Thankful

So I guess i'm getting a little ahead of myself with all this Christmas talk. Don't get my wrong...i LOVE Thanksgiving and don't want to just rush through this awesome Fall weather and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday to get to the cold and long winter that begins (and i'm ready for it to end) right as the Christmas and New Years Holidays are over. I actually hate winter...i love the fall cause I get excited about wearing warm clothes like turtlenecks, sweaters, cords, and jeans; but most years winter weather seems to stick around a little too long.
All that said, I need to take advantage of this cool Fall weather. It's always beautiful outside and I love to watch the leaves change. We were in the mountains last weekend for a wedding and the scenery was beautiful! And actually Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays! It's always a good reminder of how thankful we should be for all that the Lord has given us, but it is always the perfect holiday to put us right into the beginnings of the Christmas cheer!
The day after thanksgiving it's always been a tradition of me, Mama, and Court to wake up at the crack of dawn and make our way to the Harbison area to do some shopping, people watching, and just spend some good girl time together! It's always been something that I look forward to and I actually don't mind getting up at 5am when I know I get to spend the day shopping with Mama and Court. The funny thing is, we don't always do tons of buys, we just go look, and like i said people watch. Especially in the mall, there are so many people it's really pointless to try and get all your shopping done. But, even so, we go to have fun and as a tradition. This year Jonathan and I will be driving down to Charleston after we spend Thanksgiving lunch with my family. His family spends thanksgiving in Charleston and luckily they always do dinner on Thanksgiving night. Because i'll be in Charleston, Mama and Court have decided to possibly come down to do some "day after thanksgiving" shopping with me, Ro (J's mom), and some family friends of theirs. So we are changing things up this year, but i'm very excited and very thankful for my wonderful family, that has grown into two families since August!

Christmas is calling my name

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Ok, not really, but in my head it is. I realize it's still a little early, but i'm already getting in that Christmas mood. This is the first year I will actually decorate my own place for Christmas. Even though J and I will not be in our own home on Christmas day , I still am getting very excited to decorate our humble abode. I've already started buying ornaments, ribbon, and various decorations to fill our house with the Christmas cheer. I do have one dilema, we don't have a fireplace, much less a mantle. So, i've been debating on where I will be hanging our cute stockings that I got on sale last year at High Cotton in Irmo. As soon as I get the house decorated and decide on the perfect place for the stockings and for the tree, i'll take pics and post them. And i'm so pumped because I already got an early Christmas gift from J's mom. She gave us some of the Willow Tree Nativity Scene. I absolutely love it and can't wait to set it out. So see, i'm not the only one already getting pumped for the Holidays!

On another note, me and J still don't know what we are doing about Christmas. We haven't decided how we are spending the holidays. A lot of it depends on which days he gets off of work, but it's still gonna be different for both of us as we spend our first Christmas as a married couple, trying to spread our time out between two families. I'm excited about spending my first Christmas with Jonathan, no matter where we are! I'll keep you posted on our holiday schedule as we figure that all out...because I know you really want so badly to know where we will be every waking moment of the Christmas season!

Ok and one last thing: I need some advice. I've been working here at this employment agency for over a month now. Since I started I have taken on many new roles in the marketing and staffing areas of the company. I'm ashamed to tell you exactly how much I make, because it's such a small amount that you wouldn't be able to quit laughing. So, needless to say I need to ask for a raise. I am doing as much if not more than the owners of this place and feel like I have already emplimented new ideas and have made some money for this company by getting new job orders! I have the right to ask for more money...right? Any ideas on how to go about asking for a raise????

VOTE 2008

Have you voted yet??!?!?!
I'm sure the lines are T-Terrible, but please don't let that stop you from voting! I had to do an absentee ballot because I am not registered in Georgia yet, but I guess i'm lucky I don't have to get out and stand in line for hours. I'm getting kinda nervous about the outcome, but at the same time, I have to remember that no matter what happens, it's God's plan!

Anyway, on to more exciting news: Court started her very own blog!!!
The link is over to the side under "Fun Links"...so go check it out.
Also, a big shout out to Courtney Shelton as she turned the big 26 yesterday! Happy birthday Court!!! Hope it was fantastic!

So yesterday I got home from work and on my front "stoop" (no we do not have a porch) was a big heavy FedEx box. I was very curious and excited to open it because I hadn't ordered anything recently and it had my name on the box. All I could think was a late wedding gift! And it kinda was...it was our sample wedding album. It was the album of all the 4x6 pictures that our photographer took. From this album we are to pick out 60 of our favorite pictures to go into our big wedding album. We get to keep this sample album and we have the copyright to make copies of any of the pictures. With the album was also a CD of all the pics. We had fun sitting down last night after dinner looking at all the pictures and reliving that awesome day!!! And let me tell you, there were some funny pics from the reception of our friends and family dancing the night away. As soon as I get them on my computer from the CD i'll put some on the blog.

It's Been A While

Married life is so great I haven't even had time to blog! haha, jk!
But yes, married life is great! Jonathan and I are now settled in our home and staying very busy. Every weekend we have been traveling for either football games or weddings. We have been to more weddings than I can count. But I love weddings, so that's been fun for me...it's a different story for J! During the weekdays, we are both keeping busy with work. I started a new job in Augusta, working in an Employment Agency Office doing marketing and staffing. Since the last time I blogged, or should i say Alyssa blogged, I decided to apply for grad school. I want to get my master's in Speech and Language Pathology. So, i'm going through the application process right now. This saturday I am actually taking the GRE. I need your prayers for this one...i'm not the best tester, so I would def appreciate your thoughts on Saturday around 12:30.
Other than that, we are doing good and getting adjusted to married life. So far, so great! Being married has been a lot of fun and I know it will only continue to be!

I promise i'm gonna start doing better about posting! Oh and guess what?!?!?! The best news of all....me and J are going to be an Aunt and Uncle! As of two weeks ago, we found out that Court and Ryan are preggers! WAHOOO!!!! Can't wait for that little baby to get here! Court is starting a new blog too, so i'll post that as soon as I get the address!!!

The Truth about Cameron's Husband-to-be

Ok so Im sure everyone who reads this either knows J or has heard all about him from Cameron. Well the chances are that you don't really know the real jonathan and the truth is that everyone needs to know. There are some little known facts about him that should be public knowledge. I am basing my knowledge off the the past five years of friendship that me and J have experienced and the fact that my husband lived with the little guy for three years. Here are some facts in random order that I feel everyone should know to get to know J a little better...

- He is a complete computer nerd

- He arranges his clothes in rainbow order in his closet

- He is cleaner than Danny Tanner

- He LOVES corndogs

- He has had a crush on Cameron since freshman year

- He has a weak stomach and a slight tendency to throw up in a second

- Hes pretty good at soccer (when he's not hurt)

- His middle name is Renee

- He loves it when you put Merry Christmas on his door in dye cut letters

- He has more clothes than any man should.

- He's obsessed with cameron.

- Beware if he ever shouts at you "GO AWAAAAY!"

- Sometimes he likes to hold Matt's hand

- He has Christmas Jeans

- He's strong as an ox and can feel like dead weight when he leans on you

- He's WAP Dave reincarnated

- He used to love hemp bracelets

- He is part of "the team" and Cameron is not

- He loves egg drop soup

- Lastly, he REALLY loves corndogs

That is all for now, hope you know just a little bit more about our little friend Jonathan Renee Anderson!

From you Guest Writer- Alyssa Cogdill, the other half of "the team"

Book Worm

My new favorite hobby:
READING!

Yes i'm a dork, but ever since the beach, I have been an avid reader. I'm currently on my fourth book. I've already read two books by Karen Kingsbury and one by Emily Giffin. My next two reads will be "Something Borrowed" and then "Something Blue", these are also by Giffin. I can't fall asleep at night until I read at least a chapter...i feel like i'm in elementary school again trying to get my "book-it" points. So yeah, i'm a huge nerd, but if you haven't read a good book in a while and need a way to relax, I would def suggest it!

I even bring my book to work and secretly read while discretely hiding the book under the desk. I'm pretty sure that would not be acceptable to leisure read during working hours, but oh well, i don't feel too guilty about it.

So i'm still looking for a job in Augusta. The Lord is teaching me patience and trust in a big way right now. I've been praying through some verses to calm my heart and help me realize that God has it all under control!
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails"
-Proverbs 19:21

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."
-Romans 12:12

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
-Philippians 4:6

It's actually not too bad when I start to think about it. Life would be boring if there were no "unknowns" in life. If everything was laid out for me and I felt like everything was already planned out, what excitement is in that? NONE! God is showing me that he doesn't want me to always know what the next step is. He wants to be the one that determines that as I continue to learn how to life each day for him. So, i'm very excited about the job that is to come, even though i don't know what that job might be, it's out there and soon enough, God will open that door for me.

Wedding updates:
-invitations went out last week
-made final decision on wedding cake...yummy!
-PC friends are throwing J and I a lake party this weekend...can't wait!!!!
-going next week to get programs printed

There is a lot going on between now and August 16th, so i am hoping the time will fly. I'm so ready to be married and be able to celebrate with all our friends and family on our wedding day!
But at the same time, I am trying to enjoy each little thing about being engaged. It's so easy to want to rush everything along and mark off the days on the calendar until the Big day! But we have a lot to look forward to that comes in between now and then as well. 3 more showers/parties, my bachelorette party, J's bachelor party, 2 weddings to attend, etc.

And those down times when we don't have ribbons to tie on programs, itineraries to type up, or out-of-town guest welcome bags to fill, those will be the times when you can find me once again, READING a good ol' book!!!

Mr. and Mrs. William Michael Bennett Boyd

The worst part about going on vacation is having to come back to work and be busier than ever trying to catch up from being out a whole week. But, it's official...as of August 1st, I will no long be employeed by the Midlands Authority for Convention and Sports Tourism. Yes, that's right I finally told my boss that i'm leaving. The bad news is I have to find a new job. Probably one of the hardest things to do...especially when you really don't know what kind of job you want. So while i'm figuring all that out and trying to keep in mind that the Lord has my life all worked out, I'll show you some pictures from the wonderful Pursley-Boyd wedding weekend!

The wedding was 2 weeks ago, and the happy couple is already back from their honeymoon. The whole weekend was fabulous. We all had a great time. Jonathan and I both were in the wedding party, always fun!!!

Catie and Will, I love you both and i'm so happy for you!!! You're wedding was awesome and everyone had a blast and a half! Can't wait till I move to Augusta so we can all hang out more!

The B1 roommates (minus Kathryn) at the Bridesmaid's luncheon

The dashing bride and groom at the rehearsal dinner

Me and JJ at rehearsal dinner

Beautiful Bride

Bride and Groom!!!

Awesome Cake!

CHEESE!!!

You have got to be kidding me!

When gas is $3.85, I go as long as I can before stopping to fill up again. I drive slower, I don't accelerate as fast, try to keep the air conditioner off as much as possible, and all of this to help my tank get a little better gas mileage. If I drove a little car, I probably wouldn't have to worry about this as much, but when you go and fill up your tank and you pay a good $110, your heart drops and you want to cry. Yes my friend, you read it right...$11o.

Yeah it's terrible, and I don't wish this upon anyone!
Ok, point of me telling you all this....I ran out of gas on the way to work this morning!
I got in the car and realized first thing that I needed to get gas. I thought I had enough gas to get me through town in order to find the cheapest gas station. I just refused to pay $3.85...i had to find cheaper and I knew I could! Well, God intended for me to pay that $3.85 cause he made sure I didn't make it to find cheaper gas...or to a gas station at all. All the sudden as I was driving down the road, I feel the car jerk and realize I have very little power steering and can't accelerate at all. I pull over on the side of the road and call Trish to the rescue! Thank goodness I was only about 10 mins from my house.

So when i'm actually trying to save money, it backfires on me. I run out of gas and I end up having to get gas at the next closest station and of course it was $3.85 per freakin gallon. I know this is cheap compared to some cities out there, but for us in the little ol town of lexington, I know there is cheaper!!!

There you have it, my wednesday morning saga!

Pictures!!!

CATIE's BACHELORETTE PARTY

Saturday, June 7th

Catie with her new house decor (PANTIES)

Opening some lingiera (sp??)

THE garter with Catie's initials added

(we met up with all the groomsmen that night for dinner)

The Happy Groom and Bride

Me and the future hubby!

Catie with all her PC bridesmaid's

SOUTHERN LIVING SHOWER

Sunday, June 8th

All my wonderful hostess


Some of the SL items on display



Me and my MOH

Me, Jess, and Alyssa (2 of my bridesmaid's)



Mrs. Marie to the rescue, always prespared to sew on a button for a friend!

funny? or not so much?

I have pics to post from this past weekend, consisting of Catie and Will's bachelor/bachelorette bash and my Southern Living Shower. So those are coming as soon as i have a second to actually sit down and download the pics on my computer at home.

On to other things, i'm so ready for a vacation. I feel like i've been going none stop for weeks on end and i'm ready to just CHILL!! 10 days and counting until Edisto! You should see how big VACATION is written on my desk calendar! This is going to be the first family vacation i've been on since middle school. Okay I could be exagerrating, but it's been a while since i've been on a full week vacation with the fam. Me, Mama, and Daddy are going to Edisto from Sunday, June 22nd to Sunday, June 29th. Court and Ryan will come down later that week and we have a few other fun visitors (Jess, Carol, Shelby, Henry) that will be joining us for a few days here and there. So needless to say, i'm so ready and so excited. Only sad part is, J prob won't be able to come. He is having to save those vacation days for the honeymoon.

Edisto Beach is a place where time slows down. There is nothing to do but lay on the beach all day, go for long walks, cook dinner, and sit out on the porch and enjoy the ocean view. Yes I know I sound like a grandma, but it's awesome. There are only a handful of restaurants and one or two gift shops, so really when I say there is nothing to do, there is NOTHING to do. Funny thing is, that's the reason I love Edisto so much. The week will (hopefully) go by at a slugs pace.

You know i've been busy when I tell you that I haven't even had time to watch the season premier of LifeTime's "Army Wives." It comes on Sunday nights at 10pm. I made sure it was was TiVo(ed) cause after the busy and exciting weekend I had, I was passed out by 10pm. Well you would have thought by now I would have had time to sit down for an hour and watch the dang show. Nope. And I won't get home till late tonight, so I guess it will have to wait until this weekend. and P.S. if you don't watch this show, it's awesome. The first season of Army Wives started last year. Court got me hooked and we've been obsessed ever since. I've been looking forward to this season for a month now and when it finally came on, I was too tired to watch (what's new?).

On to bigger and better things...so i've made a decision. My blog is not funny enough. I am just lacking in the creativity section. Yes i blog about what's going on in my life, like what showers i have or who's wedding I went to, etc. But I need funniness! You need funniness! It's boring and needs some sprucing up. So, i'm sorry for the lack of laughs you have had from my blog. I realize i need to make it funny and i'm gonna do my darndest (is that a word??).

Thank you notes!!! I've had two showers and I'm already seeing why when I get thank you notes from newlyweds in the mail, they are usually have messy handwriting and say the same thing as every other thank you gift i've gotten. I understand...it sucks sitting down and writing basically the same thing over and over. You get to the point where you aren't even thinking about what you are writing and then you mess up and have to start again, oh it's terrible. Ok well it hasn't been that bad yet, but i'm just imagining all the thank you notes i'm gonna have to write for wedding gifts and it's not gonna be fun. I've already decided that J will be taking care of all the Atlanta thank you notes. So far i'm on top of these shower ones and I don't mind them, but I might have a different attitude about them after the wedding! jk...i prob should not be saying this before the wedding when some of the people that read this are invited to the wedding and will prob not give us a gift now cause they think that I won't appreciate it enough to write a sincere thank you note. So to all those that think that way, it's ok, I am just kidding and really love to write these thank you notes and appreciate all the time, money, and effort it takes to pick out a wedding or shower gift for someone.

So now that i'm choking on my foot, i'll end with this thought:

Cardboard Testamonies

My computer wouldn't let me upload a video so just click on this link.

You can't watch this and not cry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvDDc5RB6FQ

First Shower

This weekend me, mama, and J traveled to Atlanta for my first shower. J's aunt and his mom's best friend hosted a beautiful and awesome shower. We all had so much fun and I got tons of gifts. Everything from a Kitchen Aid Mixer to some of my everyday china. All the ladies I met were so sweet. J's grandparents were even able to come down from Florida for the weekend. His grandmother, Nana, is the sweetest lady in the world. I'm so glad mama got to meet some of his extended family before the wedding. J spent Saturday golfing with his dad, brother, and granddad. As we dropped off J in Augusta on our way home yesterday, we unloaded all the gifts in our house. I can't wait to go to Augusta this weekend and unpack and organize everything around the house. And you should be so proud of me, I already wrote all the thank you notes! Okay, well I at least I was proud of myself, and already dreading having to write the millions of thank you notes for the wedding gifts, J will def be helping out on those!

Me with all the wonderful hostess'

All the gifts (notice the blue superman bag, a gift I had to take home that was just for J :))
The delicious food table

Playing a fun trivia game about Me and J

Mama and J's mom (Ro) thinking they can fit into one chair together...haha!

opening gifts

Meredith made me a bouquet out of all the ribbons from the gift wrap

Sweet Summertime

This past Saturday me, mama, and J went to Charleston for Lauren Tober's wedding. We spent all day before the wedding, hanging out with Shelby and Henry. We were amused all day by watching Henry get into EVERYTHING. He is def. the cutest thing in the entire world. Thanks Shelby for being the best Hostess!!! We had an awesome time!

As of Monday, it's officially summer for me. Monday was the first day spent on the lake, so to me, summer has begun! It was the perfect day. Court, Ryan, Mama, Daddy, J and I all had the day off work for Memorial Day. We packed a picnic for lunch and spent the day soaking up the rays. The weather was great, not too hot and not a bit cold! When we got home, we grilled out and had dinner outside on the back porch. It was the best way to spend the Holiday!!

lovin life

Wow is it hard to come back to work when you've been out for three days straight. It's my second day back at work since I had the ol' teeth cut out. I really could have come back on Monday, but i decided to stay home with mama and hang out with her all day. It was actually a very busy day, full of accomplishments. We got to meet Hanna for lunch and see the big ROCK on her hand! CONGRATS HANNA AND JOHN ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT!!! I am so excited for you! Then we ran errand after errand getting things checked off the wedding list.
So now here I am caught up with all my work and bored again! But hey, at least it's only a 4 day work week for me and then I get next Monday off for Memorial Day! Woohoo!

On another note, I want to thank Dr. Mama and Dr. J for taking good care of me while I was recovering this past weekend. I couldn't have asked for better caretakers! We had a relaxing weekend laying around watching movies and eating ice cream and jello. Thanks you two for being so sympathetic to such a wimp like me who can't take the pain! I love you both!

So I can't remember if I already posted about this but last Tuesday I had my portrait taken at PC. The weather was absolutely perfect and me, mama, and courtney had the best time! There were several different places on campus that I wanted to have my portrait taken, and I found it easier to walk from place to place instead of getting into a car with the dress on. So from the walking around campus with a wedding dress on (not what you expect to see everyday on PC's campus) to getting honked at a million times and people yelling "don't do it" out their windows, it was a very interesting, funny, and exciting afternoon!
I can't wait to go see all the shots the photographer took! As you probably can tell by how much I talk about it, the thing i'm most excited about for the wedding is the photography. Travis Bell really is amazing and I can't wait for everyone to see his awesome work! I just think that photography is so important on your wedding day because it's the only thing that is left after the day is over. It's what we will have to show for all the money and time spent, so to me photography is well worth every penny!

YAY for the wedding being only 87 days away, everyday i'm more and more ready and excited for August to be here! The time is going by pretty fast, but not fast enough! And the big thing right now that i'm trying to focus on is finding a job in Augusta. I'm praying hard that God will open some doors between now and August and show me where He wants me. So if you want to put this little tid bit on your prayer list for the next few months I would greatly appreciate it.

HATE SPEECH by Ryan Molony

Today we have a guest post by my very strange, yet hilarious brother in law:

"Let's talk a little American Idol. I hate Paula Abdul. I know that hate is a strong word, and I mean it in the strongest way. You would think somebody with that much money could present herself a little better. She looks hideous every Tuesday and Wednesday night. If her appearance wasn't enough to make me sick already, her comments make me want to jump off the roof of my house (which wouldn't hurt because most of you have seen my house). If she says, "oh david, I could see your soul shining through and I've never been so proud" one more time........ Speaking of pure hatred, not a fan of Ryan Seacrest or Randy Jackson either. Seacrest likes boys and Randy talks like he is a 7th grader trying to "fit in". With all of that said, the reason I can stomach these other morons is because I am in love with Simon. I don't care if it is all a show, he makes me laugh and he says exactly what I am thinking. The only thing he hasn't done is backhand Paula right off the stage........by the way, my heart is really not filled with this much hatred....it is only for the blog......but I really do hate Paula."
-Ryan Molony

i'll probably look like a chipmonk...

First and foremost...HAPPY (late) MOTHERS DAY to my wonderful mama!!!!
I love you mama and hope yesterday was as fun for you as it was for me and Court.
Courtney and I cooked brunch for mama after church. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and then me, mama, and daddy went and walked the dam. It was a great day!

Tomorrow me and mama are running around all morning going from appointment to appointment before we have to be at PC by 3 oclock for my portrait. Our photographer agreed to travel to PC to take my portrait. I'm so excited cause PC is such a beautiful campus and that being where me and J met, I wanted to have my picture taken there.
Wednesday i'm back at work for the last day this week, because on Thursday I have my wisdom teeth taken out. Which i'm not looking forward to, but the good news is I only have 2 days of work this week. Just wanted to fill everyone in on my excited and eventful week! Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday!!!

and the COUNTDOWN begins

only 100 days until August 16th!!!!

Pictures of our house

The outside view of our little home :)

Several angles of our kitchen

The two barstools I got for my bday

My green couch and little red chair

J's favorite piece of furniture

Pieces of our bedroom suite

Making a toast to celebrate our new home

Georgia on my mind....

This past weekend was spent moving Jonathan into our new place in Augusta. I took the day off of work on friday because I had to be there for the bedroom furniture and couch to be delievered. Both of our families came to help with the move on Saturday, and on Sunday Jonathan and I spent most of the day cleaning and getting things in order. Today the cable service gets hooked up so J doesn't have to be in a silent house all by himself...he will have the TV for entertainment and background noise. For almost a month now he has lived without a TV, pretty impressive I might say. So you can imagine why now that he is in his own place, the first thing we bought on Friday night after he got off work, was a new TV.
Thanks to both my parents and Court, and J's parents and Josh for coming up on Saturday to help out. It was fun to have everyone together!
The place is really coming together and there are still a lot of things we need and want, but I'm trying to not be so impulsive and remember that we don't have to have EVERYTHING right now. Our next big purchase is a washer and dryer. Don't you hate spending money on things that aren't fun and exciting? But at the same time I can't live without clean clothes!! I can't wait till August when i get to enjoy living there, but i'm glad I have all summer to get it decorated and looking good!!!
Can't wait for everyone to come visit!
I'll post pictures after I get them uploaded onto my computer.

Announcement

click on the link below to see our engagement announcement that was in The State paper yesterday...

Thain - Anderson Wedding