thanks 2011, it's been great!

We got a snow day.

My friends and I painted a picture.

I cut my hair.

I celebrated my birthday.

Zoey had surgery.

My aunt and I ran our first half marathon!

We got some ice cream.

The fabulous Jenn took our family photos.

Jack had a play-date.

Jack went swimming.

I cut my hair again.

Our area suffered devastation from multiple tornadoes.

We went to the beach.

Jason had a birthday.

Our backyard got new grass.

My favorite people came to visit.

My best friend moved back.

We saw some fireworks.

This blog turned One.

My in-laws came to visit.

Our backyard got yet another facelift.

We went to the pool here, here and here.

We went to a ball game.

The beach called our names...again.

Along with some friends, we discovered a rock quarry.

We enjoyed an afternoon at the battlefield.

My bestie and I participated in the bestie borrow here and here.

We went to a county fair.

I ran my second half marathon.

We celebrated our third year of marriage.

We hiked to Benton Falls.

We made s'mores in our backyard.

Our pets lounged around the house.

We spent an afternoon downtown.

We went to a holiday party.

We spent Christmas in Florida.

And don't forget to check out some of my instagram photos here, here, here and here.

Happy New Year!! I can't wait to see what this new year brings :)

merry christmas!!

I don't think I am going to get a white Christmas this year...yes, I am wearing shorts...in December.

Merry Christmas!!

brotherly love

Late night ice cream date with our brothers, yes please!  It was the only way I could get them away from the video games...boys will be boys.

p.s. i have accepted the fact that my hair will never look good in florida.  this humidity kills...

south bound

sweater-local boutique, LS top-old navy, pants-gap, necklace-f21, shoes-aldo

{this photo was actually taken on Thanksgiving day, hence the fall wreath on the door :)}

We've headed down south for the holiday; me, Jason, Ryan and Jack. (just me and the boys, love it!)  We are spending Christmas with Jason's family this year, our first Christmas in Florida since getting married. 

When I got off work on Tuesday, we headed out on our overnight trek to Florida...last time we drive overnight I swore I would never do it again.  Someone might become a little miss grumpy pants after several hours in a car with no sleep.  The extra two hours due to traffic never helps either.  I guess in the end it's worth it to have an extra day with family...as long as there is a back rub scheduled in by my mother-in-law (she is the best at it) (I hope she reads this).

vacancy

{photo from our day at chilhowee}

My brother moved out over the weekend and moved back in with my mom.  Although he only lived with us for three-ish months, I feel like I am experiencing a sort of empty-nest syndrome.  When I walked into his room and it was empty of all his clothes and shoes and his sugar glider, I instantly wished it was all still there.  I truly feel like it was a blessing to have him in our home and a part of our daily lives.  There were definitely struggles too, it's not easy having a teenager in the house.  It's never fun being the disciplinarian and it's hard sometimes to not take things personally.  I think I have learned a lot through this experience and how I want to be as a mother some day.  I am excited to be a mom some day (no I'm not pregnant); i can't think of a greater occupation.

party people

This past weekend Jason and I got to attend two Christmas parties in one night.  That's right, we are party animals.  It's been quite a while since we've had a night on the town, so we knew we had to go big or go home.  So we dressed to impress (dress from forever21 - $27, holla!) and brought our A game.  Add in all the food and drinks we wanted for free - yes please!

We mixed and mingled and boogied the night away.  I haven't made my feet this sore from dancing in a loooooong time.  I already can't wait for next year!

christmas spirit

Happy Holidays lovelies!!  

Life has kept me quite busy lately.  My co-worker is on maternity leave, so I have been doing double duty at work.  It has actually been okay though, not near as bad as I was anticipating.  The work day goes by a bit faster, which is never a bad thing.  Last week we had our client Christmas party and Santa made a surprise appearance....gotta love that guy!  Oh and I decided to give my office a bit of Christmas spirit with a little tree, isn't it just the cutest? ;)

life lately, according to instagram

1) Jas and Ryan matching for church.  2) Tina keeping me company while I work in bed.

3) My first attempt at a top knot!  4) Lindsay and I having some fun at the Gap.

5) Jas and Ryan matching...again.  6) The boys at my house call this...art.

7) Getting my hair did by Lindsay.  8) A wonderful day for a picnic with my family.

breakfast by the master himself

It's becoming a sort of Sunday morning tradition at our house for Jason to make breakfast.  It's the one meal of the day that he has mastered better than anyone else in our house, and I am more than happy to say so.  Anything that involves me kicking my feet up and being served relaxing while food is being made for me, is a-okay! On the menu this past weekend was egg and sausage biscuits.  Yum!

weekend excitement

This is how excited I am that it is the weekend.

jack. zoey. tina.

{jack=dog, zoey=white cat, tina=brown cat}

Here is a little glimpse of my furry children and what they've been up to lately.  Laying around, of course.  Someone mentioned once how lucky I was that all my animals got along, and it's so true.  Jack is so gentle with the cats and they pay him back by showing him love.  They make me so proud :)

11.11.11

Another Friday has arrived, hallelujah! And today is not just any other Friday – it is really a special day.

I want to give a HUGE thanks to all of those that have dedicated any part of their lives to serving our country. It is truly an honor to live in a country with so many individuals that are willing to fight for my freedom. Thank you.

And how cool is it that today is 11-11-11?! For all those babies out there being born today, what a cool birth date you get. My co-worker is due this weekend and I was secretly, okay, not so secretly hoping she would go into labor and have the baby today – but it looks like her little guy is just not quite ready yet.

I sort of feel like I should be doing something extra special today; something epic and exciting. How about enchiladas over at our friend’s house for dinner? Jas and I like to keep it crazy..

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

mini-mexi-date

Most nights I dread the thought of making dinner after work.  Add to that the fact that I usually need to go to the grocery store...picture me running for the hills.  

So when Jas suggested we go to our fave Mexican spot, El Matador, for 99 cent tacos - I was all about it.  Not only did this save me from work week cooking, but it was a great chance to enjoy a mini-date while my brother was at basketball practice.

s'mores

{our friend Scott, my brother Ryan, and Jason}

{a night with the boys wouldn't be complete without them doing something at least semi-dangerous..}

For our anniversary, I got us a fire pit.  You might remember that over the summer we added to the cement slab in our backyard and had planned to use the extra space for a fire pit and extra seating, so it is nice to finally be putting that extra space to use!

This was our second time doing s'mores and most definitely won't be our last.  It's the perfect way to spend a cold Saturday night; staying warm by the fire with yummy treats.  I think this may be my new favorite thing to do this fall/winter!

{Jack watched over the s'more ingredients to make sure they were okay ;)}