LITTLE MAN

over spring break i met my new favorite little man named carter. my best friend of 19 years is due in june and is literally the cutest preggers ever! sharing life together with someone like kristy is pretty incredible. more like a sister than a friend. here are a few pictures taken of carter taking his picture :) needless to say this was a really really sweet moment for me. how great, creative and sovereign is our God! 

carter hiding from the camera.

thumbs up dude!

i mean how cute is this?

little feet and toes.

finally seeing that sweet face.

 i can't forget about these babies, Roscow and Nahla...

the soon to be big brother and sister!

carter will be enjoying his first party this weekend in pensacola! To my dismay, i will not be able to attend :(...

kristy & carter,

i miss you both so much! praying that you have the most wonderful time this weekend. auntie meaghan loves you :)

HAPPY WEEKEND!

i'm uper pumped about this weekend because of these three lovely ladies...

mi madre!

soon to be ex BFF after she sees this photo viral.

dos mi madre!

They are all on their way from P'cola to spend a girl's weekend with me here in B'ham! Thanks to my hubby, who generously offered to play golf in Atlanta just so I can have them all to myself :) 

hope your weekend is splendid! 

CONFESSIONS PART II

i am currently slapping my hand as we speak due to lack of blogging. ok maybe not, i'm typing, you get the picture.

not to sure where February decided to go but here is a recap...

part of Ross's V'day gift was a night spent with Ben Rector at Workplay. this was our second time with Ben; we love him. most importantly i love that we both love him and live shows. nothing makes me happier then good music and good company to scream sing with.

"and then the beat comes, and she's moving on the dance floor..."

one of my dear friends, Lindsay, is having twin girls! our small group had the privilege of throwing her a shower. i'm over the moon exciting about meeting Maddie Grace and Makenzie in May!

i love these girls but not my pale winter skin.

Ross and I were so generously given tickets to a Family Life marriage conference this past weekend. the speakers were awesome and we both were beyond encouraged by their honesty and real life experiences. definitely refreshing to spend a whole weekend remembering why we love each other so much and areas of our marriage that can always be worked on.

and finally the biggest and bestest confession... WE ARE BUILDING OUR FIRST HOUSE!!!! I have literally been holding this in for months now waiting until the contract was officially signed. our proposed closing month is June and we CANNOT WAIT! the lot we chose is perfect and have considered living there in a tent until June. here is a little sneak peak of an already completed house that is the same design as ours. note that paint, brick, siding, and landscaping choices may be different. can't wait for you to share in the journey that is building a home :)

i love the craftsman charm! my heart skips a beat when i see this picture.

ok, so it is true, Confessions Part II is way better than Confessions.

Peace up. A town's down.

BOOK LIST

my bedside

Bad habit # 516, I start more than one time book at a time. When I say more I mean like 6. New year new me, right? Besides my Bible, I plan to read at least 12 books in 12 months. Here is my list in no particular order. Only rule is to read one at a time :)

1. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
2. The Girl Who Played with Fire
3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
4. Water for Elephants
5. The Help
6. Same Kind of Different As Me
7. Crazy Love
8. Heart of the Matter
9. The Creation
10. Solar
11. On Chesil Beach
12. Redeeming Love

LATELY

...life includes...

my personal nick arrojo

my pill form hero

my dose of heaven

my favorite cuddler

my late night guilty pleasure 

my hot  husband on One Tree Hill

1-11-11

my heater-hog pup.

we are on snow day #2 here and i. am. going. crazy. 

yes, 4 days of free vacation is awesome! but what the heck am i suppose to do? being from florida the only time we get days off is for hurricanes. earth shaking, tree rocking, windows breaking, roof collapsing hurricanes. another words "scared for your life days". snow days are pretty, quiet, and boring! 

ok, so i could be productive; study, read, work-out, write thank-you letters. mmm yeah not happening. something about the industrial sized space heater that i had a to fight a crazy lady at walmart for (thats another blog post) or the heated blanket the MIL gave me, i am lazy. instead, i have inhabited the same pj set for 3 days, read waaaay to many blogs, facebook stalked, watched the bachelor, and stuffed my face. 

for you snow day veterans out there, how do you do it?

on another note, my guilty pleasure aka, britney spears, came out with her new single today. you can judge but i will forever love this girl for 2 reasons...

1. at age 14 i sat 9 rows back from a stage (with my mother) and screamed hit me baby one more time. appropriate for a teen? probably not. 

2. my husband and spears share the same birthday. it was destined. 

i'm pretty sure this is the new "creepster at the bar" anthem but i still love you brit. 

A DECADE'S END

Its safe to say that the past 10 years included the biggest decisions, changes, challenges, and accomplishments of my life. let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?


2000
started high school.

2001
turned 16 and mustang sally became my very best friend (may she rest in peace).
started my first job.
fulfilled my life-long dream of swimming with dolphins.
went on my first date.

2002
started the first girls golf team in my county.
the bff lived with me.

2003
gave my life over to Jesus.

2004
graduated from high school.

2005
moved away from the only home i've ever known. 
started college at Samford University.
moved into a house with 80 girls.

2006
started dating my future husband.

2007
social chair for phi mu.
learned what it felt like to fail; aka chemistry.

2008
got engaged.
joined a small group.
graduated from college.
broke my foot.
got hitched.

2009
adopted a furry baby.
hubby lost his job.
started my first "big girl" job!

2010
baptized.
finally became members of the Chruch of Brookhills.
quit my job.
became a nanny.

can't wait to see what the next ten years hold...

twenty-eleven

welcome new year. 

it has been a good while since I have graced the pages of the blogoshpere. I hope that you and yours had a wonderful holiday celebrating family, friends and most importantly the birth of our forever Savior. the hubby and I set our sails over pretty much all of Kentucky and Tennessee. it was wonderful. refreshing, relaxing, and filling. 
now back to a fresh start. praise the Lord for new beginnings. not just at the start of January 1st but everyday we choose to call on His name. no matter where you find yourself- here is to big dreams, tiny resolutions, opened doors, closed windows and a life lived everyday in His abounding love. 


and because I love lists, here are some "goals" for 2011...

more time spent everyday with my Maker

read 12 books in 12 months

learn how to sew

do the Daniel Fast again

start grad-school, for real this time

take a painting class

take more pictures 

watch television less

exercise more

just in case you were curious... here is a little video of our christmas vacation adventure. 

snap out of it

i'm in a funk.


maybe because my day consists lately of:
checking blogs for an hour
making fun of kathy lee and hoda
begging sadie to come inside
scrounging for something to eat for lunch
carpool lines
"it's really not nice to talk back to mrs. meaghan"
cleaning up another family's mess
"let's be peaceful"
sticky fingers and dortio breath
scrounging for something to eat for dinner
teen mom
fighting for the covers
waking up and starting all over again.


i'm trying really hard to fight the cycle of less time on the internet/tv and more time in the word. making my lazy butt hit the gym. oh, and couponing... forget 'bout it (in best joey voice). 


where is my motivation!?! 


what helps you stay motivated?

so these are my confessions

I'm slightly obsessed with yankee candle's autumn leaves. Ok, slightly? More like addicted. Fall is slowly becoming my favorite season just because of this dang candle. 

The hubby and I ate an entire (25% more) bag of toostie rolls in a week. Making up for being to old to trick-or-treat?

I managed to resist the urge to waste spend money on a bee costume for Sadie today. The pup loves bees, and it was on sale; I am now reconsidering this decision.

Finished the Daniel fast and have never been so thankful for cheese. Not to mention a Savior who loves me just the same as yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

Finally made a trip home. 6 months away is scary and so is the realization that I might never live there again. 

Confessions Part II is so much better than Confessions. 

Peace up. A town's down.

float like a butterfly sting like a bee

Unfortunately Sadie payed the price for open windows and doors due to the amazing weather we are having. Two little not-so-friendly bees payed her a visit. Ali won the battle but the bees did get a few stings in. I found my poor puppy Sunday morning with at least 5 battle wounds. Nothing some Benadryl can't fix. Check out her right eye and left jaw. 

Beyonce said it best, she's a survivor. 

tgif

If only I could catch Topanga, Urkle, and the Tanner's all in one Friday night again. 

 

anniversary in chi town

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." -Ferris Bueller  

Monday was our 2 year wedding anniversary!  Ferris is right, life does move pretty fast and I hear it only moves faster. Ross and I both have a strong desire to travel and committed ourselves to one big trip a year to celebrate our marriage. Forget gifts for any occasion, we would rather spend our money on seeing the world. Last year Ross surprised me with a trip to Nashville. He planned everything! Including the swank and eco-friendly (he does really know me) Hutton Hotel.

This year we headed north to Chicago. We both had never been and could not love this city more. If it wasn't for the blistering cold Chi town would most definitely be our new home. The people were friendly, food was delicious, shopping was to die for,  and the views were stunning. Here are some of my favorites...

First stop Wrigley Field to see the Cubs take victory over the Mets.

Harry Caray's Tavern. Holy. Cow.

 Navy Pier

Architectural boat tour- my favorite buildings

Sears Tower, excuse me Willis Tower

The Bean!!

Go Phi Mu!

View from our room

I love you Ross. Thank you for being you. My best friend, husband, and amazing brother in Christ. Here's too many more years and many more trips.