What's Been Going On Part 1: Christmas 2010

Between a best friends wedding, Christmas, packing our house up to move, new jobs, and 1st birthdays, time to blog has been slim to none. I do want to catch everyone up on what has been going on with me and Drew. I am going to skip around just a little bit, but I figured Christmas would be a better place than any to begin! We did Christmas 2010 much like last year in that we spent Christmas Eve and half of Christmas day in Benton with my family and headed to Helena Christmas afternoon just in time for dinner at Mamaw and Papaw's.

I wanted to share some pictures from my mom and dad's house. They always have the best decorations and it always feels like Christmas when you walk in the door.

Here are me and Larissa's stockings. My Gramm actually made us our stockings when each of us were born!

and below are my parents stockings from when they were kids!

For me, Christmas really begins with Christmas Eve mass. I just love how Christmas Eve is so calm and somewhat of a normal day until about 2:00 when everyone rushes to take showers, get dressed up, and head on to church. This year, we got to the church an hour and 15 minutes early! I know that sounds crazy, but there are so many people that go to Christ the King in LR, that if you don't get there early, you will be standing. Church was wonderful as always and afterwards we headed back home or our traditional scrambled eggs and tamales.

Here is a picture of Larissa and I on the way to church.

Christmas morning was so much fun. So nice to have my brother, Jake, and his girlfriend, Callie, there with us too! Here are some pictures from Christmas morning.

Here is a picture of my parents with the gift me, Larissa, and Drew gave them. Larissa and I actually got to pick out all the pictures ourselves so we were excited to give them a gift we have been hiding for over a month. (my mom is probably going to kill me for putting this picture on here haha)

The girls before Drew and I left for Helena...

After dinner at Mamaw and Papaw's, we opened some gifts. Everyone loved watching Eli open his stuff. Weird to think that this time last year, Eli was just hours away from being born!

Drew, helping Mamaw with her box of goodies we got her...

Drew and I had such a wonderful Christmas. It seems to come and go so fast!

I survived my first week

Well, I survived my first week of work and when I say survived, I mean it! Let me paint the picture...Thanksgiving evening, I started getting a little nasally but didn't really feel bad. Even when I got up at 4:15a.m. to hit up Sears' Black Friday sale for some new appliances, I felt ok, however; when I woke up around 11 after a long nap :) I wasn't feeling so hot. O well, I thought. I never really get 'knock you down sick.' But I was wrong wrong wrong. Between Friday and Sunday, I bought so many different types of medicine trying to get better before I STARTED MY NEW JOB ON MONDAY!!! Nothing seemed to work! Monday, I woke up for my first day and I have to admit that if it wasn't my first day, I would have been staying at home. So on top of being sick with what I wold later find out was a sinus infection, it was pouring rain, and there were two wrecks going into LR which made traffic awful going into LR. I finally had to call the office and let them know I was going to be about 20 minutes late (what a way to make a good first impression, right?!?) Luckily, everyone was super nice about me running a little late AND I wasn't the only one sick so that made me feel a little better. Despite a potentially bad situation turning out ok, I did have to run to the doctor that afternoon to figure out why I was feeling so crummy. So, let's recap -- On my first day at work, I ran late, was sick and a little out of it all day, and had to leave for an hour to go to the doctor. O geeze, what a crazy day! When I got home that evening, all I wanted to do was take my medicine which included some medicine to help me sleep and go to bed!

All in all, the week went pretty well considering being sick. I have a feeling next week will go a bit more smoothly! O, I also wanted to throw in the fact that I didn't work past 5:30 this week! Ahh, feels nice to work with people who actually want to go home in the evening. Once a get more acquainted with my new firm, I think I am really going to enjoy it!

What's Been Going On...

So I wanted to give an update on what has been going on lately and when I started thinking about the past few weeks, it has really been all about Drew. He has been doing some great things lately; one of which is being an awesome Uncle! We went to Helena to visit Drew's family a couple weekends ago and Eli who is 11 months old is being really independent and a mama's boy so he wasn't to keen on me holding him...except for some reason he LOVES Drew. He was even giving him sweet kisses all weekend. Here are a few pictures of Eli and Uncle Drew:

Another exciting thing happening is Drew received is farm loan clearance with the state of Arkansas which requires lots of training, working up loans, and performing field visits. He has spent the last several years working for the Morrilton office and will be transferred to the Arkadelphia office to become one of their main farm loan officers. I am just so proud of him! This has been a long time coming and since he does work for the government (Department of Agriculture), things sometimes move a little slower than in the private sector, however; he has been very patient and now he will be able to take everything he has learned to his new office. Drew has been very fortunate to work with such wonderful people and the move will be a little bitter sweet. To celebrate, the office held a dinner party at Mike's Place in Conway. After dinner, Drew's boss (the guy in the middle with the big belt buckle haha) said a few words and congratulated Drew and Grayland on their promotions.

As a little gift, Drew and Grayland got new business shirts. The were pretending they were some kind of diploma and posing for the picture!

Drew and his proud wife! :)

Now of course this also means that Drew and I will be moving!!! We have been so excited about this move and now it is finally here. We have decided to move to Benton for several reasons. With Drew working in Arkadelphia and me working in LR, Benton is a great middle ground for us to be. Also, my parents live in Benton and my sister recently moved back so it will be so nice to be closer to family! O, and it will cut my commute to work in half (I'm just sayin'). Drew and I have actually found our first house as well! More on that to come. Don't want to say too much before we have our home inspection and close on our new home.

So many great things happening and we are very excited to stir things up a bit!

First Big Change

Today is the first big change of what I have a feeling is many to come in the next several months. Today is my last day at PricewaterhouseCoopers. After much consideration and several months of 'talking' about it with Drew, I have decided to accept a job with Hudson, Cisne, & Co., a local accounting firm here in Little Rock. This is something I have thought about for a long time, mainly becuase of the crazy hours that come along with working for a Big Four accounting firm. While the thought of making a move had crossed my mind on several ocassions, it never seemed like the right time and the benefits for working for PwC seemed to outweigh the long hours. PLUS, I had never quit a job before and didn't really want to experience all the stress and anxiety of doing so. I finally got enough nerve to talk it over with my coach at work. We talked about how I was feeling about the job and where I wanted my career to go. I remember leaving the lunch thinking, ok, this is the first step. What happened next might seem unbelievable, but when I returned from lunch with my coach, I received a call from Hudson, Cisne, & Co. I had interviewed with them 2 years ago and I guess I left a lasting impression because they wanted to know how my current job was going and if I would be interested in an experienced associate position at their firm. I of course couldn't believe the timing. After meeting with their business development guy and then one of the Partners which I had met 2 years ago, they offered me a job!!! I now knew the timing was right!

Even though I am excited about what the future has in store, I am still sad to leave the friends I have made at PwC. The cool thing about public accounting, is the people I work with are all around my age so we build relationships and bonds quickly. Not to mention I have spent more time with these people over the past couple years than I do my own family. Now, as it is my last day, I think about the past few years.

Things I am going to miss:

1. All of the people I work with - I really have enjoyed working with everyone, especially those people who made those tough days not as tough.

2. The frequent happy hours!!!

3. Playing dirty Santa at our Christmas Party...pretty entertaining!

4. Free cell phone and free cell phone service

5. The bonus I won't be getting in December :(

6. Laughing at stupid stuff just because it is 11:30p.m. at you are so tired you can't think straight

7. The people, the people, the people!!!

Things I will NOT miss:

1. Working until midnight during busy season

2. Having to work from home when it snows/ices just because we have laptops

3. Wearing business professional attire to Dillard's Corp.

4. hearing, 'well guys, it looks like we need to order dinner tonight' - in the summer months

Although it got tough at times, I really will miss everyone and I am sure that in a weird way I will miss the craziness. I know there are good things in store for Drew and I and I am excited for what is to come!

3 Things Needed for a Nap

One thing I have learned about Drew is that there are three key ingredients needed for a great nap, a Drew nap. (1) It needs to be a Sunday. This is key because what do you want to do more than anything after getting up early for church and having a big lunch? Take a nap, duh!!
(2) When we get home from church, Drew immediately strips down to his boxers. You know it is going to be a long lazy afternoon if he stays in his boxers and grabs a blanket. But, at minimum, Drew will put on a long sleeve shirt. This makes Drew feel cozy, especially on a fall/winter afternoon like today. (3) THE blanket. What is the blanket, you ask. It is a queen size down comforter. We keep it folded in the guest room only to be used for naps!

Today was definitely going to be a nap day for Drew. Take a look...

Sunday afternoon...check...cozy long sleeve shirt...check...The blanket...check! See, the three key ingredients for a great nap!

I do have to admit that I was a bit jealous. I mean, look how comfortable he looks!

Advent Conspiracy

I know a lot of my blog readers are church-goers which made me want to share a new study that me and Drew's Sunday school class just finished up and now our entire church is doing the study during both the contemporary and traditional services. If you think your church (no matter the denomination) or Sunday school class would be interested, please keep reading and check out the promo video below.

The study is called THE ADVENT CONSPIRACY. The name itself makes you want to know more, doesn't it? The entire premise of the study is to bring back the true meaning of Christmas by (1) worshiping fully, (2) spending less, (3) giving more, and (4) loving all. I know there are a lot of studies out there surrounding this idea, but this is the first I have ever experienced that has proven to change its audience, whether that be a single family, a small group at church, or entire church congregations.

You might be wondering why do a Christmas study in October/November...well, in order to make a change this Christmas season, the study must be done early. Our Sunday school class has discussed what changes can be done this upcoming year, but we also realize that changes may be small in the first year but have the potential to grow and grow until we get back to the true meaning of the season. We have also discussed how we can begin the change within our families despite them not even experiencing Advent Conspiracy. Whether big or small, I think we can all agree that how we celebrate Christmas needs to change and this study can be the beginning of that change. If you are interested in the study after watching the promo video below, make sure to visit this link http://www.adventconspiracy.org/.

Congrats to Chris and Rebecca

Thursday morning about 8:15, I get a call from Drew. Since he is usually already at work at that time, I was confused about why he was calling. Drew then explained that he had received an email from our good friend Chris saying that he was going to be proposing to his girlfriend, Rebecca, that evening and that he wanted to invite us all to Ciao Baci around 9:00 that evening to celebrate! Rebecca was so excited and surprised that Chris had gotten their friends and family together.

Below is a picture of Chris and Rebecca on the right and his brother J.O. and his wife Hannah.

Drew and I had a really good time and we are really excited for Chris. Plus, it was really nice to go out on a week night, which we NEVER do.

Road Trip to McGehee

Saturday, Drew and I headed to McGehee to see our friends, Natalie and Josh, get married. When planning for the trip a week or so ago, we had originally decided to stay the night which was going to work out great since a couple of Drew's friends had booked an extra room that we were going to snag. The more we thought about it, we decided to just make a day trip out of it and be able to sleep at home and have a full Sunday to get stuff done. About 1:30, we headed to McGehee and of course listened to the Razorback game on the radio.

We had to stop and grab some lunch (to-go) in Pine Bluff.

The reception was at Natalie's parents house. They had the property decorated perfectly with different tents and areas for every part of the reception. They even had a spot set up for the Razorback game which was really cool because when everyone arrived we were in the third quarter. You know you and your guests are true Razorback fans when you have something like that set up at your reception. I guess that's what you get when about 85% of the guests went to school at UofA.

The last few weddings we have been to, I haven't gotten a picture of Drew and I which he reminded me of after attending the last wedding. So naturally, I had to make sure and document our attendance.

Here is Noah and Drew. Noah was a groomsman in our wedding and one of Drew's best friends. We have had some good times with ol' Noah!

It was hard to leave a good party, but Drew and I headed home about 8 or so. We luckily thought to bring a change of clothes so we could get comfortable for the drive home.

We were still a little hungry after leaving the reception, so once we got back to Conway, we stopped by the Waffle House...yum!

That was our Saturday in a nutshell. Hope you all had a good weekend!

Birthday Girl

Monday was Larissa's birthday and I am so glad it worked out that the family could get together and celebrate. I know it is Saturday now, but I just wanted to give a shout out to my sister and best friend... HAPPY 23rd BIRTHDAY!!!

Circus Exhibit

Work is busy, studying has begun again, trying to have some quality time with Drew in the evenings...o but wait...what the heck is wrong with my eye...it hurts, stings, and I can't see to well. So of course while life is busy, my body decides to bring upon me an infected eye gland. It started Wednesday so I decided to go a head and get to the doctor (especially since Drew had the same thing just a few days prior). Upon leaving without any medicine and with the pain and pressure on my eye getting worse, I decided to get a second opinion on Thursday afternoon. After my second visit I found out I had an infected eye gland. The remedy... warm compress for 10 minutes, four times a day, eye drops that sting and make my eye blurry for at least an hour twice a day, and an oral antibiotic. Wow, a lot to do for an eye. I understand this is a common thing, but I feel like a freak show at the circus. I know I should probably charge people to see this, but this is what I was dealing with Friday as I worked from home.

I am happy to report that my eye is much much better. Saturday was definitely the roughest day but without going into to much detail, my eye did what it needed to do to start getting better. I do have to give a shout out to Drew because there were just a few times :) that I was pretty needy and he did a great job taking care of me!

Another Win!!!

Well, we managed to pull of another win over Georgia with a final score of 31-24. I am thankful they won, for my sake, because I would have been stuck with an unhappy husband if they would have lost! For the first game, we had a watch party at our house which was a blast! The second game against Louisiana Monroe was in Little Rock (final score 31-7). PwC puts together a tailgate for one of the Little Rock games each year so we headed out to tailgate about 2:00. I ended up not bringing my camera and I am really glad because it was HOT, HOT, HOT...did I mention it was HOT??? I can not explain how miserable it was. It was fun, but miserable if that makes any sense. I am just glad I don't have pictures as evidence of how HOT I looked, ugg. Anyway, we did have a really good time and after the game we were able to go out with several of our really good friends from college. For this weeks game, Drew and I laid low at home. I pretty much laid on the couch with a blanket for most of the game. What a perfect way to watch an afternoon game :)

The rest of the afternoon I studied and now I guess I will get myself presentable and perhaps we will get out and do something this evening.

Tis' The Season...RAZORBACK Season!

Ahhh, football season is here! Believe me, it sure has felt like it in our house. Did you know there is a football game on just about every night of the week?!? I usually could care less about football, unless it is the Razorbacks. Although, I do have to admit that I am pretty sure I enjoy the social aspect more than the actual football. This past Saturday, we had a watch party at our house with my parents, Larissa, and Chris. It started out just inviting them over to watch the game, but then I decided to go rummaging around the guest room and found a TON of Razorback platters that I had gotten as wedding gifts. Here are a few of my favorites.

I am about 98% positive the Stuffelbeam twins (or the Stuffels as I always called them) gave me this one! I remember getting it at my shower with all my KD sisters!

The final product...I finished the table off with red and white gerber daisy's and these 'vintage' Arkansas Razorback salt and pepper shakers that Drew's parents handed down to us. They have a lot of old Razorback stuff.

The girls...

The guys already posted up near the TV...

Calling the Hogs...

Lucy was checking out Dad's plate waiting for him to look away haha.

Ok, so I seriously could only find one Razorback shirt in my closet and it was long-sleeves. I can't believe after spending 4 years in Fayetteville, that is all I have. To be honest, for football games, we always dressed up. I probably only wore a t-shirt once or twice EVER. I guess if we are going to be having more watch parties, I will have to invest in some new hogs t-shirts. Anyway, my outfit consisted of a red beaded necklace and red Tom's. I guess I will have to do better for the next game!

I had a great time hosting a watch party! I never get to do stuff like that! Well, this Saturday, we will be headed to LR for the game and tailgating with my work. Should be a fun time!

GO HOGS!!!

Words Can Not Explain

I got my audit scores in the mail yesterday and... I PASSED!!! Words can not explain the relief I feel knowing that I can actually pass that dang test and to have passed 2 is just the best feeling in the world. Anyway, I am just really excited!

Well, I Did It!!!

On my way home from work on Friday afternoon, Drew gives me a call and before even saying hello, he says, "I had to open it." I had no idea what he was talking about but before I could even say anything he says, "You Passed!" Immediately, I knew what that meant, but was still in my mind thinking Drew was playing a horrific joke on me. But, it is true, I PASSED the business/economics section of the CPA exam...my first pass and I couldn't be more excited!!! It has definitely been a struggle to find my groove with this dang test, but something must be working because I PASSED...ahhhh!!!!

Anyway, just wanted to pass along the good news!

Two Down, Two to Go...hopefully

Whoop Whoop...just took the audit section of the CPA exam and I actually felt pretty good about it. I was off all this week to study and I am hopeful that the push this week will pay off. Of course I won't find out until the end of September if I passed, but it feels good to have taken this two. What's next??? Well, I am going to take this weekend off and relax and probably take all of next week of from studying as well. But then...Financial...dun dun dun (scary music is what I was trying to get at here)! Financial is the mother of all tests which pretty much consists of EVERYTHING I learned about accounting in undergrad and graduate school ahahhhhhh!

I can do it, I can do it, I can do it...I better start praying now : /

Revisiting Great Memories

I know this is SO overdue, but I really wanted to post about my dad's retirement party back in June. As you know from past posts, we all made a vacation trip down to San Antonio earlier this summer. Although everyones time line for the trip was a little different, we all were there for the party hosted by none other than my dad's awesome children...me, Larissa, Jake, and John :) Larissa was in charge of invitations which we got to work on together. Being a numbers person, I am not very creative, but with both of our heads together we put together a pretty cute invitation.

The party was at Iron Cactus on the Riverwalk. We had a little more than 30 of our family and my Dad's closest friends at the party. I have to admit, being the anxious person I am, I was a little nervous something wouldn't be just right, but the party was perfect and everyone had such a wonderful time. Something I found really cool, was seeing my dad with all his best friends. Some he met when he started working and some he has known since he was just a little kid. Here is Dad meeting the guests.

Here is my dad when he first started with JCPenney as a manager trainee! He is the middle guy in the back. If you notice, Jake looks just like my dad at that age.

Here are some more pictures from the party. This next one is with some of the Ewings.

Here is me and Larissa with our cousin's kynleigh rose and kyle.

me, John, and his wife Tammy. O and John and I are drinking the best drink in the world, its called a Texas Tea and is basically a long island ice tea but made with tequila. So good! Not sure if restaurants here in Arkansas will make me a Texas tea haha.

Here is my Dad's family: me, Drew, Tammy, my mom and dad, Jake and his girlfriend Callie, Larissa, and John.

Here are a few other pictures of my dad opening some gifts.

You know a party is a success when the guests don't want to leave! I was so glad that my dad had such a good time and after 37 years of working he deserved a big party! After things settled down a bit, us 'kids' left the adults for some after-partying on the Riverwalk. I know it may be hard to believe, but the adults I think may have stayed out later than we did.

The guys...

The girls... (and the poster girl in the back haha)

Us kids are so happy for my dad. Retiring is such a huge accomplishment and we are all so proud of him. We love you dad!