Iron Bowl 2009

Thank goodness the 2009 Iron Bowl is over and my nerves are still in check! What a nail biter! My parents had an Iron Bowl Bash at their house with lots of friends and we watched the game with them. I really enjoyed last year's Iron Bowl so much more....I mean 36-0 is so much easier to stomach. Thankfully though, it worked out for us Bama fans! Now on to Saturday....I may not have any nails left by game's end on Saturday! ;)
The weather was beautiful so everyone hung out outside and "tailgated."
Rob enjoying his wings

Even though we wear different colors, I still love him at the end of the game. :)

Much to be Thankful For!

Our Thanksgiving was spent in Oneonta at my parents. We loaded up the dogs and packed the car on Wednesday and headed out. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with lots of family and even saw some family members we haven't seen in like 5 years, which is always a delight!



We spent Thanksgiving night visiting and playing "Catchphrase" with the family members that were left. We had 10 people playing and it was so much fun! We had such a great time with our family!

This Thanksgiving was not anything like I thought it would be. The year of 2009 did not pan out like Rob and I were hoping it would. Even though things didn't work out like we wanted and wished for, we still have so much to be thankful for. We have wonderful families, wonderful friends, the BEST 3 dogs, our health, our jobs and our happiness. On top of that we have a Savior, who is taking all of our questions and stresses and handling them the way they need to be handled and loving us even on the days when we question Him. How could we ask for anything else? I hope that we all took some time on Thursday to reflect on how much we have in our lives and how thankful we should be not just on Thanksgiving, but every day!

Relaxing Weekend at the Beach

Last weekend we headed to Gulf Shores with my parents to celebrate my dad's birthday. We went down on Wednesday night and stayed until Sunday. November is such a relaxing time to go to the beach. It is so quiet and peaceful and it was such a nice getaway. While we were there, we toured Fort Morgan (which I haven't seen since I was about 10). It hasn't changed, of course, but it was more interesting this time.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous and the highs were in the 70's. It just doesn't get any better!

We also ate lots of great food. We have found a new "favorite" restaurant, Lester's. Lester's is on Canal Road and if you are ever in the area you should definitely stop in and try their smoked tuna dip and bread pudding. Both of these are to die for! :)

We also tried Papa Rocco's for the first time. We always discuss eating there and finally tried it. We had this yummy shrimp pizza! Papa Rocco's was good and we will definitely have this again.

How relaxed and close to God would you feel if you woke up to this every morning?

We had a wonderful time celebrating Dad's birthday. Now we need to find another reason to go back soon! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Weekend Finds and Crafts

This weekend I found some time for a little shopping and crafting, two of my favorite things. Friday night I convinced Rob to go to Old Time Pottery. I could literally spend hours in this store. I didn't, of course, because I did have Rob with me. I found these cute ceramic pumpkins for less than $2 each and they are the perfect addition to my fall decorations.

And THEN I spotted this.....That's right, folks! The cutest lamp EVER for how much? Yup, $9.99. The PERFECT addition to our computer room/study (colors are green and brown). I love it!!!!

I also picked up some pillar candles for $1.99 each, which is the cheapest I have found pillar candles in forever. I really should go back and get some more.

On Saturday, I headed to Michaels while Rob raked leaves. Yes, I'm a lucky girl. :) I had to pick up some scrapbook paper and ribbon for some Christmas gifts that I'm making. I have some new candlesticks on my mantle that needed jazzed up a little. I used the pillar candles from Old Time Pottery along with scrapbook paper and ribbon and VOILA....

How much better do these candles look than just drab beige candles? I am amazed every day at what scrapbook paper can do!

And just an extra tidbit...Look what I found at Hobby Lobby...

That's right all you UA fans......houndstooth wrapping paper. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this yet, but it is too awesome to wrap gifts with! ;)

If you are wondering, I did pick up some things for Christmas but I can't show them because people might see their own gifts. I'll post those projects after Christmas! I love these kinds of weekends! :)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday and I hope he has a wonderful day! God definitely blessed me when he placed me in my family! I have always been and will always be a "daddy's girl." In my dad's eyes, I have never done anything wrong and nothing has ever been my fault. ;) I was an only child until I was seven, so my playmates were my parents. I remember vividly sitting at my little table in my bedroom and having tea parties with my dad and my stuffed animals. He also is the one who taught me (or tried to) how to do a cart-wheel. Even after my brother was born and got older, my dad and I still did lots of things together. We went to so many Alabama football games and I always LOVED being with him!

Even though he doesn't act like it, my dad is such a big softie. He has cried at every milestone in my life, my baptism, when I moved into my dorm at college, when I got married. (Heck, he's probably crying now, reading this). No matter what I have done or how I have acted, I have always known that Dad was there if I needed him.

I hope and pray that one day Rob and I will have a daughter who can have this wonderful bond that I have been blessed enough to have with my father.

Happy Birthday Dad! I will see you at the beach on Thursday! I LOVE YOU!

A Campin' We Will Go

Sorry it has been so long since my last post. We have been super busy lately with little time to stop for anything. I would love for life to slow down a bit, but I don't forsee that anytime soon (at least until after the first of the year). Last Friday night we were invited to join friends at Joe Wheeler State Park. Our friends Matt and Stephanie rented a cabin on the lake for the night and asked us to join them, along with Scott and Meredith. The weather was amazing and the fall colors were beautiful.

On our way in we saw a lot of deer. They were so close to the road and really weren't spooked by us at all.

This pic is the view outside of our cabin. This trip we only spent one night but thought next time we need to stay two so we can enjoy this view more! It was so peaceful and quiet there.

The guys cooked out hamburgers and hot dogs late in the evening. We sat around and talked and played games. It was such a fun little night getaway!

On Saturday we drove over near the dam and some of us did some fishing. Yup, the rest of the group fished and the Akins looked on.

We had a great time and hopefully will do it again soon.

Woman-to-Woman Encouragement

I found this little snippet many years ago and recently ran across it again. I really needed to read this over and over today! Today has been a rough day for me and I'm really working on seeing the positive, but some days are easier than others. Today was NOT an easy day. Nothing specific happened, it was just one of those days where you wonder what is around the bend. I know that God has a plan for me, but at the moment I'm not sure what it is. I'm seeking his guidance and know that it is just around the corner. I, along with Rob, am just putting our questions in God's hands and knowing that things will work out the way they need to. (This doesn't mean that I haven't had a few mental breakdowns though, ha)

Anyway, I hope this little snippet speaks to you as it does to me:

Someone will always be smarter. Their house will be bigger. They will drive a better car. Their children will do better in school. And their partners will fix more things around the house. So let it go and love you and your circumstances. Think about it. The prettiest woman in the world can have sorrow in her heart. And the most highly favored woman on our job may be unable to have children. The richest woman you know - she has the car, the house, the clothes - might be heartbreakingly lonely. So, love you. Love who you are right now. Tell yourself, "I am too blessed to be stressed." To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just might be the world.

Happy Halloween!

Last night Rob and I attended a Halloween party at our friends' Sott and Meredith's. Rob and I were having such a hard time deciding what to be. I wanted to be creative and cute with it, but without spending a ton of money (hello Dave Ramsey). So our friend, Becky, helped me come up with this idea: (Thanks so much Becky....it was a great idea)

I was the Publishers Clearing House winner and Rob was the Prize Patrol. Sorry the pic is a little blurry (I'm hoping Meredith has a better one)

Here we are minus the props

Meredith and Scott were a cute pirate family

Nemo was even in character

Stephanie came as a hippie and Matt was Indiana Jones...too cute

We ate, drank, and played games. We had a wonderful time and hopefully will do it again next year. Rob and I have one year to come up with costumes for next Halloween and they will be GREAT! :) Here are some other pics from the party.

Andy dressed as a redneck Tennessee Vols fan. His attire was hilarious and found yesterday at the Thrift Store. He had a turtleneck under his Vols sweatshirt, a Vols cap, straight-leg black jeans, and Reebok tennis shoes. (As the night wore on, he continued to lose parts of his costume)

Andy lost his mullet wig to Scott the pirate

And he lost his lovely leather Tennessee jacket to Julia Childs

We had a great time and were really glad to get that extra hour of sleep last night! :)

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween!