You deserve so much Honor

I tear up this day, every year. I can't say anything, other than "Thank You" to all of the veterans who have bravely served our nation. But I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

Low key bday bash

Last week, Brad turned 27. He didn't want to have a party or do anything big or extravagant like last year (I guess that really does mean he's getting old huh?), so we just spent the evening with some BFs; Kris, Emily and Layla Grace.

His bday dinner of choice? Chick-Fil-A! I was more than happy to accommodate that birthday wish, since I haven't had the pleasure of a Chick-Fil-A meal in ages. A long, long time ago (I'm talking the beginning of college, people!) Brad decided that the chicken there was soggy and gross, so he's refused to go back. Recently, however, Kris talked him into going again (I'm pretty sure Kris was uninformed of his aversion and simply suggested it, and Brad didn't want to be rude, so he agreed.), and he fell in love with the food, much to the pleasure of the cows, and myself.

A birthday celebration's not a birthday celebration without a candle to blow out. Er... Even if that candle was never actually lit and the "blowing out" was for picture purposes only.

Here's the "Group Shot" with the birthday boy barely in it, because he didn't feel like taking another one. I suppose when it's your birthday, you get to be crabby about group shots...





After dinner (and a little shopping to spend some of his birthday cash gifted to him from family), we went to Steak 'n Shake for dessert. Um, I don't know if you are aware or not, but they no longer offer their Strawberry Shortcake! *Gasp* Yeah! I know! I'll give you a minute to grieve that great loss... {tick, tock} The waiter tried to make it up to me by putting five extra cherries on my sundae. It kind of helped a little. But still...

I suppose as you get older, a little dinner and dessert with besties is all you need for your birthday to be special and great. Sounds good to me. Whatever floats your boat, yo. Saves me from doing stressful gift-deciding. Besides, I got Chick-Fil-A and an over-cherried turtle sundae for his birthday! I'm pretty sure it may as well have been my birthday, too! Sweet.

Cabin fever

Cabin Fever isn't always a bad thing. In fact, sometimes, I believe it's exactly what you may need!

This past weekend, Brad and I joined a couple of our friends, Bret and Jessica, for a mini-getaway to a cozy Gatlinburg cabin. We spent the majority of our time lounging around the fireplace, reading, playing video games, watching movies, baking (and eating) cookies, napping, and relaxing in the hot tub. It.was.wonderful!

(All four of us happen to be reading the Harry Potter series. Brad and Jessica for the first time! Coincidentally, we're all simultaneously at the same part in the series. I'm still making my way through Book 5, holding out hope to finish them all by the movie release, next Thursday night. {EEK!} Jessica finished 5 and started 6 over the weekend, to join both of the boys. Many a Potter convo commensed. Happy times.)

Besides staying inside to crank out some Potter studies, we actually had to keep warm, because it was already snowing in Gatlinburg! (Hence the nonstop fire in the cabin.) Look at the view from the back deck. Gorgeous autumn leaves with a dust of snow! What a beautiful blessing!

We did, however, venture outside of our hermit shell just a little bit. There was no way we could resist this gorgeous scenery.

...Or The Incredible Christmas Place! I don't know how else to say this, but visiting there was just like Christmas!! I just walked around in a giddy daze muttering "This is the happiest place on Earth!" (Full disclosure: I've never been to Disney World.) There was room after room of Christmas stuff! Every Christmas tree was decorated differently. I literally was like a kid in a candy store running from one display to the next, scrutinizing every exhibit and decoration, and trying to formulate a plan to take it all home (and pay for it) and determine where it would look best in Mehaffey Manor! 

Of course, we took the opportunity to purchase our annual ornament. As one of our traditions, each Christmas, Brad and I get a personalized ornament with our names and the year on it. At The Incredible Christmas Place, we had about 100 to choose from, and I think it only took me 25 minutes to decide on the keeper! Not too shabby, eh?

What an awesome weekend to get away, relax and enjoy some leisurely time (not to mention some Harry Potter and Christmasness) with friends! I love making memories, and these were definitely some good ones.

P.S. I can't wait until Christmas! I'm so stinking excited! My office building hung the wreaths by the elevator, today. That really means it's so close! Holla!! How pumped are you?

Cutting the ribbon

I'm so proud of my little brother! Saturday, he was invited to cut the ceremonial red ribbon of a local skate park that he helped to create!

It's no news that he loves all things skating, so when his hometown banned the use of skateboards, rollerblades, bikes and scooters all over the city, he was understandably frustrated. But instead of just complaining about it or even refusing to comply with their wishes and continuing to enjoy  his sport to spite them, he actually did something about it.

With the help of my mom, and ultimately many other people in the community, Trevor began the process of launching a legitimate skate park in town. They have spent years raising money, designing the layout, even speaking with city officials, and finally his dream has been realized! 

Trevor remained the "poster child" for the project, and was very effective in changing the community's opinions of people who practice the sport by intelligently representing his peers openly in front of the city. Because of his involvement from start to finish (despite the fact that he and my mom have since moved away), he was honored in front of a large crowd of fellow skaters, parents, and other members of the community by officially opening the park and initiating the smooth concrete with some pretty impressive tricks.

For a day, my baby brother was a celebrity; not only a hero to the little kids who someday hope to excel at their favorite past time, but also a hero to anybody with a dream and the determination to follow it through.

I'm so proud of Tevo. He was confident that he was not the hoodlum the community told him he was, and he worked really hard to change that public opinion. He exemplified great bravery when he gave speeches and presented his dream in front of big city officials. He persistently showed his determination as he continued to conduct fund-raisers and participate in long meetings with professional skaters and designers to construct the flow of the park. I'm so glad that all of his hard work has finally paid off! I'm such a proud big sis.

Way to go, Little Bro!

Read more about the Grand Opening in The Journal Review, and The Paper.

Best Bugs

Charlie Joy and Layla Grace are Best Buds Bugs!

For Halloween, Charlie was a little bumble bee and Layla was a (sleepy) ladybug! Yes, she was referred to as "Layla Bug" all weekend. Aren't they just the cutest little baby insects ever, ever??

And look! Charlie has started sitting up all on her own!! She's becoming such a big girl!

Can't you just feel the love between two BFs?? Okay, this might possibly be one-sided right now. It appears as though Layla may be trying to escape Charlie's lovin'. But they will surely be BFs as they grow up together!

"Why in the world is she just sleeping this whole time??"

"Wake up, Layla Bug!"

By the end of the photo shoot, Charlie was clearly finished posing. She was like, "C'mon, guys! I'm not even 6 months old, yet! Give me a break, here!" Layla just snoozed on...

I pretty much adore these girls and am already loving watching them grow up!

Fright of 2010

Brad and I don't watch a million scary movies every October, anymore, but how can you have a Halloween without at least a little fright? To meet our fear quota for the holiday, we joined our friends Alex and Amber and scared ourselves silly at Millers Thrillers Haunted Woods.

David and Harmony Miller (the corpse bride and groom in the picture) are friends of ours from college. It was really neat to support them and see for ourselves how great their haunted woods were. Every single costume was incredible, the trail was super spooky complete with lots of startled-scream-inducing frights. I'd give it an A+ even if it wasn't run by friends!

We couldn't take pictures on the trail, but here's one of the four of us waiting in line. It was taken shortly after a crazy jester got in my face and I screamed and I accidentally clutched onto Alex's arm instead of my own husband's. Seriously, it doesn't take much to scare me. I was the perfect victim.

Of course we had to woo a stranger into taking a group shot by the hay bale after we (barely) survived the woods. (Seriously, barely survived. We literally had to crawl through a broken down limo with a scary person sitting there and jumping out at every third or fourth person! So close! So scary!) To celebrate our survival, we each calmed down warmed up with a steaming cup of hot chocolate. Ahhh... That's better...

PS. Aren't Alex and Amber just so vogue?

I don't necessarily go crazy about Halloween like some people, but it is always fun to make a fool of yourself by nearly peeing your pants amidst a bunch of strangers, creepy clowns, corpses, and lumberjacks (they must work with wood, or why else would they all be using those chainsaws??) at least once a year. Thank you, Millers, for meeting that need. :)

Did you scare yourself silly this year? (AKA, did you pee your pants at all??)

Another year older

Happy Birthday, Bradley!



{Pic from his 80's birthday party, last year.}

My hubby turns 27, today! For some reason, 27 seems extra-grownup to me. (Much more so than 26, anyway.)



{Pic from his recent roadtrip out West, post pending.}

I'm so excited to begin another year of watching you conquer your world, Bradley. You're strong and you're brave, and I am prouder of what you have already accomplished and what you are currently striving to achieve than you could ever know. Ever. I admire your courage and strength, and simultaneously appreciate your tenderness and love. You deserve the world. Go get it.

So, happy birthday.

Here's to another year older.

Another year stronger.

Another year braver.

Another year of growth.

Another year of accomplishments.

A year becoming even closer to the man you want to be; the man God intends for you to be; the man I know you are.

Another year together.

Happy birthday, Love.

Wild Wild West

For Halloween this year, Brad and I were a cowboy and girl visiting from the Wild West!

Can you believe that Brad made those chaps (complete with fringe) and that vest completely from scratch!?  They are totally legit. I am definitely impressed with his mad sewing skillz. Combined with my Target purchase (What? We're not that crafty!), together we made a pretty believable Western couple, huh?

Since surrounding ourselves with people we love is kind of our thing, we hosted a Cowboys and Indians costume party! A lot of our friends were able to get into character, as well, and many of them even joined in on the theme.

After we spent a substantial amount of time munching on all the festive goodies, many of us gathered together to play a game called Loaded Questions. What a hilarious way to get to know each other better! Lots of great laughs (and a few inappropriate comments) finalized our Happy Halloween of 2010.

I pretty much love our friends and getting to spend time with them. Having people over to our house (and finally having a house big enough to accommodate our party addiction) is pretty much one of Brad's and my favorite things in the whole world. Any excuse to have everyone over is good enough for us. Add costumes, games, finger foods, snacks, and punch to the mix, and we're totally sold.

We are so blessed to have these awesome people in our lives.

Love you all!

Did you and your family have a super great Halloween? If you dressed up, what were you??

Homemade Costume

My Mondays at work are always super busy, so I don't have time to compile the Halloween post that I'd like. But, since I know you're dying for some details, I'll give you a little teaser:

Brad sewed his own costume, this year. Can you believe it? He went to Joanne Fabrics, himself, finagled a pattern using his own clothes, then spent hours at the sewing machine creating it. You won't believe how great it turned out!

Any guesses on what he was/made? (No cheating, if you already know.)

Biker Babe

I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that this costume had absolutely nothing to do with Halloween.

When we recently visited Indiana, Brad and I met my dad and brother for lunch one day at Culver's (Yum!). Turns out my dad has become quite the Biker stud (on his Geezer Glide, haha), and he couldn't resist dressing his little girl up in all of his mo-mo-gear (leather coat and gloves, do-rag, and aviator shades), even though every bit of it was way too big for me.

I do believe I'd make quite the Biker Babe! Well, at least that's what my daddy told me...

Now let's see if my real Halloween costume can top this... Hope you all have a spooky Halloween and have a lot of fun dressing up in really great costumes!