Thursday, January 31, 2013

That Was Somethin

Our last day in Jamaica was quite interesting. We decided to do a little excursion and go snorkeling. We were really excited about it. The whole concept seems so nice. Cruise around the ocean while sipping a little wine, taking in Jamaica then stopping for an hour to explore the beautiful underworld and topping off the excursion by watching the sun go down. It seemed perfect! We were sold the instant we heard about it.
We got on the boat and about 15 minutes in red flags went off. I was a tad thrown off with the extraordinarily loud rap music thumping through the speakers and that they only offered rum punch or beer to drink. I shrugged it off and didn't spend too much time thinking about it. We cruised around the ocean and it was so beautiful. The water was a gorgeous color of blue and being able to see the island of Jamaica from a distance was really cool. After about an hour we anchored to snorkel. Scott didn't want to do it so he stayed on board and took photos while I checked out the beautiful fish below.
I only snorkeled for about 20 minutes. It wasn't as fun without Scott and I guess I'm spoiled by the amazing snorkeling in St Lucia (they have one of the best snorkel spots in the world) so I hopped back on board and joined my husband.
Shortly after, everyone else got the same idea and before we knew it we were off again, sailing into the beautiful Caribbean ocean.
Then things got interesting. The booze became abundant, the rap music was pumping and suddenly a dance party broke out. At first it was funny but after 30 minutes of it Scott and I just couldn't take it anymore. Married couples parted ways and were bumping and grinding (that's using the term loosely) with random strangers. Weed filled the air, people were hanging their heads overboard and hair weaves fell out and were everywhere. I've never seen anything like it. At one point I pulled my phone out and started filming the wild party that was taking place. I didn't even try to be discrete. Scott and I were miserable as were about 6 other couples on board. I felt 87 because I was shocked at the things I was seeing!
I could not wait to get off the boat but since everyone was having such a fabulous time they decided to extend the tour for an extra hour and a half!!!!! Neat. It was then that I decided to make light of the unexpected inappropriateness going on before me and join in on the fun....for a solid 30 seconds.
The boat FINALLY docked and Scott and I were the first ones off. An older gentleman who closely followed behind looked at us and said "Whew! That was somethin wasn't it?" Yes indeed sir.
After that fun little adventure I needed a bottle glass of wine and a relaxing dinner with my husband. We spent the rest of our night reliving the unexpected disaster that ended up being our last day in paradise.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Thursday & Friday

Janurary 24 was our anniversary and it was a great day! We decided to skip the gym and grab a big breakfast instead to start off our morning. After that it was pool time!
We grabbed our designated spot by the pool and immediately ordered our frozen "smoothies." Normally I would judge someone for having a drink at 10:30 am but I was on a much needed vacation so I gave myself (and Scott) a free pass for the week day.
Scott decided that he wanted to go play volleyball later in the afternoon so we left our pool seats and grabbed one by the beach. Scott loves beach volleyball. He always plays when we go on vacation and he gets so into it.
While Scott was playing volleyball something magical happened. My ridiculously straight hair that doesn't even have half an ounce of texture to it at all suddenly created beach waves. It was like, one of my greatest hair moments ever.
After we got plenty of sun we retreated to our room to get ready for dinner. We had a special surprise knock on our door. A bottle of champagne compliments of the resort for our anniversary! We sipped on that as we got ready for dinner and chose to go to a French restaurant for that special evening. I guess it's the nicest one at the resort because when we got there they wouldn't let Scott in because he was wearing flip flops and you couldn't wear open toed shoes. Oh my goodness did that make his blood boil. They were very nice, leather flip flops but I guess that wasn't good enough. As we walked away he looked at me and said "so I can't wear these flip flops but Nikes are okay? That makes a lot of sense. Look! That guy is wearing Nikes." I got so tickled at how much it bothered him. Luckily our room was close so he slipped on some loafers then we went back and were accepted into the restaurant the second try.
Our anniversary ended up being a great day and I was so excited that we were able to spend it in a fun place!
Friday was the same story as it has been: workout, pool, beach, drinks, lots of food.....

Later that evening we actually did something different. The resort had a "Secrets Got Talent" show that they had been encouraging the guests to participate in all week. I wasn't planning on participating but then they told us what the winning prize was so I signed myself up in .08 seconds. I put my vocal skills to good use and I won the grand prize! Woot Woot! We were so excited! So what is this grand prize? A 5 night trip back to the resort!!!! We figured there had to be some kind of catch but there isn't. All we have to do is pay for our flight to get there. How awesome is that? We're pretty pumped about it.

I'll blog about the rest of the trip tomorrow.....

Monday, January 28, 2013

Home

I'm back from Jamaica! It's always extra fantastic to get away but feels so good to be home. I'll finish blogging about my trip tomorrow. For now all I want to say is that I was reunited with my babies today and it made my heart so full.


Scott and I talked about Madison and Ivy SO much throughout our trip. We love these little munchkins like crazy and I just couldn't wait to see them. They were so happy to see me and extra happy to be home. They LOVE Gamma and Pops but like everyone, there's no place like home.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Four Years + Jamaica Day 3

Today I'm celebrating four years of marriage to my sweet husband! Four years seems like such a long time. I know in the grand scheme of things it's not but it seems like a big number to me!! Its been a great ride so far and I'm anxious to see what the many, many years to come will hold for us!
Let's play catchup on yesterdays activities shall we?
I was a bum and didn't go to the gym. Instead I ate a bagel in bed while I watched Kelly and Michael. Once Scott was finished working out, we headed down to the beach to begin our typical vacation routine---Lay by the pool and do nothing. After a few hours of lounging we decided to be adventerous and do some water sports, starting with kayaking.
Scott treated it like we were competing in the Olympics. Right!! Left!! LEFT!! LEFT BABE! LEFT!!!!!!!!!!! So I did not enjoy it. A wave came crashing and it made us tip over. It was "my fault" and apparently that doesn't happen very often because the staff kept coming up to us saying "we saw you tip over mon!" So over kayaking.
After that I needed a double Miami Vice so we went back to our designated pool spot to chill. Then Scott wanted to go sailing so we did. Luckily neither of us were in charge of steering that piece of equipment so it ended up being quite pleasant.
After that we came back to our pool chairs and stayed until the sun went down. We aren't very interesting on our vacations. It's the same story every day.
Last night we ate at the Italian restaurant and it was definitely our best meal so far. We've been a tad disappointed in the food this time. It hasn't been as good as the other resorts we've been to. After dinner we watched a show put on by the staff here then grabbed an ice cream cone on our way into our room. They have this self-serve machine here and it tastes just like TCBY and Scott and I may, or may not, eat at least one cone a day.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Jamaica Mon!

Greetings from Jamaica!! Scott and I arrived on Monday around 2:00 and we were out on the beach by 3:00.
So far we're having a wonderful time! We didn't have a ton of time on the beach on Monday but we got in as much sun as time would allow! Later that evening we dined on Mexican food and I was so tired from being up since 3:45 earlier that morning that we went to bed around 8:30 and slept until 8 the next day!! Yesterday we got up and worked out.They have spin bikes here and you couldn't imagine my excitement over that. After a good workout we put on our swimsuits and grabbed a chair by the pool. We didn't leave that spot for the rest of the day! I tried coconut water for the first time yesterday!! I hoped it would be delicious but it kind of tasted like salt water.
Last night we enjoyed a little japanese food and took in a karaoke show. I feel so old because I was ready to go to bed by 9:00 last night but I made it until midnight.
I'm going to hop off and get ready for the beach! Looking forward to another wonderful day here in Jamaica! I think Scott and I are going to have fun with some water sports this afternoon. See you all back here tomorrow!!

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Prepping

Today I got my nails done for my trip! I know I'm super late to join in on the Shellac party but this was my first time to do it. So far it's winning over a regular manicure. They were completely dry 5 minutes after she painted them. That in itself is worth it because I always mess them up 17 seconds after I get in my car. I don't know why it's taken me so long to hop on board but I don't see myself ever looking back. Especially if they really do stay perfect for 2 weeks like everyone says they will.

I found some new sunglasses a few days ago. I lost my previous pair in the lake this past summer while I was water skiing. UGH. I hate myself for that. I can still feel them sliding down my leg. Major bummer. I loved those sunglasses. I like my new ones though! They're a little more funky with the lime green outlining the frames. I thought they'd be perfect for the beach!

I'm spending my evening packing. I'm so excited about my trip!! I'm in desperate need of a getaway where I can lay around and relax for a week. I need to turn my mind (and cell phone) off and just chill out for a bit.  Just a little over 35 hours to go!!

Friday, January 18, 2013

Dishy Dining

I've been able to find so many new items for my house lately and it's been so much fun! Scott and I ordered new dining room chairs and they arrived yesterday. I love my old chairs and think they're so beautiful. However, they were really throwing off the whole monochromatic gray, cream and white thing we've got going on in our house so I really wanted to get new ones. I love how the new chairs look and I'm really excited about the new additions!
We don't have a "formal" dining room. This space is right off/part of the kitchen like a breakfast nook. I really like that our house is designed that way. It's a really big space so our formal dining table fit perfect. Our old kitchen table would have been way too small. We only had 6 chairs previously but there's plenty of room for 8 which is great for when we're having a big group of friends over for dinner!
I'm going with Jodie to help her pick out a wig today. I hope we can find a really good one that looks real. I feel like it may be tricky but her oncologist gave us a list of places here in NWA that have wigs so hopefully we'll find something good. If not there's always online. I've seen many different wigs from the Raquel Welch line and they look really good so if we can't find one local I know we can get one from her site.
A post from me wouldn't be complete without a cute picture of these three girls! I better get moving. Lots to do today!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Please Pray

I would like to take this opportunity to ask all of you who read my blog for a really big favor. My mother-in-law, Jodie, was diagnosed with breast cancer about a week after we all got back from celebrating her 50th birthday in Las Vegas this past November. 
The news was, of course, extremely shocking and very upsetting. We all prayed very hard that it was caught early and Jodie wouldn't have to seek intense treatment or go through anything too rigorous. However, several tests and many doctor visits later, we learned at the beginning of this month that the cancer is actually quite aggressive.
Today my mother-in-law started her first round of chemotherapy. After 8 rounds of chemo every other week, Jodie will have to undergo a mastectomy. It's definitely not the news we were wishing to hear but I'm grateful for smart doctors and amazing medicine that will save her life. 
I've been going with Jodie to every single one of her doctors appointments and I feel very confident in everyone who is taking care of her. I truly believe we are working with the best breast specialists, surgeons and oncologists that Northwest Arkansas has to offer.
I was beyond amazed at Jodie's bravery as she took the first step toward treatment today. She was so positive and upbeat. Much better than me. I had to excuse myself so I could sit in a private hallway and cry my eyes out. Watching the nurse inject something into my mother-in-law that will bring so many challenges to her this year broke my heart. However, I couldn't help but think to myself that right there in that little tube was the medicine that will save her life and that made me extremely grateful.
I'm quickly learning a lot about cancer and I wish I wasn't in a situation where I had to say that but I know that God doesn't give us anything we can't handle. I know that He protects us, watches over us and brings us peace. I know that prayer is powerful and God works miracles. Today I'm asking all of you to please keep Jodie in your prayers. There is a long road ahead of us but I know with your prayers and the wonderful doctors who are taking care of Jodie that it will help make walking down it much easier. Thank you.


Wednesday, January 16, 2013

My Desk

I spend the majority of my day in my office doing stuff on my computer. Whether it's catching up on the latest celebrity gossip, paying bills, designing blogs, or writing one, a lot of time get's spent in here. I've been in the process of working on decorating my office and it's this close to being complete. I love sitting in here. It's very cozy and even though it's in a separate room the desk has a direct view to the TV in my living room so I don't have to miss out on anything going on out their while I'm sitting in here! The office isn't 100% completed yet but my desk is so I thought I'd share with you the spot where this little blog gets written.
I love this little space and enjoy being able to spend so much time here. Little details make me happy like the beautiful book of Roses that I use as a mouse pad...
These pretty little flowers that always get mistaken as real ones when people come to my house....
and this picture of my little family....
are all very simple design aspects but I always enjoy looking at them when I spend time here while working, chatting or indulging in my favorite websites. It's very clean and crisp and the only color that exists comes from my "mouse pad" but that's the style that I'm into right now and finally getting this space completed makes me quite happy!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Priceless Puppies

I've been running around like a crazy person all day trying to get stuff done for my trip next week. The rest of my week is pretty booked so I had to get so much done today.
I've still got little Gracie Grace living with me. I'm meeting my Mom in Clarksville on Sunday to drop off all the girls so she can keep them while I'm in Jamaica. I sure will miss them but the sun and sand is calling my name. We're only into 15 days of 2013 and it's already worn me slap out. Lots of stuff going on in life right now that's just exhausting.
These two crazies are still crazy! They're getting smarter every day and learning so much right now. All of the girls absolutely hate getting in trouble. They all hide under my living room chairs when I get onto them for doing something bad. Nobody hates getting in trouble more than Madison though. Anytime you say NO!!! to her she runs up to you, scratches for you to pick her up then kisses you all over like "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry, I'm sorry Momma I'm really, really sorry." Who can stay mad after that? They all three are so much alike but so different in so many ways too. They bring me so much joy and I'm so happy that they're a part of my life!

Monday, January 14, 2013

A Weekend of Television

Last night I was glued to the couch watching anything and everything Golden Globes. It's my favorite awards show! I thought Tina and Amy were hilarious. I wish we had seen more of them though. I was bummed Modern Family lost to Girls. I love that Ben Afflack won. I think him and Jennifer are the greatest celebrity couple because they seem so normal. I like Anne Hathaway's hair longer but last night she (and her hair) looked amazing. I thought every person in that room would pass out from excitement when Bill Clinton walked out on that stage. Jodie Fosters speech was the most confusing thing I've ever listened to and Anne's was so good. I thought there were so many gorgeous gowns on the red carpet and it was hard for me to narrow to three but for me, these were my top.
On Saturday night I was also glued to the sofa watching the Miss America pageant. I really wanted South Carolina to win and I totally thought she was going to. Overall the talent was not good at all. Cringe worthy sometimes. I will say though that it always sounds and looks better in person than it does on TV so I bet it wasn't as bad as all of us at home thought it was. Miss New York gave the typical pageant answer that I'm so sick of hearing. Can we come up with something different than "we need to be more educated?" That is such a weak answer and anyone who says that should get a 1 as their score. How bad do you think Miss Iowa wanted a do-over when she realized she said pot should be used for medical and recreational purposes? Whoopsie! I thought all of the girls picked beautiful gowns. I got cracked up at Scott when I raved about one of the girls swimsuits and he said "they're by Catalina I'm sure you could buy it online." Hahaha. Clearly he was paying attention. Miss Arkansas won Miss Congeniality. I think that's amazing.
These girls weren't interested in the pageant or the globes. Both shows put them to sleep. Oh well. Maybe next year.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

PINK

So I was way off.

It's a GIRL!!!! I was honestly so surprised. I just knew it was going to be a boy. I'm so excited that it's a girl and I can't wait to meet that precious little angel.


Friday, January 11, 2013

Followers

Happy Friday! I don't have a ton to do today which is a nice change. The last two weeks have been crazy. My weekend is going to be a fun one with the baby party tonight, Miss America tomorrow night, and the Golden Globes on Sunday. Perfect weekend. I'm definitely looking forward to it. I'm off to go shop for furniture, of course.

By the way, I'd love it if more of you would want to hit the Join This Sight button to the right over there --------->

Enjoy the weekend everyone! :)

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Blue OR Pink

Here's a picture of my house when it was snowing the other day. Well....flurries were falling from the sky. I thought it would make for a good photo for my weather.com background this winter! My poor house has no friends living next door. There isn't a house behind us or to the left......or right depending on how you look at it. I'm anxious to get neighbors! I'm even more anxious to see what the future homes that will be built look like. Every home in my neighborhood is craftsman style so you never know what color it will be. I love it! I LOVE my neighborhood. It's so special. It's like the 1950's where you truly do know all of your neighbors. I know that's so rare and I feel so blessed. I can't imagine living anywhere else. I love it here!

Golden Globes on Sunday. My favorite awards show. Yay!

I finally decided to take down my Christmas cards today. It made me sad. I LOVE Christmas cards. Scott and I did one for the first time this (last) year. I've always wanted to do a card but thought about it too late and last year (2011) I promised myself I would remember to do it on time this (2012) year. (Confused yet? Me too.)
I definitely didn't order enough. I sent out 40 and I needed more. I received some from people and wanted to send one in return so bad but didn't have any left!!!! Note to self for next year: Order more cards.
I loved our little card this year. One of these days I'm going to figure out a way to show you what it looked like.

My bestest friend ever is having a baby. I'm fairly certain I've mentioned this. They're having a gender reveal party tomorrow night. I delivered the party flowers to them this evening and got tickled because I had to drive with this in my lap.

And NO! I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. I'm left in the dark. Whatever. So rude to torture me.
People keep asking me if I think the baby is a girl or a boy. That is such a stressful question!! I've always thought boy. The day Jaclyn told me she was pregnant I said "you're having a boy."
So I guess I'm betting on a baby boy. I'll let you know tomorrow!

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Tail Waggers

I have nothing interesting to say.

Here's a picture of cute puppies.
It's 8:00 and I'm going to bed. I've been so tired lately.

Until tomorrow.....

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Colored Sprinkles

Life seems to be spinning these days. I wake up and suddenly the day is over and I'm exhausted! I'll share why later. For now, how about I share this.....
Ivy and Madison went to the groomer yesterday. She would never admit it but the groomer totally used a shorter guard on them than she usually does. I didn't say anything because I try to be low maintenance but even Scott was like, woah!! It's totally fine and not a big deal at all but we have in the books the length I like and it'd be neat if we followed it. Who cares. I love our groomer. She's sweet and is good to my girls. Plus Holly loved her which seals my approval. They'll look better in 2 weeks. We're just getting an early start to our summer trim apparently.
I watched the BCS National Championship last night (duh) and was super into it. I hate that some people were rooting against Alabama. What? You've gotta cheer for your fellow SEC!!! I will say I was just as interested in Miss Alabama's Twitter account as I was the game. I won't lie, I totally followed her. I was curious to see what her first tweet would be after she left the game as saw she went from 3,000 followers to 200,000. Donald Trump is all over this. No surprise there.
Since I watched the game last night I finally got the chance to watch The Bachelor tonight. Why do I watch this show? It's such a train wreck. I'm not even there and I'm experiencing the most awkward moment of my life ever----while watching the show. When the girls say something stupid, or fall over while attempting a backbend in their floor length evening gown, or get emotional and cry after being there 4 hours---I just can't handle it. I literally cringe in my comfy sweatpants. I can't wait to see who he picks followed by the Us Weekly coverage of their breakup which will no doubt leave me shocked. Seriously. I always believe they'll make it.

TCBY + Red Wine was for dinner. Screw bikinis in Jamaica. Some days require this.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

THREE

This morning my parents drove to my house to drop off Grace (I'm babysitting for a few weeks) and spent the day hanging out. They drove back home later this afternoon. It's a lot of driving for them but I'm glad they did it because I always love seeing my parents. I know I say it all the time but I sure do wish we lived in the same town.
Of course the girls are all beside themselves. They're happiest when they're all together. They got to romp around and play outside but then they got super stinky so they had to have a bath.
I felt bad giving Ivy and Madison a bath because they're getting groomed tomorrow. But since they sleep with me now and I change my sheets every Sunday, smell good puppies were a requirement. It was the first time I've given them a bath in my tub and I don't believe I'll be doing it again. 1.) they hated it---the big pool of water was super scary and 2.) I have to clean out my tub now. Annoying.
Now they smell sweet and look extra pretty! Worth the trouble.

My weekend was fun! Friday night was our classic--dinner in, Shark Tank, 20/20, movie. We're so boring but I love our Friday nights so much. Scott and I spent all day Saturday together which, sadly, doesn't happen real often. We worked out, lunched, shopped and dined together and it was really nice. We should do that every Saturday. Ha!!

Now I'm counting down the minutes until Revenge starts. I love that show!! I wish I watched Downton Abbey. Does anyone watch it? I know Season 3 starts tonight and everyone is so excited about it. It looks like a show that I would love but I don't know how to watch the previous episodes (for free). Any tips? If there's anything I need it's another television show to add to my DVR.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Patience

One of these days I'm going to take down my Christmas lights that are outside. It's starting to get embarrassing. I know it's only January 2 but I feel like I should have torn them down a week ago. The rest of my Christmas decorations are officially packed up and in the attic. I love Christmas decorations but I'm always glad to get my house back to normal. It feels a little cluttered with the Christmas decor.
It's just 8:00 but I'm thinking about crawling in bed. I'm a night owl. I stay up until about midnight every night but getting in my bed and watching a movie seems pretty heavenly right now.
Speaking of heaven, I've been doing my Joyce Meyer devotional and it's so good!! I know it's only been 2 days but each devotional I've read has totally hit home with me and been exactly what I needed to hear. I struggle so much with patience. I live life with a sense of urgency and have always been that way. Whether it be something super small like driving to and from somewhere (no need in poking around like a mammaw) or something big like buying a house (it took 9 months for Scott and I to find a home and I thought I was going to die of frustration) I want it to happen fast. Today's devotional was about letting things happen in God's timing and being patient and it was exactly what I needed. If anyone wants a new devotional Joyce Meyers New Day, New You is great!
I think I found some new pieces of furniture for my house! I've been searching for months for something to go in my kitchen and I just may have found the perfect little item today! I'm going to sleep on it and decided tomorrow if I want to get it. And by that I mean Scott needs to sleep on it. I was ready to get it the instant I laid eyes on it. #Patience

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

First Post Of 2013

Happy 2013 everyone! Last night I rang in the new year with friends at Bordinos. Friends + Italian = Perfection. Today I woke up snuggled with the cutest puppies in the whole wide world! Or I think so anyway!!! :)
Every few months I feel like I fall in love with these two all over again and it happened to me again today. These little girls are the sweetest little babies. I love them so much and can't imagine life without them. I melts my heart that they love me so much but not as much as it melts me how much they love each other. I love how curious they are because something is new to them on an almost daily basis. I just love them! I'm so glad I'm their Momma.
I had friends over tonight for the New Years Day good luck dinner and I channeled my inner Tulip Louise! If you don't follow that little fashionista you're missing out. She found these little beanie's in the mens department at Target (for super cheap) and suggest clipping a brooch on it. Such a cute idea! I had dirty hair, it was snowing while I was out and about today which made it wet, I'm working out in the morning so I didn't want to wash it so I went with her idea and it was so cute! Staple.
This is what my typical evening looks like. Ivy wants me to roll her water bottle and Madison wants me to chunk her squeaky elephant. So that toy Madison has is actually a baby toy. It's by Carters. Madison has 3 different ones and they are her all time favorite toys. I really want to find some more for her (for when she destroys the ones she has) but I can't find them anywhere. My Mom is actually the one who got them for her and seriously, Madison is obsessed!!! If anyone ever spots one please let me know. I need to stock up so we never have to go without the best toy ever!!!
I didn't really make any resolutions this year. My church encouraged us to read a chapter of Proverbs every day for the month of January so I'm definitely participating in that. My Mom bought me a 365 day Joyce Meyer devotional book and I hope to use it every day. I'm leaving it out on my nightstand so I won't forget! The Lord keeps reminding me about the Fruits---especially peace and patience. I can be bad with those. I hope I get better in 2013.
I have silly resolutions like getting my house completely decorated this year (that's not really a resolution), losing 5 pounds (I've already lost 2, YAY) in the next 20 days, and remembering to take my contacts out at night.
I hope 2013 is a great year! Thinking positively and sending myself good vibes that it will be for myself and all of you as well!!! XOXO!!