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!

Only 3 More Weeks!!!

Alyssa and Sam will be getting married in just three more weeks! Things have been a little crazy, and we've all been running around trying to help as much as possible. I got my dress in today, and it's so pretty. Everything is pink...Alyssa's favorite color. It's going to be really pretty and soooo her.

The invitations went out a few weeks ago, but I haven't had time to post them. They turned out just perfect. This is going to be a fun weekend and will be here before we know it!

What a fun Christmas...

Wow, we're back from our Christmas travels! It gets kinda crazy. We did Christmas day with Lee's family this year...our first time... so we had to switch some things around. We went to the Coast to my grandparents' house with my aunt and her family on Friday night. We did Christmas Saturday and went to church together on Sunday. After gathering our things Sunday afternoon, we loaded up and went to Pontotoc. It poured down rain the entire way there, and we got to Lee's grandmother's house at 10:30 that night. We did gifts with all of them and got home at about 2am. We woke up Monday morning to a great breakfast with the whole family. After opening gifts with Lee's family, we went to Lee's other grandmother's house with the whole crew. It was really fun and lively! Lee got up the next morning to go hunting while I slept late! We left that afternoon, and I dropped Lee off in Louisville to go to Lake Forest Ranch for his yearly men's hunting trip and bible study. He loves it! My mom and Lia and Alyssa were here when I got back, so we spent some time together for a few days. My mom and Lia left yesterday afternoon. I mean, it has been crazy! It took me all afternoon and night until 3am to clean up our house. It was a wreck! Traveling around is always really crazy, but we are so lucky to be able to see all of our families. Lee and I decided right after we got married that we would make the sacrifices to make that work as long as it was possible. And we have a good time in the car together. It gives us time to talk and laugh and spend time together amongst all the madness.


One really fun thing that we started doing years ago was Christmas pajamas. My mom started this when I was in junior high or high school, but it was just our family. We would put our pajamas on and take lots of pictures all night long. Now that we're all spread out and meet up at my grandparent's house, we ALL do Christmas pajamas. It's really fun, but a lot of work. My poor mom starts looking for pajamas the day after Christmas for the next year. It's hard to find all the sizes for 15 people! We took over 100 pictures this year...I've only put a few of them in the album below. The funny thing is, we never do anything with them. We'll print off a few, but that's all. Maybe we just love to be in front of the camera!

Christmas 2006

Visiting The Pub

The night before we left to go out of town, my friend April had some of us over for appetizers and desserts. It was a fun little get together before we all went to The Pub to see the Delta Mountain Boys play. Tracy's husband plays in the band. This was our second time to go see them, so you could call us groupies!!! They're a really fun little bluegrass band that we love to cheer on.


April, Tracy, Kara, and me