New Vice-President of Kiwanis Club

This Tuesday night was the Kiwanis Club Banquet, and Zach was inducted as the new Vice-President for the upcoming year! So, this post is dedicated to my sweetie, even though I didn't even get a picture of him that night. I don't think he was wanting anymore pictures taken, since they took so many for the newspaper. I am so proud of him for being a part of a great group, and being involved in all their projects. I am really excited about the upcoming year for him, and the next two years to come, since he will be President Elect the next year, then President the following year.

And, since I hate making posts with all text and no photos, I thought I would include this jewel. It's a picture of the bouquet I won as a door prize. I was the first winner, so that's always exciting! These were the table arrangements for the night, so a few of us got to take one home. I loved the arrangements, and I'm even more happy about getting to keep the planter that it's in. I had never seen a flower like the bright blue in the middle, but it's gorgeous how it makes the other flowers "pop."  

Sorry about the brightness of the white flowers with the flash. Zach's camera is a gagillion times better than mine, but I'm not going to drag it out for a nit-picky photo like this one. :)

Anyways, it's been a busy week here. The fair is in town (woo-hoo), but we weren't really planning on going. I was talking to my friend Elizabeth (Carr) about it yesterday though, and how we had a great time when we went together last year (it was me, Zach, Elizabeth & Alan...I think we make a great double-date group!) :) She actually seemed interested in the idea of making a second annual visit this year, so we may do that.

On Monday, we had a "rest night," or well, I had a "rest night." I basically hit the couch with my blanket as soon as I came home & changed clothes, and didn't leave the couch until bedtime. I had had a sinus headache that day, so I wanted to med-up and rest before it got the best of me. (Speaking of, I realized the other day that it's almost October, meaning it's been almost a full year since Zach & I were "near death" with pneumonia. Crazy how time has flown!) Then, on Tuesday, we had the banquet. We made some friends at our table, so that was fun too. Wednesday was dinner at Mom & Dad's for Mamaw Ruth's birthday (Big 9-0...which I promise I'm going to post photos of her shindig soon), then choir practice that night.

At choir rehearsal, our director Roger called me to the "front of the class." He asked me very nicely about being in a trio with him & Miranda. I atleast told him I would consider it, so he's making me a CD with the music. We'll see...I'm not really jumping to get back on the stage, especially in a small group where there are only two female voices, and one of them is mine! But, we'll see... :)

Today is Thursday, and tonight I'm planning on going to the movies with friends. I always enjoy doing that atleast once a month. You've got to have a girls' night every now & then. Tomorrow night is our possible trip to the fair, so all-in-all it's been a busy week with something to do every night. I love weeks like this though! Hope everyone is having a good one!...and Roll Tide this weekend!!

Brittany & Joey's Wedding

This past Saturday, we attended a wedding for the second weekend in a row. We watched (most of) the Alabama game at the house, then had to leave for the wedding...to Zach, that was torture. It turned out well, humorously enough, because we arrived at the parking site and heard radios everywhere tuned in to the game. We were taken to the wedding site, the Reed's back yard, on golf carts, and were seated. It was fairly informal, because there were no ushers to take us to our seats and there were no programs. When we were seated, most everyone around us were already talking about the game. Zach whipped out the iPhone soon enough to get an update on the score. (This does sound a little bad, but everyone around us was curious about how the game was going. My best friend Sheena sat with us, and she was the most curious I think. She had just had to leave Tuscaloosa earlier that morning, and was so sad to miss the game.) Zach updated everyone around us while he periodically checked his phone. After the final score update (and after everyone's nerves were shot), Sheena let out a big "Roll Tide!" It was a fun way to pass the time before the wedding started, anyway.

The wedding, and bride, were absolutely beautiful! It was held in her family's back yard, and Mary, the bride's mother, did most of the decorations herself. There was a chandelier hanging from one of the trees, lights everywhere, and gorgeous table decorations. Like most the of the other weddings we've attended lately, we had another mini-class reunion there. One of our friends, Mattea (who is pregnant with a little boy), traveled all the way from North Carolina with her husband and little girl, Addison. Megan, Heather and April were also there, and we all took some pictures together. We finally were able to drag the beautiful bride away for a few pics. The night ended with her dad singing some Lynyrd Skynyrd songs with the band, so that was fun! :) We had a great time!

Me & my sweetie! Don't we look so happy? And isn't he so handsome?? :)

The girls with the beautiful bride! It was still a little humid from the rain that morning, but our hair held up pretty nicely.

The gang, before we could locate the bride for a pic.

April, me & Sheena...Sheena calls this one, "Rockin' It In Our Black Dresses." :)

I have a few other photos that Heather took, and when she sends them to me, I will try to post some. I know she took one of me & Britt, so I'll post it soon. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Straight From the Dryer...

I remember when I was little, I would LOVE being wrapped up in blankets/towels/sheets straight from the dryer. I noticed soon after I "adopted" Daisy that she did too. There's just something about that warm cozy feeling, especially on cold days. I washed her blankets (yes, she has her own blankets...I would rather her not shed all over my blankets) and her dog bed this weekend, and as soon as I got them out of the dryer, she came running. Cosmo also happened to be in the house at the time. He usually wanders in when we open the back door to the deck to let her out, especially in the Summertime. When I put the zebra blanket on the pillow in the floor, Cosmo hopped on it first. Daisy got a little jealous until I put her bed down for her. I grabbed my camera quickly before they moved and got a few cute pics.

Cos, after I covered him up with the blanket :)

Going to sleep

Daisy girl in her bed

Going to sleep

I actually took this one the night before. We had just let Daisy out, so Cosmo came in for a while. I sat down in the floor to enjoy my new backrest pillow that I bought last week on our B'ham trip. Daisy came over and sat with me. Then, Cos comes over. :)

Sorry to bore you with photos of our "kids." We just enjoy them so much, and they're such a big part of our lives right now. Hope you enjoy the pics!

*****

Lately, we have been busy with many things, not just work. We have caught up on yard work a good bit lately, since Fall is quickly approaching. I also started back to kids' choir this past Sunday. We had a class of all girls- loved it!- and there were about 12 of them! We had a blast singing some new songs, and I love that they are a group (4th-6th grades) that's not too old to do hand motions and dance around to songs. Makes me feel like a kid, and I just love spending time with them!

We also went to a wedding this past Saturday. We watched the majority of the Alabama/Duke game at home (Zach's dad was on a trip, so we missed getting to watch it at his house with him). We got ready and headed to Riverview Camp in Mentone. It was Cassie Hooks' wedding, and it was one of the prettiest I have ever seen! There was a harpist, a small orchestra that played during the wedding, and a really good band that entertained at the reception. They had used so many cute ideas in this wedding! They had a photo booth where they would take your pic, give you a complimentary photo to take home, and place the other photos in an album for Cassie & Gary. Great idea! Zach & I stood in line for it for a while, but decided not to do it. I had my cute heels on that were beginning to grind into my foot. Before the wedding, we had already trekked about a mile to the wedding site...if I would have known this, I would have worn much more comfortable shoes! Needless to say, after we ate & chatted with the bride & her parents, we were ready to go.

I'm really looking forward to the coming weekend! Saturday is my friend Brittany Reed's wedding. I already know of a few friends that are planning on being there, including one that I haven't seen since last Christmas. I CANNOT wait to see everyone!! Then, on Sunday, we are having my grandmother's 90th Birthday shindig! Mom & I have actually put this whole thing together in a little over a month, and I'm really proud of us! We have everything lined up and ready to go, and we plan to decorate the fellowship hall on Thursday night, just so it will be done. My sweet husband is going to be the photographer, so I can't wait to see and post some pics from the day! (I'm also hoping that he'll let me take some shots, so I can get my hands on that camera!) :)

Tonight is our Christian Women meeting at Amy Kinsley's house, so I'm planning on going early since she's just right up the road from me. I know she will need help setting everything up, since we're combining groups with the older women tonight for our program. We had a blast with her and David this past Friday night. We went to the FP Homecoming game together with their two boys. We met a few other couples from church there and all sat together. At half-time, Zach went with the dads and their boys to the concession stand. Coincidentally, each couple had two boys, so there were 6 total. After he came back, I said sarcastically, "We're never having kids now, are we?" He just smiled. :) When we left, we were walking out with Amy & David, crossing the street, and Grayson (the oldest) grabbed his dad's hand, so Connor (the youngest) grabbed Zach's hand. It was so sweet! Amy looked over at me and said, "Aww, maybe you two will have a boy!...But not now, of course!" I just laughed, and told her you never know. As long as it's healthy, it doesn't matter to me what we have.

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Our 2nd Anniversary!

We celebrated our Second Wedding Anniversary this past weekend. I took off of work for the past three days (Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday), so we could spend some time together. On Monday, our actual anniversary day, I cleaned house and grocery shopped. It felt good to be a little housewife for the day. At the store, I bought filet mignons, portobello mushrooms and baking potatoes for dinner that night. He grilled the steaks, and I took care of the sauteed baby bellas, stuffed baked potatoes, and one of the last Summer tomatoes I had. 

After dinner, we watched our wedding DVD...for the first time ever! We had actually planned to watch it on our first anniversary, but we stayed overnight in Atlanta and our room didn't have a DVD player. After we got back home from that trip, we weren't really in the mood to watch it, so we saved it for our 2nd. It was so incredibly sweet to watch the happiest day (to date) of our lives. I don't think I made it past the "Seating of the Grandmothers" before I had to pull out the tissues. I am so glad that we were able to capture that day on video to have for our lifetime. It was fun to see us and how we looked on that day, and see all our family and friends that traveled the long way, just for us, on that day.

On Tuesday, we got up early and spent the entire day in Birmingham. Thanks to family, we treated ourselves to shopping (we each bought something we really wanted and a few other things), and a yummy dinner at one of our favorites, Stix. I bought myself a bracelet that I had been wanting for a while. Zach bought an Alabama polo that he had had his eyes on for a while. It felt nice to treat ourselves a little. We had each decided we would spend a little on ourselves as our gifts to each other. We cut loose at dinner. I ordered sushi as an appetizer, and he ordered calamari as his. I absolutely LOVE sushi, but it usually doesn't love me. I am happy to say that this sushi agreed with me. We filled up on fried rice, steak, shrimp and scallops, and veggies, and we even had plenty leftover for lunch the next day.

I am currently spending my Wednesday by catching up on here (it's nice to be away from any and all networking for a few days...and computers too, for that matter). I still have a few things around the house to catch up on, but other than that, I plan to cook another nice dinner for my sweetie tonight, since I will have plenty of time. I'm also planning on going to choir practice tonight- partly because I'm ready to "join the living" in public again, and partly because I am in love with the song we are singing on Sunday. 

Speaking of Sunday, we had a really great Sunday this past weekend. Our childrens' choirs started back up with a Kick-Off Party, complete with pizza and singing. We even got to sing "Father Abraham," my absolute favorite when I was growing up in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. I love all of our sweet kids, and am so thankful to be part of a church that puts so much emphasis on the childrens' programs to help enrich their lives. I'm thankful to know that someday when we have little ones, they will be a part of and be loved by this wonderful group in our church!

Thanks so much to our wonderful family and sweet friends for your gifts, cards, calls and comments for our Second Anniversary! It's been a great two years- filled with love, laughter, and plenty of adjustments, and we're thankful to get to spend it with you all! As my sweet Mamaw Helen and Papaw Hoyt put in their card to us, "We're proud of both of you. Keep up what you're doing and you can celebrate your 60th someday." (Their 60th Anniversary is coming up on December 1st of this year.) I thank God for examples like this for our marriage.