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. :)

All Things New...

I can't say enough how much I love my new job. I've now been here over a month & have gotten to learn and experience so many new things already.

When things started looking not-so-great at my last job, I started to think about what it was that I actually wanted to do longterm, and what jobs best suited my abilities, because radio promotions (where I had been) was not it. I'm clearly a little OCD on the organization side of things, and I love to see and learn about the different aspects of an artists' career, and management is at the hub of that. This is how I came to decide that I wanted the focus of my job search to be geared toward management.

I also knew that I wanted my next position to be something that felt confident in the direction I was headed. I actually took my last job with the understanding that it wasn't the best of situations, but I felt like I needed to take that risk in order to have some growth professionally. I did learn quite a bit, had some really nice opportunities, and made great relationships with a few people, but I didn't want to feel like I was walking into potentially bad conditions again. That was why I wasn't sold on the last interview I went on.

I sent my resume to a different management company on a Saturday night but then didn't hear anything, so I wasn't even sure the position that was open was going to be filled. However, in a very quick turn of events, I got an interview on a Tuesday morning, was called back in to meet the GM on Thursday night, and started Friday morning!

In my interview, they weren't sure how quickly a decision could be made and didn't give me a timeline for hiring someone, so my mom had made plans on spending a long weekend with me if I hadn't heard anything from them by Thursday. I hadn't, so she headed East to my house. I spent the entire morning cleaning & went to the grocery store to buy food (there were about to be 6 adults, 2 teenage boys & 3 dogs in my house!!). While I was checking out, the GM called to ask me to come in...right then! "Don't worry about getting fixed up, I can tell you're checking out somewhere, (um, yeah...I was at the self checkout and couldn't get the thing to work, so of course it was yelling at me) so just come on in the next hour in what you have on. It's not another interview, they just want me to meet you." Riiiight. I'm going to come in for what seems to be a second interview with my unwashed hair in a messy bun on top of my head, no make up, a gigantic hoodie sweatshirt & yoga pants? Not happening. So I literally flew home and called my mom to give her the news...as she was pulling into my neighborhood. I got cleaned up and dressed in 10 minutes and we were back out the door! Bless her heart, she drove 3 hours just to get back in the car with me! The "meeting" went really well (obviously), but the words "we'd like to hire you" or "the position is yours" were never uttered, so I was quite confused, but still felt like the job was mine to lose. Sure enough, I got the call about 45 minutes later (after some quick retail therapy and buying a new outfit to wear the next day...just in case) and started my first day the next morning!

I am so blessed to be in a position I love, working with people that are nice and appreciative, and for artists that genuinely love what they do. It is such an amazing feeling to not dread Monday rolling back around (with that said, of course I'm still human and am not ecstatic about the weekend being over...) and to feel like I'm doing something worthwhile! The managers I'm assisting are also very good at their jobs and very business-savvy women, so there's a great deal to be learned from them. I'm a lucky, lucky girl!

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!

Mama, I Love You!

I'm quite possibly the worst blogger ever now. Yikes. I promise there will be a little more explanation coming soon!

In the midst of my wayyyy late Christmas blogging, I didn't get to post a very important one when I wanted to. Last weekend was crazy and hectic, much like the entire month has been thus far, and because of that, I didn't get to go home to celebrate my mommy's birthday!! How the heck did I manage to not blog on Mom's birthday when she started on mine? Again, worst blogger ever. Not worst daughter, because I did have a card picked especially for her well in advance (although Nashville-Selmer mail is incredibly slow...), a present that is sitting in my dining room waiting to be opened, and of course a phone call by 8:30am...on a SATURDAY. :) Jeez Louise, of course I remembered!

Speaking of remembering, here a just a few of my very favorite memories with my sweet mommy. :) 

• I took voice lessons for 13 years, and only 2 of those years I was able to drive the hour-and-a-half-one-way trip. So what does that mean? Awesome bonding time. On those trips, quite often just the 2 of us, we would listen to a wide array of music. She is THE reason I'm so passionate about music now because she exposed me to so much starting at a young age. We would listen to everything under the sun but one of my favorite memories is when she would put the radio on a classical station and we would listen carefully to all the instruments used in the song and "air-play" them all. Of course it was fun when I was 7, but I'm sure it was also a tool that helped me years later to listen carefully and have a better ear for music.
• 2 amazing lessons and very fun memories: 1) sometimes it's ok to have ice cream for dinner...just don't tell Daddy. 2) when you're shopping and you buy something on sale and save $20, that just means you have $20 extra to buy something else! Again, just don't tell Daddy. :)
  
• One summer Reed, Mom and I were going to meet Kay, George, Lori and Sam in Gulf Shores for a few days. We packed the car to the brim with our bags and beach toys (Reed was 6 or 7, so the perfect age to love big toys in the ocean and at the pool) the night before only to find that the car wouldn't start the next morning. So in the wee hours of the morning, we unloaded our stuffed big car and did the only thing we could at that hour - cram it into my tiny Bug. We obviously minimized some of the things we had originally planned, but once we were finally on the road, I don't remember laughing so hard. We even came back with an extra float (Star Wars Naboo Starfighter...no small float)! (*no, I'm not a Star Wars fan, so I have no idea if that's how you spell it. All I know is it was the yellow one. :) *)
• Another summer when Mom, Reed, Lindsey and I were all reading the Harry Potter books, Mom took the liberty of reading them out loud (aloud?)  on the lake...with voices! Took me back to when she would read books to me all the time!
• I remember very distinctly one day Mom saying out of the blue, "I'm so glad that you have your own opinions and have the ability to make your own decisions independently." I had no idea where it came from (she's a guidance counselor so I'm sure it had something to do with a situation she had dealt with that day), but it really stood out to me and I've never forgotten it. Although she may be sorry now that she told me because I rarely hesitate to share my opinion if given the opportunity. :)

Mom, I love you oodles and bunches and gobs! I'm so thankful for all these memories and many, many more. Happy Birthday again!!! Love, PBBG :)

This Christmas...

Ok ok, I swear this is the last Christmas post now that I'm nearing February. I'll explain why I'm taking so long later. :)

Here is a briefing of my Christmas Day. I love Christmas Day the most of all because it's spent with our close family, we rarely get out of pajamas & we just generally enjoy one another's company!

This is pretty much the view of every Christmas morning...our sunroom filled with stacks of gifts with pretty bows (thanks to Mom:)), Mom video taping Reed & I opening our gifts. Reed got his very first camera!

...And both Rock Bands, which he played for hours on end the rest of the day!

I got an adorable laptop bag & a new book...by Kate Gosslin from Jon & Kate Plus 8! My favorite!!

I gave my mom a book with pictures of the four of us (plus pets!). It was a lot of fun to make, and she was very surprised!

Dad's wish list: all things Harley. And that's exactly what he got. :)

Paisley even got a stocking full of treats and new toys and a new collar!

Lucy & Dash both got new toys in their stockings too, but they all just wanted to play with the same one all morning.

Dash in his "Naughty" Christmas shirt! :)

Gran, Kay & George came over as usual for Christmas brunch, hanging out, and testing out the new game. My favorite part of the day!

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!

C is for Cookie...

These two things deserved a post all on their own, because they just might top the list of absolute favorite things to do during the Christmas season! The first is a new one (sort of), that is sure to become a roomie tradition from now on. Lindsey and I made cute Christmas cookies the night before I left to go home, and we had so much fun!

It's a thousand wonders we didn't just eat all the cookie dough! :)

They got much bigger than expected!

Rocket wanted to help Linds with the icing...they sure did smell good!

All of Lindsey's cookies...my favorite with the tree decorated to look like a present, complete with the big, pretty bow!

And now mine! The one that's a Santa Claus was actually a snowman cookie, but they blew up so much that it made the perfect Santa instead!

Yummmm!!!

Now my absolute favorite part...getting to hang out with family and friends and play games! This is from my favorite party at the Henrys' and we're all playing Apples to Apples...I won! :)

It's a tradition to get a new game for Christmas, and then when Kay & George come over on Christmas morning, we get to test it out. This year...Partini. It was fun, but pretty difficult!

Daddy hates playing games, but likes cards. I love both! Here we are playing Spades...Lindsey and I lost big time, but Daddy and I won the night before! We also love playing Rummy.

On my last night home, we had our last game night, and this time with Reed's girlfriend, Keisha. One of my favorite board games is Cranium, and Lindsey and I pretty much dominate it. :)