Summer Bucket List

Brad and I have come up with a Bucket List for the Summer of 2011.  With all of these awesome activities planned, we'll have to be very careful not to get a funburn!! (Ahhhahahahaha! Admit it; that is hilarious!)

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It's already the end of June, but I do believe we've successfully made quite a dent in the list so far. I can't wait to cross more off as time goes on! (Especially a few of those in particular that I'm super looking forward to!)

Do you have any awesome plans for the Season of Sun?

The Only One

You know what I really like about being married to Bradley?

He's the only one that gets to:

• dance with me at weddings
• see me without a bit of makeup on
• touch my feet
• keep me safe during scary movies and suspenseful TV shows
• tickle me, even though it drives me nuts
• play with my hair
• help me decide what to wear
• wrap his arms around my waist
• surprise me with awesome dates
• know all of my fears and insecurities
• taste all of my cooking
• see me sweat
• hear every detail of my stories
• toss me a new roll of toilet paper
• call our future daughter "Annie" (her middle name will be Ann)
• be called my husband

And I'm the only one that's privileged enough to:

• rest my head on his shoulder
• share his dreams for our future
• have his children
• hold his hand at the park
• know what he's really thinking
• feel his whiskers on my cheek
• share his dessert
• be a witness to his vulnerability
• bring him his towel when he's in too big of a hurry to remember one
• tug on his suspenders each week (he instituted suspender-Mondays at his office)
• cuddle with him on the couch
• fold his undies
• see his handsome face first thing when I wake up
• brush my teeth at the same sink as him
• feel him twitch as he falls asleep (a personal favorite of mine)
• be called his wife

I wouldn't change it for anything.

Pottermore, The Big HP Announcement

J.K. Rowling is a genius. I mean, obviously; she created the entire universe that encompasses the magical world of Harry Potter. But in addition to creatively inventing stories, characters, words, sports, and the like, she's also a marketing genius. For the last week, during the height of the HP frenzy surrounding the final film, she has been tempting her fans with a promise of a "big announcement" regarding the website Pottermore.com.

The site said one thing: "Coming soon..." followed by her signature with two owls on either side of the page. When you clicked on one of the owls, it would direct you to her official YouTube page where a countdown clock was ticking away until the announcement, and "owls were gathering" by the flocks each day, not unlike her fans, in anticipation for the big news. This morning the countdown finally reached zero, and Pottermore transformed into this:

Turns out her announcement was just that, an announcement. The website is not officially open, yet, but she did reveal what it will be, come October. (Like I said, she's a marketing genius.)

I don't quite understand all of it, but I did gather that she loves her crazy devoted fanbase, she'll be providing digital audio books and e-books, and she'll also reveal some before-unknown-to-the-public information regarding the Harry Potter Universe that she has kept secret for well over a decade. (It's probably all of the random facts that didn't directly relate to Harry's personal story.) I have to admit, I'm pretty darn excited about all of that. I'm not sure what the "online reading experience unlike any other" will be actually like, but it sure sounds fun!

♥ Long live Harry Potter! ♥

They said, "I Do."

Jeremy and Madison are married! The last Mehaffey son has officially acquired the last Mrs. Mehaffey of our generation. They tied the knot on June 4, 2011 at Camp Dixie near Chattanooga. Everything was absolutely wonderful.

The wedding jumped right out of a storybook and took place in the shade of a giant tree overlooking the lake. It was truly breathtaking.

Thanks to their awesome and super speedy photographer, we already have access to all of their professional wedding pictures! Each of the photos featured in this post are courtesy of Justin Wright Photography.

The whole bridal party

Heather and I were honored to be two of her bridesmaids. (Or would we technically be considered bridematrons?) Even though it was pretty hot outside, the pictures on the dock were totally worth it. (BTW, aren't the dresses awesome? They are from Target, and I've totally already warn mine again! A bridesmaid's dream come true!)

Brad and Matthew were also included among Jeremy's groomsmen. Aren't they all so handsome? (Likewise, Jeremy chose the purchase of suits rather than the rental of tuxes, so the guys could keep and wear them again in the future. Such a considerate bride and groom!)

The Mehaffey men and the Mehaffey women.

All of the Mehaffey siblings and the whole Mehaffey family, finally complete. (Well, pre-children-complete, anyway.)

Their wedding cake was literally a piece of art. We stared at it forever, trying to take in every little detail. And the groom's cake perfectly represented Jeremy's nerdiness as a personalized computer replica, complete with binary code for "4 Ever." So clever! (And delicious!)

They decorated with gorgeous flower arrangements and provided the wedding programs in the form of fans to help cool off their guests while sitting in the warm weather during the ceremony. They also gifted everyone with some of Madison's world family famous homemade jam with an inscription saying "Love will get you out of a jam!" (I may have stolen a couple jars. Shh...)

No Mehaffey wedding reception is complete without fools on the dance floor, and this one was no exception. After eating a wonderful meal and drinking sweet tea out of mason jars, we all got jiggy wit it, old skool and had the time of our lives with those we love the most.

At the end of the evening, the newlyweds exited through a shower of sparkles...

...and they made their romantic departure upon a boat, crossing the lake on their way to Cancun into their new, blessed lives together.

We are so excited to welcome Madison into our family. She is perfect for our brother, and I know their love for each other will only grow over the years. God's blessings never cease.

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Mehaffey!

Playing Hooky

Brad and I had a lunch date planned this past Friday. However, our lunch date quickly turned into an afternoon date. As soon as we got outside and discovered how beautiful the weather was, we simultaneously agreed to play hooky the rest for of the afternoon.

We called out from work, grabbed our Subway to go, ran home to change our clothes, invite Chester along, and grab some books, and then headed to the lake for the rest of the afternoon. We set up camp right on the bluffs overlooking the water and enjoyed the cool breeze as we relaxed the day away. It wasn't long until we were both napping, enjoying God's blessings in nature.

Chester enjoyed the impromptu field trip, as well. You can tell how happy he was. I mean, honestly, he's the cutest dog ever, right?

Even though it made his momma nervous, he (cautiously) explored the Great Outdoors before joining us in our leisurely lounging.

Family bonding is the best. Especially spur-of-the-moment bonding on a beautiful Friday afternoon.

I've never played hooky before. I have to admit, I kinda enjoyed it. But shhh, keep it on the downlow; I wouldn't want our employers to find out!

What I Already Know

I love when songs can speak for us, when a songwriter is able to put our thoughts to a melody. Today, I came across this particular song by a relatively unknown artist, and I couldn't help but share it with you. It is an incredible prayer with a great lesson. Enjoy!

Six Years

(Pic taken after our anniversary dinner.)

Today marks the sixth anniversary of our wedding. I can't even put into words what that means to me. I'm going to be honest with you; we had to work pretty hard to add this sixth year to our marriage. I have to admit, sometimes marriage is hard work. I totally believe in love with all of my heart, but my attitude toward love has altered quite a bit over the last twelve months.

Love doesn't simply equal perpetual smiles, giggles and flirts, although it's nice to have them present. It doesn't consist of constant euphoria and unwavering happiness, although there are periods of time that it can lift you up to the clouds. Love doesn't effortlessly come easy, like I maybe thought it did before (even though I didn't think I thought that at the time). I've come to learn that love is an action. Love is a verb. Love is a decision. Love is something you do, not necessarily something you feel.

I've also learned that love is something real; love is worth fighting for; and love can only come from the One who IS love.

I believe that marriages consist of both peaks and valleys. I'm especially proud of this particular anniversary, because the past year has honestly been a span spent in the valley. We've had our fair share of highlights, also, but overall, the sixth year of marriage has proven to be the most trying we've experienced thus far.

Thankfully, God is faithful. He has stayed right by our sides through all of the trials the devil has thrown our way, even carrying us during the times we weren't sure we could hold ourselves up. He ceaselessly extended His grace and mercy upon us, allowing us to bestow that same grace and mercy toward each other as needed. His perfect example of love for us has paved a path of love for us to follow in our marriage.

To represent our journey, our struggles, our perseverence, our committment and our focus, Brad and I prayerfully decided to commemorate our sixth wedding anniversary with corresponding tattoos.

On my wrist, I got two hearts joined together by a cross. It is a design which I created myself that symbolizes Christ being the center of our relationship. Furthermore, in my mind, it's also a visual representation of Christ completing each of us individually, as well as bringing (and keeping) us together.

Brad got a Celtic knot on his shoulder that is made up of two entwined hearts encircled within a larger heart to symbolize our relationship within God.

The permanent marks on our bodies serve as a representation of God's grace in our relationship. They provide a constant reminder of where our focus needs to be, which is first and foremost on the Lord, and then on our marriage within Him.

The sixth is a notch in our marriage belt that I am happily, proudly, and passionately claiming. With God's help, we have made it through a year worth of valley and are on our way up toward another beautiful peak in the clear blue sky. I'm sure that our futures hold many more rollercoaster rides up and down, but I'm also confident that we can get through all of it. We've done it once. We can do it again. After all, it's not like we'll be riding alone. God will always be right by our sides. And besides, without the rainy days, we wouldn't know how great the sunny ones actually are, right?

          ♥  God sure is good.  :)

Layla at the Zoo

A few weekends ago, Brad and I joined the Jordans on a field trip to the zoo. Look at my sweet Layla Grace checking out the Timones prairie dogs!

While Layla was checking out all the zoo animals, all of us were watching her. We're pretty much all obsessed with her. And PS, isn't Bradley going to be the best daddy ever? Someday!

The zoo hosted this show of people exhibiting particular animals, and Layla absolutely loved it. She's only 9 months old, but she totally knows what's going on. Already, she really likes all kinds of animals.

BTW, I found a petite lap giraffe that fits into the palm of my hand! Well, this is the closest I'll ever get to one anyway, seeing as how they aren't even real. (Still sad about that one.)

Summer is officially here. Have you made your trip the zoo, yet?! Hope you have a great weekend!

Cheap Fandango Tickets

I'm cheap, and I love good deals, which is why I've joined LivingSocial for their daily specials. But my favorite deals, and the ones that save me the most money, are those of which I'd be purchasing anyway. Combine that with anything Harry Potter related, and I'm a very happy girl!

Cue Today's Deal, which is a pair of movie tickets for $9 through Fandango, and I'm squealing with excitement! Since I'm totally planning on going to the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two next month(!!), I'd definitely be buying the tickets anyway. If I can get both Brad's and mine for less than the normal price of a single one, you better believe I'm snatching that right up, baby!

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Thanks, LivingSocial and Fandango, for making HP7.2 seem even closer!! I can't wait! The count down has officially begun! (I mean, seriously it is. Did you notice the very literal countdown on the left? I'm for real, here.)

If you would also like to take advantage of today's sweet movie ticket deal, click here. You can use them for any movie of your choice, and they're good for months. Consider it a cheap future date night, courtesy of Mindy. You're welcome. :)

Sidenote: They just released some more HP7.2 posters. I can't control msyelf. I must post them all!

Oh man! Can't you tell how gritty and intense it's going to be!? This is war! They're all dueling. I especially love the ones with Neville and the sword of Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall and the enchanted-to-fight Hogwarts statues, and the Weasley twins. Get ready, people!!