last few months...revisited!

Oh my goodness, it has been so very long since I have blogged! Ok, so here is a recap of the last 3 months!

October....remember the owl baby shower I hosted for Jenny & Mike DeAngelis? Well, on October 30th, we welcomed 9 pounds and 5 ounces to the best small group EVER....Isaiah Joseph! He is so friggin cute....and growing up SO fast!

November...Happy 26 to me! Mike got me THE BEST birthday present EVER. I'm really concerned about the years to come because I can't imagine what could top this year! My all time favorite theme park is SeaWorld....and my all time favorite exhibit is the Penguin Encounter. I LOVE those little guys....their waddle, their wittiness, their loyalty to one another.....they are just a whole lot of fun to watch! So, back to my birthday....Mike got us backstage passes to the Penguin Encounter! It was SO much fun! It lasted about an hour. We actually got to step into their (quit chilly) world...and the best part was touching a REAL King Penguin. Not only are they more beautiful than I ever imagined up close, they are so very soft.

I continued my birthday celebration with a visit from Momma & Karah. Along with shopping, cooking, and hanging out....a good friend of mine from work, Erin, got us all in to all of the Disney parks for a day. Of course, we had a blast! We ended the night at Rainforrest Cafe!

At the end of November, I completed my first half marathon! I crossed the finish line hand-in-hand with 3 girls that played a major part in my accomplishment....Megan, Rhonda, & Holly. On the sidelines cheering us on was my mother-in-law, Cathy, and 2 good friends, Bonnie & Breanna. All 13.1 miles were SO MUCH FUN! I would TOTALLY do it again! The half marathon was held in St. Pete. We ran along the water, on the pier, and inside Tropicana Field! We stopped along the way to take pictures...and some stopped to take them for us! I was so grateful to Holly & Erin for the inspiration and to Megan & Rhonda being such dedicated running buddies. We trained together, stopped together, laughed together, and crossed the finish line together.....

December....Christmas season is my absolute FAVORITE! We, again, were very blessed this Christmas season! Mike & I both are so grateful for the family and friends that support and love us through thick and thin! One of my favorite gifts, tho there were many....is my new Cannon EOS camera! Gram also threw in the bag and a 50 mm lens! I am excited to learn more about how to use it! Here are a few things I have captured.....

January....new things (not necessarily by choice)! I was washing a load of clothes just before new years and the washer was making a noise similar to what it what sound like if you were to wash a load of kitchen knives. Well, I continued housework in denial that anything could possibly be wrong with the piece of crap set that we bought off craig's list. I heard the spin cycle click in and then it filled itself with water again, so I really thought nothing of it after that. Later, when I went to put the clothes into the dryer, I opened the lid only to find the clothes still sitting in a full water bath. Hmmm. So, I tried to click the different cycles to make it spin....I got nothing, not even a click...just the smell of wires burning. Awesome. So, my WONDERFUL husband cupped the water out and off we went to find a new set. Now, the dryer worked....you had to put a load of clothes on two 90 min cycles for them to dry completely, but it worked. But, I am a little funny about things matching, soooo we just got a new set. :0) Last week, Mike's xbox got the "red ring of death"..... so, we got a new one of those too! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY MY LOVE!! :D

Welp, there ya go.... :0) I won't be a stranger long .... more to share in a couple of weeks!

my bEsTiE is engaged!

Meet my bestie!

Natalie Louise Branch!

(she is going to kill me when she sees I put her middle name on here!)

She has always said she is going to steal my middle name for her little girl (one day)....so I have always said I would steal hers for mine and call her "Weezie" for short....hehe! Of course, Nat, cringes at that statement!

Natalie (or as I have always called her, Nally) met when we were at the tender age of 11. I don't really what to say next....haha.....something along the lines of inseparable would probably be sufficient! We did everything best friends do....sleepovers, shopping, burning things in candles...and then holes into the carpet, best friend puzzle necklaces, 3-way calls to our crushes, bonfires, beepers that looked alike....to outfits that looked alike.

High school....changes.....new people.....new places.....different classes. We were here and there and everywhere....our schedules didn't match at all. It was sad, but we did what we had to do. After we graduated, I started working at the cancer center at tallahassee memorial and she worked at the coffee shop there.....you know a best friend when the second you lay eyes on her after a years time has passed, you pick up right where you left off. And we did just that. And again.....inseparable would be the only appropriate word here.

And we continued to do what best friends do....late night drives just to talk, sushi dates, beach days, dacing & drinkin, HILARIOUS pictures in the car, concerts, movie & junk food because our latest fling broke our heart.....or we broke theirs.

When I moved to jacksonville to finish radiation therapy school....i wasn't alone much....nally hit the interstate for the first time ever to come spend the weekend with me.

then, i got engaged....and of course (after the rents & my sis) she was my first phone call! I could hardly wait to ask her to be a bridesmaid! I was SO EXCITED to get the very same phone call 2 weeks ago from Nally! She made sure to let me know that I was the first phone call after her parents & brother....and with her excited and oh so squeaky voice, she asked me to be her matron of honor! Her and Austin were attending a friend's wedding in St. Augustine. After the reception, Austin set up a horse & carriage ride. They made a stop under the historic Love Tree and he proposed. After the "yes", Nally returned to the carriage to find roses and bubbly to celebrate! How romantic was that?!?

We have walked together on this crazy path we call life....we didn't always walk to the beat of the same drummer, but we always picked up right where we left off....because that's what best friends do!

I can truly say that I have never seen her happier....ever. I know that she feels like she is living a fairy tale....I can see it in her face, I can hear it in her voice. And I couldn't have hand picked a better man than Austin Capers for the girl that means so much to me!

(the four of us at ICE for nally's birthday last year)

the 'lil hoot!

I had the honor of throwing a baby shower for a set of my groupies Mike & Jenny DeAngelis this weekend! They moved here a couple of years ago from Memphis, Tennessee and started attending TBA last November. The DeAngelis' decided in January to visit our small group....in one night they went from newbies to family! Jenny & Mike are so fun to be around...and FUNNY! In small group we exchange prayer partners for a certain amount of time. Jenny & I were prayer partners one week about a month ago......and have been ever since. I am so thankful for her friendship & faithfulness in keeping me in her prayers....

Since they found out they were expecting, the baby got the nickname "'lil hoot". So, I planned a couples night "owl" shower for her & Mike. We had a big turn out....21 of us to be exact! We grilled burgers & brats, had all the fixins, and cake! Jenny's mom surprised her by coming all the way from Memphis to attend her & Mike's shower!

These are the letters that I made for Isaiah Joseph DeAngelis' room. Yes, they are out of order. I think I arranged these at approximately 3am Friday night! Hahahaha!

The cake....

The favor bucket

...and tags on the rice krispie treats

with the help of my new Cricut...I made these goodies!

the trees with handmade felt hoot owls :0)

Isaiah's gift from the Lewis'

Looking forward to meeting little Isaiah!

a HoUsE iNtO a HoMe...

Mike and I have officially been home owners for a year! Again....WHERE HAS TIME GONE?!?! ...annnnd where did all the EXTRA room go?!?!

I had no idea how I would ever fill the house with what little we had from our apartment. For the first couple of months, our house echoed! Well, thanks to sales at Kirkland's, randomness from Ross, frames from all over, and my gracious family....it is really starting to feel "homey"! It is neat to look back at the pictures that were taken when we first moved...our home has taken on a theme and a color scheme that I never really planned for!

Anyway- a few of the majors.....the kitchen/dining room is no longer mint green (or whatever that was). I decided, after 15 hours of shopping on black friday, that I wanted to paint the kitchen. With Cathy's (Mike's mom) help, we knocked it out in approximately 4 or so hours! I also painted the laundry room a deep red....it was that mint green too. We got a new dining room table and a rug to go under it and fancied up the entry way and walls a bit. :0)

before: (so ugly looking back! haha!)

and to the left of the pic, you can see there was nothing in the "entry way"....

after:

the entry way after:

this is in our laundry room...before:

after:

the plant shelf & walls before:

after:

our dining area before:

and after: