It's been a while!

I know it's been a while, but we've been very busy! Andrew and I have been enjoying every bit of our summer and that includes Labor Day Weekend. We went on another little road trip today to Heber Springs. We found a beautiful place called Collins Creek. Here are a few of our pics.

I'm so excited about our new art blog!

Amanda and I finally got our Art Blog online and we are very excited about it! If you have a second, check it out. We would love to hear what you think about it! paintedbelles.blogspot.com

It's our theme song!

Fourth of July weekend was so much fun! We went to Starkville to stay with Amanda and Sterling, and Michael and Ashley came to town too. We played golf, grilled out, and of course played club cranium. (It was really close, but the girls are still practically undefeated.) It's always great to see friends and get a few days off work!

This time last year...

...was a very scary time for Andrew and me. We were just remembering that its been a year since the Angora Fire started in the Lake Tahoe Basin. This was a very scary time for everyone in the small town we lived in, especially for us; as southerners, we were not accustomed to wildfires! The fire started on a Sunday afternoon and burned through most of the week. It was dangerously close to our apartment, so we spent most of the week living in a hotel. Most people talk about what they would take with them if they had to leave their homes, but until a highway patrol is beating on your door and telling you that you must evacuate immediately, you will never really know the answer to that question. The whole experience really changed my perspective on what really matters in life, and also gave me so much more compassion for those who have lost their homes because of natural disaster. Luckily, we were spared; many were not. The fire burned over 3,100 acres, as well as destroyed 242 homes and damaged 35 others. It was unbelievable to see all the devastation in contrast to the natural beauty of the area. They are still trying to rebuild and rehabilitate the areas destroyed, as I'm sure they will be for many years to come.

Andrew and I went walking on The Big Dam Bridge (yes, that's the name of it) Friday night. The sun was setting and a storm was coming across the river at the same time; it was very interesting to watch. We took some really pretty pictures I wanted to share.

Weekend in McComb

Andrew and I went to McComb for Father's Day/Aaron's birthday/Teddy Bear's birthday. It was obviously a very busy weekend! We went to play golf Saturday, and then to family dinner at Fernwood. Church on Sunday and then a birthday/Father's day lunch finished off the weekend. It was a great weekend and it was good to see everyone in McComb again. Then there was the wrong turn on the way home that put us on a gravel road...who ends up on a gravel road on a six hour trip?

Reminiscing...

Andrew and I were looking back through some old pictures last night and found a few good ones to share. They made us laugh, and feel really old!

A few new things...

We found a really fun new place last weekend... The Looney Bin. It's this small comedy club in Little Rock, but it was alot of fun. We had never heard of either of the comics who performed; we were just looking of something new to do. It turned out to be a fun night! Another new thing we are enjoying is our wonderful pool! It's been a while since I lived somewhere with a pool and I forgot how awesome it is. Also, our apartment looks right out over the pool, so it's always tempting us! We've been laying out, swimming, just enjoying it... it's been alot of fun so far, and I'm sure we will continue to enjoy it throughout the entire summer!

Andrew's Birthday Weekend

Andrew is 27! I love birthday weekends, and this one was no exception! It started off just like last weekend: Friday night at Cajun's Wharf. (That has quickly become one of our favorite places in Little Rock!)Andrew's family loved it too. We had a long dinner with alot of laughs. Anne and I were fascinated with a little purple fish that swam around a circular aquarium like he was on a track the whole time we were there; I'm not exaggerating, the fish did not stop for over 2 hours! We had lunch and then cake and presents on Saturday. It was so funny watching Andrew try to blow out all those candles. I don't know if I can put that many on his cake next year! After that, we went to the mall for a few hours of shopping. Then we made a quick stop downtown for Bath Junkie and the Flying Saucer before going to the driving range and then dinner! It was a busy weekend, but we had such a great time and we were so happy that his parents and Anne came to visit!

Happy Birthday to Andrew!

Tomorrow is Andrew's birthday, but we're celebrating all weekend! His parents and sister are coming to visit us for the first time and we are very excited! I'm sure there will be many pictures to post on Monday!

To great friends...

Wow, what a great weekend! Amanda and Sterling came to Little Rock and we had so much fun. We went to Cajun's on Friday and the Riverfest on Saturday. We finally made it to see One Republic that night. We grilled out on Sunday, and just enjoyed the day. Andrew and I are getting used to life outside of Starkville, but we are reminded everytime we see our friends how great they are and how much we miss them!

Almost the weekend!

I'm so ready for this weekend to be here! I've thought it was Friday all day, but then I discovered I have one more day to go... This weekend is Riverfest in Little Rock. From everything I've heard, it should be alot of fun. I'm also excited that Amanda and Sterling are coming to stay with us for the long weekend. We haven't seen them in about a month now, and this is the first time for them to come to our place. I'm sure there will be lots of pictures next week:)

A day at the Zoo!

I love 1/2 days!

Every other week, Andrew gets a 1/2 day off during the week. We always try to pick the day with the best weather (which has been challenging lately) and just go play for the afternoon. When we lived in Starkville, we always went driving around, listening to music on Friday afternoons. It was a great way to relax. That's what we try to do now, even though we usually have things we have to do in our free time. Today was a great half day. We decided to try to be green, at least a little. We dropped off all of our recycling and bought 2 tomato plants and a pepper plant. I'm not sure how they are going to work out on our patio, but we're trying to grow a little of our own food!





After that was taken care of, we went in search of some good pictures of the area. We took these under one of the Arkansas River bridges.

Just another weekend of fun!

Andrew and I went to another Travelers game Friday night with our neighbors. The night games are a lot more fun!


Saturday afternoon we went to the Toad Suck Festival in Conway, Ar. (Yes, I said Toad Suck and I have no idea why its called that!) It was a fun day, with lots of food, crafts, bands, and a car show! One of the food vendors was selling fried snickers, reese's, twinkies, and oreos; There's nothing like a small-town festival in the South!

boys will be boys...

I ran across some pics from Andrew's "guys" weekend at the golf tournament and had to share them. There were alot more that he wouldn't let me add to the blog!

"So, who do you live with?"

I really wish it was still the weekend! Amanda, Nat and I had so much fun! We went out, danced, saw a movie, and went shopping. It was the perfect girls' weekend. Amanda and I always have a great time, and it was really great to get to hang out with Nat. It's been way too long since we've done that! I really miss the days when that would have been every weekend for me. I know some of these pics have already been posted, but we didn't take that many, so here they are again!

Oh yeah, Andrew, Sterling and Mike came in third place in the tournament(which was the whole reason we had the girls' weekend!) I'm really proud of them!

Almost there!

It's almost time to go to Starkville and I'm so excited! I really like Little Rock and I love my husband, but I am in serious need of some girl time in Starkvegas! I've been counting down all week, now all that's left is to pack!

Happy Earth Day!

Another great weekend...

We went to our first baseball game in Little Rock. The Arkansas Travelers won and we had a great time. We're really enjoying all the things our new home has to offer! Other than that, we spent the weekend at the driving range and watching movies. We saw "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"- which was so funny!- and "Into the Wild" - also a great movie. It really got us itching to take another adventure. Wonder where we'll go this time?!

You learn something new everyday...

I'm usually pretty good at figuring out how to do new things, but the really cute collages on everyone's blogs were really stumping me. Nat finally filled me in on the secret, and I just wanted to say thanks!

Our weekend...

I thought this would be a boring weekend, just sitting at home and watching the Master's, but it has turned out to be a really fun weekend! We went to the Arkansas Twister's game Friday night. It was our first time at an arena football game. I have to say, it was very entertaining! Andrew caught the football after what we thought was the game winning field goal, but then Tulsa came back to win. Oh, well. After that, we went to an Ingram Hill show downtown. It was a great show, as usual, and I had a little too much fun. We went to the Arkansas Derby for a little while on Saturday and then came back home to watch golf. We're really enjoying our time here in Little Rock, we just need some friends to come see us soon!

Super Bulldog Weekend

We just got back from another amazing weekend in Starkville. We went to a baseball game (at least the last couple of innings) ate crawfish, went to Rick's, and had a blast! Amanda and I also proved that the girls are still unbeatable in Club Cranium! I'm glad I got to see Nat, even if it was only ten minuntes. Maybe next time I can actually catch up with Suzanne! These are a few of the pic from the weekend, although I have to say, I think Amanda has some of the best pics ever taken of our husbands!

I really needed this...

My mom gave me a new devotional book for Easter, and the first one I read was just what I needed to hear. It talked about the women who went to the tomb and found it empty. The women would have easily believed that Jesus had risen if someone had told them, but the angel invited them inside the tomb to see for themselves that it was empty. The author said that this is also what God does with our lives sometimes. We believe by reading his word that God will take care of us, comfort us, reward our faith, but sometimes he takes us right to the situation that requires care, comfort or faith to let us see for ourselves that it is true. Eyewitnesses to an event are always more affected than those who only heard about it, and after we see first-hand that God does exactly what he said he would do, we become eyewitnesses.

This has been one tough week...

I don't know how I survived! We spent the weekend in New Albany, visiting my family for Easter. After a very depressing ride back Sunday, listening to the State game, we made it home. Today is the first day since then that I have made it off the couch. I caught something terrible! I don't know where I got it, but it was bad. Poor Andrew, he did his best to take care of me and take care of himself...but it's a good thing he doesn't have to do that everyday!
The only good thing about all of this is that I am better now, or at least trying to be and I am going to Starkville tomorrow! I can't wait to see everyone, I miss my friends so much!

I'm exhausted...

We just got back from an exciting weekend at the Oyster Tournament in Amite, La, and we are both so tired we can barely function. It was all worth it, though, we had a blast and the best part was getting to see our wonderful friends that we miss so much! Andrew spent two straight days playing golf and I got to spend two days goofing off with Amanda. I can't imagine a better weekend!



We would also like to congratulate our friends Suzanne and Adam on their recent engagement! You can thank us later :)

What a year!

Andrew and I celebrated our one year anniversary yesterday and it really got me thinking, this has been quite a year! We have been alot of places in a short amount of time. The most amazing part to me is how quickly this year has gone by. I really feel like I'm going to blink and be 50-something!


We celebrated all weekend, just enjoying ourselves. We went to the races at Oaklawn Saturday and went for a drive up into the mountains on Sunday. Our actually anniversary was spent at home with dinner and a movie. Andrew gave me a beautiful ring and I gave him a collection of things, including a DVD that I'm posting.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I hope this next year is even better!

7 Interesting Facts

So Nat tagged me to list 7 interesting facts about myself. I don't know how interesting these are, but they're true.

1. My ultimate goal in life is to write a novel that actually gets published. I know this will not be easy and may not ever happen, but its good to have goals.

2. I am deathly afraid of the dark. I'm not exaggerating at all; I panic if I'm alone in the dark.

3. I'm pretty much double-jointed everywhere. My knees and elbows bend backwards, and most of my fingers do weird things.

4. I've always wanted to have a nickname, but I've never had one. Everyone just calls me by my name. Nat tells me I'm the weirdest person she's ever known, but I don't think that counts.

5. My dream car is a '68 corvette stingray, which is also the car we drove away in from our wedding. I think that was the most exciting part of the whole day for me!

6. I don't believe in fortune tellers or anything like that, but a palm reader told me I would meet the man I was going to marry about 1/2 hour before Andrew introduced himself to me. I always thought that was a little odd.

7. I've always thought that God paints the sky. After I die, I'm going to convince Him to let me do it just once. I will definitely hide things in the clouds.

I have no one to tag next because I haven't found many friends blogs yet.
Wait, I take that back! Amanda has finally decided to join the blogging world too, so I'm tagging her!

Be patient with me, this is my first time...

So, I was never interested in blogging, but my friend Nat got me interested... so I'll give it a try.


Andrew and I have almost survived the most amazing, crazy year of our lives so far. We got married in March 07 and then began our migration cross-country. We moved to South Lake Tahoe, Ca. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen! After 9 months, we decided it was just a long vacation, and traveled back east. After 2 months of being gypsies, we have finally settled in Maumelle, AR.

As for our life currently, its great, almost boring. It was an adventure to be in a new place every day, but staying home night after night is kinda nice too. Just having a home is nice.