Happy Birthday J!!!

Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man, husband, and friend I know!
I love you and hope this year is the best one yet!

Slumber Party!!!!

Yesterday Durham got to come home with Aunt CamCam to stay the night!

This was D's first slumber party with CamCam and JJ...what a fun time we had!

D had to first check out the house by exploring her way through

all the rooms, drawers, and cabinets.

We then played and practiced our numbers and letters with toys!

D was intrigued with watching Ellen!

We read, and read, and read some more!

We played dress up in CamCam's boots!

We had a delicious dinner of corn and apple sauce...yum!

We took and bath to get clean and ready for bed.

We got on our PJ's and brushed our teeth.

We begged JJ to drag us all around the house on the blanket!

We drank our night time milk!

And we finally chilled out for a little bit before heading to bed!

D slept right inbetween CamCam and JJ because when you have a slumber party with the aunt and uncle, you get to do fun things and skip sleeping in your crib!

Love you little D, we had so much fun playing and having you spend the night!

Here's to many many more slumber parties in our future!!!!!

free christmas cards

What's better than receiving Christmas cards in the mail at Christmas time?

FREE Christmas cards!

Shutterfly is giving away free Christmas cards to anyone who blogs!

I can't pass up a free deal!

Here are some really cute ideas....

Shutterfly not only produces great cards, but you can also design your own photo calendar, create a mousepad, coffee cup, tree ornament, collage canvas...the list goes on. There is nothing more personal than adding your special picture and your special touch to a gift like these!

I am trying to decide what to do with my 50 free cards this year. I may begin a new tradition, or i may give them to my sister so my favorite neice's picture can go out to many more mailboxes!

I can't wait to see which free cards all these bloggers choose!

If youre interested in getting your own free cards, go here!

A Fab Two Years!

Happy 2 Year Anniversary!

The past two years have been more than I could have ever asked for. I am so blessed to have married my best friend and can't wait to see what God has in store for us many years down the road! I love you babe and thank you for being you!

My Little D tuns 1!!!

I wanted to be the first to tell my little D happy one year birthday!

This past year has been such a joy and blessing watching Durham grow and change into a little lady! I love her more than I could ever have imagined loving a child, and that love continues to grow each day! This year has flown by and she has developed quite the personality. She knows what she wants and how to get it...and of course being the aunt, I give her whatever she wants!

And to say that her Uncle JJ is smitten with her is an understatement!

Durham,

We love you and are so excited about celebrating your birthday this weekend! We pray for many many more birthdays to come that we can watch you grow into the girl God has created you to be!

All our love and His,

Aunt CamCam

Uncle JJ

EDISTO

We had an awesome week at Edisto! Aside from the Thain crew, J's family, and even his Nana was able to be there the same week.

We also had some other fun visitors: Shelby, Henry, and Manning!!

It was a great week spent with family!

The weather was great and we did a lot of nothing...my kind of vacation! Laying in the sun, reading, laughing, and being entertained by all the little ones was the best part of the week!

A little update...

It's been forever, but I wanted to fill everyone in on my first two weeks as a grad student. First of all, it's not near as fun as undergrad, but the classes are much more interesting and i'm learning a ton. Actually one research class i'm taking is a bore, but what can you expect with a class called Educational Research? It's been keeping me very busy and I am so thankful that all of my TV shows have already ended for the season, because everyday after class, if i don't go to work, I come straight home and do not stop doing school work until around 11 or 12 at night. No more TV time for me! I'm not kidding you, and if any of you know me and my study habits you would find this hard to believe. But it's true, all I do these days is school, school, and more school. I'm hoping it will slow down when the fall semester starts but during the summer they cram so much into such a little amount of time, you are doing good to just keep your head above the water. I'm making some friends in my program and I really think i'm going to enjoy this whole grad school thing, even though it might take me a while to get back into the school mode. If it were not for Jonathan I don't know if I would have gotten through these last two weeks, he has been so supportive and loving through this whole process, and i'm so thankful for that!

A few things that have happened since i've started school (not even 2 weeks ago):

-written 2 papers

-taken many quizzes

-taken my first grad school test today and have another one on monday

-in the process of applying for a grant (please pray that I receive this, it will cover my full tuition if I get it)

-was in a minor "fender bender"(and yes it was my fault)

-went on the lake for the first time this summer

-went to a USC baseball game

-went wedding dress shopping with Jess

And a side note on that....Jess and her mom came to Augusta this afternoon to go to a few dress shops, so we went to lunch and then made our way to start trying on dresses. It was so neat and fun to see her in those beautiful white dresses! The whole experience made me wish I was doing that same thing all over again, but of course with the same guy! hehe We had so much fun as we pulled dresses from the racks not even looking at the prices, when we got into the dressing room we saw that the majority of the ones we picked were over $4000. Jess still found some beautiful dresses that were a little more reasonable! The second place we went was a joke. We couldn't get out of there fast enough, but didn't want to be rude so we pretended that she had found "the one," but she needed to sleep on it, and she would let them know soon. All the dresses were terrible and our consultant was even more terrible! At least we made fun memories! Thanks Jess and Carol for letting me join in on this fun and special time!!!

me, court, and jess at the USC baseball game

This weekend J and I are going to a wedding in Charlotte, next weekend is father's day, and then the following weekend we are going to another wedding, and then heading to Edisto for the week...this is what I have to keep thinking about when I get stressed about all my school work...a whole week at the beach and nothing to do nothing but relax! I probably won't blog much more this summer, but wanted to let you know that school is going good and i'm excited to finally start the process of my lifelong career!!!!

TAG!!!

Tag...you're it!

Court tagged me on this fun picture game...here's how you play:

1. open your first photo folder

2. scroll to the 10th picture

3. post the photo and the story behind it

4. tag 5 or more people

My first folder on our computer is Alyssa and Matt's wedding weekend! So, here is the 10th picture from that album. It's at Alyssa's bridal/bridesmaid's luncheon the day before her wedding. These are all of Alyssa's 11 bridesmaids (with Laura missing). The luncheon was held at Nonnah's on Gervais St. in Columbia and it was such a fun time! Alyssa was the first of our best friends from college t0 get married, so that whole weekend was an awesome time for all of us...i'll never forget it! Love all these pretty ladies!

I tag: Shelby

Soaking up the Rays!

No worries, I got to see my Little D this weekend. We made a trip to lexington on friday night just to see the cutiest little one in the world, and then made our way back home on Saturday night after dinner. I worked all day yesterday, and then we went out for dinner to our favorite, Mexican, last night with Catie and Will.

I have today off of work and I couldn't be more happy about it. Not only do I have tons of house work and spring cleaning to do, it's a beautiful SPRING day out. I just got done cleaning the house and i'm now washing/drying/folding heaps of clothes. Once i'm done with that i'm heading outside to sit out in the warm sun and spend a little time with the Lord as I work on my bible study. I also have plans to do some fun reading and relaxing as I soak up the rays! Later this afternoon i'm going on a fun walk with Catie after she gets home from school. What a wonderful, delightful day!

Hope you are enjoying this nice weather!

Miss my little D!

I haven't seen my little D since the weekend before last, and lets just say i'm missing her like crazy! Not sure when i'll get to see her again, but hopefully sooner than later...court's blog is great and all, but it doesn't do justice t0 seeing my DurC in person!

Great Super Bowl Appetizer Recipe

Guacamole has become one of my new favorite dips recently. Jonathan's uncle made some while we were in Florida over Christmas and I just discovered that our favorite Mexican restaurant has the best guacamole ever! For some reason I have taken a big liking to this fun dip and wanted to share a recipe I just saw on Oprah that looks so easy and delicious! I like my guacamole very creamy, so this recipe looked like a great one for me to try. Depending on what we do on Sunday night for the big game, I might have to make this and see how it turns out.

4 ripe avocados

1/4 cup white onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

2 limes , juiced

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 jalapeno , finely chopped

Directions:

Split the avocados along their sides and divide in half. Remove the pits.

In a ceramic or glass bowl, smash the avocados with a potato masher until smooth.

Add the next 5 ingredients, and continue to mash until fluffy.

Place one of the pits in the middle of the guacamole to help keep it from turning dark. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for about an hour before serving.

Serve with warm tortilla chips.

The Best Flat Iron to Ever Touch Your Hair!

I wanted to do a post for Kelly's Korner Show us Your Life, Beauty Tips and Favorite Products.

About a year ago my Chi straightener decided to quite working on me and one side of the iron didn't work. I can't go more than a day without my straightener so I had to splurge and buy another one that very day. I had only had it for a little over a year and I had always sworn by Chi. I never would use anything else, thinking it was THE Best! When I had to break down and spend over $100 on another one I wanted to make sure that it wasn't going to happen again and my mom told me about a flat iron that her hair dresser uses in her salon. I went out on a limb and decided to trust a lady that I personally don't even really like (the hair dresser, not my mom), because she has curly, thick hair and uses this iron on all her customers. I may not like the lady, but boy does she know hair. This flat iron is the best thing that has happened to my hair in so long! It's a Bio Ionic Itools Ceramic flat iron. I can't go back to a Chi now. Anytime we stay with my parents, my sister, and J's parents and I have use one of their Chi's instead of my Itools because i'm trying to learn to be a lighter packer, it just doesn't work the same. You set the temperature on it and it goes as high as 400 degrees. And with my hair, I def need the extra heat to smooth out all my kinks. Anyway, the point of this post is for all of those who still swear by their Chi's...next time you have to buy a new flat iron, take my curly, thick haired advice and try out, the same a little over $100 price, and get yourself an Bio Ionic Itools!!!

Quarter of a Century!

Jonathan turned 25 last Monday and we celebrated by inviting out families to town for the weekend! On Saturday the girls went shopping and played around town while some of the boys played golf. That night we cooked Beaufort Stew and had fun just hanging out! Jonathan did most of the cooking and it was more than delicious. I love you babe and hope you had a wonderful birthday! Here's to hopefully your best year yet!

Thanks to our families for taking time out of their busy schedules to come hang out with us!

J's favorite guest at his bday party: little D!

Do you see the trend the she eats ALOT!!!

Everyone helping with the cooking and eating appetizers in the kitchen

Jingle all the way!

Last Friday Mama, Court, and Durham came to our house to help me decorate for Christmas. This has turned into one of our traditions each year. It wouldn't be near as fun to decorate the house without mama and court's company. We had fun putting ornaments on the tree as we drank hot chocolate. I now love coming home to the pretty lights and walking in the door to see a lot of red and green! Thanks Mama and Court for helping me put everything in it's perfect place. And a big thanks to little D for keeping us laughing and keeping us distracted! I love you all!!!
Pictures don't do a christmas tree justice, but here are a few to show you the beautiful work of the Thain girls!!!
(P.S. Please forgive the terrible quality of these pictures. These are taken from a cell phone camera. Court still has my camera and I will finally get it back on Christmas day when she gets her new one. Aren't I a sweet sister to let her use my camera for almost 6 months? It's all because of how much I love my little D!)

Mama bought us this ornament at the Holiday Market this year!

Make-do place for stockings in a house without a mantle.

Dinning Room

I love having a storm door, but hate how it takes away from our wreath.

On Saturday night I went to my first Christmas party of 2009, and then yesterday I started wrapping gifts. There is a lot more to come for our busy schedule this December, but i'm so excited to celebrate our 2nd Christmas together!

My best friend!

I thought I would start out this holiday week telling you what I'm the most thankful for. The three most important people/relationships in my life are my Jesus, my husband, and my family. I fail each and everyday at letting all of these people know just how special they are to me.
I wanted to spend this Thanksgiving thinking about how I can be a better wife and how I can show appreciation to Jonathan and all he does for me. I will start with telling the world (bc the whole world reads my blog) how I am so thankful for his love and support. In all I do, he is always behind me, backing me up and encouraging me in my daily encounters. I never have to worry about his dedication to working hard and providing for our family. He works harder than any guy I know, sometimes working 10-11 hour days and without even complaining. Then I come home from an 8 hour day and grip over how tired I am, all the while he just sits there listening. Over the past year and 1/2 I have watched him grow so much in our Lord. I can see his determination to become the godly man he was created to be. I know it's not always easy having to be the spiritual leader of the household, and i know he struggles each day, but he is always wanting the Lord to teach him new things in order for him to grow and strengthen in his faith. The few things that have never changed with J, and I pray never do, are that he is always making me laugh and he loves my family as much as I do. God knew what he was doing when he brought Jonathan into my life. He isn't the same guy he was 6 years ago, and i'm so thankful for all the work the Lord has done in Jonathan's heart over the years. We haven't been married long, but I love being able to look back over that little bit of time and see the changes God has made in us. We went from being two selfish single beings, to two people trying to live each day providing for all the needs of the other. And that is not always easy my friend, and I know I have a long way to go. But I am so thankful that Jonathan chose me to spend the rest of his life with, spending each day trying to think less of himself and more of me. God def knew what he was doing when he created each of us for the other.
Thanks babe for all you do for me and for just being you! I love you!

NEW MOON

Last night, or should I say this very early this morning, I attended the midnight premier of Twilight Saga: New Moon with some of my work buddies. We saw Twilight at 9pm (for only $5), and then around 11pm headed into our allotted theater to wait anxiously for the movie to begin. Buying the $5 Twilight ticket was well worth it...a great way to pass the time, instead of waiting outside in a long line. Before I tell you how great the movie was, let me begin by telling you why I was so excited about going to see this movie. It all started back when I began working at the Gap. All my coworkers were and still are obsessed with Twilight. That's all they talked about, so I figured I might as well read the books so I can be a part of the conversations going on around the work place. After I finished the first book, I watched the movie and it was good, but I still wasn't hooked. I love to read in the summertime as I lay out in my back yard, so I didn't mind picking up the second Twilight book, New Moon. I finished this book in less than 3 days and would then say, I was hooked, or sucked in to this obsession, if you will. I read all four books and ever since we've all been anticipating the New Moon movie. I can't wait until Eclipse next summer!

Now that you know my story of how I began to love Twilight, now I can tell you how much I loved the movie. If you know me well you know that I don't do late nights very often. I fall asleep when it gets dark and I get comfy, so even in a movie theater I have been known to fall asleep a time or two. I was a little nervous that I was going to waste money on this ticket because I would just fall asleep, but oh no, this was well worth staying up for. I had to sit on the edge of my seat a time or two to make sure I was not getting sleepy, but I didn't close my eyes except to blink. This is def a movie I could go see again...it was awesome. I don't want to give too much away, but the only dissapointment was the ending. It just leave you hanging...but overall, I would def say it's much better than the first movie, Twilight.

Too early for Christmas? I think not!

So when is it too early to decorate for Christmas, to listen to Christmas music, to shop for gifts, to make a wish list???

I say it's never too early! It might be the fact that I now work in retail and it's hard to avoid Christmas anytime after the date of Oct 1st. We've had all our decor up, trees and all for 2 weeks now in the store. We started playing Christmas music last week, and we are already planning for all the "Black Friday" shoppers. (FYI, if you are one of those who gets up at the crack of dawn to shop on the day after Thanksgiving, stop by the Gap to get your Buy One Get One Free sweaters... we are also having this promotion on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving as well.) This all probably plays a big role in the reason why i'm almost already done with all our Christmas shopping. I only have a few more gifts left before I have my whole list checked off. This is not the norm for me, and I've always been one to say that you shouldn't do anything "christmas" until after Thanksgiving. Working at the Gap has changed my perception on this, and i'm not ashamed to say each day at work i've been not only enjoying the music, but i've been singing along and been in the cheerful christmas spirit. I wanted to decorate our house the week of Thanksgiving before we go out of town, but Jonathan said he would put a stop to that. He is a firm believer in the whole "no Christmas before Thanksgiving." So to fill that yearning of Christmas cheer, i've turned to shopping. I can't wait to start wrapping all the gifts and putting them under our tree. And who doesn't love some good holiday commercials, like our new Gap advertisement that just started playing. It's a little corny, and nothing can beat the old Oreo Christmas commercial with the little boy waiting up for Santa, but it still puts a little pep in your step to get geared up for the Holidays.

Ok, ok, I realize i'm seeming to forget all about a very important holiday on the calendar. But just so you know, i'm still looking forward to Thanksgiving and will do a post soon on Thankfulness. This is not a holiday to be taken lightly. I mean geez, who doesn't want to sit down with family and enjoy a delicious feast? I am very excited about next weekend, even though the majority of it will be spent working, I am fortunate enough and thankful that we get to spend thanksgiving day with our family! Because of my crazy work schedule, Jonathan's family was gracious enough to change their traditional thanksgiving weekend plans so that we could all be together on Thanksgiving day. My family, along with his family will be enjoying next Thursday all together as one big family in Lexington, and I can't be more excited about it! And it only makes it that much better that I get to eat fried turkey...which only happens once a year!

Fall Cleaning

I don't have to go into work until 5 tonight, so I had the whole day to do whatever I pleased. I started the morning with the Lord in a good quiet time, watched last week's private practice espisode, and then got bored. I have been putting off cleaning the house for a week now, and couldn't make excuses any longer. I love a clean house, but hate to clean. So i took the plunge and did a good deep clean throughout the whole house (a whole house that is only 1200 sq ft...haha). But, even though it's small, it still takes a while to clean the entire house at one time. But boy do I feel so good! I love it! The house smells great, but I feel dirty...thankfully I hadn't taken a shower before I started cleaning.

Now I get to look foward to my lunch date with Jonathan. He comes home almost everyday for lunch and when i'm home and not working, I love that time we have together!

Have a great fall day everyone!!!

Congrats to the future Mr. & Mrs.

Lacey and Kyle are getting married!

I am so excited for yall and can't wait to see all the great things God has in store for your future!

PC HOMECOMING

This weekend was homecoming at the greatest place on earth, PC. We came up Friday night and spent the night in Laurens with Court, Ryan, and Durham. Today we spent the day tailgating and catching up with old college friends. The weather turned out great and it was a beautiful day to spend outside! PC lost the football game, but all in all it was a fabulous day!

Cutest baby and cutest outfit (courtesy of Aunt Brookie) at the game...

The Proud Uncles...

Back at the house after the fun day, relaxing with little D!