Things I'm loving right now

I heart NTB!

Do you know who these guys are?

If the answer is no, then allow me to introduce you. This, my friends, is NeedToBreathe - one of my current favorite bands. They have a unique style that immediately drew me in, which is a rarity. Typically, I find myself having to warm up to new bands, but I liked these guys right away. You can check out some samples of their music here.

And now, for the best part. Justin bought us tickets to see them LIVE in Charleston this April! I am PSYCHED! I haven't been to a concert - any concert - in forever, and this is a band I have been dying to see. Have I mentioned they're fellow South Carolinians, too? Yay!

Bowling and Birthday Fun

Today we celebrated my sister-in-law, Shannon's birthday. It was great fun! We had a big, delicious family lunch at Olive Garden in Columbia, and then rode over to Royal Z lanes for a game of bowling. I was the only one to break 100; I think my final score was 115. (Well, my mother-in-law, Brenda, also got a high score, but she was on the lane with bumpers.) Emily (the cutest niece in the world) even got to bowl, too. A nice man from the lane next to us, who was obviously a league bowler, and a regular at this particular alley, brought over a little ramp thingie so that Emily could push her ball down it and onto the lane. She *loved* said ramp thingie, and it was fun to watch her jump up and down and giggle after she took each turn.

After lunch and bowling, we went back to Mom and Dad Vaughan's house, and had cake and ice cream in honor of the birthday girl. We ate our dessert and watched old home movies, which was hilarious, to say the least. We also laughed at Emily, who stole the show by walking around in a pair of kid-sized pink sunglasses with a super-serious expression on her face. I think she was just tired, but it totally looked like she was rocking the glasses in classic supermodel style.

And now, here I sit on my couch, having just finished my second piece of German chocolate birthday cake (thanks, Momma Vaughan, for giving us some to take home!), contemplating all the things I haven't gotten done this weekend. First on the agenda tonight: laundry. We are down to the last two towels in the house, so it's definitely time. More to come! ♥

PS - The hubs and I went on a hot date last night to see Up in the Air. It was awesome, and I highly recommend it! Leave the kids at home, though. :)

Sometimes workdays make me feel like this...

First Blog Award!

Thank you, Joanne, for awarding me the Lemonade Stand Award! This award is given to bloggers who show great attitude or gratitude. I wish I could give Joanne the award right back, because in all the years I have known her, she has always had a smile on her face, and that great attitude shines through in her blogging! Go check her out at Ready Set Craft. Anyway, thanks, girl. :)

And now, the fun part - I get to nominate 10 more bloggers to receive the Lemonade Stand so that they can go share it with others, too. So, without further ado, give it up for these awesome bloggers!

Melanie @ Adorkable

Bev @ A Baby? Maybe...

Emily @ Smith Gallery Photography

Jess @ Jessica Rabon Lewis Photography

Lindsay @ Apricots Today

Bethany @ Demani, Seren & Mekai

MckMama @ MckMama

Matt @ matt, liz & madeline

Amy @ Pregnancy Wishes, Baby Spit Dreams

Angie @ Dan and Angie

Kudos to you all!

(Official award rules... put the lemonade logo on your blog or within your post, nominate at least ten blogs with great attitude or gratitude, link the nominees within your post, let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog, share the love and link to the person from whom you received this award)

Not Me! Monday

This morning, the first Monday of 2010, I definitely did not skip my shower to be able to sleep 'til 6:00 instead of my usual 5:45. I did not just throw my hair into a bun-like thing and slap some makeup on my face, brewing a coffee to go and grabbing a granola bar for breakfast.

I did not panic when I realized I could not find the earrings my mom and dad had commissioned a local jeweler to make just for me as a Christmas gift, and I sure didn't wake up my husband to grill him about the whereabouts of said earrings. Upon the realization that he had possibly thrown them away, I did not go into major panic mode and go outside to dig through the trash bin despite the 20 degree weather.

The good news: I found my earrings. They were, in fact, in the trash bin, and if I had not dug around for them in the garbage, in the 20 degree weather, they would have been picked up by the garbage truck a few hours later, and I may never have seen them again. Oh, what a sad thing that would have been.

In my dear husband's defense, they were at the bottom of a plastic Target bag, as I had stuck them onto one of those little plastic thingies that earrings come in, after buying a new pair and switching them out in the car. The bag would have felt very lightweight, and if one did not know the earrings were in the bag, one wouldn't have thought to look for them, now would one?

Whew. What a way to kick off the new year, huh?

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Want to write your very own "Not Me Monday" post? Well, go right ahead! And once you do, go show it off on MckMama's blog.

Good Tidings of Great Joy

Justin and I went on an adventure this Christmas. On December 23rd, at approximately 5:30 in the morning, we loaded up our luggage and our dog, Ellie, and we began the long drive to Michigan. And I do mean long. We made great time, and arrived in 12 hours flat. Ellie was so good in the car; sometimes we even forgot she was in the car with us. We really enjoyed being together, too- we talked, sang, laughed, and slept (well, he did). It was smooth sailing all the way there.

UNTIL...

No, just kidding. It really was a very enjoyable trip. :) Gotcha!

We arrived to find my parents' house empty. We had let Dad in on the surprise ahead of time, but nobody else knew, so no one was in a hurry to come home that afternoon. But, one after the other, they all came in, and were ecstatic to find us already there, two days earlier than we had originally planned. Mom's reaction was priceless. Justin and I were hiding behind the Christmas tree in the living room, and we heard the door open, followed by a high-pitched "Is Katie here?? ... That's Ellie, isn't it? Are they here?!?" (Our Ellie had been standing in the front bay window. She gave us away!) When we came out, Mom hugged us about 5 times in a row and said something like "I'm so glad you're here! I can't believe it! You're early! I thought we weren't going to see you for two more days! I can't believe you're here! Ohhh!!"

Our 9-day trip was a bit of a whirlwind. We spent time with my family, laughing and playing games and eating and taking pictures and laughing some more. We saw SNOW, which, of course, gave me the warm fuzzies. We saw old friends and made some new ones, and my siblings and I lead worship at the church my Dad pastors. We also attended the humongous Christmas party for my mom's side of the family (if you don't know, she is one of seven children, and the family is constantly multiplying!) It was such a huge blessing to be able to see everyone. We had a great time!

We also celebrated my most favorite time of the year together, and that was the best of all. Even though we aren't kids anymore, Dad read us "The Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve, and we each opened one gift. Christmas morning, Justin and I were the first ones up, and we woke everyone up to have breakfast and open presents. It felt just like my childhood, except that this time, my darling husband was there with us. :)

Our last day there was on New Year's Eve, and we rang in the new year with good food, hilarious party games, and of course, a midnight toast and some kisses.

I don't know why, but this trip was much more meaningful than some of the others we have taken. We always have a great time with my family, but this time I really savored every moment, and made mental notes about the family house, the family dog, and my hometown, which just happens to look its best underneath a blanket of fresh, sparkly snow.

Maybe it's because I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be big. I can't wait to see what God has in store.