Looking back over 2009

 I am so behind on this post! But to my defense, I have been extremely busy! I'm getting married in 8 days!!!

So I'm gonna make this short.

I thought this would be an interesting survey to look back on 2009.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Celebrated one year with the love of my life. Got engaged!

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't remember what my resolutions for last year were.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope

4. Did anyone close to you die?
I don't think so.

5. What countries did you visit?
No where

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you didn't have in 2009?
I will have a husband!! Hehe. I'd love a new car too!

7. What dates from 2009 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
August 22nd. The day my sweetheart proposed to me!

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I'm not really sure.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Nothing that I can think of.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had both, but nothing too serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our wedding bands or my wedding dress

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have no clue.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I'm sure there were some. 

14. Where did most your money go?
Life

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My bridal showers

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
I have no clue

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a. Happier
b. Fatter
c. Poorer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Traveling

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Doing nothing

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At Grandma & Grandpa's house. One of the best Christmases I've had in a long time!

21. Did you fall in love with 2009?
No

22. What was your favorite TV program?
So many to list

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Not quite hate...

24. What was the best book you read?
Oh gosh. Does Twilight ring a bell?!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don't know.

26. What did you want and get?
A Cricut Expression!

27. What did you want and not get?
A house

28. What was your favorite film of 2009?
New Moon

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 24 and spent time with my family. My sweetheart sent me beautiful flowers!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Nothing

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2009?
I'm more conservative than I used to be.

32. What kept you sane?
My fiance and my best friend

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Don't even get me started!

34. Who did you miss?
My bestie. But I always miss her! I missed Cara more, cause she moved to Chicago.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
Nikki!!!

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Pick your battles.
Much Love,

Tell Me About YOUR Christmas!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! Complete with pretty ribbon :)


2. Tree--Real or Artificial? Artificial, its so much easier!

3. When do you put Christmas tree up? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving but this year it was like 2 weeks after.

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years

5. Like egg nog? Bleck!

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes! On top of our entertainment center. The tradition that my parents, my sister and I have though, is to put the nativity scene under the tree because Baby Jesus is our gift. :)

7. Favorite gift received as a child? My dollhouse. My parents made it. It was never finished. But my dad put some of the wallpaper from mine and my sister's rooms into the rooms of the dollhouse. It was awesome.

8. Hardest person to buy for? My aunt Brenda. She has EVERYTHING!! The best gift I gave her was the Tickle Me Elmo TMX. (You know, the one that rolls around on the floor and laughs hysterically!) She wanted it the year that they were selling out within MINUTES. Walmart.com had 4000 per day for one week. They went on sale at 10am every day. The first day they were on there, I pulled it up online at 9:50am. It said "Not Available". I kept refreshing the page until it said "Add to Cart" I rushed through the purchasing process. By 10:01am they were SOLD OUT! 4000!!! But I got one!!! The reaction on my aunt's face was PRICELESS!!! Now I just need to figure something out for THIS year! Oy.

9. Easiest person to buy for? My fiance. He tells me exactly what he wants! Hehehe. Over and over and over.

10. Worst Christmas gift? A few not-so-stylish sweaters come to mind

11. Mail or email a Christmas Card? Snail mail all the way!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? The Santa Clause 1, 2 & 3.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? It depends. Sometimes I'm done by September. Sometimes I finish the week of Christmas. This year, I'm done the week before. Thank goodness for Amazon.com!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes.

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? Grandma's Macaroni & Cheese. Although, I make it now.

16. Clear or colored tree lights? Both. The white lights just make the colored lights POP!

17. Favorite Christmas Song? Carol of the Bells

18. Travel during Christmas or Stay home? Go to Grandma & Grandpa's house! Its just not Christmas without them.

19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph of course!

20. Angel or Star on Tree top? Star. The one we have now is not the greatest. I'm getting new stuff next year!

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas Morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? trying not to bust out of your pants :)


What about you?

Much Love,

Where am I?

I feel like such a slacker! I haven't been updating my blog nearly as much as I want to! But I have been SO busy!! I have been decorating, shopping, wrapping gifts, etc. My living room looks like Santa's Sarah's workshop! Hehe. I'm hoping to get most of the wrapping done tomorrow. Then I can clean up the living room and have time to blog some.

I am SO excited about Christmas! Matthew's daughter Callie will be here on the 23rd!! She is going to be here til the 30th. We are all going to my grandparent's house for Christmas, so she will get to experience Christmas with my family for the first time! YAY!!! She's met my grandparents before, and my parents and sister. But she hasn't met my Aunt Brenda. Hehe. She will LOVE Aunt Brenda! Aunt Brenda will spoil Callie!

Even though she is going to be a step-child on my part, she is the first great grandchild on my mom's side! I'm happy about that. She's totally the greatest kid EVER!!

Well, that's my mini-update. I am exhausted. I'm going to bed. Tune in later to hear all about my car DRAMA! Ugh.

Much Love,

Merry SITSmas!!!

Merry SITSmas SITStahs! Are you as excited as I am?

If you don't know what SITS is, check them out here.

I just want to wish everyone a very Merry SITSmas and a Happy New Year!

Here are a few photos from my year. I hope you enjoy!

 One of our first dates

 

 Relaxing together

 

Point of Grace Christmas concert

My new family

 

 We're ENGAGED!!

 

My fave pic from our engagement pics

 

Me, my sister, and our amazing Grandpa.

 Me and my Monkey, Callie

 

 At my Birthday party!

 

Hannah and I dressed up for the Dove Awards!

 

Me, Maggie, and Amanda @ Kairos

Amanda, Rachel and me @ my mom's house

Some of the most amazing women in my life @ my bridal shower in Louisville

My amazing best friend Kelly @ my bridal shower in Nashville

My best friend Karen. She's engaged too!!

Me and my sissy/Maid of Honor at my bridal shower!

My sister, my mom and I at my bridal shower. Holding one of my gifts!

I hope you enjoyed the glimpse into my world. It's been one amazing year!! I can't wait to see what happens in 2010!

MERRY SITSMAS!!!

Much Love,

TOMORROW IS MY BRIDAL SHOWER!!!

I am so so SO excited! My best friend and my sister have planned everything. I know nothing! LOL! I can't wait. My amazing best friend Kelly is cooking all the food. There are games planned, but I don't know what they are. I think that Matthew has been involved in part of it too! Hehe.

I had a bridal shower last weekend too, in Louisville KY with my family. It was so much fun! Check my wedding blog for pics and more details to come!

Much Love,

Thanksgiving Survey

Just a quick Thanksgiving day survey


1. Turkey or Ham? 
Well, we always have turkey, but I would much rather have ham. Honey Baked Ham, to be exact.
 
2. Favorite side dish.
Grandma's Macaroni. Although, I make it now. :)
 
3. Favorite dessert.
 Punkin Pie! Hehe.
 
4. Black Friday: Are you going or not?
 YES! Especially this year. My dad and I are going for something very special that I can not mention on here!
 
5. If so, what's on the top of your list?
 Well, I want a Cricut Expression! But I probably won't get one. Oh well.
 
6. Going out of town or staying close to home?
 I'm an hour away from where I live, but I'm at my parents house in Nashville, which is home.
 
7. Hosting or helping?
 Helping. I'm cooking at least 2 dishes. Grandma's macaroni and my mom's sweet potato casserole!
 
8. Name one family tradition at Thanksgiving.
 We don't really have any traditions, other than the specific foods we eat, and watching the Parade.
 
9. What do you do after dinner? 
 Lounge around. Watch tv, play games, etc.

10. What are you most thankful for this year?
My family. My friends. And my amazing husband-to-be.

Much Love,

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I've had several people ask me about how they turned out yesterday. Let me tell you, it was soooo yummy!! I usually don't like chicken and dumplings. Most of the times I've had it, it's just kind of been blah. But this recipe is so good. So good that I'm making it again today! Haha. It's not the healthiest meal in the world, but it's cheap and extremely easy! Here's some pics:

 

 

 

Now, I took these pics after we had both gotten some out. So you can see that it over flowed. HAHA! The recipe calls for you to put the chicken, butter, cream of chicken soup, and onion in and cover it with water. I forgot to put the water in. But I am GLAD I didn't. My CrockPot is kinda small, so even before I put the biscuit dough in, it was full. It over flowed when the dough was put in. (Not too bad though) Also, since the dough couldn't get down into the soup, it took longer than 30 minutes for it to cook. But once it was done, it was yummy! I'm only making half the recipe today. I need a bigger CrockPot!

(For those of you who know me, I registered for a new CrockPot for my wedding! HINT! LOL!)

Much Love,

Trying a New Recipe

Usually Matthew and I will head down to Nashville on Saturday or Sunday to spend the weekend with my family and go to our church. Then we either go out to eat or my mom fixes lunch. But sometimes, like today, we are trying to save gas and money. So we are staying in town, going to a friend's church, and I'm making lunch.

I wanted to make something easy. That made me think "CrockPot!" My mom always used to make our sunday lunch in the CrockPot and by the time we got home from church, lunch was pretty much ready to go! She usually makes roast with her's, but I didn't have a roast. I looked in my cabinet. What do I have? I have tons of canned food. I noticed 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. I've never made anything with that. So I went to my favorite recipe website   and looked around. I looked at chicken recipes, slow cooker recipes, etc. Then I searched for cream of chicken soup. After looking through all the creamed chicken recipes and the sour cream chicken recipes (which some of those looked REALLY yummy!!) I finally found THE recipe.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings.

Now, what is the best part of this recipe? Matthew's FAVORITE meal is chicken and dumplings. :) I didn't have everything I needed. It doesn't call for much, just 5 ingredients and a slow cooker. I had 3 ingredients. The great thing about Matthew working his second job at Outback is that he always calls when he leaves work and asks me if he needs to stop and get anything. So I texted him my list of a few things I needed to fix lunch.

I got up early (for me anyways!). Got my CrockPot out. This is the first time I've used it since I moved here! I put my chicken in, 2 tablespoons of butter, 1 onion diced, and my 2 cans of cream of chicken soup. CrockPot set on High. When we get home from church I will check it, put the torn up pieces of biscuit dough in (that's the dumplings part. I'm using Grands biscuits), and then 30 mins later we will eat!

Matthew was so excited when he realized that I was making Chicken and Dumplings. I told him almost a year ago that I would make it for him. I'm finally getting around to that! I hope he likes it. I will post again about the results!

Much Love,

Happy Veterans Day!

Today is Veteran's Day. To some people its just an extra day off work. To others it just Wednesday. To America, it's a day to honor the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces. To me, it's a day to honor my Grandpa and my fiance.

My Grandpa fought in the Korean War. He was a newlywed. He was Sergeant First Class in the United States Army. He helped repair communication lines on the front lines of battle. He is my hero.

My fiance, Matthew, has been in the military for 17 years. He joined the Marine Corps right out of high school. He has served in several states, as well as in Korea, Japan, and several TDYs (Temporary Duty). He has been in the Army for over 8 years. He is in the Army Band and they perform at welcome home ceremonies, change of command ceremonies, parades, concerts, etc. He is scheduled to be deployed in 6-7 months.

I am new to the military life. It is not easy. It is just going to get harder for me in the next few months and the next year. But it is worth it. I am so thankful that Matthew is serving in the military, so that we can be free. He is my world.

If you know anyone or come into contact with anyone in the military, please thank them for me. (And yourself)

To all the men and women in the United States Armed Forces, THANK YOU!

Much Love,

My Old Kentucky Home

Hubby-to-be and I have been visiting my grandparents in Louisville KY this weekend. We were here a few months ago, which was the first time they met him. At that time, my Aunt B (who is my fave aunt and one of my fave people in the world!) was on vacation in Alaska, so she missed the chance to meet him. (This was before he proposed!!) Well, a few weeks after he proposed she called me and said that she has to meet him before the wedding, and before Christmas. (We always go to my grandparents house for Christmas) He had a 4 day weekend, so we decided to come up for a visit.

When we were here last, we saw my grandparents just for a few hours before we had to head home, so they have been getting to know Hubby-to-be a little better. (I think they like him! He is the only guy I have brought here to meet them!) Aunt B was at Grandma & Grandpa's house when we got here. Thus started the first round of interrogations. (Aunt B works for the IRS in the criminal justice dept. She has a gun and a license. You DO NOT mess with her!)

After several rounds of interrogations (just questions about him, his background, family, job, etc, etc, etc), he has survived! LOL! I think she likes him too. But the jury is still out. (no confirmation of her opinion.)

It's been a great weekend. Quality time with family. Good food. Getting lost and driving in circles Spontaneous exploring of the city. Just an all around great weekend. I kinda hate that we have to leave in the morning!

Much Love,

I Love My Man in Uniform!!

My man is HOTT in his dress uniform. YUM!

He also likes to joke around.

 

                                                                           Fire Power!

Much Love,

ENGAGEMENT PICTURES!!!

So my sister took some pics of us today, at various locations. Here are a few of my favorites.

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

  

 

 

 

I love these! There are a lot more, and we will be taking even more. But these are the ones I really love. And I edited some of them. I will do more this week and get them up here too. YAY!

Much Love,