A little late

Below is a picture of our gifts that we left at the hotels for our Out Of Town (OOT) guests. They were so fun to make and were filled with all sorts of goodies, including 2 personalized bottles of water that my mom made and personalized chocolates with our initials on them. For some reason the white boxes reminded me of the old Chic-fil-A boxes from when I was younger...much younger. Do you remember those?
Anyway, I included a picture of the outside of the box. I'm a little bias, but I do think they look great! :)

A lazy day

Chris is working today so I'm just relaxing on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. There are a few things on the to-do list I'm working on.

Write thank you notes-DONE
Wash 2 loads of clothes-DONE
Unload dishwasher-DONE
Make picks for Fantasy Nascar-DONE (this is a fun competition Chris and I have going)
Workout-
Clean bedroom-
Pay Verizon bill-


I still have lots to do. Gotta run. Enjoy your weekend!

All you can eat!

There are a few Chic-fil-a restaurants (CFA) in the upstate that offer all-you-can-eat nuggets. For around $8, you can get unlimited chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink. I assumed that most CFA offered this delicious deal, but have since learned of some friends that haven't heard of such. I'm so sorry! Come visit us on a Wednesday night in Greenville and we will treat you to all-you-can-eat at CFA.
Are you wondering what the total was for Chris? 36. I had predicted 50. I just don't know where he puts that food sometimes. Oh I'm so jealous!

Zebra Stripe?

...yes, you heard me right. Today I almost got a zebra stripe hearing aid. Did you even know there was such a thing? For my entire life I have dealt with a hearing loss considered moderate to severe. In middle school I got 2 hearing aids and hated them. I remember attempting to wear them to my algebra class with Ms. Bradley. They sounded weird and I really didn't think they were "cool." I remember one morning in my parents bedroom, I was saying goodbye to my dad before I left for school. He asked me if I had been wearing my hearing aids. I had to tell him no and I just started crying. Why? I was afraid my friends would think they were weird. I was afraid I wouldn't have a boyfriend. My dad then used this time to teach me a life lesson at the age of 13: my true friends wouldn't make fun of me and that if someone didn't want to be my boyfriend because I had a hearing aid, then he wasn't good enough for me anyway. Very true, but still hard to believe when you are 13 years old.
Fast forward 6 years to college. I attempted hearing aids again. I still hated them. I still thought that friends might not think they were cool and that no one would ask me out. So, in my desk at Clemson they sat.
Fast forward to 2005. I finally decided I had had enough of the "what?" "huh?" "repeat that, please." I did get one hearing aid for my right hear and life changed! I could hear a clock tick, I could hear sirens, I didn't have to ask people to repeat themselves (as much). My audiologist suggested that I get 2 hearing aids, but at the time I could only afford one at the cost of $2000+. Good news though! My insurance at work will now cover the cost of a hearing aid every two years. WhooHoo! That was the best news I've heard in a long time...no pun intended :) Today I met with an audiologist in Greer and in 2 weeks I should have a new hearing aid for my left ear. The matching one won't come to 2011, but I am so excited. I did order one that was considered champagne colored, although I could have picked one out that was lavender, light blue, silver, pearl white, zebra, Hawaiian floral, or orange. I think Chris would have probably picked out the orange one. I thought a color might be fun, but if the lifespan of a hearing aid is 5-7 years, I really should probably get something simple. Do you think I should get something different? Left me know. You only live once, right?

...and I thought I loved you then

As of today, Chris and I have been married for 77 days! Everyday I find another reason to love him more and more. From the sweet messages he texts or writes me to the acts of service he does for others to the encouraging words he shares with me and his flexibility in difficult situations...he just has a soft heart and a heart for the Lord. For those that know him well, I'm sure you would agree. I fell in love with this precious man almost 20 months ago in late summer of 2007 and now he is my HUSBAND to have and to hold forever and ever. There are so many unknowns ahead of us right now, but there isn't anyone I would rather have holding my hand along the way.

One thing that we love to do together is sing to songs that are playing on the radio. Sometimes we make up our own words, sometimes we sing duets, and if he's lucky...I even have some dance moves that I can do to the songs. Well, one of our favorite songs on the radio right now is the new song by Brad Paisley, Then. I have pasted the lyrics below in case you haven't heard it. So, slow down for 3 minutes, sit back and enjoy this song and cuddle up with the one you love.

I remember, trying not to stare the night that I first met you

You had me mezmorized

And three weeks later, in the front porch light

taking forty-five minutes to kiss goodnight

I hadn't told you yet but I thought I loved you then

Chorus

And now you're my whole life

now you're my whole world

I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl

Like a river meets the sea,

stronger than it's ever been.

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then

And I remember, taking you back to right where I first met you,

You were so surprised

There were people around, but I didn't care

Got down on one knee right there once again,

I thought I loved you then

Chorus

And now you're my whole life

now you're my whole world

I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl

Like a river meets the sea,

stronger than it's ever been.

We've come so far since that day

And I thought I loved you then

I could just see you, with a baby on the way

And I could just see you, when your hair is turning gray

What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more

But I've said that before

And now you're my whole life

now you're my whole world

I just can't believe the way I feel about you, girl

We'll look back someday, at this moment that we're in

And I'll look at you and say

And I thought I loved you then

And I thought I loved you then

We are NOT participating in the recession

Chris and I signed up to attend a Dave Ramsey event called Town Hall For Hope.

April 23 @ 8pm

Tired of hearing the fear, doom and gloom that’s filling the airwaves? Join Dave Ramsey for a nationwide town hall meeting and discover what’s happening with the economy, how we got here, and where we’re going. Plus, Dave will answer your questions live throughout the event!

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The event is free and is being hosted at over 1700+ locations throughout the country. Let us know if you have plans to attend in your town.

We have to go!

Chris and I both enjoy traveling, although we haven't done much together. Our budget for traveling was minimal while we were planning the wedding. Now we are still in recovery mode, but are looking forward to visiting some fun places. Nashville was so much fun and we learned that we travel well together...thank goodness!! We both enjoying sightseeing, but also enjoy relaxing on the trip as well.
I saw these 2 hotels today on the Travel Channel and they look like places that would definitely be memorable. Check them out when you can.

Madonna Inn: Don't be confused. This has nothing to do with the blond, 80's singer. The Inn is located in California. One hundred ten unique rooms now exist, each decorated differently to suit many individual tastes...rock rooms, waterfall showers, rock fireplaces, European fixtures, and fine furnishings to name a few. Prices range from $179-up/night. A few of my favorites are Cabin Still, Caveman, and & Desert Sands. They even have a Golf Room.

Dunton Hot Springs: Just across the mountain from Telluride, Dunton Hot Springs Resort & Spa is a romantic ghost town, set in an extraordinary alpine valley. The hotel has earned the title of #1 Luxury Hotel in the U.S. for by 2009 Trip Advisor Travelers' Choice Award. Yes, this is much more expensive, but the environment is completely different. It's just as if you have stepped back in time. Oh yeah, you can even rent out the entire town for only $10,000 until May 15 and that includes meals & accommodations for 42 people. Seems like alot at first, but might be a good deal for the right occasion. My two favorite are Brjoerkmans Cabin and Echo Cabin.

If you know of anyone who has ever stayed at either of these, please leave a comment. As we all know, websites can be quite deceiving sometimes so I would like to get a summary from a reliable source. That's it for now.

Happy Trails to you...

Today

Right now Chris is making cookies and they smell de-licious! I guess after a fun day of hiking, cruising around the mountains, and watching basketball he has worked up an appetite. It's all good!

We don't have much on the agenda tomorrow. I tackled 10 thank you notes today, and will attempt another 10 tomorrow while he is sleeping. This week and next, Chris is on night shift. This means he is at work by 6pm and gets off at 6am. Long day, but PLEASE do not feel bad for him. After two weeks of night shift, he has a full 7 days off. Yes...7 days off! I so enjoy having him at home instead of him staying up in the mountains at his parents property. I feel like I have explained this 100+ times, but in case you don't know our living situation here it goes:

When Chris works: he stays in the mountains at his parents property*.

When Chris doesn't work: he stays with me in Greer.

*=a piece of land near Ceasar's Head State park that consists of 1 bed, 1 gas stove, fridge, and a plug-in heater. The shower and toilet are outside. The toilet is a compost toilet and has to be churned each time he uses it. Get my drift?

The last time he was off for 4 days in a row I came home to tulips on the kitchen table and a 6'1" cutie pie standing in the kitchen playing a love song on his guitar. Literally, a picture perfect moment. If only there were a way to capture these moments forever.