I quit my job today

Ok, I actually quit my job yesterday, but same difference. Here's the story:


While I was in college a few years back, I had a job that I L.O.V.E.D. I was the assistant to the merchandise buyer at a local college merchandise establishment. I can't stress how great this job was - only problem? Well, it paid a college salary and that didn't support the "grown-up" bills I had after college (Read: rent, insurance, etc etc) so I took a job with another company in town. I needed more money - what was a girl to do? So I stuck with this job for a year and half. I switched positions in the company - from accounting to sales. I didn't like either one, but I was miserable in sales. I loved getting to have lunch with friends, and shop or run errands if/when I needed to, but I hated my actual job. I was stressed out all the time.

I had decided a few months back that I would give it until December and then start really looking for something else. Until then I just prayed that the Lord would either change my heart about it, or give me patience.

One day last week I went to the place where I worked in college to talk to them about buying something from me. While there the manager was telling me how she was in desperate need of a new manager to help her out. Her parents own the store, and also own 3 other stores throughout Tennessee and Arkansas, so while she is managing the store here in town, she is also responsible for the other 3 stores. She asked me (jokingly) if I wanted to come back to work with her and without a second thought I said "YES!"

After going home, doing some major praying, consulting with Ben and my parents I decided that this was the Lord's way of relieving me of my stress and job that I hated. I had to take a caliber test to see if I had the skills to be a manager, and it turns out I do! (It also said that I would probably hate sales. Duh!)

Yesterday after signing some paper work at the new job, I went and quit my current job. It was very difficult, but great at the same time.


Goodbye suits and heels - helloooooooo blue jeans!

Where does it go?!?

Time that is. I honestly had no idea it had been a week since I last posted. I guess life just gets away from me at times. As a result of me being busy and not posting, I have quite a bit to catch you up on.

First I owe you some photos from Mr. Rights wedding.

Mrs. Right and her mom - I love this picture


Mr Right and his parents -

Mrs. Right's entrance - soo fun!!

First Kiss

First Dance

Happily Married!!!!

The wedding was great fun! I got to catch up with old friends that I never see, and I got to watch my bestfriend get married. Perfect :)

I also have pictures to share from:
Tennessee/Florida game (that was a joke of a game)
The Lovebug epidemic in south Alabama
Tennessee/Auburn game (WAR DAMN EAGLE!!!)
And probably more that I can't think of right now.

I think I'm quitting my job today so I have a lot on my mind. Maybe when today is over I will have more energy to write. And I have 260 unread items in my google reader - yippee!

Last thing - check out my friend Whitney's blog for a great giveaway today!

Feeling the love and passing it on!

My friend Becky over at Weeksie50 was soo sweet and passed this blog award to me! Thanks girl!!

Here are the rules:

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude.
2. Must love one another.
3. Must make mistakes.
4. Must learn from others.
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.
6. Must love life.
7. Must love kids.

These are the rules for The Smile Award:
1. The recipient must link back the the award’s creator
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

So now I am here to pass this along to 5 of my dear bloggy friends. I had a VERY hard time narrowing this down because I love to read so many blogs - but here is who I pass this to.....

1. Whitney at My Journey toward: The Glamorous Life of a Housewife.
Whitney is such an amazing girl! She loves the Lord and always says the sweetest most inspiring things.... not to mention she's stinking hilarious! I just know that if we lived close to each other that we would be Best Friends.

2. Jenna at these are the days
You will fall in love with this girl! She always has the most fun things to post about writes soo well! You even get to see adorable pictures of two cute little boys that she babysits - and the stories she tells about this? So funny! Check her out - you won't regret it!

3. Insane Mama

She is creative, fun, loves her family and tells the best stories. You never know what you're gonna get when you log onto her blog! You may find yourself rolling on the floor laughing as she tells how she set up a fart machine outside her window while her neighbor was having a party, or you may shed a tear or two as she tells stories from her past. Either way you walk away feeling like she gave you a piece of herself.

4. Mallory at The Lacey's
Mallory is a local Memphis gal like me. I love checking in and seeing what she's been up to. She and her husband are so cute..... so just posted a fun thing showing what their kids might look like!

5. Amy Beth at Ministry So Fabulous
Amy Beth is a 20-something girl whose heart and love for the Lord are soo apparent in everything she writes. She started a ministry for girls while she is in college (wow!) and she writes about that and the other joys and struggles in her life. She's pretty amazing I tell ya!


and to everyone else - I think you're great too!

Always the bridesmaid - never the bride!

My blog friend Megan over at The Life and Times of Megan recently got married, and she is hosting a "post your wedding pictures" party. We all know that I've never been married, but she said all the single gals could post pictures of them as a bridesmaid! And goodness knows I've been one of those enough times (7).

I only have pictures on my computer from 3 of the weddings.... not sure why, but that's how it goes.

These three weddings are from 3 of my best girlfriends in the world... take a trip with me down memory lane.


Wedding #1: A-Train and DeWayne.

A-Train and I grew up in the same small town. Her grandmother lived right down the street from me and I would see her and her cousins out playing all the time. But our paths never really crossed until I went back to school. We met in the same Advanced Biology class that I met Mr. Right and DY in. Once we both got into college, we kind of lost touch. I'd run into her at wal-mart or around town during holiday breaks, but that was really about it. Until one day A-train called me out of the blue and said "Hey, I've got a job interview in Memphis next week. Do you mind if I come stay with you?" To make a long story short, she got the job, moved to Memphis and we moved in together. DeWayne, her boyfriend at the time also moved up here. After living with her for two years, they became two of my best friends. They tied the knot in our home town in June of 2006. Here a few pictures from their big day.

A-Train and her bridesmaids waiting for the wedding to start

Here we are again!

Mr & Mrs DeWayne

Wedding # 2: LiLi and Coach

LiLi and I met my freshman year of college. Our rooms were right next dorm rooms were right next door to each other. In a world of not knowing a single soul LiLi and I started a friendship that I know will last a lifetime. We've been through some very good times together, but also some very hard times. We live 3 hours apart from each other now, but I will always and forever call her my best friend. After college, LiLi was set up with Coach by her grandmother! They knew right away they were meant to be together and they said "I Do" in March of 2007 at her parent's house in Lousiana.

Me and Lili

All the girls in the tub!
(sorry it's a little dark)

her dad giving her away....

Wedding # 3: Schneeder & Doc

Schneeder and I met in 2000 on a mission trip to Costa Rica. She was from Ohio, I was from Alabama so when we got back home from our trip we didn't see much of each other. We both finished high school, then went off to college. An occasional card or Instant Message kept us in touch. But in the spring of 2005 I got a familiar phone call "hey! I have a job interview in Memphis! Can I come stay with you?" You know how this story goes - she got the job, and moved in with A-train and me. After A-train got hitched, Schneeder and I moved into a house by ourselves. (Sometimes I think God put me in Memphis because he know i'd be a gateway and a friend to many of my friends who would end up here.... these aren't the only two friends of mine that have come here since I've been here). Schneeder and Doc met in August of 2007, were engaged in November/December (can't remember) of 2007 and got married this past August. "Love at first sight" we beyond true for these two.

me with a few of the other bridesmaids

Cutest flower girl in the world!


saying "I do"

The whole wedding party

Being apart of such a special day of my dear sweet friends was and is always so much fun! And I can't wait until they stand by my side when my day arrives! I know it is coming eventually, and I will patiently wait until the time is right. Until then I will enjoy this time w/ my boy that the Lord has given me.

Ahoy, me hearties!

Yo ho Yo ho! Yar matey! Today is none other than National Talk Like a Pirate day! So Lass' grab your Gentleman o' fortune and rustle up some doubloons. Don't be a scallywag or swarshbuckler!

Who doesn't love free stuff?

Hey girls - Stacy is giving away a great book all about JUNK! :) Click below to check it out!

well I declare!

a few weeks ago, our good friends JC and Merrie were over hanging out, and Ben and I were voicing our frustrations about being out of town every weekend. Ya see, since April we have been gone at least every other weekend, if not several weekends back to back. Our frustration with this is that we haven't been able to find a good church home. He and I were both brought up in different denominations (me: Baptist him: Catholic/Methodist) so finding a church we both like and feel comfortable in has, needless to say, been difficult. You throw being gone all the time in that mix and it's nearly impossible.

So - while telling JC and Merrie about this, they were explaining how they have been going through the same thing. Merrie just moved to Memphis a few months ago to be with JC, and they are getting married in November. Their wedding is out of state, so they are gone as much, if not more than we are.

They told us about this Bible Study they had started going to on Tuesday nights and invited Ben and I along. We both jumped at the opportunity. While we are gone on the weekends, we are always here during the week - especially on Tuesdays! So last night we all loaded up and headed to Bible Study. It meets each week at a different persons house.


Now, if you noticed before I said I grew up in a Baptist church. I also went to a Baptist college. I ate, slept, and breathed Baptist until I was about 20 and realized there was more to life than being Baptist! (not really - Im totally exaggerating) But the one thing it did take me a while to realize after leaving my sheltered South Alabama, Baptist life is that alcohol is not from satan! I know now that I will not die and go to hell for having a glass of wine or a margarita if I so choose. Hallajulah Thank ya Jesus! (again, I am exaggerating about this as well)

Please do not get me wrong on this. I love the Lord with all my heart, and I am not bashing Baptists (or any other denomation) - I'm just stating what my thoughts on alcohol were a bit deminted.

MOVING ON! I'm getting so sidetracked. Bible Study. So we walked into this home (HUGE, GORGEOUS HOME) and everyone was on the back patio socializing. The four us of went to say hello to everyone, and then I saw it: the alcohol. I must admit; I was slightly taken aback. Alcohol as BIBLE STUDY?! Even when the preacher started teaching, people were just drinking a beer, reading their Bible, asking questions. It was such a surreal moment for me. Even though I've come to a place where I no longer see drinking as a bad thing, seeing it in that environment was too weird. I guess I still saw it as something that was ok to do - just not in church (or a church like setting).

But hey, Jesus drank wine and taught. Why shouldn't we drink wine and learn? I think I'm going to enjoy this Bible Study!

Swap

OK, so I keep seeing all the adorable things that people are getting/giving in these swaps, and reading about how they got to meet so many fabulous new friends. I've never done a swap, but I want to give it a try! Only problem is, I don't know how to go about finding/getting involved with one. Do any of you ladies know of one that is going on now?


Thanks!

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Clarification

1st of all, Mr Right's wedding was great. I'm waiting till I have a moment to get my pictures uploaded before I tell you about it. But I will - promise

But I want to clarify that the title of my last post "HURRY! GO GET GAS" was not me telling you to go get gas. It was merely me making fun/pointing out what people in my life were saying to me. I received a rather..umm... straightforward comment (which has now been deleted) about how I should get a life, stop over reacting to little stuff, and just because the price of gas going up is a problem for me, that doesn't mean it is for anyone else, so who am I tell everyone to "hurry and get gas"

So now ya know.... I wasn't being bossy (don't get me wrong, I've been known to be bossy before).

Hurry! Go Get Gas!

Is everyone in your life freaking out about gas right now? I had two co-workers, Boss and GrannyP (she's new, I'll have to tell ya all about her later) come up to me and tell me that I "better run get gas, it's going up to $5.00 tonight."


really? really? really? You're telling me that it's going to go up $1.50 in a matter of a few hours?


Oh alright, I'll go get gas. I mean, since I am leaving and driving 6 hours right after work.... I kinda need it anyway.


While I'm at the gas station, Ben calls "You need to fill up. Gas is going up like crazy. Oh, and everytime you see a gas station on the way home, you need to stop and fill up." Seriously babe? EVERY SINGLE GAS STATION? Thanks, but no thanks.

So I'm paying a lovely $3.89 a gallon to fill up my baby and my mom calls "have ya heard is gas is going up?"

SERIOUSLY?!?!?!!? I'M GETTING GAS PEOPLE!!!


My question is this: Why is gas going up so quickly, when the gas company/station has already paid for the gas that is in the pumps at the time? And wait.... has the storm even hit yet? Do we know if the pipelines have been damaged? Oh, and aren't we supposed to have something like 65,000 gallons of gas on reserve for situations like this??? Call me crazy, but someone is making mad money off this. And it really pisses me off.




Hope you're tanks are full of gas, and you have a wonderful weekend. To everyone in Texas and in Ike's path - be careful. I'm saying a prayer for you!

Girlfriend of the year award

Yep, that's what Im hoping to win!

I don't have to inform you that football season is among us. And if you've been around my blog for long you are aware at what a HUGE University of Tennessee fan Ben (and his family) is. Well, our weekly trips to Knoxvegas (knoxville) are fast approaching. Every home UT game is quite an ordeal for Ben's family. His parents down for every.single. game from Virginia, and Ben and I will be driving over for every.single.game. His parents throw this huge tailgate for Ben, his sister, and all of their friends. I went to two games/tailgates last year but Ben and I were still a pretty new couple so I wasn't sure what to expect. Well this year I want help. I've asked his mom if I could make some food to bring for any of the games and she always says no. But I want to do something.


Does anyone have any cute/good/impressive/girlfriend of the year worthy tailgate good ideas? It needs to be something I can make a day or two ahead and doesn't need to be refrigerated (preferably) .

he's getting married!!

My Junior year in high school, I left my parent's humble abode as a home school kid and walked into the doors of The High School. I was nervous (so so nervous!) but super excited. I grew up in a small town so I already knew a large majority of the people I would be going to school with, but there is nothing like walking into a real (that's what us cool homeschool kids called it) school for the first time in 10 years.

My first period class was advanced biology. I knew exactly where the classroom was because I was so afraid of getting lost the first day of school I had gone and walked from class to class at least twice the week before. Nothing like a little preparedness huh?

Where was I? Oh yes, advanced biology. Instead of desks in the room, there were tables. Two people to each table. I walked in, looked around, and sat at the first table that had an empty seat. It was the table at the back of the classroom, but I was ok with that. No need to be front and center on my first day! The seat next to me was empty at the moment, but would later be filled with the the guy that would soon become my high school crush -DY. DY's best friend Mr. Right was also in that class, and sat right next to us. We all talked and hung out in class. DY and I hung out outside of class a few times, but Mr. Right had a pretty serious gf at the time so he wasn't around much.

But over Thanksgiving break, my sister and I were in Wal-Mart (THE place to be and be seen in my town!) and ran into Mr. Right. His gf was out of town and he was looking for something to do. We went and hung out - and from there on we were imseperable. He quickly became my best friend. After he and serious gf broke up, we tried dating for a minute but realized very fast that we were better off as friends.

That was 9 years ago, and to this day he is still so near and dear to my heart. Last fall he got engaged to the love of his life, and they are set to say "I do" this Saturday. It's still weird to me that he's getting married because he was ALWAYS the type that swore he'd never get married (although he is quite the ladies man). It's not that he didn't believe in love, he just said he'd be happier not being married. But he quickly changed his tune when he met Mrs. Right. 3 months after meeting, they were engaged. They are the perfect couple and I couldn't be more happy for them!

They had made plans to get married on the beach down in Alabama, but since Hurrican Ike hasn't made up his mind on where he is going to go this weekend, they moved the wedding back up to our hometown just to be safe. I'm so excited for this weekend, I just can't stand it!


Here are a few pictures of Mr. Right and myself last summer.




















It's going to be a small wedding, but I will try and remember to take plenty of pictures. And yes, DY and his new wife (they just got married in June) will be there too. Should be fun!!

I'm in love

Yesterday afternoon I took a little trip to the Germantown Festival. It's a festival with crafty items, and fair food (yum!), and on Sunday's they have a Daschund race. It's seriously the funniest thing ever. We didn't watch much of it this year because it was so flippin hot! I try to go to the festival every year just to walk around and see what's going on. I don't usually take any money with me because most of the stuff is a little to ''crafty" for me.

But this year I wish I had a. taken some money and b. left Ben at home. (he hates shopping, and even though I knew I wouldn't buy anything, I had to walk through every booth.) I came across the coolest jewelry!

Aren't these necklaces so cute? She (Freshie) also makes beautiful earrings and braclets! I can't wait till I have some time tonight to really shop around on her webstite.





www.freshieandzero.com - check her out!

sweet as pie

Yesterday morning Ben and I finally had time to go to the farmer's market down at the train station. We got some delicious fruits and veggies. A big ole basket of peaches were calling my name and demanding to be made into a peach pie.

Peel and cut up 3-4 cups of peaches

I used Pillsbury premade pie crust, sprinkle flour on bottom of pie crust and put into 9'' pie pan

Depending on sweetness, add 2-3 tbsp sugar (for really sweet peaches) or 1/2 cup sugar (for tart peaches). 3-4 Tbsp Flour. 1/8 tsp cinnamon. Pour over peaches and mix together. Then pour into pie pan


Dot with butter


Put second pie crust on top, pinch edges together, cut slits in top, and sprinkle with sugar

Bake 35-45 minutes at 350 degrees

and ta-daa! a peach pie!

serve hot with vanilla ice cream and you're sure to have a hit! I didn't get to take a picture of it once it was cut because there were 3 guys over hanging out with Ben and it was gone before I knew it!

Hanging my head in shame

I'm so ashamed that I've been MIA for the past week, but I have no excuse. I've been busy, yes, but I still could have made time for you.

*sigh*

Well since I've left you out of so many things, here's the quick rundown of what you've missed:

Gustov - my family and friends fared well. Since ol Gustov decided to spare Alabama and Mississippi I only had a few friends left in his way. My thoughts and prayers still go out to all those who were effected by the storm - and of course for those that the new storms are about to hit! yikes!

Last weekend - Ben's parents came into town from Virginia. They flew in on Friday afternoon and were here until Tuesday morning. Here's what our weekend looked like:

• Central BBQ
• ZooBrew
• 2 hour shopping trip to Lowe's
• 1 hour shopping trip to Costco
• Garage organization - aka shelfs and bike hangers, etc
  
• Trolley ride downtown
• Rendezvous BBQ
• Beale Street
• More garage organization
• Homemade Pizza Making 101 (Ben has bragged on his dad's pizza for a year now, so I finally got to learn how to make it!)
• More shopping and touring of Memphis
• Football party to watch the Vols get beat by UCLA (it was a bad bad night in Memphis that night!)

So needless to say it was a busy weekend!

Tuesday - relaxed and finally got a pile of stuff on ebay

Wednesday - watched my girl Sarah Palin rock my socks off

Thursday - Did NOTHING! - it was great :)



So now you're all caught up! I promise from the depths of my soul that I'm going to do better.....