Cloud 9

Yep, I am still floating in the clouds from the recent weekend events.

If you missed Monday's post, well let's just say I still can't stop looking at my left hand.

I can't even begin to express the amount of love I have felt through bloggy comments, phonecalls, text messages, emails, facebook and tweets.
It has been overwhelming.
So thank you thank you thank you!
You gals are the best and I am loving every single sweet word you send me.

 

My mind is running about a million miles an hour with wedding planning thoughts.

I am sooooo just enjoying this moment and enjoy being engaged, though

sometimes it is hard not to think about it every second of every hour.

There are no real plans yet.

This biggest hump is that I have always dreamed of a fall wedding.

Something small, back home, country and rustic.

Fall is my favorite time of the year. And fall in the Mountains is so darn pretty.

However, baby brother's football schedule throws a HUGE kink in that thought.

Story of my families life.

The one weekend the team has an open weekend is in the later part of November.

Arrgggh. I just think it will be too cold for something outdoors.

I was thinking Octoberish when the leaves are at their peak of changing colors.

But, it ain't happening.

Sure, we could possibly do it on a Sunday, but it would be so hard because of the football game that would occur on the day before. And this family does not miss football games. That's the facts and I love that about us.

I still love you baby bro.

Kev and I both like the idea of a destination wedding, but that's not realistic for my grandparents.

As hard as it is for me to admit it, they aren't spring chickens.

I honestly don't think it is even a viable option for my grandfather.

And that is ok too.

I have mentioned before, I am fortunate enough to have all my grandparents that were alive when I was born still living.

It is so important for me to cater to them in order to have them part of this special, special day.

So there is the idea of waiting till the winter this year and forgoing the outdoor fall country wedding....

We could wait till 2013 and do a spring wedding when the weather gets nice again....

We could pull something small off by August before football season starts in full force....
We could still opt for something small on a Sunday afternoon. ....

There's the idea of just doing it in Vegas in a couple of weeks...haha I kid I kid!

Bottom line I am not stressing about it...it will all work out.

If it is one thing I have learned, a marriage is about so much more than a wedding day.

Sure, it is a very special day, and i get that. But...it's not the foundation, it's a celebration.

The most important thing to Kevin and I is that this day be about US and our families.
Not showering our guests with the trendiest favors, loads of booze and out of this world food.

Sorry, I would rather spend thousands of dollars on me and kev then on hundreds of guests.

Ooopise...did i just write that?

Does that make me rude?? Maybe so.

There is nothing wrong with doing that. Just not our style.

And that my friends, is what makes the world go round.

So I don't care when this wedding goes down at the moment.

I just care about spending my life with an amazing man that makes me so happy.

I do know one thing is for sure and it is one thing we both agree on....Uggie and Bailey will be there in some form or fashion in a little tutu skirt and tuxedo. Possibly sedated, but still present.

Go ahead...judge me. ha!

We also agree the day will focus on the man upstairs, us, love, and family.

Sure, the planning will come.

And on that day, it will just be perfect :-)

 

I am still somewhere floating around up in the clouds at the moment.

Ain't nobody bringing me down right now.

He Put a Ring On It

 It's true...Kev proposed and I said YES!!!

I am still floating on cloud nine and could not be happier.

Ready for the details?

Sooooo

This past weekend we traveled home to Eastern Kentucky to visit my family. Baby Bro came in for the weekend as well and brought his girlfriend to mama and daddy's house for the first time. We had planned a very low key weekend involving elastic pants, time on the couch, good food, the UK vs. Vandy Game, more good food, Cranium and Taboo. Weekend's to my parent's house are just so relaxing and a nice and needed break from reality.

Friday night i literally crashed on the couch around 9:15. Exciting huh? Well this lilttle fact comes back up later.
So Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to a gorgeous snowy morning.

Kev and I decided to run a few errands around town and also go see my besite, Katrina, and her baby boy Trigg. Standard on a trip home.

It was snowing so pretty Saturday and Kev had mentioned us also going up on the Mountain to take some pictures with my new camera. I never thought anything of it because we had been talking about doing this for a while. There was such a pretty blanket of snow and I thought it would make for some great photos.

Now this just isn't any Mountain.

This is Pine Mountain baby. It's the 2nd highest peak in Kentucky. However, to me it is more than that. There are several outlooks upon the Mountain that overlook Whitesburg, my hometown. It is a place of nostalgia to me. I feel like "The Mountains" represent so much of who I am. Whenever I travel home I try my best to always drive to the top of the Pine Mountain lookout to appreciate the amazing scenery I grew up in.

So Kev and I drove up there and in the freeeeeeeezing cold and snapped some photos.
If you look hard enough in between the valleys you will see Whitesburg all tucked away in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains.

No place like home :-)

We were just breathing in mother nature.

We took a ton of photos, but let's be honest, that is not the reason for this post :-)

So we took this photo and I was ready to pack up and head home. It was like less than 20 degrees outside.

This photo is special because we snapped it just minutes before becoming engaged.

So I started to head toward the car and then Kev grabbed my arm....I turned around and he got down on one knee said some very sweet things and then asked me to marry him.

I was speechless, but of course I said YES!!!

And thank goodness I carry my new tripod everywhere I go because I was able to capture a pic or two of u to keep forever.

Our first pic as future Mr. And Mrs.

Ohmygosh I think I am still in shock.

I CAN'T stop looking at my hand.

It was so sweet that he did it when we were home with my family.  He knew how much I would want to celebrate with them.

And I also got to see my bestie just moments after.

So, so thoughtful.

I later found out that on Friday night when I had passed out at 9:15 that Kev had took my mama and daddy both on the back porch and asked them both for their blessing. My mom also told me that she had received an email earlier in the week from Kev explaining he was ready to take the next step, but would like to discuss all of it in person. He even sent mom a picture of the ring and told her how excited he was. He is so great!

and if you're wondering what that something shiny on my left finger looks like.....

he did such a fabulous job!!!

I have dreamed of this day all my life and I am just ecstatic. I can truly say I am going to marry my best friend and he is going to make me the happiest gal in the whole word.

Stay tuned....it's going to be an exiting place around here.

Elastic Pants Required

Kev and I are in Whitesburg (aka my hometown) with the fam this weekend.

Baby Bro and his girlfriend are here too.

My mom feels the need to feed us every 5 minutes and I swear I may gain 5lbs before this weekend is over.

Not. Even. Joking!

Thank goodness I am tall.

This is why elastic pants are required for weekends at my mom and daddy's house.

Homemade blackberry pie that was accompanied with vanilla bean ice cream

Mama's famous Monkey Bread.

I swear it's heaven in your mouth.

Similar recipe here.

Homemade waffles...they are the bomb diggity!

And peeps this was just YESTERDAY.

Not gonna lie, I am enjoying every single second of it.

I have BIG big BIG news for tomorrow's post.

Make sure you stop by.

Can't wait to share the news with my bloggy bishes. :-)



Happy Birthday Grandpa

Yesterday was my grandpa's 74th birthday.

This is him and his sidekick, Jackson.

Wherever Grandpa goes...Jackson goes.

All of my grandparents that I was born with are still living. I know, I am so unbelievably blessed.

However, I have only known one grandfather my entire life.

(My papaw died before I was born).

And I have to say... to a granddaughter, grandpa's are just special.

As I spoke to him on the phone yesterday, I was reminded of that.

Mama is an only child. So baby Bro and I are his only grandchildren.

I think it is safe to say he has spoiled us over the years :-)

My grandpa lives right outside of the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg, Tennessee area.

Kev traveled with us last spring to meet grandpa for the first time.

I was so emotional that trip.

All trips to Grandpa's are emotional.

His health is so fragile and I always pray every time we leave that this is not the last trip we take.

My mom is always emotional too. I swear she still has the same respect for her dad today as she did when she was 16. She lives to please him to this day. She is such a daddy's girl, just like me.

I think I mentioned it once before on here, but that trip last April is when I officially decided I wanted to blog.

I had been scoping out the bloggy world a bit and then on that trip in my grandpa's living room, I stumbled upon  Kate's blog. I was hooked in that instant on blogging. It was her blog, and and others similar, that captured all the little moments of the journey that is life that had me dying to do my own.

 I wanted to have my own piece of the Internet where I could capture my life for my friends and family to see.

And since I started blogging I have noticed I have paid so much more attention to the smaller details of life. The little moments in big events.

I wanted to capture every little instance of trips to grandpa's to have forever in my mind.

I don't want to forget any of it.

And now I get to have that  keepsake for me and for those closest to me to always reflect on.

Not to mention that I get to share them with all of you. I get to connect with hundreds of other awesome gals in this community that I can't believe I had been missing out on.

So maybe I owe it to Grandpa's house, for getting me starting. It was that trip that inspired it all.

I never blogged about that trip, I always waited for the right time.

I was afraid when I first started blogging I wouldn't stick to it.

I still don't get to do it as often as I would like, but life sometimes gets in the way....and that is more than OK.

So here are some photos I took way back when (last spring) that I thought I could use for a blog if I ever had the balls to do it. Gosh I am so glad i grew a pair :-)

Here ya go....

If there is one thing I can count on with visits to grandpa's it is that I am guaranteed to gain about 5lbs in that weekend. With no regrets of course.

KR was in shock over all the food ...hehe.

Ever since I can remember, no grandpa trip is complete without a root beer float.

And not just any root beer, Big K brand root beer.

And always, always, always in his Alvin and the chipmunks glasses.

This photo hangs in grandpa's house.

I remember my dad was too tall for the pic and he had to get down on his knee and they had to raise mom's stool. Look how adorable baby bro is. And mama's hair...wowza's. Just kidding mama.

And if there is one sound I can associate with Grandpa's house, it's the chimes of this old grandfather clock

We are traveling to Tennessee next weekend to see Grandpa.

Just mom, baby bro and I. Daddo has fishing plans and Kev is out of town for an annual guys trip.

Still, I am sooo looking forward to it.

We don't get to see Grandpa and Della nearly as often as we would like. We are usually limited to spring and summer due to Baby Bro's football schedule. However, we are so excited. I can't wait to spend time with him and the rest of the fam. Those types of trip and memories are priceless...and of course I will be blogging about it for a keepsake.

Again, Happy Birthday Grandpa!

I love you soooo very much.

Thank you for always making me realize how precious every second of life is.

Can't wait to see you in a week!

Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

Superbowl Sunday

Kev and I weren't too into the Superbowl this year. The only good things about the Super Bowl to us were

-the commercials

-the good food we made

-the half time show

-and the most important, football season is officially over and all eyes began to turn toward March madness. Hopefully that means we can watch those KY wildcats dance back into the final four...fingers crossed.

We aren't big NFL fans. However, we love us some Timmy Tebow :-) and I am partial to Peyton Manning.

We make it a tradition to make yummy snacks and apps and nest on the couch.

Our kind of Sunday!

KR helped me make some delish grub in the kitchen

Yes ladies, he helps me out in the kitchen all the time. I like to think of him as my sous chef. He does all my prep work and sometimes even the dishes.

I love it!

Making my mama's famous ham and cheese sammies. They are so good.

No matter what room we are in, the doggies are not far behind.

Uggie tends to mind her business, but Bailey is always right under our feet involved in all the action.

He is such a nosey little fur ball.

Also on the menu: buffalo chicken dip.

And 7 layer Mexican bean dip

Not gonna lie, we watched the 1st half of the game and that was about it.

We watched Madonna give it all she had in the half time show. I know people were criticizing her on twitter, but i thought she rocked it.  My mama and Madonna share the exact same birth date. Right down to the year. And although I think my mama still has it going on, it puts it in perspective how Madonna is still rocking it out. You go girl! After half time, we got sucked right back into the Good Wife season 2 on dvd. KRex and I are literally addicted. We did manage to figure out the Giants won. And if big Manning and Tebow couldn't play and win a superbowl, then I am glad little Manning won.

I know it was the Superbowl, but for us it was another night just celebrating our little family and enjoying our precious weekends. 

What did y'all do for the superbowl?

I need a little inspiration

Linking up with gurrrl Sarah for Inspiration Friday.

So this past week has not been my greatest in the terms of diet, exercise and taking care of myself. Good ol' Aunt Flow has completely sucked the life out of me this week.

But hey, that's ok. And even better, Monday rolls around ever 7 days so we can start over.

What better way to be inspired to make better choices through the week than the damn Victoria's Secret Swimsuit Catalogue arriving at the doorstep. Kinda made me wanna throw up in my mouth a little.

Truth is I am bathing suit obsessed. I have always had way too many suits than I could ever wear. Still, I gots to get me a new one before our upcoming Vegas trip in a short 4 weeks.

So these skinny bishes are inspiring me this week.

I am needing these three suits in my swimsuit drawer asap.

Can I just have their skinny tails too?

No in all seriousness...moral of the story is I am not one to deprive myself of food. However, I may need to kick it up a notch or two in the gym. Can someone just tell my metabolism to go back to being 17 again?? Thanks. That would be so much easier.

So what's your inspiration for the week??

The New Kitchen Table

So a month or so ago, Kevin Rex finally broke over and bought a kitchen table for the kitchenette/breakfast nook area.

There has literally been nothing in that area for far too long.

We both have been hating not having a place to sit and eat our meals. The dinning room feels too formal and the couch is too comfortable.

We both feel it is so important for couples and families to have dinners at the table. At church a few weeks ago, they discussed a study about families who ate dinner around the table vs. those who didn't. There were soooo many positive results surround the couples/families who spent time around the table TOGETHER.

So bottom line, sitting at the table together for meals is a priority for us.

Not only is the table about eating, but I use the table to do my notes from work. Kev likes to use the table to exercise the creative side of his brain. Which is OUT.of.This.WORLD. I swear he is gonna be the J.K. Rowling. Mark my word.

We so needed a table!

We went on a mission for a white country-esque table. Boy are those hard to find around good ole Lex.

After weeks of searching, low and behold we found what we were looking for.

I also brought over some of my favorite country white dishes to add to his baker rack.

This place is coming back together for sure :-)

My mama bought me this bowl for Christmas a couple years ago. It is one of my favorite pieces. It is a Longaberger dish. Us country gals loves us some Longaberger.

In the past several weeks we have went back to making dinner at the table a daily event.

No cell phones are allowed.

We spend the time before our meal praying

aloud for each other as individuals and as a couple

for our families

for the doggies

for new challenges ahead

for daily struggles

and for strength and patience.

We talk about the highs and lows of our days.

It's just us soaking each other up with no outside distractions.

Back when we had our first meal at the new table, I busted out the camera.

What was on the menu: sushi takeout. Woot woot!

Love him!

Kev knows just how to get the right angle huh? Ha

And I must admit, Bailey is sort of a begger at the dinner table. He usually lays his head on my lap the entire meal. I can give his Nana and Papaw credit for this habit.

One of my favorite times of the whole days.....

our prayers right before we indulge.

Sometimes it would be easy just to pile on the couch and stuff our faces, but I am so thankful we are making memories around our new table every day.

Can't wait for many many more.

Used Kitchen tables should be a staple in all households :-)