yeah, i'm reallllly behind...

when i started this whole "blogging" thing, i was really excited + just KNEW i'd stay on top of posting...i'm mean, what's the point of having a blog if you don't post?!? well, as life would have it, i'm behind....reallllly behind. i think i've missed a few family members' birthdays, anniversaries, etc. soooo, here's a big HUGE...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!

HAPPY ______!!!!

okay, that should cover it.

anyhooo, over the past couple of months, i've gotten slack about blogging about some of the fun family events that the hubby + i have attended. from my brother-in-law's retirement celebration, to mardi gras 2011, to one of my nephew's football games, to another nephew's recent visit to atlanta...man, have we really had a blast spending time with our family!!!!

be on the lookout for new posts....my goal for this week is to play some MAJOR catch up....again.

merry Christmas!!!

{yeah, i'm still catching up...whatever}

over the Christmas holidays, my hubby's mother, father, sisters, + maternal grandparents came to visit + spent a few days with us at our house. his brother also stayed a few days with us as he was already living in the area at the time. we had a great time just visiting with one another, shopping {well, they did...i'm not much of a shopper - at all, lol}, cooking, + visiting other family members.

Christmas morning, we exchanged gifts + then headed over to my hubby's cousin's home for an awesome breakfast! here are a few pics of us exchanging gifts + at breakfast...

there's a funny story about my mattress pad - LOL!!!

breakfast/bunch....YUM!!!

it started to SNOOOOOOOOOOW!!!!!

after breakfast/brunch, we all headed over to rae's aunt + grandmother's homes for Christmas dinner!

more snow pics to come...

Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree....

{playing "catch-up" on posts}

the week after Thanksgiving, the hubby + i decided to look for a Christmas tree to put in our living room. we had been eyeing one at a local store + after a few trips back + forth, we decided to go ahead + purchase it. i don't even remember what we were indecisive about at the time, given the fact that this all happened almost two months ago but once we finally got the tree home, we were pretty excited about it. it was the perfect size for the space we had picked out.

the tree came in two pretty large boxes. we literally spent about 20 minutes trying to stuff fit the tree into our car. keyword: car...not a truck, a van, or an SUV...you know, any kind of vehicle that could actually fit a 12 foot Christmas tree...a car. the experience was pretty exhausting fun. after realizing that fitting the boxes in the car just wasn't going to work, we decided to improvise + take all the tree parts out of the boxes - SCORE!

we waited until the next weekend to actually put the tree up + decorate it...we had grand plans to do it all in one night, but that didn't happen - at all. it took us about a week {yeah, i said it} to finish the tree. i mean...the thing was HUGE!!!! and, of course, it had to be just right because soooomebody in our house is such a perfectionist, lol! i'm not saying any names {especially since it's mine, lol}.

although it took us a few days, we had a great time doing it....here are a few pics of the process...

 we had yummy chocolate chip cookies! sorry, i couldn't wait until after the pic to take a bite....

  hubby setting up the Christmas music + slideshow of pictures of us through the years...

some of the decorations

the space BEFORE

 

the grand reveal....

note: we couldn't find a tree topper that we liked, so we went without one this year

Christmas card turned online greeting...

today, i will be doing a series of "catch up" posts. so much has happened over the past couple of weeks since i last posted, like Christmas...New Years...lasik surgery, lol...so, enjoy the next few posts!

soooo, without further ado, let's get this "catch up" party started...

in a previous post, i mentioned that i had taken pictures of my father + brother for their Christmas cards, but i wanted to wait until they had mailed them out before i posted the pictures online. to be honest with you, i'm not even sure that they sent them out.....men, i tell ya! in their defense, they didn't receive the cards until 2 days before Christmas, but stillll!!! {i knew i just should have had the cards mailed to me so that i could've made sure they got out, lol}.

anyhooo, you know what i noticed?!?! there's no date on these....soooo, my vote is to send them out next year, LOL! just kidding...kinda :)

well for the sake of the cards not going 100% to waste, i am posting an online version of the card here...

i think you can click on the card for a better view....check out my wonderful beginner photography skills :)

happy birthday, momma!!!

today, is my momma's birthday!!!!

i'm a bit bummed because she was actually planning to be in town visiting, but a few things have come up so, she has instead decided to come for Christmas. i was really looking forward to see her + celebrating her special day! no worries, though...she'll get the special birthday treatment later this month ;)

here's my FAVORITE pic of her + i....i've posted it on the blog before, but i just can't get enough of it...i just makes my heart smile!!!

it's christmas card time!!!! shutterfly to the rescue!!!

so, those close to me know that i dabble a bit in photography...yes, dabble.

a few years ago, my then fiance' {now, hubby - just to be clear} blessed me with an awesome camera for Christmas because i had been mentioning how much i wanted to start tapping into my "gift". well, two years later, i hadn't really made moves forward in terms of getting better with my camera...much to the chagrin of the gifter.

well, things are starting to change *insert applause here*

i begged offered my photography services to my brother + father for their Christmas cards. it started out as a joke, but, in the end, i'm really excited that they took me up on my offer...also, i think it's pretty cool that they'll have father/son cards :) gotta love family!

so, last weekend, while the hubby + i were in my hometown visiting, we held my first "real" photo shoot. my hubby served as my "assistant" helping me to scout out locations {daddy's backyard} + offering encouraging words {gooooo crys!}...it was REAAAAALLY cold outside, so we weren't outside that long, but we managed to get a lot of really great shots.

after taking the pics, i had to decide whether i was going to design them myself or use some other method. the answer was EASY...very easy - SHUTTERFLY! for the past several years, i have been using shutterfly {www.shutterfly.com} for allll of my photo printing needs + in checking out their Christmas card selection earlier this month, i was, again, blown away by all of their choices - {http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards}. today, i spent the day selecting a few options for my daddy + bro...it was a hard decision because there are so many awesome choices, but we finally selected a design! {i'll show them to you AFTER Christmas...of course, we don't want to spoil the surprise for those that will be receiving cards}.

seriously. i love shutterly. seriously. each year, i design "photo books" {http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books} with pictures of the hubby + i over the past year. they have proved to be wonderful keepsakes that we cannot wait to show our future children later in life. here's the cover of the one i made of our china trip back in 2007...it has a home in our living room :) it's always fun to take a look back at the book + reminisce!

we also used shutterfly photo cards - {http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery} to create invitations for an informal "day after the wedding" event for our family + friends.

 {btw, i "blacked out" some of the details for privacy purposes...shutterfly didn't do it - PROMISE!}

if you haven't checked out shutterly, you really, really should!!! you can thank me later!!!

ciao!!!

happy birthday, daddy!!!

today, december 2, is my daddy's 30th birthday!!! in celebration of the birthday boy, here are a few pics!

we wish you many more years of good health, love, and God's grace!!! enjoy your day! we love you!!!

kkkkk {5k}

this past saturday, i ran in my first 5k (3.1 miles). the race was a part of my "training" regimen for an upcoming half-marathon. in an earlier post, i spoke about what's behind all this running...

i must say after the race, i was a little disappointed. yes, i did finish, but it was much more challenging than i had expected. the course had hills GALORE. although the course that i typically run with my hubby has hills...they don't compare at all to the ones from saturday. okay, so that's my excuse disclaimer - ha.

my goal, well, hubby's goal for me was to finish the race in under thirty minutes...which would be about 10 minutes per mile. my unofficial finishing time was 30:25. i'm not really disappointed in my time as i'm not a fast runner by nature. what i was a little perturbed about was the fact that at one point during the race, i had to walk. i probably took about ten strides total, but i haven't had to do that in any of my training runs prior + i'm up to over 4 miles now....womph. womph. also, had i not walked, i definitely would have come in under the goal. anyhooo....

here's a brief recap of the day:

• about the event itself: the event was very well put together + serves a great cause. it is a memorial race for a teenage girl, aubrae gunderson, that was killed while practicing with her high school cross country team six years ago. the proceeds for the event go towards college scholarships. to show our support, hubby + i plan to run this race on a yearly basis. it's neat because her parents have organized the event in a way that really speaks to aubrae as a person. feel free to check out their website.
• it was a coooold morning - cold, i say
• again, loved running in my vibrams...even in the cold with no socks...loved it!
• i felt AWESOME the first mile of the race, i ran it in about 8 minutes
• the second mile was KILLER - i think that's where the majority of the hills were. when i finally got to the two mile marker, i was devastated surprised that it wasn't the finish line
• it was great having a personal cheerleader running the course with me {my hubby, of course} who left my side only to run ahead to take pics of me during the race + at the finish line

i periodically try to make myself feel better by reiterating that it was a really hilly course {see above}, lol, but i just need to stop making excuses + up my training a bit. i must say that i am pleased that i finished...i've never run more than two miles in my life prior to a month ago, so, for that, i'm proud.

we're planning on running a 10k (~6 miles) new years day...so that's my next goal....wish me luck!

here are a few pics...

me + my piece of heaven here on earth {my hubby}

run, crys, run!!!

 

us after the race

the prize for the "high heel hustle"...cute idea :)

happy thanksgiving!!!!

just wanted to take a few moments to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! here are a few things i am particularly thankful for...today + always...

• my relationship with God: He continues to guide me + shows me unconditional love...even though i am not worthy!
• my husband: his friendship...his laughter...his smile...it is truly a blessing to be able to make the conscious decision to chose love, to choose my husband, and be forever humbled that he also chooses me. 
• my family + friends: i am surrounded by people that i love + care for beyond words. i am thankful for each relationship + the individual ways they impact my life.
• my career: the ability to earn a living doing work that i enjoy {most days, hehehe}. 

today is a wonderful day to share with family + friends, but we should do our best to live with a spirit of thanksgiving in our daily lives!

motivation

i'm loosely following a running training plan which suggests that i do "long runs" one day each week. this past wednesday, dude came home + suggested that we do a long run this saturday + he mapped out a four mile course for us - my longest previous distance is about 3.5 miles, but on different terrain {flat, less hills}. so, all this week, i was dreading looking forward to saturday. i did a few 3+ mile runs by myself over the course of the week, so i felt pretty prepared.

then comes saturday morning.

my morning started off pretty dreadful...i wasn't in a good mood - at all. our initial plan was that we were going to get up + start our run at about 8am because dude had plans to play football + i usually walk kennesaw mountain saturday mornings with a girlfriend of mine. well....we ended up waking up late, so we postponed the run until later that afternoon, which i was 100% cool with, lol.

then comes saturday afternnon.

i was still in a stinker of a mood, but we decided to run any way. we head out on the course, armed with our respective ipods + dude with his "i wish another dog would run after us" stick since we're apparently prone to having dogs chase us while running. it's happened. twice.

the run started off pretty good. i ran in my vibrams, so i felt extremely light on my feet. well, fast forward to the last mile of the run...i was starting to feel a little tired + had serious thoughts of just "walking it in" once we made it back to the entrance of our subdivision which is about 0.2 miles from our house. i started to slow a bit, so at that point, dude ended up being in front of me - he usually runs behind me so that i can run at my own pace. as i'm starting to run out of gas, i look up + see this running in front of me...

all i could think of was "boy, hush" how i really wasn't 'giving it my best' at that point, so i got a second wind + put just a little more pep in my step. when we finally reached our driveway...i was pretty excited! honestly, no one would have been able to sense my glee because i could hardly breathe was stretching + cooling down, but believe me i was stocked. then, hubby gives me a big hug + tells me that he was proud of me. <--- the best part of it all ;)

next saturday is our 5k, so i'll be taking it easy on long runs this week.

ciao!

lead me with strong hands...

marriage is a very beautiful thing - very beautiful. i believe it's the most challenging, yet most rewarding relationship two people can enter with one another here on earth. there is so much responsibility required on both sides, yet the reward cannot even accurately be described in words.

in a previous post, i spoke of how it's so important to put the needs of your spouse before your own needs...with the understanding that he/she will be doing the same. when that happens, you no longer have to "worry" about your own wants + needs because, by design, your spouse is taking care of them. of course, there will be times you'll need to communicate your needs to your spouse + vice versa; however, this is truly an awesome method by which to approach marriage between two people that truly love + respect one another.

yesterday, while driving in my car, a particular song came on the radio. i had heard the song many times before, but i never really paid attention to the lyrics. for some reason, this particular time, i took notice.

the song, "lead me" by sanctus real, speaks of a husband's role in the home....

chorus {from a wife/child's point of view}

“lead me with strong hands
stand up when i can't
don't leave me hungry for love
chasing dreams, what about us?

show me you're willing to fight
that i'm still the love of your life
i know we call this our home
but i still feel alone”

and it speaks to his desire to fulfills the needs of his wife + children...

"so Father, give me the strength
to be everything i'm called to be
oh, Father, show me the way
to lead them
won't You lead me?

to lead them with strong hands
to stand up when they can't
don't want to leave them hungry for love,
chasing things that I could give up

i'll show them i'm willing to fight
and give them the best of my life
so we can call this our home
lead me, 'cause i can't do this alone"

i have the utmost respect for the role of a husband in a Christian home...as the head, the lead. of course, the wife has the responsibility of being his 'helpmate'; however, the husband is fully accountable to God for his family.

this song is a beautiful representation of this + would be an awesome prayer for husbands to pray as they strive to be the husbands they are called to be + a gentle reminder to wives of how much is required of our husbands...that it may not be as "easy" as we may think it is...

check the song out below...complete with lyrics so you can sing along in no time!

who needs cul-de-sacs anyway?!?

everyone knows that the fastest way to get to point A to point B is a straight line...

wellll, the developers of our subdivision OBVIOUSLY did not have "runners" in mind. we have more cul-de-sacs in our subdivision than i can even count....{for dramatic effect, here's a section of our 'hood below}

 

{google maps}

 

yeah, okay, i thought they were great when we were deciding on buying the house...but, back then, i wasn't running. honestly, i don't even really notice them until i'm at the end of a run....just dying to get it over with finish + make it home. when i turn down my street + get excited that i'm on the last stretch, i still have THREE cul-de-sacs to "round" before i collapse make it to my driveway. suuuuure, i could just not run the fuuuuuull circle of the cul-de-sac, but after it's all said + done, i'd probably feel guilty.

ugh.

run?!?! what....is something chasing me?!?

sooo, about a year ago, a dear friend of mine + i, came up with the GRAND idea of us running a half-marathon together. so, being the "go-getters" that we are, we said we were gonna start training, we registered for it, annnnnd....the date of the race came + went + neither one of us were anywhere to be found near the starting line. lol.

wellll, a few weeks ago, we decided to try this thing again. we're tentatively looking at running a half-marathon {13.1 miles} in early 2011.

what was i thinking?!?!

i consider myself somewhat athletic; however, i totally ABHOR RUNNING. i remember having to run a timed mile in high school for cheerleading + although i did "well", i dreaded every.single.minute. need me to box, spin, climb a mountain, weight train - then, i'm your girl, but if it involves running...i'd much rather pass the baton on that.

given the fact that i dislike running so much, i think training for this half-marathon will actually be good for me. i've never run farther than 3 miles at a time, so in order to reach this goal, i'll have to be very disciplined + truly dedicate the time to training.

thankfully, my hubby is very supportive + has been doing training runs with me for the past couple of days. during one of those runs, a dog actually started chasing us...which was not cool - at all. when we're not being chased, rae patiently runs behind me at my "snail's pace" when he could clearly run circles around me, lol. gosh, i love that guy :)

we - okay, i - created a "reward" schedule for milestones that i reach in my training to keep me motivated. two weeks ago, i reached my first goal + hubby bought me the running shoes that i had been eyeing for a while....yay!!! they are the vibram five fingers - bikila model...here's a pic below:



yeah, they're "different", lol...i'll let you know why i decided to go with these shoes in an upcoming post. until then, just know that me + all ten of my toes LOVE THEM :)

hey! we're gonna need those!!!

so, the hubby + i have been talking about "family planning" quite a bunch recently + although we don't plan to start our family of kiddies just yet, it's never too early to start preparing.

i came across an interesting video this morning from CBS news that talks about the correlation between laptop use + low sperm count in men. apparently, it's no bueno for that area of a man's body to be "overheated"...so it makes sense that sitting a laptop "there" would be no bueno as well.

lucky for us, my momma bought me a laptop stand that i'm very fond of + use occastionally - you can use it in a chair, in the bed, on the floor - just about anywhere!

perhaps i'll be "re-gifting" that bad boy to my hubby because, "hey! we're gonna need those!!!"

feel free to check out the video below for more "scientific" details...

in loving memory: robert "bobby" tillman

it just pains me to read the coverage of the fatal beating of seventeen year old, robert "bobby" tillman, this past weekend in douglasville, georgia by four of his peers. my heart truly goes out to his mother, who described her son as her "best friend".

bobby was attending a house party that apparently had gotten out of hand at the home of a local teenage girl. many people stated that the party was thrown by responsible parents + was meant for only about ten people, but it quickly grew out of control. some accounts say that at one time, there were over eighty people there. this grew progressively worse when two females got into a altercation + one of the females hit another partygoer - a male. he stated he wouldn't hit a girl {how chivalrous!!!}, but he would hit the next male that walked by {errrrr!?!?!}. unfortunately, bobby happened to walk by + the unthinkable happened....

four male teenagers proceeded to beat bobby to his death. click here for more details on the story

well, here's my take on the story...i think it's senseless. truly senseless. bobby did not deserve what happened to him. he did not provoke those young men in any way. i truly, truly believe our youth are lost. they're just lost. they listen to the filth that's in our music + on our televisions these days + are truly unable to distinguish between what is acceptable in real life + what's not. they're not able to have a mind of their own + the gumption to not "live up" to what's "cool" in today's society. they see famous people go to jail for drugs/weapons charges + how they are "glorified" with "free xxx" shirts....they see how people are sooo excited when these individuals are released so that they can continue to make music that clouds the minds of our youth. 

don't get me wrong, i definitely don't think that music + television are the only issues, but they play a huge part. i also blame parents to a certain extent - i don't have children myself, yet, so i have no idea what it's like to be a parent these days, but there is some level of accountability that should be taken.

i wrote about a christian rapper, lecrae, a few days ago....he has a song on a previous album - entitled "rebel" that i think is truly fitting for this situation. it speaks about being a "rebel" in the society that we live in. there's a part in the song that says,

"I know that in our day rebel means sinner, but everyone is sinning so it is no longer rebellious to sin. Jesus was a rebel who was counter cultural.....

...If you really want to be a rebel read your bible, because no one is doing that.... that's rebellion - that's the only rebellion left."

now playing: lecrae...all albums

since deciding to truly, honestly grow closer to God, i've decided to stop listening to most mainstream "music". to each his/her own, but i just find it hard to listen to lyrics that glorify sex, drugs, fame, money, etc.
 this past week, my hubby found my ipod that i hadn't listened to in over a year + i was really excited to go back + listen to the songs that i had downloaded. back then, i was at a different place in my life...i had a few christian songs here + there, but most of it was mainstream music...at that time, i didn't think too much of it. i was just excited that he found it.

well, i decided to head out for a run with my ipod in tow + i honestly had to keep skipping through songs that used to be "MY JAM", lol. i kept thinking..."did he/she just say that"!?!? there are a lot of things that are said in song lyrics that just didn't "click" to me before + now, i guess i've become more aware. i must say that there is still some secular music that have good messages + aren't offensive - those aren't the songs i'm referring to.

in sharing that with a couple that have become dear friends of ours, they introduced us to lecrae, a christian rapper. i must say, he is truly talented...and many critics say that his talent rivals many rappers in the mainstream music arena. his music has really satisfied my want to be able to enjoy other genres/types of music, yet not having to listen to lyrics about stuff i've never done or no longer plan to do. an added bonus, is that my hubby, who is MUCH more of a music person than i am, enjoys listening to lecrae's music as well.

one of my favorite songs by lecrae on his most recent album, rebel, is a song called "background" ft. c-lite. it talks about stepping out of the way + allowing God to take control of your life. it is such a powerful message especially for those of us that are prone to wanting to take things in our hands...*raises hand*.

have a look/listen...



**i'm no music critic, but in reading the reviews of lecrae's albums many critics have said that if he were to take his talent to the mainstream music arena, he'd be very "successful". how blessed are we as christians that he decided to "play the background" + allow God to use him for His glory - AMEN!!!

TWO WORDS: 1st word: mozzarella, cheddar {cheese}; 2nd word: everyone gets one once a year with their name on it + ppl eat it {cake}....CHEESECAKE?!?!

this weekend, my brother, sister, her husband + children, and our father all came to visit the hubby + i. we had a really great time eating, fellowshipping with one another, playing games, etc.

for dinner, we had parmesan tilapia, steamed green beans, garlic mashed potatoes, and biscuits. everyone said dinner was really great *turning around so you can pat me on my back*, hehehe; however, i cannot take credit for the biscuits...they were AWESOME!!! my sister + brother introduced the hubby + i to a new brand {can't remember what it's called...will update the post later}.

in celebration of my niece, laikyn's, birthday we had cheesecake {her favorite}. my brother, jt, truly outdid himself with the strawberry topping that he made...it was truly delicious. the best part of it all was that laikyn had no idea that we were gonna surprise her...here are a few pics...

 

after we finished eating dinner + devouring the birthday cheesecake, we played mad gab + then taboo....it was a whole lot of fun! i was very impressed with how well my niece + nephew grasped taboo...they did a really great job of coming up with their own clues! 

we're looking forward to our next family weekend sometime at the end of january. we're truly blessed to be surrounded by the love + support of our family + friends!!!

on this day....

on this day, four years ago...i met the man that would later become my husband. i am so blessed + grateful to experience such an amazing love here on earth...a love that grows even more amazing as we both continue to grow closer to God individually as well as a family.

to my husband, my best friend - i respect you. i love you.

here's how it all started {from the front of our wedding save the date}....

  

{graphic design by www.thebeepaperie.com}

skydiving!

october 1, 2007

 

january 18, 2009 - engagement day!!!

**a little perturbed that my pics won't "center", but hey, guess you can't win 'em all! LOL :)

happy birthday, laikyn!!!!

today is my niece, laikyn's, 12th birthday!!!! it's amazing how time has flown by....she is growing to be such a beautiful, smart, young lady!

enjoy your day, sweet pea! we love you!!! see you this weekend!

happy anniversary to the dunhams!!!!

twenty-three years ago, my sister + her hubby said, "i do!"

here's to many more years of love + happiness!!!

we love you!