I was so BLESSED in 2010!

Tonight is the last night of one of the best years in my life, thus far. 2010 held so many great accomplishments, memories, and special events that will change so many things in my future. Although I am super excited about the new year and all that will come with it, I almost hate to see such a good year end. I was so trully blessed in so many ways throughout this past year. Here is an extremely short recap: I was able to complete all of my prerequisits for grad school (and not go into anymore debt), Terry and I bought our first home, then we bought our first new car, then we got ENGAGED!!! I had a job and an income (not a good one but more than some) and Terry was blessed to keep the job that he loves. We are healthy and very happy, and so are our dogs. I've made new friends, kept in touch with old ones, and learned to give a little more of myself and my time to all of them. Terry and I have traveled, camped, canoed, and vacationed in new places including New York City! We've spent time with our families and watched it expand (our beautiful Goddaughter Samantha was born and we've just found out that she will be a big sister in 2011) and worked on creating and bettering our own. We have been able to add things to our home (a fence, deck, shed, etc) to make ourselves and our dogs more comfortable, which is something that we weren't sure would all get done this year. We have been so lucky and we are so grateful. We've cherished our time and experiences that this year has provided us with and we are excited to do the same throughout 2011!



Thank you God for blessing us with such a full life.

I'll miss you 2010! You were great to me!

My first time to be a Christmas Hostess!

My mom and dad and Terry's mom waiting on Christmas dinner!

The first Christmas dinner that I've ever cooked!

I've always loved family gatherings and all of the food, gossip, and memories that come with them. I look forward to holidays and birthdays and any other day that gives me an excuse to have company over or go to visit my family. So this year, since Terry had to work on Christmas day, it is our first Christmas in our new house, and we are FINALLY engaged, I decided that with so many things to celebrate I would host a big Christmas dinner a couple of days early for both of our families at our house. I was super excited but also had no clue where to begin the preparations! We got a really late start and were rushed to get everything cleaned and cooked, but I am so proud to say that everything turned out just fine! We all ate well, had great conversation, received unexpected and much appreciated gifts, and our families got to know each other a little bit better. It was an overall success and I can't wait to do it again next year!

However, I did learn a couple of lessons throughout the whole thing:

#1- I never knew how hard my granny worked to make those years of family gatherings happen!

#2- Prepare the food more than one hour before you are expecting your company!

#3- Without a great partner and helper (like Terry) you will probably be S.O.L.

Big News!!!

After a failed promise that I would update my posts more often, it is now time for another catch up session! First, let me say that the whole flirt with veganism thing was extremely successful for a whole month! Yes, one single month! I really felt great and could really feel the benefits of doing away with animal products. However, it also made me realize my true love for cheese and chicken! I just couldn't go on without it in my life! So, I learned some valuable lessons about food, expanded my food horizon, and moved on.

Next, for the big news... Terry finally proposed!!! On November 3, 2010, at 8:31 PM, Terry finally made the big move! I came home from work, after a horrible day, to a house filled with yellow roses, rose petals, candles, and champagne! I thought that he was just trying to make my day end better than it started by being sweet, but when I demanded that he open the champagne (I don't know how) he said, "hold on, I have one more thing for you" and of course I was NOT EVEN thinking of a ring. All signs pointed to it but I was oblivious! So even when he pulled out the most perfect little gold box with the most perfect little white bow on top, I had no clue. My brain was just static. Then, he opened the box to show the actual ring box! I bursted into tears and cried for approximately fifteen minutes, screaming "YES!" somewhere between the sobs! The ring is beautiful, of course, and I am looking forward to our life to come! We will be getting married on November 3, 2012! Exactly two years from the day he proposed! I'm officially the future Mrs. Terry Boyd!

Playing Catch Up!

I haven't blogged in about three months! So many things have been going on that I sooo wanted to write about but I have just been carried away with life. That can be OK I guess?! Living life is a good thing.

Since my last entry so many things have happened in the world and in my personal life. For example, the BP oil spill (which I sooo should have written about every single day to let out some of my frustrations about the whole situation), my little sister graduated from cosmetology school, my parents got in a horrid motorcycle crash (something else I definately should have written about), and school and work have been crazy (which could very possibly be the whole reason that I am playing catch up now). Terry and I have found a new love for camping and hiking which isn't a surprise beings we already had a love for kayaking and fishing and anything else outdoors. I have also been sinking myself into some really great books lately and writing a lot more in my journal than I have in years. I can physically feel the weights being lifted off of my shoulders one by one as I allow myself to relax and let go. And finally, this brings me to my latest stretch to find true happiness within myself, my health, and my life... a flirt with veganism! I know, something I had never thought that I would do either. I think that this last topic deserves a post all for itself so I'll be discussing this later!

Whew...now I'm back on track! Updates should be more regular after this one!

Icky Sticky Coffee Gunk!

So if you drink as much coffee as I do, then most likely you have had the problem of cooking the last few drops of coffee onto the bottom of a glass coffee pot. It gets thick and sticky and hard. It seems nearly impossible to get off without messing up the coffee pot permanently! Well today I learned how to clean it in less than a minute. Put some table salt into the bottom of the pot (enough to cover the gunk) and fill about half way with ice cubes and swirl it around until it all comes off! Amazing!

Just thought I would share my new bit of knowledge!

Family Means the Most

As every single family does, my family goes through ups and downs. We have overcome major obstacles and gone through experiences (good and bad) that have provided us with memories that can only be shared with each other. We can feel each other's hurt and happiness as well as the pride and disappointment that comes with life. We share in the joy of one another's accomplishments and the pain of our falls. That is what family is for. I am so grateful that God has provided me with a supporting and loving mom who taught me everything I need to know be a great mom to my (future) children , a sister who fights hard but loves harder and whose love you can feel from states away, and a step-dad that took on the responsibility of two teenage daughters and gave parenting his all when he didn't have to. I have been so blessed.

UserIDs, Passwords, and Account Numbers...Oh My!

I've just spent the last three and a half hours of my life sorting through paper mail, emails, websites, and calculators trying to figure out my billing schedule to repay my student loans from college. As it turns out, I will be paying hundreds of dollars a month for the next thirty years or so of my life. (Was school really worth it?-Yes.) The stress of my unknown financial future has been driving me crazy! Organizing the bills I have now and the ones that I already know about for my future has been a major relief! It helps so much to see everything on paper right in front of you instead of digging through what seems to be hundreds of paper and email notices that all say different things!

Life Lesson #6- If your financial life is organized, chances are the other parts of your life will follow suit. Spring cleaning should apply to ALL parts of your life!

They Call It Puppy Love

I find that the most pure form of love comes from the innocence of a sweet puppy dog! When I look into they eye's of my beautiful Liza and Chance all I see is their love for me. They don't judge or hold grudges. They are loyal to me no matter what. They live everyday trying to do anything they can to please me. They are content when I am happy and they comfort me when I am down. They can sense the way I feel and know what to do to make everything easier. They know me. They are two of my best friends and I am so thankful to have them.

-Life Lesson #5- Try to be more like your dog! They give everything they have to others and they would never judge a friend!

"Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder" is WRONG

OPINION- So the whole saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is a crock of poo poo. Terry has now been gone for three days and I'm positive that I can gain the same fondness with him here as I can with him away! I am missing him terribly and I am ready for him to come home! I'll get to spend the weekend with him and then he will be gone again. Only five weeks to go after that! Obviously the person that came up with that phrase did NOT love the company of their significant other! Well I do and I am rather fond of him being home!

Woo! I feel better. Just had to get that out! Thanks!

Make New Friends but Keep the Old!

As I was sitting, feeling lonely because Terry isn't here, I started to think about how much I miss having my old friends around. And then I thought about how great it is that I have made new friends. A stream of guilt ran through me because I felt for a moment like my old friends are being replaced by the new ones and that is NOT what I want to happen! Over the last few years my friends and I have moved away from each other and nobody has really taken the time or effort to keep in touch or visit. There have been times when I've felt neglected by them and I'm sure they've felt the same about me. After receiving the sweetest "you are a great friend" card from one of my best friends the other day, I realized that maybe instead of waiting for them to come to me, I should suck it up and go to them. Whether it be a physical visit, a phone call, or a card or letter, it is just as much my responsibility to keep our friendships strong as it is theirs. I'm also going to make an effort to let my new friends know how much I appreciate them and enjoy being around them! There is no competition between old friends and new and I am so grateful to have them all. To all of my friends, I love you!

-Life Lesson #4: If you are missing your friends, they are probably missing you. Make the first move.

-And Life Lesson #5: As you get older keeping your friends close only gets harder.

Super Quick Tip!

Life Lesson #3- If someone spills red wine on your dress immediately pour white wine over the stain and then wash in cold water and hang to dry! Repeat until the stain is gone! It works the next on a dry red wine stain too! I promise!

Finding True Love- A Lesson from my Parents!

So today is my mom and step dad's 8th wedding anniversary! Their relationship has taught me so much about love and what it means to care for someone unconditionally. They got married when I was in 9th grade, one of the most crucial times in a young girl's life when you are no longer a little girl and you are trying to figure out what type of woman you want to be. Their marriage showed me that life doesn't always take the path you plan but sometimes the fork in the road leads to better things. I'm so glad that my mother found the love of her life and that my step dad was there to show us all that not all men are bad. I love you both very much and I look forward to watching your love grow for many years to come!

-Life Lesson #2: Love with everything you have and you shall receive the same in return!

Terry Leaves for the Fire Academy

I knew that after a great weekend spent with friends the time would come for Terry to leave me for five whole days to go the the fire academy in Jackson, MS. Well that time has now come and gone as I sit here at home with all of my chores completed and wonder what to do next?! This is the first week of six and I'm already bored and lonely without my Terry here to keep me company. My puppies are great but they don't speak English! Too bad! This is going to be a loooong week! At least I won't be complaining about needing "me time" for a while!

-Life Lesson #1: Enjoy your time alone because it will be sooner than later that you have no "me time" at all.

First Timer!

Hello all! This is my first time to blog so this post is sort of a test run to see how it works. Good luck to me!