Hi, I'm Mary

Wow! I took a longer break than I thought. I thought if you read this you may need a new introduction....
-When I started day shift back in August, I just felt like I really didn't have time to read any blogs, much less keep up with posting on my own. I feel like I've hit a rhythm now, so maybe I will start posting at least semi-regularly now. We will see I guess.
-Alot has gone on since I last posted. We went to Cabo in October for our 4th anniversary and had an absolute blast! Kent planned us a deep sea fishing adventure and we ended up bringing home around 70lb of frozen mahi mahi. So, really our catch paid for our trip. I also wanted to go snorkeling while we were there and purchased us an underwater camera prior to leaving. I probably should've practiced a bit on the video part, but our still shots really turned out amazing! The videos remind me of watching the Blair Witch Project. We actually had our pics taken by someone at the resort that was a "professional." They offered it as a free service and then you only pay for the pics that you want. We have never had our pics taken professionally except at the wedding, so it was nice to get some with great scenery!
-Since we got home, Kent has had 2 unsuccessful pain blocks and the bills just keep coming. I'm really glad that he has insurance, but come on! Can you pay for something!?!
-Since I have to work on both Chrstmas Eve and Christmas day, we are having my big family get together next week. Hopefully I will have everything ready and wrapped! I've gotten a ton of orders for monogramming items for friends and coworkers and I'm down to only 1 pillowcase, so hopefully I can finish up the things I want to do for myself.
-And since I'm having to work the holidays, I am more than ecstatic about our pending New Years trip to NOLA! We have reservations at Emeril's restaturant and Kent is hoping that we will spot Will Ferrell. Kent found out he is filming a movie there now, so he would probably pass out if that dream came true!

Times They Are a Changin'

Today has been my last official day of being 7 on 7 off. I took full advantage of my last week off! Tuesday I went to the river and hung out with some family. I watched the kids innertube and have a great time. I went shopping and got some awesome deals at M@cys, ate lunch with friends and family, cleaned my house, played with the pups, watched a lot of Sex & the City, sewed, monogrammed, and just hung out like I didn't have a care in the world.
Tomorrow I embark on a new chapter in my life. When I started my nursing career, I worked evening shift. I did that for a year before I went to "the dark side." I've been working nights for 7 years. I've only worked 7 on 7 off my entire career. Tomorrow I start being a full time employee working every week and to top it off, its day shift. That means getting up before the sun, doing something that I have said on numerous occasions I "will never do."
I will definitely miss my girls on nights! I've made great friends throughout the 7 years and will continue those relationships no matter what! I've seen many people come and go and now I am transitioning with them. I will see my night shift friends still, but I can't lie and say that it will be the same. I know it will be different, but I have no doubt in my mind that this is the right thing for me to do. Not only for myself, but for my husband. Honestly, he is more excited about this than anyone. It's been so funny to listen to him talk about this and it's been amazing to see his true feelings shine through.
This entire week, I have had so many thoughts about all of the changes that will be taking place as I transition to "normalcy." I mean, I have to actually wear makeup, have some kind of breakfast options, and I will have to set an alarm clock. I haven't done that on a regular basis since college.
All of that said, I am excited to see what a difference this will make in me. So, tomorrow, I will rise with the sun and drive to work on my least favorite road, with everyone else in Shelby county. I'm just praying that we start of on a good traffic foot!

Completely Random

-The other night as I was trying to catch up on SYTYCD, Kent starts making fun of all of the wardrobes. He can't understand where they come up with any of the outfits and thinks that they just throw stuff together. Therefore, he decides he will go and find his best dancing outfit. He comes back from the closet wearing one of my tshirt dresses, his lounge pants, a scarf tied around his waist and a neck tie. I thought I was going to pee on myself I was laughing as he came out from the bedroom doing ballet turns and bows. Believe me, there is never a dull moment!
-I made corn chowder the other night for the first time ever and it was delicious! I've been getting the Cooking Light magazine for around a year now and finally made one of the recipes.
-My sister sent me a video text of my 4 yr old niece singing If I Die Young by the Band Perry. That sound pretty awful, but I'm telling you it's the cutest thing. She emphasizes several words and even gets the "ooo-ooo" at the perfect time. She's the sweetest thing EVER!
-Four of my friends from work are engaged and getting married within the next year. I've been looking at dresses, cakes, flowers and really wish that I could get married again. To Kent again of course! But the planning for our wedding was so much fun! We plan to go to Vegas next year for our 5th anniversary to renew our vows at a little chapel with Elvis, so I'm thinking I'm going to get an awesomely ridiculous dress. It's gonna be FUN!
-In less than 3 months we are heading to Cabo! Words cannot adequately describe how elated I am about our trip! We had so much fun on our honeymoon that I can't wait until we are there again and reminiscing over our 4 years of marriage.
-I'm really excited about my side business and some of the outfits that we are planning to start making. Our crab and houndstooth hat outfits have been a big hit and I'm ready to start making more little boys clothes!
-This post has absolutely no direction, but I really don't think anyone is really reading.
-I've read 5 books in the last two months and will probably make is 6. I really have no idea what has gotten into me! I haven't actually watched a lot of TV this summer which is so unlike me! The only shows I've watched consistently this summer are SYTYCD and Swamp People. And if you didn't watch Swamp People, you missed out! It quickly moved up to one of my all time favorites!

Not His Plan

You don't always get what you want...

Recently, I applied for a different job that would ultimately change my entire schedule. It was a day shift position working Monday thru Friday, no weekends, no holidays. I've been working night shift for over 7 years now and I have felt that I was being led in that direction. I really thought that I had a really good chance at getting the position. Well, a little over a week ago, I received the call to let me know that someone else was offered the position. I will not divulge what the situation is, but I will just say that it was a huge kick in the gut. I was quickly thinking about being in elementary school and being the last one standing when teams were picked for kick ball. It's amazing how our insecurities manifest themselves.
I was never the most popular girl is elementary school. I had some really great friends, but the scars are still there from being a bit heavy and being called "thunder thighs" as I was sitting on the monkey bars in PE. I digress...
Since this situation occurred, it has made me rethink some things. Like I said, I really felt like I was being led into this position. Now I can't help but wonder if it was really God leading me or was it my own voice just wanting something so bad that I convinced myself that it was God. I did have some reservations about working Mon-Fri since I've worked 7 on 7 off for 8 years and have never actually worked that schedule before. But I know that it is something that I could handle. I would love to be on the same schedule as the hubs and not stress so much around the holidays trying to work and fit in 2 family events. It's just tiring. Night shift is starting to get rough. I'm so happy that I have the schedule that I do, otherwise, I just don't think that I could function on a weekly basis.
Its been a rough couple of weeks! The day after I found out about the job, my father in law passed away. He had been in ICU for a week and is no longer hurting or living through the struggles he has had for 3 years since his massive stroke. During this time, I have been so blessed by the love shown from our families, friends, and coworkers. There is no doubt in my mind that the things that happen are for a reason and He has my best interest in hand. When God closes one door, another one opens. For now, I think that I just need to be quiet. Be still and listen-not to my own wants, but to His direction.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Psalm 34:18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Beach Getaway

With so much going on these past few weeks, my stress level has hit its limit. Therefore, Jennifer and I decided that it was time for a quick getaway to the beach. I know people think it's crazy, but yes, I've been known to drive to the beach for a quick day trip. Gulf Shores is only about a 3.5-4 hour drive from our house, so woken up early on many occasions to drive down, lay out about 5 hours, and come home after picking up some good seafood for dinner. We have 3 dogs, so boarding gets pretty pricey! Our neighbors look after them for the day and we are back around 11-12 that night.
Well, Jennifer and I decided that we needed a night, and two good meals, so that is exactly what we did. We left a little after 8, got there around 12 and did not leave the beach until around 6. Our cooler was packed with drinks and fresh fruit and we read all day. It was bliss!!!! Just exactly what we needed!
Little did I know when we planned this that the hubs saw an opportunity for a weekend getaway too! He called me on Monday, and asked if I wanted to go back on Friday and spend the weekend. YES!!!! Did you really have to ask me that!?! We spent the weekend reading, laying out and relaxing at the foot of the ocean or by the pool. I feel very refreshed and ready for whatever happens! I finished one book, read The Help, and bought another book our last day there. (I did happen to finish it tonight too.)
Since it was such last minute planning, we found a great price on a condo on the bay. We'd never stayed on the bay before and I admit, I was a bit hesitant since I love oceanfront so much! I had nothing to worry about! It was beautiful! I loved having a view of the pass and the boats coming in daily to the marina. I saw so many red snapper fresh off of the boat, it made me want to go fishing. We sat out on the dock just watching and loving the view. I really didn't take many pics of either trip, but Jennifer posted a quick synopsis of our trip in pictures here.

Here are the few measly pics I took with my phone:

Thoughts

I've been on a bit of a break lately, haven't I? Although, my life really hasnt been that interesting lately!

I feel like I'm in a weird season right now. I have applied for a new job because my body is telling me that it is time to get off of night shift, so I am in a waiting period right now to see what happens. It's so hard to wait weeks in order to find out if you even have a chance at changing your entire life/schedule around. I just wish things could move a little faster!
I know that there is a lesson in patience that I need to heed, so some days are better than others. I do feel that the first interview went well, so now it's just wait and see time.
I know that whatever happens is going to be the right thing, so I just have to continue to remind myself of that. Everything has already been laid out and I will be alright no matter what.

I am going to the beach for a quick overnight stay on Tuesday with my friend Jennifer and it cannot come soon enough! We simply plan on laying out, reading, and doing absolutely nothing for almost 2 days! We already have our food plans laid out for dinner on Tues night and lunch on the way out on Wednesday. You know that's the most important part-right!?! We just plan to stay somewhere cheap since it's one night and we are not gonna spend a lot of time in the room anyway.

I finally booked our hotel for our Cabo trip in October. I've had the flight for a couple of months, but held off on the hotel thinking that I could score a better rate than was posted at that time. I got a great rate and ended up booking the suite and only went over my original budget by $30. Success! I just looked tonight and the suite is no longer avaliable, so I booked it at the right time! Only 4 more months! Yippee!

Memphis

For Kent's birthday 2 weekends ago, we traveled up to Memphis for a quick getaway. Last year around my birthday, we spent 10 days at the beach, so I just figured that we could do a mini vacay for his. I suprised him by booking the Peabody hotel for 2 nights with a great deal from Priceline.

We ended up getting there too late on Friday to do anything but check in, so we got an early start on Saturday morning. We headed to breakfast, then spent ALL DAY at Graceland. I didn't get our tickets in advance so we got them when we got there around 10am. Our tour of the mansion wasn't until 3pm, so needless to say it was a little boring waiting 5 hours. We did tour all of the other sites there, but it was just too much of a wait. I guess I should've checked into it before we went. Kent had a really good time seeing all of the memorabillia. Neither one of us had ever been, and Kent wants to go back to tour again when it's not so busy.

After the tour, we got back to the hotel in time to watch the duck march. Word to the wise, get there early if you want to get a good view. I was only able to see about 3 feet of their red carpet march, but it was neat to listen to the history of how it all came about.

Then we refreshed ourselves and headed to Rendevous BBQ. Can you say YUMMO!?! I ate a full order for myself.

Then we headed to Beale Street to listen to some music before calling it a night around midnight. It was quick, but a much needed weekend away for the 2 of us.

Tannehill

For my sister in law's birthday last weekend, she decided that we would all get together at Tannehill state park and grill out. I decided to just go early and take the pups since my mother in law was there. Let me just tell you, three dogs by yourself on leashes is some work! When I first got there I just tied their leashes off on a tree so that I could go and get their cables and bowls. Before I walked off, Max decided to take a leak at the waters edge. Of course he's a little unstable and plopped right in the water. I quickly pulled him up and directed him away from the creek. When I got back from the car, Donna was yelling at me to hurry. Max had jumped back in the water after the ducks and when she tried to pull him back to safety, he got out of his collar/leash and was walking in the water with nothing. Every couple of steps he was going completely under so I yanked off my shoes and socks and jumped in to retrieve the old man before he stayed under. It was disgusting! He attempted several more times to get in the water, but I made sure the cable was short after that fiasco! Poor Lucy really doesn't know what to do being outside for extended periods of time. Everytime we walked by the camper, Lucy tried to go inside. She is not much for the outdoors! After about 5 hours of being outside, Max finally gave it up and got in his bed. He was so tired. When it was time for them to eat, Max decided he needed dinner in bed, courtesy of the hubs. Those are the only 2 pics that I took, but we had a really good time! Our great friend Mark grilled some yummy steaks, and Donna fixed a salad bar that would put Ruby Tuesday to shame.

Pending Vacay...

If you know me, you know that I'm always planning some kind of vacation. We always do something big in the fall for our anniversary. We went to Cabo for our honeymoon and have been wanting to go back since, but it's just been too pricey. Well, when I started looking a couple of months ago, Cabo was in my price range and I was super excited! I was so afraid that with the way that gas prices are, the flight would go through the roof this summer, so I booked our flight last week. We are so excited! I haven't decided where we are going to stay yet, but I am hoping that those prices will go down a bit before I make my final decision. I would love to stay where we stayed on our honeymoon, but they have built a new hotel right beside where we stayed that is not a palace version so it's a bit cheaper. Every time we've done an all inclusive, we've stayed at the Riu hotels. All three times, we've been very impressed with all of the amenities, service and food. I may just go with the cheaper one and we could at least go and visit the other to reminisce on 4 years ago. But it doesn't matter, because on Oct 15th I will be looking at this:

Words Could Never Describe...

Over the past few weeks we've had several pretty rough storms. In another life, I really think that my husband was a storm chaser. Or he at least wishes he was. Every time Kent hears that a storms a coming, he goes crazy! He loves to sit outside and watch the lightning, wait on the rain, anything that involves a storm, Kent is all about it. So last week, Kent decides that he wants to wait for the storm to come through. He pulls our rocking chairs out on the porch and sits down to wait for it to hit. I love my husband therefore, I took part. Plus the fact it was already dark and no one could really see what we were doing. Last night however, here was the scene: Waaaaaay closer to the road and let's be honest here-he looks ridiculous! I did not take part in this and fought with him for 15 minutes before he finally pulled it back at a semi appropriate spot. He did for a second have the chair all the way in the road and asked for popcorn to watch the "movie."

My Dad Turned 60!

Last week was my dad's 60th birthday.

I spent the day in Cullman with Loni getting some orders done then headed to dinner at my mom's. Kent wasn't able to go since he doesn't get off owrk until late and it takes 1.5 hours to get to my mom's from Calera. Plus, I had to go to Cullman during the day and order a bridesmaid dress for a wedding I'm in this summer. Therefore, one trip to Cullman was enough with these high gas prices! Anyway, mom cooked a feast! We had smoked ribs, smoked chicken, fried okra, mac and cheese, green beans (my fave!), baked beans, texas toast, cheesy potatoes, slaw, and 2 cakes. I brought one with me from Edgar's bakery and my mom's pastor's wife made the chocolate cake with strawberries.

It was great to go and hang out up there for a while and just chit chat and celebrate my dad. There were 12 people there and we had such a good time. I also delivered Aubrey's new outfit that I made.

These were my first set of ruffle pants to make and I think they turned out really good! She has hit a growth spurt and they will probably only fit her for a month, but at least I know what I am doing now-ha!

My Pups

So, Kent and I don't have human children, but we do have 3 dogs that fill our house with an abundance of entertainment! I take random pics of my dogs all of the time, so I'm dedicating this post to my "kids." Lucy is our 1.5 yr old Boston that I know is bipolar! She is sooooooo active and will run circles around the coffee table for no reason what so ever! Honestly though, she's my favorite:) Last week she fell asleep on my chest which is actually unheard of, Kent thought that I had held her down to take this, but clearly I wasn't.

Is that not the most precious thing you have ever seen!?! It is to me! This is a normal occurence in our house-Lucy and Frankie fighting over a toy. I really need to come up with a new dog toy that they cannot tear up. Every single rope, stuffed toy, tennis ball is in pieces within a week of bringing it home. I have tried so many different kinds, but pieces of toys wind up all over my house every time. Apparently this is the only recent pic I have of Frankie-she's my least favorite:) I don't take that many pics of her-oops!

Max is our 14 yr old Boston that we adopted last fall. He has really come into his own lately! When we first got him, he really wasn't interested in us or the other pups whatsoever. Now, he is all about sitting on the couch with us and just standing and watching Frankie and Lucy fight over whatever. He still doesn't participate, but I think that is because he's just old. He's really funny to watch. Whenever he goes to sit in his bed, he is so slow to lay down. Most of the time, he doesn't even make it all of the way in the bed. He'll be just halfway in with his butt on the hardwood.

I think he kind of looks like a gremlin in this pic, but he's so cute! I've shared this pic with some of my coworkers and now I wisn that we could've videoed what was taking place at the time. Who knows, we might could've been winners on America's Funniest Home Videos. Anyway, one night Kent was in the kitchen cleaning up after dinner, and yelled for me to come in there. This is what I saw:Apparently Max's Pedigree wasn't enough and he was still hungry. I know it's gross, but we were laughing so hard watching him climb up on there. We just couldn't stop!

I also need to share this pic. Ellen posted it on her twitter the other day. I was at home by myself and when it pulled up, I might've peed on myself I was laughing so hard at this:

Products

I always talk about going up to Loni's and working on some of our products, but I don't really post a lot of pics of what my side business really does. Therefore, I thought I would share a few pics of some of our newest products. You can also find us on facebook, etsy, and we have our own webside lilypadsandlollipops.com that you can visit.

Here is one of our top sellers:

The tutu set. It's a tutu, shirt, headband or hat with a coordinating bow. We also just started making the coordinating birthday hat to match. Aren't they cute!?!

This was a special order for a little girl's first birthday party. The party had a monkey theme. It's made with minky and fleece fabric which add a lot of texture.

Here's our matching pillowcase dress and seersucker crab t shirt. It's perfect for brother and sister!

This was a custom applique onesie I did for a coworker's niece. She has sent me several pics of Harper wearing it and she is sooooo cute!

And last but not least, our new houndstooth elephant shirt for all of you AL fans out there. We do have a new tiger applique, we just haven't used it yet. Don't worry, that's coming soon for all of you Auburn fans out there!

Brain Dump

-I was so excited to see that with the Oscars on Sunday, TCM has been having 31 days of Oscar. That means that everyday, all day they have been playing movies that have been nominated or won Oscars. My DVR has been going like crazy and I have a list of movies to watch throughout my off week. Kent has absolutely no interest in most of the movies, so I'm on my own. I will tell you that some of them have been a struggle! It is so amazing to see the difference in eras through the movies. It's definitely interesting to watch some of the black and white movies. I'm watching All About Eve right now and am really enjoying it. It's on Netflix instant watch until Monday, so I'm fitting it in before then. There are a couple that end on March 1st, so we will see if I can make it. I absolutely LOVE Netflix instant watch. It's totally worth it!
-I'm still in total shock that I have 3 dogs in my house. Max has really been an added comedy act to our household. He just stands and watches Lucy and Frankie fight over all of the toys. Speaking of toys, Lucy tears every single toy up into a million pieces within a week of me buying it. Kent's mom gave them a bag full for Christmas and they have all made their way to the trash after Lucy rips them to shreds. Anyone have any suggestions? She tears up ropes, tennis balls, stuffing out of the stuffed animals, I can't find anything!
-Every year Kent and I embark on dieting and swear that we are going to keep it off. I have come to the realization that I have gotten fat! The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, so I am admitting that I have a problem. We started dieting last week and so far, I have lost 4lbs. I am terrified to ask Kent because I have no doubt it's 10-15. He is way ahead of me every time! We are supposed to be doing no carb, but if I'm honest, doing that makes me feel horrible. So therefore, cooking for Kent at night, there are no carbs, but during the day, I eat lightly. So far, so good.
-I really have had a lazy last 2 off weeks. I have had no motivation to really do anything in my house that needs to be done. I really need to get on the ball. The house is not going to get ready to sell on it's own.
-I'm thinking about going to see The King's Speech today. I've seen 1/2 of the movies nominated for best picture and have heard such good things about it. Kent has not interest in seeing it, so if I'm going to see it, I'm on my own.
-We went to the drive in last weekend. It was so much fun! The weather was in the 60s, so we took the camp chairs and sat in front of the car watching the movie. I've only been to one one other time and that was about 13 years ago, so it was an almost new experience. I think we will definitely be doing that more often this summer!
-Friday is my dad's 60th birthday, so I will be going up to Cullman for the first time in almost 2 months. I am in a wedding this summer, so I also have to go and order my dress. Another good reason to be on a diet!

Oscar Watch

I have always been a huge fan of the Oscars. Last year, I set a goal to watch all of the movies that have won best picture. I made a list and there are 71 movies on the list. The award started in 1927 and I must say that some of the early ones are tough to watch. I am developing a new appreciation for film. I've been able to mark 40 movies off the list, so I'm more than halfway there. I've seen 5 of the 10 nominations for this year's best picture and out of those, I am rooting for Black Swan. I can't wait to see who brings it home this year! I really wish that I had people interested in dressing up and watching the Oscars. I really think that would be fun. Will you be watching?

Book List

I realized the other day that I have more than 20 books that I have bought over the years that I have yet to read. Therefore, I have formed a list and vowed not to buy anymore until I dwindle down this list. I really plan to read about 1 book a month over the year, hopefully more, just depending on how many times we go to the beach this summer. Kent just finished up the trilogy with Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and has convinced me that it's a must read. I've started the first one, so we will see how different our tastes really are.

I also have 2 books by Kristin Hannah-True Colors and Winter Garden. I've never read anything by her, but they were buy 2 get one free several months back at BAM.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett, they are making a movie based on this book, so it's on the must list!

I also have several by Jodi Picoult. I know that I have liked several books of hers, so hopefully these will be easy reads.

These are the ones on the top of my list. We will see how this all turns out by the end of the year.

Changes Ahead

Over the past couple of weeks, Kent and I have been talking about moving. We have lived in Shelby County for the past 6 years, and we have decided it's time for a change. I loathe the traffic! We truly have to plan our days around it. If I'm out shopping or running errands around town, I have to be on the interstate and through the junction before 4pm if I don't want to sit forever. It is truly just a hassle. So, a couple of weeks ago, we were out after church one Sunday afternoon and Kent had taken me to Homewood to see some of his customers houses, when he says, "would you like to live here?" I say of course and that's when the ball started rolling. Our plan is to have the house on the market by the first of June so this weekend we started taking care of some cosmetic things around the house that need to be done. We started the humongous task of cleaning out our garage. This is HUGE! We still have a ways to go, but we did throw away a ridiculous amount of things and started a garage sale pile. We plan to have one in April and whatever we don't sell, take straight to the thrift store in Alabaster. Kent finally patched the hole in our kitchen ceiling from the directv man stepping through about 5 yr ago, and he also finished staining and glossing a new front door. There is still work to be done on it, but it is at least hanging. I started better organizing all of my craft stuff so that our front bedroom can be turned into a bedroom instead of a storage facility that looks like Hobby Lobby threw up in. So if you know anyone that is interested in buying a house in Calera, send them my way!!

Day in Auburn

My older sis turned 30 last week, so Kali Aubrey and I traveled to Auburn to take her out to lunch on Saturday. I'm awful and didn't take any pics of all of us. I did however, ride in the backseat with Aubrey on the way home from lunch and played photographer for her. She was instructing me on what to take a picture of. It mostly consisted of her holding all of her items: Here she is with her puppy whose name was Roxy on the way to Auburn and Sparkles on the way home:

This is her holding her DVD, little TV (her dad's iTouch), her my little pony, Roxy, her leapster, and her new pom poms:Here is "us"and lastly, here is Roxy wearing Aubrey's new pom poms as bracelets:She is just so much fun! We watched the first 10 minutes of Mary Poppins about 3 times since she has to restart the movie each time she gets in the car. She loved the fact that I knew all of the songs and could sing them to her. We had a really great day that included a stop at Gigi's cupcakes, lunch at an Irish pub, browsing through some bookstores, and just chatting at Ashley's. It was a great all girl day celebrating Ashley's 30th.

Great Break!

Every year, our church starts out with 21 days of prayer and fasting. Each year I try to fast from something different. This year I chose to fast from all social media and carbonated beverages. I did social media last year, and I must say I think that it was a good choice to do that every year! I admit, I become way too consumed with what is going on around me even with people that I don't really know and it's great to take a step back and focus on what is really important! Facebook, twitter, and blogs are not what makes the world go round, even though sometimes I act like it. I had several prayer focuses for the 21 days and I am already seeing results and having peace about many things that are going on in our lives. Hopefully soon I will be able to share more, but please continue to stand in prayer with me over direction and peace for what is to come in 2011. And before you start asking, NO-I'm not preggo:)
Hopefully this week, I will be able to start blogging on a regular basis. I've decided I really want this to be more a journal for what is going on in our lives. Just because I don't have pics doesn't mean I can't blog. It may be boring, but really, that's my life. After a certain point, it's just another day.

Goals

I've never really been a fan of "resolutions." I think that its really the word, it seems easier for me to come up with some goals for the year, and that's my time frame-1 year. So here we go:
1. Read at least 12 books this year. So that's one a month and hopefully I will be able to do more. We will see. I'm almost finished with my first one, Water for Elephants, and I am LOVING it! I just downloaded 7 free books on my kindle iphone app, so I have plenty ready for me to sit.

2. Go to prayer every day that I am not at work. Next week starts my church's 21 days of prayer and fasting. There are some personal things that I will be focusing on as far as my prayer goes and for the fasting, I am choosing to give up several things. I'm giving up all social media. That means, no facebook, twitter, blogs, anything. I've been slowly weaning myself from all of these so I won't go completely crazy when I cut it all out.

3. Use a planner and stay more organized. I always buy a calendar every year in hopes of keeping up with it, but it seems that I really only keep it up for about 2-3 months then I just stop keeping it. There's really no reason, I just go lax on it.

4. Build my savings account up by $5000. This should be a simple task since both of our cars are paid off. It should be more than this, but of course we are already starting to plan our vacations for the year.

5. Go visit my extended family in Cullman once a month. My grandmother is in her 90s and I am going to make it a point to go and see her and my great aunt and uncle. My grandmother is hilarious! My Aunt Lee and Uncle Pat are both two of the absolute sweetest people you will ever meet in your life. I haven't seen either of them in several months and they are not in the best of health, so I want to go and spend some time with them.

So hopefully in December, I will be able to make a list and say that all of these goals have been met!

Holiday

Happy New Year everyone, if anyone is reading... Hope all of you had a great holiday and enjoyed some great time with family! I was completely exhausted after all of our tours and we enjoyed some nice down time at the beach last week. It started mid December with my family traveling to Disney. I rode with my older sis and we finally got to the Coronado Springs at 3am. We then got up and ready around 7am and headed to Hollywood Studios. We spent the full day there and Ashley and I headed to Epcot for their fireworks display. Loved it! I was totally bummed the next day when I found out I had missed the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. Apparently they don't have those every night:( Oh well, the vacation went on... The next day we spent an entire day at the Magic Kingdom and went to Downtown Disney and ate a Planet Hollywood for dinner. I spent a lot of time getting an autograph book signed for Loni's kids, so I have tons of pics of me with characters. It's quite funny. Friday we spent half of the day at Animal Kingdom and the other half at Epcot. Kali and I got to spend some time together that night when her hubs took Aubrey back to the hotel to play. We ended up catching the bus and heading to Hollywood Studios to ride the Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror again since those are our favorites. We went back to Planet Hollywood for dinner and ordered the two most expensive things on the menu since it was our last meal to eat on our dining plan. She had an entire slab of ribs and I had a steak that we maybe ate about 1/3 of. Saturday, we went back to ride our two favorite rides as a send off and it started raining. We went to Downtown Disney to finish our souveneir shopping and headed home. I got home around 10pm to my sick little puppy. Lucy had scratched her eye and had a severe infection, so she was on 3 different eye ointments and a pain med twice a day. There was even some talk about her possibly going blind and losing her eye. Thank you Lord it never came to that! She's fine now, she will always have a small scar right in the center of her eye, but you wouldn't know it if you haven't heard about it. The following Monday started my work week back and was Christmas week so that was a definite whirlwind of get togethers and lack of sleep.