Friday, December 3, 2010

Whip My Hair...?

Christmas Version!!

The Hatmaker housebold (cool, huh?) has been anticipating the arrival of Christmas. Is it just us, or does it seem like the Christmas season came WAY early this year? Halloween was over and it was Hello, Christmas! We decided that we would not do any decorating until after Thanksgiving.

Last year, Drew and I decided to do something each year to get us into the Christmas spirit. Last year it was Christmas lights at Dollywood and going to see the Radio City Rockettes. This year, we decided to take in the Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Lexington. Drew loves Christmas music and had been telling me about their cool Christmas music. I wasn't sure what we were in for, but I did ask if there would be singing. To which Drew told me no...lights and music.

Our seats were in the Upper Level and some people (uh-hum in the wrong seats) were taking up way to much room on our row. After stuffing ourselves into a very small section we were ready for the Christmas spirit.

Enter the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (or the TSO as they like to call themselves)




Let me just set the scene for you. 3 long haired (I mean long)men playing the electric guitars, 1 long haired drum player, a long haired girl keyboardist, and a medium length keyboardist. Plus, let's not forget a medium length crazy Chinese violin player who runs fast while playing. Overall look: 80's Rock Band. No joke.




The Christmas music; which included lots of singing, circled around a story that started in a bar then talked about a dad and a girl, then back to the bar, and something with an angel. It was confusing, but the story teller was AMAZING. Great voice plus during the music he danced. Hehehe

Trans-Siberian had been playing for about an hour, we thought. They started announcing the singers and talking about the second half of the show. Whoa...we looked at each other. Second half? Yes, minutes later they came back to play another hour of rock music. Christmas was over. Sorry to the old ladies in their Santa hats. I leaned over to Drew and asked him what he thought all these people who came just for a Christmas show were thinking. He responded probably the same thing we were.




Back to the hair... the long, free flowing hair was to whip it. Everywhere. They ran...to the left...to the right... up... down....into the crowd...up the stairs. All the while, whipping their hair just like they were in Willa Smith's video. Even the singers, who became dancers in the second half, whipped their hair. We went from Christmas to sexy Valentine's day in a matter of minutes. The show ended up lasting about... 2 1/2 hours.

Needless to say... this was a very interesting experience. While the music was pretty cool, it wasn't the Christmas show we had been hoping for. It was highly entertaining though. Afterwards we went to Wal-Mart listened to Christmas music and bought more decorations. That put us in the spirit. :)

Looking forward to the holidays!

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Red Hot Reads

I know.. I know... I have been non-existence in the world of blogging recently. Drew reminds me daily of my lack of writing. It isn't that I don't have things to write about.

With the weather turning chilly, I find there is nothing better than to crawl into bed or curl up on the couch with a good book. I would totally start my own book club if I could.




I don't know about the rest of you, but I LOVE the movie The Blindside. I found the whole story very inspiring and longed to know LeAnn Tuhoy. She is pretty much kick ass! I highly recommend picking up their book and curling up with it. It is defintely a feel good read.

The Tuhoy's were givers way before Michael Oher came into their life. Selfless giving, no matter who, no matter what. They didn't always have the money to give to others in their community, but they gave and they let lots of young people come and stay with them. We all could be more like the Tuhoy's no matter in what capacity. We don't always have to give money, but we can give in our time and most importantly, in our love and compassion.

Drew and I recently went to our local Barnes and Nobles with a list of books to purchase. I tried to get them from our local Paris library, which I am a card caring member of, but sadly, they didn't have them.



My first read out of the stack was "I Do, Now What?" Now, I know not everyone is married and this book might not be for all readers, but if you are married, I highly recommend. I love Guilanni Rancic on E! News and I think her and her husband Bill Ranic are TOOO CUTE!

I wasn't looking for marriage advice, but I was interested to see what they had to say. Guilana and Bill are very open from everything to in-laws, gift giving, and of course, sexy time. They give tips, not do this, do that advice, but also share their personal experiences, struggles, and adventures in love, marriage, and friendship. All which should be there to make a beautiful, strong marriage. It's funny, insightful, and full of love.

I am now on to "Dirty Sexy Politics" by Megan McCain. I have heard some great reviews on it and am excited to crack it open tonight.

Stay warm and happy reading!!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives



At the Hatmaker residence we watch a lot of Food Network. Because we are frequent travelers as well, we love shows that showcase restaurants across the U.S.; in hopes that we will be in the same place as one of these establishments. One of our favorites to watch is Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives.

On a recent episode there showcased a place in Kentucky that just so happens to be a short 35 minutes from Paris. Since we didn't have a sale this weekend, Drew and I decided to embark on an adventure and check out a famous place.

Our destination was Wallace Station's nestled in between Versailles and Midway. It is really convienient to get to off of I-64. We arrived at about 2:00 p.m. hoping to miss the lunch crowd. There was a small line when we arrived, but it got longer behind us. Everyone in line had never been there before and had seen it on DDD.



The building is super small. There are maybe 15 tables/booths in the restaurant, but there is a patio out back with live music on the weekends. While waiting for your food you can check out the simple decor of horse farm hats and featured magazine and newspaper articles. One of the coolest things stenciled on the wall lets visitors know that Guy Fieri was here.




I ordered "The Big Brown" which is the best burger. Guy Fieri named it one of the top 5 burgers he has ever eaten. It is like a Hot Brown on a burger with ham, tomato, and White Cheddar Mornay, which they make. Oh yeah, and they make their own bread. Drew order "Sammi's Pimento Cheese Burger" made with homemade pimento cheese. The burgers come with chips and to complete the Kentucky experience we ordered Ale-8's. A Peanut Butter cookie and Cheesecake Brownie completed our order.



The Big Brown might be one of the best, messist burgers I have EVER eaten. With every bite their was ooey-gooey cheese all over my face and hands. It took me 11 napkins to clean up the mess, but it was well worth it.



After our delicious, T.V. worthy lunch we went to historic Midway where they had a cute, pricey little antique area that was perfect to walk off our lunch.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

View from the Block



Well, it is official. The start of the fall sale season is officially underway for DP Sales Management. We have finished up the Georgia/Alabama Simmental Solutions sale on Saturday.

The start of sale season means back to living in a suitcase and fitting laundry in Monday-Wednesday. For some people, it might not be the life, but we wouldn't trade it for anything. Drew was actually saying a week ago that he was ready for sale season to start because since the wedding, we haven't had anything to get ready for, plan, or go to. He was itching to hit the road again.

I personally love sale day. All the adrenaline and action that goes into making a sale successful. I also love my view. I get to sit on the auction block and run the computer. I import all the sale data into the program so that we know who bought what and for how much. I like to think I have one of the most important jobs. :)

As I have done this for quite sometime, therefore I have become quite accustomed to how things are run on the block. I highly enjoy listening to a good auctioneer. Some that I have worked with a lot I even have their tricks of the trade down. I took this picture today while listening to Colonel Tommy Barnes sell.



The view from the block is second to none. You see everything. The ringmen. People's bidding habits. All the cattle that enter the ring. It truly is the best seat in the house.

So here is to a awesome, successful sale season no matter what breed you might be in. Let the madness begin!

Monday, July 19, 2010

Need a little rustic elegance?

Beautify your space...

I love sentimental gifts. Things that come from the heart and have real meaning. I love to give them and I love to get them.

My bestest friend Devan who was the President of our State FFA Officer team is now sharing her creative talents with the world. What was once some doodling and gifts for friends is now bringing in the bucks! She gave us a piece at our wedding shower and a gift for our wedding. We love them both!



Since she is so talented, I wanted to share it with the rest of the world. You can buy her items of www.etsy.com. This is a really cool site where people who make things have an opportunity to share with the world.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/rusticelegancecrafts

Take a moment and give it a browse. She is just getting started, but has some super cute things to offer for your home or for the perfect gift!!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

I don't wanna grow up!



I am currently attending the American Junior Simmental Association Junior National Classic. I have been going to these events since I was very little with my parents, and was very excited to begin competiting and showing. My first junior national was in 1998 in Columbus, Ohio. Sadly, last year, in 2009 I competed in my last junior event as an American Junior Simmental member.

This year I am attending as a spectator. Let me tell you, it is hard. For 11 years, my family and I attended events all over the United States, from Monroe, Louisiana to Fort Collins, Colorado. Not only do you get the chance to compete in the contests, exhibit your cattle, but you also get to meet a lot of great friends.

As a junior member, I always competed in everything. My dad didn't really ever give me a choice, but I loved it. So, you can imagine my dismay, as I am watching the juniors around me heading off to do Public Speaking and Showmanship and feeling a bit left out. I was asked to help with the Mentoring Mixer and a few juniors asked for my help with their Sales Talk. It made me feel very involved to be able to help.

Growing up is awkward and weird. I am very happy to be attending junior nationals with my husband, but it makes it very weird. Married, grown-up, no longer a junior. Though I don't mind not having to do the early show mornings and breaking down heifers.

No matter if I am a junior, adult, or hopefully one day a parent of a junior, I will always love attending these events no matter in what capacity!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

We did it!

For the first time.... Mr. and Mrs. Hatmaker! :)


I know that I am way behind on the blogging, but with all that has been going on being faithful to my blog just hasn't been one of them.

But I can findly say that we are married!!! My blog name has super-duper meaning in the last few and right now because there is a lot of love coming from Paris! I mean we are newlyweds, right?

The big day was June 26th, but we of course have been on our honeymoon since then. What a glorious and beautiful day it was! Drew and I have talked a lot about how we did so much planning for so long and then to see it all come true was truly beautiful and amazing.

As a little girl you DREAM of finding your prince and having the most beautiful wedding, and boy do I think I hit the nail right on the head. I can not thank my wonderful parents, my new husband, and all of our friends and family for making it a truly special day and one that I will never forget.

We got married at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort and Spa in Lexington. They are wonderful to work with and will get you whatever you ask for. Drew and I even had a special girl at the rehearsal and reception that would get us anything we wanted. They even platted our food for us and got us drinks from the bar. The setting for the ceremony was a huge, white southern home called, " The Mansion." It was warm outside but I sure wasn't paying any attention. Only thing I was looking for was my handsome groom at the end of the aisle. Don't let him fool you, he shed some tears. :)



It was a magical day and I am looking forward to married life now!

Friday, June 18, 2010

One Person's Trash.....

is another person's treasure!

With the recent dispersal DP Sales Management had and the wedding in just a week, I have let my blogging skills lack. I apologize to my following and interested readers in letting you down.

Here is what is really cool about getting married... you get presents! Luckily, Drew and I have friends from across the U.S., therefore presents arrive at our house fairly regularly. With our floor covered it was time to find somewhere to put it all, but we didn't really have a place. We have been on the hunt for a corner cabinet since the first of the year but haven't had any luck.

My dear friend Lauren found some pieces at the Peddler's Mall in Nicholasville that she thought might work, so Drew and I headed over to see if there was anything we liked. Wow! The Peddler's Mall was packed full of interesting things. Here is our first awesome purchase.



This artwork is by Dwight Yoakam's wife. It was a set of three pieces but we just didn't have the room. I thought this piece was a steal at just $100. It now resides over our bed.

And low and behold we found something to put our new presents in. Not the corner cabinet we had originally set our for, but these pieces work a lot better in our space. It is of course already full of wonderful wedding presents.



To continue with our antiques/other people's goodies, Drew, my best friend Salena, and I set off to take in the 400 mile yard sale along US 27. This stretches from the state of Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky. It is on the list of 1000 things to do before you die, if you are interested.

We got up early on Friday morning to insure that we didn't miss any good deals. Salena was looking for children's books since she is going to be sharpening the minds of our children, Drew was looking for antiques and deals, I was the passenger.

A few of our purchases....

$5 steal...




Salena's purchase....



I came home with 7 peacock feathers that I got for free at a yard sale. There were in a vase and the lady told me that her mother (who had passed on) would want me to have them. Score! I did the best of anyone that day.

I know that some of my fellow bloggers and readers are into antiques! Right?

Friday, May 21, 2010

I can do anything...

There are days when things just don't seem to be going our way. We feel as if nothing is going our way. Sometimes, in the midst of wedding planning and sale seasons, I, too, feel that way. Then I saw this video....

To all my followers... we can do anything! we can like everything!




Have a great weekend!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

My southern mansion...

I realize that I have been incredibly awful with my blog posting lately. Things have been extremely busy here the last little bit, and for some reason I haven't been in the mood to blog. Though - I have had things to talk about.

The first weekend in May, every year (no, not the Derby) is the Cattlemen's Choice sale in Colbert, Georgia. I have been going down there for years for the sale. And every year, we pass by this old, dilabated home that you can tell has a lot of potential. Mom and I always dreamed of what we could do with it.

A few years ago while I was interning in Kansas City with the Hereford Association, mom called to tell me that it had finally been remodeled. She sent me a picture on my phone, and man was it beautiful.

I took Drew and tried to convince him to buy it for me when we were down there this past month, but no go. :( I always love to drive by it and picture myself living in it. So for now... all we can do is dream, but I thought I'd share it with you all. Go ahead and drool.....


Monday, May 10, 2010

Be our Guest...

First off, I apologize for the recent abstenece from the world of blogging. Life has sure been busy with cow sales, sheep sales, and oh yeah,that little thing called a wedding around the corner.




Last night though, Drew and I took a little time for a date night and headed to the Lexington Opera House for the final performance of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I love musicals. There is something about the costumes, the singing, and dancing that can transform you into a whole different world. This was my 5th musical that I have seen, but it was Drew's first.

It was FANTASTIC! The music was wonderful and the special effects for a smaller, touring Broadway production were extradionary. Of course, my favorite number was "Be our Guest" complete with dancing forks, salt and pepper shakers, and plates. It made you want to jump right out of your seat. One of Drew's favorite numbers was "Gaston" in the tavern which they did a really cool number with clanging beer mugs - almost like a step show.

We took this as a date night, but the crowd was quite diverse. I believe a lot of ladies got it for Mother's Day. There were families, little boys, husbands, and of course, the little ladies dressed up as Belle.

They will be announcing the new line up of Broadway productions coming to Lexington at the end of May, so we are excited to see what is coming to town. Drew now has the theatre bug. He said he was surprised at how much he actually liked it. :)

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Pearls for any age...

In my March Showers brings Happy Weddings post, I told you about a lady named Cubbie that attended my shower at Drew's mom's house. I have been patiently awaiting a picture of us together so that I could share her with the world.

Cubbie is Drew's stepfather's aunt (get that?). I first became obessed with Cubbie at a funeral I went to with Drew in Decatur. She was tall, elegant, and she was wearing pearls. It was destiny already. I watched her every move as she mingled with others.

From that moment on I wanted to know more about her and be friends with her. She loved pearls, as did I. We were soulmates. Emily, Drew's sister came up with the amazing idea to invite her to our shower. And that afternoon here she came down the driveway. I almost wet myself with excitement.

Now she was a hoot at the shower telling stories on her husband and how in love they still are after so many years. Unfortuntately, she did not wear pearls to the shower, but thats ok. In the midst of her story telling and a gift adorned with pearls, I couldn't help myself.

"I just think you are fabulous!" I said in front of all the attendees.

She was flabergasted with my statement. I told her that she wears pearls and I love pearls, and how great I just thought she was. Cubbie was beaming.

So here is Cubbie, myself, and Drew right before she left to go home.



I later found out she told Drew's Nana how touched she was that I said those things about her and she didn't really know me. We're bff's now though.

Paying tribute...

In January, one of my dad's clients Larry Rodgers from Pine Ridge Simmentals announced that he was going to be dispersing his young herd of Simmental cattle. Larry is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. He has a kind heart, giving to juniors and the beef industry, and has assembled an impressive set of Simmentals.

His ranch in south Georgia is BEAUTIFUL and is where Drew and I took our engagement pictures that you can check out on facebook in the Future Mr. and Mrs. So, of course, I was very upset when he decided to disperse. Larry has done so much for others and has been a great friend to my family.




You know how dispersals go, people question why you are getting out and there is a lot of talk. So I wanted to do something nice for Larry for his catalog. One evening when the DP #1, Dp #2, Drew, and I were out to eat I announced that I wanted to do a little project for his catalog. I wanted to get in touch with some of the Simmental breeders, friends, and supporters of Larry and his operation and have them write a small note about Larry and publish them in his catalog.

The catalog is in production currently so this weekend I sent out my e-mails concerning my little project. Immediately, I was getting responses back from those individuals stating how honored they would be to write something about Larry. I was overwhelmed by the response that I got so quickly and they were really good.

So... my little project got me thinking why we, myself included didn't take the time a little more often to tell people how much we appreciate them. Why wait for a dispersal to tell a man who is so kind and giving how much he is appreciated?

I know that I am guilty of it. I should tell Drew how gracious I am of him putting up with my crazy, wedding nonsense leading up to the big day. :) Or for my best friends tuning into my blog, or Crystal for inspiring me to do it and being supportive and actually reading it.

I'm excited about how my little project turned out and its not even in the catalog yet. I'm also going to give thanks to those around me - so thanks for reading my blog! You don't know how much it means to me!


P.S. - I wouldn't be a good sale manager if I didn't tell you to check out the Southern Heritage Dispersal at www.parkelivestock.com

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Extreme Makeover....


....Sheep Edition!


Most of you know that I am marrying a sheep man, prodominatly, but he does show and raise Simmentals as well. So..all is right in the world. When Drew and I got serious he told me that he wanted me to have a sheep and breed that I loved, and wanted to come to the barn everyday to see. So off I set to choosing the right breed.

I'll have you know that I have only ever had anything to do with sheep twice in my life. As a little girl, I showed in the Wool and Woolies at the Tennessee Valley Fair and a market lamb I purchased for $100 my senior year of high school.

But.. because I loved my boyfriend I wanted to jump right into the sheep business to prove I was committed. :) Therefore, off I sat to choose the perfect breed for me. Drew already had Hampshires and Natural Colored, both which I had ruled off because they had already tried to kill me. So about a year ago, Drew had some sheep consigned at a sale in Wooster, Ohio, and there they were. Border Leicesters! Small, cute, and wooly! Drew purchased a Border Leicester for a friend of his, but I immediately fell in love with her. I wanted to keep her. After a little negoiating I was the proud mother of a February Border Leicester Ewe Lamb named BETTY!


Now most sheep are loud and run around a lot, but Betty is far from that. She has loads of personality, loves to eat, and she RULES the pen. I can come outside and yell her name and she will talk back to me. Betty does chores, feeds the other sheep, and takes baths. Though her wool grows pretty fast, and with it getting hot Drew insisted that she needed to be sheared. BOO! I love Betty's wool because she is small and she looks like a little ball of yarn, but my shepherd (Drew) won and it was haircut time.

Before.....


Isn't she precious??

During.....


Yes, I was actually shearing her.

After...... :(


Afterwards, I called her Ugly Betty. I hope it grows back fast.

Betty "The Bada**" Border Leicester (her full name) is now naked. She says its nice to take her top off. :)

Sunday, April 11, 2010

And they're off..........


Most people believe that the greatest two minutes of horse racing takes place the first Saturday in May. A little thing known as the Kentucky Derby. Though if you are from the great state of Kentucky, you know that is not the case. Yes the Derby is cool, but you spend a lot of money for two minutes. That is why in Kentucky we love Keeneland more than the Derby.

Today was a gorgeous day so mom, dad, Drew, and I headed to Lexington to spend a day at the races. Keeneland race track runs in April and October, everyday of the week except Mondays and Tuesdays. Here is the great part...there are nine races a day. So instead of just one 2 minute race, you get nine of them!

We love taking out friends to Keeneland if they are in town during racing season. Though if you plan on visiting the horse capital of the world during April and October there a few "must know" before hitting the track.

Dressing Up: When people think of the Derby they think of hats and dresses. Well Keeneland has just that, especially in the spring. 80 percent of the people that come to the races dress up, so it is a great excuse to go out and buy a new dress or shirt and tie. Drew and I love to dress up for the races.



All Beef Franks: Once you get in the gate and get a seat, it is time for food. We suggest trying the All Beef Franks, they are delicious. If you want to try something Kentucky-ish, try the Burgoo and let me know how it is. Somewhere between the 6th and 7th race, I usually make an ice cream run. Of course, there is alcohol around every corner to counteract your betting.

Betting:
I will admit, I love to gamble. Not like I have a problem, but I'm way too chicken to do many things illegal so this is my only fix. What you need to know: $2 on horse # ___ to win, place, or show. Choosing your favorite horse to show allows it to come in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd; covering your butt in case you don't know much about horse racing. If you choose it to place it must come in 1st or 2nd, and choosing win - well you get that one. Of course, you can bet more money, but it is easier to lose just $2. Sometimes you can even make like $10 back on your $2, that is exciting! #12 was my big winner of the day!

People Watching: Perhaps, the best part of going to Keeneland is to people watch. From the drunk college girls in their heels and miniskirts to the rich horse owners, there is wide variety of people for your viewing entertainment.

One of my favorite stories today was a mother fighting her three year old little girl. This little girl was throwing a fit right in the middle of the horse viewing paddock. She was literally laying on the ground screaming. The nice security man came up to the mother and told her that the horses were going to be coming through and that this little girl howling would scare them. He then told her that she must move her child away from the area immediately. (I know that this will one day be me, but until then it is funny)

Although I want to go to the Derby one day, Keeneland will satisfy my horse racing-betting-people watching needs every April and October. If you are ever in the area during these months we would love to take you to the races! So here's an excuse to buy a hat and dress and off to the races.....

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Suzzy Homemaker hits Paris!

Move over June Cleaver...Holli is in town!

For the first time since the middle of February, we are home all week and all weekend. That is right, no sale for DP Sales Management this week! So, that gives me plenty of time to practice on my Suzzy Homemaker jobs around the house. I prefer to think of Suzzy Homemaker in some fabulous clothing and drinking a nice glass of wine while cooking dinner, but thats just a dream (or maybe me).

So here's a few of the tasks Suzzy "Fabulous" Homemaker and Drew Hatmaker (rhymes with homemaker) hehe.


Dying Easter Eggs: I hadn't dyed Easter eggs in a very long time, and I thought it would be a nice thing for us to do together.


Christmas in April!
As I told you in my previous blog, our Pampered Chef Bridal Shower gits were to arrive and boy did they ever! It was like Christmas! We thought we'd show off a few of our favorite items.

Drew's excitement...

A deep dish pie pan to make Granny's buttermilk pies. :)


Playing Princess: I took off to Lexington to play dress up with my cousin Amanda and her daughter Grace. Grace is going to be one of the flower girls in the wedding. We went to try on her dress, and of course, left with shoes and jewelry. All things she had convinced me to buy for her.

Monkey bread: This morning, it was 6:30 and I couldn't sleep. So I headed downstairs to the kitchen to see what I could get into. I couldn't fix breakfast yet because I knew Drew wouldn't be up, so instead I took to baking. Here goes Suzzy Homemaker. Drew had been wanting Monkey bread and the other night he found a recipe for it. So I tried it out. Now I'm not much to brag about things I make, but this stuff turned out great! It has all the right ingridents; lots of sugar, lots of butter, cinnamon, and biscuits.


Tonight, I'm breaking out one of the new Pampered Chef cookbooks to try a new recipe, and this weekend I'm going to attempt Pioneer Woman's famous cinnamon rolls. If anyone has any great recipes, I'd love for you to pass them my way!

Well, Suzzy Homemaker is off to make dinner. Whats for dinner in your house tonight?

Thursday, April 1, 2010

March Showers bring Happy Weddings!

Happy April Fool's Day! I'm not very good at this holiday because I believe everything. Drew and I have came to a truth that no one will try anything on each other.

Well, this past weekend Drew, mom, and I headed south to Tennessee for two more wedding showers. After a quick pit stop to visit his Mamaw we headed to the Knoxville Boat Club for our Pampered Chef Bridal Shower. Fancy, huh? We actually got to go through the Pampered Chef Catalog and pick out all the goodies we wanted.

Drew and I actually had to get up and do the cooking during the show. We made chicken club squares. Very delicious, very easy, and a great summer time dish.



We got a lot of great cooking goodies (guess that mean's I better learn to be a good cook). They are all suppose to arrive tomorrow! It will be like Christmas morning!! I'll keep you updated.

Next it was on to Drew's mom's house for the second shower on Sunday. Drew's Nana made chicken ball and punch..per my request and it was delicious. I even took my hand at making chocolate covered strawberries. Once again, we got a lot of great things. I guess thats how I can tell I'm getting older and becoming a married woman because I get excited about Pyrex and towels. :)

Perhaps the best was the arrival of Cubbie. She is a very fabulous 77 year old woman that I am not shamed to admit that I am obessed with. More about her later...I'm waiting on a photo. It made my day though.

The wedding showers (3/4)have made me realize how lucky Drew and I are for a great group of family and friends that are sharing in this special time together. And of course, it makes me realize how blessed I am to have found my man.

xoxo

Friday, March 26, 2010

What color is your blood?

Happy Friday Everyone!

I feel like this week has gone on forever, so I am very glad that it is Friday. We are off tomorrow to Tennessee for 2 and 3 of our wedding showers, but that's another blog post.

What I am most excited about today is the UK Victory last night!! I don't know about you all, but I love March Madness and I love UK basketball. Being a Kentucky resident, most of my entire life, of course, my blood is blue. I can remember standing in line as a young girl with my dad at the supermarket in order to meet Jeff Shephard. And once I became a UK student, I prayed that just one year while I was a student that they would be good, like Elite 8, kicking Cornell butt good. :) And this year is it! And I love it!

Now, many of my friends asked a very serious question when Drew and I started dating. Drew, of course, is from Tennessee; where they wear orange. It was only logical for my friends and family to be worried about which team he cheered for when it comes to ball. Luckily, Drew wasn't a huge sports fan, therefore I knew it was going to be an easy switch. I am very proud to announce that yesterday for the Sweet Sixteen game, my man was wearing BLUE!!! I was so very proud. :)

Waiting for the next game makes me sort of impatient, but hoping that UK can pull off another win in the Elite 8. Then it's off to Indy and I'm trying to figure out how I can get tickets. :)

Cheer for the Big Blue Saturday! Myself and the newest Cat fantatic will be!

xoxo

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Hello World!

So I finally did it. After much anticipation, I have finally gotten over my fears and started my blog. I'm not sure what I have to say, but surely with all the things going on in my life someone (hopefully other than Drew) will sit in to read this thing. But what I do have to talk about is LOVE. There is a whole lot of love going on in my life. Love that has lead me a great guy. Love of the beef industry instilled at a young age. Love for traveling, cows, people, and friends - near and far. Love for life.

With a wedding in 94 days :), and bridesmaids in 6 different towns and 3 states, I'm saying that this blog will also be a great way to keep everyone informed. But its not all about the wedding in my life, there is also things like the cattle business and a very busy sale season. Oh yeah, and this thing called learning to become a wife. So, we'll see how all this goes.

xoxo