HAPPY BIRTHDAY TREY!

Today is Trey's 27th Birthday!!! He had a great birthday, normal work day, then he met me at the hotel and we drove to our FAVORITE restaurant Colonial Steakhouse in Pine Bluff!

It was SO yummy! Everything is always perfect there. The service (they are like dear old friends) and the Cotton Blossoms, Salad Bar, Steaks, Baked Potatoes, and Garlic Bread! And you can't forget the amazing dessert: Black Bottom Pie and Lemon Pie - HOMEMADE!

Trey's mom gets him a King Cake every year for his birthday. Trey is not a big cake fan, but he loves his King Cake once a year! It was a surprise to him this year and he was so excited that he dove right in for a piece. :)

(please excuse the hideous wallpaper...it is on our to-do list!) ;)

This Pic does NOT do this cake justice...it is melt in your mouth amazing!!

Bible Study and Prayers...

Trey and I went to our first Bible Study group last night at our Deacon's house. It started off really amazing with reading the verses and reflecting on them. The one in particular that we were discussing is Genesis 22: 1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 which is about how Abraham is going to sacrifice his only son to show his devotion to God. The amount of Faith that Abraham had in God that he would slaughter is son is unfathomable.

Deacon Dan received a phone call during this discussion and he heard the horrible news that his nephew and his wife had been murdered earlier in the day. His sister called to let him know. Their 2 year old son was found in the house, alive and unharmed. There are no words to describe that moment. I will forever remember it. Dan and his wife left the living room immediately in tears and our group sat in silence not knowing what happened. We continued with our discussions as best as we could and then Dan came back into the room to let everyone know what the disturbing news was. We were all in shock. We stood, held hands, and prayed together for Deacon Dan and his family. We cried together, for this unimaginable act of violence.

It was no coincidence that we were all there, memebers of his parish, discussing this reading from the Bible about Faith and devotion. God has a plan, it might not unfold the way we want it to, or we might not even know what that plan is, but God is there, working through each of us. Speaking through us in those moments of prayer and sadness.

Please pray for Deacon Dan and his family for their tremendous loss. For the 2 year old baby who will never know his parents. We will never know why these things happen, but I have faith that God will save us through these situations. We cannot always be saved from them, but he will save us through the unthinkable times.

Checking Off Projects!

We have been in our house for almost 2 years in April which means house projects are just now starting to get checked off the list. Does it really take that long, or is it partly laziness? Ha!

We finally decided on a color for the guest bedroom which is called Platinum, however, it turned out into a pretty bluish, silver color and looks very soothing on the walls! You can't see the color very well in the pics, but you get an idea. We hung a few items on the walls to get some stuff up on the walls.... we aren't through, but its a good start!

Also this weekend Amber and Andrew and Somerset came into town! I went to lunch with Amber and got to see Aubrey on Friday which was nice (sorry I don't have pics!)

Somerset drove in late Friday and we went to see He's Just Not That Into You which was good...but not as hilarious as we thought it would be. There were definitely some sad/troubling parts but it was good nonetheless. Saturday, we went to Oaklawn to see the horse races and had a blast! Ate lots horribly fattening food and watched all the pretty horses and the white snow flakes that starting falling mid-way through the races! We were in Somerset's family's box so that was nice to have a place to sit that wasn't the bleachers. Somerset even won $90!

We got a pic of us with Sophie this weekend (Bella was at Grandma Wood's) :)

It's hard to believe that little dog creates such big messes! ha!

FAT Tuesday and Girl Scout Cookies...

Happy FAT Tuesday everyone! It has truly been a "Fat" Tuesday for me. It did start off well with a good breakfast and lunch. Very low calorie! But dinner took a turn and I ate at Olive Garden and splurged a little....okay...a lot! To add to the matter, Girl Scout Cookies arrived (7 boxes to be exact) and plopped themselves nicely on my desk at work. Wow. I didn't really think that out when I ordered all those cookies!


My FAVORITES! Thin Mints and Tagalongs!


I am giving up Chocolate for Lent, so this is what I will be replacing all those sinful cookies with.... Fruit! My body will THANK me :)

I am also committing to saying a prayer for a different person every day of Lent. That is my something positive. My dear friend Cherin gave me this great idea and I will write down on a calendar or planner who I will pray for each day for 40 days, and I will give extra attention to that person as well as all the others I think about and pray for daily. Pretty neat huh? Thanks Cherin!

Oh, and Shopaholic was super cute....not really anything like the book, but very sweet nonetheless!

Confessions of a Shopaholic...here I come!

Let me just say, that I am TOO excited!! Trey and I are going to go see Confessions of a Shopaholic tonight (at 9:45 to be exact) and I cannot wait!

I have been dreaming for years that they would make a movie out of Sophie Kinsella's Best Seller. It was one of the most funniest, sweetest, crazy, and adorable books I have ever read and the best part was that I totally identified with Rebecca Bloomwood, the main character. I discovered this book a few years ago and read it within a day. Sophie has written four others that go into this series and I have read them all. None, of course, as good as her first novel which is near and dear to my heart. When I saw the preview for this movie I almost fell out of my chair with excitement, and now I am finally getting to go see it!
I must say I have one of the most sweetest husbands anyone could ever ask for. He, for obvious reasons, is not excited at all about seeing the movie, but is always willing to go with me, and I do the same for him.
I have prepared myself that it won't be like the book....you can tell a lot from previews. But, nevertheless, it will be a good movie. :)
I was a little upset that Reese Witherspoon was not cast to play Rebecca Bloomwood. However, Isla should do a perfect job.

Don't you just love those crazy clothes!? Ha!

Here I go...... Y E A!!!!

PS. Four pounds down! :)

1 Pound Down...

I am one pound down....and several more to go! ha! I have been researching a good website to join and keep track of all my daily food intake, exercise, etc. I finally decided to join www.myfooddiary.com and I am loving it so far! It does all the "work" for you and calculates how many cals you have taken in each time you enter in an item. Amazing.
Along with My Food Diary, I am re-joining my work-out regimen of Turbo Jam DVDs with Chalene Johnson who is awesome and even though I hate working out, I don't mind these dvds too much, sometimes they are actually fun once I get into the routine! I would also like to go to my Step Class at War Memorial eventually, if I can ever get off work at a decent time. Ha!

If The Dress Fits....

Trey and I are going to a Wedding in Virginia the first weekend in May and we are making a road trip out of it for our vacation! We are very excited and have been planning our hotel stays and our restaurant and entertainment stops along the way.
First things first...I need to fit into one these three dresses for the wedding! I bought these stunning beauties at White House Black Market before my wedding in 2007 and I no longer fit comfortably inside of them. So, my goal is to wear one of them to my dear friend Kaitlin's wedding in May! I have exactly 10 weeks and I have my Game Face on. The only thing in my way is the much anticipated delivery of The Girl Scout Cookies to my office in the next week or so! Of course I ordered one of every kind (I am sharing, I promise!) But I will really have to be mindful of how many calories are in each one of those cookies and write it down! :)
I am asking for thoughts and prayers on my path to success!

Sweet Bella

I haven't posted about Bella in a while and we snapped a couple of good pics of her this weekend. Sophie went to bed early on Friday evening and we brought Bella in our bed with us for some much needed attention. We scratched and massaged her for 30-45 minutes and she was in heaven! She is the sweetest dog with such a great personality...just look at this sweet face...

Look At The Presents Our Chihuahua Left For Us...

We got home from lunch at PF Changs today, and discovered a huge MESS! Sophie typically chews a corner of a pee pad or newspaper, or pulls one pad out of its box...but oh no...not today, we came home to the whole enchilada! She pulled Bella's papers our of both boxes and ripped them up, she pulled her soiled pee pads and scattered the remnants all over the house, amongst other moved items. We opened the door and she was just hopping around, tail wagging, and so excited we were finally home. We, on the other hand, we not as excited to see her. Poor Bella was off in the corner like "Don't look at me, I had nothing to do with this crazy mess." ha!

I immediately put Soph in a "time out" in her crate for her to "think about what she'd done" and when I came back this is the face I see...

How can you resist that sweet, innocent face? God blessed her with cuteness, its her only saving grace!

Aunt Mel for the Weekend....

I flew to Dallas to spend some time with Amber and Miss Aubrey (AKA Future Heart breaker) and we had a blast! We got some much needed girls time and we also got some unpacking done. Amber and Andrew just moved into a new house, so my main purpose was to go help with Aubrey and/or unpack boxes. We accomplished both, and even had time to go see Bride Wars!
I came home with lots of baby experience and plenty of fun memories. Ah, I miss them already!


I successfully put together this Baby Einstein Jumper for Aubrey! Amber definitely helped when trying to secure the seat (we should have read the directions closer!) But we did it!!
Who says I'm not Domestic??


Aubrey tried rice cereal and applesauce for the FIRST time while I was visiting. She did great! She finally got the hang of the spoon going into her mouth, and at the same time, having to suck off the cereal. She loved it - what a big girl :)

Prayers are needed for this sweet family!

I am a self-admitted Blog-Stalker (hey, at least i am honest...)ha! and I came across this blog of this sweet family. I have been reading their posts dating back to March 2006! After years of struggling to get pregnant, their prayers were finally answered in the form of a baby girl named Harper. She was born Friday, and was immediately flown to Tulsa in very serious condition. I am beside myself for this family...they did have some better news today, which is a step in a positive direction! Please keep them in your prayers, especially baby Harper.
Here is their blog... http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/

Everything has been going well for Trey and I. My new roles at work have changed and therefore I am working like a maniac! Between night MOD's, weekend MOD's and Saturday Office Coverage, I feel like I need to pack an overnight bag and stay at the hotel! It is a little insane, but I am surviving. I am lucky to still have a job and I know how blessed I am. I just need a little venting every now and then :)

Trey's job is going good....they just completed shift bids and he was able to stay on a day shift which is great! Other than jobs, we are painting our guest bedroom which is turning out very pretty! I will post pics once it is complete. Next project...painting the office!
Aside from household projects, we are just busy trying to keep Sophie off of Bella. That is certainly harder than it sounds...ha!

Oswa-liday Cocktails III at Liz's House!

Sunday Dec. 28th was the date for Oswa-liday Cocktails III at Liz Oswald's house! It is our Christmas get together with everyone and always a blast. Liz is quite the Martha Stewart and always cooks up a gourmet storm for us to enjoy. There is also the yummy (and quite dangerous) ginger punch that we all love so much. Our last little bit of Holiday Cheer before the New Year!
Somerset and Meghan


Luke, Trey, and Zac David

Luke and Irene

Liz and Somerset

Me, Somerset, Hannah, Meghan and Liz

Meghan, Zac, and Somerset

Somerset and I

Trey and I

2008 Second Annual Party!

Ian, Andrew, Trey, Bruce, and Ashley




Meghan, Liz, Hannah, and Somerset


Trey and Somerset


Jess and I

Vanessa and John

Catchin' up!

Trey and I

Amber, Aubrey, and I

Second Annual After-Turkey-Day Party!

It is now a tradition! Irene and I had our second annual party for our friends after Thanksgiving. It was so much fun and a blast to see everyone and catch up!


Yummy homemade goodies


Irene and I



Irene, me, and Somerset

My girls!