non-traditional, just like we like it.

I was NOT dreaming of a White Christmas... it really was real life! 

We didnt even have to sleep with our underwear inside out! Mom always laughed cause we thought that was the secret ingredient to a no-school snow day! How beautiful is my parent's home in the snow? It definitely snowed more and more throughout the day... almost 4-5 inches! 

Now, we Barker kids are grown... but we still embrace our inner child, usually when we are all together. But I couldnt keep from imagining how fun it was for the kids in TN to wake up Christmas morning to see sparkly white stuff!
speaking of young ones... Baby "Jeffrey" will rock our family circle oh so soon ... and its gonna be awesome! I love that in the middle of our holiday season this year, I keep getting sidetracked thinking that  everything is gonna be so beautifully different next Christmas. Its like the start of the next era of Barker/Walters/Enlow life! Ok, Ill stop with all the dreamy dreamy Aunt stuff... Ill save that til January when I get to find out the gender!! my bet? a boy.

 anneeeyways... 

Here in the Barker household... we love that we lack anything that is "traditional" Christmas! You saw our Christmas Eve Party... I mean, how many people that you know do that? Oh and the whole huge tree with tons of color-coordinating ornaments, glittery ribbon and sparkly stuff? yeah, this year we loved our little pre-light Montana-esque pine tree! (see photo to the left) Now, do not get my wrong, Mom makes the most amazing Christmas trees ever. She probably would've loved to decorate one!  But in the hussle and bussle of the holiday season, I love that mom ( or any family) didnt stress about the stereotypical Christmas stuff... we embraced being together! That was the best part of our Christmas, by far. It might seem strange to you... but we love our quirks! It keeps us young and spontaneous! Try it sometime. 

Highlights of our Christmas morning:  Momo joining us and being adorably thankful about her presents!     Wade: so excited about his Reba calendar and PS3! And even NCAA 2010 w/ Tebow on the cover Who got him that? hmmm? ;)     Lanie & Bret: getting each other a new pillow, unknowingly! haha. B gave Lanie these sweet little bootie socks for their baby paired with an adorable note celebrating their soon to be life as parents! Mom gave the cutest LesSportSac matching bags! We love those!     Mom : a rooster for her kitchen! a 2011 Family Shutterfly calendar made by yours truly    Dad: a sign saying "Grandkids welcome. Parents by appointment" hilarious! and the Rick and Bubba CD      Me: Lanie got me some ReeTone shoes and velvet hangers! She gets me. I couldnt have been more excited about those gifts. thank you, thank you. (funny story: Bret saw Lanie purchasing velvet hangers and he said, "Lanie, WHO in the world are you giving those to?" he was shocked! haha. 

Since we no longer have young ones in our family, we dont wake up to see if Santa came as early as we used to! Wade can sleep in like the rest of us now! So, our Christmas "morning" present time was soon Christmas afternoon. We had to get ready for our extended family driving in to enjoy a meal together!

 The Enlow/Bowman/Walters/Barker clan all accounted for, Just missing the Mackey crew! Rachel and Jason, we cannot wait to hear all about your PA Christmas... and the New York Trip! I hope you took some photos! love you both so much!  

Mom had the GREAT idea of serving Christmas lunch in the barn that my Dad & company built on the edge of our woods. The Barker homested is very warm & cozy and it is perfect for us! But it cant perfectly fit 20+ people all in one room... around a table. 

So, with some kerosene heaters, tables, tablecloths and tons of food... and it was the perfect venue! We all got to sit in the same big room, doesnt get to happen often. 

Im telling you, my mother is an innovator. Hopefully I got at least 5% of that attribute. That would be priceless. 

My roommate Ashley is from Bethlehem, PA, aka the Christmas capital of the world! and she had to spend the holidays here in the Country Music City Capital...pssht lame! She is a super nurse at Vanderbilt and had to work on Christmas day night... I was thankful she came out to my parents for lunch! It was so special. My family loved it... they hated to see her go off to work. 

-- [sidenote: Sometimes, even in seasons of expected JOY, some sadness hits. I wont go too far into this but a couple days before Christmas, our 14 year old German Short-haired Pointer, Quik, passed away. God has a way of taking care of old dogs... he was a loyal hunter for Dad and Wade, a leader for our new puppy, Hoover and a great dog! We got him when Wade was little and absolutely obsessed with homemade chocolate milk! When we were deciding on a name, the dog's color was strangely close to the look of Nestle's Quik lightly stirred into white milk! too funny!  Quik was a good dog and he lived a great life.  But... thats the way it goes, I guess. Dad says that just part of having a dog. uh.  But, Hoover, our Llewellin Setter,  even made it in some family photos this year! He is just 1 yr old so he was about to exploded for sitting still for 5 seconds... he's still got that puppy hyperness. Its highly entertaining because he runs like a baby deer! its like a hop almost. Wade and him are starting to be best friends... its cute.]--

how in the world did I get THAT sidetracked? well, there goes my ADD... but lets talk about more important things...the BABY. 

 Wade is the funniest when it comes to this sister pregnancy thing.  Whenever he sees Lanie, he just kinda chuckles. He thinks its so comical there is a little person growing inside her! Me on the other hand? cant stop squealing still. I warned you I would be ecstatic. 

In conclusion, chalk up another unforgettable Christmas in the books! It was full of tons of fun and love... and those are our favorite kind of traditions! Who knows what next year will be like? all I know is we will be plus 1... im already anxious! 
 We are undeservingly blessed.  I pray to spend the next year thanking God for the grace and blessings he pours over us, our loved ones and our communities!  

"Every good and perfect gift is [TRULY] from above..." 

The Christmas Eve party

For the past few years, we have been a part of one of the best Christmas Eve traditions ever... a dinner party with some people we love the most that has a THEME! As Barker children, we have never known life without Mike and Donna Brasher being in the picture! They are so dear to us.  I dont know what exactly started this get together but I sure know what started the THEME aspect of it all.  We were all to wear pajamas, so we could just hop in the bed when we got home and be ready for Santa! Bret and Lanie were just engaged... they always are traveling to the party from his family's meal together... and Bret did not come dressed in his nighties... so Mike insisted Bret follow him and borrow some cute-sy pajamas. We thought it was hilarious! So next year we planned ahead, all came dressed and ready! 

Some past themes include our first Pajama Party, the Wild Wild West, a White Trash Christmas, The Andy Griffith Show, The 70's, Alabama Crimson Tide... I found some photos below! I wish we had some from way... back...  but these are what I could find!

 The night is filled with the best homemade food you will ever eat in your life(thanks be to Donna!) incredible desserts (cheesecake that will make your heart stop!) tons of laughs that you'll never forget, great gift sharing time and lots of love to get your Christmas Spirit boiling. It has easily become one of our favorite parts of Christmas!

-------------- 

This year's theme: DISNEY!

 In honor of Lanie expecting a baby and me being infatuated anything remotely related to Disney... and for the pure enjoyment of seeing what everyone dresses up as! 

So who joined our party?  

From top left to bottom right: My Mo-mo as Cruella di Vill, Wade as Robin Hood, Dad as Mr. Incredible, Bret as Aladdin, Lanie as Jasmine, Mike as Mickey, Donna as Minnie, Mom as Mrs. Incredible, Me as Cinderella and Kyle as Prince Charming.

Ill let my mom help explain it: "Each year we leave saying "this" was the best year ever... but how could it get any better than this?? We anxiously await the announcement of the theme each year. Sometimes it is the day of the party, but this year it was a few days before. Some of us put some thought into planning ahead while a couple waited until the hour before the party was to begin, bet you can't guess which one?"

We LOVED having our special guest, MOMO, at our party this year! She was a perfect addition! Our family never gets enough of "Momo time" but we treasure each minute we get to spend with her.  Wade left yesterday afternoon.. all by himself.. headed straight to her house... have I told you before that boy reigns in her home? see photo to the right... its too cute!

We do have some rules for this here snazzy party:

 If you get something that is wearable, you have to put it on...even if its boxers! (Dad's annual present!)

Even Baby Jeffrey/Jeffrita got some presents! How cute is that Bama bathing suit? it has a pleated skirt around it! and Love, Bama on the whittle booty!

So Kyle joins our party... and gets these pants as a present?!

I was not warned in advance that his obsession with THAT orange would be endorsed at our Alabama Crimson Tide family's event. Can you tell by my face that I am.. um.. not the most excited?

 Brashers, see you again next year! 

we cant wait. with love, the barkers! 


next on the blog to-do list: Christmas Day!
*im going to go ahead and apologize for the cluttered post. Ive had it to about here... imagine me pointing to the moon... with the automatic formatting of blogspot today. Im all done. 

The road ahead

"Jesus Calling" entry Dec. 27:

"I'm preparing you for what is on the road ahead, just around the bend. Take time to be still in My Presence so that I can strengthen you. The busier you become, the more you need this time apart with Me. So many people think that time spent with Me is a luxury they cannot afford. As a result, they live and work in their own strength--until that becomes depleted. Then they either cry out to Me for help or turn away in bitterness.

How much better it is to walk close to Me, depending on My strength and trusting Me in every situation. If you live in this way, you will do LESS but accomplish far MORE. Your unhurried pace of living will stand out in this rush-crazed age. Some people may deem you lazy, but many more will be blessed by your peacefulness. Walk in the Light with Me, and you will reflect Me to the watching world."

Good night, Fast-Paced World. I can't keep up with you sometimes...and that's just gonna be the way it is
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

wishin you a merry one!

Just wanting to share some of my own personal kind of joyous cheer 'cause Christmas is this week!! 

 I am super excited but good grief I still gots some shopping to do. For now, here is your present! Its a Barker homemade Christmas card... we just love thinking outside of boxes... you should know that already! 

... and a very Happy New Year! 

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."

comfort

Thank you Rock Paper Scissors for putting my exact feeling into a blog

warning: members of the Barker family might be the only ones to enjoy this post. Only if you dare, continue... I took my last final today. Whew. I am exhausted and sure am ready for a good break...you know, besides the whole taking the GRE thing. So in order to break in the ol' .. break.. I resorted to good ol' comfort food. 

Bet you cant guess what I had for dinner? 

Smoked Salmon on a bagel with cream cheese & capers

Chips w/ cheese

Pears w/ Miracle Whip & Cheese. 

go ahead... laugh but it was plain delicious.

my family understands me... that makes this slightly embarrassing post bearable. 

Thanks Gerry

This morning Gerry House did his last radio broadcast... ever. I just cant believe it.  If you grew up in Nashville, you can understand that this is like the end of an era. For years, my Dad would take us to school and we would listen to Gerry House and the House Foundation, like clock work... every single morning. Thank you so much for all of those years of entertainment!


* surprised much that I chose the photo of Gerry and Mike with LADY A? you shouldn't be. 

amidst the madness

1. It snowed here yesterday! OH 2-3 inches worth, aka a Southern-er's kinda snow! Its funny when my sweet Northern friend/roommate loves to see me freak out/shut down at the sign of flurries! Haha. I cant help it. It was just that gorgeous glittery blanket of snow that makes you want to stay in sweats and start a fire! The snow blizzard of a Sunday was beautiful... except for the whole "drive into school on Monday" part!

2. Speaking of school, I sure do miss the ol' days when the TV would post the school closings OR when trsuty Lipscomb would send you a text message!  Pretty sure TSU did the absolute worst possible job they could've in letting the students know... anything!

3. But I still had 3 finals today. yes, you heard me 3.
Who, in the Sam hill, decided that was a good idea? If I find out who created that finals schedule, he or she better just beware of my white girl rage that might ensue... its pretty scary, just saying.

4. this weekend, Kyle and I went had date night to Maggianos!   the crappy, rainy weather didnt stop us... The food was absolutely incredible. Im pretty sure we did not engage in conversation while the food was on the table. It was that intoxicating.  OH OH and... they have a special promotion (which Im pretty sure its staying for a while cause it is typed out in their menu) but if you order a Classic Pasta dish, you can take any Classic Pasta dish home compliments of the chef. So, we got 4 meals... for the price of two! 2 nights of dinner, Maggianos style, amen.. dig in!

5. Today, my baby brother got truly initiated into the Barker family...He had his first knee pain, his first appointment with Dr. Thomas and his first feeling of "uh oh, what does that mean doc?"  Dont worry, he is still our healthy, handsome stud muffin... but unfortunately, The Barker's have knee problems, plain and simple, its who we are.  Once asked if we, as a family, could get Buy 3-Get 1 free ACL repair surgery... or at least a frequent customer discount!  so, keep Wade-ly in your prayers... just dont let it be anything worse than just some inflamed cartilage. he got a cortisone shot right in the knee, yep... right in it. and Wade wonders why I cringe like a baby at the sight of a needle... UM, try getting two right in the knee that feel like fire and see if you're still needle friendly!

6. Oh Im gonna be a Aunt!!! Have I mentioned that? Probably not enough today... but let me tell you, once I find out the gender, I am done for. My bank account will for sure be taking a hit aaaaand GAP will be to blame. 

a "mini" monster like Monsters, Inc?
Of course, I am sold. 

Bright colored polar fleece onezie?
yes, pah-lease. 

a baby giraffe!? Ashley, you can get this one for my nephew/niece!

how adorable is this?

if you know me at all, you know that this little bear outfit just made my whole body melt into the floor underneath my computer. the ears, the fuzziness, the chocolate color, the whittle paws on da bottom of da feetsies... dadgum. GAP you speak right to my AUNT heart more than you ever have before... gracias. 

on that heart-wrenching note, good night! sleep tight...

 Im off to dream about that sweet baby my sister will be bringing into this world. I am so lucky!

shutt-yer-fly!

Christmas shopping kinda drives me crazy.  yeah, thats right... I said it.

dont get me wrong... its not that I am selfish and dont want to spoil all the people I love with gifts! But, busy shopping is one of all-time my pet peeves.  Just ask my sister... I cant stand it one tiny bit.

 naturally, Im a snugly person... I have no problem at all being close to people!  HOWEVER, If I am shopping, and someone gets in my "personal space", consider Libby's chipper shopping mood all done! Seriously, it is that drastic.  I just feel like there is a certain amount of space you should grace a fellow shopper with... out of pure respect! unfortunately, it still happens... and I still get all flustered... and I still walk out of stores with NO presents because I cant stand all the craziness! 

with that said, the past two Christmas', I have loved shopping on Shutterfly online! For example, I have done TONS of photo books with them and continue to be impressed! Also, last year, I made a Family Calendar (see Shutterfly Calendars here) with important dates to remember already included, as well as photos of us on every month! Next, on the list, Family Christmas Cards (see photo cards). I love that they are 5x7 size and heavy cardstock! There are tons of designs to choose from... these are some of my favorite!

they ALWAYS have 20% off, Buy 1 get 1 free and FREE shipping! They are wonderful to work them! It will make this Christmas SO much easier... I speak from first hand experience!

This promotion is incredibly easy... and totally worth it!
 Want 50 FREE Shutterfly Christmas Cards?

when's that baby due?

I am going to be an Aunt!!!!

I cannot even fathom that I am sitting down to write this post tonight... is this real life?

Yes, you heard me, an real AUNT to a real BABY Nephew or Niece in the next real year.. I dont care what it is... I am just too ecstatic to even make full intelligible sentences.

My older sister, Lanie, and her husband Bret are expecting their first baby next June!!

that means, the formally known "parents" Rex & Gwen can now be formally addressed as Grandpa & Grandma, Gramps & Granny, Papa Bear & G-mama... it doesnt matter, they will be grandparents for the very first time! as for Uncle Wade and I... we couldnt be more ready!

_______

I feel like you need be in on something... story time! Lets go back... 2 years ago... Its Christmas morning at the Barker Household. There we are in our matching PJs and my mom is cooking an incredible breakfast feast that is life-changing BUT that is not is the life-changing back story I will be sharing... unfortunately. 

 my sister Lanie is just awesome. I mean, whatever comes her way, she conquers like a champion. For example, at Christmas, she wraps presents like no one else I know and lovessss to do it. So , of course, thats why I "let" her wrap mine! ha. Her Christmas gift giving is always super thoughtful, meaningful and memorable... and boy was this year memorable.

Lanie had worked super hard to get our family tickets to sit in on the popular Alabama radio show, Rick and Bubba! We love those guys! It was a perfect gift for the whole family to open... except for Libby. Libby opened an ultrasound. uh huh... you heard me correctly. Libby froze. Could this really be happening? Libby looked around... and as expected, there might have been a small amount of moisture building up in the eyeballs... just as Libby was about to just lose it... Lanie shares that it was just a joke! She thought it was be funny for Libby to open an ultrasound (with a photoshopped "Lanie Walters" at the top) while everyone else opened tickets to a radio show.Props to her for the effort! I really mean that, I love a good joke. Heck that might be the Christmas she wrapped up and gave me a copy of "Liar Liar" that I already owned. I still squealed in excitement! Guess that just proves my middle name really is gullible... Ill accept that...But lets just say, Libby did not find the "baby" prank quite as humorous.

_____________

So, two years have passed and maybe the bitterness has worn off. But I sure did take it upon myself to nag about when I was going to be an Aunt. for real. can you blame me?

Back to the Good News:

One weekend in Nov, Bret and Lanie came up to Nashville for the weekend. In usual Lanie fashion, there was a master plan to share the big news! But... our weekend plans got all mumbo-jumbo-ed (yeah, I just wrote that) and we have to improvise. So, at the famous Couser's restaurant that my family has eaten at for over 20 years... the day final had came. Bret got up to "take a photo" of us (aka a video, see below) and he yelled "When's that Baby Due?" Lanie said, "June 21!"...

as you can tell in the video, none of us really caught it the first time...whoops.

and of course I cried. Good grief, i am a basket case these days. kinda pitiful... but in this context I am dont care, im gonna be an aunt!!!

Mo-Mo got the news via Skype! How cool is my 70-something year old Mo-mo for that right there? She is such an angel and an amazing grandmother! I bet an even great-grandmother!!

Then, the Enlow crew found out right before our Thanksgiving dinner!
*It took everything I had NOT to post the big news on my Turkey Day Post! I give myself a pat on the back for that. 

Lanie and Bret, Thank you, thank you, thank you to the moon and back 1000x! You two are going to be incredible parents... I cannot wait to see how beautifully God is going to bless your family and your sweet new addition! oh oh oh oh I cannot wait.

dear blog readers, I am not even sorry for how often I will post about this baby and how incredible it is. I will be obsessed... guaranteed!

hurry

Dear Weekend, 

Hurry up... please?  I be so tired ova' here and its so dadgum freezing outside that all I wanna to do is be in sweats, inside a blanket all snuggled up... doing nothing that requires too much use of my brain.  Can you make that happen at 3:55 pm tomorrow afternoon? In the words of Chandler Bing "that would be perfection!"

deepest thanks,
your biggest fan
       

______________________________       

Well, finding out Ree, the Pioneer Woman, has a book called "Black Heels  to Tractor Wheels" releasing Feb. 1 2011 just made this late night of studying children's language development not so bad after all.

Hey Weekend, lets have a date in February and we'll  read this love story in one sitting. deal? 

roll with it baby

check check check it out... William is a rolling machine!

Guess that just means in no time this 8mo little guy is going to be crawling all over the place!

The funniest part is that he doesnt love to just roll over and back... he loves to all the way across the room! Its so cute... then I guess I shouldnt complain about getting majorly "spit up" on after this! 

Hope you enjoy The Doetzer's sweet baby boy as much as I do  :)

camizzle

raise your hand if Baby Camille just stole your heart?

dont deny it. I mean, I gave into these irresistibly adorable baby blues about month 2 of this baby girl's life!

Oh, and who believes Tim and Jessica Smith deserve to win "Awesome-est New Parents of 2010" ?

oh oh I do! I do!

They nicknamed Camille = "Camizzle" early in her life, how rockin' is that? and they are full of so much joy and laughter! There positiveness is so contagious! I love it.

Tim & Jess, You have my vote, hands down! Thanks for such a great morning with such a heart throb of a baby girl! See you soon.. at her 1 YEAR PHOTOS! I just cant even fathom it. someone slap me

not so traditional

Thanksgiving is so precious to my family... I might even say its our favorite holiday to spend all together. Nothing at all against Christmas, we love that time together as well but there is something about Thanksgiving that I just cant explain! but you know I am gonna try!

It isnt traditional. Heck, if you have met the Barker's, you know that aint ever true! I mean, we have our own dinner time... Barker time-8pm. Kyle thinks we're crazy... well, all I can say is welcome to the madness.  We all get together at my aunt & uncle's house about 2mi from my Momo and Papa's. There is turkey, dressing, ham, yams, etc... but I say we arent traditional cause my favorite part is that we have ribs, BBQ, 7layer salad, strawberry pretzel salad, lemon pie... and so much more. We will eat on it for at least 2 more meals. I am so thankful for my aunt, mom, momo, uncle and everyone who makes the meal so incredible. We are very blessed.

Group singing after dinner. Its random, its entertaining, its totally worth video-ing! enjoy. 

We love visitors! One of our favorite parts is to include anyone and everyone! why keep all the holiday joy just exclusive to our family?! My uncles friend Anthony, my aunts family and other friends joined us for dinner! We are so thankful! Look---> even our friends from Rural Hill, Danielle and Taryce got to be with us! such beautiful women, inside and out! Thank you so much for coming! same plan, next year, no questions.

It isnt full of fun-filled plans. I mean, seriously I dont think I can recall much of our holiday break that anyone else would care to hear about! We rarely get out of sweats, we bake lots of goodies, we gain 5lbs just cause we can, the boys like to duck hunt in the wee hours of the morning and our family alone could keep the town's Pizza Inn buffet in business. (im drooling thinking about it).

It isnt a quick trip. We wish we could spend the whole entire week. As we have gotten older, gotten married, gotten adult jobs... our schedules havent been as open as we wish. But I am thankful that we still make the effort to all be together.

Its all because two people fell in love. If you know me at all, you know I can make myself tear up like its my job. I got way too many emotions for one 5'4 girl... I would give them away but then I bet I would cry and that would lead to a problem. So, lets just not do that and try my best not to make this uber-sappy. But this is the first holiday season we will spend without a family member. My Pa-pa passed away in March and I couldnt miss him anymore. I am confident that God is taking care of him. Pa-pa is up there cracking jokes, telling stories and entertaining people for eternity. But, my selfish human tendency just wishes he would pull up in his truck, tell me to get in and drive him somewhere, anywhere. Our family and our holidays are so blessed because my Papa and Momo fell in love and made an amazing home for all of us for years to come. thank you, thank you...



Its family photo shoot time. yep, grumbling... we all get out of our sweats, put some nice clothes on, apply make-up for the first time all day and take some family photos.  I am not posting any group ones cause they will be our card photos... but here are some! (Dear interim photographer & boyfriend, Thank you! you did a great job behind the camera! proud of you. Guess Ill keep you around ;)


We just started this tradition a couple years ago so we could have legit christmas card photos. Everyone doesnt particularly love that I boss everyone around and make them get all dolled up... but I remind them that we all love the outcome of having photos together! it is weird being on the other side, like picking out outfits, perfecting my smile and planning the best time. But its worth it.

*these to the right are some bloopers. just thought you could all just laugh along with us...  im telling you, we are just plain crazy.

Happy day of giving thanks. I hope you, your families, your friends and whoever... had an amazing holiday! One full of rest, excitement, love...  Soak it up, take it with you the next weeks and let it be an encouragement to everyone around you... dont let this drab winter weather get you down!

as pa-pa would say  "gotta go!"

Thankfulness

Jesus Calling entry from Nov 24: "Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give Me thanks (regardless of your feelings) and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances). This is a spiritual act of obedience--at times, blind obedience. To people who don't know Me intimately, it can seem irrational and even impossible to thank Me for heartrending hardships. Nonetheless, those who obey Me in this way are invariably blessed, even though difficulties remain.

Thankfulness opens your heart to My presence and your mind to My thoughts. You may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. It is the Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity"

My favorite holiday officially starts at 130pm... You'll find me then tearing up I-24 straight to Mo-Mo's. Much needed big-family time, here I come!


Good night.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

brain unpack

Consider this an open invitation to the "Libby's Brain Unpacking Party" from the weekend! just stay with me, this might not be the most attractive or entertaining post I've ever done, I dont want to go 3 more days w/o an update... so here goes!

• Want to know what made me feel old today? I realized Im totally in the "Ann Taylor Loft" stage of style...fully. you know what I am talking about cause you remember the "Limited Too" stage? or worse, the "Abercrombie" stage? Yeah, it is nice I've made steps to transition out or that would just be awful! so, just call me Ann! It is an perfect balance between conservative pretty adult and wild young woman. Now, dont get me wrong... I am not implying I purchase everything that ATL sells! good grief, I am not made of $ ova here but its great to get ideas and then walk over to TJ Maxx! ;)

• Yep, your eyes arent deceiving you, it is official.. i mean, facebook official and even Mr. "I dont do facebook/No internet" Kegley initiated it! Its true... I was sitting on the couch, computer in hand, checking facebook, he leaned over and sent a relationship request to himself. I was shocked. Look at that. There wasnt any arm twisting or thumb wrestling.. guess that just proves we really both are so happy/excited, well as excited as Kyle can be without the idea of food or UT football! ... AND Speaking of that, maybe him and I need to have a talk about that darn profile picture. Now, when anyone might be interested to see who swept this 'Bama girl off her feet, they first see a UT football photo!?! uh oh, NOOT good. This issue might require some arm twisting... but , as Wade-ly has learned before, I think "I can still tear people up"... so dont worry!

• Its a Big Night... no no, Huge, i mean massive! I got my first wedding interest email from my newly launched website!! (I almost took a photobooth photo of myself... trying to capture the pure essence of my excitedness... but that quickly got a big VETO. Im kinda look like a scrub and you already have seen 2 of those on the Keith Urban post. that is plenty for at least a year) anyways... Thank you, Thank you for all the wonderful words of encouragement, loving support, awesome recommendations you all have poured over me and this photography stuff! God keeps proving that he keeps promises and never leaves my side... for that, I am so blessed! Cant wait to look back on this blog years down the road and be amazed at all the ways he guided me

• "My Kinda Party" This song has been on repeat these days, should I be worried about that? I cant figure out just exactly why I cant get enough: is it the bad-boy rocker kinda country vibe? the amazing video in a sewer tunnel? the verse with "... you can be my tan legged Juliet, Ill be your redneck Romeo"? the fact my dad always said I was a "lookin' for the party" kinda girl? or the new found interest in Jason Aldean? I mean, if he didnt have those earrings, Id be his tan legged Juliet... uh oh, the "facebook official" announcement in this same post.. thats not my best idea! whoops... but can you blame me? have you heard this one of his?

 

... talk about melt your heart, listen to the last verse (approx 2:17)!! are you even surprised to hear that it makes me tear up? yeah I know... you're not.

Hey, the best thought to end this random-ness tonight? its thanksgiving week, friends. hallelujah.  good night. nice catching up, I promise the next posting(s) wont be as cluttered!