I've Been Smiling for a YEAR

Josh and I celebrated our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY on November 1st!

I know people say the first year is the hardest, but this has quite honestly been the best year of my life - and I have my fantastic husband to thank!

It does NOT seem like a year ago...

Here are a few things I've learned during our first year of marriage:

• There's something very comforting about leaning over 2 big dogs to kiss your husband goodnight


• Men will never understand why we hang dry certain pairs of jeans


• Most arguments will seem really funny tomorrow


• However, if you are losing an argument...CRY! Works every time :-)


• Sometimes it's OK to pretend you don't hear the dogs wanting out in the middle of the night, he'll get up eventually (sorry, honey - but I know you do it, too!)


• There is no greater feeling than watching your husband play with kids and imagining what an amazing daddy he'll be one day

Josh - it is such a privilege to wake up next to you every morning and come home to you every night. You put up with my constant singing & dancing, sit next to me through every celebrity entertainment show on television, and you're not afraid to set me straight when I veer off course. Thank you for making sure you kiss me every time you come home, and every night before we go to sleep. Thank you for talking to me like I'm your best friend, not just your wife. You are smart, handsome, hilarious and caring. Thank you for being a good man, standing up for what you believe in, for putting family first, and for giving me a great life. You truly are my sunshine :-)

We celebrated our anniversary with a nice romantic picnic at Devil's Den and walked around and enjoyed the fall leaves, then had dinner at Pesto and went home and ate the top tier of our wedding cake. I was actually impressed at how good it tasted after being frozen for a year!!! It was a perfect day!

A Little Perspective

I feel that I have to write about the tragic events yesterday. It makes my heart ache, makes me sick to my stomach and makes me so angry.

Maybe it's because I know what these soldiers sacrifice in order to protect us....maybe it's because I know what it's like to send your Daddy away to fight for families, friends, and people they've never even met. I know what it's like to surrender your Daddy to your country. And I know how proud we feel as military families.

Or maybe it's because I remember how excited I was the day my dad came home from Iraq. We spent the entire week before his return hanging yellow ribbons, making "Welcome Home Daddy" signs and preparing to welcome him back. I remember as the soldiers filed into the room, lined up, still standing at attention, and I was on the tips of my toes trying to find my dad admidst the sea of camouflage. I remember running to him and jumping into his arms.

I can't imagine the devastation these families felt when their loved ones were within reach, returning from 15 months in a war zone, and they were taken from them in an instant. Or the families that had prepared themselves to send their heroes into the line of fire, but they never made it off base.

As you go about your daily life, please try to take a moment and remember why we are allowed the freedoms we have. Say a prayer for our military, both home and abroad. Donate blood. Put out your flag. Next time you see a soldier in uniform, simply say "thank you." Be proud of them. Whether or not you agree with the war, soldiers are there and they are fighting. For you. Every day.

Hooooowl O Ween

Halloween was such a blast this year! On Friday, my sister and I took Grayson trick-or-treating on the square, and stopped by Jesse & Josh's office (they work in the same building)...

Friday night, our neighbors had a Halloween party and Josh and I were SOOO excited to dress up as...

Dog & Beth Chapman

"DOG" the Bounty Hunter
(Josh was devestated that I did this to his dog)

Illegal Alien & Carrie

We had a really great time, and the best part was we just had to walk across the street! And apparently I was having too much fun to take many pictures!

SATURDAY night, we went to our friends house and went trick-or-treating with about 15 of our friend's kiddos!

Holden & Grayson enjoying their candy!

Drinkin' & Trick or Treatin'

I guess pushing the stroller was tiring,
so Josh needed a cold beverage

Mary, Me, Leanne & Holden

We're Having a Girl???

HA HA!! I found this website called http://www.morphthing.com/ where you can morph 2 pictures together and see what your child will look like...so here's how our little one turned out...

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? I knew we were gonna have a girl :-)

I wanted to test the "morphing accuracy" of the site, so I morphed my sister and brother-in-law to see if it looks anything like my newphew...

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? Shadowy child ?

I prefer their sweet little blue eyed boy...

Everything's Good, Nobody's Happy

I saw this YouTube video today and it's hilarious! It gets funnier the longer you watch it...It really puts all our complaining in perspective!

CLICK BELOW to WATCH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXStPqhLmIk&feature=related

Where My Crazies Are

My friend Emily recently posted a blog project she found about HOME, and it really struck a cord with me. She wrote all about HOME and what it means to her. I realized home has very different meanings for everyone. I immediately think of 2 places, my home with Josh and my parent's home.

For Me home is...the way my husband’s beard tickles my face. My Nanny braiding my hair. Week long birthday celebrations. Big cups of coffee. Where I dance. The smell of my dad’s cherry pipe tobacco. The leaves changing in fall. The place I will raise my children one day. Wearing comfortable clothes. Waking up next to him. Where I can sing as loud as I want. Big holiday dinner tables packed with family. Dogs taking over the bed. Walking through the door after a long day and being greeted a kiss. Where I can act like a child. Long talks on the back deck. The sound of football games roaring through the house. The smell of Josh's cologne. Home is where my family is.

Here are some of my favorite phrases from the blog project...

What does HOME mean to you?

Reasons I Love Weekends

1. I don't have to talk about heartburn, gas, headaches, lack of fiber, indigestion or any other ailment for 2 full days
2. I get to lay in my bed as long as I want Saturday morning and watch the dogs play
3. I get to see Grayson, and he always makes me smile
4. I get to cook breakfast with my husband, and eat in bed while we watch movies
5. If I wanted to, I could stay in my PJs for days
6. I don't have to hear the words endcap, sidekick, pallet or insights

Moments

This is a card my mother-in-law gave me for my birthday this year. I have it hanging up at my desk and I read it every day...

...to help myself remember not to take any moment for granted because every moment makes us who we are. So spend more time with the people you love and make sure you laugh every day...and spend less time worrying about whether or not the floors have been mopped :-)

Puppy Dog Breath

My husband and I are BOTH "dog people." And we're proud of it. In fact, this was a selling point for both of us when we first started dating. If you don't like dogs, you're out. Every time we look at houses for sale, I think..."Hmmm, I wonder how many dogs we could have if we lived THERE?!?" Seriously, I have a problem. An addiction, really. To dogs.

We already have an 8 year old black lab, Maggie...and a 3 year old cat, Max...

We have been talking about adding to our pet family for quite a while. I found a great breeder, and on Sunday, Josh and I made the trip to Conway to pick up our new little angel, Miss Miley Mae!! She is 6 weeks old and sweet as can be! One of my favorite things is smelling her puppy breath when she licks my face! We haven't gotten much sleep over the last 4 nights, but she's more than worth it...

"Properly trained, a man can be dog's best friend."

Maggie still doesn't know what to think of Miley.

and Max hasn't come out of the guest room in 2 days.

"Women and cats will do as they please

and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."

"There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face."

Miley looks so proud of herself for tackling Daddy

She was exhausted after her first day as a Knight!

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Fireworks

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

Thank you, Daddy,

for being one of the brave.

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The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays, but has always been devastating to our bank account. Josh and I are both OBSESSED with fireworks! When we walk into the fireworks stand, our eyes light up and we don't know what to grab first. We are like 2 kids in a candy store that just can't get enough. We have to make several trips to the car to load up our loot. We visited the fireworks stand every day over the holiday ;-) I know some people think fireworks are a waste of money, but I think they're WELL worth it!
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We started the 4th of July weekend with a trip to the lake...

Sissy and her prize fish

Grayson trying to decide if he likes the fishy or not

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Friday after the lake, my whole family went to Brook & Jesse's for a cookout and fireworks display #1

The boys and their arsenal

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On Saturday, Josh and I attended the 10th Annual Shrimp & Crawfish Jubilee to benefit the Fayetteville Fire Fighters Association Scholarship Fund...

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Then we cooked out at Aaron & Christina's and headed to Springdale Country Club for more fireworks...

Mary & Brian, before the wheels came off the bus :-)

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Then we went to Mary & Brian's more MORE fireworks!!!

Hunter & Leanne - just after Hunter got done telling me girls shouldn't shoot fireworks... and then caught his arm on fire.

Leanne, her brother Chris and sis-in-law Kris

It was a GREAT celebration of our freedom!!! Happy Birthday, America!