I AM GOING HOME!!!

Today is a great day even though it is raining!! Patrick and I get to go back home! We are going to have Christmas with my mom's side family for lunch and then pack up and leave. We have enjoyed our stay here, but we miss our house! Lexy and Duke are even ready to be back. I have enjoyed spending time with my family and playing with Caroline and Eli. I miss my family very much when we are gone, but I really miss being at OUR house. I cannot wait to go home and take down the decorations and clean the house before I go back to work. We are going to have some church friends over New Year's so I have to get everything ready.

Thank you to my family for putting up with me for this long (10 days). I love you all and have enjoyed my time up here!

We will be back in January for Sally's(my sister in law) 16th Birthday! I can't believe Sally will be 16!

A busy Saturday!

Yesterday was very busy but fun for me! My friend Staci married my cousin Andrew and I was a part the wedding! We got up early to get our hair done and it was so much fun to be with Staci during this time! We had fun talking about old memories! We then went to the church to get our pictures made. Then it was time for the wedding! Staci was so beautiful! It was a great service. The reception was at Cleveland park and it was so beautiful! Here is a picture of the high school friends:Lindsay, Staci, and Sarah. We are all now married and have all been a part of each other's weddings. It is so hard to believe we are now all married. Congrats Staci and Andrew! WE LOVE YOU!

After the reception, we came back to my parents house for my dad's side Christmas fun! My cousin is home for the war and he had pictures of Iraq. It was neat to see what he did for 14 months and where he lived. I am very proud of him and I support all the troops.

After my grandparents left we went over the Laney's house! Brandon got a Wii for Christmas so we all had fun playing the Wii and playing with Brynn. We really miss the Laney's in Columbia and we wish they would move to be near us!! :) We enjoy spending time with them when we can!

Once we got home I was exhausted. I had a very eventful day but a great day!

Biltmore House

Yesterday my mom and I went to the Biltmore house for my Christmas present. I have never been. I loved every room of the house! The best room was the dining room. I would love to have Christmas lunch there with my family! I also loved the bowling alley! The house was amazing! After we toured the home, we walked around outside and then went to the winery. We ate at the bistro and it was so nice! We then took the tour in the winery and had a wine tasting! I am usually not much of a wine drinker, but their wine was WONDERFUL! :) I am going to have take Patrick back in the spring so we can see the gardens! I really enjoyed my Christmas present.. Thanks mom!!

On the way home we stopped by the dish barn in Hendersonville because they have my everyday china for a discount price. I found more little bowls and the pasta bowl. The whole store was having a great sale and while we were looking around we found some cute Christmas china for 70% off. My mom bought me the 16 piece setting for my birthday (in June) and I am getting more pieces for Christmas next year! Here is a picture of the china.

When we got back I met Patrick's parents and sister at Hobby Lobby to get some pictures framed that they bought me for Christmas and then I came back to my parents house and watched tv while missing my husband!

I am getting ready to head to Staci and Andrew's rehearsal for their wedding! Patrick is not going to be there because he is driving home from Lexington but he will be here when I get back! :)

I hope everyone has a great day!

A Christmas to Remember

This Christmas was a Christmas to remember! On Sunday night we were staying at Patrick's parents house and Patrick woke up at 4:30. I just rolled back over and went back to sleep and woke up at 5:00 and heard him in the bathroom. OH NO HE HAD THE VIRUS!! I then got up and ran to the bathroom because YES I had the virus as well. We were both miserable. We were up from 5-8 just fighting each other for the bathrooms! I then called my mom and she called my sister to come to our rescue. They called their family doctor who then called in some medicine for us and Andy came to give us some medicine. After that Patrick felt better, but I still did not feel great. My mom came and picked us up around 4:00 and we just sat on their couches all Christmas Eve night. I was so upset because I love going to my dad's communion service, but I was not about to move!
Christmas morning Patrick woke up and he felt so much better but I was not 100% great, but I was so excited it was Christmas! It was a happy but sad day because my dad was sick with the virus on Christmas.
Patrick and I did gifts that morning at my parents house! I was so happy because he bought me Dance Dance Revolution. Yes I know I am a dork, but I love video games that are active, like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance! I was just sad because I did not have enough energy to play!
I gave Patrick and nice watch and Guitar Hero!
After presents with us we started the day with visiting family! It was so nice to see all of our family and especially to see Caroline and Eli enjoy their toys!
Although our family was sick on Christmas we had a great Christmas because we realized how blessed we are and how lucky we are to have a healthy (most of the time) family!

I hope everyone had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

WAY TO GO KELLY AND ANDY!!!

I just got back from my sister's praise band concert and it was AMAZING!! I am know in the Christmas mood! The whole concert touched my heart. It was a great time of worship! Patrick said it best when he told me that Kelly and Andy should make a duet cd. They are amazing together! Great job tonight Kelly and Andy! The concert was the best Christmas present in the world! WE LOVE YOU BOTH VERY MUCH!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas

The Christmas season officially starts today for the Graham family! I am thankful that we are feeling better and Patrick is here to stay until Wednesday! He got off for Christmas Eve! We are also happy to announce that we have a new cousin. Emma Katherine Elliott was born yesterday around 5:00. Mom and Baby are doing great! Congrats Matt and Crystal! We are so happy!

Today my cousins for Knoxville are coming down to see us for Christmas and we all going to my sisters Praise Band Christmas concert! I am very excited about the concert because the band has worked real hard on the concert and I can't wait to hear all the Christmas music!

Tomorrow we are going to relax before all the fun starts!
Christmas Eve we go to Patrick's family's church for their service and then my dad's church for communion and then to Patrick's Ma's house to wait for Santa Claus!

Christmas morning Patrick and I wake up really early to have Christmas together and then we get ready to head to his parent's house to open presents with them! We then head to Grandad and Ma's for lunch! We then head back to my parent's house to open presents with my sister and her family. We eat dinner with my grandparents and spend time with my dad's side of the family. This year will be extra special because my cousin is home from the war and will be home for Christmas! :) After dinner we head to Patrick's Ma's house again for presents and we usually get home around 12:00.

On Sunday the 30th we will have Christmas with my mom's side of the family!

I know this sounds like a lot of stuff and I am tired just writing about it, but we enjoy spending all this time with our family. We don't get to spend much time with the whole family since we don't live up here so it is nice to everyone!
I will probably not have time to blog again until after Christmas!
So MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! :) I hope everyone has a great Christmas!

It's amazing what a couple hours will change!

This morning my day was going crazy because I thought Patrick would not be home for awhile, but boy did things change after that!

I was getting ready for Staci's bridesmaid luncheon and I got a call from my mother-in-law that our cousin was in labor. Matt and Crystal live in Columbia as well so we are really excited about Emma coming. Emma's due date is Jan. 8, 2008 but she has decided she wants to be here for Christmas! I was so excited! JuJu, our aunt, was going to travel to Columbia later this afternoon so I had decided that I would go with her so I could see Emma and Patrick!

I then left for the bridesmaid luncheon with Lindsay and we were having a great time. After we got done eating I started feeling funny. I was praying that I would not get sick, but I did! Lindsay and I had to leave early because she said I turned really pale and I felt really bad. The stomach virus had set in.

When we got in the car I called Patrick and he said he went back to work because the rain stopped so he was going to be able to come up here tonight and stay til Sunday! I was so happy! I then called JuJu and decided not to go to Columbia because I did not want to get anyone else sick.

So now I am at home waiting to here that little Emma has been born and waiting for Patrick to call to say that he is on the way up here. I feel better but I still feel like BLAH! All I want to do is lay around and sleep. So I guess things really do work out for the best, I just have to have confidence and be patient! I am going to get to see my husband before Christmas and we have a new cousin to welcome in the world! God is good! :)

All I want for Christmas is my Husband to be in Spartanburg!

Holidays are always very stressful for us because we try to see all the family and we have to travel out of town. This year is becoming more stressful than ever!

I came to Spartanburg yesterday and today I am going to Staci's bridesmaid luncheon for her wedding next Sat. Patrick had planned on coming up tomorrow and staying until Sunday before heading back to work on Monday.

He called me this morning and said he had to work tomorrow because it was raining today. I had thought about going back to Lexington to see him but our cousins from Knoxville that we see about twice a year are coming tomorrow and I can't wait to see them. I am hoping Patrick will be able to come to Spartanburg tomorrow and leave again on Sunday.

He has to work on Christmas Eve, but will be here for Christmas and then he leaves again the day after Christmas. I am staying up here because my mom surprised me for Christmas with a trip to the Biltmore house on Thursday and then Staci's wedding is that Saturday (which I am very excited about). So Patrick is going back on Wednesday and coming back up on Friday and we both are FINALLY going back together on Sunday after the Dobbins/Towery Christmas Lunch on Sunday!

Please pray that we keep our sanity over Christmas holidays! All I want for Christmas this year is for the family to be together and include MY HUSBAND!!!

Pray for the Watson's

I got a call from my sister last night around 10:00 and she is not going to work again today. Eli was throwing up again. On Monday Caroline went to stay with my sister's mother in law and now she is throwing up as well. My mom is going to keep Caroline today and my sister is going to keep Eli. Please pray for healing for Eli. Also please pray that my sister does not get the bug as well. She has yet to feel sick so that is a good sign!
I hope everyone has a great day!

Christmas Holidays!

Well tomorrow is the last day of school before Christmas break! I am so excited! Not only am I excited about Christmas, but I need a break from school. My students also need a break. They are very antsy and tired of sitting through classes.

One thing that upset me today at school was that no one can say Merry Christmas. We have the daily announcements over the tv and they did a special on the many holidays that are celebrated during this time. At the end of the show they said I hope everyone has a Happy Holiday. I also am not allowed to say I hope you have a Merry Christmas to my classes. Last year I taught at a very small school and everyone said Merry Christmas, so this is a change for me and I don't like it! I never remember any teachers tell me as a student to have a Happy Holiday all of my teachers said Merry Christmas. I remember my mom always wearing a small pin that said Jesus is the Reason for the Season. I am almost certain I might get in trouble if I wore something like that or even said something like that. It is amazing how much things have changed since I have been in school and I have only been out for 5 1/2 years.


So I will end with saying MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

What has happened to the Graham's?!?!

I cannot believe it has been a month and half since I last posted! I am so sorry and I am sure some of you have not checked my blog because I have not updated it, this is why I got Kelly to post on her blog that I actually updated!

Alot has happened in a month and half so I will share some details of our life!

1. Thanksgiving - Patrick and I went home for Thanksgiving and had a great time! It was great to spend time with family and friends. I actually went shopping at 4:00 on Black Friday and tried to fight this guy for Guitar Hero, but I lost! I was so upset when I got home, but I did get Caroline and Eli some nice clothes! After taking a nap Patrick and I went shopping again and we ended up buying Guitar Hero. It is part of Patrick's Christmas present, but we play with it now! I LOVE IT!! :) It is such a great stress reliever when I get home from a terrible day! Patrick calls me a dork because I am so into the game! :)

2. Christmas decorations- We left early on the Sunday after Thanksgiving because we were both really ready to get back to OUR house. When we got back we decided to start decorating for Christmas! We put our tree up and then Patrick did the lights and I decorated the tree. I also decorated the living room. Here are some pictures of the decorations! (The picture of our tree is on the side of the page.)

3. Byrnes Football game - My parents came down the next weekend and we all went to the Byrnes State football game! It was so much fun and neat to see old teachers and classmates! I was also happy because I did not have to drive far to get to the game! I was very proud to say that I was a Byrnes alumni after the game! :)

4. Christmas photo- While my parents were down we decided to get them to take our Christmas photo. We probably took about 15 pictures and had trouble picking one out! We also decided to include our animals since they are our children. That part was interesting because Duke is an outdoor dog so he really enjoyed coming inside and Lexy is scared of him so I had to hold her down. After the pictures Duke and Patrick started wrestling. Here is one of the pictures we put on the card, (The other one is the picture of the both of us on the side of the page) plus Duke and Patrick wrestling.

5. Anna Camille - The Tuesday after Thanksgiving our cousin gave birth to a beautiful girl named Anna Camille. We saw her for the first time today and she is so precious! We are also waiting anxiously for our other cousin to have another little girl named Emma. We are excited about the new addition to our family and Emma will live in Columbia so we can visit often!

6. Christmas Shopping - I found out last weekend that I have the best husband in the world! Patrick went Christmas shopping with me last weekend. For those of you who know Patrick you know how amazing that is that he ACTUALLY went shopping! We actually almost finished in one day! We went to Target and the mall at Harbison, which was crazy! Patrick was a great trooper during the whole shopping experience, but I don't think he will ever do it again!

7. Sunday School Christmas Party - Our Sunday School Christmas party was last night and we decided to have a progressive dinner. I volunteered for the main course. We had lasagna and salad, because it was easy! I had so much fun decorating my house and getting everything together. I have never hosted 15 people before at my house, but it was so much fun! I can't wait to do it again! Here is a picture of some of the place settings for the evening!

8. Summer Baptism- Our best friend Summer was baptized today at her church in Spartanburg so we left this morning to make the 9:30 service to see her. It was a wonderful service. She is a member at AMRBC and their youth choir sang during the service and they were WONDERFUL :) Their minister is also amazing and it was great to hear him again! We also got to sit with JuJu so it was an extra special day.

9. Two classes - One of the main reasons I have not had time to blog is because I was taking two classes at one time for my masters. I finished both courses two weeks ago and started another course last week. I will start the two class load again in January. I am very excited because I am almost half way done with my program! :) The end is in site!

I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season and I hope to continue to blog more! My last day of work is Wednesday and then it is time for Christmas fun and Staci's wedding! :) I will definitely have plenty to blog about! :)

Thursday Thirteen EARLY!!

I am sitting in my Master's class and decided to write my thursday thirteen! This weekend Patrick and I are GOING AWAY to the mountains! We are so EXCITED! :) I am going to give thirteen things that I am excited about this weekend! (I know I have done this before but there are new things)!

1. GETTING AWAY FROM THE WORLD!
2. Being with my husband by ourselves!
3. Looking at the beautiful leaves that have changed color!
4. Sitting on the deck and reading a good book!
5. Cooking Vegetable Soup!
6. Hopefully watching Carolina beat Florida.
7. Snuggling up on the couch and watching a good movie!
8. Relaxing in the indoor pool and hot tub.
9. actually getting caught up with school work (yes I am going to have to do some of it while we are away)
10. not worrying about anything for two days
11. Seeing my sister FINALLY on Sunday!
12. SEEING CAROLINE AND ELI ON SUNDAY! (They are getting so big)
13. Knowing that when we come back we only have a week and two school days until THANKSGIVING BREAK!

Random thoughts and events of the weekend!

The past two days I have been at a science conference in Myrtle Beach and I really enjoyed the break from my students! I went with 4 other teachers at my school and we had so much fun! I realized this week that I am very happy at WKHS. I work with great people and they actually treat me like I am a teacher not a student. It was great to get away for a little while.

Last night I attended a BUNCO party. It was so much fun! It was so easy and it was great to talk to my friends from church and get to know new people. Although I didn't win, I did have alot of fun!!!

Today Patrick and I are going to do various things around the house and then just rest!!!! It is so pretty outside that we will probably go to the park! :) I am so excited about being at HOME!! I do miss Caroline and Eli very much! The other day I just looked at Patrick and said I want to see Kelly, Caroline, and Eli, lets go home for the day on Sat., but I knew that we had to get things done here. Hopefully we will see them next weekend on the way home from the mountains!

Tonight we are going to over to some friends house to watch the Carolina game! I really hope they win! :):):)

Sorry this is so random! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Halloween

Patrick and I went and bought a pumpkin last night and while we watched the terrible Carolina game, Patrick carved the pumpkin! He did such a great job and I can say I did not help at all! I just took pictures. I was so tired from our lock in Friday night, all I wanted to do was lay on the couch. Here are the pictures of our pumpkin!

Thursday Thirteen

This weekend Patrick and I are finally going to be able to stay at our house. This is the first weekend since Sept. 15th that it has just been us at our house. Here are thirteen things I am excited about getting accomplished FINALLY this weekend!

1. catching up on movies, Patrick and I have 4 movies we have to watch this weekend.
2. enjoying sleeping late in OUR bed on Sat.
3. FINALLY CLEANING OUR HOUSE!
4. Catching up on laundry
5. Spending time with our animals on SAT.
6. finally getting to carve a pumpkin with Patrick
7. attending our church that we joined and haven't been to in 3 weeks
8. getting a lot of school work done( I am in the process of getting my masters and am taking TWO courses right now, so I have alot of work to do)
9. catching up on sleep
10. watching the Carolina game with JUST Patrick, it has been a long time since we have been able to spend time together with just the two of us!
11. being able to be feel prepared for the coming week before Tuesday gets here! :)
12. actually getting to cook dinner in my kitchen! (I miss cooking)
13. JUST BEING AT OUR HOUSE! :) There is nothing like spending time at your own home! I miss it so much!

As you can see I am very excited about this weekend! :) Pray for us tomorrow night though, we are helping with the youth's lockin all night! For those of you that know me, you know I can get cranky and ill! Pray that I don't get too ill :)

YEA JENNA!!

I just got off the phone with my good friend Jenna Walker and I am so excited because she is pregnant! :) Jenna and I have been friends since 6th grade but became really close our senior year of high school and during college. We had not talked in A LONG time, so it was great to catch up with her! I am so happy for her and can't wait to see what she is having! :)

Prayer Requests

Last night a 10th grader at my school was involved in a serious car wreck and is in serious condition at the hospital. He is very popular and plays baseball at the school. He has a sister who is in the 9th grade. Please pray for the family as they are going to have to make serious decision, the students, and the teachers.

Thursday Thirteen

Last weekend Patrick and I went on a youth retreat with 38 WONDERFUL youth. Here are thirteen wonderful moments we had last weekend.

1. Getting to know ALL the youth.
2. Realizing how blessed we are to be members of a wonderful church.
3. Riding the BIG SWING at Lookup Lodge with two wonderful ninth graders.
4. Being a drill Sargent to the youth at the end of the trip and they actually doing what I say!
5. Sitting in the mountains admiring God's wonderful creation
6. Experiencing God like I have never felt God before.
7. Watching Patrick experience God like he has never felt before
8. Having a really meaningful conversation with Patrick that has brought us so much closer together
9. Realizing how great God is and how He has blessed us with great friends and great church!
10. Getting carried up the hill by a ninth grader (that is another story)!
11. Becoming closer to friends our Cass and Jeremy and another couple in our Sunday School class.
12. Realizing that I am in the right profession because I LOVE TEENAGERS! I actually realized this weekend that I was called to be a teacher of high school and that teenagers are so special.
13. One of the best parts of the weekend - Being served communion by our friends Cass and Jeremy and realizing that they would do anything for us and we are SO BLESSED to have them in our lives!


This past weekend was one of the best weekends of our lives! We had so much fun and I wish we did not have to come back to reality!!! :)

Thursday Thirteen

This is my first Thursday Thirteen since school started. So I am going to list thirteen reasons I have not updated my blog every week.

1. Monday nights we eat with our friends Jeremy and Cass and then we watch Prison Break.
2. I have class on Wednesday nights until 9:00.
3. Tuesday nights we watch House after dinner.
4. Thursday nights we watch CSI.
5. By the time I get home , pick up the house, cook dinner, eat dinner, and get ready for tomorrow I am too tired to sit at the computer.
6. Patrick doesn't usually get home until 7:00 so I try to spend as much time as possible with him when he does get home.
7. Nothing excited has happened in our lives to blog about.
8. Almost every weekend we have been busy with something this school year, so I don't have time.
9. I always think of things to blog about at school and then forget them when I get home.
10. I don't have cute pictures of children to post, so I just look at everyone else's.
11. This year of teaching is alot harder than last year so I am exhausted EVERYDAY!
12. I have to admit I am addicted to TV! (We don't have TIVO, so I have to watch everything live!)
13. PAPERS HAVE TO BE GRADED!

Things are starting to get better and calm down here, so I am hoping to be able to blog more! I still enjoy reading everyone else's blogs though! Sorry I have been away for awhile! :)

Have a great weekend! Pray for us we are going to be on a youth retreat!

Our wonderful weekend

This past weekend was great! Sat. we went to Caroline's birthday party and had so much fun! I can't believe how grown up she is now. She was so cute at the party and had a great time! After the party we went to hang out with our friends Brandon and Summer and I their new daughter Addison. (Their other daughter was at her grandmother's) She was so cute, as always. We then had a birthday party with Patrick's mom family for all the October birthdays. It was great watching football with the family, especially because CLEMSON lost!

Sunday we ate lunch with my family to celebrate Patrick and Caroline's birthday! Everytime we spend time with the family I feel so blessed! My family is wonderful and I love how we are all so close! God has really blessed me with a great family!

Sunday night we went out with Patrick's family for his birthday and his mom's birthday. While eating I was just thanking God for blessing me with such a great in-law family.
God has really blessed me with wonderful parents and in-laws!

It is sad that the weekend went by so fast! This weekend we are going on a youth retreat with our youth so we are looking forward to another great weekend!

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!!!

Today we are leaving to head back up to see our family to celebrate 3 very important birthdays.

Tomorrow is Patrick's 24th birthday! Last night Patrick and I celebrated his birthday together and he got a new Carolina coaches shirt! It brought good luck last night because they beat KENTUCKY!!

Tomorrow we are also going to Caroline's 2nd Birthday party! I can't believe she is going to be 2 already! She is growing up fast. Her real birthday is on Sunday, so her and Uncle Patty get to celebrate together this weekend!

Sunday is also my mother-in-law's birthday! We are going to celebrate hers on Sat. with the family!

I can't wait to go home to be with family and celebrate these birthdays. All three people mean something special to me and I can't wait to help them celebrate!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

What's happening in our town!

Well I made it back from the beach on Sunday! I had a great time spending time with Patrick's family and shopping. I of course spent too much money, but I did get some birthday and christmas presents!

This week is yet another busy week! I keep thinking things are going to slow down, but they never do! It seems everyday after school I have a meeting or something to do! This week I am getting ready for my family to come down! My mom and dad are coming down Friday night and my dad is leaving Sat. night, but my mom is staying until Sunday. We are joining our church on Sunday and my mom and Patrick's parents and sister are going to attend the service. My dad really wanted to, but he has to preach at his own church. After the service we are all eating lunch at my house, so I am trying to clean it alittle every night!

I am very excited about joining our church. I was thinking the other night about the decision and I just really feel this is where we need to be. This is also the first thing Patrick and I have done together besides get married! I feel that joining this church together makes us a true family because we are committing to grow together in a church home!

Next weekend is our birthday week so pray I get all the gifts together! (Saturday is Patrick's birthday and Sunday is Caroline's and Patrick's mom, Alice's birthday) We are really busy that weekend! I will update you on the gift buying later, but if anyone has any good suggestions about Patrick please let me know! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Today is my dad's birthday! I hate that I did not post last night or this morning, but I had open house last night and class tonight!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! :) My dad is the best guy in the whole wide world and I love him to death! He is my hero and role model and means the world to me! He has always been there for my sister, mom, and I. He is always so patient with all the girls in the house!
Thanks dad, WE LOVE YOU!! :)
(To watch a cute video visit my sister's blog)

Tomorrow I leave for the girl's weekend to the beach! I am so excited! :) Pray that we have a safe and relaxing weekend!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and weekend! :)

Fall Weather!

I love the Fall! :) I am at my parents house and I love the weather up here! This is one thing I miss about Spartanburg! Caroline spent the night with us last night and when we got to my parents she came running to the door to hug me! It was so cute! :) She was so happy to see Patrick. She is growing up so fast. I saw her two weeks ago and she seems so different this time. She is talking so much more and actually making "real" sentences!

Today we are going to Niven's Apple Farm for Brynn's birthday party! The weather is PERFECT! Brynn is turning 3! We are so excited about going to the party and celebrating her birthday.

After the party we are eating with my family to celebrate my Dad's birthday! He will be 52 on Wednesday! He does not look or act like he is 52. Mom is excited because she gets to finally cook a real big meal in her "new" home!

Please pray for Patrick and I tomorrow night. We are hosting and leading a small group of 11/12 graders at our church. The youth have small groups once a month and we are signed up to help. This month we are in charge of the 11/12 graders. We are excited but please pray for us! :)

Well I forgot my camera AGAIN so I will have to steal some pictures of this weekend from my mom to post later! I hope everyone has a great weekend! :)

Enjoy the FALL weather!

IT'S DONE!!!

My parents house is finally FINISHED!!!! They are so happy to be able to finally watch tv and lay on the couch and cook dinner. This weekend we are celebrating my dad's birthday so Patrick and I are very excited about spending the weekend at their house.

Here are some pictures of the finished product. (to see the during pictures check out my Kelly's blog)

The 3 Game

Jamie is doing this contest and I wanted to participate! Hope you enjoy:)

1) 3 fun things you have done this week (this was more last week when I actually started the post)

-watched Carolina BEAT Georgia with friends last night

-spent time with Patrick

-spent time with our family on Monday

2) 3 prayer requests you have

-Patrick's aunt Charlene

-our friends new baby Addison

-God's will for us at our new church

3) 3 favorite songs

-Bring the Rain- Mercy Me

- I Can Only Imagine - Mercy Me

-She's Everything to Me by Brad Paisley

4) 3 blogs you check daily

-Kelly's

-Stacey's

-JuJu's

5) 3 websites you would choose if you could only use 3 websites for the rest of the year

- yahoo, so I can check my email

- blogger, so I can check all the blogs

-my school district page

6) 3 people you last emailed

-Mom

-Alice

-Kelly

7) 3 non-family members you could call at 3am if you needed something

-Cass and Jeremy

-Brandon and Summer

-Lindsay

8) 3 favorite authors

- Nicholas Sparks

- Dorothea Benton Frank

-Debbie Macomber

9) 3 favorite posts ever at bbbrowns

- Austin Kateisms

- Why Not-

Baby AK, Pledge to the Bible, and Blue Icing

10)3 people you hugged last

-Patrick

-Mom

-Dad

11)3 things you wish you never had to do again

-clean the house

-do laundry

-ride in a car for an hour with a dog and cat (but that's price I pay to see my family)

12)3 things you loved at 10

- my bike

- my 5th grade class that was so bad!

- riding Julie's go kart!

13)3 things you loved at 15

-the band

-the fact that my sister was a senior and her friends "liked" me

- my clique of friends

14)3 people you last spoke to on the phone

- Patrick

-My mom

-Kelly

15)3 TV shows you watch

- Prison Break

-House

-CSI

16)3 things you wish you could do or do better

- dance

-finish the scrapbook that I started

-have more energy at the end of the day

17)3 things you would buy for $20 each if you had $60 of free money to spend

- clothes!

- decor for my home

-Caroline and Eli and present!

18)3 favorite foods

- waffles

-macaroni and cheese

-ice cream

19)3 things you do if you have free time-

-blog

- sleep

-watch movies with Patrick

20)3 nicknames you have

- Ali Graham

- Ali Graham Graham ( this is another story)

- Baby

Fun with FAMILY!

Our Labor Day weekend was so much fun! We spent the whole weekend with family and friends.
On Friday we went to dinner with Patrick's parents. We had not seen them in a long time so it was nice to spend time with them.
On Saturday my sister, mom, and I took Caroline and Eli to get their picture made. They were so cute and funny! Caroline was holding Eli, and handed him back to Kelly while saying, "He's too heavy!"
After pictures we went to eat with my dad and everyone and then I went back to Kelly's house to relax for the day. Patrick went to the movies with his dad during the day and enjoyed watching football with him after the movie.
That night we went with my family to Greenville to eat dinner and get ice cream. While we were in Coldstone Caroline said she wanted the blue ice cream, Cotton Candy, so being the nice aunt I am I asked for a taste of that ice cream. Caroline did not like it at all! It tasted like children's Tylenol. It was so nasty! After ice cream we all went to B&N and read books! The children were so cute!
Sunday we went to my dad's church and out to eat with them for lunch, but we couldn't go back to their house to relax because you can't really relax in their house yet! Hopefully this weekend their renovations will be over!
Sunday night we went over to our friends Brandon and Summer's to see Miss Addison Grace! She was so cute and tiny! Brandon and Summer cooked for us, which I felt bad about, but they really wanted to cook because it had been a while since they had gotten too! While they cooked I got to hold Addison! She was so precious. After dinner we sat around and talked and played with Brynn and I just watched Addison sleep. It made me want a baby so BAD, but Patrick and I do enjoy just us right now!
Monday we went to visit Patrick's cousin's baby Callie. She was so cute as well! After visiting Callie we went to Patrick's Grandad's house to eat and hang out with the family and then for dinner we went to my sister's house and then HEADED BACK TO LEXINGTON!
We really enjoyed spending time with friends and family! We really do miss everyone, but we LOVE being in Lexington! Thanks to everyone for making our weekend fun!
We love you all! :)
P.S. I THINK SALLY SHOULD GET A CAR! :) Love ya Sal! I'm on your side! :)

What a WEEK!!!

I guess you might be wondering if I fell off the side of the Earth, well I did feel like it this week!
Last weekend Patrick and I had a great relaxing weekend! On Sunday the youth at our church put together a whole worship service for that night. It was SO AMAZING!! They did a great job. Patrick and I also signed up to host a small group once a month at our house, so we are really excited about this year!

Monday I woke up and felt so bad! I had a huge sinus infection, but I only had the sore throat, tired part of it! Patrick told me to stay home, but I couldn't get out of work the 4th day of school, so I went and actually made it through the day. When I got home I went to straight to bed. Our friends Cass and Jeremy came over and made us supper. Cass also got me some medicine and made me hot tea! Monday night I realized how blessed we are to have made BEST friends in Lexington. Cass and Jeremy will do anything for us, and we will do anything for them! God really has blessed us with a great friendship!

Tonight Patrick and I are going to talk to our minister about joining our church. We are really excited because we love the church we go to! We love our Sunday School class and also LOVE THE youth! :) It is really neat at school to see some of them and talk to them! It is kinda bittersweet joining another church. This really means that Lexington is permanent to us. I am excited, but I am really saying goodbye to Spartanburg, at least for alittle while. Please pray for us as we make this decision to join this church.

I am very excited about this weekend! We are heading to Spartanburg on a mini vacation to see our family and ADDISON! :) I have missed Caroline and Eli so much and can't wait to see them in person. We also get to meet Miss Addison Laney! I can't wait!
I hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our friends Brandon and Summer had their baby on Wednesday! They did not find out the sex of the baby so we were all excited when we found it was another little GIRL! They already have a almost three year old girl named Brynn and now they have another little girl named Addison! We are so happy for them! We can't wait to go home next weekend and hold little Addison!

Congrats Brandon and Summer!

Mrs. Graham please come to the office!

This afternoon that is what I heard over the intercom. I was so scared because I hate being called to the office! When I got there these were sitting on the counter for me!!

They were from my mom and dad! I was so happy! :) I felt so special and everyone thought they were so pretty... Thanks mom and dad for making my day!

Tomorrow my students come and I am excited but exhausted! Last year my school was very small and not much paper work or ANYTHING. I was home everyday by 4:00. This year I think that is going to be different! I am enjoying the new atmosphere, but it is alot more work! Today I didn't get home until 6:00. I am hoping things are going to get better!

I will try to update later this week, but it might be this weekend! Pray for my students and me tomorrow!

Where I have been!

Sorry it has been forever since I have posted! Work started on Wednesday and I have been nonstop since then! I am starting at a new school and I have enjoyed getting to know everyone and the new district rules! So far, I have been very happy and pleased, just overwhelmed with everything there is to do! I come from a very little district where there was not much paper work and now I have paperwork for EVERYTHING! I am very happy though because many teachers have started to share their lessons with me, so that makes it easier on me! Thursday I came home and felt like I had been run over by a train, and Friday I was just as tired! Friday night Patrick and I went out to eat and then Cass came over and stayed with us because Jeremy was out of town! We stayed up til 12:30! I was so proud of myself, but Saturday we slept until 10:00. Saturday Patrick decided he wanted to do yard work in our front yard! I cleaned the house while he did the yard work! It looks so good. He took out some plants that I thought looked like weeds and put flowers, then took out two more plants and put pretty plants, then he pine strawed everything! I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband who loves to work outdoors because I don't have to do anything! He is a great landscaper as well! :) Now we just have to get grass seed and get our grass to grow in this HEAT! Today we went to church and they fed us FREE lunch, and now we are getting ready to go help with the youth! I don't know if I will be able to post much this week, but I will try! I hope everyone has a GREAT week! :)

YEA FOR SALLY! :)

My sister-in-law, Sally, just called me and she got her DRIVERS LICENSE! I am so proud of her! This was her first try and she got it! :) I know she is so happy! Congrats SAL, Patrick and I are proud of you and can't wait to ride with you somewhere! :)

We love you!

LAST WEEKEND

This was my last weekend before school starts! I actually went to work for alittle while on Sat. so I could get a day off in Feb.
My school had a pack prowl for the 9th graders to get familiar with the school. From 12-6 I was in charge of 15 9th graders and we played all kinds of "fun" games. I was so tired when I left. I am excited about teaching 9th graders but I need to pray for PATIENCE! I am not the most patient person and you have to be with this age group. Please pray that I can manage my classes because I am starting to get just alittle nervous about this year.

After the pack prowl, I got home around 6:15 and we decided to go eat. After dinner, Sally and I wanted to go shopping so we did for alittle while and then we came home. I was asleep by 10:30! Sally calls me old because I go to bed so early, but I can't help it. :) I wish I had as much energy as Sally does now. I miss those teenage years of being able to stay up late and get up without any problems!

Today Patrick and I taught Sunday School and it was a really hard lesson for me. We are watching videos and the video we got was on how to deal with the lose of a loved one. The speaker in the video lost a friend in a car accident. For those of you don't know my best friend, Manfred, was killed in a car accident when I was a senior in high school, so this lesson was kinda hard. At first I did not want to teach it, but it really worked out because I was able to share how God helped me through the tough times and how I can continue on with my life because I know I will see him again. In the video it talks about how Jesus wept, so it is ok for us to grieve as well. If we do not properly grieve then it is hard to go on with our lives. It has taken a long time to properly grieve my Mimi and Manfred, but I feel that I am better each day with dealing with their deaths. I am very glad that I had the opportunity to teach this lesson because I learned alot out of it! :)

This last weekend has been tiring but a very nice one! I have enjoyed spending time with my family! :) I hope my last two days are just as much fun!

Crazy Friday!!!

Yesterday I had to get up early and head to classes that taught me about my new district! I was excited after the last session because it talked about how they have made a science pacing guide for Physical Science and they have made the unit test. They have also worked with different teachers to help find activities and labs that have worked in other teacher's classrooms! Some people do not like this because the can't come up with the lesson themselves, but I LOVE IT! Last year I was the only Chemistry teacher at my school and I had no guidance, this year I will take all the help I can get! :)

After the classes my dad and mom came down and bought the old piano for our house! This piano is VERY heavy so I was alittle concerned about how we were going to get it in our house. When Patrick got home, my mom, dad, Patrick, and I spent 30 minutes getting the piano in the house! It WAS SO HOT!! :) It looks really good in our house though so I am glad it is here!

My parents also brought along my sister-in-law Sally. She is staying with us for the weekend! I am so glad she is here! We have not seen her that much this summer because she has been gone all summer! :) Sally and I have a great relationship and we act just like sisters. When I was younger I always wanted to have a little sister and now I feel like I do! I have been very blessed with a wonderful sister-in-law!

After moving the piano, my mom, Sally and I cooked dinner for everyone. We had pork, macroni, okra, green beans, and mashed potatoes. It was so good after moving that piano! After we ate my parents left because they had to get some sleep before Kelly's yard sale.

Sally played Wii and I taught Patrick how to play the piano! It was so neat! :) I love playing the piano and I really enjoyed teaching him! (Maybe I should teach piano). He learned very well because he already knew how to read music! We played for about an hour.

We decided to bring Duke in for bed and let him play. Patrick took him into our room for about 5 minutes and this is what he looked like when he came out!

Patrick had put an old tshirt on him! He was so cute! :)

After that I went to bed because I have to work today from 12-6 so I can have a day off in Feb.!

Tagged

I was tagged for a meme, so here goes:

Four jobs I have had:
1. Bilo
2. YMCA Fitness trainer! Yea i know pretty funny!
3. Ice Creams and Coffee Beans
4. Brockman's babysitter!

Four places I have lived:
1. Duncan, SC
2. Startex, SC
3. Lexington, SC
4.Greenwood, SC

TV shows:
1. CSI
2. Prison Break
3. Two and Half Men
4. Still Standing Reruns

Food
1. Macaroni and Cheese
2. Lasagna
3. the frozen bread my mom makes!
4. Cold Stone Creamery Mint Ice cream with Oreos

I would rather be:
1. laying out by a pool or on the beach
2. rocking in a chair on a porch at the mountains
3. on my honeymoon again!
4. laying in the bed all day watching tv with my husband

Favorite movies:
1. You've Got Mail
2. Chicago
3. Sweet Home Alabama
4. Serendipity

I tag:1.JuJu2. Haley3. Stephanie

School "friends" and HEAT

Yesterday I decided to head to school and try to unpack my stuff. When I got there I saw that my team members for next year were there as well! I walked in to introduce myself and they were so welcoming!! They talked to me like they had known me forever and I hope we can become friends. Last year at my old school I didn't really fit in with any of the teachers. I am praying that at this school I can fit in with some people and make friends! I left yesterday excited about the year and what God has in store for me at my new school! I am so glad I have good team members.

For those of you who don't know, my husband works outside ALL DAY long EVERYDAY! Last night at 11:00 the heat index at our house was 100 degrees, so just imagine what it is during the day. Please pray for Patrick this week that he will have the strength to work and not get sick. They get to drink plenty of water and he keeps telling me that he is fine, but I can tell he is SO tired when he gets home and is not his perky self this week. Please pray for everyone who has to work outside. It is terrible this week.

Have a great day! :)

Weekend in the Upstate

This past weekend Patrick and I went to visit family. Friday night we ate with his parents and stayed with them as well. Patrick and his brother went to see a movie that night so I stayed there and read a book!
Saturday I went to order my bridesmaid dress for Staci's wedding! It was fun to hang out with old friends again! I am so happy about Staci getting married because she is marrying my cousin and is going to be family! :)
After that Patrick and I went to hang out with our friends Brandon and Summer and their little girl Brynn. She was so cute! She wanted to come to our house! Summer is having another baby and is due in 15 days! We are so excited! She did not find out the sex of the baby, so we are anxious to see what it is! :)
Sunday we went to Campobello and then to Patrick's Grandad's house for lunch! It was fun to spend time with his family! His Grandad was doing good! :) After that we went to eat at Kelly's with my grandparents! When I walked in I started playing with Eli and Caroline was jealous! I started holding him and she kept saying Hold you Ali! She was not happy that I was playing with her brother and not her! Eli had to go eat, so Caroline and I went outside to play! :) She was cute and funny! I miss her so much! :) Eli is getting so much bigger! I miss him as well! :)
It was great to spend time with family! We had a great weekend!

Today I decided to finish my papers for my graduate class! I WROTE PAPERS ALL DAY! My brain is so tired of thinking! I am just glad it is summer time so I don't have to think about school yet!

Bragging on my husband!

Yesterday when Patrick got home from work, he walked in with a beautiful flower arrangement of six pink roses! I was so surprised! Pink roses are my favorite! He said he got them for me for just being me! :) I have a great husband!!

We are heading to Spartanburg this weekend,so I will be aware for a weekend! I will update on Monday!

Have a great weekend!

This week

Sorry it has been a while since I posted. Monday night we had Cass and Jeremy over for dinner and of course we played Wii! Tuesday I went to Spartanburg for my sister's pampered chef party. When I got there I went to lunch with my parents and then went and met my Mother-in-Law to go to the hospital. We visited Charlene, who was doing better, and then we went to see Patrick's cousins Jeremy and Beth. They had their little girl Callie on Tuesday at 11:36. She was so cute! It made me want a baby so much! After the hospital I went to the party! It was so much fun and I could have ordered everything in the catalog. After the party I went over to Lindsay and Taylor's house. It was so cute! I really enjoyed talking to them because I have not seen or talked to them since their wedding.
Wednesday I went to Kelly's school with her to help her set it up. It was fun to spend time with her as well! We made her room look really nice! After finishing at the school we went back to her house and I played with Caroline for alittle while! I love her to death! She was so cute and funny! :)
I had to leave then to head back for class last night, but I enjoyed my short trip to Spartanburg!

13 things I did not get done this summer!

Here is my 13 list for the week! Since school starts back soon, I am doing 13 things I did not get done this summer!

1. Scrapbook - I don't think our wedding scrapbook will ever get done!

2. Clean the cabinets in my kitchen

3. Read all the books I wanted to!

4. Become a pro in bowling on the Wii

5. See Caroline and Eli as much I wanted to

6. Go on a weekend away trip with just Patrick and I(other than our honeymoon)

7. Go to Spartanburg and spend time with Lindsay

8. Go shopping with Crystal in Columbia

9. Watch all the movies I intended to watch

10. Get my classroom ready before I go back to school

11. Paint our bedroom and study

12. Organize our study

13. eat lunch at home everyday (I spent WAY too much money this summer)

Although I did not get all that done, I did enjoy spending time with new friends and relaxing! I can't believe the summer is almost over :(

Favorite Things

Alright I don't have 13 favorite things but I do have some

1 . Herbal Essences body envy Shampoo and Conditioner

This is the best stuff for my hair! I do not get as many tangles with this! It also smells very good!

2. Automatic Shower Cleaner

This thing is wonderful, especially for us because Patrick is so dirty when he comes home! It makes cleaning the bathroom not that bad, because it isn't as dirty as it should be!
3. 409

I love this stuff. I use it EVERYWHERE!

4. Febreze Air Freshener

This stuff is great! It helps kill bacteria and smells good as well. Since we have a cat living in the house this stuff is used ALL the time!
5. Carpet Fresh Super Pet!

If you have carpet and animals in the house this stuff is the best! You don't have to vacuum it so I use it after I vacuum and it dissolves into the carpet making your house smell so fresh!

6. Jack Daniels EZ Marinade

This stuff is great for any meat! They have different flavors and they are all great. You just put the meat in the bag and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour and then grill! It takes like it has been all DAY!

Well I only have 6 but I hope everyone enjoys my favorite things!

Very fun weekend!

Patrick and I had a very fun and relaxing weekend!

Saturday morning Patrick had to work until 1:30 so I got up and cleaned the house. It was so gloomy outside so after cleaning the house I just sat around and watched tv! After Patrick got home we went to Kohl's and then Patrick's aunt and uncle, Pam and Bob, and his cousins, Matt and Crystal came over and we all went to eat at Shealys! After that they came back over and we played Wii. Bob was so funny playing! He was actually really good as well. He beat Matt and me at bowling and had fun playing baseball as well! I hope he wasn't too tired after playing!

Sunday after church Patrick's parents were coming home from the beach so they met us at Fatz to eat lunch. It was nice to eat lunch with them because we have not seen them since June. We had a great lunch!

Tonight at youth we helped out with the great mattress run! I was picked to help youth run a mile carrying a mattress. If you know me very well you know that I do not exercise very much so it was funny watching me run! It was alot of fun though and we have really good youth in our church.

All in all this was a nice weekend at home. Next weekend we will be heading to the upstate. We are looking forward to a great weekend with family!

Hope everyone had a great weekend

The best store EVER

Today I went to our new Target! We finally got one in Lexington so I don't have to drive to Irmo anymore. It was so clean! :) I shopped like I had never been to a Target before. It was so much fun! Everything I bought I kept telling myself I needed, so I could justify to Patrick! When I would walk down the aisles I would enjoy hearing people speak. Everyone was making complaints about the new store. Some examples are: one lady was upset because they did not have many outdoor products, another complained because the layout was not the same as the one in Irmo, another complaint was that they did not have the potato chips someone wanted and to that response someone said, This is not walmart. another complaint was that too many people were asking this one lady if she needed help finding things, and the last complaint was that the aisles were too small (which they are the same size as any store).

After leaving I had a great appreciation for the people working in the store because I am sure that they have heard all of these and many more complaints. I was actually very satisfied with the store and the layout! I guess some people just can't be happy!

Dad the Handy Man

Today my parents came down to visit for the day. My dad was such a good man and came down to by my handy man. Patrick has to work everyday and by the time he gets home he is so tired that I feel bad making him fix everything, so I just used my daddy's girl powers and got my parents to come down.

First my dad fixed our guest room bathroom toliet. I had actually tried to fix it once, but I did not get very far, so he helped the process.
Next my dad fixed the piece of carpet that our cat so nicely tore up for us!
After that my dad fixed our mailbox that was falling off!

After fixing everything my dad and mom helped me move my stuff into my new classroom.

My mom also helped me out today and fixed our printer and read some of my papers for my graduate class.

Wow I guess now it sounds like our house was falling apart! I promise it is not that bad! :)

To thank them for fixing our stuff, they were rewarded with playing the Wii! After playing the Wii, we went out to eat and enjoyed our time together!

Thanks mom and dad for coming down! It was great to spend the day with you! Thanks for making our house better!!!

Prayer Request

Please help me pray for the following people. I am firm believer in pray and know that is so powerful.

1. My great uncle Foy- He went into the hospital two weeks ago and had to have heart surgery. He is now out of ICU and in a regular room, but will have to go through therapy for awhile. Please remember him and his wife during this time. She is living at home by herself and my mom and dad are helping transport her to the hospital.

2. Patrick's aunt Charlene- She went into the hospital this morning and is going to have heart surgery sometime this week. She has two children, one just graduated high school and the other just graduated college. She is in great spirits but please remember her and our family. It was a very sudden hospital visit.

Thanks for the prayers!

Lazy Lazy Lazy Day

This morning I woke up after going to bed late from reading Harry Potter and realized that I only have 4 more Mondays, counting today, before school starts again. This summer has gone by so fast. Since I only have 4 more Mondays I decided to be lazy today! I woke up and watched some TV and then read more Harry Potter and have been reading all day! The book is so good, you can't put it down because you want to know what is going to happen! Tonight we are having our friends over again for dinner and probably game playing!

Last night we helped with the youth with banana Olympics and then sat around the host houses' pool for a couple of hours. It was so neat to help with the youth! Patrick and I really enjoyed our time there last night. They were all so nice and welcoming to us! It made me realize how much I really do enjoy teaching and working with teenagers! They are so funny. After all the youth had left we sat around the pool with the family that hosted the youth. Patrick, Jeremy and one of the youth Wes, got in the pool and played basketball all night. Patrick was tired after he left! I really enjoyed talking to Cass and Janet. It was neat to meet more people from our church. I am so glad God has answered so many of my prayers about living in Lexington.

Well I need to get back to Harry Potter! I am determined to finish this book before Wednesday. I am dying to know what happens!

My new passion

I have found a new passion besides teaching... I love to entertain. Yes I know to the people who know me you think I am crazy but let me explain. I don't mean entertain as in getting the nice china and silver platters out (Lord knows I have enough), but I mean having a couple of friends over and just hanging out. Friday night we had our church friends over and Saturday night we had our cousins over. I loved being able to get everything ready and cook for everyone! I feel so good when someone tells me they like my food! :) I also just enjoy company. A couple hours before everyone comes over I always get really stressed and Patrick hates it, but when they are here I love to entertain them! It is just sad that school starts in 3 weeks and my entertaining days are almost over! At least I have something to look forward to for next summer!

Happy Birthday

Today is Patrick's Grandad's birthday! We did not get to go to his birthday bash last night and are very upset we missed it! When I started doing stuff with Patrick's family Grandad was always the nicest person in the world! Patrick and I would go over there and just sit for hours to talk with him! Grandad is such an inspiration to anyone who meets him. He has been through tough times but always seems to come through! He is a very strong man. For a long time he was not able to go to church, but on Sunday mornings he would always dress up in his Sunday best and watch church on tv. He is a wonderful child of God and great role model for Patrick and I. Patrick always loves to tell me stories of how they went fishing together and Patrick holds those memories close to his heart! I want to wish Grandad a HAPPY BIRTHDAY and hope there are many more to come! :) WE LOVE YOU GRANDAD!

Top Six Reasons I love to Read Blogs

1. It gives me something to do during the day!

2. I love to look at everyone's pictures!

3. I get to read an update on mine and Patrick's family. (Thanks Kelly and JuJu).

4. Getting to read books and discuss them with people! Thanks for the great idea Meredith!:)

5. Getting to also see pictures of my wonderful niece and nephew! I love you and miss you both!

6. I get to reconnect with old friends and feel like I have a group of blogging friends that I would probably not really be friends with if it was not for blogging! I really enjoy catching up with old friends and I love how we all comment like we have been friends forever on each others blogs! Blogging helps builds friends!

I love blogginG :)

My favorite books of the summer!

During the summer I LOVE to read books! I don't get that much time to read during the school year so I try to read as much during June and July as possible!

I started off reading Dorothea Benton Franks new book, The Land of Mango Sunsets. I love her books because she writes about the Charleston area. It is so neat to read one of her books and know that I have been to that place.

The next book was Paula Deen's biography! It was so good as well! :) She is such a remarkable women.

I then started looking for new books. I started reading books by Debbie Macomber! They are so interesting!:) I would go get a new book every two days. I could not put her books down. She writes alot like Dorothea Benton Frank.

Right now I am reading 90 minutes in Heaven. It is about a minister who was in a car accident and died on the scene. He went to Heaven for 90 minutes and he talks about what Heaven was like. His friend comes and prays by his side at the wreck scene and he comes back to life. It is really a great book! I have not finished the book, but it is another one I cannot put down.

Well I hope you enjoyed hearing about my books of the summer! (I feel like I am on Reading Rainbow) I would recommend trying any of these books! They are great!
If you have any more suggestions of good books, let me know! The summer is almost over, but I want to get as much reading as possible done!

WE ARE BACK!:)

Well we made it back from the beach today and we finally have all the animals together again! The beach was wonderful! It was so great to get away from everything and not worry about anything. I am going to copy Kelly and make a top ten list of things I learned at the beach!

1. I learned how much I love Caroline and Eli and can't wait to have a child of my own!

2. I learned that without children the beach could be kinda boring! (I don't know how we survived without them.)

3. Charleston pictures are actually a lot cheaper in Charleston than in Columbia! We finally have a picture for our living room.

4. It is very hard for 6 adults and 2 children to decide where to eat!

5. Mom, Dad, and I are not that good at Frisbee golf. Patrick is def. the best!

6. Caroline LOVES to talk!

7. My family (mom and sister) could eat shrimp for every meal! (as long as there is a bathroom)

8. Patrick and I learned that we are finally happy living in Lexington! We love our family, but we are very happy living by ourselves! Also, we got home before my parents today! :)

9. God definitely blessed us with beautiful weather and beautiful scenery! I am always amazed at how beautiful the beach scenery really is! It is something I am glad I don't take for granted!

10. God has blessed me with a wonderful husband and family! Even though we get on each others nerves sometimes we really are close and I know that each one of them truly loves me! I love my family:):)

Vacation

Today we leave for the beach! I am so excited. I love this beach! We use to always go down here when we were little. Our family has so many memories of being on the beach with our parents and grandparents. I can't wait to see Caroline play in the water and with the sand. Last year she didn't really understand but this year she will be so much fun! Eli is going to have fun too! My dad is not going to be able to come until Tuesday because a member of his church passed away this morning, so please remember him! He really deserves a vacation and we are all going to miss him until Tuesday.

The only bad thing about the beach is we have to leave our animals. Duke left us on Friday to travel to Spartanburg to play with his cousin Daisy and maybe Jake. We miss him so much! Lexy is staying here and having a friend check on her every once in awhile. I am sure when we get back she is going to hate us and be very mad! I hope she enjoys her week away from us!


I know my sister is bringing her laptop, but I don't know if we will get the internet, but I will update when we get back!
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

The best husband

Yesterday morning Patrick and I woke up between 10 and 11. Patrick then started to make us brunch! I love pancakes but I hate to make them, so Patrick did everything! We had pancakes, bacon, and eggs!

After brunch it started to rain so we went and laid in the bed and watched tv until around 2:00! It was so nice to relax! After laying around we went shopping for stuff for the beach and then we went to this produce stand that our friends told us about. Patrick was in Heaven! He was so happy. It was a really neat produce stand and we bought all this stuff for the beach!

After dinner we went to a friends house and played games with our some people from Sunday School!

We had a great relaxing Sat. before the beach! I just love my husband!

The Big MO

Last night Patrick and I along with Jeremy and Cass, friends from church, ventured out into the middle of nowhere. Honestly I really have no clue where we were, but the little town has a drive in movie theater. The name is the BIG MO!

They have two screens and each screen plays two movies. We say Ratatouille and they were also playing Fantastic Four after Ratatouille.

We got there at 7:00 when the gates open and pulled into our spot. We then had sandwiches and fruit and just sat around and talked. We looked at other people and learned what to do next time. People had crockpots and tables and tons of food! It was like tailgating.

After eating we played Phase 10 until the movie started at 9:00. Cass and I sat in the car and Patrick and Jeremy were outside the car.

It was such a neat atmosphere! I loved watching the movie outside. One of the best parts is it is only 6.00 a person to see two movies outside! It makes you wonder why the movie theaters are so expensive.

After the first movie, we didn't stay for the second one because it was already 11:00 and we were sleepy, but it was definitely a great night and we will do it again!

Anyone who lives down here I would recommend it for a great night!

Chicken Blues!

Last night I decided to try a new recipe, Chicken Cordon Bleu and Twice Baked Bacon Potatoes. Well things did not go as planned, but I found out I have the best husband in the world! The potatoes were the first thing to mess up! We ended up only having one, but Patrick said it was good. The chicken was ok, but I think I put too many toothpicks in it because while we were eating it we had to hunt around for the toothpicks. I got really mad and frustrated, but my husband was the best! He ate every bite on his plate and never complained. He told me the meal was great! I now know that I need to add less toothpicks and be more patient with the potatoes!

Patrick acting silly eating the chicken

All the toothpicks in Patrick's chicken

This was the face he gave me after I had asked him if he liked the meal about 100 times! He was like YES!!!!!! :)

July 4th

Patrick and I have had a weird July 4th. Patrick decided to work today so he could be off on Sat., so I decided to try and get some stuff done! I wrote one paper, and was going to start another one when I started getting a headache. I then went to Walmart and came back home to start scrapbooking again. Well my headache came back, so all day I just sat around and watched tv and slept. When Patrick got home we decided to cook hamburgers, but I still did not feel well. After dinner I started feeling better and I decided that today I got lonely and bored, so I was just lazy and that made me not feel well. I am glad Patrick came home early today because he definitely made me feel better! After cooking out we played Wii and played with dog! It was a nice relaxing 4th of July!

I am glad we all have the freedom to do fun things today! Please remember the soldiers in Iraq, especially my cousin Shane.

Here is Duke on top of his dog house!

Patrick acting goofy around the grill! I love my husband!

Please throw the ball! :)

Here ya go!