Friday's Letters

Dear Summer,  I am so sad to have to say goodbye to you, but alas the school year is upon us.  Hi Ho Hi Ho it's back to work I go.  Dear Furbabies, you are super cute and cuddly.  I think you sweeties were the best decisions we have made in our marriage.  Dear husband, I can't believe this week we celebrated our second anniversary.  It feels like just yesterday was our wedding day.  So much has changed over two years and I love you more and more through it all.  Dear Ice Cream, I really miss you now that I am on this hardcore diet.  Maybe we will have to have a rendezvous soon.  Dear students and your parents, please be nice to me and my educator friends this year.  We would greatly appreciate it in advance.  Dear Brandon (again), thank you for helping me hang pictures in my office today.  You know my head is crooked and your measuring skills are genius, so you were the perfect man for the job.  Dear Fall, I can now open you with open arms since I bought my new boots.  I can't wait to wear them!  Dear blog friends, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!  For those of you going back to school or who work in school or who have kids in school hope you have a wonderful school year!

Friday's Letters

 

Dear Elevation, thanks for being an amazing church and for investing in the women of our church last night.  I am so blessed to be a part of such an uplifting church.  Dear Christmas Break, please come a little quicker.  I love my job, but I am in need of rest, relaxation, and a non-middle school drama holiday.  Dear Charleigh, you are so stinkin' cute when you run sideways like a monkey.  Do that more often, k thanks.  Dear Kitchen, I think I need to hire a maid just for you.  Your dirtiness is out of control.  No matter how many times I clean you, you are dirty again 5 minutes later.  Dear Christmas shopping, how about you take care of yourself this year.  Finding gifts for all of my family members, who are some of the hardest people to shop for in the world, proves a difficult task.  Dear husband, thanks for running to the store last night at 10:00 when I realized I forgot to pick up my breakfast items for a work party this morning.  You are the best.  

Eleven

Today is 11-11-11 and being that it is November, the month of thanks, I thought it appropriate to share 11 things I am thankful for.  So here you go!

1. To own my own house and be able to build a home with my hubby.

2. My E-group at church.  I love having a group of people who you can live life with and who you can count on to build you up spiritually and in friendship.

3. My job.  I love being a school counselor and cannot imagine a better school to begin my career. 

 4. The freedom to be able to worship whenever I choose.

5. My education.  I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to earn a Bachelor's and Master's degree.

6.  My friends, specifically Justin and Courtney who are getting married this Sunday!

7. All of your blogs!  You each inspire me daily!

8.The ability to be active (work out, hike, be outside, softball, etc.)

9. My family.  My mom, dad, sister, mother-in-law, sister-in-law.

 10. My furbabies.  They are a huge joy in my life.

11. I am SO incredibly, absolutely thankful for my husband.  The Lord has picked out the perfect mate for me.

What are you thankful for?

Weekend Projects

We have finally set out to begin our home improvement projects.  We have a long list of things we want to get done in order to make our house feel like a home.  This weekend we made an agreement to cross some things off our list.  It feels great to have accomplished some things.  And by we, I mainly mean Brandon.  I am so blessed to have a husband who can handle projects around the house.  I can always rely on him to get it done.  Thanks boo! With that being said...here is what we got done around our house.  

We took down the ugly florescent light in our kitchen.  Thanks to Ikea for a $25 coupon we were able to buy some nice track lighting to up instead.  Brandon pulled down the old light and found a square hole in the ceiling and a couple other small holes.  It's nothing a little spackle and paint won't fix.  I think it looks so much better now.  What a difference a new fixture can make.  

Our Sunday project, after the Panthers game of course was to hang our new mirror and pair of sconces we bought a couple of weeks ago.  We got a stellar deal for the mirror and sconces from Kirkland's Home.  I love the detailing around the frame.  This was another easy fix and it makes a big difference. 

I love checking things off of my to-do list, especially when it involves home improvement!  In other news, I have to throw in some cute pictures of the furbabies. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Packing

Tomorrow is the big day, we close on our first house.  We have been packing up our first home together, our apartment, and it is bittersweet.  There have been many memories established within these walls even over the short 7 and a half months we have lived here together.  This is the apartment we came home to after our honeymoon, where we bought our first furniture together, and where we have snuggled up each night since.  Packing is exciting but overwhelming at the same time.  Currently our apartment looks like a bomb went off and I am fighting my urge to clean and organize.  It makes you look forward to the future and remember the days you are leaving behind.  Tomorrow we will be homeowners and we look forward to creating many, many more memories together in our new home.  

Charleigh's ready to go

A Year in Review

2010 brought many moments of joy, pain, laughter, adventure, challenges and new beginnings.  It was a year of both celebrations and moments we'd rather not have had.  With every new year comes a time of looking back and looking forward.  Here's a look back at our 2010:

Most of our year was spent hard at work planning and creating our DIY wedding

We turned the key on our first home

 Brides always have more fun

We had lots of photos taken (here are some of my favorites)

WE GOT MARRIED!!!!!

We Honeymooned in St. Lucia

We adopted a new baby (cat of course)

 All in all, 2010 was a wonderful, enchanting year full of love and life change.  We are anticipating great things in 2011 including house hunting, my graduation from grad school and hopefully a new job.  Happy New Year everyone, may you also be blessed this year!!