Bengals...you have some very loyal fans!

Tommy met the guys early this morning to go on the annual "WHO DEY" Trip. He was so excited...and even more so when the Bengals won. Luckily, mom sent him with a poncho as an afterthought. As it turns out...the poncho was much needed! Even though it rained...it didn't dampen their spirits. As I type this...Tommy is probably drinking beer and playing Texas Hold 'Em! Sleep tight, sports fan. We miss you here at home.

So Much To Be Thankful For...

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! It was A.) great to be off work....and....B.) great to be with family. We had Thanksgiving at our house with my side of the family on Thursday. WOW...I never knew how much work it was to prepare a huge dinner! Tommy and I usually slide in about 30 minutes before dinner is served....but hosting it showed both of us all of the hours that go into such a dinner! We now have a renewed sense of appreciation for the family chefs! Mom cooked all evening in her Weimy slippahs...aren't they cute? See Grandma relaxing in Tommy's chair? He never gives that chair up....but she left him no choice. By the end of the night...he was even bringing her drinks, magazines, and pieces of pie! On Friday, we celebrated with Dad and Janae (Dad, is it alright if I say your name on my blog?? *wink*) In the above picture, you can see the men chatting in the living room. Isn't their tree pretty? I think Clara Claus is responsible for the strategic placement of those lights! And look at little Riles...if there ever was a cuter dog with an underbite...someone please let me know!
Most importantly...we have millions of things to be thankful for..... God, our marriage, our families, our dogs, our church, our friends, our home, our jobs, our health, and sooooooo much more! Our cup runneth over.....
And now....let the holiday season begin!!

just a few things that make me smile...

~~ i love when my carpet is covered with the fuzz guts of a million stuffed animals because it means that my dogs are happy and fulfilled....

~~ i love my new teapot purchased on a whim today. it matches my other dishes and will hold my first attempt at my own twinnings hot tea!

~~ i love that my husband is a huge sports fan! he is passionate about many things in life...and sports is one of them. just the sound of football on our tv makes me smile!

Operation Christmas Child

There are many times in life that I have been moved by the kindness and generosity of people. Today, as I sat in church and stared at the huge piles of shoeboxes that were collected for less fortunate children I couldn't help but imagine how many smiles those little boxes will cause this Christmas. Children all over the world will know that somebody cares about them and that God is good!

It's A Girl!

On Saturday...months and months of planning came to fruition! Staci, Liz, Amanda, Lindsay and I traveled to Nashville to surprise Jen with a baby shower! Jessica and Mark had arrived earlier that morning to take them out to lunch--so...while they were gone we arrived at their new home and set up a baby shower in about 10 minutes flat! I could go on for a hour describing all of the hilarious moments we encountered along the way...but I am pretty sure you had to be there!
After the shock and surprise had subsided...Jen opened her gifts and we all ooohhheed and aaaahhhhhed at all the cutsie stuff that Baby B. will soon enjoy! We tried to catch up over cake and ice cream--there was lots of talking and laughing! For dinner, we headed into Franklin (we all fell in love with this little town! Sooooo much character!) to a quaint little eatery called Sandy's! We ate dinner, flung our boas around, took a million photos, and then said our good-byes. We went over every detail of our day during the long drive home. In the end, I think we accomplished our goal...we drove to Nashville to make Jennifer's day and I think we did! And, in doing so, we made our own day, too!