Busy times

Where do I begin?

I will start with this week. I started my new job and am so exhausted! :) But in a good way, just trying to get back in the routine of work schedules and such. After being discouraged for a while about Texas not recognizing my MS counseling license/ degree and wanting me to teach for 2 years, I decided to look for jobs that I would actually enjoy or use my undergrad degree in. So, I began my search and found lots of opportunities but was still hesitant about them. Then, one random day a week and a half ago, I was looking for invitations for a party in Houston and the cutest website came up. For those of you who don't know, I love invitations, paper, stationary, cutesy/artsy stuff so I randomly buy this stuff all the time. After looking through a lot of their stuff, I realized that this wasn't a store, it was a company that designs and creates them and then ships them out to stores/ online vendors. Then I noticed that they had a "career opportunity" tab and so I just clicked on it and sure enough, they had a job opening. I e-mailed my resume and cover letter and that afternoon, they called for an interview! When I wasn't looking for a job, I found one! Come to find out, they had just posted the job opening that morning because the girl before me had just quit. What luck! SO....I interviewed and got the job. Started last Monday and was extremely overwhelmed.... still am! There is a lot to learn and so much to do. It is very fast paced and hectic but the people are great and the atmosphere is fun. I just hope that I catch on quick! I hate not knowing what I'm doing.

So when Friday rolled around, I was EXHAUSTED! Chris had flown out to Cape (Cape Girardeau,Missouri, his hometown) on Thursday night for his friend Walter's wedding. So Friday, I went to Hasta La Pasta with Kristen and it was delish! There are so many restaurants I have to try here! I couldn't stay out long though because I was fighting off falling asleep all during dinner. Saturday was actually pretty productive! I got my hair done at The Conservatory ( the best place on earth!) and ran errands. Sometimes it is nice having time to yourself to get stuff done and relax but Chris has been traveling so much lately that I'm starting to get sick of time to myself. Every weekend is booked up pretty much until after our wedding...ugh. Next weekend, we are going to my boss' son's birthday party...who will be turning 1. He is so stinkin' cute! The next weekend is another wedding in Cape, and so it goes (why I named my blog what I named it!)

Hopefully I can make it home to Tupelo sooner rather than later. But with starting a new job, I don't really feel like I can take off work too much. October, November, and December will be super busy travel months for us as we have weddings, parties, holidays, football games, etc. I don't know how I will get all this stuff done! Wish me luck....and patience and maybe a few extra hours in the day????

401K

Well, after a month of looking....I can now say that I am contributing to my 401K :) ! Haha....Thank the Lord! PTL and any other Praise God thing I can say! I love having a schedule and am very structured so this last month with none of that just about drove me and Chris crazy. However, I think the dogs enjoyed my time without work. I did get a lot of wedding stuff done but I need to be at work. I want to be at work. I have to be in a social setting and be productive or I have small panic attacks. I think I'm crazy but anyway...just wanted to share the good news! Bad news- Houston at 7:00 am = terrible traffic!It takes me an hour to get to work and I have to pay 2 tolls on the way there and 2 on the way back which means I pay $6 a day to drive to work and that doesn't count gas $$$$. Oh well, looking on the bright side. Will post more later...I'm exhausted!

Catch Up Time

So I have been slacking on the blog lately so this post may get a little long! :)

Where to start? Well, I haven't blogged since before I went to Tupelo for the weekend 2 weeks ago so i'll start with that. I went to Tup the last week in August to visit with my Pappaw for his 89th!!!!! birthday and for my Around the House Shower. Yes, I said 89 which means he'll soon be at the big nine o soon! I was so happy to see him. When asked what he wanted to do for his birthday, he told Alex (my cousin) that he wanted to go home for a day and eat cornbread! Ha! Since he is living in the nursing home, having a "party" at his house was something different. So we packed up some food, drinks, and headed out to what I consider the country if there is really any country in Tupelo anymore. When we get out there, what is the first thing I see? Pappaw riding on his lawn mower!!! Now, that may not seem to be a big deal but with an 89 year old man who can't walk and has one arm...that is HUGE! He was smiling from ear to ear and I almost started crying!

Pappaw on his lawn mower!

So, that was awesome! Moving on, it was a busy week/weekend in Tup as I met with our wedding planner, went to Park Heights to discuss our menu, and many other details. Then it was Sunday which meant, Shower time! My first shower and I was actually nervous being new at this and all. Anyway, my bridesmaids from Tupelo and Rachael (not from Tupelo but an honorary Tupelonian :) ) gave me an Around the House shower. I didn't expect to get that much stuff! Y'all are the Best!!!! Here are a few pics from the shower, my sister has most of the good ones on her camera.

Opening Gifts! I think this was my Crystal Bowl...

Love these ladies....

Yummy cupcakes by Mary Henson! She's doing my cake for the wedding too!


So, then it was back to Texas! I came back and have been busy ever since! Our wedding invitations came in, among many other packages that were shipped from people who couldn't come to the shower. A lot of my friends these days are out of towners like me so it's hard to come to stuff. It's a bummer but life goes on! So after writing thank you notes, getting our invitations ready to be addressed, getting pictures together for our slideshow, cleaning since I was gone for 5 days, and just catching up on sleep, I was a busy girl. Then Saturday comes and it's time for Ole Miss Football! Yay! I woke up and Chris was up and dressed in his "Grove attire" and yelling "Go to Hell LSU!" Needless to say, we were excited but extremely sad as this was the first game we've missed in years! :( So, Christin and Bob (fellow Ole Miss alums here in Houston) came over to watch the game and low and behold we lost to Jacksonville State. Lovely.....So embarassing. After that game, I needed a drink and bad so we head over to Kristen and Andrew's house for dinner and more football. I seriously felt like I was in college again, just minus some great friends! After some beer pong, flip cup, and circle of death it was my time to go home. I'm too old for this! But loved and needed every minute of it! That lead to an incredibly lazy rest of the weekend.

Chris will be leaving tomorrow to recruit at University of Texas and then on to New Orleans for Josh's Bachelor Party and maybe the Ole Miss game vs. Tulane. Maybe my rebs can pull this one off! Fingers crossed. So what am I going to do the rest of the week and weekend all by myself? NOTHING! I plan on doing absolutely nothing and relaxing. Hopefully! :)

Time Flies...

Yesterday, I was reminded that our wedding is in 5 months! Time is flying! Wooohooo.....can't wait!
This week should be interesting, one of Chris' friends is coming to visit/stay and then I leave for Tupelo on Thursday. I'm driving so that probably won't be much fun but I'm excited to see my family and friends. And, it is Pappaw's 89th birthday!!!! I love that man. He is hysterical. Anyways, we had a fun weekend and were more social than usual. Going out 2 nights in a row is a big accomplishment for us! Friday we went and ate yummy Italian with Kristen and Andrew (Kristen was one of the first people I met when I moved to Houston and Andrew is her husband who happens to work for ExxonMobil also but not in the same area as Chris). Then on Saturday, we went to Kate and Kyle's house for her birthday party. We ended up playing corn hole and I'm not half bad! Since I'm really competitive, I was getting supper excited when we came from behind to beat the boys until my partner had a bad round :(! It was fun though!

So, on a different note...it's funny the things you miss from home when you move. I always thought I'd miss the usual (Mom, sister, dogs, friends, etc.) but not food! It's funny that I have an abundance of restaurants to choose from here and I always say, "I wish I could go to China Capital or Danvers." I would love a chicken and biscuit from Connie's! :) Chris always wonders why food is what I miss most...especially since there are a lot of choices here. So guess where I'll be eating when I go back to Tupelo this week?

Ho Hum....Just another day

Well, let's see where to start today.... I guess I'll start with the fact that summer is almost over (Yay! I LOVE fall!) Not to mention that this heat has GOT TO GO! Plus that means it is boot season...my fav! I know, I sound like a diva right now but seriously. I've heard that fall here still consists of heat and humidity until the end of November...ugh. But that's not really much of a change from where I came from. Mississsippi weather is so unpredictable...it could be 85 and sunny in November or 60 and raining or 40 and dreary. You never know. As for our wedding date....we'll just see what mother nature brings. I'm hoping for cold and no rain. I don't want to sweat at all but we'll see. Maybe it will snow! Yeah, right.....that never happens! Anyway, enough about the weather. This week I have been trying to decide on groom's cake ideas and flavors. There are so many flavors that look yummo to choose from but I think we'll just go with chocolate. That's classic! This is really the first thing Chris and I disagreed on....He wants cupcakes! Whatever....his cake, his choice. So we'll see what happens with that on January 22.

So, since I'm waiting on job information and corporate mumbo jumbo to happen, I've been stuck at the house with Maggie and Annie all day, every day. Except yesterday, I went to Baytown and there isn't crap there! I had to go for a training thing. Back to being bored....I think it's funny how when you are working or at school all the time, all you want is time off. But when you're not and have absolutely nothing to do....you crave anything to keep you busy. Hence, this blog! I'm not really the type to hang around the house, watching t.v. and sleep late. I've always been a morning person (except in college, but there are reasons for that!) and never really watched a lot of t.v. unless you count Full House reruns and the occasional True Blood. I usually just wait till shows come out on DVD and watch them then on my own time. My schedule these days is pretty boring....it usually goes somewhat like this: wake up, make coffee and dog's breakfast, check e-mail, facebook, twitter, etc., lay out (I don't like going to the pool in our neighborhood so I lay out in the backyard which is kind of creepy cause neighbors have their blinds open and it weirds me out so I hide). After that, find lunch and figure out something to occupy my time. I just bought a book and finished it in one day....that's how bored I am!

Enough about that, I actually have something to do tonight! Going to "Thirsty Thursday" at Rico's! Yum! We designate nights like that..."Margarita Monday", "Thirsty Thursday", you get the idea. I love going out in Houston because you never know what you are going to see. For example, many people here (women and men) love to wear the Ed Hardy gear from head to toe. I mean studded purses, shoes, belts, bracelets, you name it...it's studded. Not exactly my style. Also, the skinny jeans with huge shoes that make your feet look massive and not to mention ugly is big with the younger crowd here.  Not here to judge...just being observant. That is not a "trend" (if you want to call it that) that I will be following. Well that's enough to report for now....Oh I forgot...I'm posting some pics of the girls for fun!

Love this...even thought our faces are cut off

Rise and Shine....

I always wondered why people said that....because when I rise, I definitely do NOT shine. It takes me a while and a cup of coffee to shine. And now, I am addicted to my Keurig coffee maker that makes french toast flavored coffee....delish! Anyways, I won't be blogging about coffee so let's move on. So this weekend, I wanted to go downtown and look around since I've only driven through part of it. Well, that didn't really go according to plan. 1. It was so dang hot and humid that I didn't want to walk, I just wanted to find something to drink. 2. Chris parked close to MinuteMaid Park so we'd be close to the Astros game later which means far away from Market Square and Theatre District and pretty much everywhere I wanted to go. 3. We only had like an hour before the game started so not much time to make the hike to Market Square.  But I assure you, come hell or high water, I will make it around downtown and see everything. Chris doesn't understand what my interest is in seeing all of Houston (Which will take a few years I'm sure as it is so big). I keep telling him that I just want to see and know about where I live. I like to explore and would do it on my own and have in several locations but not downtown. I would like to live to see tomorrow! So....with that being said, maybe I'll make it back downtown sooner rather than later.

Like I said earlier, we went to an Astros game on Saturday and had fantastic tickets! Four rows up on the home dugout! Considering I've never been a fan of the Astros or the Pirates (who they played), I was still pretty stoked to be that close! MinuteMaid Park is unbelievable and I was so happy to be indoors in air conditioning! Even though it is kind of weird to play baseball inside, in my opinion but whatever. I'm just ready for football season to start! Both college and NFL because I can actually go see my first NFL game this year! The Colts and the Giants are coming to Houston and you better believe I plan to attend! And, I will not be wearing a Houston jersey! :) But thinking about football makes me sad because this will be the first year out of many that I won't make every Ole Miss home game. We probably will only make one :(! But we are going to the LSU game in Baton Rouge since it's only 5 hours from us!

Moving on....every weekend is pretty much filled up after next weekend. All the way up until January 22 (wedding day!). Speaking of weddings, it seems like I went through a phase where all of my friends got married in the same time frame and now Chris' friends are doing the same. Chris is in 2 weddings back in Cape in the fall and another one of his friends just got engaged this summer so who knows when they'll get married. So with all the parties for them, our wedding stuff, and work, it's gonna be a busy rest of the year! Time is flying and I don't mind it but after January 22, I hope it slows down a bit! I'm just ready to be done with all the planning and see it all come together! Plus, I'm ready for the honeymoon! I need a tropical vacation!

There are so many things that I want to do but won't allow myself to until after the wedding. I keep thinking of things I want to save up for (that will be difficult as I am a horrible saver), but it just doesn't seem feasible until February or so. Things I will attempt to save for:
1. A new car (yes, I've already been looking and found exactly what I want... I'm getting anxious)
2. A new dining room set because the one we have is not exactly my taste :) (It was Chris' parents)
3. A Mac Desktop (Don't need it, just want it)
4. A big comfy chair (For my "study" because it looks empty :( )
5. Patio furniture....we don't have much!

Well, that's it for now....posting some pics from the weekend below! Enjoy!

Driving into Downtown

Minute Maid Park

In our seats

First Pitch

Part of the Skyline at night

Cold Coffee...

So...I've been playing with this whole blog layout all morning and lost track of time. I reached for my coffee that I thought I had just made and it was cold....apparently I got lost in time trying to figure out this whole blog thing! So anyone reading this, feel free to send any tips my way! By the way, to my friends that have blogs....I'm taking some ideas off of yours to try to spiffy mine up some! Copying is the sincerest form of flattery! That's all for now...got to go get ready to meet the boss man at my new job! Wish me luck! :)

House in Houston....before we bought it!

First Post

So, I've been really bored the last couple of days and finally broke down and decided to make a blog! Since a lot of my friends have decided to blog, I didn't want to be left out :)! Especially since most of you reading this are far away from me now :(! Anywho, I have no idea what I'm doing really so any input would be helpful.

Like I said earlier, I have been so bored for the last few days.  So I've been home all week cleaning and laying out and there's only so much of that I can do before I go a little stir crazy (hence the new blog!).

Moving on, wedding planning is getting more and more intense as we approach the 5 month countdown. I'm just ready for January to get here. I've been planning long enough! Speaking of, my mother just called to ask why I care about certain details and not others....I mean really? There are too many details to get wrapped up in each one! I just want to get married. Period. But enough about that....the lady from Low's called today and said that my wedding dress has come in and she's shipping it to me today!!!! Wahooo! I was a little nervous that something would go wrong with that process! It is getting shipped to my mom's house in Tupelo, so I won't get to open it and try it on until I go home at the end of this month! That should be an exciting and busy time as I have my Grandfather's 89th birthday, meeting with the reception venue (Park Heights), my first shower!!!!, and other miscellaneous wedding duties to tie up including meeting with the wedding planner! In a way, I didn't think I needed a planner because I'm pretty good at getting things done but since I'm so far away and don't really feel like being stressed and making all of the millions of phone calls, I got a planner! Well, technically, my aunt got me a planner but same thing!

Moving on to life in Houston; it is CRAZY humid here! Now, I am used to crazy hot Mississippi weather and even some humidity but this is insane! You know it is humid when there isn't a cloud in the sky and its raining because of all of the moisture in the air! That's what you get for living in a "coastal city" in the South! Houston is huge....and I do mean HUGE! I drove to Sugar Land the other day (suburb of Houston) and it took me over an hour just to get across the city! Luckily, I don't have to go into the city if I don't want to so it's nice. For a while, I never got out of Fall Creek (my neighborhood) because everything I needed was right here! Except for the Galleria! I finally made the trek to the Galleria with my new friend Christin (who also went to Ole Miss, coincidence!!). It was amazing! We stayed until it closed! It was a little overwhelming though! Chris gets nervous when I go there, which, I can definitely understand! But lately, I'm trying not to spend a whole lot on things other than wedding stuff and necessities! I'm doing okay....actually that is a lie. I'm not a good saver! Never have been, never will be! Credit cards are out to get me and I'm a sucker every time! I actually just got suckered in to buying that Perfect Skin stuff the Kardashian's promote. I may need an intervention.

Well, that's enough for now. That's a long post but it's my first one so there you go! Hopefully, I'll get some pics up soon! I don't have the best camera so I don't really take a lot of pics these days! Maybe since I'm a blogger now, that will change! Tata! xoxoxo