Memphis

My mom, dad and I went to Memphis Christmas night (Richie stayed home because he had to work before we would be back) to visit my Nana and other family.  It was a very quick trip- we flew there the night of the 25th and flew back the morning of the 27th, but we got a lot done in a quick trip!  We spent time with my Nana, had lunch with my Aunt Paula and cousin Lauren, visited my cousin Brock and his wife Grace and their beautiful baby Ellee.  We had dinner at Aunt Carla and Uncle Skips and got to see my cousin Kelsey and meet her cute new boyfriend, see Steph and her husband and two precious kiddos, and my other cousin Becky and her husband their 4 cute kids! Like I said, a lot of visiting in a short amount of time!

I am thankful for Memphis- to have been born there, for all of my family that lives there, and for visits back there!

Christmas

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful. Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6
I am thankful to be a Christian and for the birth of Jesus. :)

A Christmas Eve to remember...

My family usually does the "typical" Christmas Eve...go to church and then either go out to a nice dinner or go back to my parents house to a delicious meal my mom had made. This year it was just my parents and Richie and me, since Robbie and Laura were with her parents, so I felt like we should change things up a little. I have been having this feeling in my heart lately that I should start giving back more and volunteering, so I figured what better time than Christmas Eve? I did some research and found Safe House- a Christian organization in downtown Atlanta that provides food for the homeless.  I contacted someone in their organization and we were good to go!
So this year, we went to church a little earlier than normal and then headed downtown to Safe House.  We made dinner for 150 homeless people and then helped serve it to them.  All the people there were so appreciative of the food and were saying Thank you and God Bless as you passed it out to them...  Things like that really help put life into perspective.  I am thankful for the chance to volunteer there, and for all that I have been blessed with.

I said yes!....4 years ago :)

Four years ago today, I woke up in Dothan, AL after one of my best friends Stephanie's weddings.  Richie (who was then my boyfriend) and I drove back to Atlanta, anxious to get home for the holidays. We got home and I was exhausted.  I had driven to Dothan straight from school earlier in the week to help Stephanie with last minute wedding details and frankly, all I wanted to do was go to sleep.  Richie had informed me on the way home though that we had to go to dinner with his parents.  While I love his family, I was secretly wishing I could just have a quiet night in. :) Little did I know my attitude would change!
We got to the house I lived at with 3 other girls who were already at home with their families for Christmas.  It was in Buckhead, but on a back street with a huge backyard and patio, so you almost didn't feel in the city.  I hung out for a little bit and then went to get ready for dinner.  As I was walking to get Richie, he called to me from the back door and asked me to come into the back yard.  As soon as I walked out there, I knew something was going on.  There were lights strung all over the place and it was "snowing." (Yes he made it snow in my backyard- how precious is that???)  He started talking and before I knew it, he was down on one knee.  I immediately said Yes!
I then found out that we weren't just meeting his parents for dinner but both of our families to celebrate our new engagement! I definitely changed my mind about wanting a quiet night in after that excitement.

I am so thankful for that night four years ago.  I am thankful that the love of my life asked me to marry him...and that I said yes!

High School Girls Christmas Party

Last night I had my Secret Santa party with all my high school friends.  We have been doing this party every year since middle school pretty much, so it's pretty cool that we still have it going.  Most of our high school friends are scattered over the map, so for a lot of us, this is one of the only times we get to see each other all year (or at least one of the few times we see each other).  I love that when we do all get together, it really is like we are all still in high school and stay up late talking like we still see each other every day.  I am thankful for my high school girls Christmas party and for all the wonderful friends that I still have from high school!

Polar Express Day

OK so I am technically skipping Wednesday and being thankful for two things that took place on Thursday, which will be the next two posts.  That's ok, right? :)

We had Polar Express Day on Thursday in 1st grade this year.  This brilliant idea came to us last week and I think it will be a new tradition for our grade! The kids all wore pajamas to school (we did too of course!) and we watched the movie in the morning and then did activities to go with the movie in the afternoon.  I made pancakes and hot chocolate for my class before the movie and then sent them to another class to listen to the story.  While the were gone, we moved the desks and arranged the chairs in rows so it was set up like a train.  We had both classes come in and show us their "Polar Express tickets" to enter the train to watch the movie.  All in all, it was a pretty great day in first grade!

I am thankful for the fun Polar Express Day we had and for my job that allows me to have so much fun while working!

weeknight date nights

Richie and I will go out to eat on weekends usually, but for the most part we stay in and I cook during the week.  However, one of the gift cards I got today at my party was to California Pizza Kitchen, which we never really go to for some reason.  I had some last Christmas shopping to do, so we decided to meet over by the mall for dinner.  It was so nice to have an unexpected "date night" in the middle of the week and to go out to dinner instead of haing to cook.  Best of all, we got to use my gift card! :) I am thankful for weeknight date nights!

class party- success :)

We had our class holiday party today, which as a teacher you are always slightly nervous about.  You have a room full of parents and sometimes siblings, you aren't sure how your students will act with their parents there (or even more, not there), you never know if the crafts will pan out, etc.  Basically as teachers, we are hardwired to think of everything that could possibly go wrong in day to day situations and then have solutions ready for when they do.  However, with the class parties, we don't plan them so we have to step back and release the control which is very hard for most teachers to do.  We love the idea of releasing control, but when it comes down to it, it makes us nervous.  My party today was the epitome of a success!  My kids had the best time ever, they were engaged the entire time they were at each rotation (no wanderers), there were no meltdowns, and it was shockingly calm and quiet for a first grade party! I really think they were all so into the centers that they weren't being rowdy at all.  Even my principal said he wouldn't have thought a party was going on in my room with how well my kids were acting! Talk about a teachers dream!!
At the end of the party, I got the absolute sweetest gift.  A parent in my class made a Christmas tree out of wood and put all the kids faces on it as ornaments with my face at the top as the star.  Then she strung a ton of gift cards from my class that she had collected on tinsel and hung it on the tree.  So thoughtful and creative.  I am thankful for a very successful class party and for feeling very appreciated by my class!!

Close up with out the gift card tinsel on it

leslie's baby shower!

One of my best friends that I grew up with since 7th grade is having a baby! She isn't due until Spring, but she lives in Nashville, and all of our other high school friends are scattered over the US, so we decided to go ahead and have a baby shower while people were here for the holidays! Les is going to be such an amazing mom because she is so kind hearted, hilarious, and laid back; and I know she and her precious husband Dusty (who is one of Richie's fraternity brothers! small world!) are going to give this baby all the love he or she (we don't know! it is killing me!) could ever want.   I am thankful for Leslie, the sweet baby she is having, and for the chance for our friends to get together and celebrate!

puppy chow

I grew up making puppy chow every year at Christmas with my mom to give to people, and to eat ourselves of course! Mine and Richie's friends Jenna and Micheal stayed with us last night and Jenna showed up with a present for me.....puppy chow!!  Needless to say, I was quite excited!  It has been a little while since I've had it and man, that stuff is addicting!  I have founf my hand reaching in grabbing little bites all day!!  Dangerous! I am thankful for yummy, yummy, yummy puppy chow!!

Zolas

Last night Richie and I went to one of my favorite restaurants, Zolas.  It is the itty bitty Italian place, but it is soo yummy!  I got the Zola's chicken which is chicken with mushrooms and artichoke hearts in marsala sauce.  It usually comes with mashed potatoes, but I always get it over angel hair instead. So delicious!  They give you so much, that I had it again for dinner tonight!  I am thanful for a yummy little local restaurant!

Christmas candles

Yes, I am still on the Christmas kick... But if you are an avid reader of my blog, you will remember that I had a similar obsession of all things Fall, so I will eventually gwt off of this kick and onto something else.  I am quite obsessed with my Christmas candles right now though and how they are making my house smell.  I typically go Frasier Fir all the way this time of year, but I currently have a Cinnamon in my kitchen and I must say, it is quite nice. We ahve a real tree and I have the tree smelling candles in the den so when you mix those scents with the cinnamon candle going as well, it smells quite heavenly.  I am thankful for these little pieces of happiness that we can find in life. :)

Ornament Exchange

On Wednesday, I had my very first ornament exchange!  It was about 8 girls total and I made dinner (chicken lasagne and salad) for everyone and then we did a "dirty" ornament exchange where draw numbers and you pick an ornament or steal one.  It was so much fun and we all had the best time! I think it is going to become my new Christmas tradition! :) I am thankful for my sucessful ornament exchange!

jeans in Decemeber

I am so thankful that we are able to wear jeans to school for the entire month of December!  It has made getting ready for school so much easier! :)

Christmas trees

Are you noticing a trend with my topics?  I think someone's getting in the Christmas spirit...... :)

I am thankful for my Christmas trees!  Yes, I am crazy and have two, but what can I say, they make me happy when I walk in the door and see them.  So I won't apologize for that! :) 

Here is my main tree in the den:

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Close up of den tree

Tree in living room

Christmas parties

Part of the reason my week was so chaotic was because I had 5 Christmas parties (counting Saturdays) going on!  While they do wear me out and make it hard to wake up in the morning, it is so worth it because they are so much fun!  I had the college girls on Saturday (which I wrote about in my last post), a dinner club with a really sweet group of friends on Monday, my bible study Christmas party Tuesday, my ornament exchange Wednesday (which you will see in a post coming up!), and then my work part on Friday! Phew, I am worn out all over again just thinking about it! I really do love having lots of Christmas parties to go to though, because it puts you in such a happy mood and it is such fun to visit with friends this time of year.  I am thankful for all the wonderful and fun Christmas parties I had this past week (and for my high school girls one that is coming up next week!)

diva christmas

Every year my college best friends and I get together and have a Christmas party/gift exchange.  We rotate who hosts it each year (this year finished out the full cycle of all 6 of us so we will start over again next year) and we draw names so we don't have to buy gifts for all.  We usually start emailing about picking a date in August (I am really not kidding) so that we can all make sure we set that weekend aside to all be together.  This time was Stephanie's turn to host so we spent the weekend in Auburn and had so much fun!  Bryn always comes up with a super fun game for us to play to decide who gets to open the gift first and this year was no exception!  I am thankful for such a great group of best friends and for our yearly Christmas party!

Our "signature" pose that got started at our first Christmas party

a chance to blog

To say that the last week has been busy, would be a huge understandment.  Hence why I am WAY behind on the blog posts.  I am thankful for a nice quite Saturday night in and a chance to catch up on my blog... :)

peppermint mochas ;)

Believe it or not, I had never had a peppermint mocha until this morning.  I am not a huge peppermint fan (except for like Junior Mints and such), so I was afraid it would be too minty for me and didn't want to give up something I knew would be delicious like a gingerbread latte! :) This morning, Richie was saying he had had one and how yummy it was, so I decided I was gonna try it!  I stopped on the way to school this morning and... oh my! I definitely see what the fuss is all about!  I am thankful for my new found love of peppermint mochas!

chiropractor

I carry stress in my neck, shoulders, and upper back which causes some of my headaches.  I started going to the chiropractor a few years ago for this and I know a lot of people scoff at chiropractors, but it truly works.  Plus, they have a massage therapist that is unbelievable!  I got in for an appointment yesterday and was able to get in for a 45 minute massage! ahhhhhh.....  I am thankful for my visits to the chiropractor, especially when they include a massage!

believe in the unbelievable

On Tuesday night, our Bible Study went to Fellowship Church where Mollie's adorable mother-in-law Sheree is the director of women's ministry.  They were having their Women's Christmas Event and Sheree spoke and Ginny Owens played the piano and sang (if you have never heard here- find her music now- she is unbelievable).  The message was about the Christmas story that we all know and love, but in a new light.  It was about how we have a God who expects us to believe in the unbelievable and miracles (such as a virgin getting pregnant and having a baby) because He has made them happen.  I am so incredibly thankful to have a Lord that does make me believe in the unbelievable.  In this world we live in, it's so important to remember that He can do the unbelievable and He has...just for us. 

workout videos

If you have On Demand, you may not know about this very cool feature on there- ExerciseTV!  It's awesome if you are like me and don't want to pay for a gym membership anymore and it is too nasty to run outside!  I have recently come to the realization that I have no time to work out after school and the last thing I want to do when I get home from whatever I may have going on in the afternoon, be it babysitting or whatnot, is work out.  So, I have started waking up in the morning on doing one of these videos.  It's perfect because I just have to walk downstairs to do it and then go right back up and hop in the shower afterwards, so I'm not having to wake up all that early!  I am thankful for ExerciseTV on Demand to get my hiney in gear! :)

Christmas music

I could listen to Christmas music in July...seriously, I love it.  When I first started college and would drive home, I would put a Christmas CD in while I was going through downtown because it would calm me in all of that traffic!  So needless to say, I take full advantage of listening to it when it is deemed socially acceptable like right now!  Richie and I got our real tree today and I decorated it and of course, put on my Christmas music!  It just put me in the best mood!!  I am thankful for Christmas music and how happy it makes me!

*I do two trees and the other isn't decorated yet, so I will post pics when they are both done!

Blue Ridge Mountains

This weekend, we rented a cabin Blue Ridge with some of our friends- Adrianne and Chris, Tommy and Lauren, and Nate and Bryn came Friday!  We had so much fun going into the town, hanging out, playing games, ec this weekend.  I am so thankful to have such a cute, fun mountain town that is so close to Atlanta!  You drive a little over an hour, but feel worlds away because you are able to get away from it all! Hope you all had a nice weekend!

Gingerbread Lattes

I treated myself to Starbucks this morning and had a grande gingerbread latte. MMM!!!!  I am thankful for yummy gingerbread lattes around Christmas!  Enjoy your weekend! I am heading home to finish packing for the mountains!

Jambalya

I love spicy food and jambalaya has recently become one of my favorites.  Best of all, it is so super easy.  Just buy a box of Zatarans, chop up smoked turkey sausage (I sometimes throw rotisserie chicken in too) and voila! dinner is made.  So easy and super yummy for a cold night.  I am thankful for a quick and easy recipe, and that I had the ingredients to make it last night!

Migraine prevention

If you have ever had a migraine, you know how bad they are.  I get them and lately I am getting them a lot.  Not fun.  I finally went to the doctor about them and she put me on this medicine, Topamax, which is a preventative which means it will hopefully keep me from getting them!  Thank goodness!!!  I am thankful for my new migraine preventative and just pray that it works!

rain coat!

I love jackets.  In fact, it is kind of an obsession.  I have a closet stuffed full of them ranging in length, colors, and thickness.  However I don't have any "outdoorsy" jackets.  All of my "casual" jackets either have fur collars or are still cutesy.  So, I desperately needed a windbreaker/rain coat type jacket.  I have never bought a North Face or any of those because I can't bring myself to spend that much money on a jacket that isn't "me".  I know, I know, I am a dork.  However, I found a soultion to it.  While we were in Highlands, I found a pink (kind of a carnation color pink) Vineyard Vines rain jacket that you could layer over a fleece...(now I just need to get the fleece! Haha!)

I am thankful for my new rain jacket, especially with all the rainy days we had early this week!!