Go Dawgs?

Yes Sir! That is correct! Chad and I had the best time Saturday night at the UGA vs. GA Tech Game!! It was my first game ever and might I say a good first! Chad and I did not take part in any trash talking prior to the game. Who would? After this season we thought for sure it was not going to go in our favor...It's great to be Georgia Bulldog!

We met up with Sam Waldrip and Marvin Massey at The Varsity before the game. Ended up running into Ty and Brittany Lewis and chatted with them and then made our way to the stadium. Granted our seats we're in the nosebleed section we were definitely surrounded by fellow Dawgs which was awesome! The random barking, high-fiving random people, jumping up and down and sweet victory was such an awesome experience! The in-state rivalry at the this game is one of a kind. Growing up in Georgia you know what this game means. Bragging rights for a whole year! Regardless, some may think the game was unfair, bad calls by the refs, injured players, and bad play calling. Irrelevant...that's the game of football! Until next year...Go Dawgs!

Thanksgiving and a 32 ft. extension ladder?

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year! We had a great time with our families. Chad and I were able to have a four day weekend which was amazing! So I was all excited about it being my first Thanksgiving and taking something to Honey's. Chad and I make a delish Pecan Pie. Chad makes the crust and I do the filling and all I can say is yum! Or at least that is what I thought the family would say. It looked absolutely amazing. As Tina, Jenn and I are washing dishes and cleaning up I hear my mom, "Laura, did you put sugar in this?" All of these thoughts are going through my head I know I put sugar in there. I walk to where my mom is and everyone continues eating with a sour face...At this point I am really confused. I love cooking! What did I do wrong? Well you see the recipe called for 1/3 tsp salt and I misread it and thought it called for 3 tsp. Poor Uncle Georgia had to chug water afterwards...Oh well, atleast I know what I did wrong but it still looked good as you can tell...

9 inch pie crust

1 cup light corn syrup

3 eggs slightly beaten

1/3 butter melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup brown sugar

1/3 TSP SALT

1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350. Combine corn syrup, sugar, eggs, butter, salt and vanilla. Mix well in large bowl. Pour into crust. Add pecans on top. Bake for 45 mins or toothpick comes out clean. I think the key to this being so good is the curst made from scratch found on the back of the Crisco can:) Enjoy and go easy on the salt ;)

On the way home we stopped at Wal-mart and checked out what was going to be on sale the next morning. After walking around and looking at the paper we didnt really see a whole lot. I was super pumped about sleeping in the next morning. Much to my suprise....I heard Chad grunting next to me. After the third time I was like, "What babe?" to which he responded, "wanna go shopping?" I looked at my cell...Time:5:15am! Are you kidding me? We got up and went to Walmart, For what exactly? Not sure...but we got some tools and DVD's; went home and went to sleep...Very random morning...

Then the Christmas decorating began....
So after waking up from sleeping when we got back from shopping we headed outside to begin our fun with icycle lights. We have a little 17 ft ladder and Chad begins to prop the ladder up against the house. If you have seen our house you know that 17 ft. is not going to cut it. We came back inside to look on Craig's List for an extension ladder. Wouldn't you know that someone about 5 minutes away was selling a 32 ft. extension ladder and asking $230 for it. We called him and offered $200. He accepts. We go to the bank to get the cash and head to the guys house. We get into the neighborhood and it dawns on my we have no ropes or straps...Nothing for this huge ladder we are about to buy. Did I mention that Chad has a Ford Ranger? We proceed down the driveway...Make our purchase and then begin trying to figure out how in the world we are going to do this. The guy offers us the sorriest excuse for rope I think I have ever seen. But hey we can't complain we had nothing...We tie it down but of course it is not going to stay. We then decide what we are going to do...
Me- "I guess you are going to have to sit on it to hold it in while I drive home..."

and that is what we did. Chad in his PJ's is sitting on a 32 ft long extension ladder while I drive home and it's not exactly warm outside. I wish I had a picture but Chad refused to let me take one. Please know that while I am driving to the house I am laughing my butt off in the truck. Poor Chad was smiling at the guy behind us and lets just say he was not getting one in return.

I think it is safe to say that after 2 days of trying to get icycle lights on the house Chad is not a fan. I can only imagine what he was saying when he was on the ladder...but at least we didn't have a Chevy Chase style ladder experience (Christmas Vacation)...

My day with Jenn:)

Jennifer was in mourning over her favorite sunglasses. She refused to stop wearing even when I insisted it was time to part with them. Nothing is better than sister to sister time:) Even if it is raining and it feels less than 30 degrees.

Our new light for the kitchen follows. Compliments of my mom and dad. The other one from before was looking pretty rough and I absolutely love this one:) Thank you mom and dad:) Love y'all!

New Moon at Midnight

This past Thursday evening starting at 9:00pm we were troopers. We watched Twilight at 9 and then New Moon at midnight!! Absolutely amazing!! Got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep and went to work the next morning...Can we say long day??? Totally worth it though:) If you have not read these books you need to:)

My friend Jeremy's interpretation of New Moon:

this one spent too much time...i love you, but i still love him, but if you love me you wont eat him because i love him, and i love you for not eating him because i still love him.

I thought that was hilarious! I guess you really have to read the books to understand the love triangle...

Regardless, Jeremy's comments make me laugh!

He liked Twilight better..

My Delayed Halloween Pictures...

Good News for Gretchen

The doctor's have said Gretchen has made nothing less than a miraculous recovery. Yesterday, they put a smaller tube in her trech so she is now able to talk (at a slight whisper) and all of her vitals are now stable and everything is looking up. They are now working on a plan to transport her from Chicago to the rehab floor at Kennestone Hospital on Monday (via ambulance), so she will be in Atlanta for Thanksgiving. She will most likely be in the hospital there for 2 or 3 weeks in rehab, but this is amazing! Please continue to keep Gretchen and her family in your prayers seeing as how she still has steps to full recovery. Thank you for praying for Gretchen and her family:) The power of prayer is amazing!

Update on Gretchen- Good News!!

I have some good news, the antibiotics have cleared Gretchen of the sepsis and she is now fully off the sedation medication, awake and aware. Because of the trech she can't talk yet, but her Mom said they gave her some "coke swabs" today (coca cola on a q-tip) and she really enjoyed them. Yesterday they did a small surgery to put a drainage tube in her lung to help her get rid of the rest of the fluid there, and steroids have helped to soften some of the scar tissue. It looks like over the course of the last 7 day's Gretchen has made a great turn!

Please keep the prayers coming!! Nothing is impossible with God and miracles happen every day. Let's hope and pray that her forward progress to recovery continues. Thanks!

Gretchen

My friend Brigid and I were talking last week when she asked if I would pray for a co-worker/friend of hers named Gretchen. To which I said of course and I asked what was going on. Gretchen was in Chicago on work and while she was there she became infected with the swine flu. However, the swine flu progressed very quickly and turned into double phenomena. She was admitted to a hospital in Chicago and while in Chicago her lung failed and they put her into a drug induced coma and on a ventilator. She has experienced acute respiratory distress syndrome, blood clot in her left arm, Kidney problems, Lungs are filled with scar tissue which is hindering her from being able to breathe on her own again, She was diagnosed with sepsis a very serious blood infection.

As of today:
They were able to get a trech in last night, although they think that just gives her a couple extra days. Her lungs did not respond to the medicine to soften the scar tissue. The doctors are not giving much hope and are preparing for the worst.

I ask you right now as your reading if this to pray for Gretchen. She is my age 26-27. I believe in the power of prayer and miracles.  I have been praying for Gretchen and her family since Brigid shared this with me last week. Prayer for Gretchen's parents and her boyfriend; prayer for comfort and peace at this very confusing time.   

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14:13-14

So it hit me today...

I was driving into work today and I started thinking about the Holidays coming up. I always look foward to this time of year. Every aspect of it I love. It allows me to show God how thankful I am for everything and celebrate the birth of Christ my Savior. While thinking about this I thought about all of the traditions my family has. Decorating, Watching Christmas movies, attending the Christmas Program at church and shopping with mom, Jenn and Honey:) All wonderful traditions. The one that brings a big smile to my face is thinking about my family picking out a tree. This is an act of Congress for my family. It has gotten better over the years but I wish that I had a video of some of the earlier years...Pure comedy.

I tell you all of this to say it hit me today that I have my own home to decorate this year and my own tree to buy. Please know that I am so excited to do all of this with Chad for the first time this year but it does not come without a little bit of sadness. Tears actually came to my eyes this morning driving in realizing I wouldnt not be waking up at the home I grew up in. I will not be the first one waking up my entire family to open presents. Yes even as a 24 year old the excitement of Christmas is more than I can handle. I literally have to take a Tylenol pm to help me sleep on Christmas eve. Don't judge! :) I won't be sitting in the floor while my dad videotapes the family opening presents. I won't have my Precious ( my dog) to distract me inbetween gifts. I have tears in my eyes once again just thinking about it. For those of you who do not know I am very close to my family so this will be weird for me.

However, I am so looking forward to waking up next to my wonderful husband on Christmas morning for the very first time. Chad and I have our very own traditions to start up and I am truly looking forward to them. Chad has no clue what he is in for when it comes to decorating...:) (Evil laugh) haha!!

I'm acutally hoping that TBS will not be playing A Christmas Story all day long...What on earth is that about?

Cherish each and every moment with your family while you are at home; even if your mom wants to play Kenny G while you open Christmas presents every year. Believe it or not; You will miss it one day:)

Halloween/Fall Decorations so far...

We had a carved pumpkin but it went bad. We are planning to get another one this week:) We also have spider webs to put up along with some other things:) I'll post more pics mid-week:)