you can just call me crazy.

Taylor's company is sponsoring employees to do "the toughest event on the planet". It's called Tough Mudder. Why? Because when you finish the "obstacle course" you are covered in mud and might as well burn your clothes instead of trying to wash them clean. Taylor and I are both attempting this event, along with his dad and 2 other friends.We have approximately 37days 22hours and 46minutes to get ready for this insane challenge. The event consists of 19 different obstacles over the course of 9 miles. At one point I will run through fire, sprint through a field of live wires with 10,000 volts of shock. Sounds fun, right? The whole event is about teamwork. There is no 1st place prize. The goal is to try and  finish. That right there says it's tough! I'm not really sure what I have gotten myself into, but I know I need to start training or I won't make it the first 10 minutes!

great teamwork!

A Magical Place

This weekend was so great! I knew New York was going to be fabulous, but I had now idea it would be MAGICAL. 5th Ave., 34th, and Rockefeller Center were let up and decorated like nothing I had ever seen. Buildings were completely covered in lights.

Little Recap:

Friday night we ate at David Burke Townhouse on East 61st Street, had a great dinner and martinis Sex and the City style. We then went to Tao, which is apparently the hot spot in NYC, right Helen? After killing enough time, we went to see the Rocketts. O. My. Gosh. They were amazing. The end of the show they did the Christmas Story and had real livestock! The nativity scene was so beautiful, I got kinda teary eyed. It was so cool that with all the "Happy Holidaying" go around, things like this are still happening. There was something great about seeing people still celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

The Believe Meter was overflowing!

Saturday we walked miles around the city! Times Square, 5th Ave, 34th Street, and no telling where else. We went to the matinee showing of the Nutcracker and I was floored. I've never seen so much talent on one stage. This time, it was Helen's turn to cry. After the ballet, we went to Central Park and then to The Plaza Hotel (A little Home Alone 2 flash back). Freezing cold temps took us back to the hotel to change into some warmer clothes and then headed to Rockefeller Center. CROWDED. We literally got into a people jam. New Yorkers don't like jams. They didn't care who they ran over-they were getting OUT. Luckily, we made it out alive and eventually got to the tree. My camera spassed out because of all the lights, and I'm not sure it will ever be the same.

Sunday before we left, we took a trip to ground zero. Even though it has been 9 years, there is still a somber feel to the area. The construction of the new buildings are well underway, and the first areas to be completed of the "One World  Trade Center" will open March 11, 2011.

 

The Nativity

view from Central Park

Thank you Helen and Gregg for such a great time!! And also, a special shout out to Starbucks, without you, this trip would have been far less productive!

31 Years in the Making

Today my Mom and Dad have been married 31 years...that means they have been together longer than they have been apart.That's a loooong time!

Just think, in those 31 years they have raised 3 kids, built a home, married one of their daughters, taken trips of a lifetime, and so much more. 31 years and they still love their date nights, and Dad still loves pushing Mom's buttons. Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Costa Rica

Big Apple Baby!

This weekend I'm heading to New York. It might not seem like a big deal to some of you, but to me, it's kinda huge. I've never been to New York. Almost did once in high school, but let my little sister go instead so I could play in the All Star bball game. I think I have mentioned this before. I'm not bitter... Anyway, Friday I am flying into New York to meet Helen, Taylor's step-mom, and spend the weekend! We are going to see THE Nutcracker! Kinda perfect timing, because I'm thinking I can snag some pretty awesome Christmas presents, and see the tree in Rockefeller Center WHILE Ice Skating. Pretty exciting don't ya think?

 

Lola adjusting beautifully!

Meet Lola

Taylor and I made a trip to Brookhaven Mississippi yesterday to get our sweet little Lola! She was the best car passenger and only woke up when she needed to take a potty break. Last night was definitely a test of our love considering we have always been able to sleep through the night with out distraction. She is a very smart puppy and has yet to use the bathroom inside, except for when she got excited about Adrienne coming over to play. She loves her tennis ball and hops around trying to get accustomed to her long ears,and running is a bit of a challenge because of the ears.Taylor is taking her to the vet today, just to make sure she is in perfect health!
Lola is very interested in the Christmas tree, and the presents underneath it. Hopefully we can teach her early about chew toy and "no" chew toy.

Meet Lola!

sweet baby girl in the car

napping on the ride back to Jackson

Just hanging out

watching tv with pops

From our Home to Yours!

This is a first. Sending out Christmas cards, buying decorations, having a tree...that I have to water and decorate? Baking? Shopping? Stressing? All these things to do now that I am considered an adult (I hate that word). Luckily, I love Christmas and I have been taught well. Also, I have a wonderful community back in Fitzpatrick and the sweet ladies there threw me a Christmas shower last year. You know what that means...boxes and boxes of decorations. These boxes are in the attic back home, so until next weekend the only decorations up are the wreath on our front door.
I did however, get some pretty fabulous cards made last week. Trying to be ahead of the game? I don't even know if that's true considering most people decorate before Thanksgiving these days. Not me, no way. I gotta space my holidays out or else I'd freak out.

 Check out our Christmas Cards! Peace on Earth...

front

back

Early Christmas Present!!

Taylor and I have been on the hunt for a new addition to the family, and we finally found the perfect fit! We get to pick her up in about 2 weeks!

Meet Lola, a bassett hound puppy!

her markings look like eyelashes!

Lola with her sisters

Give THANKS.

No Gifts. That's what I love about Thanksgiving. This Holiday is all about being thankful for the good stuff. The good stuff like loving families, and of course, food. I love food. I love it a lot. Sit me in front of some homemade macaroni and I'll be good for days.

I can remember sitting at the "kids" table for Thanksgiving, and before we said the blessing we all had to say something we were thankful for. I remember saying the dishwasher. Really KATIE? The dishwasher? I was no older than 10 and had probably never used a dishwasher. My cousins and sisters also rattled out ridiculous things, but I remember my Grandmother saying she was thankful for all of her "darling little angels" (that including me of course). At the time, I was too young to understand how spending time with family was so important. Now that I am older I understand the importance of family and luckily, I've got Taylor's family in on the action this time around. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember to give thanks!!

This is just for your enjoyment and a little pre-holiday cheer

 Beth is great in this one.

I Dream of Travel

 I'm a travel lover, even if it's just going home with Taylor to Austin or Arkansas. Taylor and I also love traveling to new places and exploring different cities. Yeah, yeah, yeah, my first plane ride wasn't until I was a senior in college. So what? I did it. I love it, and I wanna keep doing it. We would love to get in as much traveling as we can before we settle down and start adding to the fam. I think our love of travel comes from our parents. Both of our families love taking trips and planning excursions.

Since Taylor and I have been married we have talked about many places we want to visit. We love flipping through travel books and magazines planning our next move. One of our favorite books is "1000 Places to See Before You Die". This book is legit. I won't list all 1,000 places, but I will absolutely tell you my top 5 off-the- wall-must-sees.

 5.Islamic Cairo, Egypt 

Tour cities that are more than 6 centuries old!

can you imagine having to build that thing?

 4. Scotland by Train
  Travel the Scottish Highlands in STYLE on the Royal Scotsman

Only $6,800 per person.....

 3. Machu Picchu-Urubama Valley, Peru
See the "Lost City" of the Incas 

2.The Amalfi Coast-Campania, Italy 
 "nothing more beautiful can be seen on this earth"

how sweet would it be to own one of those houses, or even one of the boats?!

 1.Mount Cook National Park, New Zealand 

Glaciers , Mountains and Beaches!

Taylor says, "I just wanna go out in there"

MOMMA!

Happy Birthday to, no lie, the best Mom in the WORLD!
You see, my Mom Jan is not your typical mom; she is super Mom. As I was growing up, I never really knew how much she did for us. I guess I just assumed dinner magically appeared on the table, jerseys miraculously landed folded in our gym bags, and lunches would make themselves, and then hop into a brown paper bag with encouraging notes and/or drawings on the outside. Yep, my Mom not only made our lunches, she drew on them.
 Now, even though I am "grown-up", my Mom is still as nurturing as ever. I still look to her for advice and to that Love only a Momma can give. It is overwhelming for me to think that one day, I will have to try and be the Mom to my kids that she was to the 3 of us.
She never missed a sporting event, and we had LOTS. Between my sisters and me, we were playing some kind of sport year round. I just don't know how she was always there? But I do know this, I am so blessed with such wonderful parents, and I can't thank them enough for all they do!
 Happy Birthday Mom!

Bridesmaid Luncheon

day of our wedding

roll tide!

zip lining in Costa Rica!

Rehearsal Dinner

You may recieve extra hardware with your unit.

Now that we are in Birmingham and Taylor has his office, I thought I would help out by putting together his new desk. Because I am an Interior design major, I was pretty particular about the type of desk he was to order. Little did I know, the desk I wanted him to have came with about a million parts....

still in the box

I decided to tackle this project Friday morning. I figured I would work on the desk until about 12:30 and then once I had it fully assembled I would go grocery shopping. Welp, I was wrong about that one.
5 HOURS later I was putting the last screw in. I go to slide the drawers in and you guessed it, they don't fit right. So for the next hour and a half Taylor and I try to figure out what in the world is wrong with this stupid desk. We finally get the drawers working as a team and then place all of his work stuff on the desk. That boy can get a computer up and running super fast.
I thought I would share with you my recent feat..sort of.

just a little intimidating

ignore my fabulous hair

almost done!!

the completed project

tada!

still a Texan at heart

lots of books