Unfailing Love

So...it's been awhile

2012-01-14T19:27:00.002-05:00

and in a little over 4 months we'll be a family of 4! I'm so excited...especially finding out that it's a little girl :) Now I get to buy the fun girly things for my own little one and not just my nieces! Brian and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary and when I woke up Brian had a sweet little surprise waiting for me. This necklace:

Brian isn't really a jewelry person, and I'm not really either (most of my jewelry is from Target) but I love it. Sometimes I think 4 years is a long time, other times it feels like we just got married!

I'm really looking forward to this year! Baby girl is due May 29th, but I'm hoping she'll be born on May 30th (Brian's late grandmother's birthday). I wish she was still here...I know she'd be so excited to meet baby girl! Oh, and Brian's sister is due with her second a little over a month after me. So I'll get a daughter and then a niece/nephew soon after :) I love that Evan has so many cousins that are close in age to him.

2011-10-17T15:47:00.001-05:00

I've really been thinking about how I can better live my life for Christ. In truth, I am a failure at it. But I can not change the past, only what I choose to do from now on. I can choose to be completely honest in my speech, the way Christ was. Not dance around issues in the name of love. I think that while we need not judge others, or say things rudely or hatefully, we need to still speak the truth/stand up for what we believe. We need to love all of our "neighbors", but not be afraid to speak the truth. Tell them that they need Jesus. Teach them what Jesus taught. I think it's so easy to water things down, to not speak the real truth in the name of love/not being judgmental. And while we don't need to beat people down, people might get offended sometimes. They might call you judgmental or closeminded. A nut job. But that is how they treated Jesus. So why shouldn't I expect to be treated the same way? Why should I expect acceptance? I recently read Radical by David Platt and he talks about a lot of things I want to work on in my life. I want to give more, and think of myself less. I want to share the love of Christ, and disciple.

I'm starting this by taking the first step of going through all our stuff and giving away the things we don't need to those who are needy. I want to set an example for Evan to follow about thinking of others. Helping the poor. I have a long way to go from where I am now, but I know I can do it with God's help.

2011-06-04T22:32:00.003-05:00

Today was a really nice Saturday. We got up early, went to the zoo (Evan just loves it..and so do I!) We were there about 2 1/2 hours then went to Olive Garden for lunch.

After lunch, we stopped by the mall and I bought Evan some sunglasses at Old Navy and a pair of jean shorts for myself.

Then we got home, bought Jim and Nick's home for Dinner and watched the hockey game. A very enjoyable Saturday. Now, it's off to bed before church tomorrow. Very full and fun day.

2011-05-24T22:34:00.002-05:00

Whats been going on since I last posted---hmmm. A lot, but just normal life. After being here almost three years, we've finally pretty much settled in. We're still working on getting our house the way we like it, maybe someday I'll get around to posting pictures!

Last night I saw Something Borrowed with a group of friends...it was cute (once you get over that you're pulling for the cheaters to end up together). Thursday I'm getting together for a playdate at my friend Hannah's house (she has an almost three year old little boy named Caleb and a sweet six month old girl named Ava). Friday night Brian's parents are coming in to town for the weekend.

I can't believe that Evan turns two in two months! I'm definitely cherishing these still baby-like days because he's swiftly growing out of them. Next challenge...potty training! Makes me sad...I've only known him in diapers and I still love seeing his diapered butt running around!

2011-05-06T23:33:00.002-05:00

I love finding new companies (even if it's just new to me) with great products! Especially when they're not "big companies"! My favorite one right now is Paper Coterie They are currently launching their site and have an "openhouse" code worth $40 off (through Sunday)! You have to pay for shipping, but I ended up paying $18 for a cool photo book and a journal with a picture of Evan on it. They seem like an awesome company (if I lived in Salt Lake City I'd love to work for them!) and the products are really cool. Take the photo book I got. It's an A to Z photo book that you can use their pictures or put ones of your own in. I don't know how I've never seen something like this before. I ended up using all of my own pictures for the book, and I sort of stretched with some of the letters, but I think Evan will love having an alphabet book with pictures of himself and people he knows in it.

Another is Heartsy. I don't know how I haven't found it before. It's essentially like groupon for Etsy only instead of needing a certain amount to buy a deal before its valid, there are only a certain number available. If you sign up through someone's link, you get a $5 credit (which makes for some really cheap deals...a lot of the ones I've seen start at paying $12 or less). If you shop on etsy at all, I would sign up for this site. Even if there's not a deal that you want today, you can save the credit for another day.

Am also pretty impressed with L.L. Bean. I ordered a backpack for Evan on their site (on sale-11.99 shipped) and got it today. Great quality, I can see him using it for years to come. And it comes with a guarantee...if you're ever not 100% satisfied, they'll replace, refund or credit your account. Plus they have free shipping everyday, no minimum order, no code. A policy I'd like to see more companies adapt!

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home after all the traveling we've been doing. Miss my family though. Hopefully won't be too long til I'm in Orlando again!

2011-05-02T19:25:00.002-05:00

Finally back home and getting back into my routine. It's been a crazy couple of weeks, between being in Orlando, visiting with our welsh friends and their kids, leaving Orlando on Friday morning, driving home then leaving for Alabama an hour later (We spent the weekend in Alabama for Brian's grandfather's 80th birthday). It sure is nice to be home again though!

2011-04-11T22:03:00.002-05:00

Life has been good lately...the details of which are probably boring but here are some things that stand out:

-I love taking Evan to Open Gym at the gymnastics place. I know the more we go, the more he'll like it, but he enjoys running around (and honestly, so do I!) I love the tumbltrak built in to the floor. And I love that I have a kid that gives me an excuse to bounce around.

-I found a make up that I really like! I've been using Bare Escentuals for awhile now, but I'm tired of both the price and the inconvenience of getting it. So I tried Maybelline Fit me...and it really works for me. I know it's not a natural makeup or anything, but I've never worn liquid foundation before because I hate feeling like I'm wearing make up. This feels completely natural...definitely my new go to!

-I also found a cleanser that I love-Neutrogena Naturals facial cleanser. It's mostly natural (a lot less harsh than cleansers I've used in the past) but it does have a light fragrance (for those who only do fragrance free). It makes my skin feel really soft, and doesn't dry it out (I have a problem of dry skin)

-We ended up trying a new church this past Sunday. We like the church we've been going to, but several of my friends go to this one so I thought I'd try it out. I really enjoyed it, but I'm not sure exactly which place we'll be going. I'm actually a little sad when I think about leaving our current church,but I'll be praying about where God wants us. The message on Sunday was about forgiving and he talked about how we shouldn't be afraid of God anymore. We don't have to get right with God before having a right relationship (just like we shouldn't expect others to get right with us before we forgive them). I knew that in regards to salvation, but I feel like I haven't been applying that to my life as a believer. I mean, we don't need to do penance or punish ourselves when we get going in the wrong direction...just realize it, thank God for showing us, and start living the way we should. Speaking of God, Evan is so cute when we pray. At meals, we each hold one of his hands when we pray, so anytime I say "Evan, you want to pray?" he grabs my hand. I just love it! And his favorite song right now, My God is so Great. It's one of the greatest joys, teaching him about God and Jesus.

-Tonight we had the greatest fish and chips for dinner! We made it a couple weeks ago, but this time turned out even better! I don't really know why, but it was fabulous. We took the tilapia and dipped it in the batter then in the oil (we used olive) and for the chips we sliced the potatoes thin using a food processor, coated with a little olive oil and salt and pepper (yes I know chips means fries, but we prefer these..so good!)

-Right now I'm drinking a glass of ice cold water with lemon...so refreshing! Sometimes I forget how wonderful water is and how I really need to drink more. Also how thankful I am to be able to go to the kitchen and get clean drinking water. It's really quite amazing how much we take for granted.

That's about all I can think of right now, kind of a mish-mash post. This Friday I leave for Orlando for at least a week and finally get to meet my newest nephew, Max!

2011-03-24T13:19:00.002-05:00

Met Stephanie and Nathan at Turkey Creek today and we walked the length of it (it's a boardwalk that is shaded by trees and runs along a creek that you can swim in). We went at 10 and the weather was really nice. Afterward we grabbed lunch at Dairy Queen then parted ways so the boys could nap. It's really cute to see the boys start really interacting with playmates now. Several times they were holding hands! So cute. Now Evan is napping and I'm watching 21. Really nice day so far. Looking forward to the weekend,as always. It's funny, because someone from the outside would look at my life and wonder why I look forward to the weekends as much (if not more)as someone who works outside the home. What's the difference? Brian. I love the time we spend as a family and during the week we don't get a whole lot,plus it's just nice to have a helper.

Life Without Limits

2011-03-22T22:48:00.002-05:00

This book is just incredible. Nick Vujicic is such an amazing person. Born without arms and legs, he is such a testimony as to how God will take our trials and turn them into good. Most people can't imagine going through life the way Nick has, yet he doesn't come across condescending at all. He says several times in the book that there are things HE can't imagine going through, that he knows there are people out there worse off than him. It's such a great book for encouragement, no matter what you're going through. It's also a very real book. He talks about how at eight years old he thought about committing suicide. He talks about his fears of being dependent on family his whole life and being a burden. The book is very well written and you're sitting down with him and he's telling you his story. If you're going through a tough time in life, you definitely need to read this book. If you're not,you definitely need to read this book as well. The great thing about this book is that it is applicable to everyone. We've all been down, we've all needed encouragement. Nick Vujicic is making a difference in this world, and he is inspiring me to do the same. I definitely highly recommend this book!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

2011-03-17T22:39:00.006-05:00

I had such a good day today. I met up with my friend Stephanie and her son Nathan(who is a couple weeks older than Evan). We went to the consignment sale at the fairgrounds and I did pretty good. I bought him two bathing suits(one carters and one baby gap) for $4 and a power wheels for $15! It's missing the stickers, but it's on the Toys R Us website right now for $60!

Then we went to her house on base and ate lunch. We also took the kids to the park just a block from her house. Evan was exhausted afterwards (I woke him up a little early so we could get there when it opened) and is now napping.

I'm hoping to go back either today or tomorrow and see if I can find a power wheels for Isabella's birthday coming up!

Grocery Shopping

2011-03-13T13:48:00.004-05:00

I look forward to grocery shopping each week. I've made it so much more enjoyable by looking for deals ahead of time, planning what I need and just getting it. The good deals I found this week:
Pompeian Olive Oil (including Organic): B1G1 plus you can print two $1 off coupons here =$2.29 each (my favorite deal because we use olive oil a lot...publix brand is $4.99/bottle, just to show what a great deal it is)

Cheerios (I give them to Evan as a snack and Brian eats them for breakfast): 2/$5 plus $1 off of 2 coupon in the in store publix flier (or you can print it online) and a $1 off 2 manufacturer coupon=$1.50/box

Also got 8 cans of Old Orchard frozen juice for $6.00. I printed off 4 of the B1G1 free coupons they were offering on facebook yesterday (but are now gone).

Simply Orange Juice and Simply Lemonade: 2/$5 plus 2 $1.00 off coupons=$1.50/bottle.

Those were probably the best deals I got this week. But I really look forward to Wednesday mornings when the new Publix ad comes out so I can figure out what the good deals are this week. We ended up spending $89 ($47 dollars in savings, $12 of which was coupons)this week, but that includes breakfast/lunch/dinner/snacks for at least a week. Also, I tried Greek yogurt for the first time...love it! So much better than "normal" yogurt. Plus, it was organic, free of Gluten, rBST, rBGH, and GMO, and all natural. Definitely making this a part of my diet!

Oh, and right now I'm up to $53 with clothes I'm selling on ebay! I can buy Evan the sand and water table I want! And I just found out it's on sale for $39!

2011-03-11T22:41:00.003-05:00

Evan's been sick the past couple days, so I've missed a playdate at the park and MOPS :( But he's mostly better now. Next Saturday I'm meeting up with a friend of mine and we're going to Cash in the Nursery. It's a big resale event they hold at the fairgrounds every year. I've wanted to go since I was pregnant, but never made it. I'm excited! Should be fun!

Indivisible

2011-03-08T18:12:00.002-05:00

I had not heard of Kristen Heitzmann before requesting this book, Indivisible, to review. I am glad I went ahead and got it! It is definitely a mystery book, but it's really based around relationships. In fact, under each chapter number is a quote having to do with relationships. Romantic, friendships, etc. It was so interesting for me to see the different characters relationships with each other. In fact, the ending of this book has to do with a relationship I never would have guessed!

I actually like that this story is told from multiple characters views. Too often it is easy to form an opinion about a character because we only know them from someone else's point of view. The way the story unfolds kept me guessing the entire time I was reading. The ending was a big shock!

I really liked the theme of connectivity that was woven throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this book!

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

2011-02-18T14:21:00.002-05:00

Brian has Monday off, so this will be a long weekend, and then I'm headed to Orlando! There's a mommy shower for Heather, and then I'm going to see Wicked with my mother in law, sister in law, and aunt in law. I'm really excited about it!

I got my next book to review, so I'll try to read that soon and put the review up. Hopefully it's as interesting as it seems!

2011-02-11T17:32:00.003-05:00

Today was MOPS day! I really enjoy going to MOPS and have met some great people there. Today we watched a cooking demonstration and made bath salts. It's fun, plus it's 3 hours that I get to hang out with other adults and no kids!

P.S.-what do you think about the new design/header?

Different is Good!

2011-02-11T14:42:00.002-05:00

Having already bought God Gave Us Christmas for my son, I knew that Lisa Tawn Bergren writes about Biblical truths in a creative way for children. God Gave Us the World goes about explaining that we are created differently, not just outside, but inside as well. Through the eyes of a little polar bear, we learn that even though not all bears act the same, look the same, or eat the same food, they are all specially created by God. Bergren even simplifies the answer to the age old question "Why are we here?" in a way that children will be able to comprehend. The book does briefly mention that we need to take care of the planet, but the authors intention is that, like with anything else God gives us, we need to treat it right because it's His gift to us. I think this book does a great job of explaining to young children why people look different and act different and why God made us.

If you'd like to buy it, you can at Waterbrook Publishing or amazon.com.

I received this book for free as part of the Blogging for Books program by WaterBrook Multnomah. All opinions are 100% mine.

2011-02-04T15:50:00.002-05:00

My new hobby? Trying to get things as cheap as possible. It's like a fun game...I joined swagbucks, was already a member of epinions (where I earned a $50 express giftcard!), and search for coupons like crazy. I especially enjoy finding out what the BOGO's are at Publix, and then (if I need it) searching for a coupon for that item. Last week, Northland juice was BOGO and I found a $1/2 coupon. Oh, and thanks to Erin, I found out about Blogging for Books, a site where you choose a book to review and you get it for free! The first book I picked is actually a kids book, but I'll do adult books too. And thanks to credit card points, we got our Bloggie (Sony's version of the Flip) for free! We're going to be getting rid of cable because most people do and it's just annoying to pay for it (even though the cost went down when we moved). I'm definitely up for pointers, so if anyone has any ways that they save, I'm up for hearing about it!

Books

2011-01-28T15:14:00.007-05:00

I love to read. So does Brian. I love nap times right now, because that's my reading time. Right now I'm reading Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. I love my Kindle because it's so easy to buy books (although that can be dangerous), I can easily bring it anywhere, and it's so easy to read from.Plus with the lighted book cover, I can read driving in the car at night or in bed without disturbing Brian. (unsolicited Kindle review). I'm hoping that my love of reading gets passed down to Evan. He likes books already,(right now his favorite is How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?...a really cute book)I'm hoping it continues as he gets older. I actually recently bought some box sets of books that I liked when I was younger (yes, I know he can't read yet, but they were a good deal!).

I really liked the Ralph Mouse collection. The Mouse and the Motorcycle in particular. But I figured it would be a good series for boys...a boy, a mouse and a motorcycle...what's not to like?

I love Roald Dahl. He's always been one of my favorites. I used to have a bunch of his books when I was younger, but I don't know where they ended up. So I bought a set for Evan. I remember checking the BFG out of the school library in 3rd or 4th grade and thinking it was my favorite book at the time.

And I bought Charlottes Web. Just a classic. I love this book!

I know these books won't be read by him for awhile. But he'll have them when he's ready for them! For now, I'm enjoying the days of reading books like I Love You, Stinky Face because I know they will go by fast!

Christmas is coming...

2010-11-19T13:22:00.002-05:00

I'm just about ready for Christmas.
I bought play tools for Evan, a Spike Jr. Dinosaur, a book called "God gave us Christmas" (I've decided to get him a Christmas book every year..last year was The Polar Express),and for his Stocking some Playdoh (we don't have any and he's getting old enough):

For Brian, I bought Tampa Bay Bucs tickets.

And for myself, from Brian, I bought some new jeans and boots:

Yes, I bought my own present. Brian feels bad when I do that, but I really don't mind. And I like shopping, so I'd rather just pick things out. So I now own a pair of skinny jeans. I never thought I would buy some, but I needed some to wear with the boots and I actually like them. I guess you never know until you try something!

With the rest of my family, we do a secret Santa. So we set a $40 limit and each person buys for one other person. I love it. It's fun to get creative, and there's really no need for us to buy everyone something. I think this is the 3rd year doing it and it's worked out great!

So, I'm pretty much set. Now I can just enjoy this time :) From Thanksgiving to New years is my favorite time of year!

House...

2010-10-16T15:19:00.008-05:00

Still working on our townhouse. Brian did most of the flooring in the living room (apart from the trim) while I was in Orlando last week. What our living room looks like right now:

(the white paper on the wall are templates for shelves we bought but have yet to put up)
SO, one room down, 3 more to go. Then no more carpet! Brian has allergies so carpet doesn't really work well for him. Plus, I think it looks better now. If you want a before comparison:

http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm211/briandoyal/House/DSC_3013.jpg

I'll post more pictures soon. Hopefully we'll get more done this week!

2010-10-04T16:47:00.006-05:00

Our house is slowly coming along. Evan's room is done painting wise. It's a very blue blue. I like it alright. I sorta wish it wasn't so bold, but I think it works for now. It'll definitely look better once we have the floors done (which we haven't started yet). For now, we've mostly been working on painting and lighting. I started painting our room, then realized it wasn't the shade I wanted so I'm going to go one shade darker. Brian put up our new chandelier in the dining room and ceiling lights in the hallway. Right now, it seems like the list is never ending of things to do and that it won't be done for a long time, but I know if we just take one project at a time everything we want will be accomplished.

Our dining room chandelier

Life is good

2010-09-10T13:49:00.004-05:00

Things are going really well right now. I went to my first MOPS meeting today and it was a lot of fun! I'm excited for the year...meetings once a month on Fridays, Moms nights out on Mondays, and playdates here and there. I'm glad we started going to a "smaller" church...we got lost in the other one! :)

AND, I think I have inspiration for the colors of my house.

Yes, it is my travel system pattern. But I really love the colors a lot, and the name- Utopia. So I will have my own Utopia at home! I was having a really hard time deciding what colors to go with. Our house isn't a true open floor plan, but it's open enough that I want all the colors to go together. So, hopefully I can buy some paint this weekend and get started once we close! I am so excited we'll be homeowners on Thursday!

Evan is so close to walking, he just won't take the plunge and walk by himself. He'll walk holding onto my finger with one hand. He loves standing and when I walk with him or he uses his walker he's so happy. So I know he'll be walking anytime now.

This weekend will be busy! Getting stuff packed up and ready to move next weekend!

2010-09-07T22:40:00.001-05:00

Just about a week until we close on our house! Then the fun begins...changing the flooring, painting, crown molding, backsplash, etc. Just making it our home. I am so excited! Evan's room is the only one that I know exactly what I want to do with. Everything else I'm going back and forth on. But I'm itching to get started! In fact, we sign our mortgage Thursday, and I think I'm going to start painting Thursday night! I have all these visions in my head, but I hope I can make the house look good!

2010-08-20T17:54:00.002-05:00

Welllllll...one correction to the last post. I'm going to have to return the chandelier. In my excitement over it, I forgot about measurements and it is one big light. Sooo, even though I don't have it yet, once it gets here, it will be returned....oh well. I'll find another one :)

2010-08-19T10:41:00.003-05:00

We had the housing inspection yesterday and it went really well. I noticed more little things that needed upgrading. The kitchen light is a terrible yellow fluorescent light. Brian wants to do track lighting in there because he's always liked track lighting. So yesterday I was looking online at different options and as I was, I noticed Home Depot had their overstocked lighting on sale. I wanted to replace the cheesy chandelier that came with the house, but thought it would wait until later. However, I found a chandelier that I loved and it was discounted from $679 to $170! After some consideration, we decided to go ahead and get it. I was looking around online and discovered Hampton Bay chandeliers are made by a company called Eurofase. I looked for the chandelier under that company and discovered it was selling for $1008! The two chandeliers next to each other:

The one I bought is on the right. Can you tell the difference(besides the background and quality of photo)?

I'm itching to get started on decorating the house. Hope everything continues going smoothly!

2010-08-11T21:37:00.002-05:00

SO, a development has finally happened in the housing situation. We're not getting the original house we put the offer on. The bank has decided that instead of taking our offer they'd like to forclose and get less money. Any wonder the banks are in such dire straits? We did tour another place today and we're putting an offer in tomorrow. It's not quite as fancy on the inside, however it is quite a bit cheaper so we will use some of the money we save to fancy it up a bit. It's a really cute townhouse 3/2, master bedroom downstairs, two bedrooms upstairs. I'm already dreaming of the different projects to do, the biggest of which is replace the carpeted area with wood floors. The carpet is actually not bad, I just think carpet is a pain to try and keep clean and I like wood floors better. Of course we'll paint, so it's not all just one color and there's other little projects I'd like to do as well. I'm excited because once we're done it will feel like our home!

2010-05-24T15:07:00.002-05:00

Everytime I sit down to update, because I know it's been awhile, I feel like I don't really have anything to say. We're still waiting to hear about the house, but the realtor said we'd have our answer by June 21st and that it will most likely be yes. I still don't want to get my hopes up too high, but I really hope we get the house! I mean, it's less than a mile to Brian's work and only 20 minutes to the beach! Right now I'm just working on being patient and trusting that God will provide a house even if its not this house. We met with a mortgage broker last Thursday and just went over closing costs, etc. Nothing else to do until we hear back from the bank.

Other than that, just normal life going on. Today was actually a really good day. I met Brian for lunch and then went to the Loft and bought a few things to update my wardrobe (including a dress that I love for 8.93!). I actually went through and cleaned out my closet (I'm sure I can go through it again) and put things on Ebay that I never wear anymore. Its worked out great so far!

Babys room

2010-04-22T10:29:00.003-05:00

I'm having a tough time deciding how I want to decorate Evan's room once we move (if we don't get this place, we'll get another one). I'm going to base it off of whatever Toddler bedding set I buy, because although he'll still be in the crib when we move, it won't be too much longer til we convert it to a toddler bed. That said, opinions would be helpful.

I really like the DwellStudio sets at Target. I'm torn between Hippos or Spaceships. Right now I'm leaning more towards Spaceships but I really like the hippo one too!

The house

2010-04-19T18:31:00.004-05:00

We put an offer on the townhouse! I'm really excited, and I really hope we get it! My mom is up here for a couple days and we're going to look at it tomorrow so she can see it. I don't have pictures of my own, but I can post the ones that were on the real estate website. It's so cute and it has a fenced in back yard. We're just waiting on the bank to approve the offer we put in. I'm praying they do...it's less than a mile from Brian's office and about 17 miles to the beach!

Hunting for Houses

2010-04-07T20:25:00.002-05:00

Brian and I have started looking for a house to buy. We've looked at a couple already, and tomorrow we're looking at a townhouse. I'm not sure whether I'd rather have a "regular" house or a townhouse. I like the idea of having a yard, but it's not really that big of a deal. I haven't had a real yard since before I got married. Townhouses can be nice when done right...I still miss my sister's townhouse in West Palm. It was really cute! So I guess after we look at it we'll have a better idea if it's what we want. I'm excited about having our own home!

2010-02-03T11:05:00.005-05:00

Saturday we had 6 month pictures done of Evan and the family. It turned out to be freezing cold, really windy and cloudy. But she still got some good pictures!
I can't believe he's 6 months already. I love my little family so much! And I might be a little biased, but I think my boy is just gorgeous!

Love this song

2009-12-04T13:31:00.001-05:00

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think it’s more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don’t you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

It doesn’t matter what you’ve heard
Impossible is not a word
It’s just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody’s scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It’ll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You don’t have a chance
(That’s what faith can do)
When the world says you can’t
It’ll tell you that you can!

I’ve seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn’t ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I’ve seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That’s what faith can do
That’s what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

Change of Plans

2009-12-03T18:26:00.002-05:00

We decided not to go to Nashville. We're just recovering from North Carolina, and it's so much work when he's so young. You have to bring a lot of stuff, plus two weeks after that is Christmas and we'll be driving a lot then (to Orlando and Port Charlotte). So instead, Brian will save his vacation days and we'll do something some other time (probably when Evan is a little older). I'm excited about Christmas time, I think it will be a lot of fun! When we were in NC, I found this cute store that sells things by Mudpie (this company that makes really cute baby things). Then I found out that there's a store in Destin, called Hugs and Hissyfits that sells their stuff too! I had seen the store before but wasn't sure what it was. Anyways, I bought these cute sippy cups for the kids stockings that have their first initials on them, and the bottom unscrews so you can put snacks in it! Thought they were really neat, I'll definitely be checking out this store more often! It's a little more expensive because it's a boutique, but sales are always a good thing.

2009-11-17T15:11:00.002-05:00

I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already! Time is just flying by! We're going to North Carolina this year for Thanksgiving with Brian's family. It's going to be a lot of fun, and then things will really speed up. Two weeks later it's Nashville, Tn. We'll mostly be hanging out at the Gaylord Opryland,they get all spruced up for Christmas. Two weeks after that is Christmas!! We'll be in Orlando for Christmas, and then Port Charlotte for New Years. Then it's our 2nd wedding anniversary! This is definitely my favorite time of year!

2009-10-14T16:35:00.008-05:00

My baby is growing so much! Next Friday he will be three months old! I love him so much more everyday. He's recently started sucking his thumb and its really cute :)

We're going on our first family trip (well, first trip that isn't visiting family) in December. I'm really excited! We're going to Nashville, TN. Really looking forward to it!

2009-09-19T18:27:00.002-05:00

I love lazy Saturdays. It's so nice to have my husband home all day, and especially now that Evan is getting older. Today we are just hanging out, watching football. He made breakfast this morning-eggs and heart shaped biscuits :) He prob wouldn't have made them heart shaped except that's the only cookie cutter we have! It's just been a nice day so far, and I really appreciate being able to spend time like this just enjoying my family. I can't believe it's already 630...the days seem to go by so fast now!

Evan

2009-08-20T08:53:00.002-05:00

So it's been three weeks since Evan was born...the weeks have gone by fast, but the days are pretty long. I can definitely tell he's growing though,and that's awesome. I love him now, but am looking forward to when he can smile and interact more. I'm so excited because Brian has to go to Orlando for work for a couple days, so I'll get to be there for a little over a week!! AND it's my birthday next Friday and my mom is going to watch Evan while Brian and I go out to dinner on Saturday! I can't wait...it's been 3 weeks since we've been anywhere just the two of us, it will be nice to have a break. Plus I get to introduce Evan to everyone, besides my parents my family hasn't met him yet!

my little munchkin

2009-07-06T21:41:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's July already! The countdown is definitely on...I really am excited to meet my little baby! This past weekend was fun, Brian and I spent one last weekend in Orlando before the baby arrives. Now its just a waiting game mostly. I go to the doctor's again tomorrow and find out, well, probably nothing new honestly. I really can't believe that in less than a month we'll have a little baby!

glasses

2009-05-16T21:29:00.002-05:00

I picked up my new glasses today. They're brown on top and silver on the bottom...I like them. Plus it's nice to be able to see again :) (my dog broke my other glasses, although I needed a prescription update anyways). What do you think?

2009-05-14T14:49:00.004-05:00

I finally went to the eye doctor and got new glasses and am picking them up Saturday. I picked out different ones than I've had before...hope I still like them! Definitely overdue for this appointment though :)

Next weekend we're getting a new car! Okay, it's a used car (Brian refuses to buy new) and we're getting a great deal through his dads connection at the dealership. It's a 2005 Ford Escape and I think it's really cute. It'll be nice having two cars again! His parents are driving it up from Port Charlotte next weekend.

Brian's mom also mailed me some cute maternity shirts and a pair of shorts...so sweet! I've really only bought a few pieces here and there between what I've been able to get from Heather and what others have given me :) Definitely a blessing!

That's about it for now...just looking forward to next week! One week from today we leave for Orlando :)

Baby Furniture

2009-05-02T10:15:00.006-05:00

I love Target! The baby furniture that I wanted is on sale this week, so we decided to go ahead and get it. The crib is on sale for $199 (normally 250) and the changing table is on sale for $99 (normally 129). Plus I found a glider and ottoman at Target online for $139, 15% off. We had $80 dollars in giftcards, so we were able to get the glider and ottoman for $75 shipped!! Basically, all told we got everything we need for less than $400!! I'd like to get the matching dresser if possible,but,if we don't have the money for it, I'm perfectly happy with what we do have. The pictures are of the crib (it's convertible too, so will be used for a long time) and the glider. The changing table is in the stores, but not online, so no pictures of it. It's nice to finally have the furniture! Now I can work on getting the nursery set up, although don't expect anything too spectacular.

traveling

2009-04-17T15:57:00.001-05:00

We're on our way to Port Charlotte...should be there sometime between 11 and midnight. Thankfully Brian was able to get Monday off so we will actually get two whole days there! I'm looking forward to my first baby shower/party too :) It will be nice to see Brians family too...we haven't seen them since Christmas! Yeah, should be a fun weekend!

2009-04-11T13:12:00.006-05:00

We were out this morning and stopped so I could get some McDonald's coffee. When we got home, my dog found the empty coffee cup on the coffee table and sneakily claimed it. After prying off the lid, she quickly licked any remaining drops out of the cup.I thought it was really funny. Much to her dismay, I had to take away her new "toy" when she decided to start eating the cup.

New Layout

2009-03-26T11:26:00.002-05:00

What do you think? Got tired of the boring layout, and found this one that I thought was cute.

Yesterday I got a sweet surprise...a package from Brian's grandmother with clothes for the baby. A few sleepers, some cute onesies,pants, a hooded towel and sweet teddy bear. All the clothes were Carter's brand. I think Carter's is my favorite...their clothes are just so cute and you can get them pretty cheap at TJ Maxx or Ross.

Not a whole lot of exciting things going on right now. I feel kind of like I'm just waiting for my baby to get here...I know things will get busy then! We're trying to figure out a time in April when we can go to Port Charlotte, but Brian's not sure when or if he'll have to go on a trip for work that month, so it's proving a little difficult. We'll figure something out though.

Diaper Bag

2009-03-20T14:26:00.003-05:00

I love my diaper bag! I saw it back when I first found out I was pregnant at BabyGap, but couldn't justify spending $69 dollars on it. Then the other day I realized I had a 30% off coupon, and Brian's aunt sent me $50 with a note to buy maternity clothes or a diaper bag! It worked out perfect! The material is a thick linen material, and I especially love it because I can use it as an overnight bag or carry on bag after a diaper bag is no longer necessary. Bonus :)

2009-03-08T16:09:00.006-05:00

Yesterday we went to Olive Garden for soup and salad and stopped by Target to pick a few things up. Since basically anytime we want to go anywhere we have to go to Destin, we decided to hang out at the beach for awhile. I really love the beaches up here...the sand is powdery white and the ocean is clear. It was too cold to go swimming, but it was nice relaxing for awhile. Brian played with the fancy camera we got recently, and I just used my point and shoot.
My delicious fruit snack that I ate on the beach...raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, and on the bottom blueberries. Yummy.

The setup for a wedding we saw on the beach while we were there. It was really pretty!

Our beautiful beach!

Fun baby stuff

2009-02-27T16:06:00.003-05:00

I was just messing around on the Internet today, and found this site where you can upload your photo and another person's photo and it produces a picture of what your baby will supposedly look like. Of course I know it's not real, but it was fun nonetheless. Here's apparently what my baby will look like (in a duck costume):

I also found this quiz online that is supposed to figure out what color eyes your kids will have. I found out that our baby will most likely have green eyes (76%) or blue eyes (24%) and zero chance of brown. I hope thats true, because I hoping that our baby would have pretty eyes (even though I know it's up to God and I would love our brown-eyed boy just as much!).

We decided on the name Evan for our baby. I've always been big into name meanings, and it means both "God is Gracious" or "young warrior". Middle name Andrew, which means "man, warrior".

Vaccinations

2009-02-25T22:04:00.002-05:00

I am currently reading all the information I can about Vaccines. My mom turned me on to the subject today, and just from what I've read so far, I am hesitant to give them to my baby. I find it interesting that they did a study and the majority of people who chose not to get their baby vaccinated were married, with college degrees and access to the most information about vaccines. I've always hated the vaccine commercials on tv...ALL of them are designed to scare you into doing something, including getting vaccinated for an STD. The HPV vaccine doesn't protect against cervical cancer, but rather an STD. And their commercials make it seem like you hate your daughter if you aren't getting them vaccinated against this. How about teaching them to wait til they're married to have sex, like God wants? When Andrew was starting middle school, they started mandating kids get a HepB vaccine. My mother objected on "religious reasons". Now they are giving this to kids at birth. A disease that is contracted by promiscuity, and drug use. I don't think my newborn baby has to worry about this. I am not anti-medicine. I do believe homeopathy works (most of the time better than "normal" medicine) because I have experienced it for myself. I myself was vaccinated because my mom was taught, as a nurse, it's what you do. But now she doesn't believe in them. And I don't think I do either. A doctor will say that it's safer, but they don't really have the proof. And they get money for vaccinating. So I'm pretty sure I'm not going to vaccinate...I just can't see the benefit of doing such, besides that its popular with the medical profession. And who cares whats popular as long as its right?

Baby Boy Doyal

2009-02-12T21:49:00.004-05:00

Brian and I found out last week that we are expecting our first little one....THEN we found out we had been for awhile. I got my first ultrasound wednesday, and it turns out I'm 17 weeks pregnant, and due at the end of July, July 22nd!! Wow. Since it was a surprise and not planned there are several reasons I didn't know at first, including being on birth control. So on my first ultrasound I also found out its a boy, and we're thrilled. Thankfully, he appears healthy as far as we can tell right now...I'm so excited!! Here's a few of the pictures they took of our little guy :)

2009-01-27T23:52:00.002-05:00

It's been forever since I've written on here. Even so, not too much to report. My life is a little boring I feel, but it's a good life so I'm not complaining. Brian is in California this week for work. It's his second business trip, but hopefully there won't be any more for awhile. I don't like it when he's gone! He comes home on Friday, and it can't get here soon enough. This weekend we're going to a movie (we want to see Taken), and Sunday we're trying out a new church and of course watching the Super Bowl. I'm really hoping this church works out...finding a church family can actually be kind of difficult (especially when you don't know anyone to recommend a church). But I suppose it's all about perseverance! I'm really looking forward to going though. Should be a good weekend :)

Disgusting...

2008-11-07T18:20:00.003-05:00

I know the election is over, and this is not about that. This is my outrage at this teacher. I wonder how often this happens. I know my sister had a "political" debate in her classroom that I am sure was not at all like this. I myself am fortunate to have gone through the public education system and not had any experiences like this. In actuality, (and maybe I was just lucky, I don't know) I remember each of my teachers as being neutral on topics such as politics. I don't want my kids indoctrinated by anyone, including myself. I want them to be able to weigh both sides of an issue and form their own beliefs. This just infuriates me. And it's not because she's an Obama fan. Even if she were in line with what I believed, belittling children and telling them what is right is preposterous. And she says she's not "brow beating" the children. Wow. Also, one of the first things I thought when I saw this was, "Wow, she does not even speak properly!". Homeschooling isn't sounding so bad!

It makes me sad that people can not believe what they believe without trying to imply others are stupid for not believing. I do feel pretty strongly about my political beliefs, but I would not go so far as to call others dumb, ignorant or even insult the man who is about to be our President. In my family, people have vastly different beliefs politically, yet we get along very well. Although I can not say that Barack Obama is my favorite person, he is my President (or will be anyways) and I will not disrespect him. For this reason, I like Glenn Beck. Although he is "conservative", he understands that Mr.Obama needs to be respected. And Obama has even earned some points for wanting a playoff system in College football. Hey, we agree on something! And really, when you search long enough, there will always be some things that you have in common with someone.

Does anyone else find this teacher repulsive? What do my school teachers think?

Have a great Friday night!!

How stinkin cute!

2008-11-03T09:53:00.003-05:00

No matter how you feel about each of the candidates, these are adorable! I love the Sarah Palin one! They are bidding on ebay right now (the Sarah one is currently at 9800!) for the Toys for tots Charity!

Everyone looks good as a cabbage patch doll! :)

Wedding Weekend

2008-10-20T09:10:00.004-05:00

Brian and I drove down to Port Charlotte this weekend for his sister Natalie's wedding. It was a fun and busy weekend! It made me even more excited for Andrew and Erin's wedding a little more than a month away (less than a month til I go to Orlando!)
Natalie looked beautiful, and it was a really fun wedding! The weekend flew by and I'm a little bit sad that it is over. Now on to the next wedding!

Sad

2008-10-09T13:42:00.002-05:00

I feel like life is going on without me. My life back in Orlando...I see everyone hanging out with each other, pictures of my niece, talk on the phone with people. I feel like everyone's just going on and I can't join in. I don't expect everyone to stop living...I guess I'm just jealous that they are there and I am not. I feel like everyone is going to get closer together, that my niece won't know me but will know others better. I'm not complaining, it's just hard. I like my house, I like where I live, it's the other stuff that I miss. I feel like it's not fair everyone gets to hang out, and I'm up here. I hope I'm not having a bad attitude, I don't mean to. I really miss everyone, and it hurts. I trust God to get me through this, I know He can. I'm just sad.

A few pictures

2008-10-01T20:33:00.005-05:00

Okay, we're still working on getting everything set up, but I thought I'd share a few pics for now...

The outside of our house

A shot of our Neighborhood

Our back patio with the new grill

A view from the back yard

Our laundry room with our "new" washer and dryer (bought off craigslist)and also the 1/2 bath downstairs

Our kitchen

Another view of our kitchen

Our living room

Dining Room

Computer desk...those frames hold the articles of freedom (copies of the Constitution,Declaration,and Bill of Rights we picked up in DC)

More to come, including pics of the upstairs.

New Home

2008-09-24T19:27:00.002-05:00

I love it! The house, the weather here, everything! Of course, it'd be perfect if everyone from Orlando lived here too, but I guess you can't always have everything you want :( Brian was finally able to buy a grill (we weren't allowed at the apartment) so he's ecstatic (that and being able to wash the car in the driveway...which he's doing now). Our place is pretty much set, it's just getting things organized now and adding some decorative touches. I'll put some pictures up once I get a chance. Just a quick update for now...gotta go finish making dinner! Have a wonderful night!

fireproof

2008-09-10T06:53:00.002-05:00

I just found out about this movie, and am really excited about it! It's by the same people who made "Facing the Giants" and it looks really good. I was excited to find out it's going to be playing in Destin :)

Moving

2008-09-03T21:52:00.002-05:00

Brian and I decided that this opportunity was too good to pass up, so we're moving up to the panhandle! Though of course we'll miss everyone here, we won't be too far away! :)

We are working on getting things packed and ready to go...we're moving on the 20th of this month! We found a cute 3bd/2.5 bth townhouse for a fantastic price! I'm really excited to be in a new place....it's definitely going to be an adventure!

DC

2008-08-30T16:14:00.003-05:00

Wow, DC has been amazing so far! Here is just a sample of pics we've taken so far...It's really cool to be here during an election year. Makes you realize the importance of voting :) I love all the history here! (not to mention the city itself is beautiful)

To move or not to move...

2008-08-18T18:36:00.006-05:00

that is the question on Brian and I's minds right now. It's hard to leave behind everything and everybody that you love and go somewhere else. But it's cool to live somewhere different for a change as well. We'll be more well informed once he talks with the company again this week....should we move, ANYONE will be welcome to visit. Hey, it's a free place to stay near Florida's "best beaches" :)

These are some pictures from this weekend...the ones of the townhouse is where we'd probably end up living if we moved up there.

Like I said, we'll know more later this week. Either way, it was an enjoyable weekend!

Jobs

2008-07-11T19:22:00.009-05:00

So, Brian's been looking for a job over in Orlando....and he actually got a call back from General Dynamics. Only it is for a job in Niceville. As in the panhandle. Wow. We're going to visit up there the weekend of the 22nd of August....the idea of living 6 hours away from my family and friends is strange, but we're at least checking out the area and seeing what the job has to offer. The beaches there are supposed to be some of the nicest in the country so it can't be all bad. I don't know if I want to move that far away though now that Heather and Nick are in orlando...their house is looking beautiful by the way. They've been working real hard on it...the whole house has dark hard wood floors...so nice! When everything is all done, it's going to be gorgeous!

Brian surprised me last night...I saw this dress I really liked and he bought it for me :) He's so sweet!

(the dress is actually from banana republic, but he bought it on ebay for half price!)

Tomorrow I get to babysit Isabella while Heather works on the house :) yay!

2008-07-06T21:02:00.002-05:00

This weekend was nice and relaxing! On Friday we hung out with family and friends for awhile and grilled out. Then we went to see fireworks at Lake Eola...SO much fun! Andrew's friend Preston's dad is a developer involved with the Paramount downtown. We all got to watch the fireworks from the 15th floor of that building! It was definitely the coolest fireworks show ever, and afterwards we got to hang out at the after party on the 5th floor pool level. Saturday Brian and I hung out at my parent's house til the evening when we joined his parents, sister and her fiance at her apt. Then today was church and hanging out, even a little swim. On a side note, I love ebay! I bought a 140 dollar ann taylor dress for 40! and a 130 dollar banana republic dress for 34! :)

Oh yeah, and saturday was Brian and I's six month anniversary...time sure flies!

Olivia

2008-06-21T19:05:00.002-05:00

We got our new puppy this past weekend....she's so sweet! Although its definitely going to be work training her, she's been a great addition to our family so far :)

Our wedding album is finished...our photographer did a great job!! If you want to see it, check it out here:

http://www.dansenistudios.com/katiealbum

random pics

2008-06-18T07:42:00.005-05:00

Birthday

2008-06-15T12:31:00.004-05:00

This year I turn 25, which is one of the more "monumental" birthdays. I'm so excited...Brian and I are going to Washington DC for a long weekend and staying at the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Ave. It's going to be so much fun; I haven't been to DC since I was young. We fly up Friday and come home Monday night. Definitely looking forward to it :)

2008-05-21T19:23:00.004-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted....just been busy, plus I don't really feel like I have anything to write about. I get to bring my puppy home in 17 days :) I'm super excited about that! Things are going very well for us, just routine I guess. Though I am completely appreciative of routine. It's been just about a year since Brian left for OCS and this summer is going to be a million times better than last year. I know there are couples who are separated for a lot longer, and go through much worse, but it was not a fun time for me at all. It did, however, teach me a lot to never take being able to see Brian everyday and to trust God completely. I am so thankful every time I wake up and see Brian next to me! God has been so good to us both, and I try to remember that everyday.

new pics

2008-05-15T21:11:00.002-05:00

of Olivia (yeah, that's the name Brian and I picked for her)...I can't wait to bring her home :)

2008-05-09T12:21:00.006-05:00

I received my "economic stimulus" money in my bank account yesterday. Being the good citizen I am, I decided that half will be saved, and half will be spent. That way I'm doing my part to help the economy, but also helping myself with the savings. At first I'm thinking I'm going to treat myself and buy something that I would NEVER buy normally. So here's what I wanted to get:

It would cost $328!! However, the more I thought about it, I couldn't bring myself to spend that much on a bag, even if it does have a cute scarf bow. So instead, I decided on a mini shopping spree. Boy did I make the right choice! I have only spent $50 of my $300 but with the I bought 4 pairs of sandals (at Payless). I am pretty good about buying things on sale, and each of these shoes was under $17 and they're fun (most of what I have now is black, brown, or white). Can you believe that one purse can cost more that 4 pairs of shoes? Plus, I can go to TJ Maxx or Marshalls and get totally cute, name brand bags for $20 or less!! (I love TJ Maxx and Marshalls!) However, I still might buy a fun purse that's not on sale and go with this:

Still not something I would normally buy, but totally more fun and much more reasonable at $60. I just can't believe I would even think about spending that much on a purse when I can get so much more for less money!! So that's my "stimulus" story...anyone want to share what their plans are with their "bonus" money?

2008-05-07T10:30:00.002-05:00

In very exciting news, Brian and I have decided it's time for a little addition to our family! Only this will be the four-legged kind. :) I have always been an animal lover, in particular dogs, and I've picked out this little baby:

She won't be ready until June 21st, but that gives us time to get ready for her! I'm SO excited!!! In the meantime, name suggestions would be appreciated. I have a couple in mind but am open to suggestions too. She was born April 26th. I can't wait til we can bring her home!!

Goings-on

2008-04-28T21:38:00.001-05:00

Brian traded his 2004 Explorer for this, an 03 Mustang Mach1. He's wanted to have a Mustang for a long time, and he's so excited about it! I'm glad he's got a car that he loves and it actually gets better gas mileage than the Explorer.

I went in to work yesterday, which is unusual, but now I'll have a three day weekend. Brian's taking a half day Friday and we're staying at the Renaissance by SeaWorld Friday and Saturday nights. We'll go to SeaWorld and probably try out Aquatica, their new water park. It'll be a nice mini vacation! :)

2008-04-15T19:54:00.003-05:00

Say hi to Isabella :) Can't wait to see her this weekend!!!

2008-04-15T06:58:00.001-05:00

Heather's water broke!!!:)

So excited to see little Isabella Gentile!

2008-04-13T15:48:00.004-05:00

Weekends always go by way too fast! This was a pleasant one...Friday night Brian and I went to TGI Fridays and saw Leatherheads. It was alright, but not as good as I was hoping. Saturday consisted of washing my car, cleaning up the apartment, and then I went to a girls night with at one of my friend's house where we made pancakes and talked and watched Enchanted.

Today has been a cloudy, rainy and suprisingly cool day so after church and soup/salad at Olive Garden, we went to the mall so Brian could get fitted for a tux for a wedding he's in in May. While he was doing that, I found two dresses on sale that I loved:

(I couldn't find a picture of the green one online...so I took my own) Very good weekend. Now Brian's playing his XBox next to me, and I'm about to start dinner...have a great night!

2008-04-08T12:03:00.004-05:00

Little Isabella Gentile will be here soon :) Yay!

My Future

2008-04-06T21:02:00.006-05:00

I feel that God has been calling me to the education field. Here's why: I haven't been feeling like this is where He wants me to be. So I've actually been thinking I should make the switch towards education, but of course it's easier to stay with the way things are so I haven't done anything about it. Until now. Last Monday my aunt was visiting and she said 'Why is she not a teacher? She needs to be a teacher instead of working at the Marriott!'. Then, while we were at a surprise dinner party for my mother in law's birthday, I was talking to one of the guests and he said 'I could so see you as elementary school teacher. You would be a fantastic teacher'. After that, I knew God was speaking to me through these people, telling me to get my butt in gear. I'm a little nervous, but I'm definitely starting the process. I'm actually more excited than nervous. Being a teacher also happens to be the perfect job for when you have kids. Because once they reach school age, you have the same hours as them. I was talking to Brian about it, and he's been extremely supportive. I was worried that it was too late but Brian keeps reminding me I'm only 24. He says I need to stop living by other people's timeline and live by my own. Which is so true. So, I'm starting a new adventure soon...right now it's in the early stages (gathering information, etc.) I have to keep reminding myself "The mind of man plans his way,But the LORD directs his steps" (prov. 16:9) I really feel the Lord is directing me this way, instead of how I planned it out!

My New Car!!!

2008-03-28T00:25:00.000-05:00

Brian and I drove down to West Palm Beach today and bought this car :) I love it!! I just didn't want to write about it because it was the only one they had and I didn't want it to be sold when we got there. I seriously want to drive everywhere now, I can't believe its really mine to drive! Now I am going to bed because I've been up for almost a whole day!

weekend plans

2008-03-26T19:02:00.002-05:00

Brian and I are driving to West Palm this weekend to have, as Nick put it, a "last hurrah". There's another reason we're going too, but that will be revealed later on (I'm SO excited about it though...I don't want to 'jinx' it or anything, so you'll find out after it happens). Anyways, it'll be a great weekend and the last time we're down there before Isabella comes!

EARLY morning

2008-03-09T17:56:00.006-05:00

Seeing as how we live 10 miles from KSC, we decided to get up at 2:30 am (yes AM) to watch the space shuttle this morning. It was awesome, though very short lived with how cloudy it was out. We only got one picture and a blurry one at that (hey we had just woken up and it was 230 in the morning!) but I'm still glad we got up. Enjoy our little picture (the whole sky lit up like sunrise or an explosion) and hope you have a great night! I'll be watching American Idol....go Dave Cook and Brooke White! :)

2008-03-06T00:08:00.000-05:00

We've been married two months as of yesterday! :) This is the year of weddings apparently...My own at the beginning, Megan's was a couple weeks ago, Andrew's is towards the end of the year, Brian's sister Natalie sometime this year, Brian's in a wedding of a school friend in May, and Brian's friend Chris is getting engaged soon and probably married this year!! Wow, so many weddings this year :) I guess it's always like this, I've just never known so many people getting married in a year. Oh and two babies will be born in my family...Heather's and my cousin Cassie's. Busy year!

And speaking of babies,only about 6 weeks or so until little Isabella arrives...I'm so excited!

Life is good

2008-02-21T10:25:00.008-05:00

Life is going great right now...we're pretty much adjusted to our routine now. Our place is really coming along :) Want to see?

Happy Valentines Day!

2008-02-14T19:20:00.002-05:00

I got a great present....my wedding pictures! There are 1002 pictures, really 2004 because I got each pic in color and black and white!! wow...

I miss this place

2008-02-12T16:34:00.000-05:00

Random...and Fun!

2008-01-30T08:56:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Jessica awhile ago to do this, so I'm finally getting around to it...

Here are the rules:

*The rules are to link the person who sent this to you...and leave a comment on their blog.. so their readers can visit yours.
*post the rules on your blog
*Share 7 strange/weird facts about you on your blog
*Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog
*Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blog...

1. I yell at the TV when my teams are playing. Like I go crazy....I am so emotionally involved in sports (particularly football) it's ridiculous :)

2. I purposely set the alarm for at least 10 minutes before I have to wake up. And then ask Brian for 'one more five more minutes' twice. I find it impossible to get straight out of bed, at least when I don't want to.

3. I think I am part amphibian....as in cold blooded. I don't know why I get cold so easily, but I love being warm....which explains my affinity to hot tubs, hot showers, the sun, and blankets.

4. I genuinely like every genre of music. Some better than others, but I just love music, and can find something in every category that I like.

5. I prefer fruit/and or extra servings of "real" food to dessert any day.

6. I love shopping, but in particular buying jeans.In fact, almost every time I go somewhere, I feel like I need to buy jeans. Usually, the thought will be "sure, I have jeans already, but not ones like these"....and even though I love jeans, my favorite thing to wear is a dress :)

7. I love to organize. I like when everything looks like it belongs where it is. And vacuuming.

I am really looking forward to this weekend....Brian and I are going to SeaWorld
(we love that place...and you pay once and get to go all year long!) and spending the night at the J.W. Marriott.

My discount gets us into the JW for $79!! I haven't really used my discount that often previously because, well, I didn't have anyone to stay with. Now we're definitely taking advantage of it. In May we have a room at the Hutchinson Island Marriott for $99 per night!

And I'm looking at booking a trip to this JW Marriott in Arizona for our one year anniversary...again, they have it available for $79!! :) I love traveling, and it's great to be able to stay at REALLY nice places for a great price!

Cancun

2008-01-07T20:16:00.000-05:00

We're back! It was simply amazing, but it also feels great to be home!

Here's a few of the hundreds of pictures taken:)

End of the Year

2007-12-31T12:07:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow begins a new year, one where I will start a life together with my new husband!!

God is so good to me!

It will be a happy new year indeed!

2007-12-27T13:38:00.000-05:00

So much has been going on lately it's insane! Between moving, christmas and wedding planning, I'm going to be so glad when it's all over and I'm relaxing on the beach!!

Obviously I'm looking forward to the honeymoon even more than the wedding! I started to get stressed out over the wedding, but then I realized it'll all work out and regardless its going to be a lot of fun! :)

I love our new place...it's really starting to come along now! I'll put pictures up soon. I just can't wait til our dining room table gets delivered (it's been delayed til the 15th of Jan).

That's about it right now...staying busy trying to get everything done...only 9 more days!!

new apartment

2007-12-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

so far...still a lot to do, but we've got a good head start! These are just pictures of our living room...sofa/loveseat got delivered today and the tree still needs fixing up, but I'm so excited about everything! :)

Can't wait

2007-12-06T09:45:00.000-05:00

To move into our new place on monday! A few other new additions:

Coffee table

Tv Stand

to hold our new tv :)

We're really not going spending crazy...just getting things we need, plus a nice tv which we always said we'd get once we got married. It's a Philips with ambilight, which I love. I just like lights:)Anyways, time for bed (busy day tomorrow!) I can't believe the wedding is so soon! Hopefully I get more rsvps soon, there's still a bunch missing!

furniture

2007-11-28T11:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Brian and I went to American Signature Furniture and bought this dining room table and sofa and loveseat! (Only our sofa and loveseat are green) I'm so excited :) I can't wait to move on Dec 10th!

Our place

2007-11-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

Brian and I found a place to live...and today we're going furniture shopping! I'm so excited!

Wonderful Weekend

2007-11-19T09:07:00.000-05:00

The best weekend I've had in a long time. Saturday Brian and I went to First watch for breakfast, and then spent a beautiful day at the Magic Kingdom! It was so much fun :) Today, Brian has a job interview at 10 at a place in titusville. I'm praying it goes well!! It would be so nice to be able to have that settled, and find a place to live :) Hopefully I'll find out good news...

can it just be the 14th already?

2007-11-08T11:52:00.001-05:00

Brian is coming in on the 14th for two weeks!!! I seriously can't wait!! I feel like it's taking so long for a week to pass....I can't believe I get to see him in 6 days :)

honeymoon

2007-10-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

Sweet Stuff

2007-10-16T11:49:00.000-05:00

The cake I picked out (minus the silk flowers)

One of the things I'm most looking forward to at my reception!

Planning, Planning, Planning

2007-10-09T18:22:00.000-05:00

I can't wait to have everything together! I ordered my invitations yesterday! :) And I just bought the plane tickets for the honeymoon!!! Here's my list so far:

COMPLETED:
-reception site
-ceremony site
-wedding officiant--thanks Nick :)
-photographer booked
-DJ reserved
-tuxes
-Ceremony decorations decided
-centerpieces picked out
-bridesmaids dresses
-menu decided
-honeymoon booked, plane tickets bought
-invitations ordered

TO DO:
-finish buying centerpieces and decorations
-decide on ceremony/reception music
-cake
-chocolate fountain
-a few other little details

Only 86 days to go!

The end...and the beginning!

2007-10-08T06:58:00.000-05:00

So, the ortho doctor NPQ'd Brian on Friday!! It was such a relief to have him one step closer to coming home! Now he's in what's called student pool, where things are much more relaxed. He gets to have his cell with him, and he works in the office from 7:45-3:45. Unfortunately, it still could be awhile before he gets out (maybe 2 months). Things are definitely getting better! I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us...Brian found a possible job opportunity, one that actually interests him, so we'll see how that goes! I am so excited about all the possiblities the future holds :) I know God is working out His plan for our lives...and it's going to be great! Especially once I have Brian home for good :)

2007-10-05T09:03:00.000-05:00

In one hour, Brian goes back to the Orthopedic dr....hopefully, to get NPQ'd. I can not wait to get a phone call from him!! I am praying non stop that he will be able to come home soon!

Anticipation

2007-09-30T20:44:00.000-05:00

Now that I'm fairly confident Brian will be getting out, it's just a matter of waiting. Which I'm pretty much an expert at :) Now I'm going to buckle down and get everything planned:) The wedding will be so worth it. I told Brian that it's really cool to get married on January 5th after a difficult year. It will be so amazing to start our new life together at the beginning of a new year! Brian turned 22 last thursday...poor guy had his birthday at that place. It will make next year's birthday even sweeter! This weekend, Kelley and I drove down to west palm to hang out with heather and nick. It was a relaxing weekend filled with shopping,laughing and the office. Speaking of which, the new episode last week promises another great season!

Good News

2007-09-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

Gods word says 'Like cold water to a weary soul,So is good news from a distant land'.
I can certainly testify to that!! I got a short 10 minute call from Brian today. He had his appt with the neurosurgeon today, who told him that surgery was the only thing that would make his back better. Also, he said Brian definitely should not run, instead if he wants to do aerobic exercise he should swim or ride a bike (which fits with what Brian was able to do). I realize this might not sound like good news, but it basically confirms that Brian can't do the OCS program. He's going to talk to the medical liason on Monday about what happens now. God is SO good to me! I can't believe he could be coming home soon!!!

ironic

2007-09-19T07:30:00.001-05:00

So we're back to our original date of January 5,2008. :) How funny is that! Brian said that it works perfect though because even if he's not home by then (which he should be!) OCS christmas break extends through that date. So, I already have everything switched over, just waiting to hear from the DJ and the Photographer.