Marry Christmas!!

Hope everyone has a

Merry Marry Merry Christmas!!!

We love you all!

Oh Christmas Tree...Oh Christmas Tree...

So this is not our Christmas Tree but thought I would add it in for the Christmas spirit.

This was us in front of the WaterColor tree in Florida.

It was absolutely beautiful!

Andrew was determined not to limit our tree size by living in an apt. His mission was accomplished when we bought our 7-8ft tree. Our first real tree! It was so much fun going to look for a tree and decorate it. I have my old childhood ornaments but it still remains a little bare. It was lots of fun going back down memory lane as we hung my ornaments that I had picked out over the years. We are going to get some of Andrew's childhood ornaments later this week but for now we are happy with our lit tree and Christmas filled home!

Before we took the tree into its new home.

We promise till love you and keep you alive.

(unlike all our other plants)

=)

Our finished tree with ornaments and lights.

More ornaments to come soon.....

Merry Christmas!!!

"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth.....

But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create."

Isaiah 65:17-18

Thanksgiving and Thankful

I was so thankful to have spent Thanksgiving with my mom, lee, michele/tyler, the kids, and andrew. We had so much fun for the week in Watercolor/Seaside. Andrew and I flew in the Birmingham and rented a car to drive down to Florida. We loved our car, the great "love bug." During the week we played on the beach, swam in the pool with the kids, made a little Christmas art, ate GREAT food (thats a given), and soaked up all the time I could with my favorite two little ones.

It was nice to get away for awhile. I have not seen Tyler or Ellie in 10 months (way to long to keep me happy) so it did the heart good when I walked in and tyler just blushed till he was red in the face and hugged me so tight. I was happy for the rest of the week after that sweet hug and after getting Ellie up from her nap. They are growing up so fast. Ellie is a sweet little sass. Its so fun and precious.

Michele and Tyler making a Christmas pottery plate.

Obviously we were a little more excited than he was but the plate turned out to be precious!

Thanksgiving afternoon outside the house.

Tyler helped Aunt Missy cook some on Thanksgiving Day

Yes, in his spiderman pj's--all he wears these days!

The men carving the turkey and putting the finishing touches on Thanksgiving Dinner!

Sweet Ellie loving the beach!

The kids got some fun lollipops.

They of course enjoyed every single bit!

We sat by the pool, ate lunch, ate too much, enjoyed ice cream, and bloody marys

(well us adults enjoyed some bloody marys)

what a relaxing time!

Enjoying the pool

One of my Favorite Weekends

This weekend definitely ranked right there at the top! Maybe because we went to the top of Reunion Tower, shopped our hearts out, ate really good food, roll tide...I mean what else could a girl ask for!

Natalie came to town and we had a blast. Great to see such a dear friend.

We ate sushi friday night when she came in. Saturday ate lunch at Celebrity Bakery which is always a favorite. We made it to the top of Reunion Tower on Saturday night after Alabama beat LSU. I love it. I love SEC football. I become like a little girl in a candy shop when I see the lights of Dallas atop of Reunion Tower. The majority of the food we ate was asian so how could that not make me happy. The sun was shining all day everyday! I got some cute new clothes. It was fabulous! Thanks for coming to see me.

Next on the list: Dad and libby come in Dec.

Next in the new year: Carla and Angie in Jan.

We love to have visitors so come see us!!

Here is a little sneak peak of the previous weekend (halloween)

Andrew decided to recycle his banana outfit and I made a peanut butter label. I was kinda a dud on halloween bc I had to work the next day but a homemade Jif Label worked for me! We love peanut butter and banana. I mean we even have a theme song: Peanut Butter and Jelly Time!!

A sneak peak at who I get to see so so soon (After not seeing them for 9 months):

I cant wait to see these little nuggets! It can not come fast enough!! Looking foward to Nov 24th when I get to soak in niece/nephew time (well probably more Ellie time since she will talk to me and Tyler only likes boys right now--Andrew will have his hands full)!! Ellie loves to kiss and hug the phone when Im on it and I cant wait to get it in person.

We had a great weekend in Jacksonville for Ben and Tara's wedding! We got to see some of our best friends. Julie came down to J'ville with Stephen and the twins, they are adorable! And not to mention so well behaved, as crazy as Julie thinks they are they were really good! It was so great to see them. It was definitely hard to come back. We got in late late Thursday night but started Friday off with laying by the pool. Ah, it was amazing. I could definitely live that life--wake up, hang out with good friends by the pool, order a drink and food. Fabulous!

Friday night we went to the rehearsal dinner which was absolutely beautiful. The Kings did such a wonderful job planning a beautiful night.

This is what we looked at all night at the dinner:

Lauren and I at the rehearsal dinner

Me and Andrew at dinner.

On the beach!

Saturday we got to sleep in, lay by the pool (however I was covered trying to hide in the shade as I got just a tad burned on Friday). The wedding was at 3pm so we all ended up getting ready pretty early. It was a beautiful day. The reception was quite the scene. Not to mention quite a dance party! Tara made a beautiful bride! Ben and Tara seemed like they had a great time! Off to Greece they go (not to shabby)!!

Mr and Mrs!!

You can tell a good time was had by all!

The sweet hub!

We hope to see our friends again sooner, rather than later!

It did the heart good!

Fort Worth Mini Getaway

This weekend I took Andrew for a mini getaway in Fort Worth. Its nice to have a little separation of cities to feel like you are not at home. We went to Fort Worth Saturday after taking Sadie and Kellie to breakfast. It was a fun little last meal with Sades before she went back to Baylor...already missing her so much!

The past few weeks have been full of emotion and physical stress with all the emotions. We are lucky to be able to get away, retreat, and leave life 45 minutes away! =)

Once we got to the Omni we layed by the pool for about an hour before our couples massage. Aw, wonderful---a bit more painful than my last massage but still wonderful. I was so ticklish this go around and could hardly stand myself at times, holding back busting out in laughter. Andrew was thinking how painful his was during the whole thing. But, it was very good for him as he has been through much the past few weeks. It was a much deserved break for him. Im glad I could plan a fun weekend for us and some R&R!

We relaxed for about an hr and then headed downstairs for some happy hr wine. It was good, we had a fun fun night and great conversation. We ate at Bob's Steak House in the Omni which was such a treat. I knew Andrew could go for a great steak so I booked reservations for 2! I enjoyed a great seabass meal. Im still ewing and awing over the food, so fabulous!

The next morning we got up and ate at Yogi's---the BEST breakfast place in Fort Worth. So yum! We drove around cute little parts of Fort Worth, around TCU, and the surrounding areas since I had never seen much of Fort Worth. Such a cute place. I would definitely move there! =) The rest of Sunday was relaxing on the couch, wonderful!

Happy Monday after a happy weekend!

The only picture we got all weekend...love self timers! =)

YUM!

made these tonight.

yum.

love annies eats blog.

i recommend.

Well Done Good and Faithful Servent

And that she was!

The family loves YOU but happy you are with sweet Jesus!

To Dallas They Come!

So so very excited for next weekend! This little one is coming to see us!!

I have waited over a year for him to make his debut in TX!

Just the one on the right though...the girl must be his new girlfriend. Sure is starting early! =)

Michele and Tyler get to come see Aunt Missy and Uncle Andrew next weekend!

We are so excited for their trip to Dallas!

Many fun things are planned for this fun little man!

Cant wait to see yall!

xoxo

PS....

dont forget your cowboy boots little man!

The Bike is Bought!

Ever since Andrew got his mountain bike a few weeks ago he has been wanting me to get a bike so we can ride together. Problem is, I dont ride trails (one time i did, i landed on my face pretty much). And, I wanted to try and train for a triathlon so I didnt want a mountain bike but I knew I wasnt IronMan enough for a road bike. So we settled on a hybrid (cross between mountain and road bike so we can ride together). Its great, especially with the touch of "Missy."

Now I just need to sign up for the Triathlon to make myself actually do it. Oct 11 is the date! I have yet decided if Im actually going to take the next 12 weeks and train. There is an 800m swim which I could jump in the pool and do now. Tricky part-in the lake. Then the 24 mile bike--i currently dont bike but I will soon because....

we bought the bike! Yikes! This makes me HAVE to to the triathlon. Lastly there is the 3.2mi run, which I could do right now as well. But--doing all back to back--thats the problem I run into. Im pretty sure the course is fairly flat (I mean Im pretty sure ive conquered any ant hill that i might have to bike or run while running in bham). But still, all back to back--whoa! We shall see. Training starts monday. Not registered yet, but training starts!

Plus--how could not wanna ride this bike with this fun minor missy detail on the bike..

I put a fun pink bottle holder on it! I had to have a touch of girl on it. Plus a cute water bottle. Im sure Ill switch out the cuteness for a good water bottle come Oct 11th if I stay into it. Along with the bike, I got some cute biking gear! Cant waste all the cuteness! =)

Bundle of JOY!

This is who I got to play with while in Nashville 2 weekends ago!

Precious Precious Precious!

Also got to visit with my sweet grandpapa!

She is definitely a spitting image of her mommy when she was that age!

Sweet angel!!

Friends!

Love these girls!

We had such a fun day/night together! Just like we saw each other yesterday. We all met at lauren's house for a day IN the pool. It was wonderful to catch up. We swam, layed out, and of course ate lots of great food. What we do best! After pool time we had a little surprise baby shower for Katie and surprised Mary with gifts at dinner. Its Mary's first (boy!!!!) and Katie's 3rd (yet to know the gender, cant wait to find out!) .

We went to Sambuca, great, love the atmosphere. Good food too! Its just like college days but we are coming from all over these days. From NC, GA, TN, AL, and TX. Funny how spread out we are these days. We ended up just staying up chatting most the night when we got home. So fun. Although conversation is different--junior and senior year of collge seems like our conversation was filled with who will get engaged when, who will move, more boy talk, future weddings, future jobs and more schooling, who will be where in 3-4 yrs and now the conversation has turned. Its babies, marriage, babies names, houses, ect! Crazy how things change, but never really change! Its like we were back in the chi o house! Loved it. Wish we could do it more. Im already ready for our 2nd Annual Girls Weekend....

I love you girls! Missed those of you who couldnt make it...dont worry, next year was discussed and will be here before we know it! =)

Lauren's infamous long arm!

The other days of my long weekend were filled with my sweet little niece. Unfortunately I didnt take my camera out of my purse all weekend. It was on my shoulder all time but yet I failed to get a sweet picture of my favorite ellie bellie! It was great to be home and see the family! Ellie was able to get out "hi mimi"--my name until she can say missy. She is most precious and the sweetest little angle ever!

EW!

EW!

GROSS!

TOO HOT!!

Just for Fun

My FAVORITE nephew! In the cowboy boots I gave him for Christmas! He is so grown up and a little man....

My FAVORITE sweet little niece getting so BIG!

*LOVE THEM*

Oreo Cake

I love it! Oreo cake pans! YUM!

Proper ingredients to make an Oreo Cake:

1.) Kitchen Aid Mixer with amazing buttercream frosting

2.) 2 "Cookie Cake Pans" from WS + ingredients to make brownies + patience + WINE (for me of course!)

3.) No self control to eat healthy!

4.) A double stuffed Oreo to compare!

Little Birdies Outside My Door!

We have new birdies! Some a mom and dad bird made a nest outside our door on the EXIT sign.  *and no, you cant hear them, which is a nice change from my bedroom at my moms at 6am that wake me up EVERYTIME i got home*

Andrew and I named them Chocolate (female, always in the nest) and Peanut Butter (male, always outside the nest). We were curious if there were eggs in the nest. Its too high for us to see but we kinda assumed there were. Well one day we came home and there were little baby birdies in there. There are about 5 that we have seen so far. I like to call them little morsels (only appropriate coming from Chocolate). Mom is very protective over them. If we get close to the nest, she kinda goes crazy, which I would probably do the same!

They are actually really cute and I love looking at them..except all the poop they leave below the nest--gross! So I guess if we cant have a dog right now, Ill settle for looking at these little ones! I told Andrew we should go get little worms from them but he assured mom, Chocolate was providing the proper nutrients for them! 

I know, its kinda scary so close up! haha! That is Chocolate sitting next to them. Im happy with them residing near our door...that is unless I start waking up to them. So far, So good! 

Austin on Memorial Day!

Sunday morning in the car, on the way to Austin! 

This past Sunday Andrew and I decided to retreat out of Dallas! So fun! It was a sweet little surprise he had up his sleeve. We got to stay here and eat amazing food. This is the little courtyard outside our room.

However, before we got to Austin we stopped at the Czech stop. For those of you in TN/AL/NC/GA.....any other residing states, the Czech Stop is a truck stop off I-35 that has amazing kalochies. AMAZING. We stopped bc everyone told me we had to stop and try one. They were right! Delicious. While we were off the eating for a little morning snack Andrew found a CJ-7 he wants....I told him it needed a paint job and he disagreed! =) 

We arrived in Austin and ate lunch at the Hula Hut on Lake Austin. Austin is very hippy/green/earthy. Did not know that. HOWEVER--Austin in the ONLY place in TX that I have seen a hill larger than the curb where I park my car (ok...so we have tiny hills here in Dallas, but Austin--I felt like I was back in the south where there are trees, greenery, hills). It was a nice feeling. Its a pretty little city, a bit bigger than Birmingham. 

After lunch, we just explored, checked in, explored some more, got ready for dinner. He booked reservations at Eddie V's.....

OMG.

Best Food I Have Had In A Long Time! Ok, not really bc we spoil ourselves with food weekly. But it WAS the best seafood I have had in awhile! Here was our glutenous menu:

Appetizer-spicy tuna tar tar+ delicious crab cake

Missy Entree-steamed sea bass Hong Kong style (you know thats Missy friendly!), it was sitting in sliced ginger and a soy sauce (YUMMO per rachel ray!)

Andrew Entree-bacon wrapped scallopns...very Andrew friendly!

Dessert-Banana's foster upside down butter cake....very Morgan friendly! OMG! Like melted butter with every bite! 

The food exceeded our expectations! We had a great time and then headed to the bar area and listened to a great musician...you would have thought David Grey and The Fray were there playing. We were very impressed! You know..Austin is known for its music (so I heard?).

Sunday we ate breakfast at this little "joint" downtown...Andrew enjoyed coffee and I had some ok pancakes (I think I can make better!).  We saw all these bikers and heard music so we decided to walk down to the river and there was a triathlon going on. We were just in time for the pro-women group to start their swim. We stood on the bridge, watched the swim, then finished our little walk around downtown. We came across TX's capital building..guess it was good to see since...TX is now my residing state (yes, that was hard to write!)

Andrew is obsessed with burgers. So what did he research all week for lunch on Monday...a burger joint! We ate at Huts Hamburgers...did not exceed/meet our expectations. He is an expert on picking amazing burger joints but...we gave the burger a 7, the onion rings a 9 (that was his judgement...not mine, would have been lower if I scored them), and the fries a 8. So the quest for the most perfect burger still exist! Right now he says Jakes Burgers in dallas wins until we find a better one. 

After we stuffed our bellies with a subpar burger, we decided to just drive around Austin and find cute little suburbs. It was fun, we love that stuff. We also went in some cute stores, I bought some cute little 1 flower clay vases...adorable! Then, it was time to hit the road!

What a great weekend! 

Oh yeah, this is the flatness of TX...outside of Austin.

PS--we found some Mr. Beason look alikes while wondering the UTexas campus *I cant bring myself to write UT and mean TX, not TN.  A picture was necessary! 

One MINOR detail missed....

So I did this:

What do you think this is?

If you think its black honda paint on a yellow concrete pole you guessed right! I was driving. I was NOT driving MY car! Opps!!!!