Time Goes By...

It's official. I'm terrible at this whole blogging thing. I've even cut down on my blog reading. I guess having a real job that requires you to do things during the day will do that to you. Here are some of the biggies that have happened since I last recapped...

• Mallory & Chip got married! After spending an entire day setting up for an outdoor wedding, we wound up taking it all down and setting it back up (20 miles away) in half the time due to rain. She still had one of the prettiest weddings I've ever seen...and she was gorgeous!
• I got glasses. I officially feel old. They're really cute though and have an adorable hot pink case (of course) and only have to wear them at the computer and while I read.
• I took an amazing vacation as the Kerbys' nanny to St. George Island, FL. It was a lot of fun to get to spend a week with my 2 favorite boys (and then some!). I tried lots of new food and William got to touch a shark, so the trip was a success. :)
• I got to spend a nice, long weekend at home on the 4th and got to catch up with a very good friend that I don't see nearly often enough.
• CP had the second Serving Saturday of the year. We volunteered one morning to help work on some people's houses in the CP neighborhood. Our team did a bunch of landscaping, painted parts of the house, completely took out the back porch & installed a new one... it didn't even look like the same house when the day was over.
• Linds and I joined the Y! I never in a million years would have seen me actually making use of a gym membership (aside from using the pool...), much less loving it. But I do! We go pretty regularly 3-4 times a week. Nothing too strenuous, but I can feel a difference in myself just by feeling healthy.
• We went on our annual boat trip to Florence, AL this past weekend. I didn't get to go last year, and was very happy to make it this year. We had a wonderful time!
• I just had my 25th birthday this week. It feels weird to even think I can be "mid-twenties" at all, but other than that it was no biggie. All of my "others" and their kids came out to celebrate at the park with pizza, cornhole and cake the night of my birthday, and I had lunch with some work-friends the next day. It was lots of fun! I got some really great, timeless gifts that I'm bound and determined to do a separate post on...so maybe in the next few months it'll be up. :)

Easter time!

I spent my first holiday on my on this Easter. It was pretty strange to even think about at first, but I was scheduled to sing in KidStuff, and I really wanted to attend Cross Point's Easter service. It was really a great day and weekend...now I just need to get my family to come to me next time! :)

On Good Friday, after all the storms finally passed, Linds and I headed to Murfreesboro because Will & Beth were going to be in town for the weekend. We got to spend some time with them and precious baby Maddie and watched a bunch of the storm coverage. We found out that our old roommate's parents' house is totally gone,  Lindsey's old house had a lot of damage, and another good friend of hers is completely out of his apartment. It's such a scary and devastating thing...On our way home the next day we instinctively got back on the road the way we normally do, only to be totally re-routed because of all the damage.

On a brighter note..It was great to see little Maddie and love on her! She's already changed so much! Saturday morning we dyed Easter eggs and Maddie chipped in. :) I had the Disney Princess kit (of course I did) and it came with princess bracelets...so we put them on Maddie as a crown!

Sunday, after an amazing Easter service at church, Linds and I headed home and gave the puppies their Easter baskets. We had taken them to PetSmart a few weeks before and let them "pick out" their new prizes, and while we were there of course we had to put the bunny ears on Rocket (Paisley would have none of it!)! It's so much fun to spoil them! :)

This picture cracks me up because Paisley looks so vicious as she was trying to get her new toy! 

MIA

Holy cow I haven't blogged in almost 2 months. Ahhhhh, I hate that. So sorry for all 10 of you reading (and yes, I'm well aware 2 of the 10 are you, Mom & Daddy!). :) So in effort to get back into the swing of things, here's a little recap on what's been going on in the lovely, tickled pink land of Whitney.

January

• I'm not one to really make New Year's Resolutions, because I think generally mine are pretty cliche. This year I mostly just decided to try to refocus on a variety of things, mainly praying and being healthy. See? Cliche, but I felt I really needed to make more of a conscious effort. Now that I'm 3 full months in, the healthy thing is going pretty well - not dieting, just watching what I eat, but I haven't used my WiiFit in probably a month! I'm trying hard to be more intentional about praying as well, and "praying without ceasing." To be totally honest, that's very hit and miss...some days are great, some days not so much.
• This month's TPAC performance was "Wizard of Oz," and my dear sweet friend Bree and her best friend Abbie got to go with us. Linds & I also met up with The Mix to go ice skating! It was fun for about .5 seconds. I'm not big on cold...or the feeling of not being balanced.
  
  
  
  
• The rest of the month was baby-filled. My precious iCal was filled with blue (yes, it's all color-coded and b-b-blue is for b-b-babysitting). :) On top of nannying for my 2 favorite boys nearly, if not every day, Angie and Brandi also wanted to help and kept me busy as well. And I loved every second of it!
  
  

  I LOVE my boys! :)
  

  

February

• February started off with William's 2nd birthday and it was a blast! All he had asked for was a "hehmet," (helmet) and once he opened it, he wouldn't take it off! He's definitely a fan of hats! The kid's got style (and so does Hudson in his precious "Little Brother" monkey outfit I got him!)!
  
  
  
  
  
• Mom was in Murfreesboro for a conference, and it was so nice to have her nearby and actually have the opportunity to see her since I wasn't in the office!
• Lindsey and Bree each got another tattoo, and I totally felt like a mom lugging my new camera in to take pictures, but I'm so glad I did. And I love the last shot of Lindsey's after it healed, if I do say so myself. :)
  
  
  
  
  
• Linds and I went to a benefit concert with Natalie Grant, Brandon Heath and 10th Avenue North. It was a-maz-ing! 10th Avenue North played my current power song, "By Your Side," too! The very next week, we got to go see Selah play, and it was incredible as well. It's so interesting to really only know Todd as Todd, or Angie's Todd or Abby, Ellie & Kate's dad, but then to see him get up and sing for everyone! We were official nannies for the night, and it was so much fun to watch the girls listen (and dance!) to their dad sing.
  
  

  Precious Kate & Ellie
  

  
  
• I had an interview with a management company, which I was thinking was the direction I wanted to head professionally. It sounded great, and got me excited, and about 20 minutes after I sent them my resume, I got a call requesting an interview the next day. The first interview went wonderfully and I was even more excited, but when I got home I learned a few details that weren't deal breakers, but had me disappointed in the position. I got a second interview 2 days later, and after I left there, I felt pretty confident that it wasn't what I wanted, and I was ready to risk negotiating specifics if they offered it to me. They didn't, and I was ok with that, because honestly, if they had, I think I would have been too scared to turn it down. Just another example of God providing just the way He knew I needed!
• The month ended with "The Pajama Game" at TPAC (which was really cute), volunteering Saturday morning for Cross Point's first Serving Saturday of the year, and a (snowy) trip to Murfreesboro to see our Chi Omega girls compete in Step Show.

March

• My mom came in for a long weekend (more specific details on her arrival ;) on the next post, which is soon, I promise!), and my dad, brother, and some more sweet friends came on Saturday to hang out and visit Cross Point. It was the perfect time, too, because it was my first Sunday to sing in KidStuff too!
• Will & Beth were due to have Baby Maddie on March 17th, but when Linds and I were babysitting late March 9th and her mom called, we knew without answering what the call was about! Little Madison Anne got here early Tuesday morning and Lindsey made a flying trip there and back to see her. That weekend, we went back to visit so I could meet the precious little one! She is, of course, beautiful and tiny and so stinking cute! The pictures absolutely don't do her justice. Now we're just ready to see her again!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The TPAC show this month was "Jersey Boys." It was SO great! It ends this weekend, and we've tried to work it out to go again (yes, it was that great), but unfortunately, don't think it's gonna work out.
  
  
• Last, but certainly not least, I got a new job!!! Yayyyyy! :) I will save the details on it for the next post (it goes along with when Mom came to visit), but I am a management assistant to two artist managers and I started March 6. I'm so blessed, and since I started I've already gotten to experience so many new things! It makes a world of difference to actually love going into work every day, and I couldn't be happier!

Well, I think that catches us up for the most part. As you can clearly see, I've been MIA, but missing, in action. Hopefully now that I have a little bit more of a regular schedule, I can get back into the swing of things in blogging!

Christmas Eve in My Hometown...

I'm so behind, I know...everyone else is blogging about New Year's resolutions and how they've already given up (kidding) and I'm still stuck on Christmas...

So here quickly is my Christmas Eve in pictures. Mostly of family and the youngest members (both 3). They're so stinkin' cute!

The evening starts out with our family going to my old church for the Christmas Eve service. It's great to be there and see everyone (including my darling Caley!), but I'm hoping to try to make it for Cross Point's earliest Christmas Eve service next year!

Then we head to my grandmother's house for dinner and presents! Here is my cousin's youngest, Trent, holding his BIG present!

It's been a tradition for some of the kids to 'sort' all the presents as they come in. It was my job for the longest, but now it's been handed down to Reed. :)

My cousin, Jason, and his youngest, Carter. He's the very youngest of the family...

...but not by much! Cole is only 2 months older than him. They were SO fun to watch open their presents and play with their new toys. 3 is a great age to enjoy the magic of Christmas. Cole and Carter were jumping off the steps into the sunroom at the same time. I love this picture!

Carter's older brother, Collin, was excited to get a new Nerf gun!

Reedman...he's the oldest of the "little ones" (not that he's little, by any means!), and the youngest of the "big kids!"

My cute Mommy and Daddy :)

I was SO excited about my awesome new Paul Mitchell straightener from Kay & George!

Trent's older sister, Megan, started reading her new book right away. She's such a good reader!

My cousin, Brian & I.

All of the great-grand children (minus Sam) with my grandmother. Trent, Carter, Collin, Megan & Cole.

All the grandchildren (minus Lori): Brian, Jason, Jennifer, Reed & me.

Last but not least, all the children! Glenn, Paula, Kay & Mom.

Are they not too cute??

After we got Gran's house all picked up, we went back home to wait for Santa! :) My stocking is a Raggedy Ann & Raggedy Andy that Kay made for me when I was a baby. I love it!

I got to be Santa Paws for Paisley. :)

Such a pretty girl!

Week of Thanksgiving (Part 4)

I’ve said plenty of times before how thankful I am of my church here in Nashville. Cross Point has been exactly what I’ve needed and wanted without even realizing it since I started going a year and a half ago. I haven’t, however, mentioned how thankful I am for my small groups! Robin was our first leader and she introduced both Lindsey and I to so many people we now call friends in our singles community group. Next we were in Ashley’s women’s group. Ashley is an incredible leader and really pushes me to think. I’m not the most outspoken person in small groups (I know that fact may be hard to believe by some), but I’m getting there! Both Ashley and Robin have been 2 people that are very important to me, especially in the past several months. I’m so thankful for their friendships and the impact they’ve made on me.

Here are Brandy (who has been in both Robin's and Ashley's groups with us), Lindsey, Ashley & I on Lindsey's birthday

This fall, I was so privileged to be in a Beth Moore Bible study with Angie. I had read her blog and was moved by her from quite a while back (and I blogged about her when she and her husband, Todd, came to Cross Point to speak), and jumped on the opportunity to do a study with her. I knew then that I was supposed to take something from their story, but I had no idea that Angie would become such an incredible role model and friend, and “other,” :) but she definitely did! I’m also very thankful for another “other” that I got to become closer to in this Bible study – Brandi! She is the best encourager I know and I look up to her greatly. I’m so very thankful to be surrounded by such amazing, Godly women. They’ve each been an inspiration to me and were perfectly placed in my life.

Here are Lindsey, Angie, Robin and I (it was the Colts/Titans game that night...hence the outfit and minus Brandi!). Brandi - this means you and I need to take a pic ASAP! :)

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was filled, plan and simple. Thursday night I kept my sweet William, who is saying "Whittie" with ease now! Actually, he likes to keep me guessing, because he'll call me "Whittie" one second perfectly enunciated, and then "Whitwie" and the "Ittie" another time. He's so precious. Here he is saying "cheese" for the camera during dinner Thursday night. He also says his prayers before he eats! He mostly babbles his way through, but he squints his eyes and holds his hands together. Adorable.

On Saturday, my family was in Nashville for the state band competition. Reed plays the 3rd bass drum for the high school and this year's show was called "School Days." I had only seen their very first performance at the first football game of the season, so it wasn't completely finished and it wasn't in their uniforms, so it wasn't quite the same then. I kept William that afternoon, so Lindsey and I loaded him up to take him to the band competition. They did a great job in the semi-finals, and after it was over, Reed showed William his hat (pictures to come of that...Kay has it on her camera!) and drum, and even let him hit it with the "bat" (the mallet). William had a great time watching 2 or 3 different bands' performances, but he loved getting Sam to carry him around even more! He even cried when I told him we had to leave!

This was on the way and wearing his cowboy hat from his costume the night before!

Cheese!

Linds and I went back home to see about all the dogs - Dash was back to play with us! He's the one on the far left that looks like he's flying!

After we found out Reed and the rest of the band made the top 10 for the finals, we headed back to Thompson's Station to watch them perform again. They were amazing! We didn't get to see all 10 bands perform, but we saw about 6 or 7 of them, and MCHS's show was definitely the most entertaining, and I can say that without a biased bone in me. ;) They ended up getting 6th overall, and I thought they deserved higher than that, but they had improved from last year so that's good. And Reed has 3 more years of it, so that gives him plenty of time to get 1st! :) In between all the bands (and some not-so-interesting performances) and freezing, we got a little delirious and bored...

She probably gets this "bless your heart" look a lot...

I think I may have been biting Mom?

I think Linds said to be "thugs"...I just don't have it in me.

After an extra hour of sleep, we were off to keep the sweet babies in the nursery and had a full room! Mom & Dad made it in time to go to Kids Stuff and they loved it, and then we went to hear an amazing message about purpose from Pete. We had an entire row because Kay & George were here too! I felt like Selmer was in Nashville! After some interrupted shopping that afternoon, Mom & Dad headed home in my car and thankfully made it there without a problem, considering the front end of my car was gone...oh my, my... Little Layla seems to have it out for me. First the transmission, then battery, then brakes (that's a new development), and then she decided to jump out in front of someone in the Cool Springs mall parking lot... But even that couldn't put a damper on the weekend. It was great to get to hang out with my family for a long time and finally hear the words I've wanted to hear for a year..."Whittie!" :)