The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Sorry I've been MIA from the blogging world lately. The past few weeks have been spent preparing for the big move home. Mal and I both moved home this past weekend. Mal is coming home to attend Texas A&M Commerce in the spring. I'm moving home because my lease was up, and I decided to save a ton of money before Joe and I tie the knot.

Mal and I also got the brilliant idea to have a garage sale this week. We have set the garage sale for tomorrow morning, so we have been SUPER busy the last few days sorting through all of our items. We have some great stuff, so I really hope the turn out is good tomorrow. We're calling this Round 1, and we'll have a Round 2 if need be. And then, Round 3 will be donating everything that's left. We don't really care how much money we make at this point. We just want to get rid of it and free up space in our closets. It has definitely been a bonding experience so far, so I'm sure Mal and I will have a lot of fun tomorrow.

Other than that, I'm enjoying my time off from work, and really looking forward to the holidays. My only complaint lately is that I can't believe the weather has been so hot the past few days... People are telling me that Christmas will be cooler, but I'll believe it when I see it. Maybe this year, I should ask Santa for a cold front! It is nice to be home during the holidays though, because mom has so many great decorations!

**Ok, the cutest thing just happened, and I absolutely must add it to this blog. Two little kids just came to our door selling mistletoe. It was bagged up in cute bags and they were carrying it in baskets. I asked them what they were going to do with the money. The little girl said "Spend it!" and the little boy said "We're gonna spend it on kids that don't have much for Christmas". How could you resist that?!?! I love it when parents show their kids how to share during the holidays and think about others above yourself. LOVE little Christmas blessings like that!

Toaster, Blender, and Dishes. OH MY!

Joe and I decided to use our free Saturday with no plans to register for wedding gifts. We had a blast! We started at Bed, Bath & Beyond and ended up finding most of the things we wanted there. We went ahead and registered for a few more things at Target so that our families and friends will have options. And, how could I not take an opportunity to go to Target. Everyone that knows me, knows that Target is my favorite place in the world!

I'm sure that some people feel really stressed out when they're registering, but Joe and I had such a good time. The lady that was helping us at BB&B kept making comments about how we were making things WAY to easy. We definitely took that as a compliment. We just enjoy spending time together, even if we're registering, which can be quite a laborious process. And, Joe was such a trooper! I also love that he was very straight forward with me about what he liked and what he didn't. I don't want someone who just says, "Whatever you want honey... It doesn't matter." I'm glad he had his own opinions and we were able to find things that we both loved. Here are some pics of my favorite items:

It was fun coming home after registering and looking through everything online and imagining it in our home. I can't wait for that day! Just 7 more months... Until then, we're enjoying the engagement period and all that comes with it.

I'm alive - promise

Ok, I've been away from blog world for far too long. Here's an update of how things are going. Joe and I just got back from Utah. We went to Salt Lake City for the weekend to celebrate Mark (Joe's cousin) and Brittany's wedding. We had a great time! The wedding was so intimate and sweet. And then we got to spend a lot of time just hanging out with Joe's extended family. We played games and ate lots of yummy food and laughed a lot. It was a blast! Here are some pics from the trip.

Joe and I with the newly married Clifton's

I was in heaven spending time with sweet Miss Avery!

Isn't she absolutely adorable!!

The result of the beautiful snow that fell Saturday night.

So, we had a good trip with Joe's family, and I'm really glad I got to be a part of it. Lots of other things have happened in the last month, but this is what's on my mind right now. I'm so grateful that Joe and I both have such supportive and encouraging families. We are extremely blessed!

Attitude of Gratitude

In an attempt to rid myself of my "negative Nelly" attitude, I'm dedicating this post to things that I'm thankful for. Here's to gratitude:

1. A fiance that loves and adores me, even when I'm having a tough week (or a tough several weeks).

2. A night spent with family, celebrating my granddaddy's 74th birthday. Happy Birthday old man. :)

3. Surprise phone calls throughout the week from my sister, whom I love dearly. She's been such a great support to me in the last few weeks.

4. A yearbook survey that my kids filled out that ended up reminding me how much they like me. One of the questions was "Who's your favorite teacher?", and at least 90% of them had my name on there. It definitely was a reminder of the fact that I'm doing a good job, even when I don't feel like it.

5. Some kind/concerned words from 4 of my sixth grade girls that showed me I've got to snap out of this bad mood I've been in lately. If sixth graders are noticing, there's definitely something that needs to be fixed.

6. Tuesday night's dinner with our mentor couple from our Sunday morning class at church. We have such a good time whenever we're around Tom and Suzy, and Joe and I are so grateful for their words of wisdom and encouragement. Not to mention, Suzy makes a mean coconut pie!

7. My friend, Betsy, who's always there to offer a listening ear and never thinks twice about spending time with me. I always enjoy spending time with her, and she offers some great advice! Love that girl!

8. That I wasn't involved in the car accident that slowed down my commute home this evening.

9. That I grew up in a home where I never doubted that I was loved and going to be cared for daily. Not all of my students have that comfort, and it definitely shows in the classroom.

10. I get to spend time with some of Joe's family this weekend and see the newest addition to the Clifton clan. Joe's cousin, Megan, had a sweet baby girl about a month or so ago, and we get to meet her on Saturday. I can't wait to hold her!!! She's absolutely precious!!!

11. The phrase "I'm not going to let Satan win" that I got from one of the other mentor's in our class this past Sunday. She was referring to times when her and her husband have arguments. She said that she will stop in the middle of a fight and say "I'm not going to let Satan win". She was referring to the way that Satan uses petty arguments to tear apart marriages. I think I'm going to coin it as one of my "life quotes". They are such good words to remember. Satan's trying to win in many areas of our lives all the time, and I refuse to let it happen.

12. That being said, I'm most grateful that I have a God that I can turn to and plead for extra doses of patience. I know He's with me every minute. And I know that He is going to work in me if I will just let Him. "Let go, and let God".

Productive Day

You're not going to believe this!! I found a dress and booked a venue all in one day. It was amazing!!! I was so happy to have my mom, my sis, my aunt and cousin and Mary Kay (Joe's mom) join me for such a special day. We had a lot of fun and took a lot of pics, but I can only share a select few.

Dress - Absolutely beautiful! That's all I can say, because obviously, it's a secret (from Joe). Here's the pic Mal posted on facebook to taunt Joe.

Venue - Old Red Museum - June 26th, 2011 - I can't wait. It's going to be gorgeous!

Christmas Eve

I know it's October, but tonight feels exactly like Christmas Eve for me! Tomorrow morning, I have an appointment at 10:00 am to try on dresses. I have an entourage of family joining me for the exciting event, and I can hardly wait!! After that, we're going to look at two wedding venues, that I'm very hopeful about.

Joe left for Utah on Wednesday night, and is currently on the top of a mountain, with zero cell service. And he won't be back until next Saturday... So, needless to say, this weekend's wedding plans are the perfect distraction from missing him.

Also, I got the link to my engagement pics today, which totally brightened my Friday! Here's a few to enjoy. Thanks Betsy! You are amazing!!

Engagement Pics and Wedding Trip

Here are a few pics to show what I've been up to.

Engagement Photo Shoot at the State Fair of Texas

My cousin's wedding in Arizona

We had such a fabulous weekend. Arizona was beautiful, and the wedding was amazing! I'm looking forward to next weekend because I get to go look at two wedding venues and dress shopping with my mom, Joe's mom, and hopefully Mal. Joe's going to be out of town for the next two weekends, so he's trusting me to look at the venues without him. And then, on Sunday, we're going to the Bridal Show here in Dallas. Looking forward to hopefully finding the venue and being able to set a date!