Pre-Thanksgiving

This past weekend, Chris and I drove down to Beaufort on Friday night and stayed at his family's beach house for a pre-Thanksgiving celebration. This is the second year they have done this. Its fun for us in two ways. One is that we get to go to his family's Thanksgiving, and then go to my family's Thanksgiving. Two is that we get to eat delicious food twice.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things that we may not always realize we are thankful for. I am very thankful that Chris and I can be together on that day. We are both thankful for our two wonderful dogs, our house we live in, our jobs, our families, and of course we are thankful for each other and alot more.
After work on Friday, we packed up and hit the road. We decided to take the dogs over to my parents house for the weekend, so that we could relax at the beach and not worry about them the whole time. They might have tried to eat all the food too. My parents only live about 45 minutes away from the beach house which is nice. After we dropped off the dogs, we made it to the beach house around 11pm. We were pretty tired, so we headed to bed.
The next day, Saturday was the day we would have Thanksgiving. Chris's family was cooking all morning and it smelled great. We watched football and ate around 1pm. Everything tasted so good and I of course got so full. We took quick naps and woke up in time to watch the Gamecocks play the undefeated Gators. The game was actually better than I thought. For awhile, I thought we had a chance to win but we couldn't hold on long enough.
On Sunday and Chris and I decided that we were going to go visit with my parents and eat lunch over at their house. We had sandwiches and beef stew which was so good. After visiting for awhile, we headed home.
The weekend was full of food and family and that's what we always love to do. I cant wait until the real Thanksgiving when we go to my parents house to eat MORE turkey.

Weddings, Birthday, and Promotions!!!

WOW! Ive had a very busy past 2 weeks. I've been wanting to update the blog, but haven't had much time. So here is a quick update of everything I've been up to.
October 17, 2009 Michael and Rachel tied the knot. It was a very busy but super fun day. I woke up early to get my hair done with Rachel then went over to the wedding venue and got my makeup done. Everything went by so fast but the wedding was beautiful. The wedding was outside and it was very cold, but we bared it for the hour we were out there for the ceremony and pictures and then got warmed up during the reception. I am so happy that I got to be apart of their day as a bridesmaid. Chris was the best man and his speech was great! Short but sweet! I know they had a great time at their weeding and that is all that matters.
My birthday was that Monday. I had to work because I took off on Friday for the wedding. My co-workers took me out to lunch which was very nice. Later after work Chris gave me one of my gifts. He got me a camera/video camera. It is so small that it fits in my purse and it takes pictures and records stuff. We have been using it alot. Chris then took me to the mall and he bought me a Vera Bradley toiletry bag and flat iron cover that I wanted. I think the pattern is called Green Cupcake or something like that. I love it. I cant wait to go on some sort of trip so that I can use it. Then we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant. I cant remember the name but it was so good. Too much food for us to finish but we enjoyed the leftovers. I am so grateful for Chris and the things he did to make by birthday very special. Being 23 isn't much different than 22. I have a feeling I might lose track of how old I am soon because they all seem the same.
Last Thursday I finally got a promotion at work. I have been asking my general manager what I could do to get a better position and get started on my career. We went back and forth about a few positions and we finally agreed on one. I am now a Sales Manager here at The Blake Hotel. It has been very tough already, but I'm ready for a challenge and ready to learn. I hope that I can catch on fast and book lots of rooms for the hotel. I'll update you soon on my progress since its only been three days.

Family Time

This past weekend my Moms side of the family came to Charlotte to visit Chris and I and to watch some football. It was a wonderful weekend and I wish we could do weekends like this all the time but its hard since everyone lives far away.
Growing up my family has always loves the Redskins. My grandmother goes to at least one game a year still and my dad and brother are die-hard fans. Personally, growing up I really didn't like watching football but now that I understand it, I enjoy watching and paying attention to college football more than NFL. Now that I live in Charlotte, its only appropriate for me to like the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers were started back in the 90s, and its a NFL team for South and North Carolina. In fact, the Panthers used to play in the Clemson stadium before their stadium was built in Charlotte. Did you know that the Panther head on the jerseys and helmets is the shape of South Carolina and North Carolina put together? Cool huh? Since Chris grew up in Charlotte, he has been a huge Panthers fan, he even went to the first Panthers game EVER!! Last year I went to two Panthers games, one on my birthday against the Saints (we won), and one during the playoffs against the Cardinals (we lost). I have never been to a Redskins game that I know of, and I wish I did. So long story short, on normal Sunday when Chris and I watch football ALL day, I cheer for the Panthers and the Redskins! But it got a little tough this weekend when they played each other. Like I mentioned before, my family LOVES the Redskins....they were all decked out in their Redskins attire and there I was. The only thing I had to wear was my Panthers jersey since I don't have anything Redskins. Chris and I were the only ones wearing Panthers. Nobody cared. So the game was pretty close and in the end the Panthers won. Finally, the Panthers won a game (their first this season). The Redskins had already won two games...so to be fair, it was the Panthers turn to win one! :)
So about the weekend. My brother Dylan drove from school on Friday night and he, Chris, and I went and ate at Buffalo Wild Wings that night. When we got home we waited for my parents and my other brother Davis to arrive. When they got to my house they ate a late dinner and headed to the hotel. I got my family $49.00 rates at my hotel, so they were excited about that. Davis and Dylan stayed at our house. My Aunt Laura and Uncle Dean and Grandma and Grandpa from Hilton Head also came in on Friday.
Saturday we got up to watch the Gamecocks take on the Wildcats at 12:30. The family came over to watch and my Aunt Lisa and her friend Fran arrived from Maryland to witness the Gamecocks win. (We are now #22 in the nation). I really get into the Gamecocks games...much more than any NFL game. I love my Gamecocks. After the game we hung around our house and ate and watched more football. Saturday night we went out to eat pizza at Intermezzo. The pizza was great and we had a great time.
Sunday was the big game and we watched that and hung around again, just watching football and catching up with family. Man, I was pooped when everyone left. Even though all we did was just lay around the house all weekend...it was tiresome. Like I said before, I wish we could do it all the time, I love my family so much and we always have such a great time together. I guess we will just have to wait a few more moths for Christmas to come so we can see each other again.
Lastly, just a little update on the Gamecocks. Right now we are 5-1, 2-1 in the SEC and we even beat #4 Ole Miss!! So we are now #22 and are about to take on #2 Alabama this weekend. We will be at the wedding during the game but you better believe I will be thinking about them and recording the game! I think we have a chance to beat them!! CROSS YOUR FINGERS! :)

Busy Busy Bee

Chris and I have been so busy lately with everything. It seems like the "to do" list keeps getting longer and longer no matter how much we get done. We try to talk about what things need to get done first and set our priorities straight, but like always things and plans change. The next few weeks are going to be busier than normal, but also very fun and exciting, so I wanted to tell you a little about what we will be doing these next few weeks.
My WHOLE Mom's side of the family is coming into town to visit Me, Chris, and the doggies. The only people that aren't coming from that side are my two cousins Michelle and Melissa. They will be missed, but are still loved of course. The original plan was to have them come and go to the Panthers vs. Redskins game on Sunday, but we couldn't find that many tickets for a good price. They all said they still wanted to come to see our house and have a great weekend. Most everyone is showing up on Friday and spending the weekend. I will write a post about how the weekend went. I'm so excited to see my family and spend time with them. I'm also happy that they are coming to MY house. This has never happened before. I'm starting to feel like a real adult. I need to start cleaning, straightening up and getting ready to be a great host.
The next weekend after that is Michael and Rachel's wedding (Chris brother). Chris is of course the best man and I am one of the bridesmaids. I'm so honored to be able to stand up there next to them on their special day. It will be something they remember forever. There are activities for the wedding from Thursday until the wedding day (Saturday). I know its a huge day for Chris too because his twin brother is getting married and he has to make a speech and everything, but I also know that he is very excited. I love weddings and I am really looking forward to being there.
The day after the wedding is Sunday and I think we are having a cookout at Chris parents house for my birthday which is Monday. I'm happy that I will be able to celebrate while most everyone is still in town from the wedding. I'm turning 23 this year and I really feel like I'm getting old. I know 23 isn't old at all but the time is flying by so much, which leads me to my next point.
Like I said earlier, I feel like we are always rushing around and always having something to do. Even when I am relaxing I cant really relax because I have so much on my mind that I could be doing. I think most of it is because I am worrying about money and making a living. I know Chris is stressing about the same thing. Sometimes I need to sit back and think about the things that I am grateful for instead of the things that I want or stress about. at least I have a job and am making money (some people don't even have that). I have the most wonderful boyfriend that I could ever ask for, two of the greatest dogs in the world, two parents that love me more than anything, two brothers that I love so much, a car that works, clothes to wear, money to buy food, and much much more. I know I just need to work hard, pray, and wait for God to give us more opportunities. While I wait, I need to smile and love what I am and what I have.
"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. (Proverbs 16:3).
"Cast your cares upon the Lord, for he cares about you. (1 Peter 5:7)."
"Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. (Job 37:14)."
"I will give you peace and quietness. (1 Chronicles 16:11)."
"With God ALL things are possible. (Matthew 19:26)."

I MET KATE GOSSELIN

For those of you who do not know, I am a huge fan of Jon and Kate Plus 8! I have been watching the show since day one and I wont miss an episode on a Monday night. Even though their marriage had fallen apart, I still support their family by watching the show because the kids are too darn cute. People keep saying they need to stop the show and spend time with their kids, well here is what I think of that. Even though they make tons of money for each episode, they still do not have enough money to keep raising all eight children AND put them through college if they stop the show now. Jon and Kate both have said their kids like doing the show, so why not. If they stop the show, then they will both have to go back to work and therefore they REALLY wont have time for their kids. Anyways, as you can see, I love the show and nothing will change my mind.


My manager and I went to a meeting at Visit Charlotte on Wednesday to try and get a contract signed and while we were there we were both given two tickets to the Southern Women's Show on Thursday-Sunday. I asked my manager what it was and she recommended that I attend. She said it was a bunch of booths and you walk around and get free stuff like makeup, shampoo, etc. The next morning when I got to work, I decided to look online to see what times the show was open to see if I could go sometime over the weekend when I saw KATE GOSSELIN'S name! I thought surely she wasn't coming to this show, but sure enough, SHE WAS!!! The only problem I saw was that she was going to be there from 1:30pm-3:30pm on Thursday (today, while I work).


I quickly came to the conclusion that I would go during my lunch break and ask my manager if I could take a little longer tlunch and take a short lunch on Friday. She approved!! Man, I was so excited.


I left work at noon and got there at 12:30pm so that I could buy her book and find where she would be, in time not to miss a minute. I knew I only had an hour or two so I thought ahead and asked the lady I bought the book from where she would be signing them after so I could get as close to that area as possible. She didn't have a clue. I waited and waited for a long time. I didn't want to go anywhere else and lose my close spot to the stage. It got quite boring since I was by myself, but I didn't care. Lucky for me I heard a lady say where she would be signing the books after and sure enough there was already a line forming (before she even was on stage). I realized that if I got in line right then I would still be able to see the stage, so I hopped in line and waited some more. Lucky for me again because I was the last person they let stand in line until she was done talking because it was going to block the way of other attendees.


While waiting I saw Kate's body guard. The man that people say she is in a relationship with, and everyone was taking pictures of him. (by the way, Kate said that the body guard is NOT her man) Finally Kate came out and answered questions for an hour.


SOME HIGHLIGHTS TO HER QUESTIONS:

• Their dogs (Shoka and Nala) were given back tot he breeders. She says they may get them back in the future, but right now is too hard


• She really misses Jon, the old Jon (she cried)


• Mady and Cara are going to a Taylor Swift concert for their bday coming up


• Her recipe book is coming out in the fall

There are a lot more, I just cant think of them right now.

Kate finally made it over to the table where she was signing her books and I was about #20 in line. I found out later that there was about 1,500 people there. I was so happy I was in the front of the line. As we got closer to her, the security told us we could only take pics of her, not with her. (I wanted a pic with her). Finally it was my turn. I handed her my book and she asked how I was doing. I told her good and that I wished I lived in Pennsylvania so that I could babysit her kids. And she told me that I looked like a respectable young lady that she would definitely consider me to watch her kids if I lived close!!! WOO WHO! That made my day. Little did I know there was MORE to come.

The next day I got to work and I opened the Internet. My homepage that pops up is the Charlotte Observer Newspaper website. I read it almost every morning. I saw the title of an article saying something that Kate had said at the show so I clicked on it to read about it. I read the whole article and there was a picture of Kate on the stage smiling. As I clicked the back button to read more of the paper I saw that there was two pictures. I had a feeling it was going to be of her signing the books so I clicked back on the article. (I swear this was ALL in slow motion) I clicked on the next button to see the next picture and THERE I WAS. STANDING THERE WITH KATE GOSSELIN!!!!!!!! I stopped and thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Out of ALL 1,500 people, there I was with Kate.

I got what I wished for!!! A picture WITH Kate, not just OF Kate! Since the picture was the second one on the website I thought for sure they would use the first one in the actual newspaper, BUT NO! My manager walked in and handed my the newspaper, opened to the page where the picture of my newest friend Kate and I are in. I am still in shock that this is really me. I think I might try and get ahold of her and tell her that I must really be destined to babysit for her or something. But then again, she talked to 1,500 people, I know she doesn't remember me!

Dance Lessons and Gamecocks

This post is a little out of order, but I was reading my older posts and remembered that I never wrote about our dance lessons. Chris's brother Michael and his fiancee Rachel invited Chris and I to take dance lessons with them for the wedding. It ended up being Michael and Rachel, Chris and I, Rachel's parents, and Chris's parents. It was a lot of fun. Each week we would go into class and add new steps to the ones we learned the week before. After we got the steps down, we would rotate partners. So I ended up dancing with not just Chris. I danced with Michael, Mr. Hunt, and Mr. Crunk! We mainly learned swing, but the last few weeks we worked on salsa. It was so funny to see the boys try to catch on to the moves. They would always want to be a better partner than the other. My main partner was Chris though and I hope he remembers all the moves so when the wedding comes we don't look crazy on the dance floor.
I think Michael and Rachel are taking a few other classes without everyone so they can learn what to do for their first dance.
Chris actually, surprisingly liked dance class. At first I had to beg him to take it with me but then he loved it. He even wants to take our own private classes one day...and of course i would LOVE that. He wants to learn TANGO! whew...it looks hard.
All in all it was a great experience and great bonding for the two families.
Now skipping back to this past weekend. Chris and I drove to N. Augusta, SC for Rachel and Michael's wedding shower at Chris's Aunt Mary-Alice's house. It was a fun shower but didn't last too long. We stayed the night so that we could watch the Gamecocks play the Bulldogs. The game was sooo good but we ended up losing at the VERY end. The score was 37-41. So sad. But the good news is that Stephen Garcia (our QB) is looking very good. Finally we have a good looking quarterback, and our team looked put together. I am very excited for the rest of the season. I think we will do alot better than last year.
While we were in N. Augusta we had to board River for the first time. I was a little upset and sad but then I got over it. River had such a good time and he was pooped when we picked him up on Sunday. I'm glad that we got the boarding thing over with so now I wont be hesitant on taking him there. We had to bring Hannah with us since she doesn't have her rabies shot yet, but she wasn't in the way. We kept her in the crate for half the day when a bunch of people were around, but once everyone left we brought her out and she played with Reese (Mary-Alice's dog).
It was a good weekend...now back to work.

Gamecocks and Labor Day

Since my last post nothing has been going on to write about. Just work, entertain dogs, and rest! This past weekend was the first exciting weekend in awhile. Chris and I were supposed to go to the beach with some of our friends but that trip got cancelled at the last minute. I called my parents to see what they were up to and they were headed to the mountains for the weekend. I though that would be a fun but very relaxing time and its only and hour and 45 minutes from our house in Charlotte. It turned out to be a blast.
Friday after I got off work Chris took me to Outback Steakhouse which is one of my favorite restaurants ever (i know its lame because its a chain restaurant, but i cant pass up the cheese fries EVER). After eating, going home and packing we were on the road by 8pm and arrived at the lake house around 9:45 pm. My parents and Davis finally arrived at 10pm and by the time they settled in and we chatted for awhile we all went to sleep.
The next morning Chris and I woke up around 11am and put our bathing suits on right away. We hung out on the lake for a few hours. The dogs LOVED it. River had the most energy I have ever seen him have but he was so funny jumping off the dock over and over again like the energizer bunny. Charlie tried to keep up but he would get annoyed and go lay on the couch on the porch. Hannah would have spurts of energy and she was swimming more than we have ever seen her. (by the way...I would post pictures but Hannah chewed the cord that transfers the pics from my camera to the computer) Later that day after we had lunch we all got showers and headed to the Apple Festival in downtown Hendersonville with the family. I was so excited because my favorite candy store is in downtown Hendersonville so I got to get tons of candy. We didn't buy anything besides the candy and some hot dogs but it was fun to look at everything. After we left the Apple Festival we all went to the grocery and picked out dinner. We saw a really yummy looking Greek salad at the Apple Festival so we decided to have that and grilled chicken. It turned out great. My Grandpa wanted my mom to make some other stuff including fudge. YUM! That night we watched tons of football and played games and did puzzles. it was relaxing that is for sure.
The next morning we tried to sleep in a little but we couldn't because the dogs were so excited to get out on the lake again. Chris had some work to do so he did that and we all just took it easy for the day by the lake. My mom made beef stew and cornbread for dinner and fudge for desert. The beef stew was so good but the fudge never hardened. She thinks that Grandpa gave her the wrong recipe. It was fine though because we ended up using it for hot fudge on top of ice cream. It was so good and we got to bring some home. I still have tons of leftovers.
The weekend was fun and was much needed
As for the Gamecocks...I'm so excited for the football season. If you know me, then you know that I LOVE the gamecocks!!! They won their first game last Thursday and I'm looking forward to a good season. Don't worry if you don't keep track of them because I will surely do that on here. Our next game is this Saturday against Georgia. Tough game, but I think we can pull it off. Keep your fingers crossed!!! :)