Whew! Mission: Accomplished

As you very well know, I got engaged this past Semptember....and I have really been thinking hard about who I wanted to be in my bridal party...and I finally decided!!!


Ive known for a while, even before we were engaged, that I wanted to ask my bridesmaids in a special way, I just couldnt figure out how. A few weeks ago, I finally decided how I was going to do it, and I set my plan in motion.


I was going to make Christmas Ornaments that said "Will you be a bridesmaid 10-16-2010?"


My roomate in Memphis and I headed out to Michael's to buy the materials and we had a blast. Picking out glass ornaments, the right paint colors and trying to find the best way to write the words.


I painted 8 glass balls a 14k gold color and picked out a red paint pen to write with. I ended up not liking the paint pen because it was too red, almost pink, so I headed to Michaels in LR to find the perfect red. I found it, but the problem was, it wasnt a paint pen, it was a little bottle of red, so I bought a variety pack of paint brushes and headed home.


The brushes ended up not worked well at all, so i found an old skinny crayola marker and dipped the felt tip into the paint and blotted the paint over the letters to make it stand out. I think it ended up looking pretty grand, if I say so myself!


I worked on ornaments for a little over 2 weeks, and had it planned out in my head who I would ask when. I knew I was going to ask Stephanie first for a few reasons, one being that I wouldnt see her until after Christmas unless we saw eachother one night for dinner and two, she is the reason Brad and I are together.


I made 8 bridesmaids ornaments and one best man ornament so Brad could give his best friend Jordan one when I gave Stephanie (his wife) hers at dinner one night.. They both said yes, and my plan was starting to work out well.


Next, I wrapped up two of the ornaments in bubble wrap and shipped them off to Trisha in Pennsylvania and Ashley in New Orleans. Trisha and Ashley are two of my best friends from High School. Trisha got hers within a few days, and Ashley didnt get hers until a week later! Oh well, they both got them, loved them and they said yes!!!


The last part of Mission:Bridesmaid was our friend Christmas party on December 18th. My friends and I get together every year for a girl party and have a potluck and just spend some time together. I knew this would be the ONLY time we would all be together, so I was so excited to finally ask them all!!! I wrapped each of thiers in a box and had a card on the top of each box with thier name and the card had a personal message to each one of them.


When I got there, I put the presents under the tree and assured them that I did NOT buy them anything, I made them something! Dinner wasnt quite ready yet, so we decided to do presents. I passed out the gifts and told them all that there were a few rules; 1) They had to open the presents all at the same time and 2) they couldnt read the card until AFTER they opened the gifts...my stomach was in knots.


They opened thier gifts and they all said YES!!! WHEW! Mission: Accomplished.


Here is a picture of the ornament I made...





YEA!!! My wedding is starting to come together and I cant wait until all of my plans are final and I can just relax with my fiance and with my bridesmaids and have a BLAST!!

The bridesmaids are:
Cara Beth Walker Buie
Jessie Watts Doose
Jessica Arthur
Alicia Slover
Andrea Dean
Ashley Kessler
Trisha Noble Hagge
Stephanie Henry Verdell

WOO HOO!!!!!

A November to Remember

Well, for those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Holiday Season....Halloween, My Birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas....anything that allows me to be around my friends and most importantly my family!!!

November has been pretty productive so far...and that is what I am going to write about!!

On the cusp of November, on October 30th, Bradley and I attended a Pumpkin Carving party at the Buie's...although no one ended up carving anything, we all did end up relaxing and sitting on their amazing front porch just talking (and reminiscing about our trip to Florida)

October 31st, Bradley and I went down to Hot Springs, AR to see my mom for her bday (which is November 1st)....and then after dinner with my mom, Brad and I headed to Magic Screams for Halloween. That was fun, we didnt ride anything, but it was fun to walk around, hear the scary music through the speakers and see all the little kids in costumes. We even waited in line for a "Haunted" House....not worth it!

November 8th is my birthday, and that is a day I am always excited about!!! This year, I wasnt so excited because Brad had drill all weekend, my mom was out of town, my dad was out of town, and it just wasnt a good weekend to celebrate with everyone...BUT after Brad got of work, we got ready and went to eat for my birthday at YaYa's (im not sure if that is the correct spelling)...It was pretty good, although I think they Calamari made me really sick...That sunday my dad and I went to eat at Dixie Cafe for my bday and then went to visit my grandma and aunt like we usually do on Sundays...

The following Friday, I spent the day with one of my great friends, Sara Jane. We ate at Larry's Pizza and went to Holiday House....so fun to see her and get caught up on life. That night, Brad and I, Alicia, Jessica, Ethan, Cara Beth, Brent, Stephanie and Jordan went to eat at P.F. Changs for my birthday and then we went BOWLING!!! I had an absolute blast and I really appreciate everyone for coming!!!! It was Ethan's first time to bowl and it was so fun to watch him try to figure it out.

That Saturday morning, I got up, got dressed and met my mom, Stephanie and Courtney at David's Bridal for a day of WEDDING DRESS SHOPPING!!! We started at David's at 10 am...tried on several dresses until 11:30 and then jumped in the car, grabbed food and headed to Brinkley, AR to Low's Bridal. I found a few dresses I liked at David's and a few I liked at Low's, and I had a BLAST trying on all those different dresses and trying to picture myself walking down the aisle in each one of them. I didn't find one that I just knew was "IT" so I am hoping to go dress shopping again in a few weeks. Brad knew I would be EXHAUSTED by the time I got home, so when I got to his apartment, he has some candles lit, two pink roses, dinner in the oven and he had poured me a glass of wine!!!! What a sweet man he is!

On Thursday, the 19th, as soon as Brad got off work, we headed to Branson, MO for a much needed, 4 day weekend!!! When we got there, we checked in to our one bedroom CABIN and headed out to find some food. We ate at a restaurant right off the strip called Charlies, it was alright! Friday morning, we got up and headed out shopping. Our plan was to drive down the main strip and stop at any stores we thought looked fun, and then end up at the Branson Landing. There were a few stores we stopped at, but didnt buy anything. I did see a real life Reindeer and wouldve taken a picture, but they were charging $5 for a cell phone picture...RIP OFF!!!

The Landing was AWESOME and we had so much fun! Brad even said he has never had so much fun shopping, but I think it was because they had a few "man stores" that he enjoyed going in to. We started at Bass Pro Shop then went to the As-Seen-On-TV store, the Budweiser store, the Lids store, along with several other girly stores that I found a few things for myself and for Christmas presents!!! We ate dinner on the patio of Cantina Laredo so we could watch the fire and light show at the fountain. It was AWESOME. It was a little chilly out, so we were the only ones on the patio...but we felt like we were VIP. We had two heaters on either side of us and a front row seat for the light show. It was so nice to just sit with Brad, have a nice meal, talk for hours and feel special.

On our way back to the cabin, we stopped at the Tanger outlet, found some deals we just couldnt pass up, so decided to get up and go back on Saturday morning, and we did!!!

Saturday we hit up the Tanger outlet and then headed to Silver Dollar City. We had a BLAST. I rode some rides (Brad doesnt ride rides), ate too much, saw a few shows, watched the Christmas parade, enjoyed the singing Christmas tree (well, the lights flash to the songs) and we went down in the Marvel Cave. If you dont know much about it, then you should google or wikipedia it! We went 550 feet down into the cave and got to see lots of natural formations, waterfalls, and BATS! If you havent been to the cave at Silver Dollar City...I recommend it.

This coming Thursday is THANKSGIVING!!! We will spend the day with his parents and grandparents and then go to my gmas that night for some more food! Friday morning, we are headed to Hot Springs to have another Thanksgiving lunch with my mom and Bob. We will be STUFFED but so happy! Saturday we are planning on decorating Brad's apartment for Christmas, so that means I get to drag out all my boxes of Christmas decorations, heat up the Apple cider, turn on some football, and GO TO TOWN DECORATING!!! WHOOP WHOOP!

Here is my apartment last year...im for sure going to miss my fireplace, but we will make it work!!!

So, I hope everyone has an AMAZING Thanksgiving!!!

WHY DO WEDDINGS COSTS SO MUCH?!?!?!

Well, I havent had any new wedding news or funny/rude patients to tell about...so I figured I would blog about the cost of a wedding.

OMG! I cant believe how much this stuff really costs (and I am being my typical bargain shopper self)

I emailed my parents last week, telling them that the deposit for our photographer (Karen) is due so she will go ahead and schedule our date....and that sparked an email discussion of paying for the wedding, which was inevitable!

My parents asked me to come up with a rough amount and then they will go from there....THAT IS SO HARD!!!

I have a GREAT budget option on TheKnot.com AND my wedding planning book provides me with a budget sheet too....but I am afraid the little things will sneak up on me (Sparklers for the reception, number of invitations to order, postage for the invites, paying the wedding coordinater, etc)....and the big things are so expensive, they are overwhelming!!!

I know it will all get accomplished and paid for one way or another, and if it cant be paid for, then it wasnt necessary to begin with (I say that now....)

Another bride gave me a GREAT piece of advice....pick the three things that mean the MOST to me for my wedding and dont cut back on the price of those....unfortunately, 2 of the 3 things are photographer and reception, which are nearing an easy $14,000.....HOLY COW!!!

Do any of you have any cute and inexpensive ideas for centerpieces for the reception tables, church decorations, etc.....I want to do primarily candles...EVERYWHERE!!!!

A girl I work with, Rachel, said she went to a wedding this past weekend and the centerpieces were carved pumpkins with thier initials or cute polka dots with candles inside them AND around them....that sounds really cute, but so much work!!!

Luckily, my friend Stephanie Verdell gave me all of her vases and votive holders from her wedding, so I have TONS to work with....and that is SUCH a blessing....but I want to be able to work with what she had and expand to fit Brad and I's taste!!

In other news....My moms Bday is coming up soon, and Brad and I are planning to go down to see her on Halloween (her bdays the next day)....any cool gift ideas???

THEN, the following weekend is MY BDAY (on Sunday) and my mom and I are going to go look at wedding dresses for myself (on Saturday) while Brad is at drill....I am super pumped, but really insecure b/c I have gotten a little chunky AND pale....

THEN, on November 19th, when Brad gets off work, he and I are headed to BRANSON, MO for our second annual trip!!! This year, we are so excited, because we get all day Friday and Saturday for exploring Branson and Silver Dollar City and spending time with eachother!!! Last year, when we went, I was SICK AS A DOG and we got there late Friday night, spent the whole day Saturday at SDC and then headed home on Sunday....so this year is quite the treat to leave on Thursday night!!! He even booked us a single room CABIN!!!! I am so ready to get away with my fiance!!!

Well, that is all I have for now!!!

Twitter

Well, it's been a few days since I last posted and my beautiful plans of sleeping in were shot when my sweet baby girl Rea licked me in the face at 7:30 am, needing to potty!

I've done all the Twitter and facebook stalking I can do, so I thought I would make a shameless plug for my Dad's Twitter account!

He is brand new to tweeting and really wants/needs to up his followers! His tweets will be basic statements about sports, razorbacks, and/or slightly more personal comments about his articles!

I highly encourage all of you Tweeters to follow him, not just because he is my dad, but because he is awesome and has some neat things to say and great insight on a lot of things.... And if you aren't in to sports and Razorbacks, follow him just for me! I will consider it a personal favor!

You can find him under WallyLikeItIs

Thanks guys and happy Tweeting!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

New to this

Well, since I want to keep my blog updated more, and I am hardly on my actual computer Wednesday evening through Sunday, I thought I would download an app for my iPhone that connects to my blog and allows me to post!

I am not planning on doing much wedding stuff this weekend, but I am planning on getting my nails done, hanging out with some friends, going Jean shopping (ugh, my other jeans are really way too tight), and of course watching the Hogs with my wonderful fiancé!

I am not much of a coffee drinker, and I really don't like the smell of coffee shops at all (but I love the smell of coffee brewing at home), but last night I got a craving for some coffee that us pumpkiny and fallish.....so once I get my happy self out of bed, I plan to go to Starbucks! Now, I just have to find one! (small joke). I do love the Carmel apple cider stuff they have too, but today is for sure a coffee day!

I have actually been working on the wedding website! It has a little bit of fun information and pictures! I still need to write the "How we met" section....but other than that, it has all the information that we know at this point! I don't know how to put a link into this blog format...so I will just type out the link and you can choose to copy/paste if you want...

www.theknot.com/ourwedding/whitneyhall&bradhoman

I hope you take a minute to browse and get to know us a little better!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and weekend!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Is that what you wanted to do?

Something a little bit funny happened to me yesterday, and I had totally forgotten that it had happened until this morning when I remembered to tell Brad about it....

Yesterday afternoon, I was seeing my 1 oclock patient. It was right after lunch and I had forgotten to put my "work" shoes back on (those are a pair of plain black flats that I keep at work because I wear flip flops in and out of work and in between patients).
He noticed my flip flops and said something to the effect of "oh, you have your sandals on, are you going to the beach?"

It took me by surprise for a couple of reasons: 1) I have forgotten to change my shoes before and the patients have never made a comment, or probably even noticed! and 2) I felt TERRIBLE for wearing open toed shoes in a clinic setting.

I digress....I replied "No sir, not headed to the beach any time soon, I just got back actually"

To which he stated, "Well, did you have fun?"

(Here is where it got strange....)

I said, "We had a great time. I actually got engaged while we were down there."

AND HIS RESPONSE WAS...."You got engaged? Is that what you wanted to do?"

(Pause for a moment for impact)

WHO SAYS THAT?!?!!?!!? Most people say things like "congratulations"....or "when is the wedding".....not "is that what you wanted to do?"

I would have been LESS offended/shocked if he had said "Congratulations....marriage is a bitch"....or something to that effect....LOL

I guess people have differing views of marriage, and unfortunately, I have noticed a pattern in marriage with my different aged patients.....the 70 and 80 year olds still love their wives (or they have been trained to act like it) and the 50 and 60 year olds are usually divorced and on to a second wife (which is fine, I am not here to judge...my parents are divorced).

It just boils down to a difference in generations....(my patient was 55 years old)

That is all I have on that story...

Wedding updates....my videographer is free on October 16th....so I am hoping to make a deposit soon and get him scheduled away for that day!!!

Hopefully meeting with a photographer soon to talk with her about pricing and see some of her other work....and then get her scheduled away!!!!

I CANT WAIT....381 days to go!!!!

Goin' to the Chapel....

Well, it is official....WE GOT OUR CHURCH!!!!

As you may know, we were hesitant about having to wait a whole year (and some weeks) to get married....but that was only because we are just ready to Mr. and Mrs. and begin our lives together.....but I met with the church last Thursday afternoon, and I now have a peace about it. Brad also is pleased with the church and seems to be excited to be having our ceremony there.

We are going to be married at Fellowship Bible Church....which is what I consider my "home" church. It is where I went as a child up until I left for college and I have returned a few times, but have not gotten truly plugged back in for various reasons.

They are a HUGE (literally, HUGE) non-denominational church now located off of Rahling Road. They are one of those big, overwhelming churches that has a HUGE sanctuary that would NEVER be feasible to get married in....but since they have relocated in the past few years, they built a chapel that is used for Deaf Ministry on Sunday mornings and also doubles as a Wedding Chapel on Saturday evenings...

It has a high ceiling with wooden beams, a stage and plenty of seating (400+)....I wish I had taken pictures so I could post them....

So...it is now official.....OCTOBER 16th, 2010 will be the greatest day of my life....I will be marrying my best friend and the type of man I NEVER thought I deserved to be with...

For several years, I have always said I wanted a man named Popeye to do my videography at my wedding....I have known him for several years (through RimRockers, his daugther-in-law was one of my pledge sisters, and he is an acquaintance of my dad)....and I emailed him this past week and HE IS AVAILABLE ON OCTOBER 16th!!!!! It is all coming together and I am so pumped....

Once my BIG details are taken care of, then it will be time to worry about the little ones, and those are the ones I tend to stress about....oh well, take it all in stride and they are just little details.

I really want to enjoy my engagement and wedding planning and try to avoid any and all drama that could break out....i know that is wishful thinking, but drama is only dramatic if you make it that way....otherwise, it is just an issue to deal with!!!

The current check list is as follows....
Reception site (check)
Ceremony site (check)
Pastor (check....if scheduling permits)
Videographer (check)

I have to brag on my fiance for one minute....he is more attentive about this wedding planning experience than I EVER expected....He asks me how meetings went, he wants to know what they told me or what thier answers were to our questions.....He also will sit with me and flip through our planning book and occasionally asks questions. I am very impressed....I am also not naive....I KNOW he doesnt care what our color scheme is, or what the bridesmaids dresses look like....but he will sit and listen to me talk about those things, and then will put in his opinion about other things. I am so lucky!!!

That is all the updates I have about the wedding planning....STAY TUNED!!!

Wedding Update

Well....Brad and I really want to get married in May, and after looking at the feedback from some of you...May seems like the best time....BUT (isnt there always a BUT?!?!?!)...........

The church we want to get married in/at (Fellowship) is booked for May 15th, 2010....but it is available October 16th, 2010.....

Our reception site has us penciled in for both of those dates....so we are good to go for a reception site....but what it comes down to is the church.

Fellowship has 2 chapels....The Chapel and the Glass Chapel...apparently the Glass Chapel only holds about 50 guests....so that is something else for Brad and I to think about....do we want to have a small wedding with CLOSE friends and family and then invite everyone to the reception?!?!?!

We are planning to drive around this weekend and see if we can find any churches downtown or around that we could maybe get married in on May 15th....we are not opposed to RENTING a site, but that would also include RENTING chairs and decorating it, etc.....we are trying to budget!!!

Do you guys have any ideas of churches that may allow to non-members to marry in their place of worship???

Some things I am looking for....
*A single aisle, right down the middle....its the way i have envisioned it for as long as I can remember.
*A lenient policy on "secular" music....I would like to have a cd playing of love songs while my guests are being seated...some churches dont let you play "secular" music
*Allow visiting pastors to officiate the ceremony....I have a pastor in mind for the ceremony, and we would like for Brad's gpa (who used to be a Baptist minister) to do our vows....so we need a place that allows other pastors/ministers to participate.

That is all I can think of right now....If you guys have ANY suggestions what-so-ever....i would GREATLY appreciate it!!!

October or May

Brad and I were originally discussing having an October wedding, but seeing that October 16th is over a year away....we are rethinking our original decision.

We sat down this weekend and discussed/wrote down the pros and cons of getting married in either October or May.

Pros of October are that we will have a year to plan a wedding, we can enjoy our engagement, we will have more paid off individually so when we join our debt wont be so awful, plenty of time to look for a house and buy one, etc.

Cons of October are that we have to wait that much longer to be married, its FOOTBALL season, it would link a big day into a series of others (my bday, thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Valentine's Day, his bday) creating a VERY expensive Fall/Winter season, its close to hurricane season (aka rainy honeymoon), "small room" at reception site, etc

Pros of May are that we will be married sooner, no HUGE sporting events are occuring that we would miss, we have the "big room" at the reception site, etc

Cons of May are that I will be STRESSED to get it done in 8 months, tends to be rainy, we won't have our tax money back to pay for the honeymoon, etc.....

We had decided this weekend to stick with October....but I just have a hesitant feeling about it for some reason and I re-brought up the topic this morning....so we are in discussions....

Did you guys have long engagements or short ones??? What are some of the pros and cons???? HELP A BRIDE OUT!!!

Proposal

Ive had NO time to update with pictures and stuff since we were packing up and cleaning up the beach house PLUS driving 10 hours home...

Then on Sunday, I had to do laundry all day and visit with family AND THEN drive back to Memphis...

Now I am at work (boo...id rather be on the beach), but I have two pictures to upload of Bradley and I's engagement!

The first picture was taken by Cara Beth (Walker) Buie...one of my best friends and a MAJOR player in the proposal...Bradley had asked her to take pictures for us....

The second picture was taken on my Iphone...lol...its of the ring!!! He did an AMAZING job picking out EXACTLY what I wanted...and I LOVE my ring...

I havent even started to plan or make stuff official because I keep getting distracted by the shiny thing on my left hand...lol...

Hopefully I can keep a detailed blog diary of the wedding planning process, but we all know that is not going to happen!!!

Can not wait to see the other pictures CB took of us....but she is a very busy lady with other photos to edit....she is an AMAZING photographer so if you ever need ANYONE, let her know...

9-9-09

On September 9th, 2009....my AMAZING boyfriend (who I do not deserve) proposed to me!!!

We were at the beach and I am still here currently....he flew out this morning to go to drill in Arkansas so Alicia and I are driving back tomorrow morning.....but I digress....

The point is.....WE ARE ENGAGED AND IT WAS THE BEST MOMENT OF MY LIFE!

I AM GOING TO BE MARRYING THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND MY BEST FRIEND! MORE TO FOLLOW...I HAVE ONE MORE NIGHT AT THE BEACH AND A LONG DRIVE TOMORROW...SO I AM HEADED TO BED SOON AND VERY SOON!

Dear Rain...

Dear Rain (headed toward MY Florida beach destination),

Myself and several others in my party, and friends not traveling with me, will be headed to Destin/Beaches of South Walton in the next few days. I understand the changing weather patterns and this incessant "need" for Hurricane season, but what you may not understand is how badly I need a relaxing vacation and a natural Florida sun tan. This has been a difficult year and the last time I went to the beach was in 2005, which was cut a few days short due to Hurricane Dennis.

Currently, the weatherchannel.com is projecting scattered thunderstorms until September 9th. Now, I am not usually one to ask someone to change their well-laid plans, but I thought I might go out on a limb and ask you to alter your path slightly and redirect your route toward Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina, if you must continue on your quest. I know that weather patterns are unpredictable and I was hoping to appeal to your adventurous side and suggest the scenic route instead of the current plan.

Myself, and several others, (including a bride and groom), would greatly appreciate your consideration of this request. I look forward to hearing of your trip, but I sincerely do not hope our paths cross in the near future. If, in fact, they must, be gentle during your visit and quick with your exit.

Good luck in your endeavours.

Whitney

11 days!

I am so so so excited and I can not hardly wait the 11 days that I have to live through before I am on the BEACH with Bradley, the Buie's, The West's, Alicia and Alex.....

I cant believe we have been counting down to this trip from 211 days....and now, 200 days later, we have 11 days left!!!!

I have already started packing!

I plan on loading the car on Thursday with our things, Mr. Buie's golf clubs, maybe some of Lisha's stuff and then waiting impatiently for Bradley to get off work the next day.....

Hopefully he will get off early so we can get on the ROAD.....

That is all ive got to say about that subject.....I am just excited!!!!

WOW OH WOW

I cant believe its been literally a month and a half since I have blogged...WOW....

I am such a slacker, but this time I am not going to make any empty promises about keeping up with my blog better, blah blah blah....i will blog when I feel like it...lol

Life has been busy....i finished working my fourth year June 30th....had 2 1/2 weeks off and started back as an OFFICIAL Au.D. on July 20th at the V.A. in Memphis.

I work Mon-Wed and its wonderful....I feel slightly like a loser only working part time with this degree ive busted my A for.....but oh well, when im laying out at the pool on thursdays and fridays, I dont feel like such the loser any longer!

Well, sorry to say, last week, my Motorola Pink Slvr AND SIM card crapped out on me....its been a good 3 year run with "Pinky" and a solid 10 year run with the SIM card....Brad has been trying to get me to get a new phone for MONTHS and I just couldnt justify spending 200 dollars on a brand new Iphone when my Slvr did exactly what I needed it to....make calls, send texts and take low quality pictures....

Now I am the proud owner of a 16 GB, 3Gs Iphone that provides me with more than I could have ever imagined that I would use....and I use almost all the applications....im obsessed with my new phone....constantly checking facebook, twitter, TMZ...making additions to my "Lose It" program (weight loss) and always trying to stay up to date with the newest (free) apps....

Ive had the phone one week, not sure how long that will last!!!

Bradley and I, the Buie's, the West's, Alicia and Alex go to the beach in just 32 days!!! Two of my other favorite couples will be down there around the same time we are....The Doose's and The Verdell's....im hoping that one night we can all meet up....

Stephanie will be celebrating her 25 bday while down in Florida....so hopefully we can have a big fun gathering of random people!!!

Speaking of Stephanie....on July 25th, we did the most AMAZING thing ever....we saw the American Idols Live tour at Verizon Arena (so wierd, it will always be Altell to me!)....THEY WERE AMAZING....of course, in typical Whitney fashion, my camera died right as Danny Gokey began to sing so I got NO pictures of Adam or Kris....but Steph got LOTS of pictures and i am still waiting to see them and get copies (hint hint)

I have never watched and followed American Idol, but this year I did, and really got in to it....and so seeing the top 10 perform live in the same arena was surreal to me....those 10 will never perform together again...so, to me, it was different than seeing a band who will always perform together (for the most part)....In other words, I highly enjoyed the concert, every minute, and even though my camera died, it forced me to sit back and enjoy the concert and the performers instead of worry about taking pictures so I could remember the concert....lol

I am about to start work....I am headed home tomorrow after work...I love these Wed-Sun weekends....

Busy couple of weeks....

I didnt realize how long it had been since i have blogged...and I mean ACTUALLY blogged...my tagged/retagged thing didnt count!

The next few weeks are going to be very fun...but they are going to be hard too....I feel like all of my posts turn sad at some point...so I wont make this sad note long.
June 18th is my grandfather's bday...he passed away April 2007....so that is a day of rememberance for our family.
June 21st is Father's Day....I love having my father around and being around him as much as possible...and although this is a day to celebrate him, it is still very hard on us because his dad is no longer around to celebrate...
June 30th is my cousin Brent's bday...he passed away November 1st, 2008....suddenly from a brain aneurysm (however you spell that)....he would have been 36 this year....he left behind two VERY young daughters and a family who loves him very much...

Okay...that is it for the sad portion of my blog....

I have been so busy lately with getting hired (part-time) here at the VA in Memphis....packing up my apartment for the move...and enjoying my last few weekends to spend in Memphis.

I will be working part time (Mon-Wed) here in Memphis (PRAISE THE LORD), but the reason I am moving is financial. I work with a lady/girl/woman who owns a home and is willing to rent a bedroom out to me for $350 a month!!!! There are a few things I dont like to discuss....two of them being money and politics...money is embarrassing and politics just gets people feisty (in my group of friends at least)....I dont like talking about how much things cost...etc, but in this case....I HAD to make this decision.

My current rent is $750 (NOT including water, electricity, and cable...so add another $150 or so, depending on the season)....which is not a bad deal at all....BUT when you are newly graduated, only making 60% of what you should be making with your Doctorate....budget cuts are in order. Im due to start making HUGE loan payments in November and so I had to tighten the belt in some areas in order to make bigger payments NOW instead of wishing 20 years down the road I had done that.

PLUS...there is really no point in me paying that much to have an apartment in Memphis I will only be staying in 3 nights out of the week. Ive lived here a year and only 3 people have actually come to stay with me...and 2 others drove all the way here to help me move in last year (shout out to the Doose's)....so moving out became the best choice!

All that to say...ive been packing up my beautiful apartment (that only a few people have actually seen) and splitting up all of my belongings between three different locations...my dad's, Brad's and Lisa's....

All of my tableware will go to my dad's, all of my useful kitchen cookware and bakeware will go to Brad's (so I can cook for the boys when im home), my bed, chest of drawers and BIG tv are going to Lisa's.

Ive moved some small, breakable stuff home during the weekends....but this week is the pictures of my friends, decorative candles, candelabras, paintings, etc etc etc....and it SUCKS...my apartment is going to be SO bare the last week I live in it....*tear*

It is so strange...hopefully within the next 2 to 2.5 years I will be getting married, so there is a good chance I will be living like this for a good amount of time. I am glad for all the money I will be saving (not really SAVING because it will all be going to make loan payments, cell phone payments, etc etc) but I have loved living in my OWN place with my OWN things and I am gonna miss the alone time, the weekends in Memphis with Brad and the pups, and coming home to my HOME, not someone elses....but once I am married, I will have my own home again with the man I love....it is worth the sacrifice and the wait!

Its true...im a little sad about moving out of my apartment, but I know it will be a good decision in the long run.

OHHHH...and another drawback....Reagan (my furry butt princess, boo dawg, Tooter bear) will NOT be staying in Memphis with me...that is another hard thing to swallow. Since I will only be here Sunday night through Wednesday afternoon, it is easier for me to keep her with Bradley (and Patton) so when I get off work on Wednesday I can jump right in the car and head home...that is going to be quite an adjustment. My dog seriously is one of the greatest things that has happened to me....some people dont understand it...but that baby girl literally saved me from a HORRIBLE relationship and for that, I am thankful....so I dont care if other people dont understand my attachment to my baby dog....they dont have to. I digress....she and I will be separated Sunday night until Wednesday night and that is going to be hard....that is hard for any dog owner. Ive been away from her before...but that was for a week at a time...this is going to be EVERY week for who knows how long...SO SAD!

My last day at the VA is June 30th....I will officially be on VACAY July 1st through July 19th. My start date is July 20th and I am looking forward to laying out by the pool, reading, sleeping in, getting a tan (hopefully) and just having fun until then! July 4th weekend Brad and I will be down at the lake...then we have a few special birthdays to celebrate July 19th (CB and Jessie)...we are so excited for all the fun times ahead.

Sept 4th we leave for the BEACH....we are going to officially be there Sept 5th-12th....and we can not wait for a week long VACAY on the BEACH with some of our GREATEST friends (and we will miss the ones who couldnt come this year)....

All in all, ive been a pretty busy chica and ive got more busy times coming up...but I will TRY to post in between laying out, swimming, and reading my cheesy murder mysteries....lol

Tagged...and retagged....

I was tagged a few weeks back by Mrs. Doose...and in honor of her one year anniversary...i will complete my tag and pass it on (maybe)

How you do this...I am pretty sure...is to fill it out....and say some names at the bottom of who you tagged....hmmmm


Eight things I look forward to:
1. Spending the weekend in Memphis with Brad
2. Starting my first REAL job with my degree (even though its part time)
3. Eventually getting engaged...no real rush on this one though
4. Completely paying off my student loans (not real rush here either...it will be AT LEAST 10 years)
5. Lake days this summer
6. Florida vacation with Brad, the Buie's, the West's, and Lisha/Alex
7. American Idol concert in July....8th row baby!!!
8. Being a homeowner....again, no rush...no immediate plan either


Eight things i did yesterday:
1. I was INCREDIBLY lazy
2. Ate Wendy's
3. Drove back to Memphis
4. Listen to my illegally burned Kris Allen cd
5. Unpacked my car (but not the bags)
6. Ordered a pizza
7. Watched Charm School on VH1
8. Kissed Brad goodbye

Eight things I wish I could do:
1. Be on a reality tv show
2. Make lots of $$$
3. Dance for a living
4. Do my own hair...all ive got in my arsenal is wash/condition and curl it with curlers
5. Pay off my student loans
6. Get a job in Little Rock (I am praying for God's perfect timing)
7. Be famous
8. Work out long enough for it to make a difference

Eight shows i watch: (I watch lots of tv b/c i live alone in a city where I know NO ONE)
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. Private Practice
3. American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance
4. Any VH1 trashy reality show (Charm School, Rock of Love, Daisy of Love, Tough Love, etc)
5. Monday night Man-Show line up (Big Bang Theory, 1 1/2 men, How I met your mother)
6. Lie to ME
7. Lock-up (Its a prison show on MSNBC)
8. Ugly Betty (sometimes)

That is all Ive got!!!

Ive got to tag some people now....KIRBY, REBECCA ATCHERSON, JULEE.....hmmm...to be continued later

KICK AWESOME

After months of devoting my life (okay, maybe just tuesday and wednesday evenings) to American Idol...it is over.

I have NEVER watched a season of American Idol before....not even the first one when Kelly Clarkson won....but this year was different...

There was an Arkansan in the top 13 and that, for one, was exciting to me. Not only was he a local musician who I have heard play on occasion, he also became one of the best representatives for this state I have ever known of.

Honest, humble, kind, genuine, I could go on and on and on....but after YEARS of our state having the reputation for "inbreeding", "going without shoes", Bill Clinton, Houston Nutt....etc etc....it is our time to show that not only do we have talent, we have charm (and the uncanny ability to produce 38 million votes in one night when there are only 3 million Arkansans)

I jokingly made the comment that Houston Nutt single handedly tore our state apart and Kris Allen single handedly has brought us back together...in a state where your "professional team" is the Arkansas Razorbacks...you learn to become a unified force....and Arkansans love Arkansans...

I will admit, I have only contributed to the voting the past 3 weeks....but I will also brag (or hang my head in shame) that tuesday night I managed to muster up 1330 votes for our one and only Kris Allen.

Not only does he have the talent, he has the charisma, and I do not feel that America could have made a better decision.

He has the most precious wife that I dont think he has gotten to touch since all the Idol madness has started....here is a picture of them right after he won last night!!!
Way to go Kris!!!! Arkansas is proud of you!!! Thank you for giving to us!!

Update on life....

May 16th...Au.D. Graduation (im trying to figure out how to upload at slideshow)

Bradley and I after graduation...Amy B Galdemez (M.D.) and I (Au.D) after graduation....we have known each other since kindergarten


Me...my cap and gown...fake diploma...and flowers (from my mom and grammy)
Andrea and I in our "doctor" hoods
My daddy and I
My Grammy, Mom and myself
My grammy and I
Me, Lisha, Andrea and CB at celebration dinner
Lishy and I
Mrs. Doose and I
Cara Beth Buie and I
The graduates and our cake....I love cake!!!
The celebration table....Gov. Mike Beebe came to congratulate us!!!

The girls at the end of dinner....

April 18th....Sausage and Cassie's wedding...

Sausage (his real name is Nathan) got married to a WONDERFUL girl named Cassie....Bradley and I were invited and we had a blast!

The bride and groom...
The boys trying to catch the garter....Brad's roomate caught it
My love-bug (Brad) and myself


(APRIL 11th WAS THE DERBY...I FIGURED OUT THOSE PICTURES ARE ON BRAD'S CAMERA)

March 27th....Pat Green

The girls and I went to see Pat Green at the Rumba Room in Little Rock...it was so much fun...here are some pictures from that night...

The playlist....
Pat Green...the man, the legendMrs. Doose and I at dinner beforehand....

CB, Andrea, Jessica, Lisha and myself....
CB and I...we were pretty excited.
Jess, Lisha, and myself

How long have you been graduated?

This JUST happened and I am too excited not to share it IMMEDIATELY!!!

As you know, I graduated this past weekend....I am officially a Doctor of Audiology....therefore I have been SUPER pumped about finally getting to introduce myself to my patients at "Dr. Hall". Ive been practicing it in my head!

I called back my first patient this morning, took him to the ear wash room, and introduced myself...."Good Morning Mr. So-and-So. I am Doctor Hall and I will be working with you this morning".....we continued with our conversation about his hearing, etc...I had butterflies in my stomach after finally getting to say it!

When I took him back to the testing booth, I was placing the ear tips in his ears, and he asked me..."How long have you been graduated?"

I responded...."That is a funny question, I just graduated on Saturday!"

He congratulated me and said he was happy to be my first patient as an official doctor. At the end of the appointment, he told me I did a great job and he was glad to have me at the VA hospital....It was an all together positive first experience!!!!

I also got to sign my first audiogram "Whitney Hall, Au.D."

WHOOP WHOOP!!!!

Just had to share!!!!

DOCTOR OF AUDIOLOGY!!!!

I GRADUATED!!!!! A day I NEVER thought would arrive has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

I will post pictures of all of Bradley and I's recent adventures (Derby, weddings, Kris Allen)...and I can add this one to the list....I GRADUATED WITH MY Au.D.!!!

After graduation, Bradley, myself, my mom, dad and grammy went to dinner at Copper Grill...we celebrated with Andrea (who also graduated), her whole family and our friends (Jessie Doose, Scott Doose, Cara Beth Buie, and Alicia Slover)....

Afterward...the plan was to party it up downtown...but being 26 and EXHAUSTED from the whole weekend of events....we all opted for 1 or 2 drinks and then headed to our homes

Thank you again to everyone who attended the graduation and/or celebration!!!

TRUST ME...IM A DOCTOR!

Weekend of Firsts

GOSH!!! Im such a blog-slacker these days...

Not a whole lot has been going on in my life....

Brad and I went to the Arkansas Derby, celebrated our friend Jourdan's bday, celebrated Easter w/ his family....all in one weekend!!! (Will update with pics eventually)

I have been twittering a little bit...i love it!!! My new twitt-obsession is SecretTweet....

You dont have to have a twitter account to read it....just go to SecretTweet.com....scandal!!!

Brad spent the weekend in Memphis...the last time we got to do this was when we went ring shopping in March....like March 20th or something like that....that is ALOT of travelling back and forth with no days to just sit and relax.

Brad and I are not big "party-ers"....we like to stay in with friends or go to dinner and then go back to someone's house....we arent bar people....not to say we werent in the past...but we arent now...BUT Friday night we were!!! LOL

Brad and I have NEVER been "out" like that with just the two of us. When Brad comes in town, we always like to eat somewhere different. We LOVE LOVE LOVE the Kooky Canuck (and if you come to visit me in Memphis, that is where I will take you to eat...GUARENTEED!!!)....but Friday we wanted to try somewhere new.

We headed down to Beale around 6:30 or 7 pm (clearly for dinner)....we ended up eating at Silky O'Sullivans....pretty good Irish pub/grill place with an AMAZING outdoor seating area that clearly is party-ready when the sun goes down and the people arrive at Beale....we ate dinner and decided to walk up and down Beale....this was the 3rd time ive been to Beale since ive lived in Memphis (9 months).

We went into a gift shop and piddled around there, watched some local people flip down the street for money, and just held hands and strolled up and down for a while. Brad found a cigar bar, so of course we ducked in there for some cigar-education and cigar purchasing (he really enjoyed what he bought)...while I sipped on my banana frozen concotion from Wet Willies...lol

Then, Brad wanted to know where Coyote Ugly was...I pointed it out and we headed there. Let me reiterate...we are boring and we dont EVER go out....

Next thing I know, Brad and I have approached Coyote Ugly...where we come to find out that ladies are free and so is MILITARY!!! On top of that...Military gets beers for 2 dollars...it was decided...we walked in, found a table and ordered some drinks.

Our waitress' name was Ashley. She was so sweet and so cute and we became friends!!! Brad and I had a blast, just sitting there, dancing and singing to the music in our chairs, and enjoying time together. You may think a loud bar with women dancing on the bar is not an ideal place to enjoy time with your honey....but this particular night it was. We just laughed and talked and I danced around and we sang to some GREAT songs at the top of our lungs....around 1:30 am we headed home...exhausted and SHOCKED that we both managed to stay awake until 1:30!!! We are usually in bed around 10 pm...lol

That was just Friday night! Saturday we did NOTHING and it was AMAZING....unfortunately, my air conditioning is OUT (and it was 80 degrees in Memphis)....
We sat on the couch, the windows open, and my small "Tornado" fan blowing on us...and we snuggled with our puppies and with eachother and just talked and laughed all day....until I drug him off the couch and we headed to Target.

On the way home from Target, we stopped and at at Dan McGuinness's (or something like that). Its right next to the "Wine Market" (which of course caught my eye) and down the say from Williams Sonoma outlet. The food was ok, but it was a new place to eat so we were happy!!! I even ate a burger with grilled onions and white cheddar cheese. No big deal to some people, but I dont think its a burger unless it has American cheese, lettuce and tomato on it!

All in all, it was a GREAT weekend with lots of firsts....the air conditioning is STILL out in my apartment (and ive already put in a service request AND called on Saturday to get it fixed)....

Brad doesnt have to work today, so he is currently at my apartment, still in bed...and he has big plans to watch golf all day until I get home after work!!!

Hope everyone had a GREAT weekend....

Wow...its been awhile

Its been FOREVER since I have blogged...and this one will be stolen from Shaylea...Its a fun survey...i just felt like I needed to send some blog love out there!

A fun survey.
Bold the things you've done:
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain- Does Pinnacle Count? Even though its technically a hill?
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch- I used to cross-stitch.
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty- I didnt walk, but ive been.
18. Grown your own vegetables- currently!!!
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise- yes, 10+ cruises
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted- yeah, at some amusement park where they make you a cartoon!
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business- technically, lemonade stand and candy sales...lol
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason-yes, I have an AMAZING boyfriend
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar- Nasty
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone- my nose
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone- if I have a blog, twitter, 2 facebooks, and a myspace, i better have a cell phone.
99. Been stung by a bee

Insomnia and the Bible

I love to stalk blogs...not random ones, but people I know...even if I havent talked to them or seen them in YEARS...i love to read about thier lives, adventures, husbands, new babies, etc....

I recently started reading a blog written by a girl who I went to high school with. She just had a baby yesterday but prior to that, I have been reading her updates about her pregnancy and things....A few days ago, she posted about having insomnia and all the things she does when she cant sleep...including how she turns to God.

She included the verse:
"Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." _ Matthew 11:28

Let me digress, just for a moment...I am a Christian, I own a bible, and I pray....but i am not as strong in my walk as I should be, I dont read my bible as much as a should, and I unfortunately dont talk to God quite as much as I G-chat...

I have NEVER been one of those people that you hear about...you know, the ones who have a troubled heart and they pick up thier bible and it magically opens to a page that applies to thier current situation...I am more like the person who picks up their bible and then get frustrated because whatever page it magically turned to is about Noah's Ark or something like that...not applicable what-so-ever.

That is why it is such a blessing to me that I read her blog the other day...and recalled that verse. I slept maybe, MAYBE, a total of 3 hours last night. I took some sinus medicine that was supposed to make me drowsy...more like spastic with hyperactive thoughts...as I lay in bed trying to fall asleep, my mind began to wander....and then stress set in...

Where will I be in 3 months? What if I cant find a job? How am I supposed to pay rent, eat, pay for a wedding? Why did I go to school for 4 more years to NOT have a job when I graduate? Who should I ask to be in my wedding? How am I supposed to pay moving fees when I dont have a job? Where am I going to move all of my stuff? Is Bradley the right person for me? (yes, he is...i was just stressing to the MAX)...etc etc...the thoughts went on and on from 10 pm-3 am...NO BUENO

Around 2:20 am it hit me...Matthew 11:28....I calmed down, shut my eyes, and began to lay it all on God. All of my concerns, worries, hurt, anger, confusion...I gave it all up to Him...knowing that He has a divine plan that I can not even begin to understand...and while that is stressful not knowing, it is also exciting because I know He will lead me in the right direction, as long as I dont lose hope and trust him with my all. And that is what I plan to do.

I am also not naive...i know that Satan will do his best to break my trust in God...but as long as I remember that and I am prepared for it...It will be an amazing experience.

I just cant believe my first instinct WASNT to turn to God and talk to Him...but I am constantly learning and changing to be more like Him...its a process.

My comments?

I just noticed that my comments option didnt show up on my last post...is this a blogspot April Fools Joke or have I somehow removed them??? HMMMM

April Fools Day

I cant believe its already April....April 1st to be exact....April Fools Day

Ive never successfully pulled a prank on this day...to my memory at least, but my memory is not the greatest....

I think some pranks are funny, I think others are not....one year, while attending OBU, a boyfriend IMed me and told me his dad (who happened to travel alot) had been on a plane and the plane had gone down and they had no contact with him. The airlines would not release any information and his mom was a total wreck...after about a 30 minute conversation about his father possibly being dead on this plane crash he said....APRIL FOOLS!!!

What a sick bastard! That wasnt funny

Maybe that is why I dont care for this "holiday" much....I do, however, enjoy a good joke or prank...so let me know about yours!!!

April 1st...one month away from Beale Street Music Festival (Memphis in May) and I am going!!! I am not sure who else is going with me, so I may be going alone....

April 1st is also a month and a half away from my graduation from UAMS (Remember...I will be Dr. Hall and eventually Dr. Homan)...

April is never an easy month for me...

April 16th was my great grandmother, Nonny's, bday (i was VERY close to her and she died my senior year...i still miss her)...I am named after her and I plan to name my first daughter after her.
April 16th is also the day my mother decided to leave my dad my freshmen year in college...we wont go into all that drama and baggage...
April 16th is also the day that Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people at Virginia Tech in 2007....the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in United States history, on or off a school campus.

April 27th is my paternal grandmother's birthday and April 28th is the day my paternal grandfather died...he held on to stay alive on her birthday and took his last breath early the next morning. I cant believe its been two years.

Sorry for the debbie downer blogging post...that was not my intention what so ever! I guess I just got on a roll when i started thinking about how much of a hard time I have in April.

April brings fun times too...My good friend Jourdan's bday AND the Arkansas Derby are April 11th....Easter is April 12th....Bradley and I's couple friends Nathan (Sausage) and Cassie are getting married April 18th...Andrea's bday is April 22nd....and Bradley and I are talking about getting married in April (of 2011)....

See, April brings happy times too!!!

I still dont have a job....and I havent heard back from the applications I sent out on March 7th...please please please keep praying for me if you are...and if you arent, add me to your list! Its hard to start a life with someone when you live FOREVER away, so now I am contemplating moving to Little Rock and waiting tables with my Doctorate degree...what a waste of education and student loans...blah.

Im gonna go eat some breakfast here at work since i forgot to buy milk....

Hope everyone has a GREAT April Fools Day and let me know if you got pranked!!!

Part II of Brad's Bday

On March 7th, I threw a surprise bday party for Bradley. BEFORE he knew about it, he had said he wanted to go to the races on March 14th for his bday. I also invited all the usual suspects to the races, but only a handful could come, and that was totally understandable seeing as they had ROCKED Brad's face off the weekend before!

Here are some pictures from the races on March 14th...

Brad and I before the races started

Always need a vertical picture just in case!!!

Mi madre and myself...she lives in Hot Springs so she came for the festivities

Close up picture of my main man and myself!!!

Britt and I...enjoying the day and eachother's company

Sneaky picture in the casino...SHHHH...these arent allowed

The whole group before leaving the track...and going to eat the most amazing food EVER (I dont remember the name or I would shamelessly plug it right here)!!!

The whole day was so much fun...Good food, drinks, and friends...not a whole lot of winning, but some....besides, WE ARE WINNERS AT LIFE!!!!

A post about nothing

Hello all...

Todays post will be about nothing, or randoms, or whatevers but I dont have one set topic.

This weekend (Friday night) is PFG...(Pat Green for those of you who dont speak the "code"). I will be attending the concert with the "usuals" Cara Beth, Alicia, Jessica and Andrea...we were going to induct Britt and Jessie, but they had things "come up"...i think they are actually scared...JUST KIDDING...back to PFG...

This will not be our first rodeo seeing Pat...he is an old friend of ours (we wish)...we have seen him in Memphis, Little Rock, Texas, Louisiana, etc etc....some have traveled many miles to see him and he is worth every minute! I even took off half a day from work so i could be in LR in enough time to get ready and join mis amigas for whatever pre-gaming fun will be occuring...instead of arriving in LR at around 7 and then having to rush around to clean up, brush my teeth, redo my makeup and hair and meet them in a hurry!!!

I CANT WAIT!!!

Bradley is leaving for a bachelor party on Friday morning so I wont see him at all the whole weekend...I will be watching Patton though...oh LORD! He is a handful! He is so sweet though. Last weekend he busted my lip by trying to jump on the couch to snuggle and his little wet puppy dog nose ran right into my bottom lip...it was awkward and so sweet at the same time!

Back to the weekend...Brad will be gone with the boys up in northern Arkansas (I think) with a bunch of guys from his unit doing a fishing tournament for Sausage's (his real name is Nathan) bachelor party...lots of fishing, peeing standing up, and drinking beer...they can have at it!!!

He will be back with me in Memphis on Monday though!!! I will miss him, but I am glad he is gonna go and have fun!

Saturday I have NOTHING planned, I may head back to Memphis, I may stick around in LR, not really sure yet...

I still need to file my taxes...whoops!

Bling Bling

Spring is here!!! I have planted some flowers (that I am anxiously awaiting thier blooming), the weather is warmer, and I am making BIG mental plans to take off work every other monday so i can spend two consecutive days on the lake when the lake becomes swimmable...

Bradley and I had a big weekend. He came in on Friday night (he even got off work early) and we went to eat at Bosco's...we both got the Palermo pizza (each got thier own...Bradley does NOT share entree food) and split spinach and artichoke dip...YUMMY!!!!

Saturday morning we woke up, lounged around, watched some basketball, got dressed and headed to the mall for the sole purpose of looking at rings...YES, ENGAGEMENT RINGS!!!

I am not the marriage type, so this really freaked me out, but it was super fun to go into all of those stores and look at all the different rings, finally try on the ones I have been eyeing online, and see all the sparklies on my finger....but after awhile, they all started to look alike....and Bradley and I were both exhausted; physically and mentally.

Bradley and I have differing views of what an engagement ring is....lol, but I guess its ultimately up to him, and whatever he chooses, will be the most perfect ring on the face of the earth...so when it comes down to it, I really am not that picky.

I like more of the antique style (the sparklier the better) but he is a more traditional kind of guy with the solitaire princess cut. We are working on a compromise, but like I said, whatever he chooses will be perfect. He completely surprised me with my Valentine's day necklace and he did wonderful selecting that!

I guess some couples dont go ring shopping and some do. "To each his own" is how i feel about it. Bradley is the one who initiated going to look at rings therefore I dont feel bad or shallow for going to look. He is the one with the ultimate decision, but he wanted to get a better idea of what I wanted since I will be wearing it....and that shows me right there that he knows me inside and out...which is what I want in a husband (among other things).

(The rings in this blog are NOT the rings that we looked at...I repeat, NOT the rings we looked at...although the one directly above would not hurt my feelings...lol)

All in All...it was a fabulous day that ended with us making home made pizza (one of our favorite meals to make together) and renting a movie. We are both overwhelmed with diamonds, cuts, clarity, color, styles, etc...but I am also glad that I dont have to choose! I had a panic attack, yes, during which I was telling him I dont need a ring, I know I love him, and I dont need a big diamond to prove that...he is insisting on a ring though. This was the first time we have looked and my head is swimming...it will all work out in the end...and there are bigger problems in the world (and in my life) than this....like filing my taxes (add that to the list of "to dos")

Sunday is one of my favorite days with Bradley, especially the Sundays when we get to do NOTHING. Usually, when I am home for the weekend, we have to drive back to Memphis, but since we spent the weekend in Memphis, we did NOTHING but go to Bass Pro Shop, where we spent 2+ hours looking at bait and rods and whatever else...I looked in the cooking section and ended up with some amazing black bean and corn salsa and some grilling sauce for steaks, burgers, fish, etc....

My bracket is doing well. I am beating Bradley in our facebook pool and I am tied with him on ESPN...whoop whoop...

Gotta start working in a minute. Still have not heard from any of my job applications....oh well, continue to pray!

-Whitney

Bracket update....big plans this weekend

I am updating you all on the status of my brackets for the NCAA tournament...

Yesterday was the first day of games....my place of work has blocked realtime media streaming, so I cant WATCH the games online, but I can sit and watch the webpage with the scores refresh and update every 30 seconds...lol

Here is how well I am doing after the first day....there were a total of 16 games yesterday....

Facebook bracket.....14/16 correct

ESPN bracket....13/16

CBSSports.com....13/16

I have two other brackets on facebook, but I didnt check them this morning because I woke up at 7 am...which is the time I am usually LEAVING for work...miraculously, i only got here 10 minutes late...whew!!!

Off to another full day of patients and slacking off to watch the scores update.

Brad and I have big plans for this weekend (on Saturday)....if things go well, i will update later...

Tonight, he is coming to Memphis after work and we are going to eat at Bosco's....we usually like to go eat places that we dont have in Little Rock or North Little Rock, but i ate there a few weeks ago with Heather and Jennifer and it was DELICIOUS (of course), so now I am craving the Palermo pizza again....

Brad has never eaten there before, so it is like a new place to him!!! I cant wait to see my love bug and to go and eat!!!

Update you later on my brackets and my experience on Saturday!!!

-W

Ive got the MADNESS

Selection sunday was yesterday!

I love love LOVE March Madness....

If you lived with me my senior year in college (or slept on my couch)...you will know that I am GLUED to the tv, missed classes (which I cant do that now), and would get red-faced ANGRY when Bobby Knight comes on TV....I love it, every bit about it...the thrill of the games, the upsets, the EVERYTHING...

I am currently filling out my bracket...and I wish I was at home, wearing the snuggie, watching Sportscenter and doing endless research on ESPN.com and NCAA.com for tips and statistics...

I have to go to work now...but I am sure I will keep an update of my bracket success!!!

And they are off....

For those of you that know me...i love the horse races...I go as much as humanly possible between the months of January and April...and I DO NOT miss the derby.

I was afraid that with living in Memphis my horse racing days would be over...on the contrary, I think I have made it more this season that any other...lol

This coming weekend is no exception...Bradley, Kyle (Brad's roomate) and I will be loading up the car and heading down to beautiful Hot Springs, AR for some pony racing, beer (wine for me please) drinking and fun times with friends. I think the Verdell's, Horne's, and some others will be joining us down there later in the day!

In theme with the topic of my blog...I will include some horse racing terms, just for your educational benefit!!!

Basics: Each of these is a $2 dollar bet for each placement you bet on.
Win: You pick the winning horse
Place: You pick the horse that comes in first or second
Show: You pick the horse that comes in first, second or third.
If you bet a horse to win, place or show (aka "Across the Board") it will be a $6 minimum bet.

Exotic Wagers: Also $2 minimum
Daily Double: You pick the winner of two consecutive races.
Exacta: You pick the first two horses to cross the finish line in exact order in a single race. Exacta Box: You pick the first two horses to cross the finish line in either order in a single race. Trifecta: You pick the first three horses to cross the finish line in exact order in a single race.
Trifecta Box: You pick the first three horses to cross the finish line in any order in a single race.

Now...my knowledge of racing (or lack there of...lol) does not depict my type of betting...I am a basic kind of girl...

"#3 to win, place, show"....and usually I have picked the horse by his or her name...lol...

In the past...some of the "name" picks that have won me $$$ have been names like "Conner" (The Buie's dog)....and "Miss Maci" (The Verdell's dog)....Brad and I also bet on ANY military named horse "Seargent so and so" "Private whatever" etc....

Well, that is all I have on horse racing information...lol