Kitty.

This past weekend was INSANE. And it is only going to get worse! I wish I could show y'all a picture of my bulletin board that is FULL of wedding invitations and party invitations. It is definitely wedding season, y'all!!!

Friday night, I went to Uncle Dave Macon Days with my grandparents and parents after work. Most of my family goes to this festival for the music, but I definitely go for the food...funnel cakes, lemonade, fried pies, fried fish, yum yum yum!

On Saturday, while I was outside watering my flowers, I noticed a momma cat and a few baby kittens. Of course, since I am the cat-lover in my family, I was worried about them. Brad assured me that they would be fine, so I left for work. I worked most of the afternoon, went to a fun Luau Shower for my sweet friend, Jaclyn, and then I met my parents at our favorite mexican restaurant for dinner. As soon as I got home, I immediately looked for the kittens again. Brad told me he had seen one around the porch for a while during the day, so I was worried that the momma cat moved them and left one behind.

The next morning as Brad and I were getting ready, we noticed a tiny kitten under my car. It was pouring rain, so we chased it around the backyard until we could catch it. We had several things to do that day, so we left the kitten in my garage so it could be in a dry and warm place. When we got home, we decided to bring the kitten in and give it a bath since it was covered in mud. As we were giving it a bath, we noticed a small hole in it's neck. I knew it wasn't a good thing, as we noticed several maggot-looking things around it. (Y'all, I know this is disgusting and probably too much info). Anyways, I immediately called my older sister, who is a vet tech, and she gave us specific directions for the kitten. During the night, Brad and I basically got up every 2 hours to feed her, clean her wound, and help her use the bathroom. Brad did a lot of it because I have a very weak stomach.

I took her to the vet the next morning before I went to work, and they decided to keep her and do some tests. I got a call later that morning from the vet explaining the kitten's condition. If you have a weak stomach, you may want to skip this part. Anyways, he basically said that she had swallowed a fly larva, and the larvae had to go somewhere - you get the picture. They gave us some oral antibiotics and other meds after they had cleaned the wound. They said she was probably 4 weeks old and weighed .8 lbs.

Brad picked her up after work, and he fed her and gave her her medications. She slept for pretty much the rest of the evening, which I thought was probably pretty common. Brad and I tried to decide on names for "Kitty" as we had been calling her, but we couldn't agree on one. Brad woke me up right before 3 a.m. and told me that he thought Kitty was about to die. She looked so pitiful. Brad was holding her in his hands, and she took one big breath and died right in his hands. Of course, I was a mess after that. Brad and I cleaned her off, and he took her out at 3 a.m. and buried her near our sweet Georgia.

I know y'all are probably like "why in the world is she telling us this horrible story???" I have to tell you, I think that little kitten was a gift from God. Brad and I tried and tried to save her, but she was not meant to stay here. For the past two days, I saw a completely different side of Brad - I saw an unbelievably loving and fatherly side - I truly think that God sent us that kitten to show me what an amazing father Brad will be. He would swaddle the kitty up and carry her around. He lovingly called her "Little Bit" and "Turtle" because she would curl up and tuck her head in whatever we had her wrapped up in. He got up nearly every other hour to check on her. She was seriously like our baby, and we treated her like that. I am still emotional about the whole thing, but Brad just lets me cry, and he tells me that her little body just couldn't handle all the stress.

We are both exhausted now, but I know that we will never forget our sweet Kitty!

So, that's the craziness that was my weekend - sorry for the strange post, but I just needed to get it out!

Blessings, y'all!

It rained this weekend.

That's right, it rained AGAIN this weekend. I heard the forecast this morning, and weatherman said it was going to be beautiful this week, but the rain will be coming in on Friday night. He said it has rained 6 out of the past 8 weekends. You know what? I really hate sitting at my desk, staring at a computer when the sun is shining, and it is absolutely gorgeous outside!

Despite the rain, Brad and I had a marvelous weekend. On Friday night, we went to see Baby Mama with our friends, Ben and Emily. It was HILARIOUS! Of course, Brad and Ben pouted about having to see a chick flick, but Emily and I ate it up!

Anyways, on this past rainy Saturday, I attended a Junior League workshop - I wasn't really looking forward to it, actually, I was dreading it. But it was actually a very nice workshop, and I learned tons of new information, as well as I met a lot of ladies that are in the League that I haven't been able to connect with yet. So, all-in-all, it was a nice Saturday.

When I came home from the workshop, Brad was posted up in front of the television with the draft on - he had crazy spreadsheets, highlighters and papers EVERYWHERE. I already know that when draft weekend comes, I cannot expect ANYTHING out of Brad. I think he stayed in his pajamas for the whole weekend straight. I really don't understand what's going on, but as long as he is happy, I'm happy.

Since Brad was "busy," I took this opportunity to treat my beautiful mother to a nice dinner at a local Italian restaurant, Marina's. We then went to Hobby Lobby and Barnes & Noble - we did not get home until way past 10 that evening. I'm planning a Bridal Luncheon for my sweet friend, Myranda, so I'm trying to get all my ducks in a row before summer gets too crazy. I'm actually making my own invitations for the luncheon (pray for me!), and I'll just warn you that there is going to be a TON of PINK. I can't wait!

On Sunday, it was a beautiful morning, but by the afternoon, it was dark and gloomy and raining. Mom and I were going to go buy some flowers and brighten up my landscaping, but we decided to wait since it was pouring. We went and picked up my sweet cousin, Tessa, and ventured out to find me a spring dress for the High Tea that's next week. And that, my friends, was an adventure.

It's usually not that hard to find dresses for me, but for some reason, I was not having luck. We went to Dillard's, Stein Mart, TJ Maxx, Belk, Ann Taylor, Talbot's - the list goes on and on. I did find a suitable white eyelet dress at Stein Mart that is on hold right now. I was ready to give up. Mom suggested we go to Marshall's, but I was just TOO tired to go to one more place. She kept pursuing it, so I finally gave in.

And let me tell you, ladies. We hit the jackpot.

Not only did I find a dress for the tea (that's also on hold - I'm dreading the shoe situation), but I also found 5 dresses for work (and for upcoming weddings), 2 tops for Tybee, 2 Vineyard Vines tops, and 2 Vineyard Vines skirts!!!! Y'all have no idea how excited I was! It was like Christmas for me! I have NEVER been able to find Vineyard Vines for ladies - I've seen it for men at TJ Maxx before, but never anything at Marshall's!

I'm still smiling ear to ear about my purchases!

I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend as well - I can't wait until we actually have a sunny weekend! I need some sun like nobody's business!

Blessings, y'all!

Blessings from above.

Well, I have had to hold it in for a few days until it was official (although some of my readers already know)....
BRAD GOT A NEW JOB!!!!!

Yes! Praise you, Jesus! Brad has been in his job for a year and a half, and although he loves what he does and the people he works with, there were not that many opportunities to advance (and advance quickly). So, one night we just happened to run into one of his fraternity brothers who works in an accounting department for a fairly large company, they started chatting, Brad sent him his resume, he gets an interview, and then he gets the job!

I'm so proud of Brad, and I know he's excited about doing a job where he gets to use a lot of his college degree!

God has truly blessed us, and I cannot wait to see the opportunities that will come! Congratulations to you, Brad :)

Oh, FYI, Brad also won $100 off his NCAA bracket because he had Kansas to win it all from the beginning! I'm thinking we should use that prize money for a celebratory dinner - what do you think?

I have TONS to update about, but it's ONE MONTH from our High Tea special event, and I have way to much work to do! HELP!!!!!!!

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:8-9

Blessings, y'all!

Model for a day.

Today was such a beautiful day, and I was reminded of another beautiful day last May - no, not my wedding...the day I made my bridal portraits!

My wedding photographer does a lot of fashion stuff, so I for real felt like a model during my bridal portrait. It was such a fun time getting my hair done, make-up done and putting on all the wedding jewelry and attire for the first time. We spent about 3 hours taking pictures - my photographer took over 400! And I love every single one of them!

I love my dress so much, and I would so put it on tomorrow and do it all again - although I doubt I would fit in it. Looking at all these pictures motivates me to get back into shape! Ha! When my mom, grandmother and I went to view all the pictures to pick my actual portrait, I had a hard time really believing that it was me in the pictures...next to the wedding day, this was the best thing about getting married! Here are a few of my favorite shots (all photos property of Chuck Arlund) -

I had my portraits made at a Civil War-dated plantation here in Murfreesboro called Daffodil Hill. The owner of the house is a family friend, so he was gracious enough to let us use his BEAUTIFUL Southern home!

This was the first picture Chuck took.

This was one of my mom's favorites - I love the orange chaise and the color of the room.

This is a picture of Daffodil Hill - I am standing on the balcony. I just love this house!

Outside the house.

This picture is taken outside of another Southern mansion in Murfreesboro - Oaklands Mansion. Most people think Chuck made my veil look like this - I actually had to throw it up and immediately pull my hands down. I kept laughing the whole time - I love the "floating veil" look!

This was actually one of the last shots Chuck got - I just sat down on the front steps of Oaklands and told him to take my picture. I think he got my true personality in this one - I had actually taken my shoes off by this point. This was my favorite picture, and it is the one we chose for my portrait. (can you see my toes poking out??)

I truly felt like a model during this time - you can see some of my other pictures here from a previous post. I will actually post more pictures of the wedding and memories from that day closer to our anniversary...I can't believe it has almost been a year!

During the entire day, I kept thinking about the next time I would be wearing my dress - the day that I would be marrying my best friend, and I seriously could not stop smiling!

So I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane with me!

Blessings, y'all!

I love monograms!

Thank you all so much for the precious words and prayers about my great-grandmother - you have no idea how much that means to me! Even though my heart is a little heavy with her loss, I have faith in my Father that she is in a better place! Please say a little prayer for my family as we come together today to celebrate her beautiful life!

On a different note, I just want to tell y'all how much I L-O-V-E monograms!

When I got married, I could not wait to have everything monogrammed with my new "W"!!! I was so happy to marry with a W-last name, because I think a W makes the prettiest script letter! Don't tell my husband the only reason I married him is for his W!!!! Just kidding!

Anyways, here are a couple of my newest monogrammed items...

This is my new Milano laptop/tote bag. I got this before I went to Jacksonville since I needed to carry my laptop, plus I had a couple of notebooks I need to carry as well. I love the cute lowercase monogram! Green and pink are two of my favorite colors, so I love the pink letters with the navy dots in between! I get a lot of compliments when I carry this bag to meetings! I told my mom that just because I'm a boring old marketing gal doesn't mean I can't carry cute bags! Ha!

Now, some of you may know what this is, others of you may be a little confused...any guesses as to what this is????

It's a MONOGRAM ON MY CAR!!!! This is one of the newest items we carry at The Write Impression, and I am in love with it! Thank you Brad for washing my car and putting this adorable sticker on! Anyways, when I was in South Carolina, I saw so many cars with a monogrammed sticker on them, and I HAD to have one! I convinced Susan (the owner of The Write Impression) to order them so I could get one of my own! Of course, I debated as to whether I wanted it in green or pink - Brad suggested I get green since he drives my car sometimes, and he didn't want to drive around with a pink sticker - HA! What do you think???

So, those are a few of my newest purchases! Are y'all in love with monograms as much as I am? I think it is definitely a southern thing, but I love 'em!

Oh, I have another prayer request - could y'all please say a prayer for my sweet husband? He is interviewing for a new position at the bank today, and if he got this job, it would be his "in" to loan operations - which is what he wants to do! So, if you could, say a prayer for Brad (his interview is at 10:30 this morning)! Thanks, y'all!

Blessings!

The Ultimate Love Language

When I started in my small group this past fall, all of the women talked about this one particular book, and they talked about it A LOT - they said wonderful things about this book, talked about how it changed their life, etc. So, I HAD to have this book! What is this book, you ask? It's called The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. One night after my small group, I went to Hastings to see if they had it, and I even found a used copy! (even better!)

To be honest, I haven't really made time to read it until last night. Now, I can't stop reading it. If there was a way that I could read while I was driving, well I'd do it! It's so amazing, and it makes me see things that I have never even thought about. To get you caught up on the book, it's main purpose is to show women the power of praying - and applying it to your relationship. She challenges you to pray for your husband in the key areas of his life including his spiritual walk, his emotions, his role as a father, leader and decision-maker, his security in work and finances, his health, his faith and finally his future.

Last night I was reading about "The Ultimate Love Language" (prayer), and I would like to share this passage with you:
"When you pray for your husband, the love of God will grow in your heart for him. Not only that, you'll find love growing in his heart for you, without him even knowing you are praying. That's because prayer is the ultimate love language. It communicates in ways we can't. I've seen women with no feelings of love for their husbands find that as they prayed, over time, those feelings came. Sometimes they felt differently even after the first heartfelt prayer...The point in all this is that as husband and wife we don't want to be taking separate roads. We want to be on the same path together. We want to be deeply compatible, lifelong companions, and have the love that last a lifetime. Prayer, as the ultimate love language, can make that happen."

I am so excited to see what else this book has to offer - I have a feeling that this book is going to take my relationship with my husband to a new level, and I cannot wait to see what awesome things God has in store for us through prayer.

Have any of you read the book? I would love to know your thoughts...do you pray for your husband? How has it changed your relationship?

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." - Proverbs 31:10-12

A Merry Open House and Happy Birthday!

This weekend was EXHAUSTING!!!! But oh-so much fun :)

On Friday night, we celebrated the Christmas season downtown - well, I celebrated while I tied ribbons upon ribbons on Christmas cards at The Write Impression. (Thanks MEGAN for coming to see me - and thanks for bringing little Vance!) It was a fun night - although it is way to balmy outside for it to be Christmas! The rest of the night was spent getting the house ready for our open house! We stayed up until 3 a.m. getting everything ready - I left my camera at home, so I'll have to post pictures tomorrow. I am sad to say that I did not take a single picture during the open house - from 2 p.m. until nearly 7 p.m. I did not stop greeting guests and taking them on "tours" of our home! It was so wonderful!

Yesterday afternoon, I helped my mother decorate two houses for Christmas, and boy were we exhausted! We decorated for Mrs. Pull, who has the most adorable and meaningful decorations in her home. Plus her house is stuffed full of antiques - a dream for me :) She is a kind woman, and we had a wonderful time at her house. We then decorated for Mrs. Stephens who has a newly renovated home, and y'all, I think her tree may be the most beautiful tree we have ever done! We also decorated her granddaughter's ADORABLE room with a tree that Mrs. Stephens bought from The Write Impression. It was a long day, but it sure was fun!

On another note, yesterday was my sweet husband's 24th birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Brad! I can't believe you're 24! I love you very much, and I'm looking forward to spending more birthdays with you! Brad also shares his birthday with my younger brother, Nathan - so, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATHAN!

This is a picture of Brad right before he started running the Murfreesboro Half Marathon!