The Bachelorette is Back!

Monday night was the premiere of the Bachelorette. This season is Ali who famously chose her career over the POSSIBLITY of love with Jake the pilot last season - poor girl got a ton of grief for her decision but I probably would have done the same thing - her career was a sure bet, Jake's decision was not. I like Ali but the girl's hair drives me nuts! I won't even go into the terrible extensions she had in last night.

I had Alena, Mallory and Collin over to my house to watch. Bekah and Dallas also dropped by to see the new house for a while. We had pizza and Spumante - What a great girls night!

We were even texting with Stacia throughout the night. When we sent her a picture of us with the Spumante, we got a picture back of her drowning her sorrows in chocolate cake :)

Throughout the night I picked my top three bachelors:

Phil - he lost his brother and all he wants is to love again

Cape Cod (Chris) - left NYC to take care of his sick mom and who wisely chose not to tell Alli on the first night that his mom died a year ago

Kasey - saw his dad cheat on his mom and vowed to never hurt a woman like that

Apparently I was 1 of 3 in my picks. Phil didn't make it past round one and watching the previews for the season, Kasey is apparently some kind of nut case that might seriously hurt himself if Ali doesn't pick him. Now Cape Cod on the other hand - I think he might be a winner!

Oh let the drama begin!

The Place I Now Call Home

Finally, after moving out of my parents' house more than seven years ago, I have a place to call my very own. I am officially a homeowner and it is a great feeling to know that I won't have to decide what to do after a year when a lease runs up or wonder if I can make any adjustments to the house. This place is all mine and I can do whatever I want to it.

Last Saturday with the help of my two brothers, my parents and Ryan, we got all of my stuff moved into the house. I had double the amount of furniture and stuff than I had the last time I moved so it took a bit longer but my family were troopers and we couldn't have done it without them.

Sunday I spent the day getting things organized and being the C personality that I am (according to DiSC profiles - more to come later) I have to have things organized before I go to sleep. I got my room and bathroom, the living room and the kitchen pretty much set. The other half of the house is another story but those rooms weren't necessities yet.

Below are some pictures of my work in progress. Let me take you on a tour.

My backyard and patio. There is some major work to be done back here. We are going to have to replant grass and pick up the 1.4 million rocks in the yard. Ryan is also going to install a ceiling fan. I love my covered patio!

This is the guest bathroom. I found this shower curtain at Target one day when I was killing time and planned my whole bathroom decor around it. I am going to paint the walls a plum color (hey it wouldn't be my hosue if it didn't have a purple room) and use gold and gray towels.

The laundry room sans washer and dryer. Now it is serving as Tackle's room. My next purchase is the w/d set. If anybody knows of anybody selling a used set, let me know!

One of the two guest bedrooms. This one is on the back of the house. Eventually, when Ryan and I are married and he moves in, this will be his "man room." For now it will hold all of the boxes that aren't upacked yet.

My kitchen. Please notice the brand new refrigerator. I love it. That was another big girl purchase I had to make. I also love my granite countertops and dishwasher. Eventually I am going to add cabinet knobs and pulls and mom and dad are getting me bar stools as a housewarming gift.

View of the kitchen from the other angle. This house had great light fixtures already so that was a bonus. You can't see it but on the right is my awesome pantry.

My living room. This room is causing me a bit of anxiety. We found out that my 2 couches don't fit. Therefore, I am going to have to come up with another idea of seating. I am also planning on getting a new entertainment center in the future. The $60 piece from Walmart has served its purpose and is time for retirement. Paint will also be added to this room.

My bathroom. To the right is the shower, a walk in closet and another closet.

View of my bedroom from my bathroom. I plan on painting this room as well.

View of my room from the door.

And finally one of my favorite parts of the hosue - the GARAGE! I am so excited to park inside again. Here are the mounds of boxes that have been emptied so far. I think I am making good progress.

Well that's the tour. I hope you like it as much as I do. If you ever want to come by and see it just give me a call.

And the Truth Comes Out

If all goes according to plan, I will be closing on my house on Wednesday and start moving that night. My plan is to move boxes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights and then get my entire family involved and move all of my furniture on Saturday morning. That is, if all goes according to plans.

Since my wonderful boyfriend has a big truck I told him what he was going to be doing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night and he willing agreed by saying: "I figured that would be the case."

To get a little background, Ryan and I usually hang out 3-4 weeknights together. We have kind of developed a schedule on which days that will be and it all depends on yoga, lawyer events and our favorite shows - Ryan refuses to watch the Bachelor with me and I prefer not to watch Nascar or Top Gear. And both of us need our alone time so we definitely don't see each other every day.

Well on Monday afternoon Ryan and I were eating lunch together and I asked if he was going to come over that night to hang out. He said no right off the bat. Usually he will say "probably not" or "I think I might just hang out at my house." Then came the explanation from him....

"Since I am going to be helping you move and moving usually is very stressful for you I think I will stay away until absolutely necessary."

I just laughed because I knew exactly what he meant. Hey at least he knows me well enough to know when we have hit the treshhold of togetherness. Man I love that boy :)

He's All Grown Up

Let's talk about what makes a person feel old. I got one...when your younger brother GRADUATES COLLEGE!

My baby brother JD is all grown up and graduated from Harding University this past weekend. He received a Bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and will be attending grad school at the U of A next fall.

We are so proud of you JD. LOVE YOU!

Uncle Butch and Aunt Teresa came over from Memphis

The proud parents

Proud Sister
The picture is blury but you can see him sitting in the crowd here.

Dad and I got bored while we were waiting for the ceremony to start

Nana and Papa got premiere seating

A is for Anna Reese

Last weekend Kelsey, Brooke, Jennifer and I hosted a baby shower for Bekah and baby Anna at Noodles. This was my first baby shower to host and we had so much fun. The Noodles patio was the perfect place to have the outside shower. Since Bekah, Brooke and Jennifer are all elementary school teachers, Kelsey came up with the idea for a school-themed shower. Her vision came to life and it turned out so cute. We had pencils, books, burlap and chalkboards to complete the theme.

Oh and by the way....Bekah might be the cutest pregnant lady you have ever seen. You would only know she is carrying a little girl by looking at her tummy.

The Deltas
Collin came all the way up from Little Rock

All the hostesses

The ABC sugar cookies I made. I was quite proud of myself

What baby shower is complete without a diaper cake? Brooke made this one. The mini chalkboards on the table added a special touch.

We put apples, #2 pencils and picture books on all of the tables

Our spread. Kelsey made the Anna Reese sign hanging in the back and flashcards were hanging on the front of the table