Wishing you a happy 2011!

I don't know about y'all, but I'm almost always in the crowd of folks who makes a resolution and never keeps it. I do a good job for the first month or so, but then it's over. Slowly. But surely. I forget about it until around December 31 ... when I'm reminded, again, that I need to change my ways. :)

So, this year I'm doing something different. Instead of making empty promises to myself about losing weight, drinking more water, eating less chocolate or whatever else I think I need to change, I'm just going to focus on being the best me I can possibly be.

That might mean losing weight, drinking more water and eating less chocolate, but that's not my focus. I want to focus on being happy and healthy. I want to focus on doing things that are on my bucket list (I'm in the process of writing this, so check back ... you might be surprised what's on it). I WILL focus on spending more time doing the things I love with the people I love. I WILL look back at 2011 with a smile.

I encourage all of you to think about what makes you happy - focus on those things this year. Worry less. Love more. Don't fight. Laugh a lot. Give all you can.

Wishing you a fabulous 2011!

Love,
Rian

2 days worth of KY basketball?

That's right! We're going to watch the Lady Cats play tonight! Wearing royal blue two days in a row feels pretty good! Pictures to come later ...

Love,
Rian

Tiger Fans Hangin' Out at Rupp

Thanks to my amazing sister and brother-in-law, Jared and I got to go to the UK basketball game tonight. We had awesome seats and a great time cheering on the Blue and White (it wasn't that big of change since we're used to cheering for the Blue and Orange). Cats won 91-61. Here are some pictures of the game:


Basketball. True. Basketball.



Just a little mascot fun.

The dance team!

Cheerleaders in action while the team warms up ...

UK Cheerleaders are awesome!

A PGA Golfer and Former Cat was in the house!

He looks pretty good in royal blue!

I ran into Scratch as we were leaving!

We may be Tiger fans, but we love the SEC too! Thanks sis for the tickets! There are very few things that compare to the atmosphere and the history in Rupp Arena! Ahhhhh C-A-T-S! CATS! CATS! CATS!

Spanx ... NO THANKS!

Yes, you read that right ... I said Spanx. I've been curious about them for a while, and I finally gave in and bought a pair the other day. I figured it wouldn't disguise the 10 (or 15) pounds I'd like to lose, but I hoped it would smooth me out and make my clothes look a little better on me.

So, I got them in the mail the other night and wore them to work the very next day. I was so excited! After I got ready for work, I did my runway walk for Jared complete with turns so he could see me at all angles. He smiled, told me I was crazy and we both went on about our merry way.

By lunch time, I was ready to cut them off me. I went home, and seriously, I thought I was going to have to use scissors to get them off. I called my sister and she, of course, chuckled and asked me why in the world I ordered them in the first place. That night, I told Jared what had happened. Come to find out, he thought I looked better in my clothes without those devil tights anyway. Apparently, they were so tight they shoved all the skin on my back up and over the top of them. I wish he had told me that during my runway walk BEFORE I left for work.

So, in case you were planning on investing (they aren't cheap) in a pair, I'd think twice about it. Feel free to laugh at my embarrassment. Trust me, I did.

Do you shop online?

I don't know how much shopping you do online, but if you do any at all ... You must check out ebates.com. I did almost all my Christmas shopping through this site last year. And, now I shop for all gifts here! Every store you can imagine is on their list. You get tons of discounts and cash back! I originally heard about this site through The Today Show, and now it seems like it has really gotten huge! I love it, and I wanted to share the site with all of you. Enjoy! Shop! And, of course, Merry Christmas!

Here's the link:  http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=RR2DGkNHc%2Bu9Xdw2LC9%2F6Q%3D%3D

Dolce's home!

I'm one happy mama! It's hard to believe that I've been away from my little man for 3 months. He may have fur and walk on 4 legs, but he's my kid! And, trust me, I love him as such!

Dolce is the reason Jared and I are married ... Here's how that went down ... Jared's grandparents used to raise boxer pups, and Dolce is one of the last puppies from Bowser and Annie's last litter. When I decided to get Dolce, Jared and I hadn't even started dating yet. In fact, it was the weekend that I went to Alabama to pick him up that we started "noticing" each other.I'll blog more about how we ended up dating, got engaged and got married later. We had a whirlwind romance! It was perfect in every way!

Back to Dolce ... Jared's oldest brother, John, is married to my best friend from middle/high school, Eeron. We met in the 6th grade when I moved to Alabama and have been friends ever since (if you're doing the math, that's about 20 years). John and Eeron got married in 2002. I was in college. Jared had just graduated high school. Fast forward 6 years, and it's December 31, 2007. I traveled down to Alabama to spend New Years with Eeron and pick up my sweet puppy ...

Dolce had a rough beginning. The whole littler did, actually. They all got worms AND the mange. It was rough. The day I went to pick up him, I remember thinking, "what in the world am I doing"? We put him in a cardboard box and took him straight to the vet and the groomers. In no time he was cleaned up and healthy ... and all boy!

Here are some pictures of him as he's grown up:
 

Dolce's first night with his mama!

Feeling a little tired after his first shots :(

He's all puppy!

And now he's learned how to get my attention!

He sure loved that crazy monkey!

Starting to be a big boy!

Sunbathing with his daddy!

Taking a break and hiding under our deck. I guess he'd had enough sun!

Happy boy on his way home after Thanksgiving! Look at that sweet smile!

Needless to say, Dolce may have gotten his start in a cardboard box, but now he's pretty spoiled. He gets anything and everything he wants. When I used to take him to my in-laws, he had a diaper bag with all of his "stuff." Yes, I got made fun of a lot for that, but my sweet lil man was taken care of ... well!

So, you see, Dolce isn't just my dog. He's part of our family. Literally. And, we are beyond thrilled to have him home with us again!

Thanksgiving

It's the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and we're on our way home from Alabama. It's been a busy weekend! We started our holiday celebration at my sisters house in Middlesboro on Thursday. There were approximately 25 people there with enough food to feed an army. We ate entirely too much, but it was totally worth every bite! I come from a family of fabulous cooks!

On Friday morning, we woke up early and hit the road to Al. Jareds moms side of the family came over and watched the Iron Bowl with us. War Eagle! We had "football watching" food which was a much-needed break from turkey and dressing!

So, needless to say, Jared and I are on our way home wearing sweat pants and oversized t-shirts!

Of course, Thanksgiving isn't just about the food; it's about taking time out of our crazy schedules to truly celebrate all the things we appreciate. For us: our undying faith in our Lord, our loving families, our many freedoms, our supportive friends and, of course, our furry children (more to come on them soon!). Our list could go on and on ... We had such a great time with both our families this weekend.

Thanksgiving Hits:
1. Singing Paula Abdul, Pebbles, Taylor Dayne and Janet Jackson with my sister. Brought back lots of great memories from my childhood. (Rian)
2. Watching Mr. and Mrs, Edwards dancing to the dance revolution game on the Wii. Who knew my mother-in-law could break it down! Seriously, she was REALLY good and SUPER cute!
3. Bringing our sweet Dolce back home with us! Diesel is a little too rambunctious to come while we're still living in the apartment. But, trust me, he's completely happy where he is ... Running around on grandma and grandpas farm!
4. Watching our beloved Tigers beat the Crimson Tide 28-27! That's a 7-1 record in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers are undefeated and heading to the ATL!

Of course, It's always hard to drive away from our families whether they live 2 hours away or 5. That's the downside. But, they know we love them. And we know they love us. It can't get much better than that! We're already looking forward to seeing everyone again in a few weeks for CHRISTmas!

We have so much to be thankful for, and we hope everyone else had a truly blessed Thanksgiving too!

Love Rian & Jared - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:On I-75 north

We had a sleepover!

It was a busy weekend, and we had a blast with our friends Lisa and Patrick! They were our first overnight guests since we moved here. We wanted to make sure to show them a really fun time ... and we had show them around the beautiful bluegrass state!

Here's a breakdown of our weekend ...

Our friends arrived on Friday around 5:30, and I literally skipped out to meet them at their car. By the time I got there, Lisa was laughing so hard at me ... this is nothing unusual ... But, I was so excited to see her! We got them all settled in, and then we went to eat at Atomic Cafe in downtown Lexington.

Mallory and 2 of her friends, Rhyan and Robin, came out to eat with us too. I'm sure they thought we were crazy, but in 10 years, they'll be just like us!

Lisa and I ended up staying up until after 2:00 a.m. talking, laughing, crying ... we had 3 months of catching up to do! Needless to say, the boys turned in early. They knew they didn't have a chance in keeping up with our conversation! It was a GREAT night!

Saturday began the tour of Lexington ...

Tour of Woodford Reserve Distillery

I couldn't believe how many barrels they had stacked up!

Same product, different labels.

Pouring from the container ... this stuff smelled soooo strong!

Checking out our sample of Woodford Reserve at the end of our tour.

Keeneland 

 

Why do boys always look so awkward when getting their picture made together?

Learning how to bet ... getting ready for their April visit 

The random castle

And then we shopped until we dropped!

My backseat was packed full of bags from Pier One, Garden Ridge and Kirklands!

Patrick's only request was to see Rupp Arena and actual blue grass. Since the cats weren't playing at home, he didn't get to see a game, but we did drive by the arena :) AND he bought some "official" Kentucky basketball shorts! I never could find any actual blue grass, but I promised him that it really does exist ... it really does! By Sunday, we were all absolutely exhausted ... and stuffed! We ate so much yummy food it was ridiculous! We had a really great time with Lisa and Patrick, and we can't for them to come back and see us VERY soon! Did I mention how excited I was to see my best friend?

New address. New jobs. Same happy couple.

It's official. We are now officially residents of the Bluegrass state! Around the beginning of 2010, Jared started hinting around about the idea of moving. In my head, I'm thinking yeah right. I've moved quite a few times (from Middlesboro, KY to Gadsden, AL to Huntsville, AL to Pineville, KY to Middlesboro, KY to Richmond, KY to Middlesboro, KY to Lexington, KY to Knoxville, TN to Collinsville, AL to Albertville, AL and now back to Lexington, KY). Okay, maybe that's more than quite a few. But, Jared has only lived in Collinsville, AL (where he grew up) and Auburn, AL (where he went to college). When we got married, we moved from Collinsville to Albertville. It was all of 30 minutes away. So, needless to say, I was more than surprised when he started sending me links to jobs and houses in Lexington. After about six months of this, I finally gave in to his not-so-subtle hints and started looking myself. Fast forward a few months, and here we are. I moved at the end of August and started my new job with Meyer Natural Foods on August 30. Jared followed in October and started his new job with Nestle USA on November 1. We've still got our house on the market, but we know God has a plan for selling it, and we're trusting Him. After all, God doesn't bring you to it unless He has a plan to get you through it. So, that's that. We're here. We're getting settled in. And we're pretty excited about what the future holds!