Friday Favorites

Hello friends! Happy Friday! I am thinking of starting a "Friday Favorites" series, today's post being the first. Depending on the success of this post I will either continue posting "Friday Favorites" in the future or post randomly like I normally do.

1. Carmel Apple Spice from Starbucks
(Click HERE for the recipe.)

Recently, I was introduced to the Carmel Apple Spice from Starbucks. It is amazing! Can you say "addicted?" Thank you, Savannah! If you have a spare $3.40, try this drink! It is a mix of everything wonderful. If you’re longing for the toasty warmth of a woolly blanket and crackling fire but don’t have the luxury of escaping to a cabin, this drink will suffice. It is steamed apple juice, sweetened with cinnamon syrup, cinnamon dolce, whipped cream (if desired) and caramel sauce. It is a striking, yet soothing balance between sweet and tart that never fails to hit the spot.

I was never a huge Starbucks person before this semester. However, UAB requires that every student put $250 on their Blazer card for meal purposes. This fee is added in with all the other fees when you pay tuition at the beginning of the semester. If the $250 is not used during the semester it rolls over to the next semester, but we still have to pay the $250 again.Unfortunately, there is no way around paying the fee. (Welcome to the world of college life.) If there was a way around the fee, I certainly would not be drinking Starbucks every Monday-Wednesday-Friday between classes.

The croissant on the left is from deli ZeBi. Definitely try ZeBi! ZeBi is a quick, healthy deli with multiple food options. The food is fresh and the menu offers sustenance for any eater. There are whole grain options, vegetarian food, fruit, and proteins. With two kinds of sandwiches available (baguettes and flat bread), salads, soups, baked goods, and snacks on the counter, everything just asks to be purchased. To top it off, ZeBi also sells caffeine, as in multiple coffee options!



2. Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes

Who does not loves a Little Debbie cake? I wish I could meet Little Debbie because I would give her the biggest hug ever. I would absolutely love to ask her why in the world there are not two Christmas tree cakes in a pack, when there are clearly two zebra cakes in a pack. Then, I would tell her to look at my expanding hips ha! I have an unhealthy relationship with Little Debbie cakes, especially around the holidays. I am a huge fan of the zebra cakes, but the Christmas tree vanilla cakes are my all time favorite. The Christmas tree cakes are only available seasonally, so of course I over eat my fair share.

While we are grocery shopping I normally do not allow Tony or myself to put anything into the buggie that is not on the list. It makes things simple for me when it comes time to pull out the coupons at the register. It also makes things simple for him when he pulls out the wallet to pay. However, while we were doing our grocery shopping last Sunday we might have bought two boxes of Little Debbie Christmas trees, one chocolate and one vanilla.

We finished off the two boxes of tree cakes last night, which is pretty impressive. I was almost positive that the two boxes would not have made it this long into the week. More than likely, Little Debbie Christmas trees will grace my grocery list for the next month or so. We may even stockpile! I do not understand why, but eating Little Debbie Christmas trees is seemingly more delicious than the zebra cakes (even if there is only one in a pack). :)



3. Leopard Print Slippers

My precious husband bought me an early Christmas present this past weekend- leopard print slippers!The hardwood and tile floors in our little home are so cold during this time of year. I typically wear two pair of socks while cooking because the kitchen tile kills my feet. The hardwood is not as bad, but it is still nice to have a pair of socks on while walking around. The other day he mentioned slippers and I figured a pair would be perfect to try out! We actually found these at our local Walmart. So far, I am in love with the print and the fuzzy feel. As soon as I walk in the door my flats come off and the slippers come on. (PS- They were only $11. Steal!)

Tony has spoiled me with these slippers. Three mornings this week I have fallen asleep after 1:30 because I was studying for the AECTP. The last late night I was up I did not even attempt to tidy up my books or to put away my shoes and clothes when I was done. I was honestly too tired to care about what our place looked like. I know he could care less about things being tidy, as I have learned I typically am cleaning or tiding things only for my benefit. Anyway, one morning before he left for work he brought my new slippers into the bedroom for me to have when I woke up and made my foggy trek to the coffee pot. I was so thankful I did not have to touch the freezing floors! My husband has a precious heart for me.



4. Glade Holiday Candle- Nutmeg, Vanilla, Cinnamon

Ah! There are not enough good things I can say about this Glade candle and its amazing smell! Thank you, Lord, for the holiday season and all the greatness that is sold! Not only am I in love with the seasonal Little Debbie Christmas tree cakes, but I am also obsessed with the Glade holiday candle collection. As I type this, there are four candles burning in our little home- two Nutmeg (my favorite) and two Apple Cinnamon.

I know I made a plug earlier this week in this post for the Yankee candles that are currently on sale at Bed Bath and Beyond. However, I must admit that the Glade candles from Walmart smell so much better. You wanna know what is even better? ....They cost half of the sale price of the Yankee candles! Plus, there are coupons galore in the Sunday papers for Glade candles right now. Yay! Another seasonal item to stockpile!



5. Sally Hansen Brilliant Bordeaux Nail Polish

I am really weird when it comes to my nails. I do not like getting my nails done by someone and I am not a fan of acrylics. I have had acrylics put on for big occasions, but once the event is over the nails come off. For some reason I am a huge nail polish person. If I do not have nail polish on my nails I feel naked. I am not really sure where I obtained this odd habit. I think it may be from watching my mom paint her nails often when I was younger. On the contrary, my mom used to say that my hands and feet looked like my dad's. So, maybe I have man hands and it is an underlying pet peeve on mine. Nevertheless, nail polish always seems to complete my outfit/look for the day similar to the way lip stick works for other ladies. It is very seldom that I will do something in public without my nail polish looking perfect.

Since early October I have been wearing the same color from Sally Hansen, Brilliant Bordeaux. It is a mix of crimson and purple. It is not too dark and it goes well with just about every outfit. It is a color that is very fall, but it also mixes well with the transition to winter. Also, I only have to put on two coats. I normally add a coat of clear for shine. I found this bottle at Walmart, but I am sure it can be found at any drugstore, grocery store, or beauty department.



P.S.- Tips and Tricks

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, I am sorry for being redundant. However, I thought these pictures below are little tips and tricks many people would love to know if they do not already.

Last Sunday I spent a lot of time in the kitchen preparing meals for this past week. I knew that I would be busy studying for the AECTP and working on study guides for my finals so I planned a few meals ahead. Also, living with a picker eating makes things a bit frustrating at times. I have decided to try "presenting" some foods and snacks that are different from what he is accustom to eating in hopes that he may want to try new things. We shall see if my idea unfolds as planned.

Trick #1- The photo in the upper right corner is a trick I saw on Pinterest. A fellow pinner said if a pot is boiling, you can place a wooden spoon over the pot and the water/pot contents will not boil over. This trick works! I have tried it on many occasions!

Tip #2- The bottom right photo is a cake dome that I have turned into a snack bowl. If you own a footed cake plate it is designed to be displayed or used in six different ways. We received this cake dome as a wedding gift and I have used it since day one! I love it! I try to keep only one sweet in the kitchen at a time so this week's sweet was the Little Debbie cakes. Instead of having an empty cake plate on the counter (taking up space that we do not have) I flipped it upside down and put a few snacks inside. I think it turned out really neat! Eventually I will want to bake again and the snacks will have to go back into their appropriate containers if not eaten. (Try not to judge the contents of our snack bowl!)

Tip #3- The photo on the left is a pewter serving stand that we received as a wedding gift that I am currently using as a fruit stand. We received a TON of pewter for our wedding. (To everyone who sent us pewter- Please do not take offense. I love each piece! Thank you for your gift! I am certainly not complaining!) We really do not have the kitchen space for storing pewter. Also, pewter is not really appropriate for the events we attend at this stage in our marriage. Instead of having my in-laws store the gifts I came up with a creative way to display the pieces similar to something I saw in a magazine. We have a large amount of space between our cabinets and ceiling, which allowd me to display each piece above our cabinets. I added burlap and a few kissing balls pew markers from our wedding, too. I am sure at some stage in my life I will get a lot of use out of each piece. For now, they are an eye catcher in our kitchen!

If you have extra pewter dishes and no where to store them, find some creative way to display them. I think this piece is classy, gorgeous, and finally useful. It works really well for all of our apples. (We eat an insane amount of apples!)



If you enjoyed "Friday Favorites" let me know! I will be using this post to determine if I should create a series and continue posting. I feel like this post is full of rambling. It may just be me writing a lot more than usual since I have ample time. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Until next time- Happy Blogging!

Giggle Box

For today's post I am going to share a little bit of newlywed bliss... Excuse me for being sappy, but it comes from the heart. Every now and then I have to give credit where credit is due. Right now, the man up stairs and my husband deserve a lot. :)

Over dinner the other night I caught Tony laughing to himself for no apparent reason. I did not really know what in the world he was laughing about because we both we too busy woofing down pork chops and mashed potatoes to utter a word, let alone a sentence. We were not talking about anything specific at the time, so I really did not understand immediately what could have been so funny. I thought maybe I had food on my face or something?

All his giggles boiled down to him actually saying, "I am just happy, Kalyn. Can't I laugh for no reason? You know, I heard it's really good for your health." I believe the Lord and everyone else know Tony and I surely are not exercising on a daily basis. Unfortunately, laughing is about the only healthy benefit we are experiencing right now in life. (It would be nice if it helped you to lose weight! :)

Have I told y'all yet how hilarious my husband can be?

I am sure many of you have experienced the giggles at one time or another. Once they start, it is hard to stop. Since Tony was laughing, of course I began laughing, too. I guess you can say laughing can be a bit contagious. If you have not laughed in a while, try it!

Once we pulled ourselves together and finished our meal I took a minute to send a little praise up to Jesus for sending me a man that fits me so perfectly. We actually both sat there for a few minutes in silence, only smiling at each other because we realized how wonderful our little world has become over the last few months all because the Lord brought to people together to share life and love.

 

Our journey thus far has been so crazy. From the start of our engagement, many doubted we would make it getting married at such young ages. As my second mother always says, "You two fit together like puzzle pieces, Kalyn. Time will tell all. You need not saying anything." Over the past few months I believe that our love story has shown others (and Tony and I) more than we could ever say in order to make others believe we were ready for marriage.

Over the past six years we learned that we were fit for each other, but we had to wait on the Lord's timing to truly experience the next chapter of our relationship, which would have been becoming marriage partners. Our love story has certainly turned out differently than we planned seven years ago, but it could not have unfolded more perfectly than it has. I can honestly say that the last five months of my life have been the most full ever experienced. I am so thankful for how the Lord has shaped and formed our relationship.

Living life with my hero is truly simplicity at its best. Having him come out and say that he was "just happy" made my heart light up and brought tears to my eyes. I have been known to be a little emotional since our engagement, but when he spoke those few words something inside of me instilled my love for him even more. There are not many words better that he can speak to me than those few words he did.

It does my heart good to know that Tony Harper is happy. Knowing that he is happy, in turn makes me all the more happy. I may not be the best wife, student, cook, or cleaner, but my husband is happy and that is all that matters to me. Happy wife=happy life. :)

 

"Smile through the tears, and pray the entire way through."

On many occasions I have commented how much, "I LOVE love." With an honest heart with of faith, hope, love, and thanks I praise the Lord for sending me a man with a precious heart, full of generosity, compassion, humility, patience, and guidance. He inspires me to be a better Christian, wife, student, daughter, sister, and friend. He inspires me to love life more than I ever have. He has taught me to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed, and to share the silence when they are not. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)

 It does not make any sense to my earthly mind all the amazing things the Lord does for me each day. This is because I cannot comprehend the mind of Christ. I am human. I make mistakes. However, I do know that the Lord loves me, a wicked filthy sinner. Romans 5: 8 says, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." The Lord has been faithful. Through my sin He saw fit to bless me with just the perfect person for me at the perfect time in my life.  I am so blessed to have found a man who will stand by my side forever- through the thick and thin, and even through the tears and giggles. 

I am blessed beyond measure. I praise the Lord for blessing Tony and I with the experiences, opportunities, trials, and triumphs He has bestowed upon our marriage. I have realized in the last few months more than ever before that life is SO short. We are not promised tomorrow. I would like to encourage each and every person who is reading today to simply "Live life. Laugh often. Love much."

    

"God loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you that way. He wants you to be just like Jesus." – Max Lucado

1 John 3:1 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Until next time- Happy Blogging!

It's Christmas Time!

Hello Everyone! It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Randolph home! Hit play on the video below, scroll down, and enjoy!

As promised, below are some photos of our gorgeous Christmas decor that we put up on Sunday! This post is mainly for those family members and friends who will never be able to make it this way within the next month, but have asked to see our decor. However, I hope everyone enjoys this post regardless of the reason you are reading and following along today. 
 
Before we get started, I wanted to share that I have linked up with Kelly's Korner blog for the Christmas Tour of Homes. If you have a little free time I would encourage you to check out her blog and all of the gorgeous home decor from fellow bloggers who have linked up, too. (This is my first link up party to try-- I am hoping to do it correctly!)

 

Luke 2:14: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
 

Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. "

We purchased everything from either Target or the Martha Stewart Christmas 2012 Collection at Home Depot. We set aside some time to decorate everything Sunday evening while enjoying a little Christmas music. It was a nice way to unwind after a tiring yet wonderful Thanksgiving, while also trying to gear up for the week ahead. This was our first time to decorate for Christmas together and although it was different for us both, it was truly an enjoyable first experience. Tony and I are looking forward to many more years of decorating for holidays together!

At first, I was not too crazy about the idea of having a real tree, but Tony insisted. When I was young my parents bought an artificial tree with lights already on it when they were first introduced at Lowe's. Ever since, we have always used that same tree each year. I have never been a huge fan of real trees since they make such a mess. However, since this is Tony's absolute favorite time of year he has let me do as I pleased with decorating and I in turn allowed him to have the final word. So, we bought a live tree. He said it smells really good (And, I have noticed it does), which was an automatic consolation for me due to my recent candle obsession over the Glade holiday scent collection. Anyway, we will see how long the tree lives and how much of a mess it makes. I hope it will at least live until we hit the road yet again for Christmas visitations. If it lasted until New Year I would be very impressed!

 

In THIS POST I discussed where we purchased the tree if you would like to read more and see photos.

The tree with decor turned out really well given the limited space that we have for its presentation. When we first brought it home Saturday night we were somewhat apprehensive about its size since our study room is not very large. We were able to do a bit of maneuvering with our furniture and have completed dedicated the study to Christmas for the next month.

I definitely agree with the fact that no matter what tree is picked out, it will look larger once inside versus when it was outside. Although our ceilings are 9 feet, we thought it would be best to go with a tree that would be 7-7.5 feet. I was determined to not bring home a "Charlie Brown tree." I was determined to find a tall, full tree. We found a tall, full tree but also noticed once it was inside that it looked a bit egg shaped. We did a little shaping, cutting, and turning to make it look better. I am not sure if the view on the other side of the tree is as good as ours. :) 

A smaller tree might have been better because of space, but we certainly made this tree and its size work well. Overall, we are very pleased with our tree and little home decor. At midnight on Sunday we called it a day and decided that our little home certainly felt like Christmas!

 

 

The photo below shows a few of my favorite ornaments we have purchased. I mentioned this in yesterday's post, but I am going to say it again: If you are a 2012 newlywed there are precious ornaments at Bed Bath & Beyond right now specifically for couples from the Lenox 2012 Wedding Collection. The ball ornaments can be found at Village Jewelry & Sports in Butler, Alabama, and at Lazy Acres Farm in Chunky, Mississippi (Both have Facebook Fan Pages which will allow you to order online, if interested).

 

I am pretty sure that these ornaments can also be found at most generic gift stores in many areas or hospital gift store, as well. I am hoping to have our wedding date painted on the back of each ball as soon as I can unwind from school and find a little free time. All the hometown Brides reading from Choctaw County that got married in June- You must check these ornaments out, ladies! :)

 

 

The photo below shows our mantle decor. We have a fireplace that connects into our living room and bedroom. We decorated only the living room mantle with garland. Tony added a strand of lights and I added a few ornaments and decor to give the garland a little more pop.

We were not paying attention when we positioned and nailed our stocking holders on the mantle so they are very off centered, but we were okay with it. It was about 11:00 pm when we were working on the mantle so we decided to let it be. Try not to judge. We know it looks terrible. :)

The photo below shows our poinsettias and coffee table decor. The gorgeous poinsettias I went crazy for in Home Depot. I saw the coffee table center piece idea on Pinterest.

 

I used a few extra ornaments from our tree decor and filled a square glass candy dish that was part of our candy table decor at our wedding reception. I think I may doctor the center piece up a bit with more ornaments and ribbon at a later date. I would like for it to have a more of the "wow factor" without being over dramatic. 

 

PS- The Yankee Candle was on sell at Bed Bath and Beyond for $7.49. This size candle it normally $18. If you are looking for a wonderful holiday scent I would recommend the Pumpkin Pie or Apple Cinnamon. Go check them out!   

 

 

The photo below shows our door hanger. The hanger was painted by the owner of Frankly Me in Butler, Alabama. I bought this specific hanger at Butler Fest back in October. I posted more about the hanger in THIS POST. 

Click HERE if you would like read about the hanger and all other projects the owner of Frankly Me creates and paints. She is very creative! You can find more pictures showcasing her gorgeous projects and wonderful talent on her Facebook Fan Page, as well.

The photo below is our Christmas card hanging area. This part of our decor is the only thing that I feel as though is not perfect yet. My study room is separated from our living room by a set of french doors. I thought it would be neat to hang the cards along the edge since the door cannot be closed since the tree is so large.

As you can tell, not much time or decor was put into this space for the cards. I had hoped to make something similar to the photo below on the right from an idea that I saw on Pinterest. For now, I guess I will continue to hang the cards along the door ledge. Once I have more free time after finals I plan to doctor this space up a bit.

                     

The photo below shows our outside patio decor in our little slice of paradise. Although it is not much, Tony was determined to put lights outside. We ended up with two extra strands of lights and he did not want to store them early. He opted to create a little bit of Christmas decor outside for others to see when driving by. We live in the front of our complex so as you drive in our building is one of the first you see. There are many others in our area that have done the same thing. Last night I had to drive to campus for a meeting and on my way back in I made sure to check out our Christmas tree through the bay window. It and the patio decor looked absolutely wonderful! (We plan to drive around a little closer to Christmas to see other lights so I hope to share those at a later date!)

Although our decor is not much compared to others, I truly hope it will all last depending upon where it is stored. As of now, I we do not have as much decor as other families, but I think it will come with time. We are very blessed to have been able to start our own collection of Christmas decor. For now, we are very content and thankful newlyweds in our little Christmas home.   

Decorating our first Christmas tree is one more thing to mark off the bucket list! We were both thrilled to go to Lazy Acres to find and purchase our very first Christmas tree. It was imperfectly perfect for us in more ways than one. Contrary to many, buying your first Christmas tree can be a very sentimental purchase. If you are like me, you may have shed a few tears. As our tree was being loaded into the truck I could not keep it together. Something came over me and it was all I could do to hold my tears back. Needless to say, the tears flowed and I had a grin a mile wide on my face.

Buying our first Christmas tree was such a precious moment for me. Tony eventually said, "You're gonna have to pull it together, now Kalyn." It took me a few minutes, but I composed myself and just praised Jesus in that moment. Being sentimental has become an understatement for me. I am so thankful that we have made it to this phase in our relationship and obviously I can no longer hide it. We are sharing life, love, holidays, and so much more together. This chapter in our lives has been the absolute best chapter yet, and I cannot even imagine all the Lord has in store for us.
 

 

We are looking forward to celebrating the Reason for the Season! The Lord has blessed us beyond anything that we  could ever deserve. He is the reason that we are here even though so many are taken each day. Through Him, Tony and I have purpose and I hope to continue to use this platform He has provided for me for His glory throughout the rest of this Holiday season, and even further.

Philippians 2:8-10: "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."

I hope you all have had a wonderful day! The first few days of Christmas are right around the corner! I hope you all are as excited as we are! I would encourage everyone reading while you are decorating or shopping during this celebratory season remember, "For the magic of presents during this season is in His presence!"

 

As always, until next time- Happy Blogging!

Our First Thanksgiving

Well, we officially have experienced another holiday as a married couple!!

Before I get into this post, first things first- During the last two weeks I have come across some gorgeous views in Birmingham near where we live that I wanted to share. As much as I love to cook then blog about it, I truly love photography even more. I will stop anything that we are doing on a dime to take a photo of a sunset or to catch a view similar to the two below. I thought it was fitting to share these photos today, as now the leaves are beginning to gather on the ground and are completely brown instead of the gorgeous oranges, reds, or yellows. I hope these photos remind you to stop and truly enjoy your surroundings no matter the scenery.

   "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished." - Lao Tzu

 

Whew. Thanksgiving break was a doozy for us, friends. We definitely kept the interstate busy, but we certainly have been notorious of that fact in the past. Like many, by the end of the weekend we were full as can be and dog tired, but we certainly celebrated our first Thanksgiving/ Thanksgiving break as a newlywed couple in all the right ways. I am not sure about all of you, but I truly hope your holiday was spent with all the right people and will be remembered as one cherished.

Let's play catch up.

Since my test last Monday I have been trying to hide from school because things are about to get crazy around here with taking a state requirement Saturday morning and finals next week. Since Halloween, I had been itching to get out and buy Christmas decor and ornaments so that is exactly what we did for the first few days of last week. I am the type of person who likes to enjoy Fall, then enjoy Thanksgiving, and then pull out all the Christmas decor, but this year is obviously different for us since we are experiencing all of our first holidays together. I am not sure why I was so excited to buy decor since I knew that we would not yet have a tree to hang everything on, so Tony persuaded me to wait a little closer to Thanksgiving before we went shopping. (We also have no where to store the decor, so I guess it was best to wait anyway.)

Since I lived at my parents and he never decorated his apartment while attending UA, we had no decor whatsoever to bring into our marriage. We drove around to a couple of stores in our area checking out what was being sold, then made our decisions on what style decor we wanted. I love being crafty and creative, but I just have not had the ample time to play around with all the ideas I have seen on Pinterest lately. For now, we are planning to start our on little collection of Christmas decor in the shades of bronze, red, gold, and silver. We bought many ornaments of different sizes, other tree decor, stockings, stocking holders, mantle decor, and a door hanger. I guess we will see where all of this decor takes us within the next few years as we transition into buying a home.

FYI- If you are a 2012 newlywed there are precious ornaments at Bed Bath & Beyond right now specifically for couples from the Lenox 2012 wedding collection. All the hometown Brides from Choctaw County that got married in June- You must check them out, ladies! :)

 After Tony got off on Wednesday afternoon we headed to our hometown in preparation for celebrating Thanksgiving. We made a pit stop in Tuscaloosa to do a little Christmas shopping at Woods and Water, then hit the interstate once again. The Randolph family gathered on Thursday for lunch. Afterwards, we headed to Chunky, Mississippi, to look for a Christmas tree at Lazy Acre Farm. This little farm grows and sells their own pumpkins and Christmas trees each year, and also has a place for the children to pet "reindeer" and a few other animals from the Christmas story. You can also buy Christmas decor, food and much more here. This little family owned farm is a growing attraction that draws many families from all over. Going to this farm has been a tradition for some time between Tony, his brother, and parents. He was really hoping that he and I could continue this tradition as newlyweds to get a live tree for our little home too. Luckily, all worked out well.  

 

 

Friday was spent shopping for a few Christmas gifts at local shops, visiting hometown high school friends and family friends, and Tony was able to spend some of the afternoon in the woods with his daddy. After dinner we hit the road yet again with Jordan and a friend in route to gather everything for our Iron Bowl tailgate in Tuscaloosa. Tony and I actually drove to our little home to drop off our tree we bought on Thursday so that he could get it in the stand with water then headed back to Tuscaloosa. Can you imagine how tired we were of sitting, driving, sitting, driving? Sometimes just wears us down! Needless to say, there was no time to be tired. We still had to be up by 6:00 the next morning in order to run to the store and gather everything for the tailgate and be ready for set up at 8:00 am. (Roll Tide, right? Please take note: I really love my husband and his Alabama Crimson Tide football addiction.) :)

I thought I would share a glimpse of a little hometown love we saw over Thanksgiving.

 

 

If you are an Alabama fan, you know that this past week was "Auburn Hate Week" in preparation for the big Iron Bowl on Saturday. Everyone in our tailgate crew met early Saturday morning to set up and to start cooking since kick-off was after lunch. We spent all day on the quad spending time with family and friends from all over. Although it was freezing cold, there was plenty of good food to enjoy and many memories made with everyone who stopped by throughout the day. If you would like to see pictures or read more on our UA tailgates this past season click HERE.

Sunday was my most favorite day of all from the last few days spent celebrating Thanksgiving, as it was the only day spent entirely with my husband. We did so much in preparation for the week ahead from decorating our tree and little home, to cleaning, meal planning, grocery shopping, unpacking since we had been on the road since Wednesday, clothes washing, ironing, cooking and so forth.... I think you get the picture. 

 

So many people have said that it was not Christmas time in Birmingham until the downtown Regions building was decorated and completely lit. I was not sure why everyone commented about this one building in particular, but once I saw it I understood. I thought I would share how gorgeous the building looks right now. If this decor does not get you in the Christmas spirit driving through town I am not sure what will!

Overall, this time in our lives is very exciting for us. We are starting our own traditions. We are sharing our thoughts and ideas for color of decor, how we want to spend the holidays together, what we look forward to, and so much more. In other relationships I have witnessed the opposite of this in the past, but I can testify that it is so much more enjoyable to have a husband who wants to participate and experience all of this with me. I truly have been blessed with the best husband. He is my hero, jokster, best friend, biggest fan, and so much more all wrapped into one. We are really enjoying this phase of our marriage and being able to share all of the holiday cheer together.

Coming Soon: Check back later for a post with all of our decor photos! Tony is planning to finish our outside decor this evening. I cannot wait to share our Christmas spirit with you all! I hope you all have a wonderful day! :)

As always, until next time- Happy Blogging!

I Said "YES!"

I said "YES!" to THE DRESS one year ago today! Crazy how times flies!

One year ago today I was at home working on some homework for the week ahead. I was not planning to go shopping for a wedding gown this exact day. Actually, my Baton Rouge bridesmaids, my Mom and Memaw were planning to go with me on December 10, 2011, for a fitting.

At the time, my sister was sick and had been in Tulsa, Oklahoma, receiving treatment for an eating disorder at an in-house hospital since early October. My parents had actually spent the week visiting her and were on their way home over the weekend. I needed a break from school work and I knew that my mom needed a break, so I asked her if she wanted to go to the Mall. We did not have the first thing we wanted to look for, but I figured we both could benefit a bit by getting out of the house for a few hours. Surprisingly, we found ourselves at David's Bridal looking at Bridesmaid dresses. Go figure, right?

While in the store, I ventured over to the bridal side and was scoping out the sale racks. Since it was the last Sunday and the month of November was about to end the employees were revamping the store for the spring collection of gowns to go on display, while stowing away the fall collection. I happened to see a brand new gown going on a manikin that was in the White by Vera Wang section of the store. This gown was absolutely nothing like what I thought I had wanted and I figured it would have a price tag that would make me puck. However, I stood there looking at this particular gown for about five minutes and then decided to just try it on for fun. Also, I had grabbed two other gowns from the sale racks that I just knew that I would love. Each of them were the trumpet style gowns with capped sleeves and had beautiful beading work and pearls. These two were exactly what I thought I had wanted, so of course I tried them on first! Little did I know... 

Needless to say, I went with the Vera Wang gown from the White collection for spring 2012! Third time is always the charm! After trying on the first two gowns I realized that I really wanted to be comfortable since I would be wearing the dress all day. Neither of the first two gowns were comfortable. They both looked good on, but were itchy and very tight fitting. Also, the first two gowns were extremely heavy because of the beading. Having a June wedding, I knew it would be hot so fitted and itchy was booted out.

Once I tried on the third gown, I knew it was the one! I noticed that what I thought I wanted was not actually something that flattered my figured, but I felt comfortable and classy wearing. Considering the bigger picture of our wedding and the theme of decor I was planning to have instilled my decision on gown #3 even more. I was going for the classic, simple decor full of champagnes, silvers, golds... So, all in all gown #3 ended up being the perfect mix.

The Vera Wang gown was Grecian goddess gorgeous. It was not the typical bridal gown, though. It had something going on in every direction, the ivory material was light weight, and everything flowed beautifully. It was a different type of gown, but it was simple and very much my style. I could walk in it well and I could use the bathroom by myself. Plus, it was brand new so I knew that no one else had tried it on, which was a huge deal to me. I actually had the belt added, which is also from the Vera Wang White collection.

Also, I my bought shoes, ceremony and reception veils, and a hairpiece from the same Vera Wang collection this same day. I added rhinestones to the hairpiece to give it a little something more. Since I was a walk-in Bride I thought I would have to come back for fittings, but because it was Sunday the store was not very busy and there was an open appointment slot. I actually was able to have everything accomplished in about an hour and my gown was ready to be pick up the week before Christmas.

Now, let me say this-- The whole being engaged process is very exciting and overwhelming all at once. It is so surreal every step of the way. I kept having to remind myself that I was getting married to the love of my life just about every other week because it was very easy to get caught up in all the planning hoopla and overlook the joy of the moment during our journey. I will admit that I knew I was engaged because I had a new ring on an important finger, but I just had a moment standing at the cash register paying for my gown. It was almost like everything hit me all at once and I realized, this is it. This is the gown I will wear walking down the aisle to get married. I am actually buying my wedding gown. I am getting married. It was a crazy moment, but it was a very rewarding moment. Definitely one that I will never forget.

I will admit that I was not a picky Bride when considering most things pertaining to my wardrobe for the day. I knew that I did not want a satin or strapless gown, but I did not know what all exactly I did want. To me, strapless is not appropriate for most women and satin has consistent wrinkles no matter how many times the material is pressed. Also, I noticed that this look was very overused in all the magazines I refereed to while planning our wedding. I did not want my gown to be the center of attention during the ceremony. Looking back, I do not feel as though I settled, but I think buying everything at once made the process so much easier for me since I was doing all of the planning, preparation, and decorating myself. It may sound weird coming from a Bride, but I was not all that gaga about finding a gown and making sure it was perfect. I think I had other planning priorities that I held at a higher level of being absolute perfection.

In the end, my husband loved my gown which is the ultimate goal of every Bride to-be. I truly just wanted the day to be a happy day. I wanted everyone to enjoy the day, and overall I think it turned out successful. Tony has asked me on numerous occasions if I would ever change anything about our wedding day if I could and I have thought it over many, many times. I have come to the conclusion that I certainly would not change a thing even though a few things did not go as planned. I am sure I could pin point things that happened that were not on the itinerary, but I would not go back and change those little missteps because they are what made the day so unique. It was the very best day of my life thus far. It was a day full of so much love, sweat and tears. :)  

A tip for anyone reading who may be doing bridal gown shopping in the near future- Try on something that you think you may not like and just have fun with it! It may turn out to be "the one!"

I had a beyond amazing photography team and stylist team! If you would like to check out the photographers information and work click here to access their blog. If you would like to check out one of the stylists who did my make-up for the wedding/hair and make-up for bridals click here.

Writing a post like this makes me happy. I get to relive so many of the moments of our engagement journey! I am thinking of doing more wedding posts about decor, crafts, DIY, tips, ect. Readers- If you would be interested in these topics or something specific pertaining to wedding/honeymoon planning please let me know. I would love feedback since I enjoy discussing these topics!

If you would like... I love sharing this type of information with others simply because I found all of my ideas for our wedding from reading other couples stories and seeing their pictures. I have listed below many options for more items to view or read about if you are interested.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about something that you may see and like.

This post has been linked up with Mary over at A Happy Wife in New Orleans. Follow the link to her blog to learn more about a link up and visit other blogs for wedding planning tips and tricks!

Here is to love, laughter, and happily ever after :)

• If you would like to see our wedding video click HERE.
• If you would like to read more about our wedding click HERE.
• If you would like to read more about our proposal story click HERE.
• If you would like to read more about our journey before the altar click HERE.

Happy Monday, friends! I hope you all have a wonderful day! Until next time, happy blogging!

Dominate The Tailgate



Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful week celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family! We had a wonderful first Thanksgiving and I plan to update everyone later this week. We had such a wonderful time tailgating with friends and family this year during football season that I thought today's post would be more appropriate to share for now. Stay tuned in for a catch up on Thanksgiving at a later date!  

 

Back in September I commented in this post about all the tailgate traditions my husband created as a student attending The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Now that he is an alum, this tradition continues. In the past, I was always in Baton Rouge for the home Alabama games so I never had the opportunity to part in the Tide traditions.

 

With my husband, finger foods, and baked goods in tow, we have been at most of the home football games this year cheering the Tide on from "the corner of the quad closest to the stadium." (Those in our tailgate crew will understand this!) Traditions in Tuscaloosa are very different from the traditions I have seen in Baton Rouge. However, it is these traditions that make each university so unique.

 

I have had a blast being able to spend each football game with my love doing something that he loves. I have never been able to take part in all the game day festivities simply because if my family went to an Alabama game we would only go in time to get in the gate for kickoff. This season I have finally experienced the Walk of Champions, Elephant Stomp with the Million Dollar Band, and the Homecoming Parade. It may not be the LSU Tigers or the Golden Band from Tigerland, but wherever my husband is led I will follow. I guess you can say that I found a little Tide pride somewhere deep down in my heart. I did end up purchasing two Alabama buttons in the middle of the season so I assume that means something, right? Ha! We are planning to buy a TJ Yeldon jersey to wear for next season, so that should be eventful in and of itself. :)

 

On a side note, can I just say that I LOVE the SEC. There is no competition better. The fans are the best of the best, and the traditions are out of this world. I love knowing that I have attended an SEC university, and I am sure it is a thrill for my husband to say that he is a graduate of an SEC university.

 

 

There are also many other perks to tailgating: Great food, spending time with family, establishing new friendships with friends met each game, and getting to see so many wonderful old friends. Once you get on the quad, it is a very small world because you can run into so many people you know all in one place! I cannot tell you how many times I have seen people I know while standing in line at the bathroom! (Go Figure!) Since I moved to Louisiana immediately after high school graduation it was not as easy for me to stay in contact with all the many friends created while competing in Alabama's State Jr.Miss Program (now known as Distinguished Young Woman) or attending Alabama Girl's State in Troy. Also, I have been able to stay in touch with many of my childhood friends or hometown high school girlfriends who are living in the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham areas. It is pure joy to be living near my roots again.

 

Another successful year of tailgating has been accomplished! It seemed as though our crew grew each more with each game and I can definitely testify that there is certainly none better to share the day with! The guys have completed the square by uniting 4 tents (with the help of Jordan and all the people he knows), we now have two grills, two TVs, and enough chairs for everyone plus more! I hope you all enjoy our memories from the 2012 football season. We have an awesome tailgate crew ("The Process")! Until next year! :)

 

As always, until next time- Happy Blogging!

 

Alabama vs. FL Atlantic

 

 

 

Alabama vs. Ole Miss (We did not get any pictures this game (Shame!). However, my husband did make an appearance on ESPN showing off his grill master skills. I am still waiting on that advertisement check from Kingsford to arrive in the mail haha.)

 

 

Alabama vs. Miss State (Homecoming Game)

 

 

 

 

Alabama vs. Texas A&M

 

 

 

 

 

Alabama vs. Auburn (Iron Bowl)