and another week ends

to start off with; rants. first, i didnt get turkey today. second, i didnt bring clothes to dress for this cold weather we've had. so, im hungry and freezing. kidding. i have been cold all day but mom & dad ensure we are fed good; so no chance of being hungry. im sure though that i could live off my own body fat, for a good....well, long time. remember, december 8th. weight loss procedure. im excited! uber, excited!!

we were super busy again today moving into this beautiful new house of my parents. aaah, im so excited. their kitchen, is my dream kitchen. dad's home entertainment system, to die for. its gorgeous. i loved the other house. its as gorgeous as the other house. i miss the other house. this house does, feel different to me. it feels more "home'y"? and i dont know why. perhaps the set-up? perhaps because i was so involved in the rebuild? perhaps the reason it had to be built? i just love it. and im so thankful that the past 6 months went so smoothly. seriously, it went with no problems. no roadblocks. no issues. im so happy mom and dad are in the last few days, before they return home.

day after thanksgiving.....

i forgot to add, yesterday...that i am thankful for not having car payments. as bad as i want a new, new vehicle; and those who know me who know i get a new vehicle every 2-3 years; we finally paid off 2 vehicles. no car payment; it seriously rocks!

today we got so much done at mom & dads. im so excited. ive teased them all day about moving in upstairs; mom, is for it. dad, not quite so. im in my "i wanna move back to kingston" phase. but they assure me nothing is here for us to move back too. i assure them, they are. i love maryville. for now, we will stay.

you know you have the greatest friends when your 45 minutes away, and they beg for you too come home, ASAP. when they genuinally miss you..and you've only been gone, not quite 2 days. i love my girls and guys. they are the greatest.

when J and I went to lay down last night, here at the condo; we layed in there forever and just talked. it was so nice. he is such a good husband. i love him so much. more & more each day, for sure. im thinking tomorrow, i am going to go and raid the family for left over turkey; i apparantly didn't get enuf yesterday.

a wonderful thanksgiving week

i've been so busy the past few days; but it's been a wonderful holiday week. first, we got news that my parent's can move in monday, dec. 1st. exstatic doesn't touch how we feel! yesterday, i did my annual day before thanksgiving cooking at the n-laws. i always have so much fun and i seriously think im martha stewart; cause im just that good! today, was thanksgiving day. it's always tough for us as our families live 45 minutes apart; so it stretches us to get everywhere we need to go, when we need to be there. we spent thanksgiving this year in kingston. this afternoon; we started moving stuff into the house; that we've bought over the past few months...which had been stored in daddy's detached garage. the house is absolutely beautiful. i walked in and cried. im so happy. furniture will be delivered tuesday and wednesday of next week. wendesday will be their first full night there.

since its thanksgiving, i will reflect on a few things i am thankful for, this holiday season. to top the list...im thankful that i have the Lord as my personal savior. without him, none of what we have would be possible. next, i am thankful for having the most caring, sincere, loving, sweet & cuddly husband. i am thankful for having such wonderful parents who raised me with strong morals and values. parents who are forgiving. loving. who, ensure everyday, that we are taken care of. i am thankful for my in-laws; i am so lucky. i am thankful for our health. and i am thankful for my close circle of friends. ive never felt so loved or cared for. o, and im thankful for my dustee dog; he is non judgemental and always makes me smile, when i need too.

i hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving. i hope all got to spend with their family. reflect on memories. and got to eat lots of turkey & pumpkin pie. god bless, my friends.

my night ROCKED!

if you havent been on the front row of a concert; you've not experienced, what i now know, a concert should be like. it is such a surreal, totally freakin, out of this world, awesome experience!randomly tonight, kris & i decided to go to the Jägermeister tour in knoxville, featuring rev theory, trapt & hinder. we went with one of our good friends, Jason. all the bands were great; well Trapt was a bit boring. Hinder was awesome! my fav was Rev Theory. they straight up worked the crowd! their music rocked! the lead singer, Rick, is like the definition of freakin delicious! =) i got alot of serious eye contact during the show. aah. yum! he even pointed at me and sang to me a small section of a verse. i melted. aaah. i walked away with a guitar pick from hinder's lead guitarist, the water bottle from the lead singer of hinder and the song list from off the stage for hinder! i did touch rick's hand when i got a CD; he smiled at me. i melted again. haha! yes. consider me a a star struck dorkwad. i told hubby i would get him tickets, front row at mariah carey; so we'd be even. we had a blast! i cant wait to see rev theory again. hinder, definatly! being right up front is total euphoria; this was def the best one ive ever been too! roCk on!

kris & i waiting outside the Valarium

Rick; lead singer to Rev Theory.

Hinder

there he is again; i so touched him!

ok, one more.

cold, cold weekend.

burrrr! it was officially 15 degrees last night. im loving it! im hoping for a big snow this winter. several, would be just great! well, hubby has been trying to come down with something now for the last few nights. maybe a cold? perhaps the flu? i hope i dont get it. i usually get sick around this time of year; maybe ill be the lucky one this time. my weekend has been good thus far. last night [friday] i hit a local bar & grill with a couple of friends. it had a small, but livley crowd. cold, sucky nachos. and a rather good local group playing some southern rock. it was nice to get out and stay local. chill. and enjoy some fun company. today we had a bday party at chuck e. cheese's for dylan, krystle's son. he turned 5. my bro dropped off my 5 nieces & nephews; which was great! i couldnt work at a place like chuck e. cheese's. i think i would go insane. rude parents. hundreds of kids. no thanks! we got out of there around 5:30ish? went for ice cream @ sonic. and rode through the Christmas wonderland light show at Shadrack's in Knoxville. [thanks becca for the tickets =] the kids loved it. we met back up with my bro & sis-nlaw; made a quick visit with the n-laws. now, im listening to above said sick hubby, snore, as he lies here on the couch beside me. poor thing.



the birthday boy - dylan, kris & ethan!















my girls, kris & kendra














my niece rachel & nephew caleb, enjoying cupcakes with dylan!














my baby niece, mary bea having fun at Chuck E. Cheese's.



















Winter Wonderland Drive-Thru Light Show. Music played along with the lights; it was awesome!

it's friday, my friends!!

it's been a crazy week! so....

take this moment - chillax;

and enjoy your weekend!

not bad! not bad! not bad at all!

so, i recently was reading through my old blog posts; and ran across that little thing called, "new year resolutions". yes, that's right. did you chuckle? and then suddenly remember your list, that im sure, like most are forgotten by march?

here was my list:

1. become organized!
2. pay it off!
3. keep my schedule!
4. eat less. exercise more!
5. 2 Saturdays a month with my momma!
6. let it go!
7. more me time!
8. closer walk with my God!

here is my progress:

1. organized: YES! this year, all my closets have been cleaned. my decor back in order. everything has a home. PASS

2. pay it off: we have made progress this year on paying things off. of course, debt is reoccurring; and we still got quite a bit to go, but we made a huge dent. PASS

3. keep my schedule: i did awesome on this, this year. we had a great social calendar! PASS

4. eat less, exercise more: this just gets a big, fat FAIL

5. more time with my parents: yes, i made it to kingston ALOT this year. PASS

6. let it go: believe it or not; yes. i have learned "it is what it is". getting upset over things, just isnt worth it. PASS

7. more me time: absolutely! this year has been wonderful. friendships have been strengthend. made. more nights out. more time alone for pampering. its been a great year! PASS

8. closer walk with GOD: PASS you beth'cha! although not officially became members yet, we have been attending our church, here in maryville now for over a year. we love it!

ok, so i am excited! i dont think i have ever had success on new years resolutions. there are new things that im anxious to add for this next year! if you want to read the "in-depth" version of my resolutions 2007 blog; scroll through December 2007 posts.

hope everyone else had a successful year as well!

is it bedtime yet?

today has just been one of those days. my hubby's work dropped the ball on an installation; and failed to tell him; until today...when he went in for his sales meeting, which is when checks are distributed. only, not to him. as a result, my normally sweet, adorable, laid back hubby turned into mr. gerald the grizzly bear. and instead of saying something to his boss; he says it all to me. and of course nothing at this point i can say is good, so i, in return, get the silent treatment all day. geesh, right? so i just let him do his thang; which was chilax on the couch, nappin on occassion. i went on a cleaning spree. thanks do go to my doggie; he was in rare form today and was extremly playful. those who know my dog; knows that just doesnt happen too often. so thanks dustee; for being the hi-lite of my day.

hoodwinked?

i got to chat with an old friend earlier; for the first time in months. im glad so many, long, over-due things were said. i hope all was sincere.

a recipe for you

i love winter. i love soups in winter. nice, thick, warm & hearty soups. with the cool weather moving in; here is a mega yummy, yum soup recipe from me to you. enjoy!









Potato Soup



4 cups chicken broth

1 cup heavy cream

4 cups shredded potatoes

1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup shredded carrots

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese; cut into chunks

2 tablespoons butter



Combine broth, potatoes, onion, carrots, bay leaf, seasoned salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; then reduce and simmer 10-15 minutes. Remove bay leaf. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream cheese. Heat, stirring frequently, until cheese melts. Top with cheese, scallions, bacon for extra pazazz!

tuesday afternoon ramblings

well, i cooked an amazing cajun 7 bean soup last night. maybe its actually soup beans and not really a soup; but whatever it is, it turned out delish! i cant wait til the hubby gets home from
work and we can enjoy! speaking of the hubby; he had a full day of appointments today. i miss him when he is away. sales have been slower but steady. my job search is still going. im thankful we are doing ok. working in the field i do, i know that with the economy the way things are; people aren't leaving jobs as there aren't any "bigger and better" opportunities out there right now. so, it'll probably be the end of January; when new budgets start coming out for corporate america. i know for Christmas this year, we are keeping it simple. we have each other. a nice home. vehicles. our health. family. and friends; so there really isnt anything more we need. mom and dads house is so super close to being finished. floors finishing up this week. phone, security and cable; as well. we can start moving in stuff next week. im so excited; i catch myself thinking that im as excited as they are; but im sure not quite so. so the next few weeks will be super busy, but in a definant good way.

so sweet

a few days ago, i wrote that i had a friend here for the weekend; who was going through major personal crisis. i was nervous the whole weekend. was i saying the right things? was i really being a good shoulder to cry on? the whole weekend she constantly assured and reassured how much she appreciated that we had been there for her, and gave her and her son a safe place to come. i slept in this morning; as we had both pulled long hours this weekend. when i got up, i stubbled through this house; and realized she had decided to go on into work and take her son to pre-school. the beds were made. the house filled with silence. i piddled around and did a few things. on my, i guess, 3rd trip to the main guest bathroom; something caught my attention, out of the corner of my eye, made out of love and bathtub crayons. now, just how sweet it this?




thank you friend and crayola crayons















"Nik and Jay We want to thank you so so much
for everything! We appreciate it more than we
could ever show! We love you Both"

two thumbs down! two thumbs up!

i love the family i married into. i, am lucky. love 'em. now, to describe them.....they are very, hmmm, let's say, country. being in this family, for 10 years, ive been offered some pretty interesting cuisine. dishes to include bear, possom, coon, and snake. never, did i try. until today. as part of our bryant family thanksgiving dinner, our 'you can always count on him to have fresh catch' uncle; had prepared a nice dish of bear roast and green beans. i guess since kris tried sushi and fish eggs on friday, i felt brave to try this funky dish today. it, indeed, tasted like roast beef, kind of, well, maybe not really? i guess knowing what it really was...was nauseating to me. and i cant recommend it to you. i can however, recommend a nice, baked turkey stuff with oranges and celery. now that's some good eatin'.



poor bear

rainy day

well, following a wonderful night out last night for my belated birthday dinner, with, i must add - the best group of girls that a girl could have....im sitting here on my bed, in the spare room, with a friend who's day hasnt been the best. ive never had to walk away from a relationship; one that mattered anyways, but that is what she is faced with. a relationship that transplanted her here from her family, her home. a relationship that her son has known for years. my heart is breaking for her. i feel helpless. offering my home, my friendship; only seems minimal. i dont know how to help mend a broken heart. i dont even know where to begin. i know where my heart stands, and with all her other friends, of what, in our opinions, are best for her....however, who are we, really, to offer advice? she believes what we do, however; her heart is pulling her in a different direction. actually, her heart is all over the place. i just hope that i can be the amazing friend to her, that she has been to me.

krystle, me, lisa & becca; my 29th bday dinner

once upon a time....

in a city close by, there were 6 employees. these 6 employees had the same initative; test water and sale the company's products. all the little employees went eagerly out into the field, each day...to accomplish thier tasks at hand. some would sale. someone wouldnt. some sold for days in a row. some here and there. but no matter who sold....there was always one little, bitty precious employee who got constant recognition broadcasted all over the 6 employee's little cell phones. but it only happened when this one little employee sold. no one else got recognition; never. no matter if they sold for days in a row....only when the little perfect employee sold. always....

now, come and flip me in the nose if im wrong; but shouldnt all employees get recognition for accomplishing the same tasks? for reaching the same goals? why does no one else get "congrats" sent out via text messaging every time they sale, to everyone on the sales team? this one employee does, ALWAYS! there is always a "great job john" message that goes out. im not mad about it. but it does make me feel bad for the hubby and his friends he works with. my hubby has been there for 2 years; received top sales awards...most sales awards. same as others who work there; and this new guy starts, like 4 months or so ago...and not sure what is up with this guy, but he gets like constant recognition. *sigh* its just not fair. my hubby thinks its no big deal. and although it probably really isnt...it still makes me sad for him.

ok. just had to vent. its too late to call my girls. lol

dear santa...

well, it's that time again. apparantly, so much so for my neighbors a few houses down; they already put up their Christmas lights. i dont quite understand that but i assume they enjoy the holiday so much, they want to get a head start. personally, i put my tree and decor up, the first week of december. that's when i really get into the holiday spirit. i like to enjoy Thanksgiving and the fall; reflect on all im thankful for, spend time with my wonderful family...then comes winter and Christmas. this Christmas, im asking for new kithchen stuff...KitchenAid & Pampered Chef stuff. I love cooking; and want to tackle new recipes this coming year...so nice new cooking stuff is needed. well, not needed, just wanted. =)~ id love to be able to learn to decorate cakes/pastries. for something funny; check out the blog to the right --> cake wrecks. love this blog.

please hold....

i hate getting the runaround.........

when i call somewhere wanting something...i want to speak to 'one' somebody for an answer. im doing some research currently on some issues with foster care. you would not believe how many times i get told, "i need to transfer you to another department/someone else". to me, that translates into "im a lazy bum and am surfing the internet, so i am going to give you to someone else because cause you are interupting me." so annoying. when im at work, never do i do that. if i get a call, even if it's not in my area of expertise or even out of my departments reach; i will take a name & number, research and call them back; always with an answer or the exact somebody that can help them, the exact somebody that they intended to get when they called. isn't that what customer service is? or maybe i was just raised different. whatever the reason, its total annoyance.

cool, comfy, fall day

aaah. fall. yup, you guessed it, i love it! and i love days like these. although i wished i could make it down to kingston before thursday, i spent the day with the hubby and my wonderful inlaws. i need to take pics of where they live and post to share. the landscape of the mountains that surround their property, is breathtaking; the fall colors here are gorgeous. i hope this weekend to take a ride up the parkway or through cades cove. i love cades cove, but not when there are alot of out of towners; they think deer are the greatest and it takes hours to go 11 miles. blah!

dates are coming together for mom and dad to move back in. i am sooo excited! so happy! so thankful! im so glad they are going to be back home, in just a matter of days. by the 1st, to be exact. i'll share pics soon.

well, im gonna go make me a yummy cup of joe =) pumpkin spice, mmmmm.

a new chapter

im not going to talk about recent past events. if you are close to us...you know what happened. we could be upset about it and do the many vindictive things that i find myself fighting out of my thoughts; but i believe it all happened for a reason. God doesn't bring you too anything, that he isn't going to bring you through. so, here we are, starting a new chapter in our lives. almost five years ago, we went to a fertility specialist, finding out a big cause of our fertility issues. with the procedure required to possibly overcome this issue; it was put off. we have made the decision to continue our journey to start our own little family. my first doctor's appointment is in december. this appointment is for weight loss and my PCOS. in january, we have an appointment with our fertility specialist. at this time, with all the amazing technology we now have, we have several options. the procedure [mentioned above] has over a 95% success rate; however, we wouldn't want to fall into the 5% that has an unsuccesful procedure....so, we perhaps will probably go with either sperm adoption or embryo adoption. either way, i am so excited. we have been together 10 years, this month. we have wanted to have children for so long...my longing to be a mother is stronger every day. so, here is to our new adventure, hoping it will be successful and healthy. hoping it will be a wonderful adventure. here's to our new chapter in life.

the third time is a charm

ok, so i hope history doesnt repeat itself. ive started a blog, this makes my third time, and havent successfuly kept it up. but, i have more time on my hands these days, so i shouldn't have a problem =) i hope those of you who read start a blog also, i would love to keep up with everyone...exspecially those i dont get to see. it's super easy to set up and maintain.

for now, i've got to go get ready for church. we started revival today and the guest pastor was WONDERFUL this morning!