only alarm left was a faint little chirp here and there and I was fully able to go to sleep! So I finally made my way back upstairs for a few more hours of shut-eye!

Seriously though, if this happens again, I have devised my plan. I will simply get up, calmly walk downstairs, grab a pair of scissors, then go out to the truck and cut the cords to the battery. ALL of the them. I'm not sure if all would be necessary, but I figure it sends a pretty clear message to whoever owns the vehicle that they need to WAKE UP and DO SOMETHING!!!!

I mean, I'm not sure if they just never heard it (which I find impossible) or if the person who owned the car wasn't actually there to do anything about it. But regardless, why would anyone have a car alarm that didn't shut off after 5, 10, 30, heck even 60 minutes! I mean REALLY! REALLY!!!! The never ending car alarm is man's worst invention and some one should be shot for making it....

Can you tell I'm a little perturbed?

SWITCHING SUBJECTS!!!

Last night I went with Rachel (Tyler's sis), two of her best friends and Jo Anne (MIL). We went to Brinkley to Low's to look for her perfect wedding dress! And I am proud to say it was a SUCCESS!!!!! We had our doubts that we would find it as our appointment came to an end, but just when we were ready to pack it up, SHE FOUND IT!

She looks absolutely GORGEOUS! And I can't wait for her bid day in May! ha!

Sorry no pics, but I think we all know why. :)

Hello Blog... I'm back!

2009-10-28T19:25:00.006-05:00

I know, I know... I have REALLY been slacking! I think ever since I went home for GK's birth, I just got out of practice! No excuses though... I am getting back in the blogging saddle!

So I am doing the LONGEST blog ever!!! I'm recapping from the weekend at home to now, so get ready. :)

Although there was so much that happened the weekend at home, most of my pics are on my parent's camera, so I will add those pics later (the Corn Maze, Georgia Kelley)

The whole time I was home, I was able to spend almost ALL of my time with my family, which was simply AMAZING! I was able to spend sooo much time with Harry, B, and MK before GK was born! (For those of you that need a translation for my abbreviations, here we go: B= Brooklyn, MK=Mallory Kate, GK= Georgia Kelley) All of these girls are my beautiful nieces.

Anyway, one afternoon I was able to spend with Harry. We basically hung out at his house and did whatever he wanted! It was so fun! The first thing he did was give me a tour of his house-- his room, his toys, his kitchen, and GK's room, toys, and clothes. Then we went outside and played with messy playdo, he rode his bike and drove his Hummer for me! I was so impressed! He seriously looks like a 5 year old when he rides his bike like a pro!

Say Cheese!!! ha!

On the Hummer

Riding his bike... doesn't he look soooo old!?!

Seriously, the messiest playdo I've ever played with! No wonder Amanda insisted we do it outside! haha!

This past Friday, Rachel (Tyler's sister) and I went over to her Aunt Jill's house. Jill has been decorating cakes for years and we thought it would be so fun to try it out! I LOVE watching Ace of Cakes and would like to think that I could be that good! :)

Rachel decided to make a pumpkin cake. I decided to make a special cake for one of my closest friends... but that will be revealed later! ;) No worries though... its in the freezer, so it will still be good! haha!

Icing the cake

Rachel's didn't look so good at first! We had our doubts but it turned out GREAT!!!!

Letting our cakes dry for a bit... and this is the last shot you will see of my cake-- the rest is a surprise. :)

Didn't her cake turn out SOOOO cute?!??!?! I was sooo impressed!

Later that night I went back to Harding for one last Hell Night. haha I know it might be a little sad, but Ashley (far left) asked me to come back for the night. For those of you non-Harding goers, Hell Night is the last night of Pledge Week and is usually the toughest night of the week (hence the name). Now don't get me wrong, it really is pretty tame, but the pledges have gone through a week of sleepless nights and TONS of stress so they basically thinks is the worst night of their life. Two years ago I was in charge of Pledge Week for my club Ju Go Ju, so Ash thought I should come back up just to see old friends and help out with the night. I mostly sat to the side, but it was still sooooo great to see my Ju Go Ju friends!

Then on Saturday, Tyler and I went to our friend Erin's wedding. Isn't she sooo beautiful!??! This is a pic of all my church besties that I have grown up with. We have been through EVERYTHING together-- from braces, glasses, acne, bad hair, and just being all around unfortunate looking. haha! So I was so glad we were all able to spend some time together.

Sunday night, Tyler and I went to CityFest in LR. They had lots of Christian bands and speakers, but we went to see Newsboys! So oldschool I know. I do like most of their songs, so it was fun to see them. The lead singer used to be in DC Talk so they played some of my favs from that band as well! I'm telling you, when "Jesus Freak" came on, Tyler got excited! haha! He knows every word... he even rapped better than the singer! :)

SO this is a quick recap to what has been going on lately. I PROMISE i will do a better job! I've still been reading all of my favorite blogs, but I just couldn't get in the mood to dish on my life. But I have some exciting things coming up so I will have some great posts!!!

Here are the things I am looking forward to:
-Going wedding dress shopping with Rachel TOMORROW! I MAY have some pics, but I'll have to check with her before posting
-Harding's Homecoming this weekend! It will be a HUG 06 reunion!!! YAY! LOTS of pics from that for sure!
-Girl's Bible study next Monday night. I just started to going to one of my closest HUG friend Erin's bible study and I REALLY enjoyed it! So I will be posting after that....
-Next weekend is BESTIES FESTIVITIES!!! My Bestest friends EVER are all coming back to Searcy for one weekend together! PLUS it is April's birthday so we will be celebrating that as well!
-The next weekend Tyler and I will be going HOME for some family pics! I am definitely excited for pictures, but REALLY excited to spend time with GK! I really didn't get to hold her when she was first born bc I had a cough and wanted to be extra careful.
-Then the NEXT weekend is Megan's wedding! Megan is one of my closest Harding friends, my Ju Go Ju sister, and my lifelong dance partner ;) So I will again be seeing some of my best friends for a weekend of wedding festivities!

So all this is a LOT but I would not have it any other way! So much time spend with the people I love most!!! STAY TUNED!

If you're happy and you know it..... march???

2009-10-13T22:56:00.004-05:00

Ok so I made it to nwa and I have had a blast already with Brooklyn and Mallory Kate and Amy. Tonight we went to a friend's house (Pat) so she could help make the girls' halloween costumes. Amy had seen the cutest little costume that 100$!!! So she decided to get crafty and make them herself. With the help of Pat we were able to make the outfits for about 30$ total! Craziness!!

I was helping by taking care of MK. I had never worn one of these little devices but they are sooo cool! I will definitely be sporting one of these when my time comes.

B was watching Aladin on Disney... so she was quite entertained the whole night.

Amy and Pat working hard!

Mom came and loved spending time with the girls! B definitely knows how to cheese it up! :)

B was soooo excited about her outfit! Sorry everyone, no pics of the costumes yet. I don't want to spoil Amy's fun for her own blog!

Soooooo after all the fun festivities for the night, we made our way back to Amy's house. B definitely got in a cheesy mood because she was ALL ABOUT singing us songs and watching the videos I took! She kept me laughing all night!

Well as I'm typing this I'm having some issues with the video part. I will post those tomorrow for sure though!

Tomorrow will also be full of fun! I am taking B and Harry for some Hanny time. I know Amanda is having trouble keeping up with Harry right now (heck, I have trouble keeping up and I'm not over 9 months pregnant!) So I am going to try and keep them busy and wear them out for their mommas!! :)

Home Sweet Home

2009-10-12T22:07:00.006-05:00

*There's no place like home, there's no place like home*

This is exactly how I have been feeling lately! Last night, Tyler and I were laying in bed right before falling asleep, having our little chat time. (This has become very typical, every night we talk about random stuff in our lives right before we go to bed. And this has quickly become my favorite part of the day!) Anyway back to last night.... I was feeling kind of down and randomly started to BOO HOO like a pre-pubescent 12 year old girl. Seriously, I felt the butterfly clips and overalls coming back! haha!

I realized (after overcoming my sobs and with the help of my sweet sweet husband desperately trying to fix my sadness) that I was homesick! I have been in LR for a few weeks and have managed to keep myself very busy during the day. I clean, I shop, I craft, I cook. But I am not really around PEOPLE! Especially a lot of the people that I love most in this world! Granted, I have LOVED having so much time with Tyler. For those of you who know us, you know that this has been a long time coming :)

But nonetheless, I was lonely and bored and quite simply, just feeling sorry for myself. So after I stopped crying, I became extremely excited for this week! Amanda's due date is today, so we were all hoping for little GK sometime soon.... like... TODAY! But alas, as Amanda has put it Miss GK was having a bit of a "diva moment" and decided to make us all wait! ;) So we won't have her until Friday. And that is totally fine, except for the fact that she was my excuse to head back up to NWA! So today we got the news of her belated delivery and I have to be honest-- I was totally bummed out!!! I mean, I thought for SURE she would be on her way today and I would be driving 104 mph on I-540 trying to make the delivery in time! ha!

So tonight, Amy (my other SIL) asked if I was still going to come early this week anyway. (I had made plans to stay with her and help with the girls) And this made me even MORE sad... and Tyler could tell. My wonderful, amazing, kind, sweet (I'll stop now, I think you get the idea) told me to go ahead and head up to NWA early. I really had not even thought of that bc I really wanted to stay here with him this week. But he knew that my heart was with the babies this week and I just needed some Brooklyn, Harry, Mallory Kate, and soon-to-be Georgia Kelley lovin'!!!!!! So either tomorrow or Wednesday morning I will make my way up I-40 and 540 to see my wonderful family!!! This will be the PERFECT way to start celebrating GK's birth! I will be there all week to lend a helping hand however I can!!!

So, I will definitely be blogging up a storm this week... There is no doubt I will have my blog filled with baby pics!

I know it may sound strange, but I really feel like this trip to NWA is the perfect remedy to my homesick fever. It's like my heart is just a little broken right now (bc I'm missing my family) and Tyler was just awesome enough to know what medicine I needed!

It's POSH!!! And I don't mean the spice girl....

2009-10-11T21:43:00.005-05:00

Hey all! I just wanted to share with everyone this new blog shop! One of my dearest friends Whitney, who is also one of the funniest and most creative friends I know, has started a little blog- business with her mom!

Introducing.....

Elaine's Posh Boutique!

They have some super duper cute hats, headbands, and cloths for little babies and kids. Plus really cute picture frames. Their stuff is so cute! And you can trust that it is quality. Perfect for gifts!

Here is one of my fav hats! Now I just need a little girl to put this on :) JUST KIDDING!!! I think just mentioning babies gives Tyler and I ulcers..

So check out her blog!

Also, in the world of babies, I am still hoping that Amanda calls tomorrow (MONDAY) saying that I need to come home right then! Keep your fingers crossed... I am sooo anxious for GK! And I'm just the aunt... I can't even imagine how Amanda and Chad are feeling! EEK! :)

It's almost baby time!

2009-10-05T20:13:00.005-05:00

So this week Amanda will be giving birth to Miss Georgia Kelley and I am so excited! I was talking with Amy today and told her that I feel like once GK is here, our fam is complete.... at least for this go-around. It seems the Ware's like to have their babies in rounds :) so after the 2nd round, we will have our whole fam together. And that is something I am so excited about! I have also been praying for a safe delivery. So far I think GK is a little small, so Amanda feels comfortable letting GK "bake" a little longer. haha. And I don't blame her! Anything to help GK be as healthy and safe as possible!!!

I just can't imagine what she will look like! With Mallory Kate, it was a little easier bc we already had Brooklyn to look at. But GK is a whole different story! I'm sure she will look a LOT like Harry, but more delicate! I'm seriously thinking a curly headed-bleach blonde! :)

Come on... How cute is this pic? Its from our wedding day, he was the cutest ring bearer ever with his little bow-tie and suspenders! Anyway... you think GK will look like him? Or something completely different? What are you thoughts?

One thing that I am looking forward to more than ANYTHING is Georgia Kelley's birth! Amanda asked me and my mom, along with her sister and mom to be in the room for her birth!!!! This totally blew me away... I mean, this was not anything I was expecting. But needless to say, I am soooo very excited! Amanda does a great job at explaining her reasons HERE so you guys check it out.

I just wanted to explain why this meant so much to me. God has truly blessed me with two amazing sisters-in-law. (I like to think that it was God's way of making it up to me, having to grow up with Scott and Chad haha!) But growing up, I never had the close sister-relationship that so many girls get to have. So when Amy and Amanda came into the scene, I could not have been happier! I mean, now I get to have those friendships.... without all the fighting as kids ;) And now I get to experience the birth of this little angel. I know I would never be able to have this experience otherwise. I'm so thankful that Chad and Amanda have decided to include Mom and I in this incredible experience.

I will definitely be posting after to share with you every single detail of the big day.... even if it means that it scares me from ever giving birth myself! hahahaha!

The new place! Still a work in progress....

2009-10-02T21:50:00.009-05:00

So I have totally been MIA for the past week or so.... but I do think I have a good excuse, with the move and all. So tonight I am spending time with one of my besties, Leslie, watching one of our fav new movies "The Proposal" and I thought this would be a great time to show everyone my new place!

Things are definitely not perfect and I have a LOT more planned, but Tyler has pulled my leash and put a stop to the spending for now :) Sometimes I just don't know my limits. haha! So this is what I've been working on this week, and I hope to get the rest of the house blog-worthy soon. I do have things in their place, but not exactly how I want it, so you will just have to wait a few more days. Maybe sometime next week I can show off the rest of the place! :)

Here is the view from our front door. The 1/2 bath is on the left, by the dresser. The living room is all on the right.

This is the view from our 1/2 bath door, I still want to have a huge picture frame on the right wall, its pretty bare. But I LOVE our new tv that we got for CHEAP CHEAP and watching cable on the couch! haha

This is dining room, my FAV! These doors are my greatest treasure find EVER!!!! I went to the NWA Bridal Fair last weekend with Tyler's sister (she's getting married May 15!!!!) and saw a booth for Erika Dotson Photography (Check it! She's sooo talented!) Anyway, I had to ask her where she got her doors, because I had been on the hunt and she offered to sell them to me for $30!!! That's what she paid, so she wasn't trying to make a prophet, just didn't have room to keep them. So needless to say, I'm a little proud of these doors... they are just so perfectly old and distressed! Plus, it was a great way to cover a wall without hanging a bunch of pictures and spending bunches of moolah! :)

My cute wreath! I got all the material at Target and added the fall leaves and sunflower, just for a Fall touch... you like?

Another view of the doors.... I am obsessed with the glass window! Tyler and I accidently cracked the glass when we were moving it, but luckily it is still intact!!!

A view into the 1/2 bath... I haven't added any wall decor yet, but I'm going with the navy/burnt orange them.

So here is where we are living! I'm not showing the kitchen or the bedrooms yet :) still too much work to do! Let me know what you guys think.... I really want to hear suggestions! And I will show updated pics of these rooms later as I get more and more done!

All moved in!

2009-09-26T20:23:00.002-05:00

Hey all!! Well, we got everything moved in! There is still MUCH to do, but at least it is all here. And with the help of our parents, we were able to get a lot done! I am SOOO thankful for them! :)

Right now, Tyler and I are chilling on our couch (like the first time ever, since we never had cable to watch) watching The Wedding Crashers ( a personal fav). Tonight will be a relaxing night which I am so excited about!

Tomorrow on the other hand?? BUSY BUSY! I will be driving back to NWA. Tyler's little sis, Rachel, is engaged and is going to a bridal convention. So I really wanted to go with her too! It will be fun to search through all the bridal stuff, without having to make all the decisions! haha :)

So we will go to the bridal convention, and then its off to dinner with Sarah and Cortney! Our one last hoorah with the girls! Man, I am sooo going to miss them!

Anyway, I will be posting pics soon of the apt, hopefully it will be mostly decorated within the next week. I will be hard at work to make our new little place home-y!

Television-itis

2009-09-24T10:19:00.004-05:00

Television-itis: Complete and utter boredom, due to lack of television and/or cable watching access.

I'm not sure if that is the technical name, but I'm going to pretend like it is.

Since Tyler and I got married, we decided to save a little moolah and NOT have cable. Gasp! What did you say, Hannah??? Yes, it is true! I have not had cable since May.

And really, for the most part, it has been fine. But there have been times when I wanted to scratch my eyeballs out simply to entertain myself. I mean, I didn't know boredom like that exsisted!!!

So my saving grace the past few months has been Hulu. I can watch basically any show I want. The only problem? Summer is sort of lacking in the exiting TV show department.

Thus, I was reduced to watch two shows which I had not seen in YEARS! And the sad part? I kind of enjoyed it...

I have been able to refresh my Angel and Buffy knowledge... I had forgotten how good these shows are!

But as the cooler weather comes, so do my FAVORITE shows! We still don't have cable, but at least I can watch these online.

The Office, of course, is my all time fav.... This show will NEVER get old. The other shows that I heart are: Project Runway, Community, Desperate Housewives, Biggest Loser, America's Next Top Model, and of course GLEE (I have become obsessed with this show, and really think it is quickly becoming everyone's new fav)

And surprisingly, one of my new favorite shows is the Vampire Diaries... who would have thought? I imagined it to be this cheesy, teeny-bopper, watered-down version of Buffy or Twighlight. But really? Not too bad so far! I find myself excited to watch the next week's episode as soon as I finish this week's. So for all you Twilighters, check this out! I really do think it's pretty good. (And this is someone who likes Twighlight a lot, but definitely not one of those obsessed people *cough* Jennie and Whitney *cough*) lol :)

But the super exciting news??? I will no longer have to suffer from Television-itis!!! Well, at least not completely. Since we are moving to LR, we had to get a new internet provider, who was running a special for TV and internet. So yours truly will now have 20 channels. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, 20 cable channels! I know this is kind of sad to be so excited... but I figure I can get most of my fav shows from these few channels, and that is all I need! So, when we are in LR, anyone is welcome to come to our apt to watch TV! YAY!

Reality Check!

2009-09-24T09:21:00.006-05:00

Since getting into the Blogger world, I have become OBSESSED with reading new blogs. I literally cannot get enough of other people's lives.

Yesterday, I came across a few different blogs from people who are going through INCREDIBLY difficult times. Katie's Keepers is about a family, here in NWA, that just lost their little girl Reese. They had an emergency c-section and Reese was only on this earth for 2 days before going to be with Jesus.

Another family hurting is the Sullivan Family. The wife passed away just days after giving birth to their daughter, Chloe.

And the last family I've been reading about is the Smith family. They also lost their little girl just hours after she was born. Although this happened 1 1/2 years ago, I know that pain will always be with them.

So I just ask that you guys keep these families in your prayers with me. I know they need God's peace now more than ever.

Anyway, I'm reading their stories while I'm at work, sitting at my desk with red, blotchy eyes and my nose running... just trying not to sob at my desk. It is such a reality check of how BLESSED we all are to have healthy, happy babies and no complications.

Now, I definitely do NOT have a child... but I have 3 little nieces, a nephew, and a niece on the way... and I basically count these as my children. :) Just reading these stories made me want to drive to both of my brothers' houses and hug my little babies SO hard.

Just about that same time, Amy my SIL, texted me asking if I would like to come over for dinner. Coincidence? I think not! It could NOT have been better timing!!!! I was so excited to spend a little time with Brooklyn and Mallory Kate.

PLUS, the night before I was able to spend some good quality time with Harry too! I tucked him in, reading him some of his favorite books. SOOO SPECIAL! :) I was even able to go through my future niece's room, Georgia Kelley, and look at all her cute outfits and beautiful nursery.

After reading about these people's struggles, I just can't help but praise Jesus for his beautiful blessings-- Harry, Brooklyn, and Mallory Kate. And I keep praying for Georgia Kelley, that God will keep her healthy and safe as she is brought into this world in a matter of weeks!!

Of course, what would a post be without some CUTE pics of my little babies! These are my babies.... the loves of my life! <3

And Now (drum roll please) Introducing Miss Mallory Kate!!!! I can't believe she is already 5 weeks old! Now all we have left is waiting on Georgia Kelley to come! I really can NOT wait to meet her!

Isn't this THE cutest pic of B ever???

Harry and B worn out after a day at the lake! haha, they look miserable

Tyler and I with our babies!!!

I am absolutely obsessed with this pic of Harry... notice his face? He used to make that face ALL the time when he was younger!

Their first trip to the beach.

This is how Harry and Tyler play pretty much all the time... Harry loves playing rough with Tyler, probably why he's one of Harry's favorite poeple! :)

This pic was taken right before B pooped in the tub! hahaha

Like I said earlier, now all we have to do is wait for Georgia Kelley.. I cannot wait!

So I just wanted today's post to be one of Thanksgiving to God for all his little blessings, and a prayer for all those that people who may not have as joyful situations as we do.

Don't forget to keep those families in your prayers!!!

Unexpected Blessings!

2009-09-21T15:32:00.003-05:00

Isn't it so awesome when something great happens when you least expect it?

Well that is exactly what happened to me last night!

Yesterday was a bad day for me.... and I mean BAD! I had to drive back up to NWA after a quick trip down to LR to move some furniture into our new apartment. I got home and realized I left all my keys in LR!!! ALL OF THEM! My car and my apartment were locked away and I was stuck in the parking lot, running late to my sister-in-law's baby shower! AH!

To make a long story short... after a lot of fiascos I was able to get into my apartment without chopping it down with an axe (which I was more than willing to do at that point) and am borrowing a car from Tyler's parents.

PLUS I made it to Amanda's (my sis-in-law) baby shower almost on time! WOO HOO! (There is more to say about Amanda and my niece, but that will be tomorrow's post ;) )

Afterword I had the JOY of even more to packing look forward to! YAY... not. Tyler's dad is taking a load down to LR today so we had to get it all put on the trailer last night. Needless to say, I was exhausted and packing was the LAST thing I wanted to do.

***ENTER AMAZING BROTHER***

My brother Scott volunteered to help with the moving last night, and I'm so glad I finally agreed.

(I always feel bad asking for help in these situations because everyone hates to move their OWN stuff, so imagine how Not Fun it is to move someone else's!!!)

Well, he not only came himself... he also brought all the guys from his Bible study over too!!! 8-9 guys helped us move all our living room furniture in about 30 minutes!

And let me tell you... they PACKED that trailer and SUV full. They kept saying it was like a big game of Tetris, trying to fit the puzzle perfectly together. I always thought I was pretty good at the game, but these boys have a GIFT for Tetris! They put more things on the trailer than I thought possible.

So instead of spending hours moving furniture, I was able to spend the rest of the night relaxing. All I could think of was how incredibly BLESSED I am to have such great friends to come and help! And how wonderful being a part of a church family is!

Tyler and I are so excited to find our own church home in LR... it may take a while, but having those relationships are so important. Plus... they are always there to help you move!!! ;)

Honey, I'm Ho--- .... wait, where did you go?

2009-09-17T14:08:00.004-05:00

As most of you know, my hubby Tyler just started a job in Little Rock. We are so very excited for this move! We have spent a majority of our relationship long-distance (probably close to 75%, NO LIE!) so the idea of us going away together, just the 2 of us, to a new place seems like such an ADVENTURE!

Anyway, I am finishing up my job here in good ol' NWA until next Friday while Tyler is staying with friends in Conway and getting everything ready in LR for the Big Move. And I'm ngl, this has been such a LOOONG week for me! Even though Tyler and I have spent so much time apart in the past, I QUICKLY got used to having him around! After we got married, he basically became a stay-at-home-husband while he worked on this thesis for grad school and found a job. And let me tell you..... it was AWESOME! I have been so pampered!

Now, I truly am not one to be all mushy-gushy, lovey-dovey, head-over-heels, annoying about my marriage. I love my husband dearly, more than I can express... but come ON, sometimes girls are just straight up ANNOYING about the whole L.O.V.E. thing.

With that being said, I just can't help but reflect on the wonderfulness of having him at home when I get back from work. He literally treated me like a princess--- made me breakfast EVERY morning before work, cleaned the house, did laundry & dishes and would always be there to listen to my work day. Yes, ladies, you can now be jealous! I know he's pretty amazing. :) Ok, now I'm done being mushy!!!!!

But this week, I wake up alone, I skip breakfast (NO TIME!), I'm too lazy and depressed to clean, the house is a MESS (dishes in sink, dirty clothes on the floor, trashcan overflowing, you get the pic!) and all I can think about it how much I want to see Tyler!

So tonight I go home to an empty apt, yet again! (sigh, deep breath, sigh again) I know I'm feeling WAAAY too sorry for myself right now.... but please just let me grovel for a few more seconds.....

...... Ok, I'm better!!! Anyway, in a short, short time we will be reunited and beginning our journey together in LR. This time apart has really helped me realize God's blessings in my life and how we should cherish our time with the ones we love the most!

Pets

2009-09-16T11:15:00.006-05:00

For YEARS now... and I'm not exaggerating on this... I have dreamt of my perfect pet. And I know exactly what it would be--- a German Shepherd!

It all started freshman year of college. One day, Tyler and I were spending an afternoon at a park in Searcy (very typical) and we see this man with his German Shepherd. They were playing catch... but not just a typical game of catch. The man would through a tennis ball over a fence and into a huge complex of tennis courts. Now, even I would have gotten lost in this tennis court! It was HUGE with different fences and gates and walkways to navigate your way through. But this dog? He flew through the tennis courts, jumping over nets, and weaving in and out of the mazes and obstacles. It was SPECTACULAR! At that moment, I knew I just HAD to have one of these AMAZING animals!

There is something so fun about having a dog that scares the begeezes out of people. Seriously, how many people do you think would actually think of attacking me on a jog if I had this bad boy running along side me? Ya, that's what I thought....

But I do want to say that I don't want my dog to be mean! I will train it well and make sure that it is VERY comfortable around others. BUT... I do want it to know how to be mean in case of an emergency.

I've already picked out it's name too! :) One of my favorite book series is the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evonovich. They are HILARIOUS! Anyway, my two favorite characters in the book are named Ranger and Lula. Ranger is a Latino Bad-A that is ridiculously good looking and could kill you with his pinkie. Lula is a big.. I mean BIG... black girl that likes to wear spandex and animal print. Oh ya, she's an ex-hooker too. So needless to say, I think these names are PERFECT for my first dog. I haven't decided if I want a male or female GS yet, so I have both names picked out just in case.

Tyler has always said that IF we ever did get a dog (which he is almost completely against) it would have to be a GS, simply because he doesn't want a pansy dog... and neither do I.

So Tyler and I were discussing pets yet again last week and he simply said that I could get a pet!!!! I was soooo excited!!!!! Until he said it could be a fish.....

So it looks like the next few years will be Ranger/Lula free in the Herriman House, but now I have to think about what kinds of fish I want and their names.... any suggestions?

And I feel I've begun, now that we're one now

2009-09-15T11:12:00.000-05:00

So here we go again! I feel a little deja vu as I begin a new blog. It is true that I have made several attempts in the past to be a good little blogger, but have failed miserably in each attempt. I either just completely forget to blog or can't think of anything interesting to blog about. But that changes today!

I have realized from reading friends' blogs that it is not about how interesting or funny you make your blog (although it certainly helps to not be boring :) ) but it's more about sharing your everyday thoughts and experiences!

So here we go!

First blog topic: The title of my blog.

I want to explain the title, just to give people a little insight into what makes me, me! The title of my blog "I feel I've begun.... now that we're one" is a line from one of...... let's make that my FAVORITE song of all time-- "On Legendary" by Further Seems Forever. FSF's album, "How to Start a Fire" is my all time favorite cd, start to finish, and this song is just the icing on the cake! Now, I must warn everyone that I do tend to have slightly different taste in music than the majority of my friends. So please be aware that this song, along with the entire cd, is not a pretty pop cd with catchy tunes. These may be a little too different for most.... so just be aware. But this song was introduced to me in 11th grade and has never ceased to amaze me.

The lyrics of this song are incredible. They talk about loving someone so much in a completely different way than we are used to hearing. To me, the words are beautiful and creative.

I wanted this line to be the title of my blog for several reasons. I think this is a great explanation of how I feel my life is going right now. I will soon be moving to Little Rock with my husband, Tyler. He started a new job while I am finishing my old one. With recently getting married (6/27/09) and about to move to a new city, I feel our lives are just beginning!

I also take this small little phrase and apply it spiritually as well. Our lives begin the day that we follow Christ. And since I am not perfect (gasp!) and everyday is a new battle to serve Him, I feel my life begins new everyday with God's wonderful grace that allows me to live a new day.

So my third attempt at a blog is off and running.... but I'm hoping 3rd time's a charm on this one! I feel like as I start my new adventure in LR, I need to document my new beginning and see what adventures I face! So STAY TUNED!