fall

Minnie

This is Misty. 

It's her birthday!

She is really funny, beautiful, and intelligent. She's caring, witty, gracious, fearless, thoughtful, loyal, inquisitive, & outgoing.
And lots of other wonderful things.
But, most of all she is a fantastically amazing friend. 

I wish I could take her out for a spectacular birthday dinner (food is one of the many things we share a passion for). 

Maybe next year...

Happy Birthday to the best friend a girl could ask for.

Thanks for being you.

Love.

bliss

We're back. and we're tired. You will have to excuse our brief hiatus. We have been trying to recover from spending an amazing weekend at one of the most fun, fabulous, beautiful, and loving weddings I have ever been to. Congratulations Matt and Kathleen and thank you again for allowing us to share in the joy of your amazing day. We love you! 

Kathleen was a perfect bride, just as I knew she would be. She was absolutely gorgeous and had such grace throughout the day. Her smile and pure happiness was contagious. One of the speeches given that evening described Kathleen as a woman who has the ability to make you believe that you are the most important person in the world. And I can't fathom a more perfect way to describe one of my dearest friends, Kathleen Schroeder.

Matt is a perfect gentleman in every way. He is kind, handsome, humorous, and talented and is an amazing partner to Kathleen. Matt and I are so blessed to have a friendship with Matt, not because he is Kathleen's boyfriend uh, husband, but because he is a true friend. He was a calm groom. There have been many conversations leading up to this day about how Matt really just wanted to have the perfect party with friends and family... well Matt, you threw one hell of a party!

Now you can see why we came back tired. And we are still tired. Matt and I have both been working a lot. Long hours and all week long. But Matt definitely trumps me in hours. He is leaving the house at about 4:45 in the morn and usually is home between 6:30 and 7:00 pm...7 days a week. He tells me this is not going to continue forever. I'll let you know about that. 

We have had quite a few showings of the house, but nothing exciting to report yet. 

We are hoping to get some rest this weekend and get back to a more exciting routine. 

Have a fabulous weekend!

And if you have time, send your positive thoughts and prayers to Marcie (Matt's little sister) who is due with her first babe. 

GOOD LUCK MARCIE!  

hello lover.

Our favorite couple is getting married! (9.25.10) .....
and these fabulous shoes get to accompany me down the aisle. 
I can not wait to spend a beautiful weekend with the Schroeder's and all their gorgeous wedding guests! 

It's official.

885 East Drive is on the market.

Officially.

Bella is not sure how she feels about this situation. The k-word (kennel) has been brought up in a few conversations as a solution to her lodging when the house is being toured by prospective buyers.  When this whole experience is over we may have to have her treated for PTSD, but we will keep you posted.

Good Ole' Rocky Top (whoo!)\

trI hope everyone had an amazing Labor Day Holiday and summer closure (that is if you live anywhere but Texas). Can't wait to share what I did for the long weekend, but first...

...some pictures of those adorable children I was describing last time.

(Thanks Betty!)

I spent the weekend up in Tennessee and had a weekend full of fun, sun, food, family, music, and the color orange. I flew solo because unfortunately Matt took a literal interpretation of the word labor and worked ALL weekend long. That's right, you can now give a very sympathetic "ohhh" for my dear husband. 

But back to a more appropriate Labor day weekend...

This is where I spent a good portion of my weekend.

That's right, the office. I have been known to be a bit of a "workaholic".

Some of my "co-workers" joined me as well.

Our Captain and his first mate

It was absolutely gorgeous and so relaxing to spend the weekend on the water.

I also got to attend the season opener for the VOLS. I did a lot of singing... and was with approximately 100,000 of my closest friends from TN (including this guy). 

I also got to see a few new spots in Tennessee. Both my brother and sister have found a "home" of their own and I was very impressed with their casas.

(aly's got a chalkboard wall in her apt. This is a much better way of writing messages than the interpretation we had in college...overhead markers and the fridge)

Mom and Dad also have a new home/office. It's a beautiful new building and appears to be a lovely place to work. Personally I wish I had a bright colored trendy office to come to daily...

Since they're in the pet business, my dog (and I) gets the hook up. And as usual, I truly enjoy taking a look at the merchandise. 

And as for Bella, she appreciates the perks.

As you can see, I had a great time! SooOOoo great that I have spent the last few days thinking this...

love.

Matt and I are back from an amazing weekend full of friends, family, laughter, a lack of sleep, and a gorgeous occasion. We headed back to the Des Moines area to witness a dear friend tie the knot. In between the wedding festivities, we had the pleasure of spending some quality time with great friends and family. Let me preface: I did a terrible job of picture taking this weekend...

Mr. & Mrs. Gourley (officially)


Sunday we spent the day celebrating (and some may say recovering) five years of being uncle and aunt to 2 very adorable twins. My aunt skills were not in effect, therefore I have no pictures to share. But you can check out this adorable bunch here.
We have made some progress on the home front. The realtor has taken pictures and the documents are ready to be signed, so while we don't have a sign in the front yard indicating it yet, I think it's safe to say our home is for sale. And for those of you who care, No, we still have no clue when or where we are going... sounds like fun, huh? 
Bella celebrated a recent birthday (as I am sure you all were aware). Her birthday celebration was a little belated this year, but it appears her birthday gift was worth the wait. 

Our dog loves My Little Ponies. 

Seriously. The kind of love that involves her sleeping with the pony, carrying it around the house, and very happily retrieving it anytime she is asked, "Hey Bella, where's your pony?"
Yes, she is strange. But that's what we love about her. The kind of love that involves dedicating blog posts to updates on our dog. Someday when we are parents to a human, we may think we were a little obsessive. 

But right now, we are totally okay with it.