Our Finished Masterpiece!

I picked up the pottery we painted at Fat Cats last week, but I didn't want to put it on the blog before Alyssa could see it. She's seen it, so....here it is! It turned out so cute but completely different than I thought it would look. I expected it to be real soft, pastel colors. Instead it's bright and deep. The greatest thing is that Alyssa got some Homer Laughlin Fiestaware in Shamrock green, and it matches exactly! It's going to look great. The only problem is that the first person who drops a piece of that stuff may lose his or her life!!

And the Wedding...

Was pink. Everything. Was. Pink. It was almost hilarious. The invitations, the bridesmaids' dresses, Alyssa's dress had a pink bow, as did the programs, the flowers were pink, the cake, the tablecloths, we even had pink lemonade! Guests could make a bag of pink candies on their way out the door! Obviously, that is Alyssa's favorite color, so when they asked her what color she wanted something to be, she always said, "Pink!" I must say I was a little nervous, but it turned out to be beautiful. We had a really fun time, and everything turned out perfect. My mom and Lanette and I did walk into the church Saturday morning to see the flowers all out of order...and the florist was gone! We were a little panicked. They were all there, but it looked like a jungle! Never fear, Shanna to the rescue. The florist came back and fixed everything, and it was great. The ceremony was really sweet. A guy who used to be in Sam's youth group but is older now created a video for them that was just like the beginning of The Wedding Story. It was so cute. The photographer, Kathy Stephens, was wonderful. She was so sweet but really knew how to take charge. I'm anxious to see what the pictures look like.
The reception was fabulous. I was most impressed with the cakes by The Cake Diva (she's a Coast implant!!! Yippee!). Alyssa knew exactly what she wanted, but we were all surprised by how perfect they were. Sam and Alyssa stayed for a few hours and then left. They had the cutest car and the sweetest little driver. It's an older couple who owns this car, and they love doing weddings. They had a basket full of drinks and snacks for Sam and Alyssa. They were just so sweet! They took Alyssa and Sam to the Fairview Inn where they stayed in the Hayloft Honeymoon Suite (how funny!). It was really nice. The nicest thing was that they were at their hotel by 5pm and didn't have to be ready until 9am the next morning. I mean, Lee and I got to New Orleans after midnite and were sooo exhausted!
Meanwhile, we went back to the hotel with all the food left over. We took it all downstairs and called everyone who was there for the wedding and had them come down and eat. It was really fun to just hang out with everyone (mostly family and close friends) and laugh. After a while, we started inviting anyone walking through the lobby to come eat. It was hilarious. We did get rid of most of the food, though! Lee and I stayed at the hotel that night with my family.
Sunday morning, Lee and I picked Alyssa and Sam up and took them to the airport to catch their flight to Mexico. They are in Playa del Carmen at this great resort. They have a Casita, and it sounds really nice. There's a lazy river that goes around the resort, and they get to take two steps out of their room and get in the lazy river and ride it around until they want to get out! How neat! We are so, so jealous and can't wait to pick them up on Saturday to hear all their stories. Sam makes fun of me all the time because I have a blog, but Alyssa called yesterday to tell me about their snorkeling experience and said that Sam keeps saying, "Oh yeah. This picture is definitely going on the blog." So I'll be posting some pictures of that, too!

The Wedding Day

Rehearsal and Dinner at the Capital Club

The rehearsal went off without any problems, thanks to Shanna. Things were quick and easy, and we had a fun time anticipating the next day. Then Sam's family hosted a beautiful dinner at the Capital Club downtown. It was so pretty and so nice. The food was really good, and we were all able to stand up and say a few words about or to Alyssa and Sam. Once again, Lee made everyone cry with his toast. He always does such a good job, while I ramble about absolutely nothing until I feel like it's time to sit down. After the dinner, Lee went home, and I went back to the hotel with my mom and dad and Alyssa and Lia to spend the night with the girls for the last time. I don't know why we always say "for the last time." We said it before my wedding, too, and we still stay together all the time. Tradition, I guess. But it was fun regardless. See the album below if you want to see all the pictures.

Rehearsal and the Capital Club

The Fun Brunch

After a really busy week, we took a break on Friday and went to Fat Cat Ceramics on Old Fannin to paint some pottery with all the girls and laugh and have some fun. We also gave Alyssa some fun gifts to take with her to Mexico. My aunt got all of this together, and we had some great food from Three Sisters and a Mixer. Alyssa picked out the colors she liked and some pieces to paint. We each picked out piece and got to work. Her mother-in-law made the cute plate with the bride and bridesmaids on it that we all signed before we left. It was really fun and was a great time for Alyssa to relax and enjoy the day.

If you want to see all the photos, click the album below. Warning: there are a lot!

Fat Cats Brunch

The First Bit of Drama...

Well, needless to say, as is with any wedding, we had a few rounds of drama the week of. Here was the first major catastrophe. The seamstress ruined my dress!! Alyssa and I were in A Southern Affair (who was the wedding coordinator) right after she got engaged. There was a lady there who told us she did alterations and that she also had some veils and jewelry and gave us her card. Well, we called her to do Alyssa's alterations. We took the dress over there around Christmas and left it. We took mine about two weeks before the wedding. When I went back to pick it up on Monday, it looked better than this. But when I went back to get it on Tuesday, it looked this bad. Looking back, it is funny, but at the time, we panicked. I mean, it was 4 days before the wedding! She kept begging us to leave it and let her fix it, and we were really nice about it at first saying that I just didn't have time to drive all the way to Clinton again. But when she kept insisting and then tried to cut something off the dress, I got a little stubborn. Basically, what we finally found out was that she had ruined the dress and knew that no one else could fix it. We freaked! But the wonderful wedding coordinator, Shanna Lumpkin with A Southern Affair, came to the rescue. She called Bill Levkoff, and they had one dress in the right color pink with a different color sash in a size smaller than what I had originally ordered. So we told them to send it on! Once it got here, I took it to Al in Madison, and he fixed the sash. And it actually fit better than the old one! My best friend Lanette picked the dress up Saturday morning and brought it straight to the church! Thank goodness for Shanna. She was absolutely fabulous and sooooo calm. Needless to say, she is not using that alterations lady anymore.

Life is back to normal...hopefully

I know that it has been a really long time since I posted last, but I have a real excuse this time. I had my huge licensure exam last weekend (the 13th) for graduate school. I was home for maybe 5 minutes when we swung into full gear with my sister's wedding, which was this past weekend. But now it's over, too! And it was fabulous. Just a really stressful two weeks. I wanted everyone to know that I'm ok and will be posting a little at a time. It really was a wonderful and fun week leading up to the wedding, and we have some wonderful pictures. Stay posted...for a little at a time. I'll try to fill you in on as much wedding drama and funny stories as possible. Alyssa and Sam are now in Mexico and are having a great time. We're so jealous!!

Men being Boys...

Every year after Christmas, Lee and my dad go on a hunting trip to Lake Forest in Louisville, Mississippi. A bunch of men go, and they hunt and have bible study for four days. My dad has been going for years and had Lee hooked after we got married. There's a big group of guys from the Coast who all go up, so they have such a good time. Last year, my dad took Eldon, my cousin, up to Lake Forest in January to hunt for a weekend, and Eldon killed his first deer. So, of course, this year, Eldon had to go for the big hunt with all the guys. And he killed another deer!! He was so excited, but I think all the other guys are just as excited as Eldon is. They have fallen in love with him...like everyone else does! There's an album below for those of you who want to see ALL of the pictures from the weekend. But I thought these of Eldon with his deer and with my dad were too cute to pass up.

Lake Forest

Is this a White Elephant Gift?

No, unfortunately it's not. My dad gave Lee this shirt for Christmas. He knew that Lee would like it, but he also knew that it would drive me crazy. I mean, it has fishing flies on it!! Lee was so excited it was Friday so he could wear his shirt.

So I'm posting this especially for my dad. Dad, you made Lee's day, and, quite honestly, it was a good way to start my morning...laughing!

What a sad and exciting time...

Our dear friends, Katie and Craig Curtis, left this morning for two years to be missionaries in Central Asia. Lee went to the airport to see them off this morning, and he's kinda been depressed all day, bless his heart. I think they all thought they were ok with it until they got ready to get on the plane. The reality of the fact that they'll be gone for two years hit all the guys at one time. Craig has served as such a wonderful friend and encourager to Lee, and he also is the person Lee calls when looking for some good fun. Katie and I can spend hours just talking and trying to figure out life's idiosyncracies. It will be so neat to hear about the neat things they are doing while they're gone, but there will be a huge hole without them here. Please keep them in your prayers as well as their families. These next few weeks will be so hard for all of them while we're all getting used to this new adjustment. You can keep up with their travels by checking their blog that is listed on the left!

Top 10 Happenings of 2006 (for The Hills!)

Lee and I spent the day yesterday just hanging out and running some errands. In an attempt to really start 2007 off on the right foot, we took the time to write down at least 3 things we wanted to accomplish this year and at least 2 resolutions. While we were coming up with this list, we started talking about the biggest events of the year for us and narrowed them down to 10 things. Here they are in absolutely no order:

10. We bought a new car! This was our first vehicle purchase together. It took a while for us to find the right one, and it took a lot of patience on Lee's part (I was ready to buy the first day), but we love our little white Camry!

9. I started graduate school. This was a huge decision for us that was made really quickly. I will finish my master's in educational leadership at MC this summer. I have loved every second of it, except the nights I'm not at home. It has changed my views on education and made me a better teacher. I have also made some great friends who make being away a few nights a week a lot easier. The next step will be deciding if I should stay in the classroom or begin using my degree in the fall. I love my students and the daily contact I have with them, but I also love being in charge of the big picture! Decision, decisions!

8. Dave Ramsey. Ok, I did this kicking and screaming, and Lee loved it, but it has really changed our lives. We know where every penny goes each month and are able to save for things we want or see as a necessity ahead of time. It has already made such a huge difference this year, and I know it will change our future.

7. Our house became a home. We started painting our house and really adding our own personal touches to it. The house that used to just be the place we live is now truly our home, and we love it. We still have some work to do, but it does feel good to look around and see things we really like!

6. My health. This sound small, but it was huge to us. We finally found medication to make me feel better on a daily basis and got a diagnosis for some other problems I was having. I was starting to feel like I was crazy! We are now able to prepare for what is ahead and do what we can to make things easier. And I feel much better! My left ankle used to get really swollen (it looked like there was a softball on the inside), and that rarely happens now. Hope that continues through 2007!

5. Craig and Katie's decision to be missionaries overseas. Craig and Katie are two of our dearest friends, and they are leaving for Central Asia for 2 years. Selfishly, we are so sad they're leaving, but it has been amazing to watch them prepare and watch God work in their lives. I keep saying that I can't imagine leaving, but they are so excited, which shows that God is truly calling them to this field. We will miss them so much. I don't know what Lee is going to do without Craig! Craig was the friend who would pick up and do just about anything when Lee got bored. Hopefully I won't be called on to look for alligators!

4. Lia went to homecoming. This had so much more meaning to us than just homecoming. Although it was her first "real, dress-up date," it stood for more than that. We finally felt like Lia really had found her place in Houston, and she has! She has some great friends and has such a great outlook on everything. We're so proud of her wisdom and maturity and love her sense of humor and attitude about everything. The negative, if there is one, is that it may be kinda hard to get her to come back to Mississippi for college!

3. Lee finally considered law school as an option. This is something he has wanted to do for a long time but would not give in to really doing it. We finally sat down and really went through the whole thing and realized that it is a very real option for us. He studied some for the LSAT and took it in December. He's also applied to a few law schools, so we'll see how that goes. If nothing else, I'm proud that he decided to follow what he knows he wants to do.

2. Northwest Rankin Cross-Country. This was Lee's baby this year. He got up every morning at 5am to meet a group of boys to run before school. He really brought the team a long way. It was fun to watch those guys really develop through the season. For me, it was neat to watch the admiration they had for Lee and the way they hung on every word he said. He served as a great role model and example for those boys while teaching them how to run 3 miles...really fast!

1. Alyssa and Sam got engaged! And the wedding is in two weeks! We're excited for Sam to be a part of our crazy family, and it has been fun for Lee and I to help them prepare for this huge step in their lives. We've been able to watch their relationship progress through the years, and it made the engagement more exciting.

What a great year 2006 was. We just hope that 2007 is filled with as many fun and eventful things! Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Hills!

Happy New Year! Lee and I ended up staying home for the night. Our small group had planned to get together, but there ended up being some sickness in the group and some were out of town. So we rented some movies and grilled hamburgers and did our own fireworks. It was hilarious...and really fun! Check out our fireworks show below. If it won't load for you, click here.

Yes, I made this!

I made this apron, with some great help, for Lee's grandmother, Mama Lois. Many of you know that I took a sewing class about a year ago with some friends. Although I have made some simple things like curtains, this was my first big project where I had to follow a pattern. I was determined to have it finished for her. Sooo...I had to enlist some help. My grandmother, MoMo, helped me out a bit. I really did do all the sewing, but some of those directions are really hard to understand! She was close by to make sure I was doing everything right and to help when the thread came out of my needle. Ugghhh! I was pleased with the finished product, and MaMa Lois loved it. She was really surprised. Thanks for the help, MoMo!