A Very Big Weekend Indeed!

This past weekend, Daniel and I had a huge list of celebrations to attend. We knew that we were going to be exhausted come Monday morning, but we also knew that it would be well worth it.

The first part of our monumental weekend began Thursday night with Kristen's graduation (Daniel's sister). She received her M.S. from UT in Education. We are very excited for her and it was an honor to experience this day with her and the family.

The entire Galloway clan showed up for the Commencement. Daniel's Mom and I are absolutely cracking up in this picture. I told her to try and re-create an "Olan Mills" photographic moment by placing her hand on my elbow, and as you can see, we are looking quite sophisticated in this picture.
Congratulations Kristen! You did it!


Party Number Two:


My boss had his yearly Jimmy Buffett themed birthday party outside Friday night. If you live anywhere near East Tennessee you know that Friday presented itself with TERRIBLE storms all day long. The party became an absolute MUD HOLE, but by the time of the party, it had dried up for the most part. The party was catered by The Shrimp Dock and it was oh so yummy! Shrimp Po-Boys, Clams, Hush Puppies, Cole Slaw, and even scary looking crawfish! I didn't even try to attempt eating one. Daniel said you have to suck out the meat and that just didn't sound appealing to me at all. The food was great and the company was delightful, but at eight o' clock we had to go and buy Mother's day gifts. We didn't get home that night until around ten. We were already feeling the exhaustion of the weekend.

After we arrived home I had to finish ALL of our thank you notes. Stamp prices were to go up by 2 cents on Monday and I had already purchased all of the stamps. Daniel and I dove into a thank you note writing frenzy at ten o' clock Friday night and by the time we had written 50 notes, we were ready to call it a night. Afterall, tomorrow dawned a new day of partying.






Here is the finished stack:

I'm still not finished. There are only 40 left. Pretty good, right?

Party Number Three:

Saturday morning Daniel and I woke up around 7 a.m. and got ready to head to Murfreesboro for a graduation Commencement from MTSU. It was for Daniel's best friend, Paul, and my best friend, Cassie. There are a few things to note about this graduation. When Paul was getting ready to walk across the stage I was getting pretty nervous about screaming for him. I am not a cheerleader and whenver I have to yell for someone I get nervous that I will mess it up or that my voice will crack or something. So, they announced his name..."Paul Carlson"...and I yell.... "GO CARL!" What? I completely messed up his name and I think everyone thought I was a crazy lady. Another item of note: A girl walked across the stage with her pet dog. No, it wasn't a blind seeing eye dog, it was her pet. I think she must have snuck him in under her robe. Congrats Paul and Cassie! We are so proud of you!





After Graduation we headed back to Knoxville and ate with Paul's family and the boy's other best friend, Chase, at Lakeside Tavern. We ate outside on the Veranda and there was a beautiful sunset. After the sunset...rain! A few of us got wet, but we ended up scooting the table underneath the awning. After the meal, we went back to Paul's house for cake and ice cream. We had a wonderful time celebrating and arrived back at home ready for bed around eleven.


Party Number Four:
Mother's Day was Baby Dedication day at Lynne and James' church in Alabama. So at 4am Daniel and I woke up and got ready. At 6am we were at Joellen's house ready to road trip down to good ol' Killen, Alabama. After a long five hours we arrived just in time for church. Holly Brooks looked extremely cute in her dedication outfit and Crockett was ultra stylish in his new white Sunday Shoes.


Crockett took up the offering:


Holly was so sweet during her dedication. She is just precious.


A Huge Milestone:
On the trip, my car was fixing to hit the 100,000 mile mark.

Have you seen the Toyota commercial where the driver hits 200,000 miles and they all get out and do a jump? Well, when we hit 100,000 miles we were determined to get out and do "the jump". Too bad it was in the church parking lot. I'm sure Lynne and James' church friends think we are out of our minds. It was a big moment for me and the ol' Dodge Stratus!

For the record: Joellen is a very cute jumper. I, on the other hand, look like the Hunchback of Notre Dame when I jump. Daniel really dislikes this picture of himself too. He really wanted to redo the photo, but I said....."You have to live in the moment, Daniel. Live in the moment."

It was a very good weekend indeed. But after some quality time with Mom and the rest of the family, we loaded up the 100,000 miles of the Stratus and headed back to Tennessee. Daniel and I didn't get to bed until 1am Sunday night. All I have to say is, we are very tired and can't wait to catch up on some much needed sleep. However, we wouldn't have missed any of this for the world.

I have this "to do" list that has been piling up in my head for months now. Every time that I remove a few items from the list I just come up with more things that I either need to do or want to get accomplished. Just a few things:

1. Finish my forever long list of "thank you" notes from our wedding (seriously- I want to cry
when I think of how long the list is).
2. Create and perfect my huge presentation for Pediatric Amplification (My presentation is on
Tuesday....don't ask me if I have started it yet)
3. Makeover our bedroom. I have the most wonderful duvet that I'm eyeing at Crate & Barrel.
Pictures to come soon.
4. Learn to sew with my new sewing machine.
5. Plan a Yard Sale for May in A-Town.
6. Find places for several boxes that are still sitting out since we moved into our house (January).
7. Organize mine and Daniel's clothes: If we haven't worn it in a year, it's time to toss. (This is easier said than done)
8. Start composing my research article introduction on "The Objective and Subjective Effects of Expansion in Wide Dynamic Range Compression Hearing Instruments with Directional Microphones." (I know you are falling out of your seat b/c this sounds so exciting!)
9. Return one million and a half wedding gifts.
10. Try to remember what else needs to be on this list.

* Have a great Tuesday

Perfectly Spring

Today I set our table for Spring! I just love the fresh colors. I find myself peeking in our dining room every time I pass by just to get a glimpse of the happy room. I just love Spring and all of the beauty that it brings. Fresh flowers, trees budding, warmer temperatures and pretty sundresses. I love the picture that Springtime paints: the darkness being replaced with light and a rebirth of beauty.


I absolutely love this table runner. We had it in our wedding underneath our wedding cake. So not only is it beautiful, it has special meaning and sweet memories as well. My sisters gave it to us as one of our bridal shower gifts and it is such a cherished item. The embroidery work is just gorgeous and the lime green goes perfect with our springtime decor.

I just had to post this picture of my sweet husband aka "The Grill Meister". Springtime weather here in good ol' East Tennessee is bringing out the longing for grilled burgers and soon to be sweet summer nights.

Fondue!

A few weeks ago we had several friends over for a fondue party. Daniel's two best friends, Paul and Chase, and Joellen and Matt joined us for the night. Among the favorite dippers were bread and sausage for the cheese fondue, and pretzels and swiss cake rolls for the chocolate. My mouth is watering just thinking about it all. We had a blast all being together. We even found out that Paul can beatbox like a champ and found out some interesting stories from the boys' memories together. What can I say? Fondue must just bring out all of the good times. I'm sure another party like this will be in our near future.

Louisville

So I promised, and now I'm delivering. Sorry its been so long. Life's priorities have been taking precedence over blogging land. These are a few pictures from our visit to Louisville to visit Anne (Daniel's youngest sister) at Boyce College. Yes, we went to The Cheesecake Factory! This is a picture of the Snickers cheesecake. Oh my, so delicious! I've also posted a picture of the cutest little chapel on campus. We were surprised by a snow storm on the day we were to leave to drive back home. It made for a really long ride, but we loved getting to spend time with Anne.

The Wife of Noble Character

I am absolutely amazed at the strength of the wife listed in Proverbs 31. She definitely sets the bar high. There are days when I wonder if I can ever aspire to her abilities. Just listen to a few of her daily duties: She makes coverings for her bed, provides for the poor and needy, her family is always clothed in scarlet, she buys a field out of her earnings and plants a vineyard, she always works with eager hands, brings her food from afar, she awakes while it is still dark, she always has food for her family and even enough for her servant girls, she makes garments and sells them, and she gives faithful instruction with strength and dignity. To top it all off, after all of this hard work during the day, her lamp stays on at night! When does she rest? Where does she find the time to be so productive? In my mind I have always pictured her like the lady in this picture. In fact, the Bible does say, "her arms are strong for her tasks" Prov. 31:17. Sigh. My arms must seem like flubber compared to this wonder woman. A few dishes in the sink here, laundry in the floor there, soap scum, dust, and vacuuming galore. Does your to-do list ever seem overwhelming? Sometimes I strive so hard to get everything done that I lose sight of the bigger picture. "I have to iron these shirts, wash these dishes, make lunch for tomorrow, remember to make the bed." When I try to accomplish everything in one evening and something doesn't get checked off of the list I feel so discouraged. But then it hit me tonight. I DON'T HAVE to be super woman. The Lord himself sees every pan I clean, every shirt I fold, each tub I scrub, and every meal I prepare. None of these things will make him love me any more or any less. Our Lord knows our struggles and our weaknesses. He says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matt. 11:28. Sometimes I need to stop for a second and just re-prioritize myself. The Lord doesn't need my house to be spotless with the Good Housekeeping seal on the front door. I do believe that hard work and a clean house is pleasing in the sight of the Lord, but I might just have to realize that I am not Martha Stewart. Perhaps one day I will figure out how the 'Wife of Noble Character' found time to do it all, but until then I will hold to this thought..."For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have larned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength." Phil. 4:11-13. Are you feeling tired and heavy laden? Turn to the Lord who gives rest and He will give you strength. You'll be finding extra energy for that last load of laundry or dirty dish pile from last night's supper.

More Valentine's Day....

This was mine and Daniel's first Valentine's day together as a married couple. Daniel noted that he couldn't top last year (when he asked me to marry him) but I must say, this one was just wonderful. We started the day by sleeping in (I love weekends). Then we had breakfast and headed downtown for some window shopping at Market Square. Daniel took me to lunch at Trio's, which was amazing! After lunch, we headed to the movies to see Paul Blart Mall Cop. It was a good movie, but I'd wait to rent it :) We then came home and made dinner together. Daniel fixed our steaks and I made our vegetables and chocolate fondue. It was a great dinner - we even used our fine china for the first time!
For the longest time I have always awaited the day when I could buy a Valentine's card that said Husband on it. I new that this was my year to do so, but I couldn't find a card that was cute enough. So I just decided to make my own. (Note the huge glittery 'husband' letter above). Daniel and I both got each other books. He got me the Beth Moore study on Jesus and I got him the new Tony Dungy book. I can't wait to start my new study. I have been eyeing these books for some time now...Daniel knows exactly what I like. It was a great day and now I am sad that the weekend is over.

Happy Love Day

For this Valentine's day I wanted to let my family know that I was thinking about them. I put together these sweet little packages containing: a jar of homemade strawberry jam, and a box of fabric fortune cookies made from my valentine heart fabric. The fortunes read: "Love one another deeply from the heart." 1 Peter 1:22 and "Warm hugs and sweet kisses...Love you." Daniel and I loaded up the ol' Eclipse on Friday night (or as Lynne would call it, the Spyder) and delivered these heart felt gifts to our loved ones. It was wonderful to get to visit with those that we love (even if for only a minute) and just let them know how special they are to us. I am so thankful for how the Lord has blessed Daniel and I with two wonderful families. We love you all!