The Purdy's

Big Sky, Montana

2011-09-21T18:26:00.001-05:00

Adam and I were very blessed with the opportunity to travel to Big Sky, Montana for a long weekend. It was very relaxing and beautiful. I will leave you with a ton of pictures of our wonderful getaway!

Montana 2011

Until Next Time!

A New Toy

2011-05-13T16:36:00.001-05:00

If you know anything about my husband, you know that he LOVES the water, especially the salt water. He has been saving up his money, scrapping metal at the office….even selling his boat and motor! All that to get this:

This isn’t just a regular surf board this is what they call a Stand Up Paddleboard! 11 Ft Long

He is so proud of his find on craigslist. I must say myself that it is very pretty.

Of course once he got home with it today, we HAD to take it out to “make sure he was going to like it”…my response. “I sure hope you like it! You bought it on craigslist, it’s not like you can return it silly” So true, was his response:) Luckily, he is very happy with it. It is very sturdy and tons of fun!

When my family and friends come down from Arkansas, everyone will love to play on this! Its a beautiful way to see the water and not have to actually be in it! Now that’s my kind of deal!

Until then,

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T20:25:00.001-05:00

Well, the week started off with me pulling out a pen and paper and sitting the guys(Jason and Adam) down. We “had” to create a list of “to do’s” for the house before we hosted Easter. I could see without a list that things could get ugly around here! HA! Here is what our list looked like! I am sure you will agree with me on why we needed to make a list!

1. Finish laying tile - Completed the weekend before Easter: See the results!

2. Paint Touch Ups and Electrical

Rainwashed by Sherwin Williams

Barcelona Beige by Sherwin Williams

3. Find kitchen table – completed Saturday before Easter

4. Find Chairs for the new table. I do have to brag a bit about our find. We got all of our chairs at Waterfront Rescue Mission in downtown Pensacola for $5 each! Just took a little work to get just right.

Glaze Sanding Glaze

5. Find fabric to cover the seats.

Before: After:

6. Mop the floors to try to remove all of the grout haze. See what I got to help with this! It’s my new favorite toy.

7. We had Jason(on his day off of course, yes I am a slave driver) pressure wash the driveway and back area around the pool. It made such a difference.

8. Clean, Clean, Clean – completed all day before Easter

9. Place furniture in place. All of our furniture pieces have been living in one of our spare bedrooms for a while now during all of our flooring processes.

10: Decorate and get ready for the family! We were so excited to get to host this year. We worked very hard to get the house in somewhat of a presentable state. I am was also very excited that my aunt and uncle from Arkansas were down in Gulf Shores and got to attend!

After lunch, we attended the Purdy family Easter gathering. Might I add that this side of the family has 15 grandchildren, plus there were other families invited. This made for a good time with tons of children running around, searching for eggs, even trying to catch them from the egg drop!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!!

Until Next time!

Gatlinburg Day 5….Abram Falls Hike

2011-03-06T17:26:00.001-06:00

We started off this morning by waking up early (6:30ET), picked up donuts and coffee from the Donut Frier. These were REALLY good donuts. We got on the road and made the trip down to Cades Cove.

We really didn’t know what to expect….I actually thought Cades Cove was going to be a quaint little town, with cute little local shops and restaurants. Very small, but functioning. This was NOT the case. It is a one loop road that drives through a beautiful area. Don’t let me downplay what a beautiful place it is. Just not what I was thinking it would be like.

Of course, Adam had checked out our hiking maps and had decided on which trail to hike. This hike was much more pleasurable than the rainbow falls. We weren’t in a hurry to get done before it got dark. We just got to take our time. Once we reached the falls, of course we had to stop and play with the camera for a bit.

After our hike, we drove all the way up the mountain to see where there is a trailhead for the Appalachian trail. Adam was so excited to get to see this! It was beautiful and cold up there!

Once we got done, we were starving and decided to go to the nearest small town to eat. We ate at a small country family restaurant. Anything would have tasted great at that time. We made our way back into Gatlinburg, rested by the fire for a bit, then got ready for dinner.

We went to Smokey Mountain Brewery and Restaurant. This was by far my favorite meal of the trip! I had the most amazing steak ever!

Delayed post I know! Hope you enjoyed our trip as much as we did!

Until next time!

Gatlinburg Day 4…Walking around downtown + small Hike

2011-02-21T21:25:00.001-06:00

We spent the morning by sleeping in again today. We made biscuits and had apple butter with them. Yum. I did a little work this morning before we made our way out on the town.

________________________________________________________________________

Let me just begin by telling you that if you are a person who are interested in any of the following, this is the place for you!:

Air Soft Gun Shops(crazy amount of these)

Old Time Photos

Golf…miniature…play in the dark, Ripley's haunted, circus, the list goes on…

Fudge Shops

Airbrush T-Shirt Shops

There are MULTIPLE stores of each of these! It is crazy!

________________________________________________________________________

The two places on our list of “must see’s” today included the Pepper Palace, which had TONS of salsas, hot sauce and so much more! Fun place to browse through. Even picked out some salsa to take home! We LOVE salsa!

The next place was on Adam’s list, if you can only imagine what that place was:

The first legal Moonshine Distillery in TN! It was very fun to see too….of course he had to do the free taste testing!

The commercial and the brochures made this place look a lot bigger than it really was, but it was still very neat to see.

We ate lunch at Legends . Sat next to a fire place, enjoyed lunch.

Found this silly thing outside the restaurant….of course I had to twist his arm:) He was ~~mortified~~ excited about this photo opportunity as you can probably tell.

In one of the outdoor shops downtown, we saw this shirt and just HAD to get a picture of it! Funny!

After walking around downtown, Adam decided that we should fit in a short hike to Rainbow Falls. Our hike was cut a little short due to daylight. Of course we had to play a little with the new camera!

Now enjoying the evening next to the fire, getting ready to enjoy a dinner at “The Best Italian in Gatlinburg”. Will see how it goes!

Tomorrow we will be making it a day of hiking! We will be going to Cades Cove, then come back into Gatlinburg to finish the day off with one more “falls” hike.

Until then.

Gatlinburg Day 3…SKI DAY

2011-02-21T21:16:00.001-06:00

OBER MOUNTAIN HERE WE COME! And HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

So we started the day off by sleeping in, cooking cinnamon rolls and drinking our coffee. We then gathered up our “ski clothes” and headed up to the mountain. I am not sure that either of us really had an idea of what it was going to be like, but we were really excited. We stood in line, got our boots fitted and got our skis. I told Adam it reminded me of a mixture of going to Wild River Country and Ice Skating. Wild River Country, I remember standing in forever lines, everything costs money and there were many different stations to move through. Ice Skating, I remember having to get fitted in your skates, trying to find a place where to put your boots on, little kids screaming because they can’t walk….you see where this is going.

Once we figured out a way not to spend $15 on a locker(by simply taking our stuff right back out the front doors to our truck), we were off to the slopes. This is a bit different than Breckenridge, where I have been before. A ton smaller, not as many trail options and snow ONLY on the trails. At Ober Mountain, they make their own snow if they don’t have enough for skiing. At least until summer I believe.

Once we got on the first lift of the day, guess who fell getting off the lift, slid down on my bum, got snow all down my pants? Who you ask? Me:) This would be my first and LAST fall for the day. As for Adam, I was afraid that he would be a master skier and I would be left behind, as he reminded me again, but I felt pretty good about how I was doing. He had this “need for speed” that I just didn’t have. He said it was easier just to go straight down the mountain, rather than try to do turns….I, however, did not feel this way! I am a bit more of a cautious skier. I won’t mention the number of times that he fell….I don’t think I can count that high. ha Ober Mountain had 9 trails and today we skied 7 of the 9. The other two were just a bit too scary for our first day!

We ate lunch at the little lounge at the top of the mountain. I think we were both so hungry that we would have eaten anything! Our legs were beginning to get tired by this time!

Now sitting by the fire, getting ready to go enjoy our Valentine’s Dinner at Park Grill.

Until Next Time

Gatlinburg Day 2….Poking around

2011-02-17T20:12:00.001-06:00

Sunday, Day 2, was what we like to call in my family, a Poking around day. Nothing in particular to do, just poke around! We made a trip into Pigeon Forge to Walmart to stock up on coffee and breakfast stuff.

After that we ate at The Old Mill Pottery Barn Restaurant. We were pleased with lunch. Good home cooked southern food. This was on the list of things from friends that we “must” do while here. After lunch we walked around the Old Mill District. Not too much to see there, but did take a few pictures next to the mill.

After The Old Mill, we decided to go check out “the best” and largest flea market in the “world”. Can I just say, Flea Markets are strange…..very strange. I guess I am more of an antique girl, not so much a leather belts, knives, a dozen socks for $2.00, and air soft guns type of girl. It was the most random, weird place. We just had to laugh at ourselves for going. We were definitely out of place. Glad to say we have been, but not going back.

We decided to drive up the mountain to see where we would be skiing. Of course you can’t go to the top of the mountain without paying, so we decided to wait for another day. We did drive the motor nature trail right around from our condo. Its beautiful up here, a little snow in the higher elevations. The Temperature has been very pleasant in the day, chilly at night.

We didn’t want anything very heavy for dinner so we ate at Blain’s Bar and Grill. It was just ok food. Won’t be making a second visit there!

We did however, get to watch part of the Grammy’s which of course made me happy!

Tomorrow we go SKIING! I am so excited and nervous that I won’t remember how to do it! I will leave you with what Adam woke me up saying this morning:

Adam: “Tracy, I’m sorry, but I won’t hesitate to leave you on the Bunny or small slopes, so you better be good and be able to keep up”

Me: HA “When was the last time you went skiing? When you were 12?”

Adam: “Yeah, so?”

Me: HAHA

Adam: “I can’t wait to find some ramps and try some jumps”

Me: BAHAHA!

Adam: “I don’t ever want to get scared of hurting myself as I get older, so I am going to do some crazy stuff”

Me: HAHAHA “When we rent our skis and stuff, we need to check with them to make sure that they have an ambulance available at the bottom.”

Can I just add that I am laughing so much on this trip. It has been very good for both of us! Me laughing at him… of course. And I plan on adding to the laughing tomorrow when I see how we really are at skiing.

AND HERE WE GO!

Gatlinburg Day 1….Arrival

2011-02-17T19:46:00.001-06:00

WE MADE IT!

To be honest, we had NO clue what the place we were staying was going to be like. Websites can seem to make places look better than they really are. I was completely surprised at the amount of traffic. Although it was a Saturday, and I am sure that Saturday’s are busier, but it was crazy! It is like Branson at Christmas time! Tons of stoplights that take you through Pigeon Forge down to Gatlinburg.

We were pleasantly surprised when we opened our door to our “condo”. Fireplace, kitchen, Jacuzzi….just a very cozy feeling.

Our Turn In From Front Door Looking in

Fireplace and balcony Bedroom with tub in it!?

Living room looking at kitchen Jacuzzi tub

Looking off of our balcony

We were excited to go see the town, even though it was dark.

We made the walk from our condo down to the “strip” of downtown Gatlinburg. What a fun place! Gatlinburg reminds me of Eureka Springs, AR X 100. Pigeon Forge reminds me of Branson, MO.

We went to eat at No Way Jose, a local Mexican restaurant.

It was really good! That was the extent of our Day 1. We made it to our place, unpacked and went to eat dinner.

List from friends on things to do! (Probably won’t get to these, but so grateful to have somewhere to start)

Activities:

Cades Cove – Hiking (don’t you worry, Adam HAD to stop by the welcome center to get maps so we will have a plan)

Ripleys Aquarium

Dixiestamepede – Probably won’t be doing this, as we have both been to it before and we are cheap:)

Skylift

Moonshine Distillery – Adam is very excited about this one!

Zipline through the Smokies

Places to Eat:

Chop House

Best Italian in Gatlinburg

Old Mill Pottery Barn Cafe and Restaurant

Cherokee Grill

No Way Jose

Pancake house

The Peddler

Park Grill- Probably will go here for V-Day

Smokey Mountain Restaurant and Brewery

Until next time!

Gatlinburg Day 1 ….Travel

2011-02-15T20:13:00.001-06:00

We woke up at a reasonable hour to get the truck all loaded up. Waited for the “sheetrock guy” to show up so Adam could explain what we wanted done. Don’t worry, the dogs are being taken care of by Jason and our neighbor friend. I know you were all worried about them:)(shout out to mom)

We got on the road, picked up our usual travel breakfast at Whataburger. And we were OFF!

The trip is about 8.5 hours, so you know I had to come up with things to pass the time. We had a great setup with our portable DVD player and watched The Sentinel. Oldie but goodie. As you can see, we had a great setup!

I got some practice in on braiding my hair=bored and not any better, I need my hair stylist friends to give me some pointers!

reading up on my camera, reading Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers,

trying to talk to Adam…someone who could ride 8.4 hours in silence if I would let him. HA, we know that didn’t happen.

We began counting the number of times they played the same songs over and over again on XM. Here are the Hit overplayed songs from the day:

Katy Perry – Firework- SO TIRED OF THIS ONE!

Sugarland – Stuck like Glue- LOVE IT!

Pink – Perfect- Tired of this one too!

Zach Brown Band – Walk Away- Like it!

Pink – Raise your glass - AH

The list went on!

We didn’t stop to eat, we just picked up lunch on the road because we wanted to get there! We had never heard of Jacks, but we decided to be brave and try it. Pretty good chicken strips!

I am getting excited to see what the place is going to be like when we get there. We have no clue what to expect. As you probably know, its hard to know the truth about things that you see on the internet!

I have a list of things to do in the area complied from friends’ ideas and experiences! Should be a blast!

Until Then.

The Decision

2011-02-15T17:35:00.001-06:00

About a year ago, Adam and I were talking about what our plans were for the holiday’s. We typically travel to see family or they travel to see us. This is usually considered our “vacation”. As we do consider it “vacation”, we haven’t been on a vacation, just the two of us, no dogs, no plans in almost 4 years. Mind you that our anniversary is December 28th. So this trip usually includes our “anniversary” time. While we were talking about what our plans for this year, this is how the conversation went:

Adam: “I have a proposal for you.

Me: (hesitating to ask) “Ok? What is it”

Adam: “How about from now on, we don’t buy each other anniversary gifts."

Me: (again hesitating) “ Ok?”

Adam: “Instead of buying each other gifts, lets go on a trip every year! There is only one catch….”

Me: (you see where this is going)…”Ok? What is the catch?”

Adam: “We have to pick somewhere new every year, places that we have never been to, and won’t go back to the same place twice. And….You have to document each one of these trips.”

Me: “I’M IN!! Lets start planning now!”

When “someone” told me that they would give us the opportunity to use a timeshare anywhere, we jumped right on it for this years trip. I began researching places that we could go! Since we are trying to save as much money as we can to continue working on the house, we decided we needed to pick somewhere we could drive. Max Drive time according to Adam was 10 hours. We couldn’t be driving in the dark of course. We. are. old.

After much research, we decided on Gatlinburg, TN. We have never been, but have heard wonderful things about it.

So that’s it. We are now on our trip and I plan to keep up my end of the bargain! Here begins the documentation of our fun journey this year!

Looking Forward…with Hope

2011-01-09T16:28:00.001-06:00

I'm excited for the year ahead, and have decided upon simple resolutions: Live joyfully, worry less, be brave, have hope. That is it.

Mostly, I've just been wondering about the year ahead. I have absolute confidence in the greatness it holds . Usually my thoughts are all wrapped up with how I need to make myself a better person, make my life more beneficial, make my body more "ideal". But this year? I am going to spend it embracing the moment. Embracing each day, each high and low, each relationship, each lesson, each success and failure and each challenge.

As the first post of the year I am going to share a bit on the house update. My “plan” ( now that I have a new fabulous camera) is to start having before and after photos every week. Some of the before and after’s may be from the past, but I think that it will be fun to go back a review how far we have come. But before I begin the “plan”, I will start with what we spent our Saturday doing!

TEARING DOWN THE LAST WALL!!

Adam saying “What have we done!?” Initials from when we first moved in!

Yes, you are seeing correctly, this is how we live:)

Until next time!

On Some Good things…

2010-10-18T20:35:00.001-05:00

It’s about time that in this world of such negativity around us that we write down and share the positive things that we are experiencing. So, without further ado, here are some of mine:

Happy (late) birthday to my handsome husband, Adam! I can hardly believe that I've been lucky enough to be married to him for nearly 5 years. I also can't believe that he is going to be twenty nine next year.

I can't even express how thankful I am to have been the girl that was meant to be with Adam. I can honestly say I've never known anyone else quite like him. He is incredibly motivated, patient, hilarious, and has more faith than most people I've ever met. He works incredibly hard, never complains, reminds me daily of how beautiful I am. What girl doesn’t want that!?

As he turns 28, I have to appreciate everything that has helped make him who he is today. Most of all, his family. It's the most amazing feeling to have this whole other family that loves you to bits and pieces and truly welcomes you with open hearts and arms. Every time we get together with family, I so badly wish I could have known his mother. I feel like I know her through spending time with the family. I imagine her to be a great mix of Rach, Adam, Jason, Nan, Nik and App!

Adam is truly incredible. I still look at him and see this man that I'm going to grow old with. I'm so excited to see where this next year takes him! He is one of the most driven, passionate people I've ever met. And I'm so thankful to have the chance to be a part of his journey

2. Speaking of family, Adam’s grandfather, Ap, just had knee replacement surgery. We went this past weekend to visit and he is already walking around!! Not even a week after the surgery. He is ready to go in for his second! We knew that this would be a wonderful thing for him and we are so thrilled that his recovery is going so well!

2.1 On the same note, we are very happy to know that Adam’s grandmother, Nik, is feeling better too. She was sick for a long time and they didn’t know what was making her sick. Luckily she is back to her normal perky self!

2.2 During all of this, we have had the pleasure of visiting some with Adam’s aunt from Alaska. It is always such a blast getting to hear her stories about her traveling, hunting and hiking adventures! We are really looking forward to Thanksgiving when everyone will be down here to celebrate!

3. I get to go here in just a few weeks and I am SO excited! We are visiting ~~Arkansas~~ God’s Country for our friends wedding! Should be a fabulous trip!

4. I get to see this! Probably one of the biggest excitements:) AIDEN!! Lets be honest, the truth is, I don’t see this boy enough. I can’t wait to hold him and see him laugh.

5. And of course I get to see my mom and dad! Mom is taking some days off work to come down to the lake! I am so excited for some time at the lake with everyone…we always tend to have such a relaxing time.

6. Adam and I FINISHED THE TRIATHLON!! We had such a blast and plan to do more next spring. We just have to keep up our training! We both shaved off time from our run through. This was our only goal. My time was 1 hour 53 min and 45 sec.

6. A good thing about the house….hmm…..well not much has changed since last time. So at least we haven’t gone backwards right? We are trying to save up money to finish the rest of the floors…have we decided what floors we want? Of course not! It will all fall into place. Will update with more pictures as some things get going!

Hope this finds you all doing well!

Catching up!

2010-09-09T20:51:00.001-05:00

I am

...a girl who is challenging herself beyond anything she thought she was capable of. This Triathlon is so much more difficult than I think I prepared my brain for. Most days, I have to remind myself to just breathe and realize how much fun this is going to be. Something that Adam and I can do together, something that is healthy for both of us. I know I can do this. I know I'll make it. And that kind of makes it all worth it. I just have to finish the race.

...realizing how much time we don’t have anymore to watch TV. The whole 5 channels that we have.

...happy to be married to a man who will just sit with me when I need to cry, listen to me when I need to vent, accept my apologies on days when my temper runs short, laugh ~~with~~ at me about pretty much anything and everything. Marriage has been just as fun as I always knew it would be. But, in a way, it is different than I'd imagined. In a great way. Nearly five years into this adventure, I'm realizing how important it is to be best friends with the person you married.

...always more content after a morning of riding bikes at sunrise.

...one day going to give a video tour of the house. I have had a couple of requests for this since the pictures don’t really give you the layout. I think I want to wait a bit longer, once things are better put into place.

... sleepy, quite often. I would approve of a daily nap time for adults or make bedtime at 8:30 not so silly to talk about. Thank you.

...realizing my need for the following things: more time in the day, more holiday’s and vacations to see family and floors for the rest of the house.

...feeling like I'm at exactly the place I need to be right now, which is what I've been wanting to feel for a while now. It's not that I've reached the end a the journey, but it's more like I'm on the right course even if its not exactly where I want to be.

...thankful for all the incredible people who have inspired and encouraged me through the past few weeks.

...thrilled to have a bit of a tease with some cooler weather.

...trying to remind myself that sometimes it's okay to just simply sit around and do absolutely nothing.

Enough about me. Now on to the good stuff…..new house pictures!!

When Dad was here to help us on the house! ALWAYS APPRECIATED AND CAN’T WAIT FOR HIS NEXT VISIT!

Unwrapping our new Vanity!

ANDDDD here it is!!

Also, notice the new paint color on the wall. We are thinking of doing two small walls in here as accent walls of the paint color below, which is also in the bedrooms.

Painting the french doors!

Floors in the guest bedroom and new paint on the walls

This is the style of all of our doors, this is the one into the bathroom from our master bedroom.

This is the enclosure that dad and Adam came up with. I am really happy with the way it turned out!

Until next time and new pictures!

Hope all is well with everyone!

OK I NEED A VOTE!

2010-07-27T20:41:00.001-05:00

Which vanity do you like the best? This is going to go into our new bathroom. The one in the previous post with all the new tile. On all of these, I want a tan Travertine top, not the marble! Let me know your thoughts!!

So many choices makes it hard for us!

Catching up is all I seem to do!

2010-07-24T18:48:00.001-05:00

I know it has been FOREVER since an update, but I guess its better late than never(for those that read this!)

There has been so much going on around here! Trip to Orlando for FRSA, friends and family in town and of course the ongoing work on our house! I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Orlando Trip:

Final night of convention

Big Hat Tea with the Ladies Program Motown Night! I got Adam to actually dress up this year! We had a ball!

MICHALE BUBLE CONCERT:

I got a ticket give to me from a good friend for helping her get ready for her wedding! What a great concert!

Friends from Arkansas:

The Scott Family Enjoying the beach

Precious Baby Beckett!

Heather and Chris stayed with us for a while!

Best Friends!

FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT

Me and mom waiting on the Edwards Roofing truck to pick us up! AND HERE IT IS! PRECIOUS BABY AIDEN(so glad I got to spend some time with this little man)

Wonderful to see Sister again!

HOUSE UPDATES!

New floors before stain and seal We picked Early American for the stain color Painting Guest/Office The Floor Nail Gun of course! Beginning to lay down the floors The Tile in our bathroom! Finishing the Floors in guest/office NO MORE MOBILE CLOSET!!!

Our Bedroom Floors(Unfinished)

I know it is lots of updates! I will try to do better! Hope everyone is have a WONDERFUL SUMMER!!!

Here is what we are up to!

2010-04-23T08:30:00.001-05:00

If you can’t tell what that is pictured above, it is our training schedule for the triathlon that we are going to do in October. Adam, being a college swimmer and competitive swimmer his whole life, has this discipline thing down easy. not so easy for me, but I have to say that i am doing good!

we got Adam’s bike last weekend and it has been even more fun to have someone to ride along with you! here are the pictures of our bikes, you can also see in the picture our temporary wall that STILL splits our house in two. hopefully soon, we will have a TEARING DOWN THE WALL PARTY!

Adam’s bike My bike

Will keep you updated on our process! AND I should have some new pictures of the house progress here soon!

On Love and Laughter

2010-04-21T08:14:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, Adam and I attended a Marriage Conference at our church titled Love and Laughter, Marriage Getaway. It was lead by the two authors Ted Cunningham and Gary Smalley. We both really enjoyed it and I think we both learned a lot about how and why each other thinks the way we do! Here is a recap of my notes:

What is fueling our feelings of disappointment, hurt, anger or resentment? Your spouse comes home – late again – why does this bother you? You see, what has been discovered through the years is that couples do not fight because of in-laws, finances, communication, or children. Couples fight because of something far more significant. = FEAR

This is not the kind of fear that prevents you from turning off the lights in a room or walking down an empty street. But relational fears like rejection, disconnection, being controlled, failure, invalidation, worthlessness, or unhappiness.

Once we can identify why we get upset then we can start changing the way we respond when our “buttons” get pushed (buttons like feeling devalued, unappreciated, worthless, etc.).

Couples are not miserable because of finances, kids, or in-laws. The reason couples become miserable is because of hot buttons.

Now is the part where we have to help each spouse identify his or her major hot buttons. This is not a complicated process and really involves simply learning how to ask the question, “So why does that bother you so much?” The more we ask that question the more you will encourage an individual to dig down deep to a hot button.

Everyone has a hot button that bothers them:

Rejection
Judgment
Control/Disconnection
Loneliness
Failure
Powerlessness
Being misunderstood
Being scorned
Being invalidated
Feeling defective
Inferiority
Worthlessness
Feeling devalued
Humiliation
Abandonment
Feeling unimportant
Feeling Ignored
Neglect
Condemnation
Feeling unwanted
Danger
Feeling disliked
Mistrust
Despair
Unhappiness

The important thing to remember is that we can not change their hot buttons. What we can change, however, is our reaction to a hot button getting pushed.

We want to connect, but we fear we are not attractive enough (or competent enough or smart enough or whatever). We want to be accepted, but we fear we are not good enough. We want respect, but we fear the other person will look down on you. We want to control our situation, but we fear we are powerless.

Can’t you see how our fears actually reflect our wants? When you feel your wants won’t be fulfilled, you experience fear:

We can’t live without ________. So we fear ________ ( fill in the blanks)

Acceptance – Rejection
Grace – Judgment
Connection – Disconnection
Companionship – Loneliness
Success – Failure
Self-Determination – Powerlessness
Understanding – Being misunderstood
Love – Being scorned
Validation – Being invalidated
Competence – Feeling defective
Respect – Inferiority
Worth – Worthlessness
Honor – Feeling devalued
Dignity – Humiliation
Commitment – Abandonment
Significance – Feeling unimportant
Attention – Feeling ignored
Support – Neglect
Approval – Condemnation
Wanted – Feeling unwanted
Safety – Danger
Affection – Feeling disliked
Trust – Mistrust
Hope – Despair
Joy – Unhappiness

Even with this long list, all of our deepest desires stem from our desires for connection and control. Our deepest fears, then, are the fear of losing connection and losing control. (how true is this!)

We need to begin listening beyond the words down to the feelings. We generally feel more understood, cared for, and connected when the communication focuses on our emotions and feelings rather than merely on our words or thoughts.

HERE ARE MY FAVORITE POINTS: EASY AND TO THE POINT

WE CANNOT CHANGE ANYONE BUT OURSElVES. WE NEED TO LAY OFF TRYING TO CHANGE OUR SPOUSES.

MANAGE OUR EMOTIONS –> WE ARE IN CONTROL OF THEM

60% OF OUR THOUGHTS ARE NEGATIVE—> WE CAN CHANGE THIS, THOUGHTS ARE CONSIDERED UNSTABLE FOR 30 SECONDS

UNRESOLVED ANGER IS ALWAYS BURIED ALIVE AND IT WILL RESURFACE

HURT PEOPLE HURT PEOPLE

THE WORD FINE IS DEFINED AS = FEELINGS INSIDE NOT EXPRESSED

I hope you enjoyed my little recap! I will be posting soon on our new adventure! We have started training for a triathlon!! Until next time:)

Living out our “story”

2010-04-08T21:33:00.001-05:00

I just finished reading Donald Miller’s A Million Miles in a Thousand Years.

He is also the author of one of my all time favorite books, Blue Like Jazz.

Reading his books really gets me to thinking. This book was about living out your “story”. He examines his very interesting life, which then of course leads you to examine your own!I thought I would share some of my thoughts and points that I took away from it.

“If I have a hope, it’s that God sat over the dark nothing and wrote you and me, specifically, into the story, and put us in with the sunset and the rainstorm as though to say, Enjoy your place in MY story. The beauty of it means YOU MATTER, and you can create within it even as I have created you.”

(how beautiful and comforting is that!)

“The point of a story is the character arc, the change.”

(change happens everyday in our lives, good or bad change, we have to figure out our way of dealing with that change)

“People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work it takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain.”

“Fear isn’t only a guide to keep us safe; its also a manipulative emotion that can trick us into living a boring life”

(holy cow, do I need to remember this EVERYDAY!)

“The ambitions we have will become the stories we live. If we don’t want anything, we are living boring stories.”

“A story is based on what people think is important, so when we live a story, we are telling others around us what we think is important”

( SO true)

“When we look back on our lives, what we will remember are the crazy things we did, the times we worked harder to make a day stand out”

(he speaks about the time that he decided to join a group that was riding their bikes across the country to raise money to build fresh water wells in Africa,(he had NEVER ridden a bike other than for fun), he also speaks about the time that he felt the need to start a non-profit organization for mentoring young children from broken homes,(even though he had no clue where to start), and when he decided to climb Machu Picchu in Peru!)

“In Ecclesiastes, the only practical advice given about living a meaningful life is to find a job you like, enjoy your marriage, and obey God.” (in other words, Write a good story, take somebody with you and let him help!)

I know that this isn’t the typical blog post for me, but this book spoke to me. It really got me thinking about my life and about the lives of my loved ones and friends.

Sometimes, life is completely NOT what you expect. I can't even tell you how many times I've witnessed this in so many different ways in the lives of those around me-- as well as my own in the past few years. No matter how we plan and strive to stick to those plans, there is always something greater going on that we could ever have planned for or yet understand.

He knows what is best for us, even when it seems like He has snatched something good out of our lives. He loves us in all circumstances, no matter what they may be-- and He will always, always give us the grace that we need to deal with whatever He sends our way. It is ours when we choose to ask for it.

Everything... Everything... Happens for a reason. Sometimes this is really hard for me to believe but I think it makes you stronger, and you have to make the best of it. Look forward to the future, make the best of the present, and remember the past cannot be changed - but you can learn from it.

Life is what we make of it, and we are what life makes us. We cannot control most of it, but we can change parts of it by our choices. WE choose each and everyday to either be happy, sad, mad or content.

One thing that I have been trying to remember, is to look at the big picture.
Life is a journey, and it is sometimes an incredibly bumpy and windy road that we travel. We don't know what is ahead or where our paths lie. But what a Guide we have. I don’t know that we can ask for than that.

I know this isn’t typical posting for me, but it is what I felt I needed to sit down and think about!

Catching up…..majorly!

2010-04-07T08:40:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. Really there is no excuse for my long absence except for the usual, “we work too much, we have been working on the house” excuse. I have a ton of things to catch you up on and I have found a new program to post updates! We will see how this works!

first and most importantly, i would like to introduce my new nephew!!! aiden viala sharp, born feb. 6th and perfect might i add.

another new great announcement! my sister, and momma of this new precious baby boy has just found out that she got accepted to the doctors of nursing program in Memphis, tn! only 20 people in the country got chosen and she is one of them. i am so proud of her for teaching her new baby the ways of life and now she will become a doctor! I am so proud to be her big sister and can’t wait to get to see and hold the little man soon!

Now for the updates that so many people have been asking me about! THE HOUSE! We have made so much progress and hope to see it continue moving forward at a steady pace. There truly isn’t enough time in the week to get it all done, but we are making due with what we have. BEWARE, LOTS OF PICTURES AHEAD!

Our closets currently

The new lights in where the new kitchen will be!

Before the hardy board.

Some of the hardy up! (WHAT COLOR SHOULD WE PAINT IT?)

Insulated walls! I am SO ready for sheetrock!

Our landing area after I ripped up the carpet. No you are not mistaken…that is plywood that we are living on:)

Adam’s amazing plumbing work. He did it all himself(with some help from his bro)!

Might I add, that he REDID the WHOLE houses plumbing!

New bathtub and where the closet will be with the sliding door.

There is so much progress. If you think about it, we moved in this house May 5th or so last year, so we are coming up on a year and we have done so much! That is the way that we have to think about it…..to keep sane of course.

We CANNOT wait until summer comes and we have TONS of visitors. We are hoping to have the bedrooms set up by that time! More pictures and updates to come!

Lets try this!

2010-01-22T12:33:00.000-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas Post!

2009-12-17T10:20:00.000-06:00

I did a similar post this time last year, but I find it fun to look back on how things have changed from year to year! Enjoy! Answer some of these for me! I would love to see what some of your answers are!

Real tree or Artificial? Artificial, don't want to get sick!

When do you put up the tree? Here's the story this year. I wanted Adam to help me get down the Christmas tree and other decorations. I set the tree up, put my few ornaments that weren't broken in our 4 moves over the years and go to plug in the lights. Oh what happens! Only less than half of the lights work. I threw a fit of course! “Our house is a disaster, I just want to have something normal at Christmas!(drama:) So I let it be, thinking we were going to have a dysfunctional tree for this year until lo and behold I come home from work the next evening and guess what had happened! Adam went and bought new ornaments and some strands of lights and decorated the tree himself. What can I say, I have a keeper:)

When do you take the tree down? Varies every year.

Favorite gift received as a child? Red moped I would have to say!

Hardest person to buy for? Dad and Father in Law! They never asks for anything, never buys themselves anything. So tricky to give them something that they would really want and could use!

Easiest person to buy for? Probably Adam.!

Favorite Christmas Movie? I have a few, I cannot choose just one. 1.Elf, 2. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, 3. Meet me in St. Louis...ah love this:)

When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try not to wait until the last minute, that would give me way too much anxiety and yet, look what I have done this year!!! CRAZZY!

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? As in every good Holiday, turkey, and everything else that comes with it!

Lights on the tree? Yes...thanks to hubby:)

Favorite Christmas song? Probably O Holy Night by David Phelps....no other!

Travel at Christmas or stay home? These days it is ever changing. This year we are staying home for Christmas but will be traveling the day after to head up to Arkansas. Last Christmas we were in Arkansas for Christmas.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Of course! Who can't!

Angel on the tree top or a star? A star. It is a simple silver star that Adam and I bought our first Christmas for 1.99. Thank you Martha Stewart and Kmart.

Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning!

Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Traffic!!!! I think the crazy people stay inside all year long and then decide to come out the week before Christmas!

Favorite ornament, theme, or color? This year I have to say a big shout out to my husband for the Christmas ornaments. We have red and silver and I think my favorite ornaments have to be the snowflakes that my Grandmother made:)

Favorite for Christmas Dinner? I think now it is sweet potato casserole, YUM YUM YUM!

Favorite Christmas tradition growing up? Sleeping with Julie in the same bed talking about what we think Santa is going to bring(even did this through high school and college:)

Favorite Christmas Memory? As a kid: Dad's t-shirts(inside-out mind you), floppy socked girls waiting at the top of the stairs until dad said everything was set, Grandmother and Pepaw always there on Christmas morning, making younger sister “have” to pass out gifts to everyone while I watched and opened presents ha, mom's breakfast casserole. As an adult: Actually thinking about Christmas gifts for everyone we buy for! It is fun to look at people's different personalities and pick things out that you think they might want or need. And of course, getting to see family and friends that I don't get to see that often.

Finally some pictures!

2009-12-15T08:44:00.006-06:00

Thought you would finally enjoy the pictures from Thanksgiving! Sorry they are so late!

Beautiful Sunsets on Pensacola Beach

WONDERFUL Weather
Enjoying family!

Taking in the views

Family!!!

Sweet Husband:)

Where we got to stay and enjoy Thanksgiving

So excited:)

I had such a wonderfull time having family in town and eating WAY too much good food!

Will hopefully get to post some Christmas themed posts coming up soon!

A little Radomness and Thanksgiving

2009-12-02T20:50:00.003-06:00

We had such a wonderful time this Thanksgiving! My boss let us use their condo out on the beach for the festivities while my family was down. We thoroughly enjoyed everyone being together for the holidays! Just wish my PeePaw and Sister could have been here too!

Adam's camera has all the pictures from the holiday and I don't have the correct cord here at home to upload them. I promise a post with pictures soon to follow.

For now I will leave you will a little Randomness that I found on a word document that I came across! I must have done this a while back for a post and never did it!

maybe I should try harder to stay in contact with old friends and family
I love spending the evenings with Adam, the dogs, reading on the beach or by the pool, playing soccer and seeing children progress in things that they love.
people would say that I am scary when they first meet me...still don't understand this one life is full of joy if you take the time to find it
I get annoyed when there is sand in the bed, which is most of the time
I wish I had more time with my family; distance really stinks
dogs are my children...what else would they be?I have low tolerance for people who lie
I’m totally terrified of being far away and something happening to my family AND Adam being eaten by a shark
I wonder why I ended up with such a sweet husband
Never in my life have I been to the West coast.
high school was fun...now that I look back on it
when I’m nervous I get splotches on my chest and neck AND chew on my cuticles
take my advice: try to find joy in all you do.
I'm almost always singing a song in my head.
I’m addicted to Karen Kingsbury books, naturally, Modern Family and Brothers and Sisters
I want someone to come finish our house.....for free.

Current Book(s):
“Take One” by Karen Kingsbury, Redeeming Love (2nd time) by Francine Rivers

Current Music:Avalon Christmas, Christina Aguliera Christmas, David Phelps Christmas, Mariah Carey Christmas, Point of Grace Christmas....see the trend:)

Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure:Tortilla chips and Chili's queso and salsa....could drink the stuff

Current Obsessions:Modern Family, Brothers and Sisters(tv shows) the only two that I can say I am “committed”to and reading up on DIY blogs....I definitely have over 70 blogs in my reader now!

Current Movie:Four Christmases! Just got it today!

Current Christmas-List:
Subscription to Real Simple
Manicure, Pedicure
Euphoria perfume
Jewelry
Friends DVD's
The new Donald Miller book
Bath and Body anything
Road bike(a girl can dream)
Nikon Camera (dream again:)
Anything for the HOUSE!

Current Triumph(s):
Something that I discovered at work that was “mysterious” and helped solve it and put an end to!

Current Goal(s):
Get back to running or riding bikes more often
Do a triathlon next October

Current Blessing:My family's health!

Current Excitement:Going home after Christmas to see family and friends!
Getting my gymnasts ready for their first competitions ever!
Seeing progress on our house!

Current Mood:Worn out, but pleased with life!

Life in the Breeze!

2009-11-09T15:15:00.001-06:00

Sorry to let you know that I can't find my camera! The one time I actually have time to sit down and do a post, I can't find it. Therefore, you will be updated with pictures at a later date. We now have walls built up and will have a roof by the end of this week, weather permitting.

So today, as most of you know, (if you watch the news) we are expecting a little tropical storm action coming to town this evening and tomorrow. I awoke to Adam and some roofers out back building an additional temporary wall to go over our current temporary wall. I suppose they were nervous about the wind. I think all will be fine.

I have been a bit under the weather this past weekend, but I thought I would share some things that have been going on around here!

I am.....

...realizing that there is a need in women that simply ~~need~~ must decorate for fall.... this is not happening this year. The most that I have up in our ~~tent~~ house, is a mulled cider candle and a wreath made by my sweet sister-in-law. Hopefully, we will remedy this ~~in the next 3 years~~ soon.

...just now getting used to the new schedule of me getting home at 8:00 two nights a week...as long as I get Modern family in on Wednesday and can catch a little bit of So you think you can dance I will survive

...cooking alot more in my crock pot, which I am loving. I think the turkey chili with zucchini has been the best by far. The boys may have different opinions

...loving being at home lately. I am such a homebody, it's a little ridiculous.

...loving that our cute little town had "ride your bike to school" last Friday. What a fun time to drive to work on Friday and see all the kids around and their parents following behind them.

...so, so thankful for my husband and his ability to read my mind!

...loving that the Greater Gulf Coast Arts Festival was this past weekend and it was bigger than ever. We will probably never buy anything at the festival, but it is still so fun to walk around and look at the art and jewelry!

...missing dressing up except on Sunday's. I wear athletic clothes everyday to work and I feel a bit absent from the "dressy" world these days.

...SO very excited that my mom and dad are coming down to the breeze for Thanksgiving! We are going to get to spend the week at Portofino! So totally excited and can hardly wait. It makes me incredibly giddy.

...starting a notebook full of magazine clippings of future ideas for our house. This continues to grow. We will be tough when that time comes to make those decisions!

Hope you all have a great rest of the week and will be back soon with pictures!

Concrete done and other happenings!

2009-10-29T09:03:00.004-05:00

Gosh I know that it has been too long since I last updated! I just wanted to find enough time to fit everything in that I wanted to update on!

I feel like we have been crazy busy with work and the house progress. We are slowly but surely making progress and are so excited to see the process through each step! I know most of my readers probably aren't that intersted in the pictures of our process, but I know that my family really wants to see what has been done! So for now, I will leave with you pictures! I will update on life at a later time! Enjoy the progress:)

Looking into where our half bath was

CONCRETE IS DONE!

YIPPY!

LOOK HOW THICK IT IS!

DEMO on the Half Bath(I bribe my bro in law with food to work:)

Looking through gues bedroom into our half bath

BEFORE:)

Where the french doors will go in our office/guest room

Adam working hard!

Trip to Arkansas, House Progress and Birthday!

2009-09-29T08:27:00.004-05:00

Sorry it has been a while! I feel like we have just been going going going! We have started playing in a co-ed soccer league which has been fun but tiring also! Our games are either at 8:00 or 9:00, and if you know us, we are in bed by 9:00! It is something fun for us to get to do together as well as some serious exercise!

I am also still working at The Funplex! I am continuing to do the bookkeeping there but have added about 8 classes during the week! In January I will be taking over the PreTeam program which I am VERY excited about.

A couple of weeks ago, we had the wonderful chance to spend a week up in Arkansas! It was really fun to get to see mom and dad at the cabin, then we made the trip up to Northwest Arkansas to spend more time with them. We also got to spend the second half of the week with Julie and Adam in their new house! AND I got to see Julie's little belly, which is precious of course:)

AND I got to see this little bundle of joy! Beckett! SO CUTE!

We continue our work on the house. I come home every evening to see what Adam (and sometimes, Jason) have accomplished! We are progressing, but slowly might I add. I guess there just isn't quite enough time in the weekends or the days!

Adam the birthday boy, got exactly what he wanted! An edger for his weedeater and some running shoes!

Adam using the concrete saw to make a place for the plummer to do his thing!

Funny Thoughts and What I came home to....

2009-09-01T19:19:00.003-05:00

I saw these random and funny thoughts on another blog that I read. I thought I would add a few of my own and share them with you. ALSO, at the bottom of this post you will see what I came home to today! YEAH ADAM!!

-Nothing stinks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no Internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) just to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 12 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water and people who get in the shower on the end where the water faucet is....that's all just strange.

-Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

-You never know when it will strike, but I believe that there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection all over again.

-I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle,then I like about one in every fifteen songs.

-Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

-I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

-Why is it that I always forget to use my twelve reusable grocery bags?

Do you guys have any fun random thoughts of your own?

CHECK THIS OUT!

Lately around the Purdy house!

2009-08-29T15:35:00.012-05:00

I have lots of pictures to update you with, I am not sure if everyone knows, but we have decided to tear down the addition on the back of our house(aka. room with the old fireplace, purple walls, yellow ceiling, multi-colored tile floor). We discovered that it was very poorly built, so we are going to tear down and build it back the right way! This of course increases the time on our ~~HUGE~~ LITTLE house project.

Our temporary insulation wall(this was the opening to the purple room)

"After"

"Before"

Our new plants:) And I have since cleaned the bricks that look so gross!

The beginning of the tear down!

Additional views

From Inside looking Out!

END OF THE DAY SATURDAY BEFORE THE RAINED MOVED IN!

ONE WORD...

PROGRESS!

Conversations with my muscles...and our weekend

2009-08-02T20:00:00.007-05:00

I awaken this morning with my body saying to myself...

"What in the world were you thinking starting to lift weights again this week, then deciding to do Pilate's on Saturday morning, followed by hauling bricks from your brick wall? I will have to make you pay now...."

In other words, I am VERY sore. The most sore that I have been in FOREVER. Yes I have decided to get back into the gym and I am paying for my time of absence. Hopefully things will begin to look up. If not, I will just be standing forever, as I am unable to sit down and get back up:)

Our weekend consisted of:

Friday night: Went to Aegean Breeze, rented this: Adam has wanted to see if for a while. I would just say average. Not a must see.Saturday Morning: Pilate's. With Adam might I add.

Saturday Afternoon: Rest from Pilate's.

Saturday Afternoon, after rest: Tackled the last brick wall in the back room. Hauled bricks until dark.

After cooling off : Rented this: I really like Nicholas Cage, but this wasn't a favorite. Just weird is how I will put it.

Today we went to church out at the beach. Then came back and rested a bit until lunch. Ate lunch at Chili's, one of our personal favs, then went to see this:
It wasn't meant to be a movie weekend, but ended up being one and we finally ended with a really cute one! I would suggest seeing it! Adam even enjoyed it. Although he also said he enjoyed Pilate's...

Have a great start to your week everyone!

Shampoo and Drawings

2009-07-28T19:32:00.003-05:00

Beware: Random Post:)

So I had one of those morning where I just wanted to ask myself “why in the world do I do this?”

Yes it came while I was in the shower when I was getting ready to grab my shampoo and I realized that I have 3 bottles of shampoo and 4 bottles of conditioner in my shower…all of them have about 2 oz. left in the bottom and for some reason I can never make myself throw them away. I don't know what goes on in my head. I even thought afterwards...hmmm need to make a trip to CVS to get me some new shampoo! Why do I do this???

I do the same thing with Shower Gel too! How strange....any great explanations?

Well that was a bit of humor for your day:) I also wanted to share with you all some drawings of the house. The first is our original house plan and the second is where we are slowing going!
Enjoy!

Roofing Convention!

2009-07-14T19:40:00.004-05:00

So, if you I didn't scared off by the FUN post title, you will learn a little about the Florida Roofing and Sheet Metal Association(FRSA) Convention.

Adam and I had the privilege of going with his aunt and uncle down to Orlando for 5 days for the Convention. We got to stay at the beautiful Peabody and ate SO many great meals.

The association puts on such a great convention. Along with the really fun trade show where you get ~~worthless~~ awesome stuff! The ladies spent a whole afternoon hitting all of the different booths seeing what they had to offer. Needless to say, we now have plenty of pens, paper pads, safety kits, safety glasses, reusable grocery bags(is there anyone else that always forgets to use these? No? ), and a personal favorite is the little rubber band holder that holds rubber bands shaped like houses, yes it is possible.

In addition to the trade show, the ladies had events to go to also. We had a day of "stamping" with is sort of like scrapbooking. I made little thank you cards! Very fun. We also had a day of playing BUNCO. Also, very fun! Adam's aunt also did a presentation on how to do cheap flower arrangements and centerpieces.

I would have to say that the theme night party was our favorite. It was a 20's Speakeasy theme. Flappers, Gangsters and gambling. Luckily it was all with fake money! We got a great dealer who was tons of fun! At the end of the night, for every $5,000 you had, you got a raffle ticket and then they drew for prizes! Next year is Motown, I will definitely go more prepared with a costume. I am thinking bell bottoms and platforms for Adam~ What do you think?:)

Well, that's just a taste of what we did! I will leave you with some pictures of our time!

Anne, Me and Aunt Elaine after the tradeshow

Me and Adam before dinner one night!

Before the 20's theme night...note Adam's costume(he is ~~not~~ so FUN:)

Our Salads one evening at a banquet!Playing Blackjack!Adam and Brad Dancing! Got and extra $10,000 for it! Annual Banquet night

My Parents are Machines....

2009-06-29T16:28:00.002-05:00

The pictures should speak for themselves! We had such a wonderful time with mom and dad being down and SO greatly appreciate their help! It has put us so far ahead!

THANKS MOM AND DAD AND ALL THE OTHER HELPERS:)!

HOGS!

2009-06-05T19:38:00.002-05:00

Sorry it has been a while for an update. We finally got internet at the house so I will be able to update more often hopefully!

Not sure if all of you know, but I decided to quit my job at the construction company. Just needed more structure and organization in my life. I need to be able to know that I can come home from work, and truly come home mentally. I wasn't able to do that there, so I decided to do what was best for me.

With that said, I am working full time now at The Funplex! It is where I have been teaching gymnastics since we moved back, and in addition to teaching, they are letting me take over the bookkeeping and managing the front desk! I am SO excited! It was such a pleasure going to work this week and that really excites me!

I am also going to start doing some work for my graphic design friend again on the side. SO MUCH FUN! AND as you all know, we have SO much work to do here at the house, so I feel like now I will be able to help out here more!

Ok...now to the actual title of this post. RAZORBACK BASEBALL! Adam is in Arkansas this weekend for a college friends wedding. Jason(Adam's Brother) and I are going to drive to Tallahassee tomorrow morning for the baseball finals! I am so excited! AND my aunt and uncle are also down to see the games, which will also be fun!

Well...until next time!
p.s. We also got a new desktop computer and it doesn't have a memory disk to add new pictures! I will have to find my camera cord! Will update when able.

Additions

2009-05-26T13:30:00.002-05:00

Follow here if you want to see the album of all the updated pictures so far!

Will be back soon to tell you all about the updates!

Update!

2009-05-22T13:34:00.006-05:00

Ok! So here it is! A small update of what we have done. Actually we are a little further than this, but I have yet to take pictures. I am going today hopefully to pick out hardware for the kitchen cabinets!

On a separate note, we got to go to Arkansas for Julie's graduation (which was TONS of fun and LONG ceremonies) and the glorious moment of meeting the sweet angel Beckett Wayne Scott. I am now his self proclaimed "god aunt" :)

Here are the updates!

And the fun begins! ps. adam wasn't very happy about this picture:)

This is what my life looks like right now! EVERYTHING in ONE room!
Before the guys tied a chain to a truck to rip these out of the ground.

Rach painting the front room a nice light green!

Don't worry! We have 1960's hardwood tiles underneath the carpet! This will ALL eventually come up and we will hopefully do tile!

Me and Rach getting ready to tackle the dreaded blue thing!

AFTER! We were so happy to have that all torn down!New yellow walls in the kitchen!

I will be posting more updates soon! Here is the question for this post.....Where would you go to look for kitchen hardware?

Words Cannot Describe....

2009-05-06T08:35:00.009-05:00

**How SUPER excited I am to have Beckett Wayne Scott in the world! I am so thrilled for Ashley and Joe!

I get to meet this precious little boy in 7 days! I am so excited!

Yes, Adam and I are getting to go up to Arkansas next Wednesday-Sunday. Hopefully the screened in porch at the cabin is complete and dad and Adam can start on the new boat dock, while I get to spend time with mom, Julie(graduating next Saturday yeahhhhh) and friends.

(By the way....my Sister Julie has a new blog set up and I don't think she will continue updating it unless she knows people are looking at it, so go over and drop her a comment! I know she will love it!)

(Mom has one too! Hope she keeps it up too! )

**Our house situation. The closing has been pushed back YET again! Not because of any problems with financing, but just because of the mortgage boom! Even though we have not yet closed, we are in the house! We are so thankful that the owners are understanding and let us begin to work on the house and live there!

EVERY SINGLE piece of our furniture and boxes are in ONE room(minus our bed and clothes). Part of me just wants to hang out in the bedroom so we don't have to tackle the rest of the house, but of course Adam says " Lets take it one room at a time!"

We are SO grateful for family that came over this past weekend to help us move everything AND to tackle the jungle of a yard. We have already taken one huge dump trailer full of debris and have probably 5-6 more! NOW on for the pictures!

Let me just say, I know what you are all thinking....." What have you guys gotten yourselves into!!!??"

Answer....We have NO clue!

We have already painted the two crazy bedrooms with Kilz and the kitchen too! We are starting with the kitchen so we can MAYBE one day have a meal at home!

Will keep updating the pictures as we go along on this LONG journey ahead of us!

I am....

2009-04-20T20:35:00.009-05:00

I am......

* super super anxious about hearing from my best friend about her baby boy, Beckett being born. Can I just tell you how obsessed I am with knowing how she is feeling, (sorry I bug so much Ash, I just want to be there with you every step of the way!)

* so very happy for two friends from high school that just had their precious first baby named Reed.... congrats to the Bakers!

*SORE....we went on our first bike ride of the summer. Granted, I am apparently horribly out of shape. AND on the way back there were a few moments where I seriously wanted to cry out of sheer exhaustion. I would also like to point out how many small children flew past us on their bikes. Granted, I haven't been able to sit my bum on a hard surface without wincing in pain for the last 24 hours. But, really, it was worth it. So worth it, that I revisited the "fun" this afternoon....

*so incredibly ready for the beach days ahead of me with family and friends

*unexplainably excited and proud of my baby sister for graduating from nursing school, so maybe I should have given her credit for being smart! She is Brilliant and Beautiful!

*so in love with the music of Ray LaMontagne, even though he looks like a furry mountain man. In addition, might I love Adele too,seriously, look them up ,then perhaps you'll see where I'm coming from.

*Loving the freckles that make their annual appearance around this time of the year. Its fun. It's like a tan, but not.

*So thrilled that we got to have family over for Easter. When Adam and I got married we decided that we always wanted to have Easter at our house and it turned out to be so fun!

Ap and Nik at the Purdy's

Adam with his smoked Turkey! So tasty!

Ray wins the best dessert award! Sunflower cake made out of yellow peeps and cheesecake Easter baskets! Can't have any better than that!

The whole Gang!

*so nervous about moving into our new house. Ok seriously, this is going to take a ton of work, which should be fun! But at the same time, can be kind of scary at the same time....will take pictures soon. We are supposed to close next Wednesday if everything goes well, then have to be out of our rent house by the 3rd! AHHH time is flying by!

*sad that I don't find the time to update this blog as often as I would like too...will continue to try to update soon with pictures of the house!

*happy that summer has arrived and is hoping that everyday is as beautiful as today was!

Family Trip

2009-04-08T19:51:00.005-05:00

So I had the WONDERFUL pleasure of having my sister visit with her husband and two of her good friends and then a couple of weeks later my mom and dad came down for a visit! This was only their 2nd time to come down together since Adam and I have been married. I was so grateful that I got to be flexible with work to spend as much time as possible with them all.

Now to share the photos!

Taking the dogs on a walk to the water!

Headed out to the beach!(Adam Sharp's first attempt in a wetsuit!)

This was fun to watch:)

Next on to hear some music on the beach!

Now on to Mom and Dad's trip! We did a ton of hanging out on the back porch enjoying the sun and I didn't get any pictures of that!

Of course had to take all the dogs on the walk to the water!

Went on a bumpy boat ride over to Peg Legs for lunch!

Ended up the trip with a WINDY day out at the beach!

We really enjoy when we have company come down so anyone who wants to come visit is welcome! We are in the process of buying a house right around the corner from where our house is now, so get ready for the before pictures and I do say "before" because there is going to have to be a TON of work to do! When you come for your visit, bring your paint brush!:)

P.S. I have a good friend I have known since Jr. High school who is going to be having her baby TOMORROW! I can't wait to see pictures of baby Reed Baker!

P.S.S Another GREAT friend is going to be having her baby soon too! She thinks that baby Beckett will come on Easter, so I am just awaiting the call to hear he has come! I can't wait to meet him in May!

Until next time!

Post on a Morning Walk

2009-02-25T20:23:00.020-06:00

So I am posting this post for my family who have yet to see where we live! I took a little photo journal of a walk that the dogs and I took on last Saturday which was a beautiful morning!

This is what I wake up to! How can you say no to these faces?

This is the start of the walk on our street! We are just a short walk around the corner to the water which is SO fun!

Next comes the road that we turn down to head to the public beach!

Here are pictures of the pups playing in the water!

And just a few more of the beautiful morning!

Just a little taste of what our Saturday morning walks are like! Hope you enjoyed!

Way Too Long!

2009-02-18T19:39:00.015-06:00

It has been WAY TOO LONG since my last post and I promise to get better! I feel like I have been running around crazy! No excuses though! I will do better.

Like I said, I feel like we have been so busy! I will just post some pictures of some of our recent adventures. They should speak for themselves!

This was our New Years Eve Party in our driveway! All Adam's idea and it turned out to be a blast. We had our neighbors over, everyone brought something to eat, had a bonfire, and played ladder golf!

Neighbor Linette, Me and Sis-In Law Rachel

Linette and Roy playing Ladder Golf

Getting the fire started!

Next, I have some pictures of Adam's boat. This was actually is Grandfathers (App) boat from years ago. Adam has been spending his evenings out in the garage repairing and painting the boat! As of yesterday he bought a 10 horsepower motor too!

I don't know what I am going to do if this doesn't float after Adam gets done with it! HA

About two weeks ago, we found out at work that we were invited to a very exclusive trade show that usually takes 3 years to get invited to. My boss even let me go this time! I was awesome because it was in Denver, Colorado! I got to see the Garden of the Gods, see her sister, nieces and nephew and see beautiful Denver and Colorado Springs!

The view outside my window

The Brodmoor Hotel

Garden of the Gods

This past weekend we had so much fun in Slidell visiting Adam's dad. There were 6 dogs and 6 people at his house. It was crazy! We went over to Bay St. Louis were App and Nik(Adam's GP's) lived before Hurricane Katrina. Adam's Aunt and Uncle from Alaska and all their kids came down too! We had a blast having a bonfire on the beach, cooking hot dogs and smores. We went to the big-town Mardi Gras parade too! It was my first Mardi Gras parade and I loved it! Didn't think I would want to shout "Throw me something mister!", but when I saw the fun beads that they throw, I jumped right in! I have a HUGE bag full of beads I will let anyone go through that wants to!

Jeff trying to beat the heat! The Pallets were SO hot!

Roy and Jason riding in the back of the truck down to the beach.

Nan and Harry from Alaska!

App and Nik loving Life!

The whole Mardi Gras crew! Such a blast!

I am sorry this has been such a long post, but I think it covers for all the time I have lacked posting! I promise it won't be long until next time!

Proud Moment....and Agenda

2009-01-06T11:44:00.002-06:00

Can I have a proud moment real quickly? I totally went to spinning this morning ( this morning meaning the 5:30 class!). I know, right? Insane. I'm shocked, amazed and proud. Now we will see if this amazing accomplishment can happen again tomorrow.

Here is a little about our weekend!

+ Watched the movie WANTED. I will give it 7 out of 10. Pretty good, even if I don’t like Angelina.

+ Woke up at 6:45, to watch our neighbors little girl, Grace, for a couple of hours. Watched cartoons with her (still so sad about the quality of cartoons these days, it really is sad). Watched Adam mix together chex mix with yogurt and have her turn her nose up at him. She is eighteen months old, and he said “here you go, eat this” I laughed, said you aren’t supposed to mix them, they get mushy, AND she doesn’t feed herself yet. Amusing to say the least.

+ Meandered on over to the beach around 10:00. Weather was beautiful. Around 70 degrees, took a book to read along with my new IPOD boombox that Adam got me for Christmas. Listened to a little Jack Johnson and took a nice walk. Also was questioned by some young hippies living in a short school bus, “Excuse me, can you tell us exactly where we are?” Hm…Pensacola Beach we answered…..”Ah ok…” And back to the bus they went. Interesting.

+ Made myself sleep another hour-and-a-half, just because of the principal of it all. Naps on Saturday’s and Sunday’s are a must. Proceeded to lolly-gag around the house for a couple hours, and then made the trek down to Wal-Mart for another movie, this time it was TRAITOR. I will give it 6 out of 10. Pretty decent. A little slow at times and not exactly what we expected.

+ Went to Church. Hubby had a wonderful idea to ride bikes. So we hopped on our bikes, road up to Firehouse Subs, grabbed some sandwiches and rode over to Shoreline Park for a little picnic. Walked out on the pier, enjoyed the sun and then rode home! What a fun bike ride! Got home, picked up the dogs, took them back to the park to play with the dogs at the dog park. Of course they loved it and were worn out!

+ Of course we proceeded to take our Sunday afternoon nap. Woke up. Got ready to meet Rachel, Roy and their friends at Mariachis. Great dinner! Went home and read the beginning of Eclipse. Fell asleep shortly after that!

+ Monday worked all day, and then went to teach my precious preschool kids a little gymnastics! Got home around 8:00 last night and read a little more! Then went to bed! (can you see a pattern? Early to bed for us!)

Until next time!

I want...(not a list of "resolutions")

2009-01-02T11:22:00.007-06:00

In 2009, instead of making a New Year's resolution, I want to think positively about the year to come and what I can achieve. Here are some things that I want in random order...

I want to capture every moment in a photo. I want to inspire someone. I want the days to always last as long as they do in the summer. I want everyone to be happy and to be themselves.

I want a day just to go shopping by myself. I want to save enough money to buy a house. I want to learn from brilliant people. I want to be able to hold onto moments of pure joy forever.

I want to be a positive thinker. I want to be the true to myself. I want an adventure. I want to live life without looking at the time. I want a rock fireplace in every room. I want to feel comfortable in my abilities. I want to be able to live in the moment, every moment. I want to never have cable again… (we are already on the road for that one).

I want to play soccer again.I want to not worry about my weight. I want good health for all my family and friends. I want to swim. I want to enjoy nature. I want to sing without fear of rejection. I want to do something that matters. I want to be someone who matters. I want to stop caring so much about what people think.

I want things to be simple. I want to always feel safe. I want to discover my passions. I want to continue to grow my hair out. I want to blog more often. I want to know that people actually read what I write.

I want to cook dinner every night. I want to print pictures that I take, not just let them sit on my camera. I want to work with special needs children. I want to go to the farmers market. I want to make people laugh. I want to be submerged in a pile of books. I want to sell things online. I want to always remember my husband's smile and laugh.

I want to experience new things and remember them all in perfect detail. I want to ride bikes. I want to believe that the best is yet to come. I want to be on stage. I want to travel. I want to surf. I want to be able to appreciate where I am at each stage of life. I want to celebrate things more often. I want to always find a reason to smile.

I want to feel healthy. I want to have the option of never having to work again. I want to spend an entire day lying on the beach watching the sky. I want to learn another language. I want to always remember my loved ones voices and smiles. I want to live simply.

What are some things that you want? I am beginning to wonder if people are even reading the blog anymore! I LOVE comments!(hint, hint)

Wishing you ALL a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2009!

Christmas Post!

2008-12-19T09:44:00.002-06:00

I don't know if I will be able to post before Christmas, as we are leaving today to head up to the Cabin in Arkansas, so I will leave you with a little Christmas Post!

Egg nog or hot chocolate? I would have to say Hot Chocolate, just the simple name of EGG NOG creeps me out a bit….drinking eggs and nog? Whatever that is anyway!
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa has always wrapped the presents. When we were little, he would sit certain things under the tree and sometimes even hide things outside! Like the MOPED!
Colored lights on tree/house or white? I like white on the tree, and white outside. Since being married, I don’t believe that we have put Christmas lights outside, guess we will have to wait for children to do this!
Do you hang mistletoe? You know, I never have, actually!
When do you put your decorations up? Right after Thanksgiving….. I like them up as soon as possible so we can enjoy them that much longer! Our house feels so cozy and cheerful when it's decorated for Christmas... part of me never wants to put it all away.
Favorite holiday memory as a child? There are so many... but one of my favorites is when Julie and I would snuggle up in the same bed together and talk about what we think Santa is going to bring us. There was also that time when we lived at Lakeside and Santa was putting the Drum Set together for Julie and was a little louder than usual….Julie said “Tracy, I think I hear Santa!” I yelled at her to “Go back to sleep or he will leave without leaving the PRESENTS!”
When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Honestly, my parents have never told us any different…..He is Real correct? That’s the truth right?
How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well this year is a bit different, after the moves, most of our ornaments were broken, but we do have all silver balls and silver snowflakes that my sweet Grandmother made for us . And of course, all of our special "sentimental" ornaments are in there too, even if they don't match. :)
Snow! Love it or dread it? I love it, especially at Christmas-time. Although, I have to say that I'm kind of glad in some ways that we live in a place where we don't have to deal with it all winter long. I do wish it snowed here occasionally though... it's SO beautiful! I DO love the fact that I can go home to visit Arkansas and possibly see a bit of snow or ice! But then we don’t have to deal with it for too long! I can’t imagine living way up north dealing with it all winter!
Do you remember your favorite gift? Since I have been married?? I would have to say the piano that Adam surprised me with was a great gift! LOVE IT! As a child, again…I go back to the moped. What a FUN time we had in the woods on that present!
What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Celebrating Christ's birth as we worship and sing joyful Christmas songs. The wonderful time we get to spend with our family. I look forward to teaching my kids about the true meaning of it all and why we celebrate Christmas, as well as passing on meaningful traditions to them, getting to see things through their eyes. YIPPY! I love it!
What is your favorite holiday dessert? ummm, I don't think I can pick just one... I kind of love everything when it comes to holiday desserts...
What is your favorite holiday tradition? Again, I don't know if I can pick just one! I love that Grandmother and Peepaw have always been there on Christmas morning to open presents with. I loved going to Cabot to see all of our cousins growing up….I love going to see a movie the day after Christmas…..I love that I make Julie distribute the gifts to everyone and we don’t open presents until everyone has ALL of their presents in front of them…..so many more!
What tops your tree? This year it is a silver lit up Star!
Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Giving. It's so fun to try to find that perfect gift for the someone’s.
What is your favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night... …preferably by David Phelps, so beautiful and so powerful. And I LOVE singing it. But I love almost all Christmas music. Joy to the World. Silent Night. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. AH, I need to go sing some carols RIGHT NOW….I have only been listening to them since Thanksgiving!
Candy canes? Love them! Also, it's so fun to see kids eating them and getting all sticky!
Favorite Christmas movie? Elf is definitely up there. I can't help it, it's so funny. But my all time favorite has to be Meet me In St. Louis with Judy Garland….I love it. Sigh. I love Christmas movies too.
What do you leave for Santa? As kids, we used to leave out cookies and milk…..we always had to check to see if he remembered to eat!

I hope everyone has a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Now and Then

2008-12-08T11:42:00.003-06:00

Christmas then: December felt like it lasted three and a half years.
Christmas now: It's the second week in December and I think, "Uh Excuse me, but wasn't Halloween just last week? And now you want me to shop and wrap presents, decorate and somehow find the time to bake really great holiday treats(well we know I wouldn’t do that anyway!) and …..WAIT! I haven’t even had the chance to watch Elf or Christmas Vacation YET SO PLEASE DON'T SAY CHRISTMAS IS A COUPLE OF WEEKS AWAY AHHHHH."

Christmas then: Shopping was done with mom, dad and Julie. Trying on clothes from, now looking back, were REALLY nice stores that I don’t even step foot in these days! There was always an occasional fight with Julie. She HATED shopping for Christmas clothes and Easter dresses. Thanks Mom and Dad for always making Christmas so special.
Christmas now: Trying to find a gift for the husband that he actually wants/hasn't bought for himself/won't buy for himself before Christmas. And shopping for the rest of the family, which isn't bad, I actually quite enjoy this part! Coming up with ideas for gifts that adults really need/want and will actually get use out of is hard to do!

Christmas then: All I wanted for Christmas was a moped, with matching Helmet + Clothes, clothes and more clothes; while Julie wanted a drum set….this is a whole other story together. We got both and were both thrilled….
Christmas now: Wishlist for Christmas this year is a Nikon camera and a Road Bike. While both are out of my league haha….I would shout for joy if Santa happened to bring me a subscription to Real Simple Magazine, some more Friends episodes on DVD ,or some Reeses Christmas trees for my stocking.....interesting how our taste over the years change!

Christmas then: The month of December was filled with flurries of snow and ICE! Lakeside December’s were wonderful! “Dad, lets go for a car ride out on the ice! I am sure we can get out if we get stuck….” Don’t worry…we got stuck and got out.
Christmas now: Since this year, we have the pleasure of driving WAAY up north to Arkansas for Christmas….we would usually only just be dreaming of a white Christmas….but this year, we actually may get one! We also will have the fun of being at the lake with the WONDERFUL fireplace and screening in the front porch! Fun has definitely changed over the years!

Christmas then: Driving around in the country looking at Christmas lights, then dinner at our house for Christmas Eve with family! Working puzzles, eating, playing games, eating….you see where I am going with this right?
Christmas now: Knowing that if I were in town, I would probably be working on Christmas Eve. Wondering why can't the whole world shut down for the holidays? I could have sworn, that's how we always thought it would be when we were children right? At least this year we get to enjoy Christmas time with Family and Friends. I'm so thankful for family time!

Christmas then: Julie and I sleeping in the same bed, waking up at the crack of dawn to see if Santa came. No, really, it was the crack of dawn. Like 6:00 AM….. my dad always came in and said “let’s go see if Santa came!”. We always get that wonderfully-attractive "just rolled out of bed, sleeping in dads t-shirts, floppy socks" photo in front of the fireplace.
Christmas now: Snuggling with the husband and pups in bed until after 7:00AM, because who wants to get up at 6:00AM on a holiday? Wake up to a nice fire and family….. nice.

Christmas then: Spending entirely too long trying to get the newest doll or toy out of those wire things that refuse to break free from their cardboard hold. "Daaaad! Help me with this! I can’t get it open…**whine whine whine**
Christmas now: The relaxation will kick in…..Julie will be Santa and distribute the presents, (as I have made her do since she was 12) …I will then relish in families faces as they open their gifts. After everything is cleaned up and we eat some of mom’s breakfast casserole, get all the dogs ready for a long walk out at lakeside, then come back probably for a nap….what a treasure!

What are some Christmas "Now and Then’s" for you?

My Thanksgiving List

2008-11-26T10:54:00.006-06:00

My Husband. Being happily married for nearly three years. Please excuse my sappiness, but let's be real, people. My husband is incredible. I am SO very lucky that he chose me! I look forward to all we have yet to experience in life. Right from the beginning we both knew that we had found what we were looking for. I love that we are constantly trying our best to learn more about each other and above all, just love each other. Pure and simple.

My family. During the holidays I'm always brought back to the days when Julie and I were young and living at home. I miss those days very much. If I could relive anything, it would be those care-free moments when I was young, and imagination ruled. Whether it be sitting at the “kids” table at Thanksgiving, or Grandmother and Peepaw being there every Christmas morning for us to open presents with. I've always been so close to my mom dad and Julie, it's difficult to be away from them - especially this time of year. Still, it's pretty crazy to see where we all are today and how things have ended up for each of us.

My dad and Mom. For helping to shape Julie and I into the people that we are today. I am so eager for them to purchase their first RV and travel the country and to spend the rest of their lives at our cabin on the lake where I know they love to be, just like they have always talked about. My parents are the people I would love to emulate more than anyone. They have so much love and grace I know will always be there for us.

My younger sister. Julie, how do I explain this girl?. She just turned twenty-one, and is married, in nursing school and has accomplished so much more in just her short years! I'm so proud of her for deciding to go to school, and continue her dream in the nursing field. She has a great husband who shares my husband's name (odd, no?). I give this one my stamp of approval. This girl so full of energy and talent - she can do it all, and is good at everything she tries. She's always been so beyond her years, and brings a smile to my face whenever I think of her. Julie is always one to make me laugh and show me so much grace, even when I am tough on her.

My family-in-law. There's no way I could have chosen a more amazing family to become a part of. From the beginning they welcomed me with open arms, and I didn't even feel like I had to work at belonging. Right away, I felt like I'd known them forever. I only wish that I could spend more time with ALL of them!

My Dearest Friends. (Ashley, Heather, Christin, Melissa....and so many more)They each are so different, but truly complete me. They each offer so much to my life, things that I couldn't live without. I'm thankful for their love and memories.

When I sat down to write this, I realized that when it comes down to it...this is it. These are the things that matter to me at the end of the day. These are the people that made me who I am, who continue to challend and inspire me, and who will be there for me through it all. These are the things I am truly thanksful for.

I want to wish everyone a lovely holiday with their friends and families! YEAH!, now go eat some dressing (it’s NOT called Stuffing Adam!)

Heather's Birthday WEEK!

2008-10-22T09:01:00.011-05:00

One of my dear dear friends from High School came down to visit me for her "birthday week"! She told everyone all week long "It's my birthday!" We had a ton of fun! We took Heather and Chris out on the Boat, ate great food, watched football and just hung out at the beach! We even tried to get Heather on the surfboard! Seeing that she won't even get in the "ocean" I settled for her just getting her feet in! We also got to go to Destin to the Outlet mall! Here are some pictures from the week!

Remember, If you come down and visit, we can have this much fun too!!

Out at the beach!Nervous about getting off the boat ha!
Heather and I at Jimmy Buffet's restaurant!

Heather and I actually ON her birthday at Fishhouse!

I hope they had a great time! I know we did!

Stay tuned for the next blog which will include our FUN Halloween party pictures......

Adam's Birthday Weekend

2008-10-04T20:53:00.008-05:00

September 27th Adam turned the big 26! We spent the day at the beach and then went to dinner later that evening at The Tuscan Oven (a fun pizza place!) I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Adam Paddleboarding!

Everyone Relaxing at the beach!

Me Paddleboarding!

Me, Adam and Lauren(Jason's G-Friend)

On another note, I am looking for great Fall smelling candles. What are some of your favorites?

Our life Currently

2008-09-26T13:10:00.014-05:00

I know, I know....we have a ton to catch up on! I will try to get it all in and not bore you with the little things of life!

Here are the exciting things in our lives currently!

1. We are back in FL and we are loving it! The weather is WONDERFUL right now and the beach is great!

2. We are in a CUTE CUTE comfy house that we are loving more everyday!

We have two extra bedrooms for all you people who want to get away to Florida! We love to have visitors!

3. Adam is happily back Roofing with Edwards and is LOVING it! He really feels like he has a purpose and that his gifts are being used. This truly makes me happy! Nothing like a happy Husband!

4. Just recently found out that my bestest friend, Ashley, has a little baby bazooka growing in her belly! This is SUCH fun news and I can't wait to see her baby bump and buy the peanut fun little things! Can I just tell you how simply gorgeous this child is going to be?! I can't wait to meet him/her. I think we should just call it peanut until the name is finalized.

5. I have been trying to figure out life/work for quite a while now. I came down here thinking that I was going to be able to substitute. Well that ended up not working out! They are OVERLOADED with subs believe it or not! I have a dear friend who has her own Graphic Design business and told her I would be interested in learning! She already had been thinking about expanding so I am now doing some Graphic Design, which I ADORE! I don't even consider it work! Believe it or not, I would much rather sit down and do Design than watch TV these days! Crazy I know! Her website is http://www.grafixnext.com/! She is WONDERFUL!

6. So Graphic Design is not the only thing that I have my hands in! I have started teaching gymnastics again! ANOTHER thing that I LOVE! I taught all through college and am so happy to get back into it. I am doing all the preschool classes and a couple of private lessons!

7. Ok....one more thing I have now begun. Through a connection a lady called and said she needed a personal/executive assistant. Hmm...I thought, what's one more thing to add to my plate. I am so excited about this opportunity! She owns her own Construction Company and a tanning salon. I will be doing some of her bookkeeping, scheduling and anything else that she really needs! I will even get to travel with her a bit which is exciting!

8. Something I have learned lately. I will ALWAYS go to Wal-Mart for groceries. Publix is OUTRAGEOUS!

9. I am SO excited about the thought of my family coming down here for Thanksgiving! I haven't seen them since August! Hopefully I won't destroy Thanksgiving lunch!

10. Adam's birthday is tomorrow and will be a whopping 26 years old! His dad is coming over from LA and we may all go to the Seafood Festival!

Here are a last few bits of nothing to leave you with....

maybe i should....be better at calling my Arkansas friends
i love......spending the weekends with my husband and the dogs at the beach
people would say.....its about time we have kids(note: we would not say that)
i don't understand......why everything in this world has to do with money
when i wake up in the morning....i like to take to dogs on a long walk to the water
i wish i had.....more time to see my family and friends......distance stinks
i am totally terrified of.....adam being eaten by a shark
take my advice......try to find Joy in all you do

Until next time....I promise not as long last time!

Presenting Mr. and Mrs. Adam Sharp

2008-07-29T17:45:00.020-05:00

On July 26th the day before her 21st birthday, my baby sister married the man of her dreams! I will simply let the pictures speak for the experience. I don't have any of the actual ceremony right now because I was in the wedding! When we get them from the photographer, I will update.

Here you will find pictures of the events leading up to the day!

These were taken at her bacholorette party. We had a ton of fun! We went to dinner, then went back to her sister-in-law's house and played fun games and opened gifts!

These were a few of the "prizes" that I made for Julie to win! I have to admit, I felt a bit crafty after these!

I also thought I would throw in a couple of her bridal portraits! She had these done at Lakeside Country Club. A little hunting and fishing club that we grew up at. This is also where they had the reception.

Here are some photos of the luncheon and the rehearsal / dinner:

Mom, Grandmother, Julie

At the "keepsake" luncheon

Getting ready for the Rehearsal

At dinner at 1620Now we are going to move on to the day of the wedding events! Getting hair done, getting makeup done and everything else!

I also have a Flickr slideshow of the rest of the pictures but can't figure out how to put it on here! Any help would be great!

I am so happy for my sister and was so grateful to get to see family that I haven't seen in a long time!

Be aware that we are in the middle of moving, so I will post as soon as I can!

Some things you may or may not want to know...

2008-07-16T10:19:00.017-05:00

Disclaimer: This is a long post and I will NOT be offended if you don't read it all! It was fun for me to brainstorm about things and I just thought I would share!
1) I am right handed.

2) I am always in the mood for Mexican food.

3) I was once in a tv commercial for a local drug store.

4) I have a recurring dream where I forget all my costumes for a big show and they won’t let me perform.

5) My first car was a Toyota Corolla.

6) My favorite movie is Sweet Home Alabama, plus a long list of others that would take up too much space.

7) My favorite girls name is Parker…. Today.

8) My husband and I met during our freshman year at OBU, he thought I was a nerd.

9) I rarely pay full-price for clothes (hello, clearance racks).
10) I love writing with Sharpies and many other colorful pens.
11) I will always own two dogs.
12) I have been to Alaska and caught my own dinner.
(please excuse the appearance)

13) There are no foods that I will refuse to eat (except lamb), but plenty that Adam will.

14) I have broken my arm and cracked my head open (27 staples) while swimming backwards.

15) While in the Bahamas, we went sailing.

16) Speaking about how I feel makes me cry.

17) Music can often times make me cry.

18) Nearly all letters I write make me cry.( can we say I am emotional?)

19) My hair is naturally blonde, never highlighted.

20) My Starbucks: white chocolate mocha with Carmel (hot or iced)

21) I love turquoise.

22) I can drive a boat.

23) I'm addicted to American Idol, What Not to Wear, and So you think you can Dance.

24) I'm not a phone person and I am awful at returning calls, although I am trying to get better…Ashley.

25) Sleep is very important to me, our bed time is around 9:30, trying to make it 10:00 these days.

26) I love quotes.

27) Black and white pictures are my favorites, scratch that...all pictures are my favorites.

28) I have learned to love playing soccer and will miss it when I leave.

29) I secretly want to be a writer.

30) I want to be a biker (not a Harley, but a road bike and mountain bike).

31) I adore musicals.

32) Sensitive, musical and introverted are three words that describe me well.

33) I have two fake teeth.

34) People who breathe loudly bother me.

35) In order to sleep, I have to have a fan on.

36) I have 1 sister, Julie, who is getting married in 10 Days!

37) I want to be a photographer and mom.

38) I love my iPod mini.

39) I rarely have my toenails painted, unless there is a special occasion.

40) I can’t play poker, but love spades.

41) I'm a Christian.

42) I am Cajun French.

43) I love reading.
(The Baxter's are the family in my favorite book series by Karen Kingsbury(read anything of hers if you are looking for good books!) )

44) I had the greatest childhood anyone could ask for.

45) I have the greatest parents anyone could ask for.

46) I'm a slight hypochondriac.

47) I am not good at writing thank you notes.

48) My husband proposed to me on the beach.

49) Disneyworld will always be magical to me.

50) I CAN GET TAN. It just takes a while. The end.

51) Have I said that I love Mexican food?

52) Flowers and chocolate can cure my mood.

53) I like Frank Sinatra and Chicago.

54) I have been to Vegas and not gone to a show.

55) No matter what kind of mood I am in, all it takes is for Adam to laugh at me and it makes me laugh. It's kind of odd, that power he has over me, ha.

56) I really want to visit Switzerland, Australia and Italy and Costa.

57) I have a BA Degree in Accounting, but don’t care to use it.

58) When I wear headbands, I look like I am 14.

59) I love going places just to people watch.

60) Adam and I got married in the Bahamas on December 28, 2005.

61) I love sleeping in and watching movies on Saturday’s.

62) I was a cheerleader in Junior High and High School

63) I taught gymnastics for 3 years.

64) I like “All My Children”, entirely too much .

65) If I could have a super power, it would be to fly.

66) I want to be a good runner, like run a marathon.

67) I am very scared of heights.

68) I am sad that my kids won’t get to experience the fun cartoons we did as kids.

69) I hate clowns; still to this day they scare me to death.

70) I want to attend a Summer Olympics.

71) I want to actually finish a scrapbook.

72) I want to scuba dive.

73) I secretly, I guess it doesn’t have to be a secret, want to be a swimmer. Like a long distance swimmer. Don't know if this will happen, see #14.

74) I love personality tests. In Myers Briggs, I am an ISFJ which is Introverted, Sensing, Feeling and Judging.

75) I hate armpits and even the mention of them makes me gag.

76) There are a few other words that I don’t like and don’t care to mention.

77) All of my clocks are usually between 6 and 8 minutes fast. I am ALWAYS early for everything.

78) I have slept with a cylinder shaped pillow since I was in Junior High School and HAVE to have it to sleep.

79) I like to go fishing as long as I don’t catch anything.(weird I know)

80) I haven’t had a coke (soda) in almost 6 years now.

81) My husband is my hero and my best friend.

What are some things I may not know about you!?!

Thinking back...

2008-07-10T21:10:00.007-05:00

So I got to thinking today about being a "grown-up" with "grown-up" responsibilities, and started thinking about things that I miss.

Growing up in the "woods",we got to roam around on trails and tree forts (which weren't really forts, as much as trees that were either leaning all awkwardly or had huge branches that we could hide under). When I was fourteen, and my only real worry was whether or not I was going to make the cheerleading squad. I didn't have to worry about a jobs, bills, any real responsibility.

Playing make-believe. I know we didn't grow up decades ago, but regardless, when we were young we didn't pass the time by watching TV, playing video games or getting online. It was all about playing "grow-ups" or teacher and student (yes, we actually played "student " because to us, it sounded like the most exciting thing in the world to be a student?), or pretending we were some sort of animal, or librarians(Julie loved this one), Julie also loved to have a video store in her closet....I will just leave it at that.

Riding lawnmowers in the woods, riding the moped in the woods.....ok so for some reason mom and dad wouldn't get us a 4-wheeler....so we made do with what we had! We used to throw the blade on if the trail looked like it was getting too high.(its okay...you can laugh....we do!)

Running through sprinklers. I still want to do that, but never get the chance. The closest I get to that now, is walking outside when Adam is washing the cars.

Sitting around at night watching TV with Julie and sometimes mom and dad:). We would watch TGIF every Friday (tell me you didn't love TGIF - um, Boy Meets World, Step by Step, Family Matters?). We'd sit around and laugh at how dad fell asleep in the chair and how loud he snored.

Renting movies on the weekend. Julie and I used to rent the same movies every other weekend. Okay...you are wondering which two movies were so incredibly moving that we got them over and over...

...okay..so if you missed these wonderous presentations of amazing acting and cinematography, then you should check these out.

Summer vacations with my family. We went to Disneyworld one year and then Colorado a couple of years later. My parents must have spent so much on those vacations, but you never heard them complain about anything. We loved making mom and dad ride rollercoasters that we knew would make their "equilibrium" unbalanced as they would say.

When I used to dream what I'd be like and what I'd look like at the age I am now I don't think I'd disappoint the younger me, but it is all so different than I could have imagined. I guess we never really know the plans for our future. Just when we think we have it all figured out, Wham! Everything changes...

What are some things you miss?

I have to admit...

2008-07-06T22:39:00.007-05:00

Ok....so I have to admit, for me, blogging thoughts is a big deal. What if I say the wrong thing? What if I'm boring? What if nobody reads it and this is just a silly exercise? I've never been one to write for ALL to read and the idea of my thoughts being online for ALL to read seems a little scary...I am not sure how much I will write, but we shall see what comes of it.

Seeing that I have gotten into reading so many blogs, some people I don't even know, I figured I should try it. Why not right? I won't have as many great pics as you guys with kiddos, or those who live always exciting lives, but I will try to keep you entertained for those who will read! Right now you will just have to settle with pictures of our two kiddos Bailey and Mocha!

Adam and I are going to be in the process of moving back to Florida at the beginning of August. I am feeling lots of different emotions with this move. Excitement, for the fact that we will be close to the beach, back to a church that we love, close to Adam's family and at the same time I am feeling saddness in leaving my home state and being far away from my family and friends. This move is going to be a great thing for us and all together we are excited, We are so thankful for family in all of these life changing decisions. Family and friends that support and love you no matter what decisions we make.

Well... I hope to stay as faithful to posting on here as I am faithful to reading all of my friends blogs! Welcome to our Journey!