Happy Holidays

First, let me just say that I love Christmas. It is my most favorite holiday. When I was little I couldn't wait for Christmas morning. I can remember riding home on Christmas Eve and looking out the window the whole time hoping to catch a peek of Santa's sleigh. I can remember one Christmas morning that Mom was videoing. We had to get up and brush our hair  and put on a cute outfit before we could go in the living room. I threw on the first thing I grabbed and made Mom brush my hair as fast as she could. Then, while Mom was busy brushing Bethany's hair, I ran into the living room and looked around. Then I ran back into the bathroom and told Bethany that Santa had brought her "Molly doll" that she had been wanting. BOY did I get in trouble. However, I got in trouble every single day... so why should Christmas be any different?

Over the past couple of years, Christmas has changed a little in my eyes. What used to be a holiday spent with family and opening gifts has now shifted to a holiday spent with a very special little girl that has stolen my heart and getting to see Christmas through her eyes. I have been around Danson's family - which I considered my own way before I said my vows - for over five years now. I have been to family reunions, been on family vacations, and sometimes was mistaken as a daughter rather than a Son's girlfriend. But, the best event (so far) that I was able to be apart of was the day Daniley Connell entered the world. I guess because it is the holiday's it has made me realize how precious time is and how fast it flies. To think of how much She has changed in two and a half years leaves me speechless. I have loved every minute that I have spent with her and I can't wait until Danslen Jane arrives! I have learned with Daniley to cherish every minute. I can remember when she was 4 months old and thinking, won't it be great when she can crawl. While it was a huge milestone, I never realized that as soon as she started crawling the days of holding her for an endless amount of time was over!! The time that I used to be able to love on her all the time quickly turned into the only hug I got was a very fast, one armed hug around the neck and then endless squirming until her feet hit the floor. Then I would hear a faint, "I love you too" as I watched her little head disappear around a corner. To sum it up, in two and a half years she went from pretty much sleeping through Christmas to this year telling Santa that she has been good at everything she has done.

I can't wait until Daniley, Danslen, and one day in the future, my kids will all be piled in Santa's lap at the same time! :-)


**Danica, I stole all of these off the blog. I hope you don't mind. ;-)

I also can't wait to experience Brayden's first Christmas this year. I am cherishing every second I have with him.

Our First Christmas

Well, Danson and I are celebrating our first Christmas together. We have had a lot of fun getting the tree up and decorated. Danson's Mom has always given him two or three ornaments each year that have something to do with his hobbies, job, love interest, etc. that he has had the past year. For example, last year she gave him 1) a big yellow dog with a Santa hat on = Hank. 2) an ornament that said "LOVE" and has a diamond ring hanging from it = engagement. 3) I know there was a third but my mind has gone blank. So each year Danson loves to go through his ornaments and look at all of them. Last year, while boxing them up, I accidentally dropped one and broke it. It was a boat with a frog fishing in it. I thought, "I'll just hide this one." WRONG!! As I am putting all of the paper back into the empty box I notice that he is pulling the paper out of the box I just closed. I told him that I had just packed that box up. He said, "Well we are missing a box then. Me, "No we're not." Him, "Yes we are, my boat with the frog in it is missing!!" So I explained to him that this was our "first Christmas" together and that we didn't want to get bent out of shape over ONE ornament and ruin the Christmas spirit.... and he agreed. Later that night I did tell him that I had broken that ornament and that it was in the bottom of one of the boxes. The next day I walk in the kitchen only to find the ornament rubber banded together and gorilla glue sitting beside it. It is now hanging on our tree. :-)

Wedding Pictures

I am finally going to upload some wedding pictures. All of these pictures were taken by Maurice and Leigh Ann Langley. They do amazing work. Go to www.photoshootusa.com to check out more of their pictures.

My sister-in-law puts these really cute slide shows on her blog that I can't seem to figure out. I will get some tips from her and try to put more pictures on here. I have lots more, but these are some of my favorites.

Wedding, Honeymooning, Married life!

So, apparently I am not such a good blogger. :-) I have been asked four times in the past two days when was I going to update my blog. I have an excuse though, I have been waiting on pictures. So I guess I will post pictures later.

The Wedding:

Danson and I got married on Saturday, October 23, 2010. The wedding was perfect... Well, all except the Pastor forgetting to tell Danson he could kiss his bride. So, we got half way down the aisle and that's when Danson's Mom grabbed him by the coat tail (those of you who know her aren't surprised.) We then walked back up to the altar and sealed the deal with a kiss!!



This is the only picture I have so far.





The reception was wonderful thanks to my Mom and my Mother-in-law. The food was great from what I hear. For Danson and Me this is how the reception went. 1) Greet everyone as they walk in  2) Cut my cake, eat a piece, take a picture. 3) Cut Danson's cake, eat a piece, take a picture. 4) Drink a glass of coke, take a picture. 4) Throw the bouquet, toss the garter, take a picture. 5) leave! Needless to say, that part of the wedding day is a bit blurry.

My whole wedding would not have happened without My Mom, Sister, Sister-in-laws, or Mother-in-law. If you like the decorations it is all due to Leigh Ann Langley. She made this day so special for Danson and Me!

The Honeymoon

We spent our first night at a Bed & Breakfast in Vincent, AL called "Blue Springs Manor" and it was unbelievable. I think everyone should have a chance to stay there at least for a night. The room was so nice. They also have a heated pool and hot tub. But hands down, they have the best food I have ever put in my mouth. It truly is gourmet cooking. I'll do you a favor and just skip to the next morning now! ;-) The next morning we got up, had a wonderful breakfast, and headed to Gatlinburg.

We had a great time in Gatlinburg. The only thing that we planned on doing was the Dixie Stampede, so the rest of the time we did whatever we wanted when we wanted to do it. I have decided this is the best way to vacation. It is much better than having a schedule for every minute of every day. The best thing about this trip was that Danson didn't complain about the money we were spending a single time. For those of you who know Danson know he is quite the tight wad, so this was a big accomplishment for him. Some of the highlights of Gatlinburg were:

• Eating! We ate like it was going out of style! One of the best places we went was called, The Peddler. It is a steakhouse with an amazing salad bar. I bet the salad bar was 20 feet long with every kind of topping you could think of. They also bring the meat cart to your table and cut your steak right there in front of you. It was a very cool experience.
• We walked up and down the streets of Gatlinburg about everyday, but we didn't buy any of that crap! I really don't see how most of those stores stay in business. I compare buying stuff in Gatlinburg to getting a prize out of the treasure chest at school. The only reason you wanted it was because it came out of the treasure chest. By the time you get home, you could care less about it. Crap at Gatlinburg = the same thing.
• Cades Cove was great! We spent a whole afternoon there.

Those are just some highlights, but the whole trip was great!

Married Life

Married life has been an adjustment but I have loved every minute of it. I think for the first four nights after we got back from the honeymoon I cried right before bed because I missed my mom. What can I say, I love my mom! The night we got back My Mom, Sister, and Brayden came out to see us. It hadn't really hit me until they started to leave that I wasn't going back home anymore. I kissed her bye and told her goodnight, and as she was driving down the driveway I was standing at the window with tears rolling down my cheeks. Danson looked at me, put his arms around me and said, "You can go spend the night with your Mom if you want to." This is one of the many reasons I love this man! The beginning was bittersweet, but I have adjusted now and wouldn't trade it for the world. The hardest thing so far has been sharing the bed with Danson. It was hard to get used to someone invading your space, and before, my "space" was the whole bed. We still share the bed with Hank, or Heidi, or both of them about every night. Danson is still on night shift until January (then he goes back to days...YAY!!!!) So three or four nights a week it's just me and the dogs. I get a lot done on those nights. I really like those nights because I don't have to cook! :-) I will wrap this up. I have to say, Marriage is Bliss!!! More pictures coming soon.

Pumpkin Patch

Sunday afternoon we had to go wipe the wedding pumpkins off. When we realized what a photo opp it was, we couldn't resist. Even though this isn't a pumpkin patch, we will pretend it is. I think Brayden is going to love pumpkin pie. He would have put every pumpkin in his mouth if we let him.

Here is the cutest pumpkin in the patch!

Girls just wanna have FUN!!

      This weekend was so much fun!! Saturday was my bachelorette (sp?) night, and unlike most people, I actually remember mine. My bridesmaids and I met at my Mom's and were headed out for a night of fun at Superior Grill and Sips N Strokes, just the four of us.... or so I thought! When we got to Superior Grill, I rounded the corner and there sat a whole crew of people!! Not only did everyone celebrate the night with me, but they also brought me some "unmentionables" for the honeymoon! None of the gifts embarrassed me, however, when I opened the last gift I turned a little red. Here's what happened. The last gift I opened was from my future MIL. She gave me three different gifts that night and every time I opened one my heart would start beating pretty fast. Those of you who came to my Tool and Gadget party know why. When I got to the last one I knew I was in for it. I opened up the box and it was a set of coasters. I looked at her and said, "I just knew this gift was going to embarrass me!" Her reply, "those are for cold drinks after some hot sex!" LOL... you gotta love her. After we ate, my Mom, bridesmaids and I went to Sips N Strokes and had a blast.
     Then on Sunday I had my bridesmaids luncheon. The weather was so nice. We ate out on the patio and had amazing food! We also had Pumpkin cheesecake (homemade) which was to die for... Thanks to Jennifer and Mrs. Jackie :-). The precious Sugar Booger (aka Daniley) got to come to it, and of course, she stole the show. Brayden also got to come, although he wasn't thrilled to be there, he was perfect....as always.
    To sum it all up, this weekend was perfect!!!!



Never a dull moment :-)



His thoughts on being at a Bridesmaids luncheon



 

Here Lately

Okay, here is a little update on what's been going on lately. I have nine days to back out of getting married....just joking! I am getting married to my best friend in nine days and I can't wait. Danson and I have been dating for over five years now, so I guess it is about time we take the plunge. I have to say that this wedding planning has been pretty easy. I am very lucky because I have a Mom and a Sister who have helped me out A LOT! Between the two of them and my soon to be MIL(mother-in-law) who can make anything look amazing, I haven't had to do much. My whole goal through out this wedding process is to not lose sight of what I'm doing. I want to make sure that I remember the vow I am making and Who I am making it to, because when it's all said and done that is the only thing that matters. I figured I would add some random pictures... isn't that what you're supposed to do with these blogs? :-)

I know these pictures are very random, but I promise next time they will relate to my post. I might actually get a picture of Danson and me on here eventually.

Pictures 1 and 2 are of Hank

Picture 3 is of my precious nephew Brayden