Christmas parties are in full swing

There's nothing more cozy than an intimate Christmas party by the fire with some of your closest friends.  Saturday night we had a little gathering and had the best time!  Unfortunately, Billy had to work but he was off yesterday to make it out with me to another Christmas party with friends. We've had a great time and I cannot believe Christmas is this week! I feel like summer just ended. Christmas morning will be extra fun this year as we celebrate for the first time in our home. I'm looking forward to it!! Here's a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend...

Christmas Cookie Tradition

Christmas traditions are so much fun and everyone looks forward to them because…it’s just what you do. Well, decorating Christmas cookies is on the top of my tradition list. My mom bakes the best sugar cookies and makes homemade icing and then everyone gathers around the table to make them all pretty. I enjoy the endless sugar cookies to decorate, my Pop decorating two and eating one – decorating two and eating (repeat), Mom telling everyone to be sure they look “pretty”, me getting “out” of decorating when I get bored because I claim we must document the process with pictures, Billy decorating one each year that says, “I love Brooke” – how sweet is he!? For all these reasons, this is my all time favorite tradition. Another reason it’s my favorite Christmas tradition is because my parents started it when they were newlyweds. Through the years we’ve had friends and family join us; numerous close friends and family have at one point shared in this tradition. Such great memories!! This past weekend, my parents along with Sophie came over to the “Bird House” for the cookie fun. We all had a great time! We did miss Jordan, Oana and Carlo though and are hoping next year everyone is around the table…Mom will have a lot more baking to do next year!

It gets better everyday - Our 1st Anniversary!

Wow, I cannot believe it’s been a year since I married the best man I know. A year ago Billy and I married in a beautiful garden wedding surrounded by our family and friends. Dean, Frank and Nat King Cole along with other greats played throughout the air in the background as we swirled around the gorgeous yard celebrating with loved ones on a cool December afternoon. Yes, it was magical. The day was perfect and Billy couldn’t have been more handsome.

In the past year of marriage I have learned that:

- I love him so much more today than yesterday

- It’s okay to forget the dishes for a night and sit on the couch holding his hand

- Compromise

- The beauty of seeing God work in our marriage is priceless

- No one is perfect but I married darn near close! :)

- Being home with Billy is better than any event taking place in the world

- He’s a good man for picking up after me, I tend to leave shoes where I take them off…it’s my downfall (okay, one of many)

- Marriage to your best friend makes life easier and a lot of fun

- If making lemonade every other day and giving him a back scratch makes him the happiest man in the world, who am I to deny him that?

- Communication is key but so is prayer

- He loves UGA and if I need to cheer them on to make a happy house, I will cheer with the best of them…

- Having no pets work for us, ‘borrowing’ Sophie for a few days does the trick.

- Hitting the road and not knowing where you’ll end up makes for the best vacations

- I truly did marry the perfect man God set aside just for me! This past year has more than confirmed that. (good thing, right?) :)

- Billy is the absolute funniest person I know! I don’t think many people get to share in this fact because he seems reserved.

- I’ve learned a new (and the “correct”) way to fold t-shirts! :)

- Don’t give a man instructions, let the GPS tell them they are wrong, ha

- I’ve married a sensitive soul and he’s really incredible with me on my worst days

- The most fun I have had to date is with Billy

- I think he likes Target more than I do, if that’s possible

- Each day I have been complimented and each night I haven’t hit the pillow without hearing the sweet words, “I love you, babe” ...what a sweet gift!

- I couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that I get to grow old with my best friend!!

It’s been the best year. We were talking the other night and agreed it’s been the best year of our lives. We are still so amazed and grateful at how the Lord brought us together. We had a beautiful wedding, purchased our first home, traveled to New York and back, been on several weekend road trips, made many wonderful memories along the way and I look forward to many many more years to come!!!

December 6, 2008

 I love you, Mr. Bird

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Jordan Kriner

After a year and a half of dating, Jordan knew he had to marry Oana. She is his perfect fit and makes him so happy! I’ve long awaited the day he would find the perfect girl for him but never suspected he would have to live abroad to do so.  :-) A girl that “gets” my brother as he has always gone against the grain but that’s what makes him Jordan and what we all love. Italy has done him well; he has a new beautiful bride. Welcome to the family, Oana. We are looking forward to the ceremony here so we can celebrate as a family what the good Lord has brought together. Many blessings to you both!

Let's Say Thanks

As Thanksgiving Day approaches it makes me think about how many things I have to be thankful for. My list is long; I have been so very blessed! In a few short weeks my brother, Jordan, will be leaving to go back to war. As the holidays approach and his leave is upon us it reminds me of how thankful I am to our soldiers. These men and women fight day and night for our freedom. They don’t get the conveniences of every day life; they miss their families, spouses and children and yet do not complain while they are away for a year at a time (sometimes longer).

My cousin sent me an email about something neat Xerox is doing for our soldiers. If you go to this web site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/, you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it. The card will be sent to a solider that is currently serving in Iraq. How awesome would it be if everyone sent one of these out and soldiers were shown how much we appreciate them while they continue to fight during the upcoming holiday season? I’m so thankful for these men and women and am proud to be an American living in the land of the free because of people like them and veterans of our past.

Take a moment to say thanks as we approach a day where we all have so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Wedding Invitation: Taylor & Josh

Some of you may remember Taylor & Josh when I blogged about their Save the Dates. We’ll they are now one month away from their big day! It was a joy working with Taylor and her mom through the designing process. I always enjoy working with brides and being a small part of helping them execute their dream wedding. When the wedding invitations arrived back from the printer I was giddy with excitement. They are just divine if I do say so myself…Taylor has great style. Here’s to Taylor and Josh, may your wedding day be all you dreamed! Enjoy being a newlywed, there is nothing sweeter!

A Special Thank You

Hello, friends! I’ve kind of been out of the loop lately; it has been a busy Fall! I’ve been working on some great projects for Trendy Ink and for my home so stay tuned...

Also, a special THANK YOU to veterans for your service! As a daughter of veterans and sister of a solider currently serving overseas I know how much of a sacrifice it truly is, praying a special blessing for each of you! I’m so proud to be an American because of people like you.

Here's a picture of my favorite man and I from a recent Christmas card photo shoot (with my Dad as the photographer!) - so fun. 

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Photog Retreat 2010 [Bahamas]

Photog Retreat 2010 [Bahamas] is officially in works! When Kathryn Brown Photography asked me if I would consider being a sponsor for the winter photog retreat, I was energized. I thought it was a perfect fit for my design business! I love photography and always have but more importantly I am able to offer opportunities through my sponsorship in merging my two favorite arts (design and photography) together. The trip is going to be an awesome experience for those fortunate photographers taking part, if only I had decided upon photography after college instead of design I’d set sail too! :) Check out the site and make note, registration opens tomorrow! Don't miss out!!  There are some really great drawings and discounts in the works not only from Trendy Ink Designs but other fabulous sponsors as well! 

Fall Bag

Recently, I was on a business trip in Chicago and spotted this beautiful pumpkin colored Kathy bag (oh how I adore Kathy) that I couldn’t get out of my head. After the conference was over, I went back to rescue it from the restraints of retail so it could sport around with me during all my fall adventures. It was a must have and I’m loving this color. There’s so many gorgeous fall bags out there, I’m also loving the big hobo style metallic’s.

I loved this fun print on the inside too!

The season of Pumpkin Spice and Mums have arrived!

Oh, how I adore Fall! Regrettably, living in the sunny state does not allow us to get the full effects of this fabulous season, which makes me miss living in Virginia just a little bit. However, the temperature does drop at some point and in the meantime I get to decorate with some of my favorite colors and sip the 'oh-so-yum' Pumpkin Spice Latte!

This past weekend, Billy and I took a "quick" trip to Lowe’s for some items to help us finish a few house projects we have going on (more on those later). Just before check out I spotted this gorgeous mum and had to have it! Mums are one of my favorite components of Fall and I love how the yellow mum adds a little "pop" to our entry way. Now I just need to find (or create) the perfect wreath for my front door. I’m also thinking about a hay man too for the rocking chair, hmmm. I must find an old pair of overalls!

Waiting Pays Off

Recently, Billy and I had a “date night” that lead to pure excitement! We were going to do the usual dinner and a movie since he had worked all day and we wanted something low key. However, after dinner we had about an hour to spend before the movie. We discussed browsing the furniture store because…well, it’s just plain fun! What we didn’t know is that we were about to miss our movie and purchase the very dining table set that I’ve had my eye on for almost a year. When we were engaged I had spotted this table and loved it but had sticker shock and walked right out the store. After pining over this table I do believe the Lord is GOOD and saved it just for me. When I walked over to the table and the sign was slashed with a red marker (Oooo, I love those red markers!) I began to feel like it was Christmas morning…you know that giddy feeling when you know something great is about to transpire!? Needless to say we missed our movie and went home happy-happy campers. Here’s my 60” table of goodness that we purchased for half off. It pays to wait. Unfortunately, it’s not the best picture as I have a bad habit of taking quick photos with my iPhone instead of pulling out my camera. I’m thinking that date nights now just may be a bit dangerous – we spotted a lovely leather piece I think would look perfect in our family room. :)

Ten states in Seven days!

Billy and I had the last week of August off for vacation. We didn’t really have a plan, we just wanted to be off at the same time and enjoy each other. We decided to head to Atlanta for the weekend to visit with his sister, Peggy, and thought we’d catch a Braves game while we were there (a once a summer ‘must-do’ according to Billy). At the Sunday afternoon Braves game Billy said, “Wouldn’t it be fun to keep going and head north”. I wasn’t sure if he was serious so I told him not to tease me. We talked about doing this at some point, maybe next year, but never did I think we were going to take this trip now. He wasn’t kidding, he said it would be fun to just get in the car and see where we end up, start by heading to Washington D.C. So we did! I was excited; I love a good road trip and was SO thankful that we both had over packed. After the game we headed to Wal-mart, a necessary pit stop before any road trip! We got an oil change and shopped while we waited. It was fun loading up with water, cheez-its, candy, you know... fun car food. Shortly after saying goodbye to Peggy & Mark, whom I sure thought we were nuts, we were on the highway. We arrived in DC by Monday AM and immediately started touring (yes, with no sleep). It was Billy’s first trip to DC and I haven’t been since a kid so we both were looking forward to sightseeing. By late afternoon we found a hotel downtown and decided to clean up and find food – we had been living off of car goodies and needed serious nutrition! Monday evening we continued touring and saw the Washington monument, Lincoln memorial and the White House. Luckily, Obama was on his 25k vacation so we didn’t have any run-ins. :-) Tuesday we toured all the Smithsonian museums, exhausting but it was a blast. DC really is a wonderful place full of interesting sights, tons of history and free things to do.

Ha-ha! He was "blending in" with the display.

Former First Lady, Barbara Bush's, Inaugural Dress

Wednesday we decided to head north again, ending up in Baltimore for breakfast & to see the Orioles stadium. We made it to Philadelphia in time for lunch – a Philly Cheese steak was a must. I saw the Liberty Bell in college on a road trip but wanted Billy to see it as well – we walked around Philly and had a great time!

Liberty Bell

Isn't he the cutest?

New York City, my favorite place on earth, was our final destination. We arrived in NY for dinner and enjoyed a couple days in the big apple. Billy wanted to see the Yankee Stadium (if you haven’t noticed a theme, I have a major baseball fan on my hands!) and I wanted him to see all the touristy sights, Lady Liberty, Times Square, Macy’s, Central Park…you know, the good stuff! We had fun riding the subway and getting around Manhattan. I’m proud to say we didn’t get lost once – years of riding the subway, I think I finally “got it”. I love the fast pace and rush of the city, however, after the big city Billy said he was just about ready to head back to Georgia. He’s such a southern man but I love that about him. Thursday evening my Aunt Donna & Uncle Jimmy treated us to a boat ride to Fire Island (no cars allowed on the island!) for dinner and a sunset toast. We had a lot of fun and it was the perfect way to end our fun spontaneous summer vacation!

Central Park is beautiful

Lower Manhattan, near Wall Street

We were beat! Tons of walking the entire week and we were at the end of our journey.

(Subway)

Aunt Donna & I on Fire Island

Boat ride to Fire Island

Friday morning it was time to head home, we wanted to recoup before “life” hit again on Monday. We drove; correction…Billy drove, the entire 18 hours home! We hit traffic and bad weather on the drive home so it extended our trip by 3 hours. We arrived back home by 3:30 AM and I have NEVER been so excited nor thankful for my bed. It was such a fun trip and I’m glad we were able to have this adventure together. Five major cities: ATL, DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, NYC; 2,300 miles; 450 pictures; $52.60 in toll fees; 10 states in 7 days and all with my best friend!