Show Us Your Singles - Michael

I wrote about my brother, Matt, earlier today, but I had another friend I just had to share!  My friend Michael is an awesome 28-year old guy and great college friend of my husband and I.

Michael is a laid-back, Christian guy in Georgia who is always fun to be around.  He has a great sense of humor and is such a gentleman!  You truly couldn't ask for a better friend. Michael loves attending sporting events (Go Braves!) and playing softball and basketball.  His fatal flaw is he's a huge Kentucky Wildcats fan :)

In his spare time, Michael also teaches Sunday School and coaches a children's basketball team.  He's a great family guy, and he also loves to travel.  He recently returned from a mission trip to Slovenia to work with students there!

 Overall, Michael's a great catch!  He's kind, thoughtful and takes care of everyone around him.  He's an extremely hard worker, has his MBA, and he currently works in finance & banking.

Leave a comment & I'll pass along your info!

Show Us Your Singles - My Brother!

As you can see, I rarely blog, though I love to read the blogs of others.  Kelly's Korner is one of my daily favorites, and when "Show Us Your Singles" came around this time, I knew I had to feature my brother, Matt!

He's a multi-talented 23-year Christian guy living between Atlanta & Athens with good looks, and a great sense of humor to go with them!

Matt is one of the most fun guys I know - he has a great dry, witty sense of humor that will make you laugh until you cry - but he is also one of the most compassionate people I've ever met.  He doesn't take himself too seriously and he has a flair for the dramatic.  Matt is 100% comfortable in his own skin (see below), and he makes you feel equally comfortable when you're around him.

Matt has many diverse interests, and he's happy spending weekends doing everything from working out & participating in triathlons, attending church, and hiking & camping, to volunteering in his community with special needs children & the elderly or attending a show for a new indie band in downtown Athens.  Matt is great with kids and spent many years volunteering and working as a music director and music therapist and fundraising for local camps for children with special needs.

In addition to his "day job" as a music therapist, Matt is a rockstar.  He has his own band, has put out an album, and plays several shows a week.  He writes all his own music & is extremely talented....who wouldn't want to be serenaded?!

  Yes, Matt's funny, talented, tall (6'3"), rocks his Ray-Ban hipster glasses, and is "extremely good looking" (his words, not mine :), but his greatest qualities are his thoughtfulness, compassion, and genuine kindness toward others.  In his profession, and in his personal life, he constantly goes out of his way to improve the lives of others.  He's one of the most dependable people I know, and the thought and creativity he puts into everything show evidence of his faith and the way he selflessly cares about others.  He is true gentleman & a fantastic boyfriend!

If you're a lover of great out of the box dates, laughing until you cry, and are always on the hunt for the next great band....why not do all those things with my brother?!  He did catch the garter at a recent wedding... :)

Leave a comment!

Doggie Bootcamp

About 6 months ago, my husband and I adopted a new member of our family....in the form of a German Shorthaired Pointer puppy named Cooper.

Officially, his name is Captain von Cooperstown (yes, we are a bit dramatic), but he answers to a combination of Coop, Cooper, Coop-nasty, Coopy Baby, Coopy-ove and Coop-a-loop. Yes, in just a few short months, I've gone from a person who has never even wanted to pet an animal to a bonafide crazy dog lady.

Cooper is kind, lovable, smart, and... incredibly destructive.

Exhibit1: Eating a Christmas Present (he was a repeat offender)


Exhibit 2: Typical scene in our mudroom when I arrive home from work:

I am allergic to dogs and had the bright idea of getting a small, low-key, hypoallergenic dog. As you can see, my idea didn't get too far, since I'm currently living with 60-lb pup who's breed is on the list of top 10 most energetic in the world. Needless to say, our lives have changed quite a bit lately. I love this dog, but boy do I hate having to hide all of my belongings from his wrath. Just this week, he's destroyed 2 chairs, my favorite black patent heels, the hub's dress pants, my running shoes, 3 rolls of toilet paper, and managed to chew a hole in my foyer rug. He needs an intervention.

Next week, Coopy is headed to doggie boarding school for Obedience School Boot Camp for a month! Hallelujah! I'm hoping he comes back his sweet, lovable self, but with some sense knocked into him. We will undoubtedly miss him, but I would be lying if I didn't say I'm looking forward to a break from a house full of puppy.

My latest home obsessions...

About 3 months ago, Digits and I officially went Under Contract on our first home! I had been searching for over 6 months for a house that was just right, and even with the 1000s of homes on the market, nothing peaked my interest (at least nothing that didn't cost about a million bucks)!

During my lunch break, I happened upon a listing for a historic home under renovation, and my heart stopped. I KNEW it was the one. It was as if my future life played out before my eyes, and it was in this house. It sounds cheesy, but I literally had. to. have. it. Fast forward a few weeks, a lot of prayers, and many phone calls, and...we are under contract!

The house is about 3x the size of our current apartment, so needless to say, some furniture shopping is in order in a major way. I am now a bonafide Craigslist addict, but lately I've been lovin' me some West Elm & Restoration Hardware. These beauties are making my swoon....

Why, hello there, West Elm Sweep Armchair...I NEED you for my living room, k?

I am also dying for a traditional roll-armed sofa is cream leather...
(courtesy of The Leather Chair Store)

...and how about this Restoration Hardware bathroom??


I love traditional shapes and styles, but I also love more contemporary fabric choices, and unique touches. I change my mind about my style about once per week, so I'm making myself hold off on ordering anything until I can get good and settled on my ideas. One week I want some crazy modern ottoman, and the next week I'm shopping at antique marts....what will the final result be? Your guess is as good as mine.

All I know is....Digits will be glad when this is over. I may or may not have had him up at 8 AM on Saturday morning to go yard & estate sale-ing. Good. Lord. We came home well entertained, but empty-handed after visiting some, er, interesting neighborhoods. Let's just say, my idea of great antiques and collectibles is not your great aunt's 1980s porcelain cat collection....

New Year, New Me, New House.......New Blog?

Well, I've decided to make good on a New Year's resolution and start my own blog. I'm excited to preserve memories from this time in my life and have a way to look back and undoubtedly have those moments of.....WHAT WAS I THINKING??!

In the past year, my husband and I were married, and we spent a lot of time planning out just how we thought 2010 and 2011 would play out. Let's just say, it's a good thing we didn't do any gambling this year, because our gut instincts about the future were WAY off! Sometimes our plans and God's plans don't always line up, and this year has been a reminder that His plan is about 1000x better than the ideas we have on our own.

We've been through job transitions and living changes that we NEVER imagined would be possible at this point in our life and to say we've been blessed would be a gross understatement.

We're getting ready to embark on one of the most exciting (read: stressful) years of our life as we prepare to close and move into our dream home!! Join me as I learn to really be "the lady of the house" during first year as a married couple and our big move from apartment life to a house that feels like home :)