Notes on our life

Sickies

2010-03-06T10:21:00.004-06:00

It has been a while. That's what happens when you're sick.

See...I thought it was just a 24 hour bug, but the vomiting continued for a couple of days. Then, when I got better, I caught strep, which gave me a sinus infection, which then led to days and days of drainage. I then had a cough I couldn't get rid of for several nights. Then, yesterday, I got a marvelous ear infection (like CANNOT hear at all out of my left ear). Today, I woke up with a bladder infection.

God has a sense of humor. But the way I look at it, if I get every illness at the beginning of the year, I won't be sick for the rest? haha.

Needless to say, I haven't been on the Internet nor have I had the desire to post a blog. :(

We found out that our closing won't be on Monday like we orginally planned. Apparently everyone else and their dog knows that closing dates aren't on expected dates except for us. haha. Hopefully it will all work out at the end of the week so we can HAVE OUR HOUSE and I can share pics. tehe :)

This is non-imformative, but I will update when I have a chance. ;) Off to do busy things like lesson plans and teaching certification stuff.

Good Things in 2010

2010-03-02T13:00:00.000-06:00

February

1- Put an offer in on our future house
2- Learned a lot at my job training.
3- God showed me just how cool he can be. Remember?
4- Actually agreed on paint colors with Colton (although it will probably change)
5- Had a wonderful talk with one of my best and closest friends.
6- Beautiful bridal session with Colton and wonderful food at the Cheesecake factory.
7- Saw Mandy again, met Jack and had a great time watching the superbowl.
8- Saved $60/month by switching auto insurance companies. Every little bit counts.
9- First day at my new job. Thank you, Lord for providing.
10- Sweet night at home with the hubby.
11- Had an amazing day in the snow.
12- Colton sent me tulips to work, which helped with my awful day.
13- Hailey spent the night! Girl talk!
14- Thank you for Valentine's Day.
15- Received great news, that will be exciting to share.
16- We bought our bedroom set!!
17- Awesome Jack's Mannequin concert.
18- Spent the afternoon in the baby room at work. God is amazing.
19- Started packing and had a fun evening with the husband looking for furniture. So excited to have a new house.
20- Had another wonderful night with Hailey (and did excellent helping her in math this time)
21- Made a comitment to God today. We are excited to live in obedience.
22- Discovered the greatness that is 5 guys, burgers and fries! :)
23- Actually worked 8.25 hours at work!! Woohoo!!
24- Worked 10.25 hours today!! I am so thankful for these extra hours.
25- Starting feeling sick, but had a great hubby to take care of me.
26- Sick day. However, it was an excuse for a movie day with the hubby.
27- Found out that I will have my teaching certification very soon. :)
28- Saw Sam and Jen's new apartment and was able to spend some time with them. They also gave us a lot of boxes for our move.

Jack's Mannequin & why I love Andrew

2010-02-20T09:25:00.005-06:00

I haven't posted in a few days. The hectic new schedule I am adjusting to can be blamed for that. I will try to be better this week.

On Wednesday, Colton and I went to see Jack's Mannequin (I will go ahead and put it out there, that they are my favorite band. Yes, I am aware of the fact that the CD has explicit lyrics, I own it. It is due to one song that has the "f" word in it. I don't want anyone to get upset.) It is, by far, my favorite band to see live. :) The pictures kinda stink because of all the fog in the venue.

Andrew (the lead singer) found out at 22 that he had Lukemia. I am 22 now and can't imagine how I would take the news. He battled cancer, chemo and the sickness that came with it all. I don't know if it was his attitude through the battle. His amazing piano playing skills, his lyrics, or the fact that he puts on an incredible concert, but I love him. We found out that he is going back to his old band, so there may not be anymore.

I wanted to upload a video, but it was taking entirely too long. Maybe I will edit and upload a clip or two.

We have an engagement shoot tonight and hopefully we'll be able to get things cleaned up around the apartment. It looks terrible. :/

Energy-less

2010-02-17T13:10:00.006-06:00

Edit: No, the news is not that I am pregnant. haha. :)

This new job has kicked my butt. I literally have no energy left when I get home. Imagine that. Spending 8 hours with 4 year olds and not having energy at 5:30 pm. tehe.

Friday was a hard day. It was hard watching the snow melt away. Hard going to work for just a few hours. Hard day at work. Hard night at home. I did get beautiful tulips from my lovely Husband though.

Saturday, I worked in the morning and my beautiful sister in law came over and spent the night. We worked on math until late Saturday night. We also went to one of Colton's shoots. So much fun!

Sunday, we went to church and celebrated Valentines Day by seeing the movie at Studio Movie Grill (and all you can eat pizza).

Monday, I had to be at work at 6 am for a training in Arlington and didn't get home until 7pm. Whew! Long day. I did get some really exciting news I can't wait to share, but it will probably be this summer I can do it. (You can email me if you are curious, I just don't want to post it on the online world).

Tuesday was a lot better. The kids were rowdy, but I'm used to that. I had a schedule set up with lesson plans and it worked AWESOME!! Things are looking up. We also drove around downtown Wylie (so cute!) and looked at our house again. Then, we ended up at Rooms to Go and bought our BEAUTIFUL bedroom set. I am SO EXCITED. It is the one I have wanted for so long now...and it is ours!! Eeeeekk!!

Closing date is in 19 days!!!!!!

My next post may be more insightful, but I want to get things together for our concert tonight (Jack's Mannequin). I have been looking forward to this since December and it is finally here. Yay!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

2010-02-11T19:58:00.008-06:00

If you know me AT ALL, you know that I love (and I mean LOVE) the cold. I love hot cocoa, I love fireplaces, I love ice cream, everything cold. I really enjoy when it snows. We actually received record breaking snow. I could not be happier. When Colton got home, we bundled up, took Chuck and ran outside. We gathered snow for homemade ice cream, made a snowman, threw snowballs at Chuck and each other, made snow angels, ran in open fields by our apartment and had a blast. I am so excited it will still be here tomorrow so we can repeat the craziness. Enjoy these pictures. They are way overdue.

Look at those ears. :) *swoon*

I had to add some kind of chocolate. hehe.

And at last, I will leave you with this obnoxious video. Yes, we pegged Chuck over and over with snow, but he loved it. And yes I do say the word "sucks" so if that is a bad word don't watch it. hehe.

Ms. (Mrs.) Jessica

2010-02-10T12:30:00.003-06:00

So I am officially Ms. Jessica. I have a classroom with 20 something kids (They haven't all been there at the same time, so I don't know exactly how many). No desk, no computer, no phones...just kids. Playing, reading, coloring and more. Right now it is super unorganized. They haven't had any structure at all. I am working on ways to get them quiet (give me a 5, "this is my ___ voice", red yellow green, etc). Right now they have minds of their own. I am working hard to break through their stubbornness and remembering they are all 4 (and a couple 5s). I also have a two hour lunch break. It is awesome that I live so close, because I can come home, let Chuck out, and relax...however, it blows once we move away and I will have no where to go (except the mall...which could be exciting. haha). The second half of the day is hardest. The kids are full of energy and unwilling to cooperate. Once I get the room together, this should change. I just need to bring in some organization and a clear schedule for them and the parents. It will be nice.

More updates on all that later. I want to enjoy my last hour with a banana split and some rest. :)

Weekend Update

2010-02-08T15:22:00.003-06:00

We decided to put our apartment for rent on Craigslist to see if we can save on the last two months of rent. That would be SO AWESOME if we could. :)

Saturday- I worked in the morning. After work, Colton and I headed to the Old Red Courthouse for bridal portraits. They turned out AMAZING!! SO GORGEOUS. I am really excited about her wedding, because it will be beautiful (Colton can't post sneaks until AFTER the wedding, but it will be worth the wait). Then, we went to Cheesecake Factory (the first time at the Northpark one together) the Container Store (I could live there, seriously), and a few furniture stores.

Sunday- We had church, then an awesome engagement session at the Cotton Mill. Then, we went to Mandy's house for her Superbuckle party. She took this picture, and I stole it from her P365 blog, but it's the only one I have. I know you are tired of pictureless posts as well.

We came home, did some laundry, watched Supernatural and went to bed.

Today, I have been talking to our new insurance agent (who I found out I know. He's married to one of my knottie and IRL friends. He isn't married to two people they are the same person. haha). We are so excited about finding home/car insurance in our (below our) budget for great coverage. Woohoo!! It just means we THAT MUCH closer to our house. We still close on March 8 (so exactly 28 days!). We found out they are going to fix the roof, so many good things are happening.

I start my new job tomorrow. I met my assistant teacher today. He is a doll. I am excited to work with him and think we'll make a great team.

I'm that girl who...

2010-02-05T11:11:00.005-06:00

I saw this on my friend Sandy's blog and thought, "what the heck. I'll do it."

I'm that girl who...

- is a Christian and hopes people see that in me

- drinks caffeine (frappachino) less than 4 times a year and hasn't had a coke (soda, pop, whatever you fancy) in almost 10 years.

- can't imagine life without a dog

- sleeps in the winter with the ceiling fan on, but buried in a comforter

- loves things to be organized, but can't keep it that way

- doesn't like french fries

- tends to exaggerate

- puts on a happy face, even when things are going wrong

- can live without radio music, but loves musicals

- misses the stage with all that I am (theater and plays and such)

- answers "anything ice cream" to "what's your favorite food?" and "what brand/store?" to
"what's your favorite flavor?"

- enjoys compliments, but feels awkward receiving them

- likes the simple things in life

- some may call a Drama Queen

- spreads herself to thin, and takes on everything at once

- still doesn't understand why terrible things happen to good people

- loves to dance, but can't do it well

- enjoys reading nonfiction, but never has time for it

What kind of girl are you?

Where did I leave off?

2010-02-05T10:34:00.002-06:00

Oh Lyly...

We got it! They accepted our offer with a few minor and livable changes. (One being we have to close a week earlier. woohoo!) Closing date: March 8, 2010. So on March 8, 2010 Colton and I will be homeowners. Praise the Lord!!

We signed all the paperwork Wednesday night for the final contract. Yesterday, we met with the mortgage person and signed all the loan paperwork and turned in all our stuff (check stubs, bank statements, etc.).

That afternoon, we had the inspection. I was really nervous because they didn't look so good (Colton and the inspector). Come to find out, there was water damage around the windows and most importantly in the kitchen. Apparently, there is roof damage that is causing a water leak. We have sent over an amendment to the contract to find out if they will get a roofer over to take care of it, or if they will knock some off of the price. Either is fine, but we expect something to be done in order for us to continue with the house. We both love it, but we are already going to have to do a lot of little stuff that we want the big thing to be taken care of.

We also found out that the original owners didn't do a very good job at keeping it clean/nice. There are many things they neglected to take care of (replacing air filter being one). We are going to have to go in, room by room and scrub down all the baby germs. ;) I hate cleaning (love organizing), but I am so excited about cleaning our HOUSE.

After the inspection, we went to Best Buy and Home Depot to look at washers/dryers and refrigerators. Those will be our next big purchase for the house. While at Home Depot, we found ceiling fans that we really liked and were on sale (Wish I could find pictures online, but I can't). So we bought them. Not before driving 20 minutes to the next one because they were out of stock at our Home Depot. We also looked at paint colors and I believe we picked out our main color and accent wall colors. Woohoo. That excites me. We want to warm up the colors a little and I think we found a good color (that we agree on by the way, which is HUGE).

So no new pictures, just boring information post... Oh well.

A less home informational post and about me post coming up next...

God is SO COOL

2010-02-03T10:38:00.004-06:00

I left Colton's work today (where we signed and faxed all of our paperwork for the counter-offer counter-offer) feeling extremely anxious. I closed my eyes (at a red light of course) and prayed quickly "God, please put my mind at ease. I want peace." I immediately felt a warm calming sensation and decided to sing along to KLTY (Christian radio station) to keep my thoughts on Him. I happened to turn it on right as a new version of "It is well" came on. The very first thing I heard was

"When peace like a river attendeth my way..."

(Although I couldn't figure out what the new version was called...it didn't say "attendeth my way" in it. However, it had the same meaning so I posted the original hymn).

I'll be the first to tell you that music isn't a huge part of my life. I could live in a life without it just fine (well, except musicals. I love them). So the fact that God chose to speak to me through music is awesome to me. He took something so unimportant in my life and made it into something extremely meaningful.

Seriously. God is amazing all the time, but it's in these small times I really feel his presence.

I just thought that was a cool story to share.

Waiting...

2010-02-02T14:58:00.004-06:00

As of right now, we are waiting to hear back about Lyly.

Yesterday at work, Colton called and asked if we wanted to go see it, since a time opened up for it. I said "sure!!" I got off work early, and we headed to the house. We drove around the neighborhood and saw all the young families out jogging, bicycling, and even playing rugby. haha. We knew that this was the neighborhood we could see ourselves raising a little rugby playing kid. Driving around only made me like the neighborhood more. Honestly, it isn't as "nice and new" as Frisco, but it isn't as busy either. It's more quiet and humble (though the homes are beautiful). There is a lot of land nearby and even a woodsy area behind the house.

Our realtor came by and we finally got to see inside. I was so nervous that it wouldn't live up to our expectations and I would be severely disappointed. Nope. All we kept saying was how perfect it was. From the huge backyard for Chuck and his future sister, Lucy to the beautiful living room and kitchen (my favorite part!). The bathrooms needed tile floors and the spare bedrooms needed paint. Otherwise, it is perfect. Colton actually likes that it needs those things so he can feel more manly. haha.

We couldn't stop dreaming of all the fun things we would do to it when/if we got it. We left and went to the nearby Whataburger for the paperwork. Colton and I signed and sent our offer with our realtor.

This morning, she sent it to the seller's realtor. Now, we are just waiting to hear back from them to see if they made any changes. We fully expect them to counteroffer, but have enough room in the contract to play with. I am so excited to see where this leads us and the plans God has for our lives.

I was asked why I don't put pictures up. I eventually will, but I don't want to post pictures of a house if we aren't getting it. The only house I will post will be the one we get. Also, only people who know my address will know why its called Lyly. I don't want to give the street name away for security reasons. (FYI, its pronounced Lily.)

Good Things in 2010

2010-02-01T16:03:00.008-06:00

I started to do this last year and didn't get past January, so let's see if I can do it this year...
I encourage you all to think about something positive from every day. Even if it ends up being a bad day and write it down. At the beginning of each month, share your positive "good things" with everyone else. :)

January

1- Quiet night to ourselves. Great way to ring in the new year.
2- Blessed to have a great job, even if I do work Saturday mornings.
3- AWESOME day with my favorite ladies.
4- Quality time with the sister and Kandice.
5- Day off spent catching up on Bible studies.
6- Worked with awesome people.
7- Decided to apply at several preschools and see where God leads me.
8- Thank you for the gorgeous cold weather today. I love it.
9- Got to catch up with a high school/elementary school friend during her engagements.
10- Another fun couple Colton got to photograph.
11- Thank you for another Monday.
12- Day full of interviews (3). How lucky am I that I have a job and have so many interviews? Thank you, God, for allowing me such a great opportunity.
13- God has really been speaking to me today.
14- Had a wonderful day off getting ready for the cruise.
15- Worked hard one last day before vacation.
16- Made it to Galveston without a problem.
17- Had an awesome time with my family before leaving on the ship.
18- A great first day full of fun, food, and amazing new friends.
19- Beautiful day at the beach. God is AWESOME!

20- Swam with amazing stingrays. What beautiful creatures.
21- Witnessed more of the beauty God created for us in Jamaica.
22- Had a wonderful time taking pictures with all my new friends on the ship.
23- Won $80. :)
24- Left the ship with nearly 30 new friends.
25- Blessed to have the day off to recuperate from our trip.
26- AWESOME news from the doctor. Thank you Lord for healing my kidney.
27- Wonderful first day back at work.
28- Worked tonight, which means extra money in our pocket.
29- Got a new job, which means we are able to get a house.
30- Bought amazing new furniture for our future house.
31- Amazing service at church. Saw many people proclaim their love for Christ in baptism.

A post about Lyly is coming soon, I promise...

Anticipation

2010-02-01T13:43:00.005-06:00

I am so excited. We are FINALLY going to be able to see Lyly. Eeek! I really like the outside of this house and hope the inside doesn't disappoint. Of course I will be praying that God's will be done in the whole situation. It is a perfect little place for us.

Weekend Update:

Saturday- I worked while Colton shot an engagement session for my gorgeous friend Meredith and her fiance Danny. I cannot wait for him to put the previews up. They are awesome! Then, Colton and I went "furniture" shopping. We figured we would just window shop and price things for when we did get a house. However, we ran into a fantastic deal at Rooms To Go and had to go ahead and purchase. It's so exciting. Just waiting for us to get a house and will be shipped. We picked out our couch, chair, ottoman and a 50' Plasma HD. I am so ready for our house now.
Although we didn't buy anything else, we picked out our washer/dryer, and our bedroom furniture as well. We are ready to get this show on the road. :) Then we hung out with Jen and Sam (ate dinner and watched Supernatural). I am so gonna miss them being in our apartment complex (but they are leaving at the end of this month, and we are actually moving a lot closer to their new place than our apartment. Meaning, we'll still see them all the time).
Here's our living room stuff...

Sunday- Colton played the djembe at church in all three services. I went to the second service and watched as many children and adults were baptized. It was awesome. They had all the children on stage cheering when the person was brought out of the water. It was a celebration on earth just as the angels celebrate in Heaven. So cool! We had another awesome engagement shoot with an adorable couple last night. Then, we went furniture shopping, got a redbox movie and came home to watch it. Colton, Chuck and I snuggled in our bed and watched "The Invention of Lying." It was interesting. Parts were funny, but I wasn't too crazy about how they brought in "religion."

This morning I went to the preschool I will be working at to pick up my info sheet for my training tomorrow. Then, I came to work. In approximately 15 minutes, I will have to tell my supervisor the news (that I got the job). Starting tonight, we are going to clean the apartment and take pics of our current furniture. Once we put an offer in and have a contract going, we hope to sell everything. Hopefully I will be able to post pictures of the inside of Lyly for everyone.

Updates...

2010-01-29T21:18:00.003-06:00

Thank you all so much for your prayers!! They have really helped with my nerves today. Here is the latest.

I did get the job. I am so grateful, because I think this will be such a huge step in my life. I really feel that I will do a great job, and I am very excited about it. I requested a specific amount of money, and they are unable to do that for me. They jumped through several hoops to get me what they were finally able to offer me. It was only $2/hour less than I requested. Some of you may think "$2? What's the big deal?" However, $2 breaks down to $40/week which is $160 a month. However, Colton and I crunched numbers and I feel a peace about it. It may not be exactly what I wanted, but God has a plan for it and us.

About the house. We were scheduled to view Lyly today, and the owners had to cancel our appointment because their child got sick. We were bummed, but did some research. We found a house, "Washington" that would be a new build. That greatly excited me, so we bought our flashlights and headed over to the neighborhood. It was a little too rural for our taste, and Colton wasn't a huge fan of the neighborhood like he was Lyly. We decided against that one and drove by Lyly only to make me like that house even more. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of picking our own carpet, tile, and everything in between. We just like everything else about Lyly (without seeing the inside) better.

I'm excited about where this journey will go. Hopefully I will be diligent about documenting everything in process.

Changes

2010-01-28T18:36:00.002-06:00

This isn't a post about the cruise.

No pictures.

No scrap pages.

I thought about whether or not I would write about this or wait until we have answers, but I thought I may as well just go ahead. I figure if everything does (or doesn't for that matter) work out then I will be glad I documented everything from the beginning.

I tweeted about a *good* anxiety I am feeling about two important changes to my future. I had to clarify that it wasn't a baby (since that is what immediately everyone jumps to).

#1 I decided I wanted to teach preschool and the week before the cruise had 4 interviews at local preschools. I had a couple offers, but the last interview was "the one." I went on the cruise expecting to hear something by the time I got back about whether or not I got the job. I found out that right now my application is snagged in payroll. They are taking a looooong time to get back. Tuesday, I heard something. They suggested I bring my transcript in and hopefully that will expedite the process. It has officially been two weeks (today) and still no word. I talked to them this morning and *fingers crossed* should hear something by tomorrow morning. Just to clarify, I didn't apply because I hate my job. I actually love my current job and if I do get the preschool teaching job, I plan on working here Saturday mornings. I am blessed beyond belief with two amazing supervisors and great coworkers. It has been the best job I have ever had. However, I have a degree and aspirations in education/counseling and have to move on. :( I have talked with a couple of people at work about it (including my supervisor) and they have been extremely supportive.

What I am asking. Please pray for me in this situation. I have a lot of emotions running through my head right now. Honestly, I am a little nervous it has taken this long to hear something. I have been in communication with them, so I don't feel shafted. Not to mention the fact that it is a huge job change for me. Although I am confident I can and will do a great job, there are still jitters about getting started and doing something different. Just pray that God's will is answered and I am able to cope with whatever it may/may not bring.

#2 With a full-time job comes a steadier salary and with that comes a house. I really didn't want to post about this one either. Mainly for superstitious reasons (which I don't even believe in. haha). I think in the long run, I will be happy to have the (hopefully not) long road of owning our own house chronicled from the begining. We have found a neighborhood with several houses we really like for sale. One of those, we both are super crazy about (despite that it only has a couple pictures posted). We are scheduled to go look at it tomorrow. I am SO EXCITED about the possibility of owning our own home. What great timing too (with the tax credit and our lease coming to an end)?

My problem, when I see a house, I immidiately begin imagining family and friends over for holidays. I see all the ways I can decorate it. I look past the payments and financial obligations. I tend to get overly excited and disregard the fact that I am a planner (an over-planner as Colton may say). The idea of having my own house is just something I have dreamed about since I was little. Soooo...all that being said. Pray for me and my emotions. Pray that I will think critically and Colton and I will make the best decision. Pray that we will be alright with setbacks and understand that God has a plan for us. Whether or not this is the house for us. For blog purposes (and hopefully future scrapbooking of our "first house") I will call this one "Lyly."

If you read all of that, you are really cool, by the way. That was a long boring post. Hopefully next one will be filled with good news and pictures.

It's happened...

2010-01-28T08:45:00.001-06:00

I have reached a point of obsession for blogging. It has only been 2 days that I have posted in a row, but I was waiting until this morning to post another one (mind you, I have nothing to say). I didn't want to post twice in one day unless it was important. haha. :) I check it every 20 minutes to see if someone on my list updated. I get super excited when I see a comment. Probably just because it is all new again. Who knows?

I am also super excited about all the MckCruise pictures pouring in. I can't wait to see MckMama's. She took some of Colton and I, along with the other cruisers...kinda like a mini photo shoot. I have been updating my facebook like crazy. I love adding all these pictures. I highly doubt more than 2 or 3 people will look at all of them (those being my mom and dad), but facebook has become my photo storage place. I love photos. As much as I like capturing the moment, I love being in them. 90% of the time, I am critical of myself in photos, but I love being caught, in the moment at someplace/with someone very special. They literally last forever. I love looking at pictures of my mom or Meme from back in the day, and I can only hope my child/grandchild(ren) will want the same from me. Since Colton and I have been together since we were 14, I have the most adorable pictures of us. Like this...

I may update again at work tonight, I want to try to get some scrap pages together of the trip. I don't know if I will be able to do that at work, but we'll see.

Let's play a game of catch-up.

2010-01-27T13:13:00.001-06:00

HUGE THANKS TO MANDY for helping me make my blog prettier! (I made my own header, believe me she does a much better job at headers than me, so please don't be deceived. Her work is awesome.) I gave her personal blog a shout out last entry, so here's to her blogs blog. ;)

We last left off in October... Wow. Things have changed!

Thanksgiving and Christmas were awesome, spent with family and friends. We had our beautiful Christmas tree again and this year, Chuck posed perfectly in front for me. Becca and Zack spent Christmas with us at our apartment. I finally had the opportunity to meet my beautiful new cousin Chavon (who married my cousin Casey a week after Colton and I) who announced to us that she was pregnant. :) Hailey got a new boyfriend, that we all love so much and have had the most amazing time with. Here are just a few images from those...

Then, I graduated!! Actually, I graduated first, then Christmas, but oh well.

Colton's new website finally opened and business has been booming. We are so blessed with the most amazing brides, couples, families, and everyone who has contributed their wisdom and knowledge. It helps to know amazing photographers who have always been there, and meet new ones along the way. Everyone in the business has been so encouraging and helpful.

Finally, the event that Colton and I have been talking about, wishing for, and saving for 11 months finally came. Our cruise. It was FANTASTIC! Words cannot describe how amazing it was. I will let pictures do most of the talking (then caption) ...

Our huge, beautiful ship.

Cozumel, Mexico.

My new favorite people ever. Seriously, these girls became such good friends of mine in just a week. I can't believe Mandy (middle) lives just 10 minutes from me. You will probably see a lot more of her in the future. ;)

Colton and me with a giant stingray in Grand Cayman.

Colton ziplining in Jamaica.

Game night: I think this sums it up.

Our wonderful waitress, Renata from Croatia and our table mates. We had the best conversations.

I may break down each day in more detail with pictures/scrapbook pages, but for now...I hope you get an idea of what we experienced.

:)

2010-01-26T17:46:00.001-06:00

I am going to try to post more often. After spending a week with bloggers, I thought it would be time to get off my butt and document my life. I start work again on Wednesday, so hopefully I will have time for a life recap. My new inspiration... http://www.jackandmandy.blogspot.com/ I love her and her blog.

Just wanted to give you all a heads up that my blog will be beautified in the process. I am going to try my best to learn HTML and photoshop to bring you the very best.

Here's to nothing...

I'm really trying...

2009-10-26T11:25:00.001-05:00

I really wanted to get back into blogging. I don't like entries without pictures, but I never have time to take any. haha.

School is going good. I am keeping myself ultra-organized to get things knocked out one at a time. I am soooo ready for it to be over.

Random fact of the day: I have been married for 499 days! Tomorrow will officially be our 500th. :)

It has been an interesting journey, to say the least.

Colton is getting busier and busier. We are saving more and more money for our house next year. I graduate in...54 days.

I leave for the cruise in 84 days...

I just have a lot of things to look forward too. We have our family pictures on Thursday. They will be really different and fun.

That is all for now. I will see what I can do as far as pictures in the next post.

School is back...

2009-09-23T16:49:00.001-05:00

I know that isn't an excuse, but school is back in full swing. *boo!*
I am insanely busy this semester.

I work 29 hours a week (which actually isn't a whole lot and we could use the money, but I love having Sundays off).
Am taking 15 hours in school...
In those 15 hours I have...
15 outside observations for 1 class...
15 outside volunteer hours for another class...
9 outside observation/practice hours for another class...
3 outside observation hours for another class...
And one class with no hours!! Woo hoo!
Colton is booked EVERY weekend (sat. & Sun) through Christmas with weddings, families, engagements and bridals. So, I am assisting and enjoying every minute of it.

I have been busting my butt trying to get this semester together...and I have lacked in not only my blogging, but social skills.

If you haven't already, check out my TTD pics!!
My hubby's photography is doing great. He is officially http://www.sixfourteenphotography.com/
:)

Hopefully I will have pictures and be able to post a better, more colorful post SOON.

Good things usually come to an end

2009-08-24T15:24:00.002-05:00

It's true. I haven't updated in a while, because I went through a major funk. Yes, I realize we are still blessed, but things haven't been as peachy and wonderful as they were before. I have had to really take a step back and re-examine everything.
Without going into too much detail, I really struggled. I was sad, alot. I cried, alot. I spent many hours dwelling on how bad things had gotten and how unhappy I was. No matter how hard I tried to fix everything, it just got worse and worse. Marriage is a lot of work, and I have never forgotten that. It just got unbelieveably hard for a while. So hard that I closed myself off to the world.
Because God is amazing, I pulled through. I had a wonderful weekend, and I am looking forward to mending my bruises. This coming up weekend will be soo relaxing (Another trip to Beaver's Bend).
Colton and I had Saturday off, so we had a date night and got all dressed up. Sunday we ahd engagements with an adorable couple, even though it was super hot outside.
Besides this vacation weekend, we have a VERY busy next few months.
I start school Thursday, and I am really anxious. I am ready. It is my last first day as an undergrad. I am so ready to be done with it. :)

Oh, and I have successfully lost the weight I wanted to. I am at my goal range and couldn't be happier. I am healthier, more toned, and I actually enjoy exercising. :)

Humbled...

2009-08-11T10:50:00.001-05:00

and exhausted. I am overwhelmed by the response that Colton is getting to his photography. We are seriously booked EVERY weekend in October with weddings. We have bridals and engagements throughout now and then as well. We have been so blessed by incredible support from family and friends. God is truly amazing, and I am so thankful for everything going on in our lives right now. Without him, it wouldn't be possible.

Our date nights now consist of going to weddings/engagement shoots together. We spend our free time editing (well...he edits and I say "good job"), making spreadsheets (all me, baby), and organizing.

It's great to see the passion he has for this. He loves taking pictures, editing and delivering CDs. I love meeting new people, going new places, and being a part of such an important event in someone's life. His work isn't bad either. :)

Saturday, we had an engagement shoot with Crystal and Ray. They were such an adorable couple. Seriously, they were a lot of fun. We had a great time.

Then, Sunday, I witnessed one of the most beautiful weddings of all time. The Piazza in the Village was INCREDIBLE. Although I loved our little chapel, this place was a dream. The staff, the art, the halls, EVERYTHING was perfect. The couple, Tera and Terran were absolutely adorable. They smiled from begining to end. It was a beautiful ceremony and a super fun reception. We danced and danced and danced.

Also, we are both not only blessed with all that, but we are extremely blessed with our "real" jobs. Both of us have jobs that we love. We never complain about them, our supervisors, or fellow employees. We are both finally happy where we are. Thank you, God. :)

Not to mention we have the best dog in the world.

And two mini vacays coming up.

Along with a WONDERFUL cruise in January.

no pictures post

2009-08-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

I wish I had pictures to post, so that it would make this entry pretty, but I don't. :(
I cannot believe it is already AUGUST. Where did the time go? Colton and I have been busy with photoshoots and stuff, so I haven't noticed how fast the weekends go by. He was supposed to have three shoots this weekend, but two were canceled (family reasons). We did get to do one and we drove out to Keller for a children shoot. Fun!
We also went by colleyville to look at the venue for the wedding next weekend. IT IS BEAUTIFUL!! I can't wait. I get to wear my new black dress. Whee!
I went shopping with my mom this week and got that dress and then a plaid dress for $10. (Not together...the plaid was $10). It was a lucky day for me. I never get to go shopping, so it was a little exhilirating.
I made enchiladas (that we are STILL eating) Friday because I thought Hailey was gonna come over. :( She ended up staying home since Coltons Sat. morning shoot was cancelled and she didn't need to help him.
When we got back, we went to Steak and Shake with Sam and Jen (after attempting to go to the movies) and went back to their apartment to play games. SO MUCH FUN! I love game nights, so it was a blast for me.
As far as my diet and exercise plan...I haven't been very good this week, so I need to whip myself into shape again. haha.
Hopefully I'll have pics for my next post.

faeries are among us...

2009-07-27T10:56:00.001-05:00

So, I was asked a few weeks ago to be a faerie for a birthday party on July 25th for a very special little girl. (Actually an amazing grown-up girl in a little girl body). She had a backyard faerie party that was to die for. Her amazing mom and dad worked hard to set up tents and lanterns and wonderful food. Every detail was perfectly taken care of. A week before the event, I freaked. I couldn't find fairy wings anywhere that looked like a woodland fairy rather than a princess fairy. I wanted to be a bit grundgy, but faeiresque (look at me making up words). So, rather than buying a costume and have it expedited...I made it. (Which probably ended up being more expensive, but it was so much fun and so worth it).
I made the wings pointy so they would be more "leaf-like" from scratch. We used coat hangers and tights.

I mirrored my makeup from a fairy who travels different fairs Twig Faerie. Actually, I went for her whole look because she's GORGEOUS.

The finished product...

Colton actually took pics of the event and did a great job. I can't wait to see the finished product when they are all done. You can see more photos of the party (and not just me. haha) here.

Lots of Links

2009-07-17T12:44:00.002-05:00

I know, it has been a little while, but there hasn't been much to update about in the past week. Last weekend, Colton did an enagagement shoot with an absolutely ADORABLE couple, Eryn and Michael, in Ft. Worth. You can see the teasers here.
We got a *new* car. A 2006 Honda Civic. His Hybrid is up for sale now, and I hope and pray we can sell it quickly. He wanted something with a little more horsepower, but he loves Civics because they are great cars.

On Wednesday, I had a Haute Facade makeup/hair model appointment. It was a lot of fun. They were training a new girl, Chris, and she did my hair and makeup. They do such a great job on everything, so its super fun to be a model and get it all for free. You should definately check them out Here.
After the appointment we went to Southern Junction for buy one get one free steaks with my parents. That was a blast and super delicious.
Then, we came home and took these pics...I forgot to get pictures of my makeup and hair for the appointment, and although it was a few hours later, it still looked good. :)

Lastly, I am SO PROUD of Kandice and Jackie for making the DFW WFA A*List for wedding photography. They did my wedding together a year ago and decided to become a team. One year later, they entered the contest 4 (or was it 3?) days before the closing of votes and went from 88th place to 5th!! Great job ladies. I am so happy for you both.
check out the list Here and their website Here.

Until next time... :)

100 degree summer, lakes, rivers, and fireworks

2009-07-06T10:07:00.001-05:00

Oh my!This past week was a whirlwind of fun and adventure. Wednesday, I spent the day packing for my two trips and getting food, snacks, drinks, etc. for everyone. Thursday, Kandice picked up Hailey and me for our roadtrip to our secret location for a 2 day trash the dress extravaganza. Seriously...it was a freaking blast. We played in sand, canoed, jumped in a lake, went grocery shopping, late night movie theater and creepy alley, swingset, played with animals and much more (all while wearing a wedding dress, I might add). To take a look at a tiny sneak peak, go here. You can see the bottom of my TRASHED dress. :)

This was our cabin for the night.

Kandice, me and Hailey at the grocery store.

Taking pics with the BEAUTIFUL scenery.

Sneak peak! (Hailey took it of us)

The super cute movie theater. :)

After taking all the pics, Friday we just hung out and picked berries.

Kandice, I had a wonderful time. Thanks for making my TTD pics rock. I know they are gonna look amazing. You're the best.
Jess~

Friday, as soon as we got back from Road Trip #1, we grabbed our other bags and headed to Oklahoma (Beaver's Bend) for Road Trip #2. It was so much fun to go away again. Hailey and I felt super spoiled getting 2 vacations in one week. We went on a TEN MILE kayaking trip down the river. It was super hot. We all got burned pretty bad...

Hailey and me at our pit stop.

Again.

After kayaking, we went to the motel to change and went out to the lake to watch the fireworks. Seriously, best fireworks show ever.

Colton and me. 6.4.09

Sunday morning...showing off our burns. Hailey and I pretty much got the same (thighs and stomach), Forrest was the worst, and Colton's legs and arms were burned.

Last group shot. :)

I'm walkin' on sunshine...

2009-06-29T14:03:00.001-05:00

That song is stuck in my head for some reason. It is absolutely NOT sunny outside right now either. It's rainy and in the 70s(which is a lot better than the 100s). This weekend was super busy. Saturday, Colton was supposed to be shooting engagements pics in Las Colinas(where he paid a $50 deposit) at 2:00pm, plus lunch and a meeting with them about their wedding. He tried all morning to get a hold of her and couldn't reach her. We showed up anyways, just in case something happened with her phone or something. Well, of course, she didn't show up. Finally, we called her from my phone, and she returned my call, only to hang up as soon as she heard Colton's voice. How inconsiderate.
Seriously, this girl didn't even give any kind of explinationa nd stole 50 bucks from us.
Hailey spent the night, so we could go to church in the morning. We shopped (thrift stores and such) for her to find a cute sundress to wear when we trash my wedding dress this week. I wanted some pics of her with me and definately a shot of us jumping in the lake together.
We went to downtown Mckinney (where the following pics were taken), swimming, and just running around.
Colton got the idea that it would be fun to "spontaneously plan" a trip for this weekend (July 4th). When I get back friday from my TTD location, we will leave for Beaver's Bend Friday night (we=Colton, Hailey, Forrest and me) It should be an exciting time, but super busy weekend.

Check out my new sunglasses. tehe.

We found a Starry Night Frog (Starry Night being our favorite painting and frog being her favorite animal).
Can't wait to leave for my trips!! I will post many pics.

exhausted

2009-06-23T11:16:00.001-05:00

Wow. So I have had an extremely busy weekend. :)
Saturday, I worked in the morning, got home, worked out and then took a shower to get ready for Colton's first wedding. Speaking of, Colton has decided to give photography a try. He has always loved it and thinks he has an eye for it. So he posted about it, and has been quickly getting a lot of interest. He is starting off making nothing almost, but he has to start from somewhere and build up his portfolio.
Here are some shots from that and his website:
Here
Anyways, I learned a valuable lesson...4 in' heels and being on your feet from 3-11, not a good idea.
Sunday, I got up early and went to the Cotton Mill to help Kandice with her mini sessions. It was hot as can be outside, but it was nice to get to see her again and hang out. I was getting so giddy talking about my TTD pics coming up next week. I can hardly wait.
Monday I worked, but I was so tired from the weekend, that I went home early. I couldn't even stay awake at work.
Today, Hailey and Lindsay and I are all going to have a girls day. What kind of trouble we get into shall be fun. :)
Later days (wow, old school "Recess" reference)

Happy Birthday, Chuck...

2009-06-19T13:00:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to DL my pics to this post for three days now!! Sorry it's late.

Tuesday was Chuck Taylor's first birthday. I had the day off, so I took him to a few doggie stores and went by the dog bakery to get cookies for him and his birthday guests at Unleashed. He got a round one with "Happy Birthday" on it and everyone else got paw print cookies. I let him walk around the store and pick out whatever he wanted...he grabbed a giant pig ear, so I guess that was the winner.
We went to Unleashed, which is pretty cool since it is indoors, but I prefer the free one in Plano. Hailey and Sadie, my mom and Foxi, Ryan, Amy and Zoe all came too. It was fun for all.

Chuck and I waiting for Colton to get home so we can leave.

At the store, I let Chuck pick out anything he wanted...he picked a pig ear.

My mom's dog, Foxi and I.

Baby Zoe.

Baby Zoe and her mom and dad.

What happens when you give Chuck a stuffed animal. :) He LOVES them though.

One year ago today...

2009-06-14T18:39:00.001-05:00

The doors opened...

and the groom watched.

We kissed...

and sealed the deal as husband and wife.

A year later,

we celebrated with a well deserved day off for both of us. I got a NEW white dress (as seen above) and we had a great day hanging out together.
It was perfect, just like our day a year ago.
Colton, I love you and I am excited for "80 more" anniversaries to come.
Your wifey.

Summer Lovin'

2009-06-11T09:12:00.002-05:00

So much stuff has happened since I last updated.

I started summer school I,
I finished summer school I (with an A),
I don't start Summer II until July something.
Hailey and Taylor broke up.
Hailey and I have had some major sister time.
I have sang at a karoke bar,
and we took Colton's family to see our hood.
We bought a lot of "smell-good" stuff at Bath and Body Works big sale.
We found a new beautiful shoppin center.
Colton turned 22,
Colton got a tattoo.
(Ha, it's like a nursery rhyme..."Colton got a tattoo on the day he turned 22")
Hailey got a tattoo,
Jen and Sam got one too.
Me...I didn't. Not because I am a chicken, or because I was scared. I have never really wanted one. What would I get? I didn't want to make an impulse decision just because everyone else was doing it. I think hard about what I wear everyday and what I eat, why would I jump into a tatoo?
I am excited about this summer. We may host my cousin and her husband at our apartment and take them to 6 Flags in July. I have trash the dress pictures in July at the best location ever. I get to help my favorite photographer and good friend do beautiful family pictures (including my supervisor).
I have been losing a little bit of weight, slowly, but successfully. I have worked out everyday (except Colton's birthday) since last Monday.
I plan on updating more since I don't have school for the next few weeks.
Now we have pictures...
We (Colton, Hailey and I) took Chuck out for a long walk and adventure. We rested at the baseball fields and took Chuck off leash.

On Monday night, Colton's family came over and we went to the Shops and ate, then walked around.

Lastly, on Colton's birthday, Tuesday, we (Sam, Jen, Hailey, Colton and I) went to Blue Goose and then the tattoo place.

The ladies at Blue Goose.

Before they got tatted up.

Hailey and Sam's matching tats (Hailey's is much smaller. tehe)

Colton's tat

Jen's tat

Colton and Hailey at the tattoo parlor (see their wraps?)

Taste Addison

2009-05-11T18:47:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I have been really busy studying for finals and writing papers.
However, Hailey came with Colton and me to taste of Addison (huge rip off if you ask me).
This is us on our way...

One of the only cool things of the day...check out his utters. haha

It's been a long time coming

2009-05-04T10:12:00.001-05:00

I decided to update with pictures...
First, Easter...

Next, we had a double date night with Sam & Jen as a pre-birthday and pre-wedding celebration. :)

Then, my birthday (April 28)

Lastly we had Sam and Jen's wedding on Saturday (May 2)

Heavy

2009-03-31T18:32:00.001-05:00

Heavy
My thoughts,
my midsection,
my heart.
Empathy
is good
and causes pain.
I feel lost,
discouraged,
curious.
I have
no understanding,
no motivation,
anger.
I am angry.
Sad.
All in all,
I feel sad.

I am getting SO SICK of bad things happening to good people, really good people.

On a brighter note...

2009-03-25T18:53:00.002-05:00

Colton and I made a baby. *snickers* Isn't he adorable? I am not allowed to say his name bc someone might "Steal" it, but isn't he CUTE?!

Praying for Stellan

2009-03-25T17:44:00.001-05:00

I am FINALLY posting this to my blog. I have been praying for him, posting on facebook and my messageboards I go to, but I haven't been able to talk about it here yet. I am just trying to get my feeliungs together. I don't know MckMama personally (Although Colton and I are going on the MckCruise *yay* and should meet her there). However, I have been reading her blog for months and just fell in love with her and her family. Her children are beautiful, her faith is inspiring, her husband is amazing, her family is just a wondeful example of God's many blessings. Really. She is a photographer, so her pictures are always beautiful. She is just awesome. I could go on and on, but I think if you click on the picture you will know for yourself just how beautiful she really is.
I will be honest. I am having a hard time grasping why good people have to suffer so much. (Just the other day I was grieving with http://www.thewims.blogspot.com/). I know it is just part of life and ultimately part of their testimony, but it still hurts so much. I have been thinking about Stellan every hour for the past 2 days. I have been thinking about Mckmama and her MSCs and her Prince Charming. If you have the time, read her story. Discover her incredible faith. She is a great example for all of us.
PLEASE get on your knees and pray for this family.

Less than a week...

2009-03-18T17:49:00.001-05:00

Since my last post. I am doing SO GOOD. haha.
I am going to *try* to update AT LEAST once a week. I haven't been updating because I have been REALLY bad about taking pictures. I want to get better about that too. Let's see. What has happened since March 12, 2009. Friday I didn't go to school because I was exhausted. See their alarm (like wake up alarm, not house) went off at like 5 something in the morning. Well, it continued to go off for the next HOUR. We have NEVER had any problems with noise in our apartments, so it was really weird that the alarm we could hear. I was a little scared because I thought that maybe our neighbors were unconscious. Needless to say I didn't get any sleep, so I skipped school. Then I went to work at noon. I can honestly say I have no idea what we did Friday night, so it was probably not at all interesting. Saturday we intended to go to the comedy club, but got done to Mockingbird Station only to remember it was the St. Patrick's day parade and it REEKED of beer and throwup. People were so trashed walking around, yelling and being obnoxious (it was only 6pm). We decided to leave and get burgers instead. Then we spent an hour and half hiding in Sam & Jen's apartment waiting to scare them. Haha. We are losers.
Sunday I worked all day.
Then we begin Spring Break. I worked 2-10 Monday night...I was off yesterday, so I went to mesquite to visit my MeMe and Aunt Motsy. Chuck got to run around in the backyard all dayl, so he was a happy camper. It was a good bonding, obedience day for the two of us. Oh, and we looked completely adorable in our matching outfits (since it was St. patrick's day). I wore black gauchos and a green "Made in Ireland" shirt and chuck wore a giant bandanna bow that was black with green clovers. :) Now I'm at work.
Ok... sad post...no pictures. Maybe I'll do better next time.

Catch up pics

2009-03-12T16:11:00.002-05:00

Ok, I have been up to a lot lately and no time to post. So here will be some pics to catch you up. I have quite a few of our baby that I need to put up.

Top to bottom: Chuck's Valentine gift, Chuck and daddy, BATHTIME!! haha

I went to OperaWife's musical...Company. It was FANTASTIC!!

Also, Sam, Jen, Colton and I went bowling again...and I did MUCH better by the end... here are some pics.

This weekend I have Jen's bridal shower and then Hailey and Taylor are coming with us to a comedy club. :) That will be fun... I won't forget my camera.

Ugh! Ok, I thought I had more time to post, but Colton got off work early and I have to finish dinner (Mixed veggies and chicken skillet) SO I will leave you with this pic of Hailey and me. tehe

I'd like to thank...

2009-03-12T16:05:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I get so frustrated trying to come up with titles of entries. Silly? Yes, but I am like this with everything. Anyways, Mariah at TakeaWalkWithMe Awarded me this...

Here's what it's all about:"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement!Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."
1. Kandice at "She"
2. Laura at "The Good Life"
3. Amber at "Day to Day with T&A" *snicker* :)
I know that is only three, but a lot of others have been tagged. Ok, I promise I will post another post after this.

Portrait of Christ

2009-02-23T14:01:00.001-06:00

This weekend (and past few weeks) I have been avoiding a lot of responsibilities (and blogging). I don't really know why. Call it a midlife crisis. Haha. Anyways, I am back, and hopefully more frequent. I hung out with Hailey and Taylor Saturday. We went to Purple Cow. (yumm!!) and then to church. See, I was having pics done Saturday, so I hadnt eaten much Friday or Saturday... so I pigged out. I ate a BBQ bacon cheeseburger, onion rings, side salad and this...

all by myself.

Hailey and Taylor shared a milkshake(aren't they adorable?!)
Anyways...church. It has been a LONG time since I have felt so good at church. Don't get me wrong, I loved CLife. It has been a battle trying to find somewhere that is relatively close to as amazing as that church. It has been interesting visiting different churches, hearing different styles of music, and different pastors. Well, I am seriously saying this. I think we found the one (or I did at least). Saturday was my third time visiting (Colton was playing at a Dnow). I seriously cried. I cried the first day I was there because I felt that God had FINALLY gave me peace about where i needed to be, but I was hoping Colton felt the same. I would love to be called to the same church Colton is, but I know sometimes that doesn't happen. Anyways, Saturday was the end of the series Jesus for Sale. The message was very powerful, and yet simple. It was back to the basics about how to explain our faith to people when they ask. I know I have heard it 100 times, but I was still fascinated and captivated by the sermon. The thing that got me this weekend though was one of the songs they sang. I had NEVER heard it before, but I think it is my new favorite worship song of all time. It is called "Portrait" by a band called Freely (www.myspace.com/freelymusic)

The faith to wash, the feet of another
Is a faith that's not, undercover
What can I do, in a world that's hurting
But live like you, always serving

I wanna be like you, I wanna be like you

Chorus
This is a loud faith
A sacred devotion
Reaching out to know who you are
It's not, a fake life
A religious commotion
But a living breathing portrait of Christ

I give my life, for the sake of others
Lay down my pride, to help my brother
There is no end, to what can happen
When all our words turn to action

Whoa we're livin for you God

Wow. It is so moving and so amazing. I love that "It's not a fake life, a religious commotion, but a living breathing portrait of Christ." And when it comes down to it, that is what I desire to be...a living breathing portrait of Christ. :)
I hope that song will inspire someone like it did me. I swear. I can't get it out of my head. I love where I am in life right now. I love the man I married, I love my new friends, I love the city I live in, I love the school I go to, and I love the church I'm visiting. I am so blessed and thankful to be where I am today

Oh, and I am now SUPER excited because Sam moves into our apartment complex Sunday, and Jen moves in once they are married in May. It's official. :)!! Yay!!

Colton's back!

2009-02-23T09:36:00.001-06:00

He has been playing at DNOW in Mesquite all weekend & he's back.
yay!! :)
I wish I could play an instrument.
More to come...I promise

Fooooooood

2009-02-10T08:54:00.002-06:00

So the past week, I have been an extra good wife. For no other reason, then I got my hands on some good recipes and began to cook them. I thought I would be nice and share them with you...
Thursday---> i made Garlic meatball & cheese subs. Here
Friday------> I made BBQ muffins. :) Here
Saturday---> I made smothered chicken & greenbean skillet w/ homemade mashed potatoes here.
Sunday-----> Leftovers.
Monday----> I made BBQ pork tenderloin sandwiches. Here.
Tonight----> I am making taco soup. Here.

Now, here are my reviews:
Garlic meatballs...WOW! It was the perfect amount of sweet. Honey and garlic together? it sounds scary, but it rocked. Colton doesn't like sweet dinner foods too much, but he loved this. It made so much too. We had TONS of leftovers. (which by the way, it reheats well too).
BBQ muffins...These were great also. I don't think they were as good on leftover day, but the first day they tasted fantastic. I really like the BBQ beef recipe. I couldn't stop eating what didn't fit in the muffins.
The Kraft smothered chicken and green recipe is probably one of colton's new favorites. I am in love with the Kraft recipe books (Thanks amber!!) and website. They are so easy to make, and have all the nutritional info right there for you.
BBQ pork tenderloin was real good too. I brought some of the leftovers for lunch today, so I will tell you how they are. :)

I know, I pretty much rock (haha, just kidding)...but i have a whole lot more planned. Even a romantic Valentines dinner. :)

Good Things in 2009...

2009-02-07T17:33:00.001-06:00

Jan 1- Got to sleep in with Colton for the first time in a long time
Jan 2- A pedicure for the first time in years!
Jan 3- Work went by really fast since it was registration day!
Jan 4- Got a milkshake from Steak & Shake
Jan 5- One Tree Hill is back!
Jan 6- No work today! =)
Jan 7- Had a good sleep in with Chuck
Jan 8- God was protecting us today in many ways!!
Jan 9- Chuck was back to normal just a day after his surgery
Jan 10- Got to spend the evening with Hailey
Jan 11- Made a HUGE breakfast with Colton in the morning
Jan 12- Put off washing laundry. J
Jan 13- Made wonderful fajitias
Jan 14- 7 month anniv
Jan 15- Hotel ZaZa!!
Jan 16- Got to be a part of a wonderful event.
Jan 17- Got to see women grow in confidence all day
Jan 18- Amazing night with Colton
Jan 19- Had a whole day to catch up on cleaning before school starts
Jan 20- Got to work today (need to make money, and it is a blessing I have Tues day times)
Jan 21- First day of school went swell
Jan 22- Didn’t work, so I got organized for school
Jan 23- Discovered I CAN make it to work from school on Fridays.
Jan 24- Quite possibly could have found our new church. Thank you, Lord.
Jan 25- Still super excited about our church!! J
Jan 26- I still don’t *hate* my classes yet. tehe
Jan 27- The weather was so amazing and icy. I loved it. (Even though I still had to go to work)
Jan 28- No school!! Snow day!!
Jan 29- Surprised Colton with a chicken and pasta dinner and got all dressed up
Jan 30- God was amazing today!
Jan 31- Had a fun time at the Knottie/Nestie G2G

I am officially a blog-procrastinator

2009-02-07T11:00:00.001-06:00

I am SOOOOOOOO Sorry. Seriously. I should have been waaay better than this.

I left off before Zaza. Let me just say it was awesome!! I wouldn't recommend staying there because for what you pay...they should have been waaaaaaaay nice, waaaaaaaaaaay better and EVERYTHING should have worked, but w/e. I mean...we were staying in the MOST EXPENSIVE hotel in Dallas. We should have been treated like, uh... rockstars. tehe.

Here are some pics:

(Top to bottom: Kandice and Nush at Jake's after the first night, Jackie and me at Jakes, Nush and Janette & Nush on work day, Colton & Jackie (the boys got to come see us on the last night), Jackie, Kandi, Sarah and me at the Dragonfly VIP.

We also had an ice day that cancelled school

Top to bottom: chuck outside trying to figure out what the heck is covering the grass, ice hanging from my side mirror at my car when I had to meet at IKEA to get a new phone (yes, that is ICE on the ground).

Colton and I were bored one night (while it was still cold) and headed out to Mockingbird Station...

I do have fun pics from a date night with a bunch of friends for Nush & Janette's birthday. We went to Chaucers in frisco...

Chuck's ear was great for a few days after taking the stitches out, but it split back apart (guess they werent in long enough) but it isn't as bad (half of it stayed closed up, just part of the bottom). I am trying to not let it bother me (except for the part that we paid all that money and now its back apart). :(

Also, I started something this year that I am real proud of. It is my "Good things in 2009" That I will post monthly. Of course I have it done, but it is at home and I am at work. I will post it later today.

Out and about

2009-01-15T11:31:00.001-06:00

I am going to be gone all weekend (poor Colton). I am super excited. I will write all about it when I am back, but I am helping out with a photoshoot for two amazing photographers at a kick butt hotel. I will post pics and stuff when I get back.
Much love!!

When life hands you lemons...

2009-01-09T11:17:00.001-06:00

You eat them with salt?

Ive never been able to relate to that statement (the real one, not mine) because ever since I was a child, I have LOVED eating lemons. I eat them like oranges. It freaks Colton out.

So, I don't want to sound like I am complaining about how complicated my life is, because I have friends going through way worse (death of a niece, a friend, miscarriages, etc) but I had a pretty crazy day yeseterday.

It started with me going and getting an eye exam (everything was fine there)...then, I went to get my car inspection at Kwick Kar. A guy in a red shirt (whom I ASSUMED worked there) told me about my car having "rock chips" showed me them, and offered to fix them for "no cost to me now or ever" I didn't agree but politely walked back in to the store and he came back holding my insurance card talking to my insurance company. Next thing I know I am on the phone with a lady for "Linx" (a glass comp that works through state farm) "verifying my information" Once it was all done, I called Colton, to which he managed to yell at me like a child, calm down, then get mad at the people that worked there. He called Kwick Kar to find out if that guy worked for them... Nope, they were just handing out my insurance card (and other women's) to a random guy that does glass repair that they "let" check out the windows as they come in. GRRR!! Long story short, hours of back and forth my insurance agent(who totally rocks by the way!!) got me out of the big mess (and I guess that means my windshield was fixed for free).

Next story...My baby (chuck) went with me to the dog park. (Or did I go with him?) After being there for a long time, there was a dog that he was going over to check out (he was ona leash). I gues sthat dog felt threatened and bit chuck's ear (sliced it from the bottom about an inch up. He was bleeding uncontrolably. I took him to the doctor and 280 dollars later he has 4 stitches and lots of meds. :( He was extremely tired last night (sleepin off the anesthesia).

*sigh* I know, it could all be worse, so I am not too upset. It was just a bit hetic of a day.

goodbye 2008

2009-01-05T12:55:00.001-06:00

I stole this from a friend. tehe

Where did you begin 2008?At Hailey's New Years Eve Party at her house.

What was your status by Valentine's Day? Engaged!! :) Ready to get married.

Were you in school (anytime this year)? Yes.

Did you have to go to the hospital?Yes, for my checkups on my kidney.

Did you have any encounters with the police?Haha. actually yes, I got pulled over (for the first time) because COLTON'S taillight was out and he was "informing me"

Where did you go on vacation? We went to New York for our honeymoon.

What did you purchase that was over $500? My wedding dress, our wedding, my car, New York (well, we didn't "purchase" New York, but you know...)

Did you know anybody who got married?Yes, my two cousins (not to each other) and a bunch of Knotties!!

Did you know anybody who passed away? Not anyone personally that I can think of.

Did you move anywhere? From Dallas to Collin county :)

What sporting events did you attend? I don't think anything =/

What concerts/shows did you go to? A LOT too many to name (but I will say we saw Lion King on Broadway and Jack's Mannequin in Dallas that rocked!!)

Where do you live now? Same as where we moved.

What's the one thing you thought you would never do but did in 2008? See jack's mannequin

What has/have been your favorite moment(s)? Getting married.

What's something you learned about yourself? That I could successfully plan a beautiful wedding virtually stress free. =)

Any new additions to your family? We have Chuck Taylor.

What was your best month? june

What music will you remember 2008 by? Probably the wedding songs

Any regrets? Nope.

What do you want to change in 2009? I want to eat healthier, tone up, graduate!! =)

Overall, how would you rate(or award) 2008? Best year of my life.

What would you change about 2008? Hmm... I don't think anything

Other than home, where did you spend most of your time? At work (the library)

Change your hairstyle? haha, yes actually. I got bangs.

Get a new job? Yes I did!

Do you have a New Year's resolution? To read my chapters in school better so I will stress less...

Did anything embarrassing? I'm always embarassing myself (or others)

What was/were your favorite purchase[s]? Kandice as my photographer

Got married or divorced? Sure did (married).

Be honest - did you watch American Idol? yeah, because Jason Castro was on it this year.

Did you get sick this year? A few times, yes!

Start a new hobby? I improved my old one (scrapbooking)

Been snowboarding? Yes, on my Wii.

Are you happy to see 2008 go? I don't really know.

Drank Starbucks in 2008? I had hot chocolate a couple of times.

What are you wishing for in 2009?A 4.0? =)

My boys

2009-01-04T13:07:00.001-06:00

Just enjoy the loves of my life like I do...

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T19:08:00.002-06:00

Wow, so 2008 has been a crazy year, filled with joy and tears. I got married to a wonderful man (aka my highschool sweetheart), moved out on my own (with my husband), got a dog (my beautiful Chuck Taylor), and much more. I had Kandice take our engagements and have developed a life long friendship. I have been blessed in so many ways, and i am so thankful.

Let's see...New Years Eve Colton, Sam, Jen and I went to Dave and Busters for an IMPROV comedy show, dinner, and games. It was an absolute blast!! We won over 3400 tickets, and gave them to a cute little girl and her dad. We came back to the apartment and watched the ball drop. Heres our pics...

Hope you all have a happy 2009!! =)

New hair for 09'

2008-12-30T14:38:00.001-06:00

Haha. I was bored today and after one of my lovely nestie friends posted a pic of changing her hair...I did it. I liked the girls hair and I took the pic to my hairstylist and told her to have at it.

It isn't done up or anything, I just wanted to post a pic (or 2)

This Christmas...

2008-12-26T10:43:00.002-06:00

I am so disappointed. I listened to all the Christmas radio stations since Thanksgiving and NEVER once heard N'Sync's "This Christmas". I am so sad about that.

Hmmm... where to start. I guess I will start our Christmas Extravaganza on December 23. I spent the WHOLE DAY baking, cleaning, and I made colton the best meal ever (haha, not really the best ever, but it was dang good). I made BBQ grilled chicken with sauteed mushrooms and onions, w/ a hint of garlic, corn, a fresh salad and a baked potato. =) Afterwards, Sam and Jen came over and we went bowling (I wish I would have gotten a picture of the scores bc it was quite funny). Sam literally scored 100 points more than me... (I think I had like 78 and he had 179 or something). Colton had a 150 and Jen even broke 100. The next game we all did worse...except me and I think i was a couple points higher.

Colton and me (I'm wearing glasses because my contacts are old and I need new ones. haha) Me and Jen, Sam and Jen

Then, we decided to go to Adventure Landing for mini golf. It was closed. So we walked around the cool Walmart in Plano. (How fun, I know). We rented House Bunny (cute movie!) & watched it at our apartment. I definately ate a whole pint of Blue Bell *silly me*. On Christmas Eve, I woke up and bathed Chuck, showered and made the cream cheese icing for my cheesecake. (It was INCREDIBLE!) i made a red velvet cheesecake w/ chocolate cherry mice candy.

My cheesecake & red mouth after eating it

We loaded up the car with what seemed like a month's worth of stuff for just 2 days and headed to Mesquite. We stopped by my parents house so they could see Chuck(since they haven't seen him in a while) and then we went to Colton's family. We unloaded everything, set up chuck's "house" and went to church with them. It was so nice getting to see so many people we haven't seen in a while. I miss it so much. I wish that we could go there now, but it's just too far away (oh yeah, and I work on Sundays). It was a beautiful service and an awesome building (it was Colton's and mine first time to see it). We had to RUN out of the service and get home to put the ham in the oven, get food ready and pick up Colton's PawPaw.

Hailey and me, Colton and me (both taken in the car on our way to church), Landon & me after opening gifts.

We ate ham, mashed potatoes, corn, dressing, giblet gravy, deviled eggs, and so much more. Then we exchanged "family presents" I got a cookbook from Landon, money from the grandparents and Colton and I got a giftcard to go get a couples massage at massage envy from Hailey and Taylor!! I am VERY excited about that. We gave Hailey a giftcard to Forever 21, Taylor a giftcard to the Buckle, Landon a giftcard to Best buy... grandparents got framed family photos, and parents got giftbaskets with cool stuff inside. Oh, and colton and I exchanged our ornaments this year. It is our new tradition. He got me a beautiful snowflake that simply had "2008" on it. I got him a silver heart that said "For Love, For Life, For Real, For Keeps". We wanted to start this tradition, that each year we will get an ornament for one another, Chuck, and once we have a kid, we will pick one out for them too. But, it has to be of something memorable from that year. =) We all got to bed pretty early since Santa was coming the next day. Landon and I woke up around 6 and tried to go back to sleep. Finally at 8, we decided it was time to wake up everyone... colton, Mr. Grumpy pants in the morning was a hard nose to wake up. we waited in hailey's room for the "go" and all went downstairs to see what Santa had left us. It was my first Christmas morning with the Bradshaw family, so itw as really exciting to see all the Santa stuff. I haven't had that in so long, since my family pretty much did stockings on Christmas morning and everything else christmas eve. Santa was good to Colton and I. we got our GPS, clothes, DVDs, and lots of other stuff. After all that, we hung out at the house for most of the day and went and saw Marly and Me. There wasn't a dry eye in the theatre ( I wish I had got some "after" shots at the theatre. haha).

One of our gifts from Santa was a framed pic of Chuck when he was little bitty, Chuck with his candy cane bone, Hailey and I BEFORE the movie

Colton and I packed up and went home.

That was pretty much the extent of our Christmas...it was a great time with family.

Christmas Lights

2008-12-21T12:10:00.003-06:00

I haven't written in a while, mainly because I haven't taken any pictures...and posts are boring without them.

I made all As in my UNT classes, a B in my online Spanish class (Boo!). Oh well.

On the 14 (last Sunday) Colton and I made it to 6 months of marriage. I can't believe it has already been that long, but it has. On the 16th (Tuesday) chuck turned 6 months old. (I do have a VERY embarassing vide that I will post tonight when I get home).

I have been trying to run/walk/exercise more frequently since I have officially gained 10 lbs in 6 months. =( It is working alright (at least I am not gaining anymore). We have Wii Fit and it is pretty much the most amazing thing ever. This week I start strength exercises and move on past cardio which means Pilates and...Carmen!! Ahhhh!! Hopefully i can get my butt in shape before school next semester.

I am officially recertified in CPR, so if any of you start to choke or something, I am now certified again. ha!

Let's see...what else? Friday night Colton and I went and saw "Yes Man!" and last night we spent Christmas with my MeMe and PawPaw and family. They are going out of town for Christmas, so we had to do it early.

Then, we went to Colton's family's house and had Hailey and taylor follow us home and e drove through Deerfield in Plano and saw Gordon lights (http://www.gordonlights.com/) Amazing!! =)

That is about all now... i will post that video later. =)

Quicky

2008-12-14T11:17:00.001-06:00

Wow. So it has been a long time since I have written. Hopefully I will know soon about my grades. =) I think I might be pretty pleased in the long run, but we'll see.

Let's see:
Besides school being out, nothing too exciting has happened with Colton and I. Oh yeah, today is our 6month anniversary! We have officially been married 6 months today.

Last night, Jenn and I went to a Knottie/Nestie Christmas party. Only 7 of us showed up, but it was still a lot of fun to talk and get together with these girls weve been talking to for so long. We had desserts (yummy!) and a gift exchange where I got a Yankee Candle Christmas Cookie Scent!

(I may need to redo these pictures when I get home since they may be blurry from doing them at work).

I bought Chuck a cute sweater since its cold outside and we are going to go walking more.

Isn't he adorable?!
When I have more to say, I will definately do it, but for now, that is all.

sorry for teasing you

2008-12-04T11:00:00.001-06:00

Well... I volunteered to be on Extreme Makeover Home Edition (which, if you know me well, you know how much I have ALWAYS wanted to do that).
Anyways, I was just so excited last night, I actually got teary eyed and shaky. Finally, I could cross one of my "life goals" off my list.
Well, a lot of the girls on my message board all got their confirmations today, so I think that means I didn't get picked.
=(

I am really bummed.

So that is all, no babies...no money...just the *hope* for a chance to help someone out. Congrats to all of you that got the confirmation. I know it will be a blast!!

Ahh!!!! =)

2008-12-03T19:22:00.001-06:00

I have some potential GREAT news...awesome news...

so keep your eyes posted the next few days and I will tell you, regardless of the outcome.

Happy Thanksgiving?

2008-12-01T10:25:00.002-06:00

Hey!! Ok, so I am in a good mood today (a lot better than a few days ago, but I will get into that).Here we go. Let's play catch up. k? Last time I left you I was catching up on ice skating and the NYLO.

Let's see, Tuesday November 25, Chuck had surgery. He had his "big boy" surgery as we refer to it here. Colton insists my way of saying "he got his wawas chopped off" is incorrect because they didn't "chop anything off" so I will ust say big boy surgery. He has been so good. He gets to wear his lampshade for 10 days (only 3 left). We only put it on him when he is in his "box" since we can't watch him. The first night, he whined a little bit, but other than that, he is fine. He is running around and jumping like nothing ever happened.

Let's do a quick school catch up. Today (why i am in a good mood) I finished my 20 page paper on self-esteem. I am pretty sure writing 20 pages about self-esteem killed mine, but whatever. I took a test in the class I'm failing and I am pretty sure I bombed yet another one. Hopefully this paper will yank up my grade.

I have a spanish final this week and one more assignment left in that class that I get to finish tonight. All my other finals are next week.

Thanksgiving!!!

For Thanksgiving, Colton and I took Chuck to the Bradshaw's and we went out to eat to Furrs with my family. There was a HUGE line that we were sure we would be waiting in for hours, but it really didn't take that long at all. It was extremely warm though.

Pics (top to bottom) Colton and I at Furrs, cousin Alison

Then, we went back to Colton's family's house and played Wii, watched TV, ate desserts, took family pictures (that I wish so bad I could share with you, but they aren't on my computer and no one will email them to me). Then we went and saw Four Christmases. WARNING: DO NOT TAKE A CHILD TO SEE THAT MOVIE IF THEY STILL BELIEVE IN SANTA. Thank you.

When we got to the house, the kitties were all spooning. It was adorable.

We were there and there were a few little kids there, and if you've seen the movie, they give away the "secret of Santa." I felt so bad for these kids, but angry with the parents for taking 5 year olds to a PG-13 movie w/o reading the reviews. Anyways, I thought it was cute. There were a lot of funny parts. Colton thought the plot was boring, but he laughed a lot, if that tells you anything.

And that was about the end of our Thanksgiving. Oh yeah, and my list of things to be Thankful for..

Colton

Chuck taylor

Family

Our apartment

Day after...

YUCK. Black Friday was TERRIBLE for me. i was getting on my computer to actually post this blog with pictures and stuff, and my power cord wouldn't plug in. The jack it plugs into sunk into my computer. So on BLACK FRIDAY we went to Best buy to take it and see if they could fix it since it was under warranty. We had to buy a $100 power cord for Colton to use since they needed mine. They said it would cost $100 to back up all the info in case they had to replace the computer or the hard drive messes up while its at the factory. I was mad. I cried a lot. We can't pay 100 dollars after I just paid that in April when my last computer crashed. This all would happen the week before finals. So please pray that they don't mess with my computer because I have A LOT of stuff on there that I would probably freak out if we lost.

Thank you.

i went to work and came home to a fire burining and all the Christmas decorations ready for us to set up. We set up the tree and stockings and stuff to Elf. Our tree is GORGEOUS. I am so happy with it. We started setting up our 4 ft tree and realized it was just way too tiny, so we took it back and got a 7 ft one. =) It is on a table so it looks amazing.

And our stockings...

Ah. I love Christmas.

Then, Saturday, colton and I babysat for the amazing KandiceRay. Her kids are the best ever. Jordan and I played ponies and dolls, Colton and Drew played Batman on the Wii. We made ginger bread cookies as a surprise for Kandice and Chad. We watched Kung Fu Panda (great kid movie). Put them to bed, and then I crashed on the couch. Oh and we got our family pictures back... =)

Jordan decorating herself, her mom and Lola. Drew decorating himself, his dad and Lola. The final project. Colton and Me. hehe

Yesterday I worked (all day). Came home and Colton and I rented Fred Claus.

So ya, that was a lot of catching up.

I'm back...for now

2008-11-24T09:44:00.002-06:00

Ok, I am SO SO sorry it took so long to update. It has been hetic. I think last we left off, we were going ice skating. All I have are two bad shots from the day, but I will post them anyways because, hey, I already posted no makeup shots. If you remember here.

(Colton and I in the locker area)

(Hailey and I)

We met up with Hailey, Taylor, Sam and his beautiful fiance Jen. We had so much fun. Taylor and I are the only two people from our group who busted our rears. haha. Afterwards, we all went back to our apartment where we had a giant Wii touranment. The girls lost, but we are definately still better. *Wishing I had pics of us all playing, it was cute*

Lots of school stuff...blahblahblah...

So, our Chuckdate. As of 11/16/08, Chuck is officially 5 months old!! Oh, yeah, and tomorrow he is getting "fixed"...poor baby. So I shall get some lampshade pics. tehe
Here are some recent pictures of our baby.

Now, about this weekend...
I was assisting in a photo shoot with Kandice and Jackie at the AMAZING NYLO. We had so much fun. You can see "recaps" of our eventful 2 days here. I stole some photos fom here, but here they are

Jackie & Kandice (the ladies who created all the magic)

Testing the lighting. Ugh! I need to start wearing lipstick.

Just laughing and chillin' before "Go time"

Our "toast" to the kick-butt weekend (Hailey and I are drinking water, by the way) =)

Don't forget the camera!

2008-11-15T11:43:00.002-06:00

Last night was a blast (like a fun one and a cold one. haha). Colton and I met up with Kandice (and her two beautiful and wonderful children) to have Christmas pictures taken in Deep Ellum. We wanted to get out there about an hour before sun down to get some good pictures while we still had the light, but traffic was TERRIBLE yesterday, so we didn't get started until a little after 5. Oh, well. what can you do? :) We made the best of our 25 min or so and I am pretty confident we got some cute pics. She is fantastic, so I know I am right. We had tons of fun walking around and trying to stay warm. ;) I can't wait to get them back and post them on here so you guys who care can see them.
Also, my ornament I got for my secret nestie should arrive today and I *hope* she likes it.
tonight is going to be so much fun!! We are eating dinner, going ice skating and hopefully hanging out with some friends at the apartment. =) *Hopefully* I won't forget my camera. Oh, and I need to get some Chuck-dates up. Tomorrow is his 5 month birthday!

Hi.

2008-11-12T20:37:00.001-06:00

Wow. Everything has been so busy. I am swamped with school tests, papers, and studying. Life is just at that REALLY busy time. I cannot wait for this semester to be over and my month of slow-down and get it back. I am going to become a workout-aholic. =) And then just a restaholic...I need it.
I am SUPER excited about friday. The talented and BEAUTIFUL Kandice is taking our *family* (colton, chuck and me) pictures. We are gonna be super cool.
I have a test tomorrow...yuck

Colton and I went to our friend, Matt cote's Cd release thing-a-ma-jig heres a pic!

I know I have A LOT to update, but I don't have that much to say right now w/o going off on a tanget.
I promise I will update later...now back to studing.

Ahh...Christmas

2008-10-31T19:42:00.000-05:00

It's Halloween and I'm at work. All I can think about is Christmas.
This is seriously my favorite time of the year. Once Halloween is over, all the Christmas stuff comes forward. I am so excited. =) Not only because I love the smells of gingerbread, peppermint, chimneys, hot cocoa, and pine. Also not just because I love wearing a hoodie and driving with my windows down at night and gazing at all the decorated houses, or the decorations that fill up all the stores, or the Christmas cards. And the music...how I LOVE the music. And the movies that are only good to watch once a year, and the "Christmas specials" on TV and the abominal snowman and Rudolph and Santa.
Not only am I excited about all of that, but it is our (colton and I) first Christmas as "our family", first Christmas where we get to decorate OUR place, first "married people" Christmas. We are getting a 4 ft small tree (since we have an apartment).
Call me gothic, but we are decorating with black, white, silver and khaki ornaments, bulbs, feathers, and garland. To match our living room. My "theme" for Christmas, I have decided, with much consideration will be Snowflakes. I LOVE snow, and I want to bring it to our decor. =) So we will have many snowflakes, all shapes and sizes.
I am participating in the "Nestie" ornament exchange and tomorrow, I get my secret Santa. We have two weeks to pick out an ornament and send it to them. I think it is going to be really fun. In return, I get an ornament. =D
Seriously, I could not love a time of the year more than this. I wish I lived back in the day when carolers were more common. I went once when I was a kid and loved it. I wish that could be a tradition that was brought back.
(By the way, if anyone wants to, I am so totally in. hehe)

I must say...

2008-10-31T09:44:00.000-05:00

the southern smokehouse burger from Chilis is INCREDIBLE and even better when you are starving. We went to Chilis last night to help my hunger and this giant thing is what I got...w/ a side salad. I definately ate it all...
all.

Just wanted a post to say WOW.

Tired...

2008-10-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a while. Mostly because I have been sick...and tired...and working on homework (and sick and tired of homework).
Lots of thoughts...
I am ready for the election to be over. I have so many thoughts about this, but I am tired of all the commercials and stuff. I am tired of the hype around Obama & I think if he becomes president he will let us all down.
I am also having a hard time seeing how a true Christian, not just someone who says they are and uses the title, but someone who TRULY seeks out God's will in their lives and prays and trusts and everything, how they could vote for Obama. His "pastor" who he followed for 20 years said "god****" America on the PULPIT, he believes and supports abortion in so many scary ways it seriously frightens me. Call me whatever you want, but I think the morality of our country has and will continue to plumit in the direction that Obama "plans" to take it. Specifically abortions... See, evern though I have no desire for a child right now, I totaly understand the "awe" that is a baby. I mean, the whole thing is kinda an "awe" situation. Couples try for years to have a child w/o any success. A baby, growing inside a mom, taking in nutrients, and developing, then growing up and learning and talking and walking...it is all just fascination and beautiful. =) Children are such a blessing!! Ask any pregnant woman (who wants to be pregnant) about her child and she will tell you everything, it's "name" ideas, it's colors in the bedroom etc. She will never say "until it is born, it is not considered a baby. Just something inside of me" I just don't understand. =/

Enough controversial stuff...=)

School is KICKING MY TAIL!! I am so close to being done, but I am also so far away.

I am tired of being sick. It seems I can't shake this. I just keep getting sicker and sicker and sicker.

I am ready to go to class and listen and take notes, and hopefully leave early so I can go home and eat...a lot. lol

Maybe Colton and I will go out for a date tonight.

=)

Reception

2008-10-23T11:23:00.000-05:00

Some photos from the reception...

Walking out to the car that Nessa, Kimberly and I decorated...

Front

Back

Top

Driver "Groom" Side

Passenger "Bride" Side

Wedding Day

2008-10-23T10:32:00.000-05:00

The next morning was the wedding day. I woke up a couple of the bridesmaids so we could surprise Becca and clean her car. It was a MESS and that was what she was leaving in that night, so we wanted to do something very nice. Then we all met up for breakfast wearing NO MAKEUP (Although a couple girls broke that rule. haha) pajamas and our heels for that night. We got so many stares, it was hysterical.

When she saw her car clean

After she spilled her milk. haha! Umm...yeah. That's why I wear makeup

Then, we went back to the house and began our getting ready process. Becca had extensions in her hair for length and volume. They cracked me up.

(I wish I could freakin' turn some of these pictures and make them rotate, but my computer is being stupid, so I can only post horizantal pictures)

Then, we were on our way (30 min late at this point) so we stopped at the bridge to get pictures...

It's hard not to be jealous, she is so freakin GORGEOUS!!!!

Then, we were finally on our way to the church (10 min before it started. haha)

The wedding party minus Colton, Kimberly (Her SISTER!!) and me...we had driven all the way to the reception chapel to get it ready before everyone got there. So yeah, we definately missed the group shots.

Long Overdue!!

2008-10-23T10:11:00.000-05:00

It's about stinking time!! I have like hundreds of pictures so I am going to post two separate posts to get it all out. Not all hundreds though. haha!
First, the wedding weekend was so exhausting. I don't think I got much sleep at all. Start off with our trip down there... Here are some terrible pictures.

I snuck out of class early and "Jill" our GPS got us there in record time. =) Our hotel was beautiful (Double Tree Club Suites Springdale)
Friday we woke up early and I went with Becca to run all her errands with her (paying for flowers, picking up fish, you knoe the usual bridesmaid stuff. We decorated the chapel were the reception would be and started the rehearsal there (the church they were getting married charged extra for a rehearsal there)

We had our rehearsal dinner at a cute lil' Italian restauraunt.

Then, we all separated. The girls went to the apartment to pick up some last minute items and exchange gifts (Becca gave us our bridesmaids gift and Nessa, Kimberly and I gave her our gift).

What is the gift you say?

Hehe, well...We made a "Honeymoon Night Basket" complete with everything you need for a wonderful night.

edible panties, fantasy mask, wedding night mints, KY, boxers, body frosting (w/sprinkles!!)

Then we went to the house we were staying at and fell asleep.

Off to Arkansas...

2008-10-16T13:19:00.002-05:00

Colton and I are leaving for Arkansas, so I won't be able to post anything until like sunday or monday...but rest assured... there will be many pictures of our adventure.
1st road trip since we've been married!! woohoo.

Weekend whew

2008-10-12T16:03:00.002-05:00

It is such a bummer that this weekend is, well...over.

Friday--> Colton started his new job. I took Chuck to the vet, and he now weighs 11.5 lbs!!! He's getting so crazy big. He has more than doubled since we got him. When Colton got home, I made dinner & we just hung out at the apartment.
Saturday--> I went to work. Colton and I went and ran a lot of errands, he got his hair cut, I got my eyebrows waxed, etc. Came home and ate a DELICIOUS meal I made (cheesy chicken and rice)
Recipe:
Cut two lbs of chicken breasts into bite size pieces
Put in bottom of CrockPot
Pour 1 can cheddar cheese soup, 2 cans cream of chicken, 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Serve over rice.
¡Muy delicioso!
Then, we ran a couple more errands. We came back and took Chuck to our baseball field and let him run around and play for about 20 min.
Today--> worked. I have been studying my butt off for this abnormal test, so hopefully I will do better. Also, I have ALOT of work to do in Spanish & Experimental Methods. *sigh* Not to mention, I have to get my spanish quizzes out of the way 3 days early since I am going out of town...I have to pack, wash, clean, get Chuck ready (he is staying with his Aunt Hailey from Wed night- Sunday night) all in just a few short days.

Speaking of, Colton and I are taking a "mini-trip" to Arkansas for Becca's wedding. We are bridemaid and groomsmen. =) i will def post pictures from the trip & the wedding. It is going to be beautiful. It is going to be nice to leave everything behind for a weekend and just "relax" (as much as possible for a wedding. ha!).

That is all...for now.

The Great State Fair of Texas

2008-10-08T21:01:00.002-05:00

So...I skipped school Tuesday. =( I feel bad, but I HAD to sleep. Now that Colton has been off on evenings means that we go to bed at the same time. He talks and moves SO MUCH that I haven't been able to sleep all week. I think Tuesday it finally caught up with me and I COULD NOT open my eyes!! I felt terrible. Then, today I felt the same way. I am just so exhausted and keep getting these terrible migraines!

Since I didn't go to school, we went to the fair a couple hours earlier. Yay for Dr. Pepper Tuesdays (bring an empty can of DP and your ticket is $3). So we were in!! I found my name, so I think that makes me a princess...

we went to a stunt show...

And it was so windy.

We tried...

Chicken Fried Bacon- It was good, I don't think it lived up to its expectation, but it was nice.

(You get more than what I have pictured...I just forgot to take a pic)

Fire and ice- VERY good. This was Colton's dessert, so I didn't have much.

Fried Smores- Wow!! we split it and it was by far the absolute best!! YUUUUM

Fried banana split- MY dessert. This was also excellent. We got a mini one for 6 coupons since the regular one is 17 COUPONS!! (It is huge, so it is well worth it.)

We were walking through one of the tent things and this mime literally walked up to me in the middle of the tent and grabbed me to be a part of his show. I saw all the kids looking at us, so I didnt want to be rude, but I was laughing my butt off. Apparently I was some "girl" and a "guy" falls for me, I tell him to go away, cupid hits me with an arrow, and the "guy" and I live happily ever after...all in silent film style. Enjoy my humilitation.

We got on the Texas Skyway, and got some pretty pictures (except at this point we were both exhausted!)

And that was our day at the fair.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2008-10-06T09:03:00.002-05:00

Hmm...so nothing too exciting or marvelous happened this weekend.
Friday--> I babysat for two adorable little kids from 12-5. One was 2 and the other 7, I got her and her bestfriend afterschool. It was nice to have the extra money, Colton and I are going to use it at the fair tomorrow. After babysitting, I got home and Colton and his friends went longboarding through Dallas, so I just went to bed early for work the next morning.
Saturday--> Worked. Then went grocery shopping, rented Leatherheads, made enchiladas, watched leatherheads. (all with Colton since he has nights off now.)
Sunday--> Worked all day, came home, went on a long walk with Colton and Chuck and played at the park, watched Iron Man.
Speaking of...
CHUCK-DATE

he is 16 weeks old today. He looks so big compared to the first pictures on here of him. He looks more and more like a beagle everyday.

DARES: They are interesting...lately it has been alot of lists and things which are not at all interesting to write about. Today's dare is to greet each other in a different way. This will be fun. haha.

It's been a while...

2008-10-03T22:16:00.000-05:00

Not a LONG time, but it has felt like it. To be perfectly honest, I have just not felt like writing.

I am scared.

I have never worried about school before and this semester I feel like I am slowly dying. I have NEVER failed a test before, and I did this semester. I completely BOMBED a test Thursday, and I would honestly be shocked if I even made a 40. (really.) I thought I made an "A" on one test and made an 84. *sigh* I have just been doing terrible (for me). I took my online Spanish test, and the teacher expected us to answer 30 multiple choice questions, 2 essays, watch a 5 min video and answer questions, all in one hour. What?! Failed that one too. (Maybe I just made a low "C" we will see)

I feel like I am always busy and have no time to do anything. I need to make a day, or just a half of a day that I devote to myself, or my relationship. Time to take a bubble bath and relax, time to breathe, time to dream, time to take care of things for myself...not housework, not homework, not stressful time, not planning time...just time.

So, I promise Colton and I have been doing way better at our dares than I have about writing about them. Where did I leave off? I think it was just day 2. His "special surprise" was a long stem red rose waiting for me on my car windshield when I got off work...I bought him a pecan pie. Day 3 was to "buy something special" that tells your spouse you were thinking of them. I got him guitar pics, and he bought me the Green Bags. tehe. See I was up late watching TV and an infomercial for these "green bags" came on. They are supposed to keep your fruits & veggies fresh longer. I almost bought them, and realized "we do not need these, Jessica" later that week, at walmart...There they were. I was in awe. But again, I did not buy them. Colton and I just joke about them everytime we go in. Seriously, they are hysterical.

Day 4 we just had to contact each other at some point during the day to let them know we were thinking about each other. We do this usually, so it wasn't a big deal. Day 5 and 6 were about watching how you react to situations and arguments, and making a list about prioritizing your time (something I desperately needed). Today is another "on our own dare" where the other doesnt see it, and we dont talk about it. we are supposed to make 2 lists. One with qualities we admire in our spouse, the other in "irriatating" things. We dont talk about them. We just make them and hide them.

=)

It has been a very interesting and eye-opening. I highly recommend this to any couple.

That's all for now, I'll give a weekend update on Monday.

Dare to again?

2008-09-29T09:17:00.001-05:00

Yesterday's dare went so smooth. No harsh words were exchanged.
Today's is to continue yesterday's dare AND do one random act of kindness.
=D
This should be very interesting.

Weekend Wrap-up
Friday: Colton and I went shopping together and I got a pair of New Balance tennis shoes for $21 at Shoe Pavillion since they are closing. Then we went to Studio Movie Grill and saw "Eagle Eye" which totally ROCKED.
Saturday: Worked, then Hailey and Taylor brought Sadie and we took them to the dark park (we=Chuck and I, colton went fishing with his daddy). It was hysterical to watch my little 7 1/2 pounder take on Great Danes, Labs, and Golden Retrievers.
Sunday: Worked all day. Studied.

Today we are going to watch the DVD of our wedding and have a big dinner with both our families.

Procrastination...

2008-09-29T09:05:00.001-05:00

is the key to success.
I am supposed to be studying for Developmental Psyc test tomorrow and/or doing my lab homework, but instead I am stealing from blogs.

About me
i am: a redhead.
i think: That the world is a pretty happy place.
i know: The characteristics of a theory (haha)
i want: A vacation.
i have: An adorable Beagle named Chuck Taylor.
i wish: My work had a frozen yogurt machine
i hate: Mean people.
i miss: My family.
i fear: Getting my degree and sucking as a psychologist.
i feel: sleepy.
i hear: A vaccuum.
i smell: Coffee.
i crave: Icecream, but right now I am stuffed.
i search: For my socks/clothes every morning because colton is sleeping and our room is VERY dark.
i wonder: Why people would vote for Obama.
i regret: Not being in theatre right now.
i ache: When I play Wii for too long, or when carmen Electra kicks my butt in my workout.
i care: about Colton.
i always: sleep in fetal position, all curled up, and don't move.
i am not: a slacker (even thought i feel like one right now)
i believe: There is a reason for everything.
i dance: all the time, even when driving. Am I good? No. Not at all.
i sing: in my car.
i cry: About good things and bad.
i don’t always: Feel happy.
i fight: for what I believe in.
i write: in my blog, or journal that I just started back up.
i never: say "never"
i stole: A candy bar when I was 5 and lied about it, had to give it back and haven't done it again.
i listen: to other people.
i need: to pray more often.
i am happy about: Becca's wedding in 19 days!!! =)

We've taken the dare

2008-09-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

Since seeing previews of the movie "Fireproof" with Kirk Cameron I have been intrigued by this "love dare" situation. So...I bought the book. I know, Colton and I have only been married for 3 1/2 months, but we have been together for 6 1/2 years (as of yesterday). Like any couple, we could use a "refresher" I thought the concept of the book was neat. Read a chapter a day (like 2 pages which is good bc Colton hates to read) that incorporates scripture and take the "daily dare", then write about it together.
We started today. I read the chapter and left the book for Colton to read when he woke up. Todays dare: Patience. Do not say anything negative to your spouse.
So far it has been easy, I havent seen him much. He called me about getting syrup all over the couch and ruining a pillow (which is a whole other story in itself). he was calm and chose his words very wisely.
=) I think this is going to be fun.

Week-In-Review

2008-09-21T11:36:00.002-05:00

Monday-Wed...sick, sick, sick, sick, sick. The only time I left the house was on Wednesday night for work. UGH! I hate being sick more than anything else in the world.
Thursday- I still didn't feel 100%, but I had to go to school (I had a test in one of my classes). I went and it was nice to see my girls at school. Other than that it was kinda a crappy day. The three things I didnt study very hard (what I missed while I was gone) just happened to be the three essay questions on the test. GRR!! I think I totally messed up with the V stages. See if I ever forget what Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California, (which was is the 70s Amber. You were right. Haha! I suck.) or Riggins vs. Nevada (was in 92) is!!! I was gagging on the way home from school (no idea why, just gagging and throwing up in my mouth). I got home to a beautiful candle lit livingroom/kitchen and plates and salad bowls set out with soft beautiful music playing in the background. It really felt like a movie fora brief second before I ran in the bathroom and threw up, just clear liquids though. I thought my spleen was coming out. Then, I felt much better. I went back in the living room to enjoy my surprise. Colton picked up that pasta from Pizza Hut (AMAZING BY THE WAY) and breadsticks. Complete with salad. I enjoyed it. Then, my second surprise... BLUE BELL Coffee icecream, oreos and chocolate sauce to that Colton "marble slabbed" together (tossed and mixed and all that).
It was so romantic and sweet and the most time we have spent together in a while.
Friday- woke up and made waffles with the mix that we bought at Williams and Sonoma (maple pecan) and used the extra for a small loaf of bread. Then I made Cream Cheese frosting to mix with the sauce. The extra frosting I put in the fridge to give to my parents with the bread. Then, Colton and I took Chuck to the vet (we had some good laughs at his expense). He got his third round of shots, and I guess the treat they gave him took his mind off the pain, but 30 seconds later he was screaming and whining (This was funny because it was the latest reaction I have ever seen). We picked up the strawberries and chocolate and I made strawberry cupcakes with strawberry buttercream icing with chocolate covered strawberries on top for my dads birthday. Then we drove to mesquite. Delievered the goods and came home. I made a grand dinner of garlic seasoned chicken strips, baked potatoes, BBQ sautated onions, baked beans and salad. We ate and I worked on my Spanish homework (BLAH!!)
Saturday- Worked, met up with a family in a very nice neighborhood that I will now be sitting for on weekends (their family and others in the neighborhood) . Then I went to my Haute Facade appointment (see below) where I was treated to a makeover, champangne (although I just had the juice, no champange) and delicious orderves (sp??). Oh yeah, and they made me HOTT! Came home and crashed (after pulling out all the bobbypins and washing my face and teeth) Only to wake up this morning to know I DIDNT TAKE OUT MY CONTACTS so my eyes and head have been killing me all morning. So yes, i went to work, in public, with VERY minimal makeup and glasses.
I am one hott mama. haha
Oh, and because this post is so long...I need to update more so I dont have to cram that all in in one entry.

Haute Facade

2008-09-21T08:09:00.001-05:00

Pronounced: Hot Fa-Sod.
You're about to see something CRAZY. Me with no makeup. Last night I had my "hair model" appointment where I had to go to hautefacade. It was so much fun!! Those girls are amazing and can seriously work miracles. I'm not lying. Anyone who needs bridal/ bridal party hair, call them. NOW. =) Their studio is so adorable too.
I'll be posting an update at work, just thought I would share these while I can.

Before (in the car on the way)

After

After the bobbypins came out

Why. Every week??

2008-09-14T12:06:00.003-05:00

Weekend Wrap-up:

Friday: Colton and I went to IHOP (yum!) for a breakfast date. Then we went to best Buy to get accessories for his new camera. We took Chuck to the dog park (pics will be up soon I hope. we took them on his new camera and need the thing to dl it to the computer). That was so much fun. All the dogs were huge and were slobbering all over lil' chuck, but he did so good. he never tucked his tail in. He never even appeared nervous. I'm so proud of him. =D
Saturday: I worked... went grocery shopping. And came home and made a DELICIOUS meal. (smothered chicken breasts. Aka...grilled chicken with BBQ sauce, bacon and cheese on top), mashed potatoes, peas(for me), Glory Greens (for Colton), and french bread. Colton got called in to work early, so I officially started my new "work out" plan. It was so much fun, and man do I feel it this morning in my thighs. I took before pics so I can track my progress. I decided on this for two reasons
1. Becca's wedding is next month and I want to look good in my dress.
2. When I weighed myself last night I was the heaviest I have ever been in my entire life (and I wasn't wearing clothes!!)
OK, maybe three
3. I just want to be in shape and feel good about myself again.
Sunday: Here is where the title came in... I woke up sick as a dog this morning (why do we say "sick as a dog"?). My throat is killing me, my nose is running, I keep sneezing, and my head hurts. i am at work now and I just keep feeling bad. I have been able to get some homework done, so that is good.
It just stinks that the past two weekends I have gotten sick. GRRRR!!
Hopefully I can get home and get some rest tonight, which means I automatically have to miss out on day 2 of my workout regimin. Ugh!!

Weekend Wrap-Up

2008-09-08T12:22:00.003-05:00

Not a whole lot happened this weekend. I got a trim (yay!!) My hair feels so soft now. I love it. Uhh, I worked a lot. Got a lot of homework done. Oh yeah, and I got sick. I have a horrible bladder infection and I feel like I just got ran over by a tractor trailer.

Boring weekend...

Oh and here's a Chuck-date:

Today is his 12 week birthday. He's growin' so fast!! =)

First attempt...slightly failed.

2008-09-05T13:27:00.002-05:00

So I made my first bath of cupcakes. hehe. Its a lot of fun baking from scratch. I accidentally put in too much butter in the batter.
I should have kept them in the oven a little longer so they weren't as fluffy.
With a glass of milk they taste pretty delicious, I just need to work out a few kinks...
tonight we are making chicken...let's see if we can do that the right way.

=)

Here's a picture:

yellow cake chocolate frosting

Please excuse the kitchen mess. haha

Yummy cupcakes!!

2008-09-03T18:12:00.001-05:00

A wonderful friend got Colton and I a giftcard to Williams & Sonoma and we finally got to use it. We got Maple Pecan bread mix...Maple Pecan sauce...grilling sauce (spicy beer battered I think)... and a WONDERFUL cupcake book. No lie it has EVERY cupcake imaginable with endless possibilities. It teaches you how to make all sorts of frostings/fillings/toppings. My mouth is getting happy just thinking about it.

Yesterday wasn't the best day. It was actually no where close. I wrecked Coltons car. =( Well maybe not his car, but his bumper. *sighs* He wasnt very happy.

School is going alright. Spanish is kinda kickin' my butt. (It would help if I had access to the class the day it started and not two days late...and then I cant get into the "Spanish Club" which apparently has some of our mandatory assignments).

back to my homework.

My 2 obsessions in one day

2008-09-01T15:48:00.001-05:00

How could it get any better?!
So One tree hill definately premieres tonight!! Its about time!! ahhhh!! =)
I am so freakin' excited.
And...
Colton is going to get me Cold Stone Ice cream.
My life is fantastic.

happy labor day!!! =)

My blog, my posts

2008-08-30T22:01:00.000-05:00

So. I was watching an interview with Sophia Bush (My favorite actress, she is gorgeous and I love her.) and she was talking about Obama's speech and her reactions (She is a MAJOR Obama Supporter/activist/campaigner.
Anywho, listening to what she said got me thinking "Wow. Obama supporters all say the exact same thing. It's like they are brainwashed." To which Colton said "Kinda like the Nazis in Germany with Hitler."
Hello world. I never made that connection. Not in a million years. We are talking about two of the most influential charismatic people of all time!! Good one, babe.
So anyways, I found this video of this preacher who compares the two and it scares the living daylights outta me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTp_atr2G9E&feature=related
I don't want to bash demos for their beliefs, that is not the intent of this post. I believe that is one of the reasons that we live in America because we have the freedom to believe what we want, vote for who we want, etc. I am just nervous about the future. I know alot of money is spent on the war in Iraq, but 3 times that money is spent on welfare just for people with mental health issues. Also, I am terribly sorry to the people who have lost family/friends in the war in Iraq. I wish that on no one. People don't seem to care about the number of babies being murdered every day from abortion.
It's just weird how the world works.
We will just wait and see. =)

I love the Buffet

2008-08-26T22:00:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to post this for a while, but I haven't had the pictures.

So... on Saturday night we went to a benefit thing our church put on for a girl who is going away for 11 months on a mission trip. They were trying to raise money to help her in her trip to 11 countries. Anyways, 2 of our 3 copastors put on the show "Dufus and Dave" It is hysterical. Randy, one of the pastors dresses up and even has hillbilly teeth while the other talks to him. Dufus B. Dilrod just came back from a vacation and is showing David pictures from his trip, then they discuss them. I wish I had the whole thing on camera, but I just got a few clips. Since it takes FOREVER to download, I am just posting the shortest, the "buffet" song...and when I have time there will be more. (it may not work, so I may have to redo it.)

The Buffet Song

Lets see....anything new? I started school. That is a whole post in itself, but I will continue it on here

SCHOOL:

I have 4 in person psyc classes.

Class number one: IS GOING TO BE HARD. That is what the teacher herself told us. Well, the sub. I haven't actually met that teacher.

Class number two: (Where I am currently sitting). The teacher seems like he will be pretty cool, but you can't hear him. Seriously, I am on the front row and I have to sit up and clean out the wax just to hear his whipser. He says he will start using a mic, so I guess we will see in the next 30 min. *sighs*

Class number three: I think my favorite class ever. (second to the amazing speech class I had with Dr. Dean). This teacher ROCKS. He has a great sense of humor. He makes his class seem like it is going to be a lot of fun. He is really young (so that helps) and I think I will really like his class. Plus it interests the heck out of me (Abnormal Psyc)

Class number four: This class seems like its going to be fun as well, he just warned us that his tests are, and I quote "extremely difficult" It is another class that I think I will like alot though (Developmental Psyc)

Yikes!!! =/

Welcome Chuck Taylor

2008-08-22T10:17:00.001-05:00

We got a puppy!!! He's a beagle, born June 16, 2008 (2 days after our wedding). We named him "Chuck Taylor"(Chuck for short), like the shoes.

I love him!!! He's so adorable. He loves to play and sleep, and this morning I woke up to him howling.

Let's Play Catch Up

2008-08-10T10:04:00.002-05:00

New things:

My car (2004 Mazda 3) bye bye Tiburon. You will be missed. =(
I got a new car so I would have lower monthly payments, lower insurance and 4 doors!! =

My job (Rec center) bye bye Library. You will not be missed. =)
I got a new part time job so I would no longer be at the library & be able to go to school full time.
Speaking of...
I am taking five classes this semester. 1 Spanish class. 4 Psyc courses. I am really excited (lets see how excited I am in a few months. ha!)

My hair
I know it sounds silly since i didn't cut my hair or anything, but I am parting it on the other side. Just a trial (Colton really likes it. I am still not sure.

Saturday August 2

Colton played guitar at a church in Naveda, TX with the Matt Cote band. Here's some pics of the concert. They did such an amazing job. It was so neat to see all these kids who, to be honest, didn't care how they were dressed or whether they were wearing makeup. They just came together to worship and be with friends, and that is all that mattered to them. Very cool

Here's some pics:

This weekend

So my cousin (Becca) is getting married in October. She met with my photographer ( the magnificent Kandice Ray) this weekend for a session, so her sister and friend came with her. Her sister flew in from Cali. We spent the whole weekend together. Kinda her pre-bachelorette party. The first few hours were Kimberly (her sis/my cousin) and I running around Plano trying to get food and decorations fixed and set up. Then, around 8:30ish they showed up. We had an "Old Hollywood" themed party with candles and wine glasses (filled with DP and water). We ate cheese pizza, chicken nuggets, veggies and dip and cocktail weenies (pigs in a blanket). Then we opened her lingerie. Well, she opened it, I just watched. She tried everything on and the night was over.

Saturday we met up for her shoot. It was amazing. Her pictures are going to be AWESOME. No lie. Kandice is the best. After that, we played a game (I won. woohoo) and left for the mall for our amazing scavenger hunt.

Here's some pics/video from my camera:

What she looked like walking around the mall...you can barely see her tiara with veil attatched and lovely garter from a "Pinkalicious" bandana.

Kiss a bald guy's head (Bonus if you leave a lipstick mark...which she did. ha!)

(The only video that wasn't upside down....Oh Kimberly!) Find a couple who has been married over 25 years

Do a ballerina dance in any store that starts with a "B"

Total points: 69. How appropriate for a bachelorette party. ha!

MIA & why you should never trust a librarian

2008-07-31T11:39:00.001-05:00

I guess that is how you can describe me. I have been MIA. Not on purporse but because my life has been so hectic and crazy.
I sooo wish I had pictures from last night. Colton and I went with some of the people at his work and their girlfriends to Fox and the Hound (or is it Fox and Hound?) . I can honestly say...HANDS DOWN...I have never been to a bar before. We initially wanted to go bowling but that got nixed because they closed at midnight and we wouldn't get a lane (it was 10:30). So we went next door. Well, Wednesday nights just happened to be Karoke night. BAHA!! It was hysterical. Although Colton and I didnt drink, it was funny as heck to watch these grown people stand up there with no care at all and belt it out. Ryan was the best of the night until Colton sang "Waiting on the world to change" by John Mayer. It was the absolute very first time I have ever heard him sing (in almost SEVEN YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!) He is a great singer. He then sang "Come what may" from Moulin Rouge with me. haha. I was told I sang "like a disney princess" and someone said I sounded like "the character from beauty and the beast" (I hope he was referring to Belle. ha!) I think they were just drunk because I cant carry a tune worth diddly.
That was the extent of the "fun" part of my hecticness.
As far as my jobs go. I went in for the drug test for the rec job Monday and *fingers crossed* I should start next Monday (the 4th). I got accepted into the buyout which means TECHNICALLY this is my last day at work *yay!* and I will still get two months pay compensation. However, they asked me to work ON TOP of the two months at my regular hourly pay pt time until school starts. So after today I have 6 more days at the library. (Tues&Thurs for three weeks), and then I am gone for good.
This is great news, especially after what happened yesterday. A girl who has worked here part time for years, Josalyn's, last day was last night. I came up with the idea of getting her a going away gift (which I bought a basket and filled it with snacks for her trip to Austin, that's where she is moving, and a giftcard to Starbucks). I LOVE presents. I love buying them, I love wrapping them, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE to give them. I know it sounds corny, but I actually look forward to all of that. Anyways, I wrapped it beautifully (people said it looked like a professional basket you get at a floral shop) and I had it in the break room with me while I was eating dinner waiting for her to show up. I kid you not my supervisor walked in and ROLLED HER EYES and sighed after she saw it and then walked out. Then, the LIBRARY DIRECTOR and her came in and my supervisor pointed at it and they grabbed it. They said "We need to give this to her" I said "why?" thinking they were kidding...
They just said "Don't worry about it, we'll have her talk to you" another girl i work with and I stood there and laughed because we thought they were kidding and they blocked the door and walked out with it.
I was pretty ticked, I'm not gonna lie. They literally just stole our gift. Come to find out they "presented it" to her as a gift from them as their thanks and appreciation and this is a DIRECT QUOTE "We got you something as a token of our appreciation. It's not much, but we thought it would be nice. It is from us and the staff here at the library."
What the heck?!
Jokes on them: i called Josalyn before she came to tell her what was up, but still?! THEY bought it. THEY thought about her. THEY did it?! What?!! I am not 100% positive, but I think that is stealing.
Grr!!
More later, got to do the mail.

All about me...kinda

2008-07-19T15:24:00.001-05:00

Trying to pass the time at work so I can go home and make delicious Dorito casserole. HURRY UP 6 O'Clock.

Favorites:
Color: hmm..this one is complicated. I like all shades of blue and green. But I LOVE "black and white"
Animal: Non-domestic: Polar Bear Domestic: Dog (specifically Siberian Husky)
Movie: The Notebook, Sixth Sense, Moulin Rouge, Aladdin, many more
Book: The Bible
Magazine: haha. I read the People and US weekly at work all the time.
Song: I hate answering this question. I love all songs.
TV Show: ONE TREE HILL!!!! I like The Closer, Boy meets world, Friends
Food: Hmmm, I love Italian and Tex Mex food. =)
~~~
Right now...I am:
Watching: A little girl sit against a giant eraser reading a book.
Listening: To people speak back and forth in Spanish. GA! I wish I payed attention in class.
Creating:A wonderfully entertaining blog entry. Ha! =)
Doing:"Working"
Thinking: Of how to make it through the next 2 1/2 hours!
Reading: What I type to make sure I spell everything right

Date Night

2008-07-17T16:04:00.001-05:00

So, Colton sent me an email earlier that said "Hancock or Get Smart"
Which means...DATE NIGHT. Yay!! (Hopefully I'll remember to post pics bc blogs are no fun without them. *sigh*
So I have been praying about the job situation a lot and I think I have another door that has opened. This time at a rec center. I again don't want to be too detailed because I don't know what is going to happen, but I promise I will once everything is straightened out.
OH! I am starting a prayer journal, you know just a little something to help me out in keeping track of things I've prayed about and how they are handled. I think it will be a humbling and great expierence.
I am also looking for a new car. We sold me (kinda...they are going through the loan process right now). Yay! Finally getting a 4-door so I can have room to breathe in my car.

New Job?

2008-07-09T13:25:00.001-05:00

I have a great job(where I am currently bored out of my mind sitting at a computer), but school is starting back up in August and I need to go part time. Yesterday was such a God day. I had 4 oppertunities open up in one day (and up until then, it was looking pretty grim).
Good news: I have an interview scheduled for a family who is looking for a part-time nanny. I dont want to go into too many details, seeing as how I havent interviewed yet, but I am really really excited. This is something I have always wanted to do.
I will definately be waaay more detailed later, but I just wanted to throw that out there.
Also, my wonderdul photographer Kandice Ray messaged me and finished our wedding pictures and mailed them out yesterday. YAY!! So I can't freakin wait to receive and share those!!
Seriously, if you need a photographer...she's your girl. AMAZING!!!!

First Post

2008-07-05T11:40:00.002-05:00

Well, after spending the past year planning a wedding and working on my knotbio. The wedding was wonderful, a dream come true...truly.
Now, it is time for me to be a big girl and finally get a blog. Here I will post random happenings on my days...
just a little bit about me. I am a 21 year old married student. I know it sounds crazy to be married so you and still have so much ahead of me, but we have been together over 6 years. Which, to be honest, is longer than a lot of married couples I know.
There will be laughter, tears, love, anger, and lots of other feelings shared throughout this blog. This post is a little boring, but eventually this will be more interesting.

Notes on our life

Sickies

Good Things in 2010

Jack's Mannequin & why I love Andrew

Energy-less

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Ms. (Mrs.) Jessica

Weekend Update

I'm that girl who...

Where did I leave off?

God is SO COOL

Waiting...

Good Things in 2010

Anticipation

Updates...

Changes

It's happened...

Let's play a game of catch-up.

:)

I'm really trying...

School is back...

Good things usually come to an end

Humbled...

no pictures post

faeries are among us...

Lots of Links

100 degree summer, lakes, rivers, and fireworks

I'm walkin' on sunshine...

exhausted

Happy Birthday, Chuck...

One year ago today...

Summer Lovin'

Taste Addison

It's been a long time coming

Heavy

On a brighter note...

Praying for Stellan

Less than a week...

Catch up pics

I'd like to thank...

Portrait of Christ

Colton's back!

Fooooooood

Good Things in 2009...

I am officially a blog-procrastinator

Out and about

When life hands you lemons...

goodbye 2008

My boys

Happy 2009!

New hair for 09'

This Christmas...

Christmas Lights

Quicky

sorry for teasing you

Ahh!!!! =)

Happy Thanksgiving?

I'm back...for now

Don't forget the camera!

Hi.

Ahh...Christmas

I must say...

Tired...

Reception

Wedding Day

Long Overdue!!

Off to Arkansas...

Weekend *whew*

The Great State Fair of Texas

Weekend Wrap-Up

It's been a while...

Dare to again?

Procrastination...

We've taken the dare

Week-In-Review

Haute Facade

Why. Every week??

Weekend Wrap-Up

First attempt...slightly failed.

Yummy cupcakes!!

Weekend whew