Seeking Advice!

So, I have been wanting to "redecorate" my bedroom, but as most of you know, I'm quite possibly the most indecisive person EVER so I'm having a little difficulty picking out new bedding. When I first moved into my house last summer, I focused more on the OTHER rooms instead of my bedroom. Now I'm tired of it and ready for a change! If you've been to my house, you know a little about my decorating taste. I like browns, greens, and blues, and I am not a big fan of anything busy or with a lot of design. I'm definitely wanting something in my bedroom that I won't get tired of (and money is sort of an issue too! Nothing too expensive!!). I've been doing a little online shopping for some ideas. I found one that I really like, but the color I want is unavailable online (just my luck). Click here to see it (the color I want is the sky blue). You're really not able to tell a lot about it, but I got the catalog in the mail and I was able to see it a lot better. Does anybody have any suggestions on websites for me to check out? My comforter is green now (as you can see from the pictures below), and it's rather old, so I'm ready for something different! Suggestions are appreciated! (I know...I'm SUCH a dork! )

OH, HENRY...

I finally got to see my little Henry today. It had been several weeks since I'd seen him, so I drove to Clinton today just to spend a little time with him. I seriously probably took 40 pictures of him today. Is there something wrong with that? I'm a proud aunt...what can I say? He's definitely changed since I've seen him last (still JUST as adorable though!). Here are some of the pictures I took today.

I got carried away and had trouble deciding which pics to post, so you're seeing more than just a "few"....sorry! :)

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." -Jeremiah 29:11

It's Time to "Blog-Stalk" Heather!

Heather just started a blog... Yay!!!!



Check her out!



This is a picture of me and my beautiful little sister, Heather, at her engagement party last March.

My favorite!

OK, so it's been way too long since I've seen my little Henry. That's why it's been way too long since YOU'VE seen pictures of him. I'm about to go crazy because I miss him so much. Don't worry though, I'm going to visit Sunday, so I'll have new pictures soon! Until then, here is a recent picture of Kris and Henry. It's one of my favorites and I had to share it! (Doesn't Kristen look fabulous??). More to come soon! :)



ALSO, I wanted to let you know that my Heather, my mom, and I went to visit my grandmother at the nursing home in Meridian. Thanks to all of you who have remembered her in your prayers! We had a great visit with her and she seemed to be doing really well! Praise God!

Please Pray!

There have been a lot of things that I've been praying for myself, and I want to ask YOU to pray for them as well. I strongly believe in the power of prayer, and would appreciate all of yours...the more, the BETTER! :)
*My sister, Kristen, is back at work after being out for maternity leave. She's having a very difficult time (if you've been through this, then you understand!). She needs comfort!
*My grandmother (mom's mom- "Mamaw") was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's and has been placed in a home in Meridian. Although it's difficult on our family, we know she's where she needs to be now. Please pray for her and the rest of my family.
*My other grandmother (dad's mom- "Nana") also needs prayer. My grandfather passed away in November, and I know things are still very hard for her. She's been unbelievably strong so far, and if you know her, you know what I mean. She's an AMAZING woman.
*My dear friend, June Scoggins, and her family need prayer too. Her mom is 90 years old (wow!) and has not been doing well lately. Mrs. June does so much for her mom, and I know it's very difficult for their entire family.

I appreciate ALL of your prayers for these people! PLEASE let me know of there's someone/something specifically that I can pray for!
Thanks! :)

Walking in Memphis.......to see George!!!!

(For some unknown reason, the date is saying Thursday, Jan. 11, when ACTUALLY it's Sunday, Jan. 15. I don't understand why and I can't figure out how to change it!)
So, it's just become sort of a yearly thing for Candy and me. It's something (well,really, someONE) we both feel very passionate about. Who in the world could I be speaking of? That's right...George.

This past weekend, I went to my 5th George Strait concert, each of which were with Candy. I started going in 2003, and I've been going every year since. If you're a George fan, you'll understand the excitement that we feel each time he walks on stage (especially when he sings "Amarillo"...wow). If you're NOT a George fan, then I'm convinced that there may very well be something wrong with you and you should seek professional help.


It has worked out each year that George has played in either Birmingham or Memphis, both of which are fairly close to here. It's very convenient now that Candy and Chad live in Hernando, which is only about 20 minutes from Memphis. There are a couple of things you should know about the 2 of us when we get in "George mode" : 1. We sing every song along with him, caring very little about what other people around us are thinking. 2. We wear our "I Love George Strait" buttons very proudly, knowing that everyone there is secretly a little jealous. Here are some pictures of us at George Strait concerts over the years. (I was pre- digital the first year we went, and I'm unable to put my hands on pictures from that concert, so these pictures are from the past 4 years!). Oh, and you don't even have to say it, I know I looked pretty hot with braces in the 2005 picture!







2004

2005

2006

2007

WE LOVE YOU GEORGE AND WE'LL SEE YOU IN 2008!

Just for Fun!

Things I like (besides George Strait of course):

-Four jobs I have had in my life:
*2nd grade teacher at Sudduth
*counselor at Camp Lake Stephens
*employee at CLC (daycare)
*Aspen Bay Candles

-Four movies I watch over and over:
*The Sound of Music
*Elf
*Waiting for Guffman
*Christmas Vacation

-Four Places I have lived:
*Meridian, MS
*Starkville, MS
*Oxford, MS (only for a summer...don't worry...I got out of Oxford as quickly as I could)
* MSU campus (still in Starkville, I know)

-Four TV shows I love to watch:
*Seinfeld
*The Office
*Desperate Housewives
*American Idol

-Four places I have been on vacation:
*Colorado
*Florida
*New York
*Highlands, NC

-Four websites I visit daily:
*hotmail
*facebook
*fox news
*Starkville School District homepage

-Four of my favorite foods:
*mexican!
*chocolate
*sushi
*salads


HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!!

"YAHOO!!!"

I love having visitors! One of my dearest friends, Candy (who is the only person who will find humor in the title of this post), her husband, Chad, and their adorable baby, Landon, are here for the weekend. Chad is in a wedding tomorrow, so of course, I am thrilled that they're staying with me and that they will be here for the weekend. They live in Hernando, MS, so it's not too far away, but I still don't get to see them as much as I would like!

Candy and I have been friends for about 6 years or so. We were both Elementary Education majors at MSU, and we had nearly every single class together. If it weren't for her, I'm not so sure I could have survived some of those professors...seriously...some were VERY interesting to say the least. We became instant friends, and since then, we have taken many road trips together, including 4 George Strait concerts (5th concert coming up next weekend...I'll be posting pictures!), I was a bridesmaid in her wedding 3 years ago, and I was fortunate to be at the hospital soon after baby Landon was born 3 months ago!

Those of you who know me and Candy, KNOW that we are A LOT alike. Not only is she the only friend I have who understands my love of George Strait, but she is also one of the only people I know who, like myself, can eat Mexican food at ANY time of the day. She and I are ALWAYS up for some Mexico Tipico, or Mi Pueblo. Nothing beats chips and salsa (and an occasional margarita!).

OK, well I'm finished with this particular post, but DON'T WORRY, more pictures of Candy will be posted after the

concert (it's so great to have a friend who loves George as much as I do...he's definitely one of the reasons we're so close today!). Please check back next weekend for concert pictures! :)

The Past 3 Weeks...In a Nutshell...

It's been several weeks since I've posted, but as you can imagine, with my sisters in town (not to mention my precious nephew), New Year's festivities, and lots of "family time," I've been just a little busy.

After I FINALLY finished school December 22 (deep sigh), I was actually able to actually relax a little and enjoy my family! Henry's first Christmas was a good one. Well, it's not like HE actually knew what was going on, so I guess I should say OUR first Christmas WITH Henry was great. The 4 days that Kristen, Rob, and Henry were in Starkville were basically spent with everybody just staring at him and him being held by somebody the ENTIRE time. Literally. Kristen and Rob probably hated us after they left. Look at that face! Absolutely adorable. I'm so in love with that little baby and hated to see them leave!

Heather and Trey were also here for several days, and they brought the new addition to THEIR family, Sophie, their maltipoo. This was the first time that Max and Sophie were able to spend an extensive amount of time together and they are BEST FRIENDS now. If we weren't staring at Henry, we were probably staring at those two playing with each other. It looked like a couple of stuffed animals playing. It was really, really cute and Max pouted for several days after Trey and Heather took Sophie back to Hattiesburg. I guess it can be said that my family had a very exciting, MERRY Christmas!

I always get a little depressed each year when I stop listening to Christmas music, stop watching my favorite Christmas movies, and start taking down my Christmas decorations. I have to wait an entire year before doing it all again!! This year, unlike any other year, I actually had fun New Year's plans, so I had something to look forward to! I've never been one who has loved New Year's. I don't want to sound like a pessimist, but I've just never really had FUN New Year's plans, and I kinda think it's a little overrated. I decided that at age 25, it was TIME for me to do something FUN for a change. I rang in the New Year in Birmingham with Claire and some of her Birmingham friends. We got dressed up (which is something I actually enjoy doing most of the time!), and went to Workplay, where we celebrated the New Year in different time zones. There were several different rooms, each of which were decorated in different time zones. For example, there was a "New York room," which had the feel of a big city, with loud music and a lot of people. There was also a room set up like the mountains. There was fake snow, hot chocolate, coffee, etc. Another was the "Hollywood room," which was my favorite. There was ballroom dancing, a Big Band, and a screen that played black and white movies. It was relaxing and more up my alley than any of the other rooms. It was neat to go from room to room each hour and countdown to midnight several different times. I actually didn't go to sleep until about 4 a.m., and if you know me at all, you know that I'm NOT a night owl, so staying up that late is something I very RARELY do. It was fun, but it may be an entire year before I'm able to stay up that late again! I've never been one to make New Year's resolutions, but I actually made some this year. I'm optimistic that this is going to be a GOOD year, and look forward to seeing what God has in store for me!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL!!!

MAY GOD BLESS YOU IN 2007!!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!!!

It's BY FAR my favorite time of the year. Even though I'm still in school, I'm trying to soak in as much Christmas music, goodies, and decorations as possible. It's also important that I watch as many Christmas movies, each as MANY times as I can, before Christmas. If you know me well, you know that I've been listening to Christmas music since about October, and I can quote a handful of movies like I actually WROTE them. I just love Christmas.
This is the first Christmas that I've lived by myself (well, that is, if you don't count Max). So of course, that means that I get to decorate ANYTHING I want, the WAY I want...it's really fun. My decorated tree doesn't look any different from anyone else's, but I'm proud of it, so I thought I'd share it with you. :)
(Max also wanted to show off his stocking!)

One of my favorite things to snack on especially during the holidays is called "puppy chow." You may have heard it called something else, but in OUR house, it's "puppy chow!" It's simple and so so good. You simply melt 6 oz of chocolate chips, 1/3 cup of peanut butter, and a small amount of oil in the microwave. Pour that over a big bowl of 6 cups of Crispix cereal (or, if you're like me and are forced to "pinch pennies," off brand corn chex works just as well!) and mix well. Pour confectioner sugar (I usually just kind of guess the amount...it really just depends on how "powdery" you like it!) in a big ziploc bag and pour covered chex into the bag. Shake well and serve. It's so so good! I HIGHLY recommend it!

Hmmm...and I'm always wondering WHY I gain weight during the holidays!!!

ALSO, if you're looking for some good Christmas CD's, allow me to do some recommendations!

• George Strait's Christmas - (I got it at Hallmark!)
• James Taylor's Christmas - (ummm...I think I got it from Hallmark LAST year!)
• Point of Grace Christmas

All of them are fabulous! :)

But, WILL I make it???

Before I started teaching, I was introduced to the term "teacher tired," and, at the time, I just laughed about. It wasn't until I had actually been teaching 2nd grade that I actually realized that being "teacher tired" was no joke. It is, in fact, a very REAL and indescribable feeling. If you are a teacher, then I'm quite confident that you understand what I mean. I feel this tiredness often, mostly on Fridays (as many of you know what I'm like on Friday nights). Very rarely do I experience a feeling that's BEYOND "teacher tired." However, right now, as my 2nd graders are thinking and talking about nothing else EXCEPT Christmas, the feeling is, well, just flat out painful. Don't get me wrong, teaching 2nd grade is my passion, and I truly enjoy what God has called me to do. However, there are certain times of the year (such as NOW) when I want to scream and pull my hair out! My kids are out-of-their-minds-wild, and I STILL HAVE 10 MORE SCHOOL DAYS BEFORE WE GET OUT!! 10!!!!!!! AHHH!!! That's right...we don't get out until Dec. 22. Try to find me that day, and you will see a very very happy (but really really tired) person. The fact that we don't have to go back until Jan. 8 is BEAUTIFUL though, and I absolutely cannot wait to sit around, play with Henry, spend time with my friends and family, and probably eat way more than I should....what a life.
The question is, though, WILL I MAKE IT UNTIL DEC. 22???

*note: the above picture is of my 2nd graders LAST year at Christmas...sure do miss those kids!

She's home! (well, for a little while anyway...)

Meredith's back in Starkville!! Yea!!!! Even though she'll only be here for a few months, I'm super pumped about having her here again. She left me last year when she got a job in Orange Beach, AL, BUT little did she know at the time that she'd be getting a nice little gift from her boyfriend and needing to be back home to plan her wedding. She and Vic (fellow Hebron graduate (: ) will be getting married here on March 10. A lot will be going on with her before then, and I'm so very excited about sharing it with her. Well, OK, I guess I'd be lying if I said I wasn't being A LITTLE bratty about her leaving me AGAIN in March. :) They'll be moving to Texas shortly after the wedding. Until then, though, Mere better be ready to play with me A LOT and probably make a few roadtrips to see our friend Claire in Birmingham (ANOTHER one of my "Starkville friends" who left me earlier this year...yeah, I'm still a little bitter). Some of my favorite memories are with the two of them. You really just don't even need to know details about the night this picture was taken of us...wow. Anyway, as Meredith's day gets closer, and as Claire prepares that rehearsal dinner "speech" (poor poor Meredith), I'll be talking more and more about them. They are definitely the kinds of friends that everyone needs, but most people aren't fortunate enough to have.

My little Max

This is MY baby, Max. He's 7 months old now, and this is a picture of us the day I got him. He's a great roommate, and he never complains about the fact that I go to bed super early. I talk about him a lot, so I thought it was only appropriate for me to introduce him to you now. He weighed only about 2 1/2 lbs when this picture was taken. Now, he probably weighs around 4 1/2 lbs or so, and I don't think he'll get much bigger. He started fetching when he was only a couple of months old, and I SWEAR it seems like he understands what I'm saying most of the time. I find myself talking to him OFTEN. He's a genius dog (ok, so I'm a little partial)! He has a little kennel that he stays in while I'm working everyday. At first I felt like a mother leaving her baby for that first time (well, I may be exagerrating A LITTLE), but he and I have both gotten used to it now, and he doesn't seem to mind staying in there while I'm gone. He's super excited when I get home everyday though. I've never had anybody love me so much! :)




Some people would call me "psycho" or "obsessed," but what's so wrong about sending out Christmas card pictures of my dog? I don't get it. I must share with you the picture that I sent out this year. Just so you know, trying to get a dog to pose for a picture in front of the Christmas tree takes TIME and PATIENCE! This one is almost perfect though. Yes, he IS wearing a santa suit (he didn't really get along too well with the hat, though). He's really excited about his first Christmas!!

I'M AN AUNT!

I'm very new to this "blog" thing, but I'll give it a try. Ever since my friends Jenny and Ryan Holloway had their beautiful twins, I've been checking their blog regularly, and thought this might be kind of fun. :)

I'm thrilled to say that my older sister, Kristen, and her husband, Rob, had their first baby December 1! His name is Henry Thomas Fyke, and he's absolutely perfect. He weighed nearly 8 lbs when he was born, and was nearly 3 week early! My poor sister wouldn't have been able to carry him too much longer! He and Kristen are both at home and doing well.

My younger sister, Heather, and I were both able to be there when Henry was born, and I was also able to see him the day he got home from the hospital. I'm already in love with his little face! Needless to say, I'm a very proud aunt! They live in Clinton, so I won't be able to see him too often, but I have a feeling I'll be there every chance I get. Isn't he adorable? Here's a picture of me holding him for the first time.

My parents are experiencing "grandparenthood" for the first time and they are unsurprisingly ecstatic about Henry. After having 3 daughters, I think my dad has always secretly wanted a son, so you can only imagine how he is reacting to having a grandson. They are both on cloud nine right now. It's weird seeing Kristen as a mom and my parents as grandparents, but I love it. This child will have no problem feeling loved!

I guess I need to brag a little now on the nursery that was created by my sisters, my mom, and me. It really turned out cuter than I had even imagined it would. Kristen was very pleased with it (and I think Henry likes it too!). It really is the cutest little boy nursery I've ever seen. I just had to show off some pictures of it. :)