Information Overload

Good gracious, time has flown by since my last post.

I will give you a run down from where I left off and then I PROMISE, I will never wait this long to post again. I have no dates because I can't remember them, but I'm pretty sure this is in chronological order. Logical order, at best.

Warning: Picture and information overload.

1. We threw my sweet friend, Mandi, a fun bridal luncheon at Calvary's parlor. Mandi loves bright colors, so the theme was orange, pink, and lime green. Yummy food and sweet, Godly, encouraging women, celebrating the marriage of Mandi and Mark.

2. We headed to Destin for Mandi's Bachelorette party! I love girl time!

Ben also went on the Mark's Bachelor party, but there are no pictures of that because...well...they're guys.

3. We had a blast of a weekend for Mark and Mandi's wedding! These are some of my bestest friends in the whole wide world! YAY Mandi and Mark!

4. Charlotte got big.

5. After the tragic tornadoes of April 27th, which PGFWABF, we were not affected at our house, we bought tickets to Bama Rising and watched some amazing country acts - David Nail being my personal favorite!

No, I will not put my pictures of the actual concert on there. My camera SUCKS, and we were behind a speaker set that ruined all my pictures.

6. We spent a week in DC over the Independence Day holiday with these wonderful people.

7. Found out we're pregnant.

8. Ben started Birmingham Police Academy.

9. Ben's cousin Andrew got married in Starkville.

10. We started leaving Charlotte out of her crate while we're at work.

That would be a paycheck and a power bill. She's also found a Publix bag, a cheeseburger, a Taco Bell bag, and a bag of barbecue chips.
11. Our friend, Blake, got married outside of Atlanta, so we spent the weekend with some friends and at the Aquarium on Sunday.
12. We had our THIRD anniversary! We spent the night at the Wynfrey last weekend and had a spa day, and then went to dinner at Brio (our FAVORITE) on our actual anniversary.
Wait...hold the phone...did you say pregnant?

I sure did.

We are PREGNANT!!!!!!

Hehe...stay tuned...

How He Loves

Because we all need to be reminded sometimes...

He is jealous for me

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree

Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.

When all of the sudden, I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory

I realize just how beautiful you are and how great your affections are for me.

Oh, how He loves us.

We are His portion and He is our prize

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes.

If grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.

Heaven meets Earth like an unforseen kiss

My heart turns violently inside of my chest.

I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us.

He loves us.

Oh, how He loves us.

RANDOM TRIVIA FACT: 50% of all pizzas in the US are sold with pepperoni as a topping.

The Shape I'm In

I had a long weekend from work this past weekend.

Let's just say I was not ready to go to work today.

Back to the grind, as usual.

Remember the Giselle diet?

Yeh, the one I'm on to lose some weight and tone it up before our cruise in May.

I totally failed last week.

It started with some M&Ms, and then a little Burger King, and ended with doughnuts on Saturday morning.

BAD KATIE.

And Ben is a bad influence on me. First thing he said to me on Saturday morning, stinky breath and all, "Want to go to Krispy Kreme?"

Who can resist that stinky breath, messy hair, sleepy eyed look from their husband when all they have on their mind is doughnuts?

I had a chocolate iced doughnut Saturday morning.

And we bought some for Sunday morning, too.

We are back in full swing with the regime today!

Back to the gym (I bought new workout pants at the Nike outlet store yesterday. SCORE!) where I punched out 3 1/2 miles on the elliptical, plus my weight training.

Then we headed to Publix (aka Heaven) afterwards to get food for the week.

This week's menu:

fresh grilled salmon with fresh green beans

homemade soup with chicken and veggies (I posted this recipe already)

grilled lemon chicken with sweet corn

grilled steak with new potatoes and broccoli

YUM!

*SUBJECT CHANGE*

Ben and I have been doing a little searching and a lot of thinking.

We visited another church last week and this past Sunday.

We feel like maybe God's leading us to somewhere new.

Somewhere out of our comfort zone. At this other church, we don't know anybody (actually, I know one person, but it was pure coincidence running into her after the service). We are total strangers to these people.

And it's just DIFFERENT. Ben and I grew up in similar churches. Southern Baptist churches are pretty much all the same. You know when to stand up, sit down, pass the offering plate, etc.

There's nothing WRONG with that. We're just not being challenged by it. Church is supposed to challenge you, not go in one ear and out the other, which is how we've felt for a while.

That's not to say that others are feeling the same way. Others could hear the same thing and be totally challenged by it. This is solely about Ben and me and the point we are at with our relationship with God. The church we have been attending is a great church full of great people. We just may be moving in a different direction.

So, the past two times we've been to this church, we've left the sermon feeling challenged. The sermon was applicable to life and we could use it. God could use us.

Are we sure we're going to join this church? No. We're going to visit their small groups first and see if it is a move we want to make.

It's just a weird feeling to know that different could be better than what we already had, which was great.

Sorry for my ramblings. It's a Monday. My brain is on auto-pilot.

RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY

Talk about stuck in your head. And I don't even like Joe Nichols, but this song is great.

Keep your tissues handy for the video, btw. Thanks to our military for serving and sacrificing. Never forget.

The sun came up again this morning

I took my old fastback for a spin

Now when it rains, it ain't always pouring

And I'm learning how to live again.

Long Day's Night

It's Monday.

I've been laying on the couch for hours being a total slob while Ben went to play basketball with the boys.

I did not go to the gym today. I didn't want to.

I wanted to lay on the couch for hours and be a total slob while Ben went to play basketball with the boys.

Charlotte obliged and has been laying here with me.

I watched two episodes of Pretty Little Liars, an episode of Greek, and now I'm watching Skins on MTV...WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!?!?!?

I wasn't even allowed to watch MTV's Spring Break growing up and now this crap is on? It's been 10 minutes and there's been drugs, underage partying, and a lesbian sex scene...all by high school kids.

I read a piece on it this week. MTV said that it's aimed at adults because of it's time slot, which is 10(E). Ummmmm...that's 9(C). I stayed up til at least midnight when I was not an adult....

And we wonder why our kids are so messed up.

ANYWAYS.

Ben just got home and Charlotte has run to the door leading into the garage. She knows when she hears that rumble, it means someone is coming in the door.

I'm going to go spend time with my favorite husband and my favorite doggie.

RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY: Favorite song today.

I Feel Pretty

AWARDS SHOW SEASON HAS BEGUN!!!!!!

I love red carpet stuff. The women look so glamorous (and not-so-glamorous). I love the classic Hollywood looks and the new, edgy runway looks. Here are a few of my faves!

Anne Hathaway

This gorgeous gold mirror ball dress was fantastic. She really can do no wrong. This was a look we have not seen from her before, and it's beautiful.

Dianna Agron

I mentioned her before at the Emmy's. She has the young starlet thing DOWN. Love the hair, the nude color, the bag, the make-up...perfection.

Emma Stone

Debuting her new blonde don't (RED HEAD TRAITOR!!!!!), her blush colored dress was a definite DO! Love the silhouette it creates!

Eva Longoria

Tony Parker is an idiot and I hope he locked himself in a closet when he saw this picture. Eat your heart out, Tony Parker!

Mila Kunis

This emerald color was a hit on the carpet this year, and she wore it stunningly. The texture on the dress is amazing.

Helen Mirren

Classic beauty showing you are never too old to be glamorous.

Julianne Hough

This look was panned, but I LOVE IT. She can pull this severe look off. She is beautiful.

NOW FOR THE WORST DRESSED NOMINEES...

Lea Michele

I really want her to look her age and leave the prom-bombs at home. She's a little girl. She needs less dress.

Michelle Williams

WHY, MICHELLE, WHY!?!?!?!?!?

Leighton Meester

Now, I usually love all things Leighton Meester, but this is AWFUL. Shapeless.

Julianne Moore

Hey Julianne! Ever heard of a steamer?

Jennifer Love Hewitt

Hasn't she worn this before? TO EVERY AWARDS SHOW? And what is with the bun on the head? I don't get it.

Vanessa Williams

The body and color are great. The middle part hair is not. Drop it, Vanessa. Give me some curls and body in that hair and part it on the side.

Angelina Jolie

I don't get why everyone is so crazy about this look. She's worn this same dress in black a million times. Just because she wears it in green doesn't make it a Best Dressed.

So, there you have it. Best and worst dressed of the evening!

Do you agree? Disagree?

Random Music Monday: LOVING this song right now. Total chill out song.

I want to sit right here

Stay away from there

Make pretend I just don't care

I could get up and go get her back

Maybe I'll just let her go...

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Christmas time is here! YAY!

We have been so incredibly busy. I know I've started my last three or four posts like that, but it's true! We have been traveling, painting, shopping, *eating* and getting these two married:

Seriously, the most beautiful wedding I've ever been to. Congratulations, Jayla and Dustin! So proud to be your best friend! I wish many years of happiness and blessings for you both! We will make so many "4 Ps" memories!!!!

So much goes on during the month of December. Although Christmas is about the birth of our Savior, most of the time we forget about the true meaning in between the mall and the dinners and the gifts...Christmas is a time to reflect on the blessings we've been given, and the most ultimate blessing of all, Jesus.

It clicked with me this year while standing in church one Sunday just how worshipful Christmas can be. If you know me, you know I love some Praise and Worship music. I love my home church and my Birmingham church mostly because of the amazing worship services. There is nothing better than praising my Savior through song.

I get so used to Christmas music by the time Christmas rolls around. We play it constantly at work from Thanksgiving to Christmas. I get numb to it. For instance, Rihanna is singing some version of "Silent Night" that has a Jamaican beat to it. Really? Then there's "Dominic the Donkey" and the dogs barking Jingle Bells, usually followed by Jessica Simpson singing "Santa Baby."

What does this have to do with our Savior? Absolutely nothing, I tell you.

We stand in church services all through the month of December singing Christian carols, but with no emphasis. How many times have we sung "Angels We Have Heard On High" or "O Come All Ye Faithful?" We are so numb to what these songs MEAN.

Some of my new favorite worship songs are Christmas songs. They are applicable to daily life. Take "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" for example. Emmanuel means GOD IS WITH US. God is with us daily. Read the words below:

O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appears.

REJOICE! REJOICE!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

We are Israel, in a figurative sense. Have you seen the world around you lately? We are captive to the world. Emmanuel will return to save us from ourselves. Rejoice!

Or "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." The third verse is my favorite.

Hail the Heav'n Born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Son of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings,

Ris'n with healing in His wings.

Mild He lays His glory by,

Born that man no more may die!

Born to raise the sons of Earth,

Born to give them second birth!

Hark! The herald angels sing,

Glory to the newborn King!

We are saved because of the life and death of the Son of Righteousness! Hallelujah!

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" written by poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

And in despair I bowed my head,

"There is no peace on Earth," I said.

"For hate is strong and mocks the song,

Of peace on Earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep,

"GOD IS NOT DEAD NOR DOES HE SLEEP!

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail

With peace on Earth, good will to men!"

How blessed are we with a God who is not dead and is not blind to our troubles! God knows the depths of our hearts and is over everything, even when we feel like He has forsaken us. In the end, God will prevail over the enemy!

There are countless others. I've found myself standing quietly in church, just listening to those beautiful words of triumph and redemption and hope. We worship the One who deserves to be praised, even in the busiest or uncertain of times.

Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. May we never forget why we are here.

Random Trivia Fact: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of the great American poets, only penned this one hymn. It was written amidst the Civil War, after the news of his son being killed in battle, and then losing his wife in a fire. There are two verses usually omitted from the hymn version about the war. He wrote this great hymn in the depth of despair. Yet, he knew our God lives!

Thankful

I don't know about you, but I ate a lot of dressing.

I'm stuffed silly, but could continue to eat dressing every day for the rest of my life.

Only if it has the little chunks of egg in it, though.

Yum.

Back on the diet, Katie...

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR IN 2010:

1. My dear sweet hubby who decided to surprise me when he picked me up for lunch today with a half-dozen red roses, just because I wasn't feeling well with a cold that I can't kick. Too awesome. I love you, Ben.

2. My wonderful families that Ben and I were able to spend time with over the holiday. Grace and support flows from these people. Love them.

3. My sweet Charlotte. I don't remember life before her, and hope that she lives to be 100 years old so I never have to live without her.

4. Continuous grace from my Lord and Savior. How could you not believe?

5. My new car, even though we're pretty sure it has an electrical short and must be sent to the car doctor this week.

6. Future plans for Ben and me...and plans to start a family...

7. A Pig and A Paintbrush which is thriving!

8. You out there who read my ramblings.

9. Zaxby's and Taco Bell. OMG.

10. Shoedazzle. Really. Try it out. What an investment!

11. Waking up every day for 333 days and counting in 2010.

12. Etsy. Saving my life on Christmas presents this year.

13. Employment for me and somewhat non-employment for Ben. Things are so iffy nowadays and we are lucky to be gainfully employed.

14. The Military History Channel. No commercials! Best channel in the middle of the night!

15. The State of Alabama Department of Public Safety for perhaps giving my husband his dream job in 2011.

16. Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator, Swiffer, and OrangeGlo.

Ben and I have been so busy lately. With A Pig and A Paintbrush items flying left and right, I have no time really to do anything else at night. It's a blessing though.

We did go see Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan in concert the Friday before Thanksgiving. AMAZING. Jason Aldean is Ben's favorite. It was a rocking concert. We hardly sat down all night. And yes, we belted (along with everyone else in the BJCC)

"TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE ON MY BIG GREEN TRACTORRRRR!"

So fun. Concerts are the thing Ben and I do together. We've seen several this year.

The January after we got married, we saw the Eagles live. A dream.

August 2009, we saw Keith Urban and Sugarland for our anniversary in Nashville. Incredible concert.

For Christmas last year, he gave me tickets to see Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert (my fave) in January. They were awesome.

We saw Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw this summer. Another great concert.

Then, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean two weekends ago.

Plus, we love live music and will go to fun places around town to hear cool tunes and discover new bands.

It's bonding time.

Ben is headed to Selma Sunday night to spend the night at the Trooper Academy. He takes the physical test Monday. I will be an absolute wreck at work on that day. I know he'll do fine. I get more nervous than he does. PRAY PLEASE!!!!!

Christmas season has begun! I got some AMAZING deals at the after Thanksgiving sales (and a receipt from Belk that says, "You saved $445." Yep, I'm saving that one.) There is Christmas music on the radio at work. Magic 96.5 plays non-stop Christmas music. We watched "The Family Stone" with Ben's mom last night and "Christmas Vacation" with Ben's family on Thanksgiving Day. Decorations are going up SOMETIME this week (I got an awesome new wreath for our front window!)

Here's a sneak preview of a Christmas card photo. I bought Charlotte a jingle bell collar to wear in the picture. She HATES it. Absolutely scared of it. So, once the picture was done, I gave it to Ben's stepmom for their dog, Sophie. Apparently, Sophie doesn't want to take it off and wears it constantly. I'm glad my $4 is being used.

Sorry for the long post. I just needed to ramble a bit.

RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY!!!!!

I know I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd give you one today! Here's a Jason Aldean song I can't get out of my head off his new album "My Kinda Party." It's my favorite on the album. If you are a country music fan, you should pick up this CD. It's a great one!

"TEXAS WAS YOU"

Wasted Time

I'M BACK!!!!!

Yes, people, I have been missing for a week. I know you have been absolutely riveted to know what has been going on in my life in the past week.

I am dripping with sarcasm.

I know you don't actually care, but I will update you anyways.

1.

Atlanta was awesome. Mom has all the pictures. I will post them as soon as she puts them on Facebook. With the pictures will come explanations of how much fun we had. Stay tuned.

2.

Charlotte did get a Halloween costume! Alas, it's not the pig costume. Ben was TOTALLY against it. He thinks Charlotte is too much of a tom-boy for the pig costume. I think she's too claustrophobic for the thing on the head. She is, really. She doesn't like to get under the blanket and hates being held too tightly. Anyways, we tried her costume on her, and it was precious, but I only got a picture on my phone (which is super ghetto and I don't have data on my phone to upload it) and the camera batteries are dead. I guess you'll have to wait until Halloween to see just how cute she is in her mystery costume...and what Ben and I will wear to match it!

3.

I'm picking up my business again. I started a little side business last Christmas called "A Pig and a Paintbrush." I do cutesy little paintings and Christmas ornaments and other fun things. I sold a couple of paintings and ornaments, but really didn't recoup what I spent last year, so I kind of hung it up. (Too be honest, I didn't try TOO hard...) But this year, a girl in our Sunday School class has been put in charge of the Women's Ministry Christmas event this year. The theme is "Gifted" and it is to celebrate the gifts that God has given the women in our church. It will be set up like a Christmas Village style bazaar, and there will be vendors, food, craft demonstrations, speakers, etc. Ashley approached me about having a vendor table to sell A Pig and a Paintbrush items at "Gifted" and I decided to do it.

3 1/2.

So, I got Ben involved! I am in love with the precious wood door hangings that I'm starting to see on front doors in neighborhoods. I've seen several in stores and was not about to buy something that I know I can make myself. I decided that would be my main focus at "Gifted," so Ben and I set out to figure out exactly how to do it. In other words, Ben got a new jig saw, sander, sawhorses, and some plywood. I got to watch him explode with testosterone while he broke that baby out of the box and put on his manly safety glasses and tear in to the wood with a Tim Allen style grunt. Then I painted. :) They are super cute. I will post pictures of those later too, once they are finished.

In all honesty, my batteries died in my camera and I know we have some extras around the house, but I don't feel like looking for them because my arm is literally shaking from holding up a giant wooden present while painting the edges.

Maybe I can talk Ben into looking for them tomorrow.

RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY!!!!!

I love love LOVE The Eagles. They are my absolute favorite band of all time. No doubt about it. One of my favorite music memories is going with my dad to the music store and buying The Eagles' Hell Freezes Over cassette tape (yes, I said cassette tape), popping it in the car, and him teaching me Eagles songs and perfect harmonies. Their music is the perfect blend of country and rock and roll. Ben and I got to see them perform last year at the BJCC, and I seriously cried. It was AWESOME.

This is my favorite Eagles song, Wasted Time. It's a perfect break up song. I would give my right arm to sing harmony with Don Henley on this one. Unfortunately, they did not perform this live when we were there. Just every other brilliant song they've ever written.

The autumn leaves have got you thinking

About the first time that you fell

You didn't love the boy too much

No, no, you just loved the boy to well

Enjoy a little Eagles on a Monday.

Random Trivia Fact: The Eagles are the greatest band of all time.

The Music Man

I love music.

Everyone who knows me knows I love music.

Good music you should feel in your soul. It should hit right in your core. It should bring up feelings from the past or get you thinking about the future. It should make you weep with sorrow or tap your toes with joy. Good lyrics should relate to you on several levels and at several different points in your life.

Or it could just be a great song that puts you in the mood to dance or sing at the top of your lungs or grab your man to lay a juicy one right on the kisser.

Either way, music is essential to life.

Think about it: do you listen to music at work? When you get in the car, do you turn the radio on? When something in life happens, does it remind you of a song? Is music not an important ingredient in your worship service?

I know you dance when no one is looking. Like a maniac.

I have a new theme. Random Music Monday.

On Mondays, I will post a video of a song and a brief description of why I like the song and why I think you would like the song. Then you should listen to it.

Simple, huh?

Today's song is one I just felt in the mood to listen to today. I LOVE John Mayer. Old John Mayer, that is. His new stuff is a little strange and his personal life gets a bit off the wall. I'm having trouble blending the two. But this is off one of my favorite albums of all time, (So much my favorite, that I have already worn out one copy and had to buy another) Heavier Things. Every song on this album is amazing. If I had to choose five CDs to take with me to a deserted island, this would be one of them.

The song is the very first one on the album, called Clarity. It's got a catchy hook, but the lyrics are about his overcoming insecurities, and that they never really go away. Some of my favorite lyric verses of all time are the first few lines of this song...

I worry I weigh three times my body

I worry I throw my fears around

But this morning

There's a calm I can't explain

The rock candy's melted

Only diamonds now remain

By the time I recognize this moment

This moment will be gone

But I will bend the light pretending

That it's somehow lingered on

Pure genius.

Anyways, this is my favorite version of it. Just John and a guitar. What he does best. I suggest pausing your other musical selections at the bottom of this page before playing the video.

Enjoy Random Music Monday. I will return after my trip with Mom!

Random John Mayer Trivia: John Mayer decided he wanted to play guitar after watching Marty McFly in the famous sock hop scene in Back To The Future. Good choice, John.

Loser

Are you kidding me?

Bama lost.

And I don't just mean "lost" in like, we gave up a good fight and I can be happy about losing to such a high caliber team. I mean "lost" as in we got straight up outplayed and pummelled. A failed fake kick attempt, a missed field goal and extra point, 8 SACKS on McElroy, and many, many, many more costly penalties that should have been easily avoidable.

I do not want to be at Bama's football practice tomorrow. Saban is going to kill them.

ANYWAYS.

I had a BLAST in Nashville for Abby's Bachelorette Party. There was lots of laughing, dancing, and staring at the oddballs that came out of the woodworks after midnight. Hopefully I will be able to post a pic soon, because I didn't use my camera at all.

I kind of have a pet peeve about everyone using their cameras to take the same picture. Just one person take a picture and post it on Facebook or email it to everyone. It's easier that way and the people in the picture don't have to stand there for forty forevers smiling and getting blinded by the multiple flashes.

I was super happy to get home today. I was greeted by my super cute shirtless and greasy husband and my extremely hyper poopy dawg. She went NUTS when I walked through the door and licked and jumped all over me and I got lots of lovin' on from the husband. It's nice to be loved.

Now, I have to get to planning Jayla's Bachelorette Weekend. And she reads this, so she is not getting a hint of information about it. It's totally a secret, which I know drives her nuts. All she knows is the weekend and, when we nail it down, the location. I love you, Jayla Pig.

(No, I did not just call my best friend a pig. I mean, I did, but there's a reason. She had a horse named Katie growing up, so she always called me "Katie Horse." She had a pig at one point that her brother won in the Greasy Pig contest at the Peanut Festival one year, so naturally, she became "Jayla Pig." It's always been like that.)

Tonight, Ben's "Nanny" and "DaddyJohn" are passing through town, so we are going to have dinner with them, probably. I absolutely love Nanny and DaddyJohn. Nanny is the quintessential Southern Belle who loves to entertain in her home, is always welcoming to anyone she meets, and thinks very carefully about what she says before she says it. DaddyJohn is such a sweet man with a kind heart. Some of Ben's fondest memories are fishing with DaddyJohn and the wisdom and time they spent together. I am lucky to have people like them for in-laws.

Mom and I leave for Atlanta on Tuesday! I am more than stoked! I need a vacation!

Oh, and I made a really dumb mistake. Yahoo is my homepage at work. Every week they do a College Football post once the rankings come out. People are such idiots, saying that South Carolina should be ranked over Alabama, Boise St. should be in the National Championship, and Nebraska is overrated. They obviously have no idea how the system works.

What did I do? I created a user name on Yahoo to set the record straight. I am now obsessed. I am "that girl." I have forced myself to stop looking at the comments because they just make me angry. People are so stupid sometimes. Check the facts before you post. :)

Random Music Trivia: John Lennon's birthday was yesterday. He would have been 70, if his life had not been cut short at such a young age. Instead of a trivia fact about him, I will leave you with my FAVORITE Lennon song. Happy birthday, John Lennon. The music world greatly misses you.