*S*N*OW*D*A*Y*

I'm sure like many of you... we are experiencing some winter weather. I gladly had Friday off, so Justin and I had lunch and made a list of additional goods we wanted to make sure we had. I could not be THAT person running into the grocery buying milk and bread. So I added toilet paper to the list, that is 1 thing I do NOT want to get snowed in without. :) Justin got home just before the sleet started. I had a huge pot of chili going, so we settled in and got warm!

OH WAIT!!!!!!

We don't have wine or oreos? How will we ever survive in this winter storm? So before it got bad, we made a second last minute trip to the store. This is one thing I love about Justin...he is always up for purchasing randomness at the store. On a normal day it frustrates me that he buys junk and things we do not need. But sometimes it is cute and I love him for his randomness! We left the store with: wine, lemon drops, oreos, tomato past, beer, gummy worms, and butter cookies. HAHAHAH that list just makes me laugh. So we were officially set and ready for the winter weather.

This morning we woke up to SNOW/ICE whatever you want to call it! We took the puppies out and to evaluate the situation. Take a look.......

This is Sam Stewart. He is staying with us for awhile. His Dad is in Haiti and his Mom and brothers went to visit family in Washington. We are enjoying this guy, he brings calmness to our little girl, Luc!

Here is the Luc. She loved it outside....I had a hard time getting her to stay still to take a picture. She loved eating the snow!!

Next is our little mansion in the country. I love our little house. I think it is just precious in the snow. :) We are very blessed! Family picture time.... With a dog that hates to be held and a fiance that hates pictures. But they are such great sports!

And there goes my fiance....to work! 19 days until opening day, they cannot stand to not be doing something! It takes him 15 minutes to get to work on a good day....today it took him 40. I just pray that those boys make to campus okay and that those crazy coaches make it home okay.

I hope you all are staying warm and staying home! Enjoy being snowed in and relaxing with the ones you love.

I want your help...

Today we are headed to Target and Bed Bath and Beyond to finish up our registry! I thought it would be fun to hear your opinions!

Please leave me a comment (here, facebook, or email) and tell me....

1. What are you so glad you registered for
2. What you got and don't use
3. What did you forget to register for and ended up buying

I can't wait to hear what you guys say! I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

BID DAY

Today at Ouachita Baptist University it's Bid Day!! Bid Day 2005 was a day I will never forget. I am still so excited about this day because I know all the fun things that the new girls are about to experience. All the long nights, all the best friends, all the glitter, all the events....the fun and togetherness is endless....or the next 3.5 years. They will be meeting their best friends today, and that makes me excited for them! Take a look at me on bid day.....My long time college roommate @ our Bid DayThere we are in all our glory, PC'05

One week after bid day....The first day we got to wear our letters.....it was such a big deal to us. We were so proud!

And this picture was taken Bid Day 2006....at 10:00 when the new pledges were walking across the street....we were no longer pledges and we were MEMBERS!

Can you tell the excitement?

No really, I would have been a pledge for 4 more years. I would go back and do it again today. My pledge year was the reason I got so much out of my time being an E and my time at OBU and the reason I have the best friends a girl could ask for!

Today I am going to look for my wedding dress....5 years ago I was meeting my best friends. Those same girls will be my bridesmaids.....that is what makes me excited for PC10, like I said they are meeting their best friends today....they have no idea what the future holds!! :)

I am proud to announce....

Justin and I are getting married on

August 7, 2010.

Where

Anthony Chapel: Garvan Woodland Gardens
Located in Hot Springs, AR
This is one of the most beautiful chapels in the United States, as the wood and glass structure features floor to ceiling windows all the way around the building that stand 57 feet tall. The laid stone flooring and exposed wooden trusses fit perfectly with the rustic feel of the Gardens. Outside the chapel is a mixture of natural flowers, trees, streams, and creeks spanning over 210 acres, that makes for an outstanding setting for the mid-afternoon ceremony.

Party Place

The Regency Room by Belle Arti Group
Historic downtown Hot Springs, AR will be hosting our Wedding Reception. The Regency Room is still under construction, as renovation and remodeling of the space is being done by the Bell Arti Group. They also own and operate Belle Arti Italian Restaurant, The Porter House Grill, and the Porter House Club...all of these are located directly across the street from The Regency. The renovation will be completed in March, and our reception will be among the first events in the space. This historic building will provide a unique location and design for the reception and will feature a large dance floor, seating for over 200, a full permanent bar, and classic historical, and Italian decor. The reception will feature a full meal, drinks, dancing, and a night that promises to be memorable, and, no doubt, very fun.

We are 199 Days away from being husband and wife :)

Happy Birthday to my Momma!

This is my mom. Lookin' good for a 58 year old. Hott Mamma!

(She is going to kill me)

So now on to more serious things. My mom is a teacher and she has been for 30+ years. She always said that she would retire when I got out of college, and she is still there, and going strong. She is a fabulous teacher. She isn't stuck in here old ways, she spends her summer going to workshops to get better, well when she isn't in the pool!! She is that teacher that truly cares about her kids. Funny story....more than one time in my life my jackets would disappear. Year after year I would get a new coats, so the collection grew. I would see one piled up on the kitchen table....and be like what are you doing with my coat? She would say...oh this little girl at school really needs it. Which is totally fine with me! I think my Dad has decided it is cheaper to give them our coats than to bring them all home. :) I did my best to be a little liar. To look my mom in the face and lie. But I couldn't, I would come home, sit on my bed and tell her EVERYTHING!!! She said I had "diarrhea of the mouth". When I sat down, I had zero intentions of telling her the details, but by the end of the conversation....she knew all the juicy goods. Looking back, I'm glad.

The #1 thing me and my mom love to do together is SHOP!!! We use to go every Sunday! A small shopping trip for us is the afternoon. It is nothing for us to be gone all day, everyday for an entire weekend. It's always great fun! My mom was like super mom while we were growing up. I was in dance, gymnastics, played softball, was in church activities, basketball, school activities, you name it...I did it. She ran us from one practice to the other, fed us in between, and made sure we had all the right stuff to do whatever it was we were doing. And some how I passed school. Whew!

You did a great job mom. I know it was a lot...but I loved it!

I wore her out!! :) 23 three years of being my mother she deserves to shut her eyes! :)
This last picture is of my mom, me and my mom's best friend DV. DV and my mom met in college, live 8 hours apart, see each other at least once a month and on most holidays, and act like sisters! They are coming to visit me in 9 days to go wedding dress shopping. I could not be more excited. I am excited they are coming to North Carolina, where I live...to see my house, to meet my fun friends, to visit my church, AND to pick out my wedding dress. It is something all moms and daughters dream about! I am very blessed to have a mom to experience this entire process with. She even has a notebook. :)

Happy Birthday Mom! I cannot wait to see you!

Buy a dress...save the tatas!!

Buying dresses is not a new thing in my house. I have multiple formal dresses from one occasion or the other, but buying my wedding dress is the biggest and most important purchase of them all. The old dresses are all stored at my parents, most of them I can no longer get into, and they helped no one. My thought was, what a waste!!

Months back, a co-worker told me about a wonderful cause! It is called Brides Against Breast Cancer. In America 1 woman every 12 minutes dies and 5 are diagnosed with breast cancer. WOW! That could be my mom, sister, friend, or me. When I heard about Brides Against Breast Cancer, I knew I wanted to participate. I starting looking for their local shows, figuring out how it all worked.

Designers donate their dresses to the cause. The 500-1000 dresses are sold at a discounted rate....the bride goes home with a dress and the money goes to help someone else. I love it!

The good news is there is a show here in North Carolina near me! My mom is flying out and we are going to the VIP show.

I am currently working on my entourage. We are going to be super organized in our shopping efforts and we will be leaving with a dress. Not just any dress....a discounted dress....for a good cause!

South of the Border

On the border of North and South Carolina there is a place called "South of the Border". Hundreds of miles from either side of the border you start seeing advertisements for this place....like 100+ billboards. It is fascinating. It sucks you in. Just seeing the signs makes you want to go to this place. We have passed it multiple times going on little trips and I always beg to stop. Of course Justin thinks that my begging is completely ridiculous and doesn't see my need to go to "South of the Border".....but back in November on our trip home from the beach, he caved! I just felt like this place was picture/blog worthy. Take a look at how creepy this place is....

LOOK at this sombrero tower in the middle of North and South Carolina....WHAT? It just makes me laugh.

Creepy motel on the grounds. Looks like something out of a horror flick...

EVERYTHING was shaped like a sombrero....

They call this guy Pedro on all the billboards. There were about as many Pedro statues as billboards, I kid you not.

These animal statues were all over the property. This particular zebra was purple.

And this pictures made us laugh....the Pedro's cleaning Pedro! :)

All of these pictures were taking from INSIDE the car. Justin took the exit but would have no part of us getting out at this place. This little town is a mystery. I have done a little research on this place...I want to know who is buying these signs and roller coasters. Let me hear form you North Carolinians, what is South of the Border all about?

Thansksgiving at the Beach

The week of thanksgiving holds many special meanings for us. It is Justin's birthday, it is the first time in 10 months Justin gets true time off, and it is a holiday! Instead of spending our time traveling, we decided to spend it near our home at the beach! We have been fortunate enough to meet some special friends while living far from our families. Most of our friends are also far from their families as well, so friends around here are like your family. The family we spent Thanksgiving with is also a coaching family, so they really understand the need of togetherness and down time, because so much of our year is spent on the go, or separated. So we did a lot of relaxing together and it was PERFECT! Take a look at our Thanksgiving....

The Olejniczak family...

The soon to be Haire family. :) The first night at the beach we found a local place by the water. We were the only people on the deck, but we couldn't resist!

Although holidays remind us of time with our extended families, it was so nice to SLOW DOWN, stop, catch our breath, remember what it's like to spend sometime as a couple. I was very thankful for the long weekend with Justin and friends.

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving....two months ago ;)