My Sister's Wedding 9.20.08

Well, my sister's wedding finally came. It was a very intimate outdoor wedding at Bell Gable in Fayetteville. Her Reception immediately followed at the Walton Arts Center off Dickson. We had a great time. She rode up on her carriage at her ceremony and walked down the aisle for a lovely outdoor ceremony. I was her Matron of Honor! She had another Maid of Honor, Angela, and 5 Bridesmaids. They had 7 Groomsmen standing on the other side for PJ. She married PJ Ashford and became Mrs. Ashford that day! No one ever thought Tasha would get married, but she sure fooled us. To top it all, she was the most BEAUTIFUL Bride that I have EVER seen!! She should seriously model for Bridal Magazines!!! Just stunning! My husband was sick that day and missed the Ceremony and nearly missed the reception. He dragged himself out of bed and made it to the last hour of the reception. Poor thing! I was extremely gracious that he didn't miss all of it, though! I can't wait to see Tasha's pictures. She hired my friend, Chandi Gregory, to take her pictures and do her wedding video. If you have never seen her work, then you MUST!! She is by far the BEST in Arkansas - no doubt about it! Her website is: www.picturethisfilms.com. She has some highlights even from our wedding on her site. I took several pictures myself at Tasha's wedding reception, but my camera wasn't good enough to make add the needed light to the dark room... so, can't wait to see Chandi's work!!! Congrats Tasha and PJ Ashford! We are very proud of you two!

Our Sunroom is Finished!

On another note... I am so excited. 4 Seasons Sunroom finally installed our sunroom on our house. It is really cute and makes our house appear MUCH larger from the entrance into the home. Yeah!! We built it because we didn't have room for a custom made beautiful bar that a dear friend gave us last year for our wedding gift. Uh yes, I am serious... a $5000 bar w/stools as a WEDDING GIFT! Anyway, we couldn't part with it and there was no space for it in our new home, so we made space... fixed that problem... it only took $8500 to fix the problem, but we love it! I think it will be well worth every penny. We plan on entertaining more, now! We have an entertainment home for sure now! We are having a small house warming party (like 8 couples this weekend), but we plan on having a much larger party soonafter. :) I'll keep you posted. We love it! My mother-in-law and I worked on landscaping flowers/bushes/etc this past Monday as well... it turned out perfect! Enjoy the pics!

My Missing Camera

I am bitter... just bitter that I lost my darn camera. Ugh!!! I hosted my sister's Bridal Shower at my mother's house this past weekend and took LOTS of great pictures. Later that day was my step-dad's surprise 50th birthday party... took lots of pictures. After that, one of my dearest friends (Andrea Fields "Elmore") came into town and we had a girls night out and took great pictures with Sheena and some of our other friends. Uh... gone. That last darn time I had it was at the end of the evening in Fayetteville at Buster Belly's on their patio. We were the LAST 3 people there and the employees there were cleaning up the patio. Ugh... which means... if they don't have it, then one of the employees pocketed it. Makes me so mad just thinking about it. The sad thing is that in a 7 hour time frame that evening, I only had 2 drinks... so, I can't blame it on the alcohol!! Hmm... Buster Belly's keeps giving me the run around too. I've been calling and calling and they don't usually return my call, but when I do talk to them, they tell me to call back and talk to the manager. So, I sent my sister up there to gather it for me and they even told her that the manager wasn't in, so we would have to call back later that night. When I call back (just as they requested), it goes straight to VOICEMAIL. HELLO!!!!! So, needless to say, I am very aggravated and I will keep bugging them until my camera is back in my hands. I even left them a message saying that they could keep my camera if they want it that bad and just to return my memory card to me... that's all I care about... my pictures. :( We'll see what happens... please pray for me (I know that's a silly thing to pray about, but there are some dear pics on there!). Keep in mind, too, that this happened last Saturday night and I still haven't been able to speak to the manager. Ugh!!!

Labor Day - Skiatook Lake (OK) - 9/1/08

We decided spontaneously to spend the rest of our weekend (Sun-Mon) with our good friends, Ken, Sheila and Jackson, in Skiatook, OK. Labor Day (Mon) we went to Skiatook Lake and had a great time on the boat. The weather was perfect. Kevin decided to ride Ken's Sea*Doo and he got pulled over by Lake Patrol. Too funny! He talked his way out of the ticket (we all think the officer was hitting on him)! LOL!!! Didn't get a picture of it, though. I wish I would have thought to take a picture. LOL But, it was a good time. We drove home late Monday and got home around 11:00pm. I was so exhausted that I kept dosing off on the way home. YIKES! But, we're home safe and sound. :o)

My sister's Lingerie Party 8/30/08

It's almost here... my sister is getting married on 9/20/08! So, we've been celebrating her wedding with all her wedding parties. Last Saturday she had her Lingerie party at her friend, Cineca's, house. She got a lot of cute lingerie... that's for sure. She was embarrassed about her sex dice, body chocolate and a few other things, though! LOL!!!

1st Ark Tailgating party... 8/30/08

Football: Arkansas played Western Illinois last Saturday. They won 28-24. Arkansas has a long road ahead of them with a new team. Petrino needs to show us a great team this season! We had a blast tailgating, though. The McFarlane's always have a lot to offer at their tailgating parties... too fun!! I love Arkansas football! Our friends (Ken Calkins and Jackson/Andrea Anderson) came in town from Owasso and Skiatook, OK to cheer on the Hogs! I couldn't stay for the game because my sister had her lingerie party at that time. But, after the lingerie party, I headed back to campus to pick up everyone and head to Dickson. We didn't go out, just ate. Good times! Go Hogs!

McFarlane Wedding Reception

So, we had a great time at Adam and Chandra McFarlane's wedding reception. Their wedding in Navarre, Florida was beautiful, but there Reception in Centerton was just as great! Their Wedding Reception was one week after (Sat, Aug. 17) their wedding in Arkansas. We pretty much got it done all night! Full bar = trouble! Kevin was double fisting his cocktails all night (keep in mind the reception was basically 6 hours). I had my share. LOL I ended up crashing there in one of the rooms at Colonial Courts... now my husband... sweet Kevin... well, he crashed in his H2 and it was hilarious. Everyone kept walking out to his truck and he had the doors ALL open and his legs were sprawled over the backseat and his arms were literally hanging out of the truck. I'm still waiting on some blackmail pictures of him to surface (any day now!). LOL Overall the band was fantastic, the caterers were fantastic, the bartenders were fun and everyone was so much fun! Congrats Adam and Chandra... well done on the wedding and the reception!!!

Our Pensacola Beach, Florida Trip...

We just got back yesterday from our trip to Pensacola Beach. It was so much fun! Kevin and I love the beach SO much... I'm surprised we don't live on the beach. Our favorite destination trip is somewhere tropical - for sure! Anyway, we left on a road trip (just Kevin and I) to Pensacola Beach last Wednesday. It was a much needed 5-day vacation for us! Wow! It was also our 1st Anniversary trip (a few weeks after our 1-yr anniversary, but who counts!). We stayed with our friend, Jason, and his new adorable girlfriend, Kyle. We loved her... she was so much fun and gorgeous! She was quite the hostess! Thursday night was Rehearsal dinner for our good friends, Adam McFarlane and Chandra Hicks. Friday (8/8/08) was their beach wedding. They both looked to so happy and in love and made a beautiful bride and groom! If I could redo my wedding, then I would have a small, more intimate one - like theirs. The weather was perfect and the sky was the most vibrant blue. Wow!! It was perfect! We met some really great people in Pensacola Beach (with Jason and Kyle). We had a great time. Although, we had too good of a time Saturday night and we were definitely feeling in on our LONG 12 hour trip home. LOL!! Good times... good times!

In New House - FINALLY!!!

Yes, I know you cannot believe it... neither can I! LOL We are finally in our new house... YIPPEE!! We have been building pretty much right since right after we got married and finally weeks after our 1st Anniversary we are all settled in our new house! I love it! We have had a few people over already and everyone loves the colors and decor of our new house. It's traditional with a contemporary twist. Different, but fun! I will post new pictures on myspace as soon as I load them in our computer... so be on the lookout! We are still trying to sell our other house... no fun! :( I'll focus more on that when Kevin and I get back from Florida... we will be gone Wednesday through Sunday. Be on the lookout for new pictures from Florida, as well!

Tasha's Bachelorette Party in Dallas

We survived my sister's Bachelorette Party this weekend. There were 7 of us in Dallas celebrating her last weeks as Miss McNew. She will soon be Mrs. Ashford. Overall, Dallas was okay. We were expecting to have a crazy, action-packed weekend... and to our surprise Dallas was not a party town. It was hard to find places to hang out (bars/clubs)... Dallas isn't known for it's "night life." I should have remembered that Dallas was like that, because when my hubby and I came down in January for the Cotton Bowl, there wasn't alot to do (even on New Year's) in the Big D! But, we managed to have a good time with our own group, anyway. We got lots of cute pictures and I will be posting a lot of them soon on my myspace page! It's hard to put so many different personalities in one suite for an entire weekend... there's always going to be some drama (especially sisters). I love my sister, but we are complete opposites and it was obvious this weekend. I wanted to be a part of her whole wedding planning experience and festivities... so that she knows that I truly do care about her. We hung out in Dallas July 25-27. It's crazy how cool the Dallas police are. We made friends with two of them while we were down there... I have to say they are cooler than any other police I've met around the country! I think this is the last Bachelorette Party in our family for a while. Two down... several more to go.

Sister's Bachelorette Party - Dallas Style!

I am leaving for Dallas (road trip!) early Friday morning for my sister's (Tasha's) Bachelorette Party. We are staying in an awesome hotel (and have a pimp suite) right on the main strip! I have been working with the tee shirt company for a few weeks now trying to design the perfect "theme" shirt for our trip. It's really cute! I get to pick them up tomorrow... YIPPEE! Anyway, I ALWAYS fly and I'm not used to "road trips", so I'm really crossing my fingers that I'm not miserable. The girls will be fun, but I get car/motion sick easily. Ugh!! We will be there July 25-27, so it is a VERY short trip... but, we'll definitely utilize our time! Her wedding is Septemeber 20th... so, it is right around the corner! I remember my big day last year... I was so happy when the day finally came... and SO HAPPY when all my hard work paid off and it was finally OVER. LOL!! I wish her luck!

After I get back from Dallas (Sunday), Kevin and I are going to Destin/Pensacola Florida next Wednesday. We have friends (Adam and Chandra) that are getting married Friday, but we'll be there most of the week absorbing the sun's rays and sipping on cocktails by the pool/beach!! We are staying with one of Kevin's Best Friends, Jason. He's a fun guy! Can't wait!!

I'll post pics and report our trip when I return! But for now, I have to run... too much to do before I leave town!

I HATE sweating!

Today we spent the day working at our new house. We laid sod and did more landscaping... things are coming quite along! Gosh... I cannot wait to move in, guys!! I'm so ready to be DONE with this project. I just keep telling myself that we're almost there... whew! Our friend Robert Baker came out today and helped Kevin with some of the landscaping (ie lighting down sidewalk). LOOOONG DAY!!! I get really irritable in the heat... heat and I don't work well together. I just keep praying for more rain (you know like all that rain that we were getting a month ago). Where are you now, rain??! My father-in-law finished the railing on both the staircase in the garage and the house... looking good! Can't wait to look at our new furniture and rugs in the house... one more final inspection Tuesday and we're ready to rock and roll! Hopefully we'll have a BIG house-warming party and everyone can come over and check the place out... AFTERALL, it only took us 9 MONTHS to complete! LOL

House Building Experience

Most of my friends know that my husband and I have been building a house since 3 months after our wedding last year. The house we currently live in is on the market (and has been for 8 months... ugh!). It's a gorgeous house and we'll be sad to leave it behind. :( The thing that irritates me the MOST about it is that the architectural appeal, colors, and landscaping is awesome... yet, everyone is "interested" and never make an offer. We have reduced the asking price of our home 3 times in that amount of time. Talk about complete frustration! We are clean freaks and anyone would be lucky to live in this home... Okay, so back to the house building. We have had every problem you could POSSIBLY imagine with every sub-contractor we have hired. It just really amazes me how lazy workers are these days... and most of them are dishonest. Throughout the process we have hired one sub-contractor to fix another sub-contractor's mistakes. Paying double for everything is NO CUP OF TEA, my friends! I could go on and on about lazy, overpaid sub-contractors, but I'll stop there. Just know that we have EXCEEDED out budget by FAR and have gotten our heads ripped off along the way. :) But, now that we are getting ready to move in (in about a week) and everything is how it is supposed to be, I can honestly say that it is close to my dream home and I love it!! Everything in our home is custom... all hand-selected by none other than ME, MYSELF and I... oh, Kevin helped a little in the designing process... mainly everything outside... landscaping, patios, sunrooms, sidewalks, retaining walls, rocks/colors, etc. Good job, honey! One thing I know for sure... it is true when they say to NOT jump into a BIG project (especially building a home) right after getting married, because it will test your marriage (like you could never imagine) and really put a strain on your relationship. We discovered the flaws in one another and realized that NO MARRIAGE is perfect, but it's how you balance the marriage that makes it fall in place and feel comfortable!! Those of you that haven't experienced this, yet... I challange you to build a house... and you'll start to see your relationship gradually change (not in a bad way... just discovering your expectations for one another and eachother's flaws)! Kevin and I didn't discover this until almost 5 years being together and 1-year being married. :) I'm glad we did, though... because now we have no surprises and our marriage has strengthened. To all my friends and family that are living in a fantasy world... it's nice to day dream, but realize that a marriage is sacred and something that the two of you have to work on every day of your lives for the rest of your lives!! But, it is all SO worth it! I'll keep you posted on the house... can't wait to move in and utilize everything we've bought for the house! Yippee!!

New Blogger... Hooray!

So, I set up my new Blog page. Thanks to a great suggestion by a friend of mine (Thanks, Kara!!). I'm really trying to figure this out... I know it's not complex, but I feel like my tools are limited. LOL Any friendly suggestions from those of you who know me out there would be helpful! I'll get this page up to par in a hurry. Check back soon... Oh, and it's good to be a new blogger! Hi everyone!