5 months in pictures

Victoria, me, and Elisabeth at the Clemson v Miami Game (Oct 2010)

Clemson v Miami

One Year Anniversary in Savannah (Nov 2010)

One Year Anniversary in Savannah

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2010

January 2011 Snow

Buddy's favorite game

Snow-Buddy

What Mom??

Mr. and Mrs. Kristopher Phillips (3-2011)

Kris and Jessica's Wedding

So as you all know by now, I have done a horrible job of keeping up with my blog over the past few months. Here's our life "highlights" in pictures from fall 2010 to present...there are lots of stories, so hopefully soon I'll get around to those, too. And my blog desperately needs a face lift. If only blogging were my full time job...

The Name's Buddy

Hi Friends! My name is Buddy Peevy. I'm a 2 year old toy Australian Shepherd and have recently moved into my new home in Greer, SC. As you can tell by my smile in this picture, I'm really happy here. I love running around in the yard, playing fetch with my frisbee or ball, and going on walks in the neighborhood. I'm a pretty smart cookie, and very protective of my new home and owners. I'm pretty awesome because I came with a resume of being crate and house trained, obedience school, AND agility training. Last week was my first week at the Peevy house, so I'm still adjusting but definitely getting settled and now know this as home. I've already met both sets of "grandparents" and they have spoiled me rotten with treats, but hey, I'm not complaining. I haven't quite figured out how to get into or out of my doghouse (I hate the swinging door) and I get pretty upset when Nolan leaves for work in the morning. I still get really excited (especially for treats) and may jump on you, but I'm a little rusty on the obedience, so we're working on that. I hate getting baths, blow dryers, having my face blown in, and this really weird noise that Ashley makes to get my attention. I weigh about 45 lbs and still think that I can fit in your lap. I'll lift my back leg for you to scratch and every now and then I try to weasel my way onto the furniture. I'm learning who is boss around this place, and quickly discovering it's NOT me! I love to meet new people, so if you're ever in Greer, come on over and I'll win your heart for sure!!

On my way home to South Carolina

We're still here...

So it's been a while since I updated, and I'm sure you're just dying to know what we've been up to, right?

August is a blur, as is September. I feel like summer was just yesterday and now it's October, though with these 85 degree days it still feels like summer. I can't believe that in less than a month we'll be celebrating one year of marriage. It's been a growing and learning year for us both, but I'll blog on that subject later. We decided on Savannah for our anniversary trip and I'm super excited for some much needed quality time together AND a long weekend :)

Our backyard is now party (and puppy) ready! We recently had a fence built, and I think it looks fantastic! We also got some outdoor patio furniture and will get a fire pit soon for the cooler fall nights, so if you're ever in the Greenville, SC area...you should most definitely stop by!

I hope to get back to regular blogging soon. But for now, I have an urge to go vacuum, even though, yes, it's almost 9:30pm. Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

Birmingham...and other happenings...

About a month ago, Beth and I drove to B'ham to visit Lindsey in her super adorable little house. We hadn't seen her since my wedding in November, and Bradford had willingly (and happily) retreated to the Mitchell's lake house to study for boards for the weekend. It was a PERFECT girls only weekend, with plenty of laughs and calories! One thing that I don't have any pictures of were all the STUNNING houses we drove by that weekend while touring the city. I wanted to go inside all of them - I'm sure the character on the inside rivaled that of the outside! And Sara Evans, just in case you ever stumble upon this blog, yes, that was us in the silver Honda Civic (Oh, Sylvia!) who drove by your house (TWICE) while you were playing in the front yard with you kids! :) We were totally shocked that we 1) saw you and 2) that your house was that accessible...no fence...just right there on the street like anyone else. I also don't have any pictures of the high school summer dance party (complete with a "DJ," strobe lights and glow-in-the-dark necklaces) that we crashed (or chaperoned) on Friday night. We went to get ice cream at Lindsey's favorite spot, and I'm pretty sure we were the oldest people there...amongst at least a hundred (no lie) teenagers. Beth and I sat and observed, figuring the "in" versus "wannabe" crowds, the "jocks" and the "dorks" and the "good" girls and the "bad." It's so funny to be removed from that situation and see how everyone interacts - what a unique group of people all trying to find themselves! I don't think you could ever pay me enough $$ to go back to that time in my life!!

Saturday morning we hit up the Farmer's Market in downtown B'ham. This is Lindsey buying some fresh cut flowers.

We had to ask someone to take a picture of the 3 of us...and don't we look fabulous?? I'm pretty sure the humidity was 200% that day...(oh and we're all pre-shower!)

Beth and Linds eating some of the free food from a local restaurant. Watermelon salad...not bad.

 We walked around downtown Homewood and had lunch at a cute sandwich shop. (Lindsey still laughs when I say "sandwich") We drooled over all the amazing home decor in the little shops, and realized that on a PT salary, we may NEVER be able to afford such luxuries! Free cupcakes from a thrift store trying to entice people to buy...we didn't buy anything, but hey, they were free :)

We napped while it rained then showered and went to dinner at Taziki's...I wish Greenville had one of these!

How quickly a fantastic weekend comes to an end!

The best we could do with a self-timer!

Birmingham was fabulous and I definitely plan on going back!

Nolan and I went to the beach last week, and sadly, I have no pictures to share from that trip. The weather was amazing and I managed to get something that resembled more of a tan and less of a burn, so that was good. On the way home, we stopped by Columbia to visit with Kris and Jessica and scoped out their AWESOME condo! It was a nice way to split up the drive home and we had fun at their dinner party with Jessica's co-workers. I drank an entire bottle of wine and managed to let the neighbors dog (who they were babysitting) out of the apartment...no worries...Jess caught up with her when she ran into a "dead end" in the complex hallway. Maybe this is a sign that I'm not quite ready for a dog of my own yet.

This weekend we stayed in town and did a whole lot of nothing, which is sometimes so nice! I had originally planned to re-do a dresser into "shabby chic" for our guest bedroom, but decided to wait until the weather is cooler and the humidity isn't unbearable. I'm pretty sure it will be better for the paint to dry. I got the complete 1-2-3 step directions from the author of this blog. I love her blog and all her artistic decorating ways...

Today Nolan and I sat down and made a hard-core budget. We're trying to "spend wiser" in order to make sure that we are secure in case of an emergency and have $$ set aside for things like house renovations and vacations in addition to saving for retirement. Nolan is definitely our "family CFO," but I do like to have an idea (and say) in what we do with our money, and today's little discussion provides me with both. It's a little along the Dave Ramsey plan with a few tweaks along the way. I'm hopeful for the positive changes we will see because of our new budget.

I can't believe today is August. Where did the "summer" go? I guess if you're not a student and not a teacher, the days just all start to run together and the only thing that makes June 1 different from December 1 is the weather. I'm ready for fall weather and temps in the 70's. I definitely think that fall is my favorite season.

We're still brainstorming for a place to go on our first anniversary as no decision has been made, so please suggest something in the comment box if you have an idea. We're thinking that in order to stay in our newly founded "budget," we won't be flying anywhere because that adds a significant expense. I can't wait for Greenville-Spartanburg airport to start flying Southwest...hopefully tickets will be oh-so-much-more reasonable :)

So that's life in a nutshell. Nothing super exciting or out of the ordinary. But I love my life and am super pumped about the future :)

June in Pictures

June seems to have come and gone so quickly! Nolan and I both turned 26, and so far, it really doesn't feel much different than 25. July is a pretty busy month for us and I'm SO EXCITED that we are finally going on vacation towards the end of the month! I can't wait to be on the beach with the sand between my toes!!

Cameron and I unknowingly dressed like twins!

Birthday dinner with my parents

Birthday Weekend

At Emily's family lake house on Hartwell

We're all ready!!!

SO FUN!!!

Proverbs 3:5

"Trust in the LORD with ALL your heart, and lean NOT on your OWN understanding"

Sometimes life just doesn't seem to make sense when we view it through our human eyes. We can't and don't always see the bigger picture. Things aren't "fair." There are women who struggle each and every day with infertility and/or complications and would give anything to hear the words "Congratulations! You're pregnant with a HEALTHY baby." There are thousands of children all over the world who would love to hear the words "Welcome home. You are loved" and to truly know and experience what it feels like to be part of a family. Recently I have been witness to both of these situations, with each of them leaving me searching for understanding.

I've been following the blog of Renee's pregnancy since she found out she was expecting twin boys. It's so funny how you feel like you are part of someone's life just by reading their story, and before you know it you are on the emotional roller coaster right beside them through the ups and downs of this journey we call "life." My heart was saddened today to learn that her sweet boys are now angels waiting to meet her in Heaven. (You can read Renee's blog here - grab a box of tissues!)

Her story is such a testimony to what a mighty God we serve. It's hard not to read each post and just sense her peace and comfort with the entire situation. Her positive attitude has been such an inspiration to me over the past few weeks. I can only pray that should I ever have to endure a similar situation that I too would handle it with merely half of the grace that Renee and her family have demonstrated.

The other day I was treating a child who is currently in foster care. Initially his foster parents were hopeful to adopt him as their own. However, as time has progressed, more delays have surfaced with lots of questions and very few answers. They are currently in the process of visiting many specialists to determine the underlying cause(s) of his impairments. He is currently unable to hold his head up on his own. It absolutely broke my heart when his foster mom informed me that "if he is going to be an invalid for the rest of his life, then we just can't afford to take care of him." And if that is her outlook on the situation then maybe it is best that they not adopt him. Further frustrating was the fact that she informed me that they had just "passed up" the opportunity to adopt twin girls who are "typically developing." Come on people...we're not talking about picking out puppies here. This child may not only need a little more love, care and attention than a "typical" child, but he deserves all of those things. *HEAVY SIGH*

I think it's awesome that God knew that no matter how hard we try that we will never completely understand, and that we must TRUST in HIM. And so I say..."I will praise you in this storm..."

Praying for Renee, Scott, Shae and their families as they look to Jesus to mend their hearts and rely on family and friends here on earth to hold and comfort them.

I Feel FREE!!!

I could kick myself for not taking pictures to give a "before" and "after" image of our garage before and after the most recent purge...aka: yard sale! Like I previously mentioned, we've been trying to have a yard sale for what seems like forever. Well we finally did it this past weekend and I'm SO glad. When Nolan and I got married, we combined our two households which left us with many duplicate items. And since I couldn't justify having 3 blenders and 2 mixers and 3 sets of dishes (etc, etc, you get the point) we boxed and kept all the extras in our garage. Those boxes have been an eyesore for me for the past 6 months. Not that we can even park our cars in the garage, but to have "clutter" was driving me NUTS!!!! So last week I put an ad in the local paper (and their online site) and we listed it in Craigslist, put up signs in the area, said a prayer for good weather and hoped that someone would find "treasure" in our trash. And apparently there was $400 dollars worth of treasure. And now we have a clean garage (it even echos now when you stand in it and talk!!). I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders...I'm FREE!! I know that might sound silly to some, but what an awesome feeling!

So that was last Saturday. My parents came up Friday evening and my mom helped out tremendously with the yard sale (she has at least 2 a year...I'm not quite there yet!) My dad on the other hand...well...he sat in the back of the garage and read a book on gardening that we had for sale and occasionally counted change for a customer :) Saturday night we went to dinner for mine and Nolan's birthdays, and then took a trip to Home Depot so he could pick out his birthday presents. From my parents he got a gas leaf blower and I bought him a wet/dry vac. How old does that make us sound?? When I was a little girl, I HATED Home Depot. In fact, I would go so far to say that I DESPISED it! Now that we own a house, I find the things it has to offer a little more practical for my life and it falls only second to Lowe's for fun non-clothing stores to visit. We also invested $17 in a new shower head for the master bathroom. BEST INVESTMENT EVER! I've been showering in the guest bathroom since I moved into this house because the water pressure in the master bathroom was HORRIBLE!! There's got to be a little force behind the spray to get shampoo/conditioner out of this hair, and the master shower didn't make the cut. Well, come to find out that there was a "water saver" shower head on there...presto - change-o and in five quick minutes that shower now rivals a spa...(small exaggeration). Sunday we went to lunch, had ice cream (instead of birthday cake) and took an "easy day."

Exciting birthday weekend, huh?? I realize that I'm one year closer to 30 now, and that neither excites or saddens me. I'm happy to be 26. My Grandma's birthday is today, and when I talked to her on Sunday she said she was just "happy to have another year." Agreed. Hopefully we'll both be blessed enough to live many more decades like my great grandmother who turns 95 this month. Lord knows she's seen a few changes in her time. 

This week brings a new challenge. I've decided that I need to get up and workout before work, because otherwise it just isn't getting done. I'm buckling down and trying the Jillian Micheal's 30-day shred challenge. I've been doing it here and there, but today marked the 1st day of 30. Getting up at 5 am wasn't easy, but knowing that when I came home from work this afternoon I could chill out without feeling guilty because I had already "shredded it" was pure bliss. I refuse to let this waking up business defeat me. At this point, it's all a mental game anyways. Now that I've publicized this information, I hope to hold myself to a higher standard and follow through with the plan. Afterall, I've got to get my six-pack ready for the beach in July, and unfortunately the kind I'm talking about can't be bought at the store!

Hope everyone has a GREAT week!!

Looking Back on May...

I don't think I've ever been more thankful to have a four day weekend. I know that I can't really complain about how the weekends always feel so "short" (like most of the working world) because every weekend is ALWAYS 3 days long for me. Whoever thought working a 4-day 40-hour work week is a GENIUS! I've come to love my 10 hour days. Every Thursday I wake up a little giddy because I don't have to go to work the next day. There is SO much that I can accomplish on a Friday. Cleaning house. Laundry. Going grocery shopping (it's NEVER busy). Going shopping in general (especially when it's the school year, I can avoid the weekend "mall rats" aka high school kids...does that make me old?) If I want to take a "long weekend vacation" I don't have to use PTO because I already have Friday's off. Now...I have come to the realization that once kids enter the picture, working 10-hour days will be unpractical. Not only for logistical purposes, but also because I don't want to miss out on that much of their life and have them in daycare for 10 hours a day. But for right now, for me, 10 hour days are where it's at. The reason that I was so excited to have a 4 day weekend is because we have either been gone or entertaining for the entire month of May, and I feel like I needed a few days to regroup and organize my life. Since I've been MIA from the blogging world lately, here's a recap of May:

Weekend 1: Kris and Jessica came to visit and stay with us for the weekend. We ate at Rio Grille (a Brazilian steakhouse), the boys played golf, the girls went shopping, we grilled out, watched a movie and welcomed in the spring/summer weather.

Weekend 2: My sweet friend Beth from undergrad and grad school came to pay me a visit in Greenville. We did girly things (shopping, eating out, saw "The Last Song") and Nolan worked part of the weekend. It reminded me of how much I miss seeing my awesome group of friends from grad school every single day. Beth and I decided to plan a trip to Birmingham this summer to see Lindsey - I'm super excited!

Weekend 3: We went home to GA for the weekend. I met up with the girls for dinner to celebrate Diedre's 26th birthday and met Jackson Purvis for the first time. 3 words for that little boy: He. Is. Awesome. He's so sweet and cuddly and we all found ourselves just staring at him during dinner, waiting for his next moment of "cuteness." Sunday afternoon Nolan and I met with our wedding photographer to compose our wedding album...6 months later, but better now than never. Hopefully it will be here just in time for Christmas. Below are some pictures from that weekend.

Jackson being so well behaved while we ate dinner.

Rachel, Katy, Diedre and Karen

YAY for girl time!

We just couldn't get enough of him at dinner...

Sweetness

This picture makes me laugh because it sort of looks like he is telling Diedre to "shhhh" :)

One of the brief moments that his "peepers" were open

Weekend 4: We traveled to St. Simons Island for my cousin's wedding. We went to the beach Friday night when we got there, laid out by the pool before the wedding Saturday, wedding and reception Saturday night, and bid our farewells at the traveler's breakfast the next morning. I wouldn't have missed it for the world, but ironically we almost DID miss the wedding because I couldn't get my dress to zip! Talk about stress! I had even given myself extra time to get ready so that after drying and straightening my hair I wouldn't be hot! The one time that I didn't take a "back up plan" we almost had a tragedy. Everyone tried their hand at the zipper...Nolan, dad (who managed to get it stuck at one point where it wouldn't move up OR down!), and then mom. With a quick mental prayer that went something like "Dear Lord please let this work!" my mom was finally able to get the zipper around the snag and we arrived at the church with 2 minutes to spare. PHEW! So much for giving myself extra time and not sweating! This was one of those times where I wished we could have snapped our fingers and been there, then snapped them and been home again. 5 1/2 hours one way makes for a long weekend...especially on the way home. Below are some pictures from that weekend.

At the beach on Friday...slightly windy...

Looking towards the pier

The Lighthouse

We made it!

One happy husband

Mr. and Mrs. David & Katy Younker

Weekend 5: 4 days of, well, whatever we want. No agenda. No time lines. No schedules. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. And I'm not going to lie...I've been a little bored :) I think that after going 90-to-nothing pretty much throughout the week and the majority of our weekends, when I have time to do everything and nothing, I find myself restless. It's hard to sit still, but I know that it's good for me. I'm trying to enjoy them as much as possible though, because our summer calendar is pretty full. 

My parents are coming to stay with us this next weekend, and we're hoping to have our yard sale. We've been talking about the yard sale for what seems like FOREVER, but either weather or sickness has prevented its occurrence. Here's to hoping. Ideally someone will come with a big truck and just take it all away. Oh that would just make my day...

A Picture Update

So in my last blog, I felt that I had nothing to blog about. In this post, I have plenty to blog about. I've decided to try and take more pictures during everyday life so that it will be more fun and entertaining for you, the reader, than just reading my words. Plus, I feel the pictures help to break up all those words, and can sometimes just tell the story themselves. I know that I love looking at people's pictures because it feels like a small window into their life.

Here is the latest scoop...

This is Nolan and I at a Gwinnett Braves game a few weeks ago that we went to with my parents. The wind would never cooperate for the pictures, so this is the best of 3.

My mom wanted some pine straw for around the house. Since I have a truck, and am super weird about who can drive it, I told her I would go pick some up. The amount of $$$ I had was for 57 bales. I told them (the Mexicans who worked at this place) I would take half a load first, then come back and get the second half. They told me "do not worry, we tie it down real good" and this was the way I drove home. I was super tense and practically sweating the whole 10 minute drive. Not to mention my "sweet" husband freaked me out after we turned out of the parking lot and he leaned forward like he was looking in the passenger side mirror and said "Oh S***! You just lost a bale!" Not really. He just likes to say things like that to freak me out. When we got home, I thought my back tires were going flat...no, no...it was just the weight of the pine straw.

Supporting the March of Dimes Fundraiser at Wild Wings. Beside me is Alison and front left is Stephanie, both PT's that I work with at Regional. Front right is Cameron, an OT at Regional.

Jesse, Angela and Nolan at Brixx this weekend.

Cliff, Jenna and I at Brixx.

Nolan and I at Brixx...with Jesse creeping in the background :)

Meet Miles. This is Jesse and Angela's sweet dog. Isn't he adorable?

PROJECT MAILBOX: Here is our sad, sad mailbox area. There were originally plants here, but they looked terrible, so we dug them all up when we had that HUGE dumpster. It has looked like this for a few weeks now. BOO. I changed out our flag yesterday, and decided it was time to give this little area a face lift. We went to Lowe's this morning to get hooked up with flowers, top soil, etc to beautify different areas.

The goods.

The lone little flower that remained before the face lift.

The lawn boy :) No worries...I helped too!

 After!! Much better!

A close up of one of my favorites. Do I remember what it is called? No :) My "strategy" this morning at Lowe's was to pick out "pretty flowers" that are known to tolerate sun since this part of the yard gets hit from sunrise to sundown.

There are lots of these little guys spread throughout the area to "take up space." They are red, different shades of pinks and yellow. Sweet little pops of color.

 View from the front. I'll have to take more pictures once everything is in full bloom! Project mailbox...COMPLETE! (Ashley's farmer sunburn...also complete!)

 A pot on the back patio.

 Kinda blurry...but a close up of the bigger flowers in the above pot.

Another pot...Gerber Daisies. I love these flowers! 

In other, non-picture news...Jackson Purvis is here!! My friend from high school...really middle school...and her husband welcomed a sweet little baby boy to the world on Friday night. It wasn't quite the way or time they had anticipated all of the events of "labor" unfolding, but Jackson arrived safely and in great health. Mommy is doing great, too, and they were able to leave the hospital today and go home - Praise God! I haven't had a chance to meet him in person, but when I do...there will be pictures! Children are definitely miracles sent from Heaven. I can only imagine how awesome it must feel to know that God has entrusted one of his own for you to parent here on Earth.

CONGRATULATIONS are in order for the future Mr. and Mrs. Kristopher Phillips!! Kris proposed to Jessica this weekend and I couldn't be more excited for them! Nolan and Kris lived together for 3 years in college and both Kris and Jessica have become great friends of ours despite the distance between Greenville and Columbia. YAY!!! We are planning a celebratory weekend with them very soon!

That about sums up the past few weeks. Work is really starting to get busy, and I can't believe that April is halfway over! We have lots of fun events coming up over the next few weeks and weekends, so stay tuned for more pictures!! Hope you enjoyed this "snapshot" of recent life happenings!