Over Construction

Our office has been under construction for the past few months, but we are now officially over construction. Hallelujah! This is what my area looked like in 2010 (and for many, many years prior).

Then, once construction started, it looked like this. I basically had to work in the heart of a massive construction zone for a long time. Luckily, I only sustained one minor injury when I tripped over some scaffolding and tore my jeans as I skinned my knee. Really, my pride took nearly as big of a bruising as my poor patella. Shame, shame.

After my old desk was removed, I spent a few weeks working from a temporary desk that was hanging out in the middle of nowhere. In the midst of a very limited work space and an excessive amount of exposed cords and wires, I was able to show off some flowers that my daddy sent me in order to make the chaotic office seem a little bit more homey! Thanks, Dad!

But now look at it! Instead of having to walk through two doors and a small closet to settle into my tiny area, I can now just walk right on back to my easily accessible, giant workspace! Talk about the luxury! (However, I'm noticing that other people also have found easy access behind my desk and are taking the liberty upon themselves to come on back as they desire. That's definitely gunna take some getting used to.)

Furthermore, check out my living room the lobby! I'm totally digging the new furniture and artwork. But most of all, I love the super convenient refreshment station for our clients! Before, I'd have to walk all the way to the kitchen in the back to get them a cup of coffee, bottle of water, or soft drink. But with this handy dandy area, they can help themselves to a drink and can even make a single cup of coffee. Convenient, indeed!

We're definitely not completely finished. We still need to put our sign up on the wall behind my desk and cabinet doors on my shelves, get a coffee table, a couple lamps, some plants, and artwork on another (unfeatured in this post) wall. But I'm just glad to officially be over construction. The accessorizing stage is a very welcome, calmer portion of the remodeling process. Finally. It feels so nice to be settling in.

However, I'm not going to lie. I'm already terribly missing the freedom to wear jeans to work. Oh well. I guess it's a fair tradeoff that was bound to happen.

Birthday Treats

Chester was so thrilled to finally turn a whole paw. I think he must have known that some birthday treats were in store for him.

As soon as the giftbag came out, he knew it was his! He jumped in excitement before he could catch himself and patiently Sit in order to earn his reward. (He totally knows how to win us over.)

One of Chester's favorite forbidden pastimes is tearing paper, so for a while you would have thought that the tissue paper itself was the gift. But it didn't take him too long to sniff out the real treats hidden deep within the bag. (Isn't he hilarious dancing and then sitting up like a prairie dog, anxiously begging for the treats?)

Here are his 5-year-old spoils.

Some sidenotes to go along with these puppy presents:

1.) When Brad texted me that he was at PetSmart, I asked him if he took the birthday pup with him, and he responded with a scoff, saying "Uh, no. How can I buy him gifts if he's with me? Then they wouldn't be a surprise!" Duh. What in the world was I thinking?

2.) The check out lady at PetSmart said, "Yum! Those look good!" as she rang them up.

3.) Charles, Emily and I all tried a bite of those cookies, since Cashier Lady said they were tasty. And upon further examination, all of the ingredients were, in fact, normal food items. Kris, Emily, and Bradley were all too chicken. (Actually, they were just far enough down the line that all of our aftertastes were kicking in and they knew better!)

4.) The dog cookies, while made of flour and whatnot, are not like regular cookies. I repeat, they are not like regular cookies. Blegch! However, Chester scarfs them down as if they're the best cookies he's ever had. (But we know that can't possibly be true.)

5.) That squeeky toy is appropriately named Cliffard, seeing as how it's a big, red dog. Chester and Cliffard get along famously.

He's spoiled. And He loves it. And that works out for us, since we love him. Besides, he spoils us right back with sweet puppy kisses and lotsa lovin'. ♥

A league of our own

While we were at the movies, Brad attempted to make a move on his #1 celebrity crush. He's loved Jennifer Aniston since her Friends days, but as you can see, she was not very interested in him at all.

Since Bradley had a chance to woo J.An, I at least had to get a shot with this pop heartthrob. Now, I wouldn't say that I have a crush on the Biebs like the majority of tweens in America do (I save my tween crush for TSwift.), but I do actually like him and really enjoy his songs while they're stuck in my head for hours on end. Sure, I'll go ahead and own up to a little Bieber Fever.  And honestly, the more I see of him through interviews and commercials and SNL appearances, the more I respect him as a remarkably talented, well-rounded, grounded, young man who seems to be handling himself pretty well within a tough industry. I love that he willingly makes fun of himself and genuinely loves his fans. (A lot of the same reasons I adore Swifty.) I'm sure we'll end up watching his movie at some point in time.

However, these big celebrities are totally out of our leagues. But that's okay, because we're in a league of our own. Thankfully, we're happy with each other and daily choose one another over unrealistic dreams and expectations, completely understanding that neither of us can ever live up to any of Hollywood's outrageous standards.

[Photo taken on last year's bday trip.]

True love is 100% better than any fantasy.

Gnomance

There are a few things that will always make me super happy. (Okay, there are actually quite a few things.) This year for Valentine's Day, Brad focused on two of the most sure-fire ways to make me grin big: flowers and silly, animated movies aimed toward children. But this particular date movie incorporated even another one of my life loves: gnomes! I've been dying to see Gnomeo and Juliet for a while now, and was so excited when he suggested it following dinner! There's nothing like some Gnomance to round out the year's most romantic holiday!

I'm so not even ashamed to admit that I completely loved it. I literally laughed the entire time. The plot was great and the characters were awesome. Each of them were classic yard ornaments with personalities that stayed true to their individual identities, from the sunbathing guy to the fishing guy to the girl holding a rose to the man leaning on a mushroom. The gnomey characteristics were absolutely hilarious. (They made a ceramic chinking sound every time they touched; they fought for status by maintaining the nicest garden and by racing lawn mowers; and their makeovers consisted of magic-markering her "eyeliner" and white-outing his beard.) The movie totally embraced the tackiness that surrounds gnomes by featuring a tree growing out of a toilet in the middle of the yard and then by them befriending a neighboring pink flamingo. Honestly, every detail was quirky, ironic, clever, and totally funny. If you like dumb G-rated films and/or lawn ornaments, you seriously need to watch this movie. I think you'll enjoy it.

Even better yet, it was in 3D! Wooty woot! Okay, really, 3D isn't all that awesome to me, especially as it seems that every new movie is going into the third dimension. But it was still fun. Besides, the ultra hip glasses provided a great photo shoot while we patiently waited for the previews to begin.

We may have secretly stolen six additional a couple extra pairs of the geeky shades from the recycle box receptacle to use with Charles' new 3D equipped gaming system. (Is it a PS3? Eh, ya got me. I have no idea.) Shhh... Don't tell.

I love lame movies. I love gnomes. I love silly self-portraits. I love goofing off with my best friend. I love special dinners. I love feeling loved. I love my husband. Pretty much, Valentine's Day 2011 was chalk-full of love. And love is another one of those things that will always make me super happy.  :)

Double Love

Yesterday, my sweet Valentine sent a beautiful bouquet of red tulips to my office to celebrate the holiday our love!

I absolutely love them! We all know that I love flowers, and these are sooo pretty! What a wonderfully thoughtful gesture. (Tulips are some of my favorite flowers, and he knows it!)

While I was still admiring God's beautiful creation delivered to me via currier as a token of love from my hubby, and mentally congratulating Bradley on a job very well done, another delivery guy walked into the lobby carrying these.

I was thinking, "Wow, I'm not the only one who loves tulips!" when he announced, "These are for Mindy Mehaffey." I replied with a "No. These are for Mindy Mehaffey," motioning toward the flowers directly beneath my sniffing nose.  He shrugged and said, "Wow, Mindy must really like red tulips."

Stunned, I examined the card on the bunch of flowers that he just set down in front of me and said, "I'm Mindy, and I do really like red tulips. But not nearly enough for my husband to buy two bouquets' worth!" before absentmindedly signing for the delivery. He chuckled and joked, "Then you better check and make sure these are from your husband!" as he walked out of the office.

Upon further investigation, I concluded that they were both bouquets consisting of exactly ten red tulips, each carrying with it the exact same message on their cards addressed specifically to me. They  had to be to me from Brad. But, really?

It turns out, Brad purchased them through Teleflora (Super Bowl commercials really do work!), whom then send the orders to local florists to fulfill. Somehow, they made a mistake and I received (nearly) identical arrangements from two separate flower shops in the area! We totally got two bouquets for the price of one! Holla!

Works for me. Now I get to enjoy my beautiful, red, love-filled, generous tulips at home and at work. Thanks, honey!

Be Mine

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

♥  My Valentine for the last nine years. I love you, Bradley!  ♥

Moving forward

Hey everybody! Brad got a new job, today! Yahoo!! And not only a new job, but the start of a new career!

[pic via]

He has spent (a little over) a year in the medical field working as a nurse tech. During the year away from sales, he was able to step back and reevaluate his goals, priorities, ambitions, interests, skills, etc. Now, he is ready to step into a long-term commitment with a career, not just another job.

We're so excited!! (Sorry, had to let that one slip out. Hard to hold it in, right now! Now back to the details...)

He will be working for VF Corporation here in Nashville, which is the world's largest apparel company. (Whoa, right?) They hold brands such as Nautica, JanSport, Lee, Wrangler, NorthFace, Vans, etc. He'll be a Territory Sales Representative, and he'll act as a kind of "project manager" for all of the outside salesmen that travel around and drum up business. Once business is drummed, those new clients will contact Brad on a regular basis with any questions, orders, recommendations, and the like. Basically, Brad doesn't have to make any business, he just has to keep business. He'll be responsible for maintaining relationships (which he's a pro at) and keeping people happy. With Brad's past experience in retail and  his overall interest in clothing and fashion (yeah, it is what it is), he is completely perfect for this job!

Not to mention, this job is completely perfect for him! It'll be regular business hours (hallelujah!) and an increase in salary (yahoo!) plus commission. Oh, we are so stinking excited. I kind of feel like this is a big step into the "next stage" of our lives. With a stable job and income, who knows what in the world could come next?! (*cough*babies*cough*) It's all up to the Lord!

Speaking of, God is absolutely the greatest! We had been praying for doors to open and for a path to be made clear for our future. When this job opportunity was presented to us, we knew it was a green light from above. Throughout the entire interview process, we have completely given the situation up to the Lord and trusted Him. After all, He knows what's best for us, and He loves us enough to take care of us. I had a feeling that 2011 would be a good one for us. Man, I'm still in shock of such a blessing. Yea!

His first day will be Monday, February 28th. Only two more weeks! The Next Stage starts before the end of the month!

Bradley, I'm so proud of you!!



[pic via]

If you want to give the newest TSR at VF your own round of congratulations, feel free to leave a comment on his similar post. (BTW, did I tell you that Brad has started his own blog with a focus on running!? Check it out!)

Yahoo! Happy day! Praise God! YEA!!!

A whole paw!

Chester turns 5 today! That's an entire paw!!

[Okay, fine. The above picture is technically not Chester. It's actually from a card that I found at the store of a dog who looks just like him. But it could really be him, seeing as how he also loves to hang his head out of the car window while we drive. Exhibit A:  ]



(If only he had some snazzy goggles, then he'd really be cool!)

I know it may seem silly, but I seriously love to celebrate our puppy's birthdays, because he just means so much to us. He really is one of our best friends in the world. He's always there for us and happy to see us; he's always loving on us and willing to play or cuddle... He's part of our little family, and our house definitely would not be the same without him.

(Man, remember summertime, when the world was green and warm and not covered in a ton of freezing snow? I miss those days...)

Happy 5th birthday, Chester! You're the best dog in the whole wide world, and I'm so glad you're in our life!

Mixin' it up

Just because you make muffin mix, doesn't mean you have to actually make any real muffins. I'm jussayin...

Honestly, I don't even feel bad those empty muffin tins. That mix is way too delicious to regret.

Don't judge me. Go ahead and admit it. You know you've done it, too. Or at least you've been tempted to when you tasted the batter before you popped it into the oven for baking. All you have to do is "Just Add Milk!" and you've got yourself a mighty tasty snack for two within seconds! Seriously, you can't beat that with a stick! (What a weird saying.)

Now, that's my kind of cookin'!   :D

I WON TAYLOR SWIFT TICKETS!!

Guys! I spoke too soon! I totally won a pair of Taylor Swift tickets on the radio on my way home from work tonight! I finally got through! After a week of trying, I finally got through!! Can you believe it??

[pic via]

Having difficulty accepting the fact, but attempting to embrace my fate of ending the week sans tickets, I was shocked when the radio station's perpetual busy signal unexpectedly transformed into a rhythmic ringing during one of my chronic calls. Then, trying to keep my composure, I answered the trivia question correctly to win two tickets to see my best friend (only she doesn't know it) live in concert!! (BTW, 43% of adults think that glasses make you look more professional. I recommend keeping that random bit of trivia at the ready. You never know when it'll come in handy!)

[pic via]

I can't even believe it! When I hung up, I just screamed by myself in the car. Then called my hubs to scream in his ear (as well as a couple other BF's) before I got home and started jumping up and down like a crazy person and trying to kiss his face at the peak of each bounce. I wouldn't truly believe it was real life until I heard it on the radio, but once I heard myself give the answer and the DJ tell me that I was going to see Taylor (and me yell "Are you kidding me?!? I'M SO HAPPYYYYY!!!!!), I knew it was official. Officially official. EEEEE!!!!

If you won't believe it until you hear it for yourself either, here ya go! YEA!! (Thanks for recording the live broadcast online, Em!)

Holy cow. I'm seriously in shock. I'm so stinking excited. I'm freaking out. Plain and simple. I don't even know how to act right now. Is this real life?? I've wanted these soooo badly! I mean, for real. I can't even believe it! Not at all. I'm just so happy!!! In six months, I'll have my very own picture just like this one! HOLLA!!

[pic via]

I don't know where the seats are located, but surely they're going to be awesome, right? I mean, the radio wouldn't give out nosebleeds, would they? Oh my dear goodness. I cannot believe this is really happening. I'm so excited!! AAAHHHHHH!!!

Thank you, 107.5 The River!! I'm a fan for life!

Tay-by-Tay

Today, tickets for both of Taylor's Nashville concerts went on sale. Today, both of Taylor's Nashville concerts sold out. Today, I did not get a ticket to either of Taylor's Nashville concerts. We don't have the money to buy them right now. L-A-M-E. All week long, every radio station in the city has been giving away pairs of tickets like it's their jobs, but I never ever got through to any of them at the right time. Just days and days of busy signals. Boo. There went my chance at free Tay-ckets. (Ha, see what I did there?)

Brad promises that I will be at that concert somehow, one way or another. He's pretty confident that people will be reselling some tickets at a later date when we have the money on hand to purchase them. The fact that Need To Breathe will also be playing is making him a little more willing to go. So, we'll see.

Anywho, to fill my Taylor void on this Taylor day, I received my TSwift calendars this afternoon! Last week she was selling them for only $1 each from her online store. Of course, I couldn't miss out on such a cheap great opportunity!

Now I can have Taylor every day. At home and at work. Happy! I mean, they're no concert tickets, but at least they're something... 

I Know You Now

Seriously, you're going to love this song. And you're going to love the video that goes with it, too. Aaron, the singer/songwriter, is a friend of ours from church, and my BFF Emily and Charlie (when she was just a baby) are featured in the video along with some other children of even more of our friends. (I have the most talented friends ever! And also friends who just so happen to have the most beautiful daughters, ever!) Enjoy!

I Know You Now from Punctum Media on Vimeo.

Isn't that such a great message? What a wonderful reminder of God's love for us, always. Even before we were born; and even now. (How stinking awesome to think that God already knows our future children! I love that.)

PS. You should totally check out Punctum Media, which is run by Aaron and some other friends of ours. I think what they're doing for the Kingdom is totally awesome. Through Punctum Media, they are creating video content to help spread the news about Jesus. They're starting from scratch and need all the word-of-mouth help they can get. So, if you feel so inclined, become their Facebook friend or join their email list (I know them. Don't worry, they won't spam you.) to see what they're doing.