10.12.14

Two weeks ago, I married the love of my life. The day was a big blur, but it was wonderful the same. I couldn’t have asked for better friends and family for all their help! Tony and I are so thankful for everything and everyone, and we are so far enjoying our married life. Here are a few photos from the special day. When we get the rest back, I’ll post them too!

First Kiss as Husband and Wife 🙂

Mama and A-Lib helping me get ready

we have the best friends

Eight years of friendship. Couldn’t do it without her

this girl was my sanity for the majority of the day. love me some A-Lib

these four beautiful ladies mean the world to me and it meant so much to have them share this special day with them. I honestly wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them ❤

he did good 🙂

Ephesians 6:9

love my handsome hubby

Farmer Jim and Mama ❤

the lovely little Poarch ladies 🙂

Thanks again to everyone who helped make this day amazing ❤ We love you guys and we appreciate it all 🙂 Thanks Elizabeth, Kelsey, Scott, Seth, A-Lib, Alana, Christine, Helen, Farmer Jim, Mama, Raimo, Mary-Alice, Mareck, Michael, Robin, Mama Carolyn, and Becca, you guys are the best!

Family Photos

On Christmas Day we had a few spur of the moment family pictures taken! There aren’t very many (only four actually), but here they are 🙂

me and Mama 🙂

Daddy, me and Mama

me and my boo 🙂

me and the fiance with our stinky ❤

Christmas!

Christmas this year was pretty fantastic! Even though it was rough getting into the Christmas spirit for me, I still enjoyed the holiday and loved getting be with my family.

I worked until 3ish on Christmas Eve (something I am still extremely bitter about). After that I came home and showered and laid in bed with my fiance and watched TV for a while. Then my uncle came over for dinner and we had a yummy feast (mac&cheese, ham, corn, and biscuits)! After dinner we all played Yahtzee and listened to Christmas music. I went to bed pretty early because I’ve been having problems with my back and have been on medication that makes me super groggy.

here’s a picture of us playing Yahtzee!

I woke up early on Christmas morning and had breakfast with my parents (yummy cinnamon rolls!) and then we opened our presents to each other. I got some really nice gifts and I feel so blessed. After that we all got ready and then Tony came over and we opened our presents to each other and from my parents. Then we went and had lunch with my family!

After my grandmother passed away in 2009 we started a new Christmas Day tradition of going to a local Chinese restaurant to eat lunch/dinner! It has probably been the best idea my family has ever had! It’s so much fun and we eat so much yummy food! This year we had pretty much the same group of people, although my mom’s best-friend and her husband did join us (altogether it was: me and Tony, mom and dad, my uncle Nick, Alfred and Robin (who are practically my aunt and uncle), Ricki and Wayne (my mom’s best-friend and her husband), and my cousin Wade and his girlfriend Bonnie). It was so much fun and I’m so glad we started the tradition. After we ate lunch Tony and I came home with my parents and dad and Tony played games on the Atari Flashback 4 that I bought my dad! After Tony went home I spent the rest of the day being lazy and hanging out with my mom.

Here’s some pictures from the day! I hope everyone had a good Christmas and is ready for a new year! (I know we’re not prepared at all)!

our yummy cinnamon roll breakfast (accompanied by hot chocolate of course!)
the beautiful Christmas tree in the living room
my mama’s beautiful Christmas village!
Farmer Jim’s gifts from Santa

my gifts from Santa!
mama’s gifts from Santa!
I got a bottle of Rum! (to replace the three bottles my dad has drunk and then replaced)
I got the cutest cupcake clock! I cannot wait to have a place of our own so that I can hang it in our kitchen!
mama’s awesome new bird feeder!
dad was really excited for his pistachios!
  the bud-bud playing in the paper
I was sooooo excited to get this book! I’m such a psychology nerd and I absolutely love Oliver Sacks and his books!
dad got a Red Baron plane!
my new cupcake platter!
dad got a new shirt! I promise he was more excited than it seems!
mama got a new M&M charm bracelet from daddy!
I got a gift certificate for a massage from Farmer Jim! I’m so excited!
yes we did get Farmer Jim Wink! for Christmas!
mama got me a subscription to Food Network Magazine! I absolutely love everything Food Network, like I have a serious problem
and I got a mini cupcake maker! so exciting!
my gifts after opening!
mama’s gifts after opening!
Farmer Jim’s gifts after opening!
all of my gifts from my students!
Farmer Jim’s tractor!
a beautiful birdhouse from my cousin and his girlfriend and an adorable snowman plate from my aunt Helen
the Stinky looking possessed amongst the wrapping paper
gift cards from my students
dad’s new Atari Flashback 4! which he loooves!
I am in love with Ree Drummond and her cooking! I love her show and her cookbooks and I am so excited that I got two of them for Christmas! I cannot wait to start making these recipes.

mama and daddy with their little black babies (Ziva and Abby)
mama and daddy with Ziva and M&M
M&M and Abby (the best of friends)
me with my new laminator thanks to my awesome fiance! I have had my eyes on this cookie jar since Hobby Lobby put their Christmas stuff out back in September. I was so surprised that I got it and I cannot wait to use it! thanks babe! my new cupcake carousel!
my future mother-in-law has the best taste in clothing! she got me this cute pink sweater and this adorable earmuff headband! I love them both!

I have left work in tears two nights in a row. I am so fed up with it. There is no reason on this planet why people should be treating me like this, yet I can’t seem to escape it. I honestly don’t know what to do anymore. I don’t have the energy to keep doing this when I’m constantly being brought down and treated like dirt. I already suffer from horrible anxiety and depression without all this crap, and this is breaking my heart. People are so rude and unappreciative these days.

Engagement Pictures – Shot With a Bow Photography

A few weeks ago Tony and I had our engagement pictures taken by an old co-worker of mine. Mary-Alice is the sweetest girl ever and she did an awesome job! These pictures make me swoon every time I look at them! I highly recommend her to anyone in the Richmond, Virginia area! Thanks so much for the wonderful experience girl! I can’t wait to see how the wedding pictures turn out next year 🙂 Here are a few of my favorites from the session, all credit goes to Mary-Alice Jackson and Shot With a Bow Photography!

Website: Shot With a Bow
Blog: Show With a Bow Blog
Facebook: Shot With a Bow Facebook

<– this one’s my favorite ❤ <– I also really really love this one 🙂

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

we decorated for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving, despite me feeling like crap after wisdom teeth surgery the week before. We were a little scared at first because we have a new kitten and she’s quite the handful, but so far she’s managed okay (I think she’s bored with the trees already). The inside of our house looks wonderful and festive! (hopefully my dad will finish the outside today).

our first Christmas together!

my favorite cross ornament!

my tree! it’s decorated in patriotic ornaments, crosses, Yankees and Redskins ornaments, and babe and I’s stuff

some of my mom’s M&M ornaments

our engagement ornament! I ordered it off of Etsy and I am completely in love with it ❤ I’ve gotten so many compliments!

Mama’s Christmas Village 🙂

our second Christmas together!

my glitter duck

one of my mom’s new houses! (I’ve bought her three this year!)

my cardinal tree topper in honor of my Granny!

my tree again!

December Currently

Listening: to Law & Order: SVU – I am looooving these marathons on USA lately!
Loving: that we finally have our Christmas decorations up!
Thinking: I’m so proud of myself for making such good grades this semester! Dean’s List and Straight A’s
Wanting: I really wanna go the Christmas lights around town!
Needing: Family Time – it’s my favorite thing of the year!
Favorite Tradition: Christmas Open House – we’ve had it ever year for as long as I can remember and I absolutely love it!

Blue Ridge Parkway

Yesterday, Tony, my parents, and I drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway for the day and just wandered around and saw the sights. Then we went to Macado’s and had lunch! Here’s some pictures from the day!

Columbus Day Art Project

I had to come up with some kind of art project for Columbus Day and I am quite proud of my creation! I found the idea on Pinterest and I made a few changes and combined a few different ideas together to make one. I love it so much and I hope my kids enjoy it!

Proposing to my bridesmaids

I found this idea on Pinterest and just had to steal it! It was too cute not too! I adjusted the wording a little to be more appropriate for me and my girls but it’s pretty much the same! And I made these completely by hand! I typed up the saying in Word and used font colors that were close to what we’ve picked for our wedding colors (though the teal printed out more green and I’m not sure why). Then one day this week I went to Hobby Lobby and bought some card-stock paper (I got 3 sheets of off-white, 3 sheets of coral, and 2 sheets of teal for only $6). I printed out the saying on the off-white card-stock and then cut it out. After that I glued it to the coral and trimmed it down to where I wanted it, then did the same thing with the teal. I used white envelopes that I had at home and wrote the girls names on the front (I forgot to take a picture of this part!) I asked Elizabeth tonight and she said ‘yes’ of course! Now I just have two more to go!