BABY news...

No, NOT me :)

My older sister is going to be a mommy! I just found out on Sunday evening, and I have been beaming with joy and excitement ever since! I can't believe that I'm going to be an aunt! My sister and her husband have been married for a little over 4 years, and we have all been waiting patiently for some babies! I can't believe that my parents are going to be grandparents! My mom does not like being called a grandma! Ha!

We are all very excited about the little gift from God that should arrive sometime in March - same birthday month as her Auntie Lee Lee! Please pray for my sister that everything goes well!

Blessings, y'all!

Meet Henry Boy Hines.

Meet the newest member of my parents' clan - Henry Boy Hines.

Let me give you a little background information...about 6 or so years ago, my dad rescued their current dog, Hardy, after he had been hit by a car. The vets wanted to aputate his back legs, but my parents nursed him back to health, and he has been the best dog for them! They have been thinking about getting another dog, when my older sister, Megan (who is a Vet Tech), called my parents and told them someone had brought in Henry. Henry was in pretty bad shape, and they had to shave most of his hair off. He looks so pitiful, but I know he is getting great care with my parents! Hardy is such a unique dog, and we never thought we could find another dog that resembled Hardy - I'll let you be the judge...

Hardy Boy Hines

Henry Boy Hines

Couldn't they be brothers??!!!

I LOVE IT!

Nantahala River Pictures

Summer is definitely keeping me from updating my blog! Here are the long-awaited pictures from our weekend camping trip to Bryson City, North Carolina!

Brad and I after arriving at our campsite.

My bronze-goddess sister, Katy and her boyfriend, Brian.

Our first night campfire - perfect for s'mores!!!

Our sweet little tent.
Our neighbors at the campsite - GROUNDHOGS!Yes, I have antique "Mr." and "Mrs." pillowcases!

A view of the river.

A view of the Class 6 rapid that we were NOT allowed to raft down!
Brian, aka Kudzu-killer! Ha!
Brad having fun with the big picture - makes me crack up every time I look at it!Katy and Brian at the Class 6 rapid.
Brad and I in front of the rapid.
So, it POURED on the last night - here is a picture of Katy and Brian's tent in the rain!
We had such a wonderful time at the river, and I am so thankful that we were able to get away for a while! This trip was not my first time to go whitewater rafting, and we decided to go down the river without a guide. Brad has been rafting once, Katy has been once, and this was Brian's first trip down. I actually taught canoeing while I was a camp counselor, so I thought we would get down pretty easily. Well, we made it almost the entire way down withouth losing a single person, until we hit the "bump." Everyone fell out of the boat except for ME! It was hilarious! We had a time trying to get everyone back in! It was a memorable weekend, and we can't wait to go back!

Blessings!

All my bags are packed...

and I'M READY TO GO!!!!

In all the craziness of weddings and whatnot, I failed to let everyone know about my mini-vacation this weekend!

Brad, my sister - Katy, her boyfriend - Brian, and myself will be traveling to the Nantahala River in North Carolina this weekend to go whitewater rafting!!! I am so excited because I L-O-V-E camping and whitewater rafting! I grew up pretty much living on the lake every weekend when I was a kid, and I was also a camp counselor for two summers, so I love the outdoors! The Nantahala is really not that bad of a river to raft down, so we are actually going down in a boat that seats 4. Brad and I have already been arguing over who gets to be the guide! Ha!

I am SO looking forward to getting to get out of town for a few days because once I get back, we will be super busy at the store. We are in full planning mode for our Christmas in July event, and I CANNOT wait to show off some of the fabulous displays and decorations we will have!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! And a BIG congrats to all the ladies who have shared recent news about growing families in the past few days! It is so amazing to see how God has truly blessed so many families! Oh, and it definitely gives me a case of baby fever!

Blessings, y'all!

A heartfelt thank you.

First of all, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your kind thoughts, emails and prayers. You have no idea how much that all means to me. Although I am still shocked and confused, I feel that God has been preparing my heart for this for a few months now.

I loved my job very much, but I already feel a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I am so excited about the many opportunities that are waiting for me.

I cannot not thank my family enough for all of their kindness and thoughtfulness. Although the next few months will be extremely difficult for Brad and myself - financial wise - I know that we will make it. God will provide.

There are a lot of things going on with my termination that are very sticky, so please pray that things will end swiftly so that I can move on from this. Also pray that my heart will not stay bitter. At first, I was devastated. I cried for almost 3 days straight. Now I'm mad, and I don't like the way I feel.

Throughout all of this, Brad and I almost forgot about our one-year anniversary is on Monday! We are not doing gifts as we are trying to save as much money as possible, but we did purchase something for a very good price - more details to come on Monday!

My mom has kept me very busy each day (she owns her own cleaning business, so I've been helping her), and that has helped me tremendously. Brad has gone to Kentucky with my dad for the weekend to watch my brother play Western Kentucky in baseball, so momma and I have the whole weekend to do lots of little projects to complete! One project involves making a homemade fountain for my patio! I'm so excited - hopefully, it will go as well as we hope!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings to you!

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!

My hiding place.

A few of you have commented on my last post - which was a quotation about worrying. I'm so blessed to know that many of you prayed for me - when you did not even know what I was going through.

These past couple of weeks, I have been in a real slump. Work has become overwhelming, I am struggling with my own self-image, and I have just flat out been depressed. I don't know what happened, or what triggered it. It just came and took over my life for nearly 2 weeks.

It's a good thing that I scheduled my mini-vacation with my grandparents for this past Monday and Tuesday. Y'all, I seriously cannot tell you how much I needed this trip. It was so wonderful to visit my grandparents - they are the absolute most precious people in my life. My granny is the epitome of a Proverbs 31 woman, and my papa is just a good ole country boy. I spent some much-needed time with them - we ate, talked, and visited with neighbors and friends. I got to attend a neighborhood watch meeting with my papa and hear a lot of complaining about "junk cars." I ate breakfast every morning with my papa. I planned our trip to Tybee Island (we're staying at the Tybrisa, thanks for the suggestion, Meagan!) I had a pesky permanent retainer that I have had for 10 years taken off - thank you, Lord! But now, I'm suffering with a removable retainer that I have to wear for a week straight - and now I look like I'm 16.

Hello, my name is Lena - and I LOVE my retainer! HA! Please don't judge me!But the best part about my trip was the precious time I got to spend in the Word. I feel refreshed and anew - and I don't feel like anything is holding me back!

On both Monday and Tuesday, my grandfather took my out to the "country" to see an old spring that they had cleaned up. This spring (pictured below) has been there for years - perhaps even hundreds of years. Someone took the time to cut those rocks and place them to build the wall to protect the spring. My grandfather shared memories with me about visiting the spring with a bucket to get fresh water as a child. As he told me stories that involved the spring, I couldn't help but think of John 4:13: "Every person that drinks this water will be thirsty again. But the person that drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. That water I give will become like a spring of water flowing inside that person. That water will bring that person life forever." Only Jesus can supply the water that our thirsty souls desire. Only he can fill the emptiness and the ache. The amazing promise of Jesus' gift, his blessing, his refreshment, is that it is lasting. This water that Jesus gives is a spring of water, not a cistern. It is living, not static or stagnant. This water gives life and this life provides more water. God quenches our thirst with the Holy Spirit.My grandfather and his siblings share over 216 acres of land that has been in my family for generations. Everything was so pretty and green and full of life. I took over 60 pictures - here are some of my favorites...

This is a picture of a pond that was littered with lots of brush and fallen trees - my grandfather and his brothers took a lot of time to clean up around it - hopefully, it will continue to seal itself, and the pond will be here for years to come!

This is a picture of my great-great-Aunt Mary's house. She lived here for the majority of her lifetime - she was born in the house, along with my great-grandfather (my papa's father). There is a screen-in porch on the back, and I can remember spending hours upon hours with my Aunt Mary there. She was an old maid and schoolteacher - she always told wonderful stories, and I loved spending time with her.

This is an old barn that is not far from the house pictured above. I think old barns are just beautiful.

This is a picture of the pathway that my papa and I took to get to the top of the hill. I just love how green everything is!

A dogwood blooming on the side of the hill.

The sun was shining so magnificently through the trees on this morning. I love the way this picture turned out!

My grandfather has several purple martin birdhouses around his barn. I have always been facinated with martins - I love how they are such workers, and I love that so many of them stay together. They are very lively birds, and they are constantly working - but they sing a beautiful song while they work!

This is a picture of the church where Brad and I got married. It's an old church - it was built in the 1850s - there are steps on both sides of the porch - there used to be separate entrances for the men and women! It's an old church, and my family is deeply rooted in its history.

I snapped this shot of my papa and me driving down the road - I love that you can see both of us! I truly did treasure the time I got to spend with him, and I can't wait to go back!

"See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me." - Song of Solomon 2:11-13

So, I'm sorry for my lack of posting, but I had some issues that I need to work out within myself. I thank each of you that thought or prayed for me - I truly appreciate it!

Blessings!

Is it Monday already????

As every other weekend goes, this one was packed full of craziness and fun! I had to work on Saturday morning for a workshop we held on "Family Literacy." It was a very interesting workshop, and I have lots of ideas to incorporate reading into my future children's lives! I hope they love reading as much as I do!

Saturday night was my cousin, Tye's, 4th birthday party. Did we go to Chuck E. Cheese? Absolutely not! This big boy wanted to go to Fuji, a local Japanese Steakhouse, for his birthday! Here are some pictures from the night - sadly, I did not get one with the birthday boy!

Here I am with Tessa (Tye's sister) and our other cousin, Taren -I then let Tessa be the photographer for the night - she got this great shot of my momma and Brad.
And this weird picture of me eating my Fuji soup!
My mom and I have a ritual on Sundays - we go to the early service at church, go to breakfast together and then spend the whole day doing something fun. This Sunday, we went to the Antique District in Franklin, Tennessee - which is about 45 minutes from my hometown. Here are some of the goodies I got yesterday -

I got this cute blue basket to go in the master bedroom - I plan to make an arrangement to go in it - Does this little picture look familar? It should! It's a smaller version of the three pictures I got from Stein Mart a few weeks ago. I also got this sweet little birdie and a nest to go in my room as well -

This was BY FAR the best buy of the day...I got a 1915 edition of Little Women for $15! As y'all know, Little Women is one of my favorite books, and I just could not pass this by! I can't wait to read it to my little ones!This was a birthday present from Brad, and I love it so much! It says "Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul" - Emily Dickinson. It matches perfectly with our bird theme!

I have lots of old pictures of my family, and I wanted a neat way to display them - I saw this idea from another blog (Harrington House) a while back. I had the yellow berry garland, draped it over an antique mirror and clipped old pictures to it. I love it! It's so fun to look at all of them!

This is what I ended up doing on Sunday night - packing up all of this....

....to make room for all of this....

Oh, how I have missed you bright colors!!! I was so sick of wearing black and brown, so I changed out my closet and put up all of those fuddy-duddy sweaters! I'm sure it'll be 30 degrees next week, and I'll be stuck, but I don't care! Ha!

I hope y'all had a wonderful weekend! Blessings!

Where have I been???????

So, my sweet bloggy friend, Caroline, asked for an update....so here it is!

I apologize for my lack of posting, I was sick on Monday with a nasty stomach virus, felt better on Tuesday, and today I feel worse than I did on Monday - YUCK. As I am posting, I'm in my cozy bed with sprite and saltine crackers within my reach. Ha!

So here is a breakdown of what I've been doing...

CELEBRATING MY 24th BIRTHDAY!

Friday was my birthday, and it was such a fabulous day! So many of my old friends were in town for Easter, and I was so excited to see so many of them! I had a wonderful birthday lunch at Goodness Gracious complete with fruit tea, chicken puffs, tortellini salad and pineapple and cheese casserole - the best part was that April got to come along as well, and I got an especially wonderful gift from her...

This is one of her adorable button rings that she gave me - you can purchase them HERE. I love it, April!

Brad's parents sent me The Patriarchs - I was so excited to open it as I have NOT been able to find it here! Thank you, Marcia and Ron!

My family took me to my favorite Mexican restaurant that night - here I am, complete with sombrero and sopapilla!

On Saturday, I cleaned the house because Brad and I were hosting Easter lunch at our home. We did a lot of work outside (mowed our yard for the first time!), and it was BEAUTIFUL outside. Too bad the warm weather didn't stick around for Easter Sunday. I also volunteered at church with nursery duty. My church had two services for Easter this year, and one was on Saturday night, so I volunteered with the 3-year olds. We had 10 three-year olds in my cube, and there were over 97 three-year olds there for the entire night! It was a packed night for a first ever Saturday night Easter celebration!

On Sunday, we celebrated Easter at our annual Easter Celebration - each Easter, my church has Easter service at the local university basketball arena, we invite the whole community, and it is a HUGE celebration of Christ! This year was no different!

Here I am with my mother and grandmother. Notice my cute jacket? That was a gift from my sweet husband for my birthday - I LOVE it, Brad!

Brad and I at the Easter Celebration.

We always have a special guest at the Easter Celebration - this year Diamond Rio was our special guest! I'm not a huge fan, but they were great! They are actually releasing a Christian album sometime this year. Here's a picture of Diamond Rio - sorry the picture is a little dark!

After the service, everyone came back to our house for lunch. And what Easter lunch is complete without an EASTER EGG HUNT??? Here is the front of my house with some hidden eggs....can you find them?

Brad was in charge of hiding eggs in the front yard, so most of the eggs were impossible to find. Tessa did find this one...

We hid over 250 eggs for two kids - how crazy are we???? They did have a blast, and they were looking cute as always! Here they are after the egg hunt.

After finding eggs, we decided to break out the sidewalk chalk and play a little hopscotch. Pretty sure I was AMAZING! Ha!

After hopscotch, we started tracing each other with the sidewalk chalk. Here I am with Tessa and the tracing of my body that she did - see the resemblance???

We had a FABULOUS Easter weekend, and I had an amazing birthday. Thank you for all the sweet wishes! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Blessings, y'all!