Getting to know your friends

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. I have the cutest polka dot paper!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial

3. When do you put up the tree? Weekend after Thanksgiving

5. Do you like eggnog? No

6. Favorite gift received as a child? a real fur coat in the 3rd grade

7. Hardest person to buy for? Dad

8. Easiest person to buy for? My Mom, she loves to give me a list with all the details of exactly she wants. :)

9. Do you have a nativity scene? No. Chris has one that we will display as a family.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't received a really bad one that I remember. I do return some gifts.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Home Alone, National Lampoon's Christmas vacation, and A Christmas Story.

13. When do you start shopping? Actually all year long. It makes December not too hectic.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? anything chocolaty and sweet

16. Lights on the tree? orange and purple...I have a Clemson tree!

17. Favorite Christmas song? Let It Snow, Jingle Bell Rock (for all you Nursery Road alumni) :)

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? I would prefer to stay home once we have a family.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer,
Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, RUDOLPH

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Mean people out shopping

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? apple green and red

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Anything we eat for Christmas lunch with The Love's.

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? for everybody in the family to be healthy.

This weekend in Clemson

Of course we were in Clemson this weekend. The Tigers played Duke and we won! Thankfully we did not have any rain, but it was so windy! There was trash flying through the air inside the stadium. One of the funniest things we saw all day was when a little boy around us decided he wanted to start collecting plastic stadium cups. He came back from his hunt with a full cup and before his dad could stop him, he turned the cup upside down over the side of the upper deck. His dad intended to stop him because there were people below, but at the same time the little boy turned the cup upside down, a gust of wind came and blew every drop of that coke all over the entire section. It was so funny, we had to bury our face in our hands because his dad got mad at him. I don't think there was anybody in the section that was mad. In fact, most thought it was funny too.

Low Country Boil...Yum!

Before the game

During the game. One of our many self portraits!

Enterprise had an employee outing at the game this weekend. for $5 each employee and a guest got a ticket and a great meal, lowcountry boil. Yum, thanks Josh! I have added some pictures from today above. Please forgive the hat. My hair was blowing all around and that seemed to be the only thing that could contain it. The pictures below are from the homecoming floats that the students organizations complete in the week leading up to the game.

Hurry, Hurry

In case you might read this before 12am, click on this link to claim a free photo book from snapfish. Offer expires tonight!

Engagement photos

Here is a sneak peak from the engagement photo session we had yesterday in Clemson. My parents, Lawrence and Ann came also. I can't wait to see all the pictures!

Kim was so fun to work with. Feel free to visit her website and check out some of her awesome photos. You can also visit her blog to see more of her work. The slideshows are just precious.

As I promised

A few weeks ago I blogged about the precious gifts I had ordered the most adorable twins I know. Call it "bridesomnia", but I forgot to take a picture of the gifts as promised. Jennifer took a picture of the gifts and emailed to me. Whew! Thanks, Jennifer! So...are they as cute as promised?

A picture from the halloween party

Don't Forget!

Our weekend activities

This weekend we went to a murder mystery Halloween party. Unfortunately I took my camera, but not my memory card. You should have seen some of the costumes. As soon as I get pictures sent from the camera I did use, I will update the blog. There were smurfs, 2 pippi's, a gingerbread man, hippie, pumpkin, Maverick from Top Gun, Borat and lots of others. I was named a suspect in the murder so I was super excited about that. Everyone had to get to know all the others attendees at the party so that when clues were revealed about the murder suspect, you would have a good idea of who it was. There was a surprise for the 1st correct guess submitted after 10pm.

I'm sure you are wondering...what did Chris and I dress up as? I was a chef and Chris was a mailman. I thought he looked pretty studly. The shirt he wore was from his ultimate Frisbee days in Clemson and it fit a little snug, but he looked good. I'm so proud of him. He is has lost over 15 pounds since moving to Greenville.

On Saturday we attended a wedding for Matt and Lora Hogan. The ceremony was at the chapel at The Cliffs of Glassy. Wow! Breathtaking! I have attached a few pictures of the family outside the chapel once the ceremony was over. My brother was a groomsman. Matt and Lawrence have been best friends since 2nd grade. The reception was in downtown Greenville at the pavilion near The Falls Park. They just make such a beautiful couple. One of the pictures I took of them looks super cool, but really my camera was just acting up and not cooperating.

Update on our wedding plans:

My bridal portrait is on Wednesday.

Caudle Family and engagement portrait is on Sunday.

Invitations came in last week.

Currently deciding on whether or not to use a calligrapher.

Attempting to make contact with the soloist to determine songs.

Talking with pastor about ceremony.

Need to reserve tuxes.

Can you think of anything else?

bad dream

Clearly my mind has been on the wedding all day, everyday and even during the night. I recently had a dream that Chris and I were at our wedding reception and I couldn't find him. He was nowhere in sight. We had not had our first dance, we had not cut the cake and the DJ was just playing music and everybody was dancing. There were people on the dance floor that we didn't even invite! Funny!
I finally found my parents and told them that I couldn't find Chris and could they help me? Oh yeah, my dad was wearing shorts and a short-sleeved shirt. A few minutes later, I find my parents outside just chatting with some of their friends. They hadn't even started looking for Chris. At this point, I am almost hysterical, but I can't cry because there are cameras everywhere. I eventually run into one of my parents friends from Irmo and just started sobbing that I couldn't find my new husband. I was crying so hard it woke me up. Has that ever happened to you? My pillow was soaking wet and I could hardly catch my breath. I finally feel back asleep a few minutes later once I dried my tears and got my breath back.
Actually the dream was more like a nightmare.

Birth Order

I found this article today about birth order. Has birth order affected your career? Check out the following article and let us know what you think. I have always thought that this research is interesting. It definitely plays true in our families!! My brother would agree :)

The after picture. Check out the bags of apples we had.

This Weekend

Our Saturday consisted of football and tailgating. The group that we tailgate with prepared a delicious low country boil. Yum! We only managed to make it to the tailgating spot about 20 minutes before we had to head to the stadium. Traffic was terrible, but the game was great! The players were really pumped up and the crowd actually participated in the wave. I do think that Dabo will get the program headed in the right direction. See news conference. Oh, listen to this...the guy that was standing next to me was so tall that his belt was at my shoulder level. He was really nice. We had great seats, thanks to the Clemson Career Center. Just an FYI, I found a concession stand that takes Visa/MC. I'm not sure how long they have been doing that, but I wanted to share. Pretty neat and very convenient for someone like myself who NEVER carries cash.

Sunday was our trip to pick apples. The day had finally arrived to go to the orchard. I would highly suggest splurging and getting a apple cider slush and some apple cider donuts. Hard to imagine what an apple cider slush tastes like, doesn't it? And, the donuts were made when you ordered them. They were like a Krispy Kreme donut, except better! Any comments...agree or disagree? :) I have attached some pictures of the event. We traveled up to Hendersonville with some members of our small group from church. The first picture is a "before" but I don't have an "after." As soon as I get that from Jenn, I'll add that to the blog. Chris and I left with a huge bag of pink lady apples and it only cost us $10! What a bargain!! (Definition of Pink Lady Apple: a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Lady William. It's sweet and crisp, and good in salads and pies.)

Before the hunt for apples begins


Chris picking out some good ones

Make sure you get us the best ones!

We had to break some orchard rules to take this one

Some of our small group friends

Definitely not wedding related

Can't you just imagine me wearing these to a game? Perfect with a pair of trouser jeans and a purple sweater! Ummm...Christmas wish list? :)

Superstitions? Traditions?

Below are some superstitions that have become tradition in wedding. Read to see what they mean and how they started.

Something old: The bride is supposed to wear something old as a sign that even though the wedding symbolizes a new beginning, the couple is not forsaking their friends and family even as they step into a new life together.
Something new: The bridal attire must comprise something new to show a symbolic reference to new life that will bring health, happiness and success.
Something borrowed: The bride and her family reaffirm their love and affection for each other with this tradition. By borrowing from her family (or close friends), the bride shows she’s close to them, and by returning what she borrowed, she wishes them luck even though she’s no longer with them.
Something blue: Wearing something in blue is a throwback to ancient times when the color represented fidelity and constancy. The bride is symbolically reinforcing her commitment to the groom on this special day.
The bridal bouquet: The groom traditionally wears a flower from the bridal bouquet in his buttonhole to symbolize that his bride is his lady and as a declaration of his love. This custom is a throwback to the days when knights roamed England and wore their ladies’ colors to show their love for them.
Carrying the bride over the threshold: According to ancient customs, the bride must enter her new home through the main door and must not trip or fall while doing so. This led to the tradition of the groom carrying his new wife in as a way to prevent this form of bad luck from dogging them.
White wedding gowns: White is the color that represents purity to show that the bride is a virgin (although this is not so true these days). While other colors are also featured in wedding gowns, a bride is never supposed to wear green since that’s the color that shows “loose morals” – a woman who rolled around on the grass with her various beaus was supposed to have green stains on her dress, and that’s how this weird tradition was born.

Now you know!

Any suggestions?

The invitations have been ordered! Now, can anyone suggest a calligrapher? Please let us know if you know of someone that does a great job at this. I want to make sure to go ahead and get this scheduled since the invitations will need to be in the mail by the second week of December.

It was time for a change...

Oct. 13, 2008
Clemson, SC-
Clemson University and Head Football Coach Tommy Bowden parted ways on Monday. After two meetings on Monday morning between Bowden and Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips, it was agreed upon that Bowden would no longer be the Clemson Head Coach. He will be replaced by Assistant Head Coach Dabo Swinney (pronounced DA-boh SWEE-nee) on an interim basis.
"Terry Don Phillips approached me this morning and we agreed that this is the best solution for the direction of the program," said Bowden. "Clemson has been very good to me and my family. Both of our children are Clemson graduates.
"I appreciate the opportunity Clemson University gave me and the support of the administration while I was here. I also want to thank all the players and coaches who worked so hard for this program the last 10 years.
"I wish Clemson University nothing but the best in the future."

slideshow from the shower

courtesy of Kristie McDuffie

Such a blessing!

Mrs. Howell & Melanie

Chris and I are so blessed with the friends we have. Words cannot express the gratitude we have for the friends and family that have so graciously hosted and attended our wedding showers. This weekend, family friends hosted a kitchen shower in Greenville. My family became friends with the Howell's when my brother went to The Citadel. Colby Howell and Lawrence were roommates in college and we became friends with his family. Melanie is the older sibling and we have become friends through the years as well. She so graciously offered to host me and Marianne in Boston a few years ago when we took our annual trip.
The shower that Mrs. Debbie and Melanie hosted was at Justin's Steakhouse in Taylors. They had the tables decorated with fresh flowers and ceramic fall pumpkins. The friends that came even left with a little favor: kitchen towel and a chocolate bar. A carving station with beef and pork tenderloin was set up, greenbean casserole, corn, and Parmesan risotto were served out of bowls family style. Delicious! Oh yeah, the dessert was wonderful, Cinnamon Crumb Cheesecake! It tasted like cinnamon toast.
Thank you so much to Mrs. Debbie and Melanie for hosting the shower and to all the sweet girls that came on Saturday. You all mean so much to us and we are so thankful for your generosity. We love you!

Melanie, Me and Mrs. Debbie

My mom, me, and Mrs. Lack

Kristie McDuffie & me

Ann Bomar, me & Bonner Bloodworth

OK...Seriously. Has anyone else noticed that the countdown is less than 4 months to the wedding? I can't believe it is so close!! Mom and I picked out the invitations and should have a proof for next week. It's getting down to the nitty-gritty.

This week I got a cute little gift in the mail from a dear family friend. She actually used to baby-sit me when I was in diapers. She was like my big sister until we moved out of Old Friarsgate and closer to Nursery Road. I opened up the package and it was 2 black spiders holding hands. One the front of each spider was a word. The words were "newly" and "webs." haha! I knew you would get a good laugh!

One final thought...Sarah Palin is fabulous!!