the caterpillar

Thumbprint Guest Book Tree.

2011-12-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

I am so bad! I just went through my drafts in my blog, and found so many posts that I didn't quite finish and SHOULD have posted! Now, they are so 'out of date' I will spare you. BUT, I do want to share this....now remember, this is an OLD post.

Written before our wedding in July

I am sooooo excited about our guestbook! We are not doing your traditional "sign on the line" type of book!

We are doing this!

This poster will be laying on the table for guests to come "Leaf their thumbprint"! How cool is that! Everyone will use the green ink pads, print their thumbs, then sign by their print! I can not wait to have this hanging on my wall forever.

If any of you are in the market, check out GreyDogDesigns on Etsy. She is so great and very helpful! Thanks for all your help!

Now, here I am in DEC posting this blog...

I wanted to show you how cool this turned out! I absolutely love it. We have it hanging in our hallway right outside of the guest bathroom. When friends come over who were at our wedding, they LOVE to stop and find their signature on it :)

Pual leaving his mark :)

This is it hanging in our house :)

LOVE!

Trip to Montreal for my 30th!!

2011-12-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

Back on 11/12/11 I turned the big three-o! Sean and I decided back in August that it would be a lot of fun to go somewhere different. We landed on the idea of Montreal. Boy was it COLD...but we couldn't have picked a more perfect place to go. It is an amazing city. We want to make a trip back during the Spring or Summer months.

We were lucky to have some special family and friends join us on our little getaway! My brother Shawn and his wife Anastasia. This was a big deal for them to go away! They have a 10 month old and this was their first trip away from the buddy! Also, Dean and Karime. They are friends of Sean's who live in Hamilton, Canada. And lastly...Alex and Tam. They are a couple Sean and I met a few years ago when traveling to Turks and Caicos. They gave us their email and told us if we ever come to Montreal to give them a shout! We did and we had a great time seeing them again :) It isn't always easy finding people you travel "well" with. I think we validated we are all good travel partners on this trip!

Here are some of the photos from our trip!

Waiting on our shuttle in long term parking at DFW

Cheers to our first night in Montreal!

Trying to understand french!

Poutine! (french fries, cheese, and gravy)

It was SOOOO cold!

Check out that 'feels like' temp!

Warming up with cafe au lait

Old Montreal

Nothing like Bailey's in the hotel room after closing a Real Estate deal! YAY Hubs!

My new favorite. A Bloody Ceasar (like a bloody mary w/ clam juice --not it doesn't taste fishy or like clams!)

Friends Dean and Karime who met us in Montreal.

Mustard!!! and a LOT of it!

Night cap :)

China Town

Eggs Benedict. My favorite!

Brother Shawn and Anastasia eating a delicious treat.

Government building. Awesome!

Out REALLY celebrating my 30!
Dean, Me, Tam, Sean, Alex, Brother Shawn

My sis-n-law + me + Karime

Little french restaurant

Love this. Picture doesn't do it justice.

That's right. Mojitos at 3am.
Tam, Sean, Alex, Me

Eating my 'Happy Pork Chop"

Brother Shawn ready for his duck in a can!

Our hotel! Place d'Armes

Thanks to everyone who came. You truly made my 30th birthday :)

Wedding Video Highlight!

2011-12-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

Ooooooh, the day finally came! Monday night, around 9pm while I was waiting on Sean to get home from a work event, I was laying on the couch watching TV. My phone lit up and when I saw the message I about died! It was from Sarah, at PenWeddings! Our video highlight was officially posted! I was soooooo excited. I thought for a moment I should wait to watch it with my husband for the first time, but I couldn't stop myself. I was already running into the computer room to watch! (O'well, at least I had the nice thought to wait :) ) He didn't care b/c he knows how anxiously I have been waiting for it! Anyway....I watched it and before the last few seconds were over, I was dialing my parents! I didn't really care if my mom was asleep (selfish, I know, ha!) but I had to share it with someone! So then I watched it again with them on the phone and we were all just dying laughing. About 10 minutes later, Sean came home! I think we watched it up until about midnight, to where we switched to the bed, and watched it again on our iPhones, ha!

I could not be more excited about this video. There is no doubt in my mind it truly captures the feeling and excitement of July 3, 2011. Now I am sitting, anxiously awaiting for the full DVD version to come to me in the mail. My Christmas wish this year is to have those DVDs in time for Christmas, when my family will all be together again on the mountain in AR. I. CAN'T. WAIT.

If you haven't already seen it, here's the video! Please enjoy :)
And lastly, BIG SHOUT OUT TO PenWeddings! THANKS SOOOOOO MUCH! You made our wedding day come back to life in this film.

Catherine + Sean | Mildred B. Cooper Chapel Wedding Film from Sarah Pendergraft on Vimeo.

LSU vs. Auburn - 10.22.11

2011-11-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

2 weekends ago, my family took our annual trip down to Baton Rouge for a big SEC game!

Sean and I woke up eaaaaaaarly Friday morning to make it alllllll the way to BR in time for dinner!
My parent's drove to Shreveport on Thursday night, so when we hit Shreveport on Friday, we met at a gas station off the interstate and caravanned the rest of the way down! Sadly, my brother Adam wasn't able to make it this year. He was missed and it definitely wasn't the same w/o him. Next year, brother!

So....back to the caravan (I am SO BUMMED I didn't get a picture (or video) of this moment), but when my parent's pulled up to greet us, they had the windows down and were blaring the LSU Fight Song with Tiger Puppet on the dash (Tiger Puppet: a stuffed LSU tiger puppet my mom found at a flea market that plays the fight song!)! We had to get to BR in time to pick up the other brother, Shawn, at the airport by 4pm. We couldn't pass through Lecompte, LA w/o stopping for a ham sandwich and a piece of pie! YUMMM-Y! The remainder of the drive was spent HeyTelling back and forth on the back roads of south Louisiana, discussing how nice it would be to live such a simple life on a sugarcane farm.

We made it BR just in time to get Shawn, RIGHT on time actually :) That evening, we all went to Parrains for dinner. It was myself, Sean, Shawn, my parents, my Uncle Jim and Suzanne.

The rest of the weekend, I can recap in pictures....

Sean + Me

Me + My Momma

The crew: my Dad, my Mom, Suzanne, Uncle Jim, Shawn, Sean, Me

Oh my GOSH the food was soooo good there. My mom and I split a meal and still had leftovers. Dinner was over around 8, and everyone was ready for bed. Well, everyone except for myself + my 2 favorite S's (husband Sean and brother Shawn)! You see, everyone else was staying in a pretty nice HOTEL, while the 3 of us decided to save money and stay in a not so nice MOTEL. On our way home from the restaurant, the thought of hanging out in our motel room didn't sound so appealing. Not when New Orleans is only 1 hour away! Who wouldn't want to head out of town...at least for a few hours. We could go and be back by midnight (cough. cough.)! DONE! We went upstairs, got ready and met back at the car within 10 mins ready to GEAUX!

On our way down, brother Shawn and I jumped on our phones and immediately started contacting anyone we knew living in the NoLA area! We had great success finding out where to go.

The Superdome all lit up! Loved the purple lights!

We went to Maple Leaf Bar in Uptown for some local Funk/Jazz. We found it, and loved every minute of it!

Flow Tribe - amazingly funky!

Me w/ Brother Shawn

My friend Becca is a local NoLA artist and I hadn't seen her in years! We roomed together in college while in Paris. She was out on Frenchman Street, so after lots of dancing, we decided if we were going to do this right, we had to switch locations. Off we went....The Spotted Cat was next up, in the Quarter. (side note: it is now approaching 2am...who said anything about being home by 12am?).

Nothin' better than live New Orlans jazz

Becca + Cat (only she was dressed as the cat. A WhoDat Cat to be exact!

After much convincing, I finally convinced the boys it was time to GO! It was 3 and we had to be at the tailgating spot at 9 and we still had an hour drive home! We said our goodbyes and off we went. Thank goodness for Shawn + Sean's love for Radiohead b/c that is what got us home! We made it around 4am. We were picking up my Mom and Suzanne at their hotel at 9.

OH...another side note: we decided not to mention on Friday night we were heading to New Orleans b/c we didn't want to worry them that we wouldn't be "fresh" and ready to go for the early AM tailgate party (the reason we were there!).

So that morning, around 8:30, my brother sends this text to my parent's...

Pretty sure my Mom was freaking out at this moment!

It was so fun, and so worth our last minute trip!

Saturday was all about LSU! Bloody's by 9:30, can't beat it!

My Dad opted out of going into the game. He sat right here with a smile on his face!

Waiting for kickoff! Only question is...where's Shawn?!

It was a whoopin'! GEAUX TIGERS!

It was a great weekend, and I'm pretty sure we are still recovering! This weekend is LSU v. Alabama...the biggest game in college football this year. SCARED.TO.DEATH! ! ! ! ! !

Feet! Shoes! Germs!

2011-09-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

I do not like feet! I never have. The gross me out! Thank goodness my husband's feet are ok (for feet at least). They are better than mine, ha!

But I have this thing...with feet...and with germs. Shoes. Think where your shoes go. I can't even say all the places your shoes go because quite frankly, it just grosses me out!

I have for a very long time, very much enjoyed the tradition in a lot of European and Asian cultures, of removing your shoes when you enter a home. I LOVE this idea. It keeps yucky germs OUT of the house that you work so hard at keeping "clean" so often!

Sean and I take our shoes off in our house. The only time our shoes make the trek through the house is if we are going from the front door to the back, or the shoes we want to wear are in the back closet and not by the door where we last took them off. But that's not really ok either!

How do you tell guests when they come over to please take off their shoes?! My mother, for one, hates to be barefoot! My sister-in-law is Russian, and when we have get-togethers at their house, we take off our shoes and kindly put on a pair of slippers. They have a ton of extras and provide them for whoever wishes to wear some! It is just custom and it's what we expect. They don't even wear them from one door to another! AND...here is the real kicker...if they leave, and then have to run back in b/c they forgot something...you guessed it...the shoes come OFF before running back through the house! I should ask my sis-n-law if she would even do this with hard to get on and off winter boots?! Hmm..

How do I enforce this in our house?! Shoes are SO GROSS! And I just cringe at the thought of having a baby crawling around on these floors with all the yucky shoe germs on them!

Do I need germ therapy?!

Labor Day Weekend.

2011-09-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Perfect weather and perfect company. That describes my weekend. Friday, my parent's drove in from AR. We had a big weekend of football and eating planned. While at the grocery store Friday morning, I spotted this gorgeous bunch of sunflowers. I decided not only did I have to have them b/c they were LSU gold, but b/c what screams fall in a flower more than a SUNflower! {I agree, not much!}

These put such a big smile on my face :)

My parent's were due to arrive around 5pm. Around 4, the doorbell rang. I of course was hoping they were fibbing and it was going to be them at the door an hour early :) Nope :( Instead, it was another great surprise! They sent flowers to help get ready for the LSU party on Saturday we were hosting at our house! My mom said they had to call 4 different florists in our area for PURPLE and GOLD flowers! REALLY?! The florist they found nailed it!!

Geaux Tigers!!

On Friday, Sean and I prepared our favorite "go to" recipe for company. Chicken Enchiladas from Skinny Taste. DELISH if you haven't tried them :) My Uncle Jim and Suzanne came for dinner! They were in town from Shreveport for the game on Saturday at the insanely large Cowboy Stadium! I must say, dinner was a huge success. I even made strawberry pie for dessert :) (and no, I did not make the crust from scratch!) I forgot to take a pictures of the finished pie, whoops! But it looked so pretty in my new Emile Henry pie plate :)

Not the best picture, but I think it looked pretty :)

LSU kicked off the start of NCAA football for the season against the Oregon Ducks on Saturday. Sean and I had lots of family over for the big game! 15 people I think to be exact! Sean decided he wanted to attempt to smoke his first brisket! We started the marinade on Friday evening after dinner. By 9am, it was definitely ready for a slow and low day of smoking. We had brisket, mac 'n cheese (my grandmother's recipe!), corn, potatoes, salad, and lots of yummy desserts (yea, carb overload)! Check out this stadium cake my aunt made!

The game was a huge success! Our tiger babies whooped up on those ducks!!!! We were never really that scared ;))

Cousin's all for one team!!

It was a late evening, but well worth it.

Sunday morning, my dad got up and made us his famous french toast sans butter {cough cough}. Regardless, this stuff is A-MA-ZING!

NO! of course that's not BUTTER!

After trying to get the bacon smell out of the entire house, Sean went off to sell a house, my dad made it to the sofa for a movie, and mom and I headed out the door to shop :) They had to leave around 1 that day to go to Shreveport to visit my brother Adam. He had to work over the weekend and had to miss the game watching party with us :( The rest of the day for Sean and I was spent napping off and on.

Monday, we were up and ready to conquer! We first attacked the garage. It needed some serious organization. It is SOOOO nice in there now. We hung our bikes, hung a tool organizer, and cleaned out a few things. The weather was perfect so we decided we should celebrate with a bottle of champagne!

Cheers to an organized garage!

By 3pm, we had ants in our pants! The weather was so nice and if you have ever lived in Dallas you know that only means one thing....what patio and when?! We loaded up and drove to UpTown to meet up with a few friends at the Gingerman, followed by our favorite... Primo's. We were home before the sun was down.

I hope everyone had a nice relaxing Labor Day. It was a perfect weekend, indeed :)

Empire State of Mind.

2011-08-18T07:27:00.000-07:00

Yes. I am referring to the Jay-Z & Alicia Keys masterpiece.
My uncle has season tickets to LSU every year. As a family, we pick one game a season we would all like to go to Baton Rouge for!

When we go, we do the whole tailgating thing....loud music, booz, cajun food, and lots of tiger chanting! This past year, we were all gathered under my uncle's tailgating tent barely able to socialize b/c the music was bumping so loud and we are all just dancin' and singin' along!

That's me in the middle w/ the purple hat & the #1 sign!!

All of a sudden, Empire State of Mind comes on. Then, my uncle begins to rap the ENTIRE song! Just sitting in a chair, laid back, rapping Jay-Z. Not even kidding. We were all completely blown away with our jaws on the ground! Let me explain something about my uncle. I can sum it up in about 3 words. Conservative, conservative, and conservative!!!! So you can imagine how shocked we all were to see this! Apparently, my 21 year old cousin bet his dad he could never learn the words to this song. So, he did just that! He learned each and EVERY word! That was September 2010.

November 2010, Sean proposed to me! Immediately, we all told my uncle he HAD to perform at our wedding! He agreed as long as I would chime in for the Alicia parts :) This moment, hands down, was the highlight of our wedding reception. EVERYONE got out of their seats to come on stage to cheer him on! It was AWESOME! See for yourself!!! Thanks Uncle Jim for putting on a show!

Current Loves.

2011-08-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

Lately, I have found some things that I have grown to love! Here is my list!

1. B&B Works True Blue Spa Collection. It is AMAZING! Here is what I've tried so far, and I can't get enough!!

The last is the best! It is smells SOOOOOOOO good!!!!

2. Evernote! It's so geneous! Just go check it out. You can thank me later :) I have become slightly obsessed with using it. It is so cool b/c it syncs up to my computer, iPad, and iPhone w/o even having to plug it in.

3. Ok so this one is sort of random, but it's worth adding to this list...Jose Curevo Light Margarita! It is 1/2 the price as that other "light margarita" in a wine bottle and you get 2x as much!! Let me tell you, it's delicious! You just pour it over ice, and VOILA!

4. Chase Bank has this awesome thing on their phone app! You can take a picture (front and back) of a check and it will deposit it for you! Not even kidding. You don't even have to drive to the bank! GENIUS!

5. If you are looking for an easy, scrumptious way to make quick fajitas, use this! I could eat it every week. This is from Food&Wine.

6. Apples to Apples...ever played it? It is a blast to play with some friends and a glass or two of wine. It really is so funny and makes for some good laughs. SP and I had 2 other couple's over last weekend and after dinner we played this game. We could of gone on all night! Thanks Lori for bring it!

7. Road Trips!! To Arkansas to be exact :) SP and I are heading out tomorrow to go up to see my parent's for the first time since our wedding a month ago. I am dying to get up there hang out and relax. We already have an italian feast planned for Saturday night w/ a new recipe I found on Williams-Sonoma. Dying to try it!! I will try and remember to take pictures of our feast :)

8. Last but not least... our fabulous wedding photographer at Wisner Photo posted a pic of what she's been working on. I sure hope I get to see them all real soon!!

Sound of Music, much?! I can't help but to start singing..."The hills are alive with the sound of music..."

That's all, folks :) Have a fabulous weekend! Any of you have any favorite things you'd like to share?!

Wedding I

2011-08-04T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here I am a month later (almost) doing a post about the most amazing day of my life. My wedding day. As a little girl, I always knew I would be married one day, but I didn't fantasize about my wedding and how I wanted. I just knew I wanted to be married and have a family like I grew up.

My wedding day was more than I could have ever asked for. It was absolutely perfect! From the time SP and I started getting serious in our relationship is when I started the random wedding searches on blogs, random magazines, and of course the obvious internet searches of the "perfect ring." From that point on, I knew exactly what I wanted for my wedding. And it just so happened to suit SP's liking as well :) Friends, family, and an unforgettable good time is all we wanted.

We got just that!

We were married here....

Of course I think it is beautiful, but it truly was. It was a perfectly sunny (and hot) afternoon and the sun was brightly shining through this all glass chapel set back in the woods in NW Arkansas. The ceremony was at 2pm in the afternoon. During the time leading up to the wedding (like weeks before) I was concerned about the ceremony time. It wasn't what I was used to. Let me just say now, I wouldn't have it any other way! The morning of July 3 (our wedding day!) I woke up very relaxed, but anxious. I was dying to see SP and have him see me!! I can not imagine having to wait ALL DAY to see each other. By 1pm I was so ready! I am very glad we didn't have to wait until 7ish. And, also, it was so neat that we really had the rest of the day together :)

These are not the photographers pictures. Still waiting on those, and I can't wait to see them :) We also had a videographer but that will be a few more months until we get that. The anticipation is building!!!

The ceremony was filled with so much laughter and so many tears. I cried (happy tears of course) practically the whole time!! I never expected to cry so much. But I was just filled with so much joy and happiness, I couldn't help myself.

The bridesmaids walked down the aisle to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and I followed with "Marry Me" (Train version performed by acoustic guitarist and violinist who played all music).

Bill was my minister growing up for a lot of years. I was honored he agreed to marry SP and I. During one of our conference calls with him before the wedding, he instructed SP and I to sit for 5 mins and write down the things we are promising each other in our marriage. Then, we went over them together, circled the things we had in common and sent them on to Bill so he could write our vows. He asked us if we wanted to hear them before the ceremony, but we liked the element of surprise in not knowing exactly what they were going to be. Here is our reaction to them....

It was all perfect and Bill couldn't have written a ceremony that fit the two of us any better.

After the ceremony, SP and I went w/ the photographer and videographer around the area to shoot some more pictures. Here is a sneak peek of one wedding picture my amazing photography shared with me :)

This picture courtesy of Wisner Photo. Cristina is a WONDERFUL photographer. If you're in the market :)

Ok, more to come on the wedding fun!!

Austin Bound.

2011-07-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

**WARNING: Picture OVERLOAD!

2 weekends before my wedding, my bridesmaids and I drove down to Austin for my bachelorette party! Everyone was there with the exception of my Matron of Honor, Erin, and bridesmaid Kristen. They were very much missed :(

Jennifer luckily had recently gotten a new car and was able to fit us all in for the road trip! Thanks for driving, Jenn :) Jenn picked me up Friday morning and we headed to Dallas to pick up Kelly and Alison. We were on the road by 11! Lauren was driving from Shreveport to meet us and we timed it perfectly! She arrived just 30 minutes after us.

On the way down, we had to stop in West, TX (yes, that's the name of the town) for some kolaches! YUUUUM!!!!

Alison and I stuffing our faces!

Jenn apparently stuffing too much in her face, ha!

Once we got to our hotel, we had big plans to lay out by the pool for the rest of the afternoon, but when we got all checked in, we peaked outside and the pool was P A C K E D ! ! ! It wasn't a very big pool to begin with, but there wasn't even anywhere to sit on the side. Not fun! So Kelly and Alison took off down the street to find the nearest liquor store :) ...they returned with some yummy margaritas in a bottle (the skinny kind!). We turned on the music, poured us a drink, and just hung out until it was time for my lingerie shower! We had big plans of FaceTiming w/ Erin, but sadly the internet connection was poor so speakerphone was all we could do :(

My gifts :)

Cheers!

There were some delicious cupcakes in this box! And how fitting is their logo!! (Traylor-Parks wedding!!)

We went to dinner at Trudy's. We had planned on taking a cab b/c it wasn't with/in walking distance. When we got outside, no one would take us in ONE cab! Austin law is 4 only! Even in a van, UGH! While I'm jumping in a cab realizing we were going to have to suck it up and just take 2, Kelly and Jenn were off working her magic. Next thing I know, they are waving the rest of us out of our cab b/c they got the VIP shuttle service at the hotel to take us!

Score!!!

Back to Trudy's...they are famous for the mexican martinis (aka, deadly margarita). We were all so worried about getting too tipsy on Friday night, believe it or not, NONE of us ordered one! HA! We already had a few cocktails in the hotel room before dinner, so it was probably for the best :) We ordered sangria swirls instead.

Lauren, Jenn, Alison, Kelly, Me

After dinner, we had to find a cab (I mean 2 cabs!!). Something easy enough, so we thought! There were NO CABS anywhere!!

Eventually, we were successful. We split up and away we went, back downtown.

Kelly, Jenn and I ended up in a cab together. We took SO MANY pictures trying to get the 3 of us in one shot. I never knew that could be so hard, ha! It was hysterical though :) We ended up at a bar next door to Brad's (bachelor Brad's) bar. We stayed for one drink, then decided to call it a night. We were pretty sleepy and we wanted to be rested for our busy day on Saturday. We walked back to our hotel, which seemed like FOREVER! We made it, safe and sound :)

Saturday AM we woke up, got some food and hit the pool! We were determined to get a spot! Well we did and it was so relaxing. It was pretty shady until time to go in and get ready (of course). We had mani/pedi appointments that afternoon. Instead of getting ready to go for lunch, we ended up ordering poolside (including a bloody mary!). We had lunch by the pool, then RAN upstairs to throw on our clothes to make it to the manicure place! My sweet sister in law (& bridesmaid) flew all the way from DC to meet us for Saturday night! She took a cab from the airport to the nail place. It was so nice having her there :)

Kelly, Me, Alison getting our nails done.

The rest of the afternoon was spent shopping, eating and relaxing. It was SO HOT in Austin, we really didn't want to be outside much.

Tourists? Who? US?

After some much needed R&R, we were dressed and ready for the big night!

My "bride to be" sash was so cute! I loved it! Thanks Erin and Alison!

Kelly, Anastasia, Me, Lauren, Alison, Jenn

We went for sushi and saki!

Some girls at a table over bought me a shot! They own a bridal boutique in Austin :) It was SOUR!

Cheers Ladies!
Lauren, Anastasia, Me, Alison, Jenn, Kelly

I was surprised, wait, SHOCKED at the end of dinner by a very fitting "bachelorette" dessert! It was so gross, but so good!!

After dinner we hit the town! Found an awesome rooftop bar that we stayed at for the majority of the night. They had a great DJ spinning records. I was hooked! Well, hooked until I heard the same song twice, that was a sure sign it was time to move on!! But before we bailed, I had to take a picture with this dude! His shirt was awesome!!

As the night went on, it got more and more interesting. So interesting, we ran into several naked people, full body paint running out of the next bar we were trying to go in! When they came running out, I went running with them (laughing SO HARD I might add!) b/c I was pretty sure if they came running OUT of there, I didn't want any part of what might be IN there! We all got a really good laugh out of that one! Only in Austin, folks! We found another bar w/ some good old school dance songs. You know, the classics like Baby Got Back and Ice Ice Baby :)

My sweet Russian sister in law, Anastasia, was a trooper while we danced to our old school favorites :) I think she has video somewhere :)

It was a very late night! By say, oh I don't know 3am we were done! Our feet couldn't dance anymore. But we definitely danced our way into hunger. We stopped at a Korean BBQ food truck! Best tacos ever!!!

Our men would be so proud :)

It was such a fun night/weekend! I love these girls with all my heart and I thank them all for taking a weekend to spend with me, on one of my last weekends as a single lady! Sunday AM we all packed up and hit the road. We dropped Anastasia and Alison off at the airport. Poor Alison had to fly to China for a week directly from Austin, YUCK!

Love you girls!!! Thanks for a GREAT weekend :))))

waaaaay behind.

2011-07-18T08:26:00.000-07:00

I am so far behind on my blogging it's not even funny!
I have so many thank you notes to write currently I don't have a ton of time, but let me just say this.

My entire life I have been worried about getting a fever blister on my wedding day (or near it). My friends have always said they were going to put me on anti anxiety medicine a month before my wedding to prevent it. Well, I did not get on any medication and it was a complete miracle....NO FEVER BLISTER!!!!! Can I get an amen!

Wedding night, SP gets a fever blister. AHHH! Our entire honeymoon he had a huge whoppin' blister right smack dab in the middle of his top lip. Really?

We have been home since the 13th. Last night, I was washing my face and felt the tingle on my bottom lip. I NOW HAVE A FEVER BLISTER! Really?

27 days to be exact.

2011-06-06T13:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend, I have a shower in Shreveport.
Next weekend, I have my bachelorette party in Austin.
The next weekend, I have to get my head straight.
The following weekend, I get married.

That is all.

It is literally right around the corner.

Woke up feeling really overwhelmed this morning and I'm not sure why. I spent a good hour (I think) on the phone with a dear friend who calmed my nerves and made me laugh with her silly little boy stories!

As I sit here, just a few weeks away from my wedding day, I wonder, "What am I forgetting? What have I not thought of?"

So, off to figure those things out. If you think of anything random, like, who will bring food to the bridesmaids while they are busy getting ready?....Send it my way b/c those are the dumb things that I am thinking about knowing if they are not figured out ahead of time, they will cause stress and anxiety over us all! NO THANK YOU!

last trip up!

2011-05-26T12:02:00.000-07:00

I am a bit behind on my blogging.

2 weekends ago was mine and Sean's last trip up to The Escarpment (the name my parent's have given their house) before the big weekend hits! It was such a great trip, even though we didn't get to leave until late Thursday, having us arrive at midnight!

The night before we left, we were busy filling honey jars for the favors that we needed to put together over the weekend (check!). Here we are...my forearms were so tired from squeezing that jug of honey!

We had to take turns back and forth!

We knew we weren't going to get in until late Thursday since we didn't leave Ft. Worth until 5pm, so we just took our time and enjoyed our time in the car together. Sean is ALWAYS ready and willing to stop at any local dive, hole in the wall, sort of place for a good down home meal. I enjoy the same, but normally I'm so ready to get to where I'm going, I have trouble wanting to stop to eat! This time though, I caved. Just outside of Kiowa, OK we stopped here...Wheeler's Fine Dining.

We had been watching the radar and knew a huge storm was about to blow through so it was perfect timing for some comfort food. Before getting out of the car, Sean insisted we NOT bring our cell phones to dinner. So as I begin to describe the a-mazing food we had, you will know why we have no pictures of it! (ugh!)

We walked in to find a cute old couple sitting at a corner table and...that was it! Just us and the sweet couple. They were enjoying a cup of hot coffee :) Now, on to what WE enjoyed...Sean ordered some sort of steak sandwich, but I never really understood what it was b/c his plate was completely (completely!) covered in brown gravy! I ordered steak fingers with mashed potatoes and white gravy! Before we even got our entrees ordered, Sean was asking what kind of pie they had! He made sure to reserve the last piece of homemade apple pie w/ ice cream on top! We sat, we stuffed, we talked, we laughed. We might just make this a tradition. It was a nice break from the road :)

A few hours later we finally arrived to the house! My poor parent's will never go to bed until they know we are there, so they are always up waiting for us, Mom with one eye opened, of course :)

The weekend was filled with nothing but hanging out and doing wedding crafts. It was perfect (and COLD!). Mom and I got the favors all finished!

I got a few signs that I needed painted done.

Sean took a break from wedding crafts to help my dad plant one of his many BBQ pit planters (don't ask!).

My parent's are doing such a great job getting the yard looking good and making sure the plants are in keeping with our color scheme!

This is the 'not quite there' dance floor that my dad is building...

And last but not least, my favorite potted arrangement!

The weekend went quick, but we got soooo much done! Thanks to my mom and dad, and Sean for all of your help!

(PS...No, the mail hasn't come yet today!)

USPS.

2011-05-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

Never in my life have I ever been more excited about the mail coming every single day (except Sunday of course :) ). It's usually filled with a bunch of junk or bills. Lately everyday, I sit and wait for the mail lady. I know when she's in our neighborhood b/c I can hear her truck go, then stop, then go, then stop! That's a sure sign it's time for me to go check the mailbox!

Lately it's been filled with this goodies...

RSVPs!!!!!!! I never thought mail could be so fun (well, that's not entirely true b/c I love getting a good letter or invitation in the mail)! Don't we all?

Once I get them inside, I take a deep breath, alert my mother that the mail has come, and open them up one by one to see who is accepting or declining.

I realize I'm probably being a little dramatic over these tiny little green cards, but it is just so exciting! That, and the fact that we really sent more invitations than we probably should have and we have anxiety everyday over how we are going to fit everyone in the chapel we insist on getting married at. I know once that part is figured out, it will be smooth sailings and I won't have a worry in the world (wishful thinking anyway!)

Our wedding is fast approaching and i am SOOOOOO ready!!!!!!

i want one!

2011-05-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

I think this is such a great idea! I found it while playing around in the "blogosphere" today!
I think I sort of want one :) It is a watercolor painting of your wedding dress! I think it would be awesome to hang on a wall and always remember. And I love how vintage they look!

(image via Ginger's Dresses)

Outfit Change.

2011-05-02T10:10:00.000-07:00

I have been tossing the idea around about possibly changing into a more fun, flirty, party dress for my reception! My dress is fabulous, and I really do LOVE IT! BUT, it is going to be H.O.T. wearing it all night. It looks like a light weight, flowy dress. It is flowy, but it is VERY heavy! Our reception is outdoors in July. I love love LOVE to dance, and tend to get pretty hot (and sweaty!). So, I am in search for the perfect, ivory colored dress to change into before the guests arrive at the reception!!! Let me know if you see any :) My only criteria is it can't be strapless and it needs to be ivory so it will still match my hair flower :)

RIP Mawmaw.

2011-05-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

My last living grandmother went to be with the Lord last Thursday. She will be missed greatly.

Her obituary from the Shreveport Times.

Ruth Joyce Traylor

SHREVEPORT, LA - A graveside memorial service will be held for Ruth Joyce Johnston Traylor on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. at Forest Park Cemetery, 3700 St. Vincent Drive. Ruth Joyce passed away peacefully on April 21, 2011 after a lengthy illness and complications of pneumonia. Born on June 13, 1924 in Camden, Arkansas to Edwin and Vida Johnston, Ruth Joyce was the daughter of an oilfield driller and never tired of telling the early stories of her life on the remote oil leases in the many small towns in which she had lived. She graduated from Evansville University in Evansville, Indiana and moved to Shreveport where she met and married H. T. Traylor.

Ruth Joyce was a devoted mother and grandmother who will be remembered as a gracious lady with a giving heart. Ruth Joyce was an active member of Kings Highway Christian Church where she served in many positions from Deaconess to an officer in the Christian's Women's Fellowship. She was a willing volunteer as a Girl Scout and Cub Scout Leader. She loved her camping memories with Troop 288. Her love for theatre, literature ,arts and music were always present in her daily life. Fun skits and her love to perform were her delight. She was never without with an excellent book, a pair of knitting needles or a good crossword puzzle.

Ruth Joyce was preceded in death by her parents, Edwin and Vida Johnston, and her husband of over 50 years, H. T. Traylor. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law Fred and Linda Traylor, her daughter, Vida Yancy, grandchildren, Shawn Traylor and wife Anastasia, Adam Traylor, Catherine Traylor and fiance' Sean Parks, Jim Yancy , Alice Yates and husband James, Jim and Alice's father Phil Yancy and great-grandson Ian Traylor.

Ruth Joyce was a gracious and sweet lady and will be missed for her quick wit, ease of laughter and warm personality. She shared her love and enriched the lives her children, grandchildren and of all she met. She will be greatly missed.

I keep forgetting!!

2011-04-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

I guess with all that's going on, I keep forgetting (even though I STILL research it like crazy!!) that we are going on an amazing vacation in 2 months...our honeymoon!

It seriously keeps slipping my mind! I guess I'm so caught up in making the wedding perfect, I just forget that we get to go relax afterwards. I am definitely ready for white sandy beaches (and a Pina Colada!!).

Our schedule is booked solid from now until our wedding weekend. I know it's going to make our wedding feel like it is "tomorrow". That makes me very happy, but also a bit sad that it will all be over. I have thoroughly enjoyed this planning process and talking my mom like 500 times per day about it all!

So, here's to just 2 more months this Tuesday!!
CHEERS!

Thumbprint Guestbook Tree.

2011-04-26T08:02:00.001-07:00

I am sooooo excited about our guestbook! We are not doing your traditional "sign on the line" type of book!

We are doing this!

If any of you are in the market, check out GreyDogDesigns on Etsy. She is so great and very helpful! Thanks for all your help, April!!

I'm ready!

2011-04-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

It's been really crazy lately. Really crazy.

I am trying to learn how to take a deep breath, not get worked up, anxious, or annoyed so easily. There will always be things that will go wrong, or just not the way you had planned. I am not there yet (not there at all yet) but I am working on it day by day.

It has really been sinking in lately that...I AM GETTING MARRIED! I am ready to stop worrying about the little things and seriously enjoy these last few months before it's all over and I begin my new life as Mrs. Parks. I am so ready to marry my best friend. I am so ready to see him on my wedding day. I am so ready to say "forever".

It is so crazy to think of yourself as the bride! The one this whole day is about (well, one of two). It is very surreal, and sometimes it is hard to believe. I still can't picture it being ME at the alter! But, whether I can picture it or not, I AM READY!!!

freaking.out.

2011-04-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of this wedding process, everything was going so well! I mean, I ordered my dress online, got it in, and it was perfect (well, nothing a few alterations couldn't handle)! I have been able to make decisions fairly easily, and everything has just been falling into place. I wasn't quite sure what all the fuss was over about being stressed out.

UNTIL NOW!

It seems like nothing is going my way lately.
Here we go...

1. We had to cancel our engagements pictures last weekend b/c of the weather (very windy). Well, that's what we thought at 7:30am when us and the photographer made the call. Annnnd, of course it was the WRONG CALL b/c the weather turned out to be G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S! It was too late by that time to take them. FRUSTRATION.

2. My bridals are scheduled for this Friday! My mom is driving down from AR Fri morning. My dad is picking up my portrait bouquet from my wedding florist in AR tomorrow so that my mom can bring it with her. My hair consult is today at 1:15, then my real appointment is Friday at 2:45. My portraits are outside in the woods at 5:30 on Friday. All scheduled out so lovely :) Except mother nature might decide to let the sky fall out starting today and through the weekend. I don't know the last time you tried, but it's PRETTY DIFFICULT to predict the WEATHER!!! What do I do? I'm trying to ride it out as long as possible and see what this crazy southern weather will do.

3. Me engagement ring is a Tacori design (yes, that means knock off! we had it made :) ). I have been searching the metroplex for this oooooone particular wedding band that goes w/ this ring (according to their website). I finally found a lovely jeweler in Dallas who has contacted Tacori and is ordering one in for me to try on so I can see how it looks before purchasing! So I've been waiting for a little over 2 weeks now for the ring to come in from, and about an hour ago, I got a phone call from the jeweler that Tacori sent the WRONG RING!!! So, now what? I sit and wait. Again. And hope they have the correct ring to send in for me to try. Because if they don't, I don't know what I'll do!

4. It took me a few months to find a salon that would do hair on a Sunday and on a holiday weekend! (wedding is Sunday, July 3). I finally found one! I knew they were going to charge extra for having to open on a day they are not typically open. I was fine with that and very much appreciate them doing it. What I didn't know is that it is going to cost double for everyone to get their hair done. I am sick to my stomach. What a mess!

5. I went with my friend Tiffany last Friday to get manis and pedis for all of these "so-called" pictures! I wanted to try the new shellac polish, thinking it would still last for my bridals a week later! It was the WORST nail salon experience of my life! They got all messed up in the drying process (something w/ the way the polish dried). So they had to completely re-do them. I am not sure if any of you have tried the new gel polish, but go w/ the OPI brand, NOT shellac!!! It is a much longer process than just getting a regular mani w/ regular polish. We got there are 2 and I didn't leave until FIVE PM!!!! When they redid my nails, the decided to give me another manicure, which means cutting of the cuticles, etc. Only, they had already been cut, so there was nothing left to cut off! So, they CUT ME! Anyway, my nails turned out ok and my toes look great! Annnnnd....all of that, and no engagements and possibly no bridals. I am not one who gets manis and pedis often. It is normally for a special occasion.

BREATHE! I keep telling myself to just breathe. I realize in the grand scheme of things, these are all very minor hick-ups. But, it sure doesn't feel that way to this bride!

OH, and oooone more thing....after our what supposed to be engagement shoot, I was scheduled to go take my dress back to the alterations lady b/c I decided it was too long and I was having trouble walking in it. She called me around noon that day letting me know we were going to have to reschedule b/c they had been out of power due to the high winds for a day or so. Thankfully, this all got taken care of on Monday, when I was able to take my dress in. And I picked it up yesterday! It is perfect :) Ok, that is all...just thought it was better to end on a positive note :)

Disaster Area!

2011-04-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

No matter how hard I try these days, I can not for the life of me keep my study clean! Every single time I straighten it up and put all of my stuff away, I come back in with an idea and string it all out again! It is a never ending cycle! I think I need more table space. That MIGHT help, but then the tables would just be a mess too. I guess it is the artist in me, we are not clean people! Don't get me wrong, I like a clean work area, but sometimes it just gets messy (ok, a lot of times!)

See for yourself!

what would you do?

2011-04-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

Remember back at the first of the year, after lots of searching, I said Sean and I finally found the perfect place to go for our honeymoon? Well....looks like things might be changing!

I am a trip advisor addict! I can't stop. I should probably stop, but I just can't!

So, the place we have chosen is a boutique hotel w/ all-inclusive. The all-inclusive is a new option they have come up with back in January I believe. Here's the problem...the reviews are starting to go down hill, and down hill and down hill. Apparently they do not have the staff to keep up with the demand of all of their customers. I think word has gotten out about this place, and it's hurting it! It's not such a private, hidden little fantasy anymore. Their are kids EVERYWHERE and if there is a wedding, forget any service at all, basically. How can a place go from TOP NOTCH (like, I'm not kidding, not ONE bad thing said about it, other than the beds are too firm) to almost every review complaining!

We have options...we can still cancel our room reservation. We have 2 tickets flying into Cancun, MX. So, really, we can go anywhere that is driving distance from Cancun. There is an Excellence Resort just down the beach from our first hotel option. It actually has the same owner as 1st option, but it is a large, adults only all-inclusive. Not the smaller, boutique style we were wanting.

So what would you do? Would you stick to your original plan (and wait over 30 mins for 1 drink?!) or would you switch to the larger, more crowded, but great service resort? The rooms are almost identical, so we aren't giving anything up other than a more quiet place...

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?!

from wine to gardening.

2011-04-11T17:37:00.000-07:00

We just cooked this for dinner, and oh my goodness it was so good! We had to open a bottle of white wine for the sauce. I am always more than willing to open a fresh bottle for a recipe. That must means the meal will be that much better with a glass of wine to tag along :)

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/03/chicken-and-mushrooms-in-garlic-white.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weightwatcherspointsrecipes+%28Gina%27s+Skinny+Recipes%29

Dinner is over, a few glasses of vino have been consumed. Now what? Leave it to Sean to find something else to do for the night..."Let's go plant the plants we just bought!". So, outside I go. Hopefully they will end up in the ground :)

weekend of yummy food.

2011-04-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Sean and I had lots of yummy food (nothing new, really!)
Friday night, some friends came over for some drinks on the patio before heading to Brio, a delicious italian bistro! Sean and I had never been so it was nice to try somewhere new. We had great conversation and enjoyed catching up with the Ochs. Sean and Ryan grew up together and he and his wife don't live very far from us. They have 2 adorable kiddos which keeps them very busy, so we don't get to see them very much. But, it's so nice that us girl's get along b/c you never know how you and your significant others, "others" will get along :)

On Saturday, Sean and I woke up and worked in the yard popping weeds and crab grass out of our yard. It's a lot of work, but it is starting to pay off. Our yard is finally looking spring ready!

Around 2 o'clock, we picked up Sean's parents and headed to our local town square Crawfish Krawl!
We went last year and had a really good time. The Ochs met us (2 days in a ROW we got to hang out
with them!) with their 2 kids and we all sat and baked in the sun for a few hours. It was VERY hot!

Sean and I waiting in the crawfish line!

Big pot of crawfish going into the boiler!

YUMMY corn and potatoes!

We got the first scoops out of this fresh batch!

After a long line of waiting, we finally got to enjoy our crawfish and beer :)

I think we might have had a few too many beers. We came home and Sean fell sound asleep on the floor for an hour or two :)

trip to arkansas.

2011-04-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

so i am seriously behind on keeping my blog updated. this post is a few weeks old, but still blog worthy :) it's a long one! sorry :(

a few weekends ago sean and i drove to arkansas with a packed full schedule of wedding appointments! our first stop was friday night in little rock (maumelle to be exact) to stay with a good friend of mine. this stop was a little out of the way, but necessary. this friend is able to print all of our invitations and extras for FREE! so i designed them, and he printed them! so we had to drop in to view proofs. we got all the business out of the way and then went for mexican and margaritas! yumm!
here is a sneak peak of the invitations...

eeeeeeearly saturday morning, sean and i got up and hit the road for fayetteville! next up, event rentals, florist, and caterer. we had one appointment after the other...makes me tired just thinking about it :)

we picked out our table linens, napkins, and a few other things. we even took a fake centerpiece to lay out on the table to make sure we liked the way it looked! my mom did all of this and it looked great!

after this we were all starving (and how my dad and sean were able and willing to sit through all of my mom's and mine back and forth i will never understand, but thank you!) so we went down to dickson street for lunch. my mom and i barely got finished before we were rushing out to meet our florist (the boys didn't tag along for this one, which was fine by us!).

i love our florist! her personality and mine totally clicked and i felt like i have known her a long time. good sign. so we brought in our basket full of goodies to show her what we had in mind, and our centerpiece from the above picture, quickly morphed into something more like this....

happy with the result :) we talked about everything imaginable about bouquets, flowers on cake, the guy's boutonnieres. we covered it all! thank goodness, check that worry off the list! here is a preview of how my cake will look...

moving right along.

our next appointment was at 2pm at my parent's house w/ the caterer! we ruuuuuuushed as fast as we could to get from fayetteville to bentonville in time to greet her. no such luck. when we pulled up, she and the boys were sitting around the yard petting the animals waiting us to get there to "direct" things. haha! we talked about layout of how it will go, the flow of things, etc. i can not WAIT to eat this yummy food!!!

our laaaast appointment of the day, WINE TASTINGS!!! we all hopped in the car and drove over the state line into missouri to the liquor store! we met with staff there to help us decide on wine and beer. it was the perfect way to end a very very busy day! lots of things to check off my list, which is a very good feeling!

on sunday morning my mom and i drove BACK to fayetteville to look for me a veil and ribbon for a craft project we are doing.

we once again were rushing back home to meet with the wedding coordinator at 1 at the house. this was the best appointment yet b/c we got sooo much figured out and i feel 10 million times better about our "at home" wedding reception. phew!

the rest of sunday afternoon was spent in the barn working on other projects for the wedding....

last but not least...signature drink cocktail tastings by my father the bartender. so fun, and so yummy!

(sean felt i needed to wear his hat for this picture.)
it was a great great weekend! we always have the best time when we go visit the mountain. i love it up there :)

back to the drawing board.

2011-03-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

sean and i had our dishes all picked out and on our registry. i found them in the martha stewart wedding magazine. so cool, sleek, modern, contemporary. you can only see them in person in california, as they are not sold anywhere else. after a month or so, i finally decided it would be a good idea to order a dish to make sure we like them. i ordered, and it was great! we started using it, and realize it is awful! it shows every single fingerprint and water stain imaginable! i have decided it would drive me crazy if i had to deal with that everyday! so, back to the drawing board. i think i like the idea of all white dishes because any type of serving dish would match it. that i like! i am looking at the williams-sonoma dishes online, and they all look the same! i think it's time for a trip to the store to view these in person! sean had a strong opinion in the beginning, but not so much anymore, which is good for me!!

in other wedding news...we are knocking things out slowly but surely. i spend hours on end on the phone with my mother every saturday and sunday. my dad just rolls his eyes in wonder. he doesn't understand how we can talk for over 2 hrs on the phone :) it is so easy to do!

my favorite nephew.

2011-02-24T14:46:00.000-08:00

last weekend sean and i flew up to DC to meet my favorite (first and only!) nephew, Ian Felix Traylor. OhMyGoodness, words can not describe how freakin' adorable this little guy is. i mean, i'm not just saying that b/c i'm a super proud aunt. i'm saying it because it's true. he was almost 4 weeks when we saw him and he is so strong! he holds his head up all on his own (with a few head bobs, but nothing to be alarmed about :) ). here are a few pictures from the weekend. i didn't realize until i got home that i didn't get a single picture with ian other than this stinky pic from my phone :( i still don't know why i didn't get anymore pictures with him.

ian was always dressed in comfy little outfits with the day of the week on them, only, he hasn't quite learned the difference between friday and monday, or tuesday and thursday, etc...
(note: this picture was taken on Sunday, not bad, only one day ahead. he's so smart!)

i got to hold ian for a long time saturday afternoon. here we are together. just look at that face. that is no 4 week old face!! he is thinking something BIG!

last but not least. the best entertainment of all. ian and his daddy droppin' a beat!

cute CUTE!

and the clock struck 12.

2011-02-21T11:55:00.000-08:00

sean and i can't wait to have our reception at my parent's house for two reasons:

1. it has the atmosphere we want
2. the 'venue' doesn't shut down at a certain hour

i have gone back and forth with that #2. we don't want the party to end! we love music, friends, and having a good time! it is our one wedding reception, shouldn't we do it big?! do we have to have an end time, or do we just go until we can't go anymore? we have even planned a late night snack :) i know the majority of the guests will not be hanging out much past the midnight hour, but the ones who want to, why not let them?! my brother married 4 years ago and he says his biggest regret of the entire day was ending their reception at 12am.

if we don't have an end time, when do we tell the servers and other staff to leave? we will not have a "getaway" moment, but do i really care? which is more important? a few pictures of us running through sparklers, or the late night on the dance floor with friends and family? i know sean and i, and if we end early, we will just move the party elsewhere with the friends who stick around.

we keep going back and forth! both of us! my heart says, keep it going!! why can't i just make a decision!!! must. make. decision. soon!

big smile :)

2011-02-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

i have had the best day today!

it started off by cleaning a little b/c my brother is coming to stay the night with us. he is flying out of DFW tomorrow AM headed to DC to meet our new nephew, Ian! (sean and i will go next week to meet him!) then i had to take tiffany to the airport, which ended in a shopping trip to nordstrom rack. i went originally for sean's valentine's day gift, and left with his gift plus THREE DRESSES! that's good enough to put anyone in a good mood, right?! i NEVER find that much at one time. i told myself i wasn't even going to try anything on, but i talked myself right out of that and was soon in the dressing room! i found my rehearsal dinner dress and 2 shower dresses! each for $60 or less!!

then, i came home and my doorbell rang. it was the mailman bringing me a package that needed a signature...it was the earrings i ordered off of etsy to wear on my wedding day! they couldn't be more perfect. i love them so much and can't wait to wear them! on top of that, last night around 7pm, UPS came to bring me my wedding shoes i ordered off of zappo's (free shipping!)...LOVE those too! i have had a very lucky shopping spree these past few days and i love everything so much. now the hardest part is going to be having to wait to wear it all!!

OH, i almost forgot...before UPS came last night, sean took me to buy my birthday present (yes, it was back in nov). i knew he was getting me a bike, but it just hasn't exactly been the right weather to go ride so it was fine with me that he waited. and this way i got to pick it out! i can't wait to go riding when it gets warm :)

(i probably shouldn't be writing about this yet but i can't help it...i just got a text from sean asking for the last 4 of my social. i texted him back, but not without a "why?" tagged behind it. then, he called and said, what zip code do you have our AT&T bill under?! .... right then i knew.... he is getting me the iPhone 4 for valentine's day!!! he's the best! and i am really ready for him to get home now, haha!)

happy friday everyone!

finally booked!

2011-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

last night, sean and i finally booked our honeymoon!!!!!!!!! i am beyond excited! from the reviews we have read, it sounds like we found a true diamond in the rough :) we decided probably a month ago where we were going, after MUCH research and back and forth. here is a sneak peek! playa mujeres, mx, here we come!!

let's play...

2011-02-09T07:05:00.000-08:00

...in the snow!

snow angel! (sean forgot to take a pic of it once i got up!)

he taught me how to roll a real snowball, but i wasn't very good at it.

our snowman!!!!

isn't he the cutest snowman you've ever seen :)

i made the body and the head!

i pushed him in the snow :)

happy!

our patio.

the yard after we romped around in the snow.

our frozen solid driveway!

Jambalaya cookin'!

2011-02-08T07:40:00.000-08:00

last week we cooked a yummy jambalaya recipe! i knew my oldest brother tried it out a week or so before, so i called him for some tips before diving in! (good thing!) i had to take photos of the process. the smell was overwhelmingly DELICIOUS!
you see, when we cook in my family, it's an event! we all get involved and it turns into an all day thing. good music to dance to while cookin', wine to sip on, and good company to visit with.
sean and i did just that! we put a little cajun music on, opened a bottle of vino, and cooked for the remainder of the afternoon :) (we danced around a little too!)
it turned out amazing (minus the fact that the rice didn't fully cook and was a little crunchy!).

*mental note: add more chicken stock and simmer a little longer next go round!
*funny note: the next AM, my brother called to tell me that he forgot to let me know about adding the extra stock for the rice to get fully cooked!

homemade broth.

all the veggies.

the chef w/ his sweater tucked in b/c he was cold from the draft (ha!).

andouille sausage in the cast iron, YUM!

the onions on their way to turning a beautiful caramelized color.

veggies, broth, and meat, all in the skillet.

(not sure why this picture is rotated)
we couldn't wait to take the last picture before digging in :)

Ice Prison!

2011-02-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

we have been stuck at home for days b/c of ICE and FREEZING temps! today (and all the other days), we are going completely stir crazy! SP is determined to break free! this is our driveway! solid ice!!!!

but, again, DETERMINED! me? i'm scared to death! but, if he's getting out, so am i :)
we decided it would be a good night for some Jambalaya...mmmmm, Donald Link's recipe. can't wait! something needs to keep us busy during this "down time". cooking it is!

(oh, and did i mention our master bath sinks and line to the washer are FROZEN!). UGH!

wedding talk.

2011-02-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

i am dying for the new spring dresses to come out! i am in search for the perfect white dress {or two}! my friend erin always says the bride should dress in white for all wedding weekend occasions, and i must say i like her idea very much. so cute white dresses...WHERE ARE YOU?

wedding planning is going good, but oh my gosh there is so much to do. i am starting to see my vision and am now able to start thinking of some of the smaller details. what to put in the welcome bags, what the wedding favor will be, jewelry for my girl's, details! lots and lots of little details.

our biggest headache at the moment is what to dress the guys in. is black too formal for our occasion? too hot? should we do light grey, khaki? we know tuxes are out, but it's so hard finding the perfect suite! i keep going back and forth and back and forth. and i don't think SP really cares so much. does the groom's suite have to be exactly the same as the others?

the earrings i want to wear are out of stock! and they have been for MONTHS!!! i don't know what to do! i can't find anything else i like. this is not good. sad when you have your heart set on something! i'll just keep checking i suppose!

we are snowed in today. our entire street is a sheet of ice! great!

new yumminess!

2011-01-25T07:35:00.000-08:00

last night i made a very simple, delicious recipe! i seriously think it is going to go in our weekly rotation. THAT GOOD! i got it from Gina's Skinny Recipes. here it is! if you try it, let me know what you think :)

Broiled Tilapia with Tomato Caper Sauce
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 4 servings • Calories: 256.5 • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 6 pts
Fat: 10.5 g • Carbs: 1.7 g • Fiber: 0.2 g • Protein: 37.4 g
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 (6 oz) tilapia filets
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 shallots, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp capers
1/4 cup white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
salt and fresh pepper
Brush fish with 1 tbsp olive and season with salt and pepper.

In a medium sauté pan, heat remaining olive oil. Add garlic and shallots and sauté on medium-low about 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add wine and sauté until wine reduces, about 5 minutes. Add capers and sauté an additional minute.

Meanwhile, set broiler to low and place fish about 8 inches from the flame. Broil until fish is cooked through, about 7 minutes.

Place fish on a platter and top with tomato caper sauce.

Note: The olive oil adds to the flavor of this dish and is an essential healthy oil. If you want to lower the points, you can lightly spray olive oil with a Misto or use Pam. Points per serving would be lowered to 4 points per serving, 197 calories, 3.8 grams of fat.

P.

2011-01-24T09:10:00.001-08:00

last week i went to dinner with my two childhood friends, kelly and jenn. unfortunately, kelly wasn't able to make it our housewarming party so she came for dinner a few nights later instead! it actually turned out perfect because we met at jenn's house so she could give us a quick view of their new nursery before heading to a yummy dinner! we were definitely able to visit more on this visit than at the party, so i was glad she drove over (thanks, kelly!). she brought me a gift, and i think it is one of my favorites so far! she got me my new initial :) P!! i am sooo excited to have this new piece in my home. check it out!

sometimes i glance up at it and get confused b/c i'm not used to referring to myself as a parks yet. i'm sure that will happen once we get married! thank you kelly!(jenn, still haven't opened the vino you gave us, but we will soon!)

RSVP

2011-01-21T08:56:00.000-08:00

i am wondering the best way to go about this.

we have a website where people can RSVP.

with our formal invitation that goes out, should we add an RSVP card that tells them to go to the website and RSVP there (essentially where the Save The Date directed them). Or...do we do an RSVP card w/ an envelope ready to be dropped in the mail?

what do you think? which are people more likely to do?

we are very limited in our seating in the chapel, that's why these RSVPs are BIG for us!

reception music.

2011-01-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

i have always been a music lover. i love introducing people to new music as well as learning new music from others. never in my life did i think finding songs for your wedding reception would be this difficult!

my oldest brother will be DJing this event. i am not worried b/c i know he will know what to play. and he knows our family and what we like. BUT, there are still those songs that maybe i have to have that he would never think of!

i'm drawing a blank! so i'm taking requests...who can think of some great songs? i am trying to think back to my days at church dances, etc. my middle brother used to DJ those dances, and they were way fun! are we too old for baby got back? haha!

send me your requests!!

the proposal.

2011-01-19T14:05:00.001-08:00

i realize most of you already know this story because you've either heard it in person or read it on our website by now, but here it is anyway :)

Thanksgiving morning 2010 is one morning I will never forget! I began waking up and getting restless around 8am that morning. I was quickly greeted by Sean who jumped in the bed and said, "Come cuddle!" I did just that, but think I sort of killed it when I started going on and on about what a horrible, morbid dream I had just woken up from. He patiently listened to my babbling, and when I finally shut up he handed me a homemade card titled "Ten Reasons I'm Thankful to Have You in My Life." The card also had a turkey on it, so I thought, aww, he got me a Thanksgiving card :) So I began reading his top ten reasons, and when I got down to the bottom, there was no #1?! He just said it was really late when he made the card and couldn't believe he left it off! I believed him and still half asleep, gave him a hug and thanked him for my sweet card. Then, he quickly reminded me how he didn't do anything for our 4 year anniversary (that's right people, NO card, NO flowers, NO NOTHING!) and that he had been feeling bad and wanted to make up for it (I am still clueless at this point). He told me to look under the bed because there was something else for me (Oh boy, maybe this is it?!)...nope, it was a shoe box sized Nordstrom box. So I grabbed the box and quickly opened it up to find a card that read;

1.  I am thankful to have you by my side for the rest of my life!
Still in disbelief, I pulled back the tissue paper, and there  it was....the box!  with the ring!  Streaming tears and lots of shaking  take over my body as he took the box from my hand, got down on one knee  next to the bed, and said those four little words, "Will you marry  me?"...I said YES!...On to the bubbly!

Housewarming Slash Engagement Party

2011-01-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

this past weekend, sean and i threw our first house party! we cooked a big pot of red beans and rice, made cornbread, and coleslaw! the party was a huge success! we had a really good turnout which is always a plus! we spent most of the weekend before getting the house ready for the party. we came to a conclusion after many hours of cleaning. next time, clean the bathroom really good, and everything else, DON'T! it just gets SUPER MESSY all over again :) and then you find yourself re-cleaning, which is not a lot of fun! anyway...here are some pictures from the party!

seeing the light!

2011-01-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

after my last post, i am not sure how it has happened, but we have gotten way closer to figuring out our honeymoon as well as our everyday dishes, which have been our two biggest headaches so far!

more to come, but i see the light people...i see the LIGHT!

(oh, and in other exciting news...S. got a new car today!!)

no one told me.

2011-01-06T14:24:00.001-08:00

no one told me it would be this hard to decide on a honeymoon location. seriously. this is no joke. i feel like our entire wedding is planned (ok not really, but a lot of it), and we can't even decide on where we want to go on our honeymoon!!! ahhhh! it's starting to drive me nuts. are we making this way harder than it actually is? are our expectations too high for our budget?

just to give you some insight on where our heads have been, here is how it's gone so far:

hawaii
st. lucia
hawaii
jamaica
st. lucia
st. lucia
mexico
tortola
st. lucia
banff
napa valley
st. lucia
and now i'm back on hawaii.

i really want to go to hawaii. so i know what you're thinking...GO! easy for you to say! hawaii is expeeeeeeensiiiiiiive! i need to find a good deal. i need luxury, clean, and romantic. i know any of these places will be romantic. but i want that crisp looking room, not a room with so much open air we will have rats running through our room (true story at a resort in st. lucia), or have obnoxious tropical flowers all over my bedspread!!

ok people...i need a miracle. HELP US!

2010, ended with a bang!

2011-01-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

it's been a while since i've blogged anything. i haven't really had that much exciting going on in my life...until now :)

thanksgiving morning 2010 was one of the greatest moments of my life so far, and one i will never ever forget! S. proposed to me before i even got out of bed :) {talk about a great way to wake up!}! the story will come soon.

so aside from me having a wedding i can start blogging about, i have decided this really is a great way to go back and remember things you have done. on new year's eve, S. and i got to talking about what we have done to celebrate in the past. we finally figured it out, but that's when it hit me...if i had been blogging all of this time it would be so easy to go back and read about all the fun things we've done! so here i am. a new year. an exciting journey in life S. and i will soon embark on. it's time to put this chapter into words :)

you need this!

2010-04-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

i bought this meat thermometer from williams sonoma for sean for valentine's day (romantic, i know!). anyway, ever since we have started using it...our meat has turned out F.L.A.W.L.E.S.S. i mean, seriously, SO GOOD! you should definitely invest in this product. it talks to you and everything!

image from williamssonoma.com

perfect little bed.

2010-03-25T16:21:00.001-07:00

i am convinced every little girl should have this bed! or maybe TWO little girls :)...Kelly!

love.this.bed.{image from Erin ever After}

infact, i want it for myself! (in a bigger version of course :) )

she's got it goin' on!!!

2010-03-25T16:08:00.000-07:00

{image from kellywearstler}

Kelly Wearstler has got it goin' on. I can't get enough! I have a coffee table book of hers. I can't wait to have a house one day and pull inspiration form her! I need walls like these! HOW cool!!!
Click on the link to view more from this fabulous home!

drool.

2010-03-05T07:39:00.000-08:00

saw this kate spade purse on a pop-up ad when sean was on the computer last night. i about fell in love. oh wait, i did fall in love.

katespade.com

it's only three.ninety.five.decimal.zero.zero. one can dream.

let's take a moment

2010-03-03T14:17:00.000-08:00

can we please just take a moment to realize how amazing leighton meester'ss dress is in this picture? i mean come on. imagine the body you must have to pull off a dress like this!

that's THIS....both images from google

in a DRESS!! it makes me dizzy! but i think it's a killer dress all the same. well done, leighton!

shoes, i need SHOES!

2010-03-03T09:10:00.000-08:00

sean and i have 2 weddings in austin in march, 2 weekends apart, at the EXACT SAME LOCATION! odd huh?

so i have a black strapless dress. sort of a shinier dressy, cotton. here's a pic of me wearing it. i will take the strap off for the wedding(s). it just buttons on and off so you can wear it either way.
well, since i'm posting a picture of the dress (although i don't have very good pics of it), i will share a few more from the first event i purchased it for....CAROLINA CUP!!!

this was one of my sweetest memories while living in SC. the above pic is me w/ erik show and JB, who were living in VA at the time working for KA and came down for the cup!

this pic is me and e! our tailgating spot! ok ok, enough reminiscing for the moment...I NEED SHOES FOR THIS DRESS! at the cup i wore my reefs! but i need to find some cute spring shoes! i can't find anything :( so far everything is black, brown, metallic or neutral (inluding snakeskin)! HELP ME! i need some shoes!!! i can always do the typical gold strappy's, but i want something new for spring! suggestions??

boot scootin' time!

2010-03-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

3/20/2010...me + sean + my paw + my maw / maybe sean's maw and paw / + some razorback fans (boo) + some denton folk = travis tritt at billy bob's texas! anybody wanna join? it'll be a boot scootin' good time, i guarantee!

images via google

ready for spring dresses + flip flops!!!

2010-03-01T09:58:00.000-08:00

i need this dress! it is so perfect for spring. i could wear it with flip flops, or heels.

anthropologie.com

oh anthropologie. why do you do this to me?! i love your store SOOO much. i think you are SO brilliant in everything you do. you inspire me by your creativity every time i come in counter with anything that you do. from the atmosphere and smell of your stores, to your brilliant mail outs and your gift card holders. you define creativity. if only i could afford you on a regular basis! i'm not sure i can hold off on this dress though!

Iconoclasts.

2010-02-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

my parents got sean and i hooked to the sundance channel. one show in particular, iconoclasts. amazing show, check it out. they take 2 people (famous) and put them in a room together and they talk. maybe these people have never met but they have something in common through their work, etc. last night, it was stella mccartney + ed ruscha. stella, fashion designer and sir paul mccartney's daughter (cool)! ed, an american artist out of LA associated with the pop art movement. i was blown away with the way both of their minds worked. so creative.

Ruscha has pieces in the Modern, the Tate, the Pompidou, just to name a few...

images from google.

McCartney uses all organic! no leather or fur. she's incredible! i want some of her spring dresses!!!

images from google.

adventures on valentine's day!

2010-02-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

sunday was such a great day!
pancakes and eggs for breakfast :)

we bought tickets to attend the valentine wine trail in grapevine, tx from 11-5pm!
i have done their vintage wine trail in the spring several times with girl friends, but never w/ sean.

There were 8 winery's to visit and each one had 3, 1 oz. tastings + a food sampling (some good, some terrible-but we were not there for the food, right?!). the winery's are spread out all over downtown grapevine, but all within walking distance. well sunday was FREEZING and oh so windy, but we didn't care. we refused to drive! on our walks between each winery, we would meet other people on the trail, or stop for random photos with some of the "locals".

At one point we got hungry and saw a chicago style deli! sean is from chicago, so if there is every an opportunity for an authentic chicago style dog, we are there!

(the earrings are my valentine's day gift from sean. we saw them months ago at a local gift store. everything is imported by the owners from italy. he apparently went back and got them for me :) )

after a delicious food break we continued on our way, ounce after ounce of terrible tx wine (really, not so good!). around 4:30, we came to our last winery. by this time, we were both sick of wine! haha.

earlier in the day, we had spotted another small local restaurant we had to try! so off we go! (yes, more eating!). we sat down with our signature wine glasses in hand. ordered red beans and rice and some grilled fish tacos (they were recommended to us by one of the winery's). let me just say...T E R R I B L E! the rice was completely undercooked and the fish tacos had cheese smothered all over them. i am no true food critic, but where i'm from, fish tacos SHOULD NOT have enchilada style cheese on them! in fact, i don't think they should have cheese on them at all! and i LOVE cheese! they should be fresh tasting with cabbage, cilantro, lime and a yummy sauce NOT cheese! sean and i are not complainers are not picky eaters, but this was too much. we decided we would write a note on the back side of our receipt and leave it facing up. we do and go on our merry way, vowing to never return! we get a few blocks closer to the car and realize we left our signature wine glasses from the day ON THE TABLE! too many ounces of wine will do that to you i guess. lesson of the day: if you're going to complain and then quickly run out the door, be sure to take ALL your personal belongings with you b/c you do not want to go back in! we sure didn't!!

on our way home, we spotted a bowling ally. yep, we did it! billiards and bowling and a few beers to top off our fun day!

after a few hours of recreation, and after our awful early dinner, we were hungry! or maybe i was hungry, either way :) pf chang's sounded good and it was on our way home. i called in our to go order, but by the time we hung up the phone, we were already in the parking lot. sean suggested we go in for a drink at the bar. we had one drink, but instead of grabbing our food and heading home, we ended up meeting a couple at the bar and chatting it up with them for 2 hours!! he was from columbia and she from cali. oh.my.gosh. we made it home around 10pm i think! we had a long day. from 11am to 10pm, almost 12 straight hours of pure fun :)

i love that the 'randomness' that sean and i experienced on our first date has not died in almost 4 years of dating. i love you sean, thanks for a great day and allowing me the opportunity to be random :)

what did you all do on valentine's day?
xoxo

change of plans...

2010-02-16T08:31:00.000-08:00

the plans to go to shreveport changed the day after i wrote my last post! (figures!). my parent's were unable to make the drive from nw arkansas so sean and i decided we would hold off to go when we could all be there together! we decided to just stay in tx until the last minute! next thing we knew we were in the car driving to bentonville to spend the weekend with my mom and dad.

we arrived just in time for dinner on saturday...steak + potatoes! (my request :) ) delish! after dinner, we carried our drinks to the living room where we lit a fire (with the push of a button, ha) and listened to my dad tell us stories of my grandparents when he was growing up. i loved hearing the stories and learned a thing or two that i did not know before. i think it was midnight before we all made it to bed!

the next morning (i.e. SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!) we had blueberry pancakes and thick country style bacon, mm mm! later in the day we did bacon wrapped dove on the grill. doesn't everyone have bacon TWICE in one day?! : ) this is sean attempting to "man the grill"...

our game time food was fried catfish + french fries + hush puppies + fried okra + cole slaw + tartar sauce (i made it from scratch!) + beer = heart attack on a plate! SHEESH! but man it was good! the only thing better than that menu was the VICTORY of the saints!!!!! WHO DAT!!!

the next morning we opened our blinds to find this.....

NONE of us had checked the weather b/c they had just gotten all of this snow the week before. thank goodness it was just snow and no ice! we were able to make it home still, but we had to brave a winter storm the whole way! i was so glad we were able to go for a quick trip!

things to come.

2010-01-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

hi!
i can't believe it's almost valentine's day! there is so much to look forward to before then :)

this weekend my great friend is coming in town with his wife for his 28th birthday! we haven't seen each other since christmas 2008, when sean and i made a quick pass through his home town to meet his little baby boy on our way to my parent's house. although i won't get to see thoven this time, i'm just happy to see my friend and have a fun night of reminiscing about our college years.

then the next weekend, my parent's will be driving down from AR to our hometown of shreveport, LA. that's right, it's MARDI GRAS TIME!!!! sean and i will drive over from FW. we will be staying with my brother, adam and hitting up some of our favorite local restaurants! saturday we will go to one of the shreveport parades and then sunday....SUPERBOWL!!!!! our Mighty Mighty Saints have made history people! they have made it to the SUPERBOWL!!! we have all decided to stick around one more night to watch the game all together! boy am i proud of being a louisiana native! it will be a tough game, peyton is one hell of a QB. just remember, WHO DAT!!!!

and THEN, it's valentine's day!!! i know it's sort of silly holiday, but for some reason it's always been one of my favorites :) i love the extra love all around and i also love a yummy meal and champagne! there is a vineyard here in grapevine, tx where they have almond champagne. i think i'm going to go pick up a bottle, or two :) we haven't decided what we're going to do yet this year. we typically cook at home, but i'm sort of feeling like going to our favorite little italian place downtown. what are your valentine's day plans? are you getting someone something special?!

lots to look forward to! i love a good fun weekend packed full of family and friends!

meet mister CATerpillar

2010-01-23T09:34:00.000-08:00

i don't have much time b/c i am supposed to be getting ready, but i am too distracted right now!
i changed my blog name to the CATerpillar. i drew mister caterpillar myself :) i think i sometimes forget that i have a major in graphic design! anyway, i hope you like my little guy, i think he's quite handsome :))

another exciting thing today, sean is doing away with his PC and switching to a MAC!!!! i am SOOOO excited about this b/c his computer sucks so bad and makes him unhappy all the time! the only thing i'm bummed about, is that his computer is going to be way cooler than mine :) haha! j/k. YAY for the apple train!

ok ok, quick workout them jumping in the shower!

Think GREEN! (and no, not nail polish this time!)

2010-01-22T11:50:00.001-08:00

i moved into my new apartment in early november! i love it, but for some reason i just quit with the decorating and organizing! i'm sure it's because i was torturing myself with things that i wanted but didn't need to spend the money on (still true). anyway, this weekend i am dedicating myself (and sean- :)) ) to getting this place looking complete (without breaking the bank!!). I have two closets that are fully capable of storing way more than they currently are, but things were just tossed in them back in november and...well, the doors close!

yesterday during a study break (yes, that's what this is as well, a break!), i was playing around online for some decorating ideas.

side note: sean and i recycle E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. the recycling sits in a blue trash bag on top of my washing machine. it always has b/c i have never had room for an extra trash can. it drives me nuts, but it's for a good cause so i have just learned to deal with it!

ok, back to yesterday's study break...i was on the PBteen web site and found THIS!

image from PBteen

how cute, right? i got SOOO excited thinking i had the perfect spot for it, and it's cute enough to be seen! problem: i forgot to look at the size before getting stupid excited over this silly green (or white) trash can! it's only 14.5" tall!!!! Ughhhh :(( if anyone sees anything else like this, PLEASE let me know! it's the best looking one i've seen! if only it were 10" taller! sigh, so sad.

i obviously will not solve that dilemma, but i do plan on conquering the leftover picture hanging, closet organizing, and bathroom decorating. wish me luck!

oh yea, and also this weekend...SAINTS! WHO DAT!!!!!

i need to at least smell christmas

2009-12-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

my apartment is too small to get a tree and i don't really want to spend the money on a lot of christmas decorations. but, i want to feel christmas! i feel like putting up lights will look like i still live in a dorm room. maybe i can find a small, cute tree to put on my tiny bistro table. maybe i could find a yummy smelling candle that will remind me of christmas and make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. does anyone know of a good candle for me? i don't like candles that smell like food b/c they just make me want to eat :) i need help! i can't wait to have a house one day that i can decorate with a real tree and lovely, sparkly, ornaments. oh, and twinkling lights that set the mood of the season. maybe tonight i'll make some hot cocoa and watch a christmas movie! hmm, the boy will have to be up for that. maybe it can wait until saturday night :) we might get snow tomorrow!!!

Green for Fall

2009-09-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

this fall is going to be good!
at New York fashion week, JADE was the hot color trend for nails!
anyone who knows me, knows that i am scary obsessed with the color green, ANY shade!
so this news excites me greatly. in fact, i think i'm going to go track down this color right now!
i seriously can not wait to get it on my nails!!
here's the color i'm searching for, only not this brand due to shock value of the price!!

picture courtesy of chanel.com

WOW, how times change!

2009-09-11T13:05:00.001-07:00

i had my first class for my teacher certification this past tuesday night.
yesterday, i was doing some of my homework and came across this chart in my textbook.
i was amazed! i wanted to share this with everyone.

RULES FOR TEACHERS, 1872
1. Teachers each day will fill lamps, clean chimneys
2. Each teacher will bring a bucket of water and a scuttle of coal for the day's session.
3. Make your pens carefully. You may whittle nibs to the individual taste of the pupils.
4. Men teachers may take one evening each week for courting purposes, or two evenings a week if they go to church regularly.
5. After ten hours in school, the teachers may spend the remaining time reading the Bible or other good books.
6. Women teachers who marry or engage in unseemly conduct will be dismissed.
7. Every teacher should lay aside from each pay a goodly sum of his earnings for his benefit during his declining years so that he will not become a burden on society.
8. Any teacher who smokes, uses liquor in any form, frequents pool or public halls, or gets shaved into barber shop will give good reason to suspect his worth, intention, integrity and honesty.
9. The teacher who performs his labor faithfully and without fault for five years will be given an increase of twenty-five cents per week in his pay, providing the Board of Education approves.

I mean WOW! i don't think i will ever complain about being a teacher, once i finally am one :)

Chart quoted from Kronowitz, The Teacher's Guide to Success, 2008

my new favorite thing: Dropbox!

2009-09-09T21:38:00.000-07:00

any of you ever heard of Dropbox? it's amazing!
this past weekend was my family reunion. my brother captured all of the special moments on his killer new camera!
so now we're all home and not only do we want the pictures, but also the videos shared!
sign up through this site and share any files you want with whoever you want, INSTANTLY!!
it is so cool and just made life a whooooole lot easier :)
blueeyedbride, we can now use this instead of google docs if we prefer!
i will be posting pictures soon from my weekend!
i hope everyone had a fantastic labor day! i think i'm still recovering :)

spontaneity

2009-09-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

last night was so great. i was really tired yesterday b/c i didn't sleep well the night before b/c my upstairs neighbors were obnoxiously loud {ugh}. the boy plays volleyball every tuesday and thursday nights. he usually comes over after wards, which makes me happy. last night though, i was SO sleepy. i had cleaning to do and shows to watch, but just nothing was getting done. when he comes over after v-ball, he's wired!

nothing sounded good to me last night for dinner except cupcakes (weird, i know). i resisted the urge to run to the store to get the stuff to bake those little cakes of yumminess! instead, i just played around on the internet, talked on the phone to my parents to figure out the weekend plan, and watched the Gamecock's play (victory!). his last v-ball game was supposed to start at 8:10. when 9:30 rolled around and i hadn't heard from the boy i assumed they were running behind schedule due to thunderstorms in the area. 10p my phone rings. he's done and on his way. i had sort of forgotten about my hunger level b/c i got busy doing other things. he's always hungry when he finishes his games so we talk about him picking up a pizza from the restaurant down the street. we hung up, and i called right back. i had the sudden itch to get out of the house! so he picked me up (well, we actually walked b/c the weather was PERFECT), and we went for a late night date. it was so nice :) we had pizza, beer, and i had a cape cod or two :) PLUS, FOOTBALL on tv! the place was packed! it was the perfect ending to my sleepy day! thanks boy for always being up for whatever, whenever, and however!

oh yea, on our way to the restaurant...we found THIS!!! where i'm from, these are usually dead on the side of the road! it's an ARMADILLA! ha, he was sort of cute :)

Herkie!!

2009-09-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

this is the boy showing off his LSU spirit during the national championship game! Can you believe he can jump that high?

approximately two years later...i'm not sure if it's the old age or the sand, but definitely not as good :) (or maybe it was the photographer :/...ME)

just one day away

2009-09-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

we are one day away from labor day weekend! woo hoo!!!
i am so excited b/c my family is having a family reunion, right here in dallas!
my whole family will be in town and i just can't wait to see everyone!
we have so much freakin' fun when we're together...

{adam, me with my face covered up, shawn, and his wife anastasia}

{myself and my brother shawn dancing to girls just want to have fun}

so that's most important..but coming in at a close second...the LOVE my entire family (uncles, cousins, aunts, etc) shares for LSU football!!! it's a scary obsession, really. when my boyfriend came into the picture he wasn't quite sure what to think of us during an LSU game. today, he fits right in! LSU first game of the season (well, non conference game) is this saturday!!!! we will all be decked out in our purple and gold tailgating waiting for kickoff! there is nothing better than good company, yummy food, and SEC FOOTBALL! fall, i welcome you with open arms!

GEAUXXXXXXXXXXX TIGERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

decisions decisions

2009-09-02T15:12:00.001-07:00

AH! so many things to decide these days!
should i re-new my lease?
should i move to ft. worth?
should i do one teaching program over another?
it's been a crazy month, but i'm happy to say all of my decisions as of right now have been made! and i feel great about each of them :)

for those of you who don't know, i quit my job at the end of june.
after lots of thinking and focusing on my passions in life, i have decided to become a teacher...an ART teacher!
in TX, if you already have a bachelor degree or higher, all you have to do is go through an alternative certification program in order to become a state certified teacher. so i called last wednesday and was in the program by thursday! there. one decision has been made! classes are from Sept 8-Oct 29 (something like that). i will then take my state exam (TExES) {and hopefully pass!!}. from there, i will be eligible for a teaching job come JANUARY! YAY! i am so excited about this and really believe this career will truly fulfill my life. children have imaginations that inspire me!!

next decision. my boyfriend of about 3 yrs is in real estate in fort worth (anyone need a realtor :)..let me know! ). fort worth is about 30 mins west of Dallas. assuming things progress with us i will need to ultimately make the move to ft. worth. so i've applied to start subbing in the this area instead of Dallas. i have been debating on whether i want to stick it out longer in Dallas and just commute back and forth on the days i will get a job subbing, or should i just take the plunge and move over? forth worth it is! this way i will get to know all of the school districts around there and figure out which areas i would potentially want to teach in. i found the perfect apartment today. i will be 3 blocks (walking distance) from downtown and already know where the best happy hour is :) i have plenty of friends in ft. worth, too! done. moving to ft. worth. not renewing my lease.

decisions are hard and definitely overwhelm me at times, but i have figured out through all of this you can make yourself crazy if you don't just DECIDE! i feel good about all of these changes in my life and am looking forward to how it all turns out.

now, if i can just find the time to stay on the diet and exercise each day, my life will REALLY be great!

happy days are here again :)

2009-08-03T21:47:00.000-07:00

it has been a crazy few months. lots of changes. some good, some bad. lately, all changes have come back around to good! which is....GOOD!

i'm talking everything from: a breakup, friends having babies, hating my career, wanting to move across the country, quitting my job (FINALLY), figuring out my new desired career, lots of quality time with friends and family, and lastly...back together with the love of my life!

my life couldn't be more fantastic! right now, at this moment, i am happy. thank you to all who have helped me through all of these ups and downs. could NOT have gotten through this without you.

if any of you have struggles in your life right now, i pray for things to start looking UP! you have to believe.

i need to vent.

2008-12-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

wednesday is my monday, awful!
i work wednesday through sunday. if there is one thing in life at the moment that brings me down it is my job!
i would love to find a new job one of these days (soon).

when i leave work at 5 on sundays, i'm usually quite annoyed that i had to work all weekend while everyone else was out with friends watching football, or shopping, or getting manis and pedis, just anything but working. sure, i get days to do those things as well, but not with my friends! not like a normal person...AH!

so anyway, i work at an up-market, high end contemporary italian furniture store as a design consultant. i am 100% commission (gagg)!! with the economy, we haven't been doing as horrible as one might think, but we haven't been doing awesome either. over thanksgiving, my entire family came to dallas b/c if they didn't, i wouldn't have been able to spend the holiday with them b/c i only had the one day off of work. everyone rolled into town on wednesday night and we all went to dinner when i got off work at 7. then thursday...YAY! i was off work! next comes friday...while my entire family hung out all day, watched LSU football (sad story this season :( !! ), ate, drank, played, danced, cooked, all those fun things!...you guessed it, i had to work! friday was SOOOOO SLOW! black friday is NOT meant for furniture and we should all be closed! needless to say, i was in the worst mood possible for the remainder of the weekend b/c we were just dead and yet we all had to be here working, while not getting paid (that whole commission thing!).

so my weekend finally rolls around and i didn't do anything but get my eyebrows waxed,start this crazy blog world thing!, and laundry. my main focus was to get out of my funk b/c it's very hard to spark new business when you are feeling blah about what you do. i watched movies, tv shows, SATC (sex and the city)...anything to help cheer me up! last night (tuesday night) all i could think about was how i was going to show up at work today, on my monday, and be positive...think positive, act positive, and stay motivated (ha, and here i am writing a blog). "it's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me...and i'm feeling good!" (michael buble) all was going well, until now...it's 5p, and i have only helped ONE customer today! ONE CUSTOMER!!! and...i am here until 7! are you kidding me?

i need motivation! does anyone else have days like this? if so, what do you do to get out of the mood?

mailbox yumminess :)

2008-12-02T15:20:00.000-08:00

i just went to the mailbox to get the not so fun envelope that had my rent amount in it..ICK!
but, it also had my new issue of Cooking Light magazine :) yes!!

on the front cover was this divine holiday treat that i must share with you!

HOT CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKES

i have not made this yet (obviously) but i can not wait to try it!

Recipe:

These hot-from-the-oven desserts are ideal for a holiday celebration and can mostly be made up to two days ahead.

Yield

10 servings (serving size: 1 cake)

Ingredients

3.4 ounces all-purpose flour (about 3/4 cup)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
5 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (2.6-ounce) bar dark (71% cocoa) chocolate (such as Valrhona Le Noir Amer), finely chopped
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation

1. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt.

2. Place butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed 1 minute. Add granulated and brown sugars, beating until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add egg substitute and vanilla, beating until well blended. Fold flour mixture into sugar mixture; fold in chocolate. Divide batter evenly among 10 (4-ounce) ramekins; arrange ramekins on a jelly-roll pan. Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days.

3. Preheat oven to 350°.

4. Let ramekins stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350° for 21 minutes or until cakes are puffy and slightly crusty on top. Sprinkle evenly with powdered sugar; serve immediately.

Nutritional Information

Calories:: 260 (28% from fat)
Fat:: 8.2g (sat 4.5g,mono 2.3g,poly 0.2g)
Protein:: 5.1g
Carbohydrate:: 43.9g
Fiber:: 1.8g
Cholesterol:: 12mg
Iron:: 2.3mg
Sodium:: 189mg
Calcium:: 63mg

picture and recipe courtesy of cooking light

connected...FINALLY!

2008-12-02T11:57:00.000-08:00

a little over a year ago, my boy and i (yes, i live in sin) moved into a new apartment. this tiny little place is perfect for us. i love it love it. it's small, but oh so cozy. besides the lack of space (more like lack of storage) all is great with one MAJOR exception....NO CELL SERVICE!!

my boy is in real estate and works from home. he has to leave his cell outside on the patio so that he can hear it ring. for me it's very funny seeing him constantly jumping up from the table to run out the door to answer his phone :)

me? well, i don't so much NEED cell service in the apartment...but i'm a girl, and what girl doesn't want her life line, at ALL times??!! thank you. my days off are monday/tuesday every week which normally consist of me doing laundry, going grocery shopping, catching up on my shows, and playing on the internet. i hate my days off because i never have anyone to hang out with since i don't have a normal weekend :( and i'm not one for a lot of alone time (right, e?)!

last week with work, i had a huge problem arise with a client coming in and no one could reach me (they failed to remember i have a home number--which is a whole other issue). due to no one remembering to call my home number, i lost 1/2 of a HUGE sale! (i work retail and get paid 100% commission).

now the good part of the story...today...not only did i figure out how to do a call forward from my cell to my home number, we also got long distance AND caller ID! before, we had a land line, but no long distance because we were not interested in paying for it. but now....WE ARE CONNECTED!!

PS ... if any of you are in the DFW metroplex and are looking for a home, hit me up and i'll pass you along to my boy, sean. he'd love to help!

twenty-seven to be exact

2008-12-01T15:48:00.000-08:00

on november 12th, i celebrated my 27th birthday.
yea...i know. OLD.

i have friends all over the dallas metroplex and wanted to figure out a way for everyone to be able to come. i ended up with a fantastic turnout (my middle brother and his girl even drove in from the port city!). we celebrated in grapevine, tx - a fabulous, cute, quaint little town - b/t dallas and ft. worth. the bar's name is lazy bones. music, darts, foosball, drinks, and friends...the night couldn't have been better! we basically took this little, local bar over and ended up shutting it down at 2...wow! been a while since i've done that.

i had work friends, childhood friends, new friends and sean's friends....it was SOO fun.
here are some of my favorite pictures of the evening...

on my actual bday, my boy took me to dinner at tillman's roadhouse.
my friend/co-worker sent this cake to the restaurant and i was totally surprised!
this is me on the phone thanking her for the cake...how ironic was it that i shot the sheriff was playing!

this is me with my middle brother, can you tell we're related?

amanda, melanie, and myself dancing...or something?

sean (my boy), a richie, a hooper, scott....AND me

i loooooove birthdays!

here i am...

2008-12-01T14:42:00.001-08:00

for a while now, i've been obsessed with reading certain blogs. i will start reading one, then i click to another, and another. my boyfriend thinks i'm crazy and can't understand what i like about them so much. it all started with my best friend at blue eyed bride. She has been blogging for over a year now and i love reading what's going on in her world since we live so many miles away :( i miss her so much, but thanks to technology, we are able to keep up with one another. love you, e!!
here's a picture from the good old days, carolina cup....

(that's me on the right)

SO, with that said...HERE I AM!