A Few Pictures from New Years 2010 & Gatlinburg

At Ripley's Aquarium

Happy New Year!














Me & Brandon before midnight


















Riding the ski lift down the mountain

Bling Bling!!!

Happy New Year – Baby It’s COLD Outside!

Whew! It was a chilly 14 degrees in Hoover this morning! It has been a long time since the wind has made my eyes water or my cheeks sting, but this morning, the wind blew with a fierce force that made me want to crawl back in bed. I’m just not used to the cold. Generally, I prefer more “tropical” weather, but it looks like I’ll have to deal with it for a while. Oh well, at least it’s good for business! We’ve set multiple new peaks over the last week!

Speaking of business, it was hard to go back to work after being off for so long. I thoroughly enjoyed my break between Christmas and New Year’s. Me and Brandon went with my family (mom, dad, brother, brother’s girlfriend, and Zorro) to Gatlinburg, TN for a couple of days. We had a blast! We stayed high in the mountains and woke up to snow 2 of the days. We actually had to come home a day early because we were afraid that we might not make it off the mountain if we stayed. Of course, we did all of the corny tourist things while we were there. We rode the ski lift, went to the Ripley’s Aquarium, played with all of the celebrities in the Wax Museum, and ate tons of junk! And I mean junk....caramel corn, candied apples, homemade chocolates, fried Oreos, a foot long corndog, and taffy just to name a few. I felt like a kid again! But, we eventually had to come home, back to reality.

I am excited about 2010 though. 2009 was good, but it definitely had its challenges. I am hopeful that 2010 will be full of fun, family, and good health! Let the good times roll!

Where Have We Been?

Okay, so I admit, it has been way too long since I've blogged. So much has happened since my last post (in September). We are approaching our 1 year anniversary. Wow! How did we get to December? Where has the time gone? It seems like the wedding was just a few months ago. So, you may be wondering what we've been doing. Here's a list of a few things:

• Sold my house! We are down to just 1 mortgage..WOO HOO!
• Refinanced our current house to get a lower interest rate.
• Bought a new Maxima. Two weeks after I sold my house, my car died. A new transmission was going to be about $7,000, and the car wasn't worth much more than that, so we lucked up on a brand new car!
• I coached 2 cheerleading squads of 6th graders at Oak Mountain.
• I coached 1 squad of cheerleaders that won FIRST place in the state UCA competition (more to come on that).
• We drove to Edisto Island, SC (an hour from Charleston) for a long weekend. One of my college roommates got married. The trip took us over 8 hours....I don't recommend driving if you can help it.
• We carved our first pumpkin together. That was fun!
• We celebrated our first Thanksgiving together with both of our families.
• Now, we are in the process of decorating the house for our first Christmas as a husband and wife.

I promise to do a better job updating the blog. I got pulled in too many directions and let it go for a while. I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. Many blessings to you all!

Many Blessings

So, good news.....we are officially down to only 2 mortgages!!! Woo Hoo! We closed on Brandon's house last Monday, then on Tuesday I got an offer and negotiated a contract on mine. The prospective buyers want to close on October 1st. So, if everything goes as planned, I'll have my house sold by the end of the month! This is our prayer.....

We've been praying continually for buyers since last July. Finally, one month apart, it looks like we'll get rid of both of them. I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well. Brandon and I gave up so much to take on 3 mortgages, so we are really looking forward to "living" again. Of course, I already have a list of things I want:

• A king bedroom suit
• A trip to Disney World
• To get rid of "The Unit" - Brandon's 1995 purple Altima that he bought when he lived in Calera to drive back and forth to work in
• Granite countertops
• Oh yeah, some new clothes....it's been way TOO long since I've gone shopping!!!!

My Life According to Kenny Chesney

This is fun! Answer every question using song titles from one of your favorite artists.

Pick a band/artist: Kenny Chesney

Are you male or female? She’s Got It All

Describe yourself: Big Star

Describe your current location: In A Small Town

Describe where you want to be: On The Coast of Somewhere Beautiful

Describe your political philosophy: No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems

Your best friends: Don’t Happen Twice

Your favorite color is: Old Blue Chair

You know that: Some People Change

What’s the weather like? Summertime

If your life was a television show, what would it be called? The Good Stuff

What is life to you? Freedom

What is your dream job? The Road and the Radio

What’s the worst feeling in the world? Somebody Take Me Home

Your favorite means of transportation: She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy

What is the best advice you have to give? Fall In Love

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Dreams

What is your favorite food? Key Lime Pie

Your last words will be: Everybody Want to Go to Heaven

How do you feel: Young

Describe where you currently live: Back Where I Come From

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Somewhere In the Sun

Favorite time of day: When the Sun Goes Down

Your relationships: A Lot of Things Different

Thought for the Day: There’s Something Sexy About the Rain

How I would like to die: French Kissing Life

Your fear: Never Gonna Feel Like That Again

My soul's present condition: She’s Got It All

My motto: Be As You Are

God is So Good!!!!

As I sit here typing, I'm feeling so many different emotions. I feel joy, relief, excitement, wonder, etc. Ever since I heard the good news this afternoon, my mind has been moving in 20 different directions. Today, my brother-in-law, had a scan which revealed that his 3 brain tumors are gone! That's right....gone! Praise God for this miracle!!!

Brian was diagnosed with brain cancer back in early February (2009), and since that day, he's been fighting a tough fight. And the worst part about it.... Brian knew exactly what he was up against. You see, this wasn't Brian's first battle with the nasty disease. He was diagnosed with it back in February of 2007, and like today, he beat cancer then too. To me, this is simply amazing.

What can be said for the love and power of our Father? There simply isn't a way to put the awesome-ness of God into words. Sure, I can use creative adjectives to describe Him, but they all seem to fall short of his true greatness. We serve such an amazing Lord! There is nothing that he cannot do. There is no doubt in my mind that Brian is God's latest miracle. Prayer does work. God does hear you, and He does move.

So, for all of you out there struggling today, remember that the Lord loves us much more than we can understand. He wants happiness for us all. The power of prayer is unbelievably awesome, and yes, miracles do still happen. So, whatever you do, don't give up. Be Strong and Pray Hard! God heals!

To all of my prayer warriors, thank you for your never-ending prayers! I know that because of you, we are able to celebrate this miracle in Brian. I love you each dearly, and I'm so thankful to share this good news with you.

Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord, the Lord, is the Rock eternal.

~ Isaiah 26:4

Out With the Old, In With the New!

Finally, after 5 months of sitting in it's box, Brandon got around to hanging my new dining room light fixture. It's so pretty! I really do love it, and I can't wait to order more of them (for my kitchen and entrance hall). As many of you know, we purchased a foreclosure in October. The previous owners took just about everything they could, but unfortunately for me, they left all of the ugly, brass fixtures. Have I mentioned that I HATE brass? I mean, the ones in my house are terrible! I'm sure they were "stylish" at one point, but not in 2009! Scroll down to see the before and after photos.





Before




After