How to Get Your Husband to Vacuum

Give him one of these:

That's the Dyson Animal 41, and it was SO generously given to us for Christmas by Jake's parents. And now, something he used to HATE is now something he finds entertaining and fun.

Anyway, the Animal is all kinds of fancy! And it really does work SOOO much better at getting up all the kitty fur these two leave behind.


And it is sooo much quieter than our old vacuum as well. Which is why Jake likes it so much better. Apparently, the reason he used to hate vacuuming so much is because he hated the noise the vacuum made. This one is also much lighter and can gets lots of different angles and whatnot.

Here's hoping the newness doesn't wear off and he will become the new designated vacuumer in this household for good!

Image found here

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas and show the picture from our Christmas card this year!

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday full of food, family, and friends!

*Sigh*

My favorite time of year is here! HOLIDAY SEASON! Too bad I am still stuck studying every free minute for that pesky CPA exam. Hoping to finish by the end of February. Anyway, I am feeling bummed in this moment because apparently, for the wedding they did right after ours, my wedding photographers started doing videos, too. For not only a wedding, but also for engagement sessions. And they are so cool. You can check them out here and here. HOW MUCH WOULD I HAVE LOVED ONE OF THEIR VIDEOS? A lot. That's how much. And I, too, love editing videos together like they are doing, so I could do the same thing myself. If I had the video footage. Of course, I can't film myself. So, I am sad about that.

The other reason being, of course, that I am busy studying. :( I cannot wait to be done with this stupid exam forever! I feel the need to create. Or decorate - but that is for another post. I want a cool, fancy camera so I can take really awesome photos, and I want to learn to use Photoshop, so I can edit them. And, I want to take movies and edit them into videos like Landon Jacob Productions is now doing.

And how Taylor Swift has been doing for a long time. :)

And, since I can't film myself, I'd need some willing subjects, too. I tend to think they are hard to come by. I feel like a lot of people hate being filmed or having their picture made. I love it, and I've always loved it. And I don't understand people that don't. At least Jake loves it, too. But, I can't just film him and take his picture all the time.

Anyway, back to the books.

Wedding Pics Preview

Just a few wedding pics I got as a preview!

Our engagement pics!

I was finally able to see some of the pictures from our engagement session with our wedding photographer, Jordan, of Landon Jacob Productions! Clearly, I had no reason to be nervous about her change of my outfit and my hair being down. I think the photos came out absolutely fantastic! Here are just a FEW of my very favorites.For those of you on facebook, there are a few more on there if you're interested in seeing them. I should be getting my CD with all the images on it in the mail soon, and I am hoping there are even more there, as there were some shots she took that she didn't upload onto facebook.

What do y'all think of them?

Tagged!

Holly and Alanna tagged me in this fun little game!

Here are the rules:
1. Open your first photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th picture.
3. Post the photo and the story behind it.
4. Tag 5 or more people.


Here is my photo:

This was February 2009, just after Jake and I started dating, right before our first Valentine's Day together. We were at Art Bar (my first time ever going there) for my old roommate Amy's birthday celebration. I LOVE this picture. It is a little blurry, and the wind from the fans on their dance floor had my hair going CRAZY, but look how happy we are. :)

I tag: Jake, Nilly, Mandy, Kim, and Rebecca.

Engagement pictures!

Today, Jake and I met one of our wedding photographers to do our Engagement photo session around downtown Columbia, and we had the BEST time! I was sooo nervous beforehand, mainly because I just didn't know what to expect, and couldn't imagine what it would be like to be "paparazzi"ed.... but once we met Jordan, she was as wonderful as she sounded on the phone, and I calmed down pretty quickly. She was so nice and put us at ease as she provided us guidance on what to do in the photos. She wound up having me take off the vest I was wearing, gave me her REALLY PRETTY scarf to wear, and TOOK MY HAIR DOWN out of its usual ponytail. :) As you all probably know, my hair is always in its ponytail... I cannot wait to see what the photos look like with my hair down. I'm a little nervous about that. Anyway, she said the photos would be on her blog within 2-3 weeks, so I have a little bit to wait. If you're curious to check out some of our photographers' work before then, their website is: www.landonjacob.com. Their names are Landon and Jordan Thompson, and they are a husband and wife team. We think they are GREAT. We absolutely love their work, and I am soooo excited to see the engagement photos that Jordan took today and for them to shoot our wedding! I'll try to post again when they get our photos on their blog!

I'm Engaged!

Jake and I got ENGAGED tonight, and we couldn't be MORE thrilled!


Here are some pics of the ring..... ACTUAL photos will follow soon

Halloween is Fast Approaching!

Alright everyone...

what should I be for Halloween this year?? Last year, I was a Rubik's cube (that I made myself), and it was a big hit! I won Best Costume at one party, and Most Original Costume at another! So, I need to try to top that!
This is Dusty with me at the Hampton Forest neighborhood Halloween party last year.

I am taking costume suggestions for just me, or for both Jake and me to go as a couple. What are your ideas?!?!

Ready for some football?!?!

Carolina football, that is! Football season has arrived! September 3rd was the Gamecocks' first game - away against NC State. One of the supervisors at work (Rick) had a few people over to his house to watch the game. He has a nice setup in his backyard... complete with pool, outdoor kitchen, a television, and SAND! Yes, that's right... his very own backyard beach! The Gamecocks managed to pull out a win for their first game with a score of 7-3. Thanks to Rick for having us over. It was a fun night!

Amanda and me

Some photos of Rick's backyard

This past Saturday was the Gamecocks' second game - away against Georgia. Dusty came over and joined Jake and me at the house to watch the game and have a lil bit of a party. It was a high-scoring game for both teams, but ultimately resulted in a loss for the Gamecocks at 41-37. We had a great time, despite the outcome of the game!

Also on Saturday, all my football tickets arrived in the mail! Now, I am all set to attend the first home game of the season this Saturday against Florida Atlantic. Can't wait to be back at Williams-Brice! GO GAMECOCKS!

Litchfield Beach!

So, later that day after we finished our 5k race, we met up with Jake's parents here in Columbia for a brunch of sorts at Waffle House before hitting the road to Litchfield Beach for the week! The beach was perfect. We had perfect weather the entire time until our last night there, when it finally thunderstormed. We spent our days on the beach, in the pool, in the hottub, visiting Myrtle Beach, shopping, eating, but mostly just relaxing. We spent our nights going out for dinner (usually AMAZING seafood - especially the conch fritters!!!) and hanging out in the condo and hottub with Jake's parents. It was a great time, and a very much needed vacation from work. I had not been to the beach for a week in forever, and definitely not since I started working! I definitely did not want to leave to come back home. And, on our last day there, I just happened to get stung by a jellyfish for the first time in my life! It hurt SO BADLY. I never did see the jellyfish, but I definitely felt it. Thanks to Jake for pouring some vinegar stuff on it to take the stinging away. And as a side note, a week after the sting, just when you think it is all okay and going away, it comes back ITCHING like nothing has ever ITCHED in my life. So, if you are ever stung, be prepared for that. But, I did get a fairly decent tan. And, a big thanks to Jake's parents for letting me join them on their family vacation! Here are some photo highlights from our week.

Jake and his dad

Jake and his mom

Jake and his parents

Me with my DELICIOUS conch fritters!

The worst part of my jellyfish ATTACK!

Me on our last day

Our caricature we had done at Broadway at the Beach in Myrtle Beach! I love it!

Do you think it looks like us?

Flying Saucer 5k Race!

On Saturday, August 22nd, Jake, Dusty, and I ran in the Flying Saucer 5k. The race began at 8:30 am, and we got there just in time to get signed in and ready to run! Pictures from the race are HERE. Dustin is pictured on the far left in photo #30 at the beginning of the race, and pictures numbered 31 - 33 are of Jake and me at the beginning of the race. In #32, that is my old roommate, Amy, and her dog in front of us. A funny sequence of photos begins with #94 with a guy pushing a stroller crossing the finish line. In the verrrrry back of that picture is Dustin in a grey shirt and blue shorts. That's right, he was passed on the last stretch of the race by a guy pushing a stroller. hahaha You can see Dusty's race to the finish line through picture #105. He finished #37 overall in 21:48. Amy and her dog are seen finishing the race in picture #191. You can see Jake and me approaching and crossing the finish line in pictures numbered 281 - 283. Warning: these are HORRIBLE pictures of the both of us. hahahaha We finished the race in 37:06 and 37:07 (I beat Jake by a second). At the end of the race, the Flying Saucer provided beer, water, apples, bananas, and brats, which were all delicious and very well received by the runners. Here is a link to the results. We were worn out at the end of it, to say the least, but we were very proud of ourselves for actually getting up that early on a Saturday morning and running this race. Now, we can check one more thing off of our lists! And I was actually impressed with our time, as I thought it was going to be around 45 minutes. Next year, we hope to improve our time! Who wants to join us then??

Time for a study break!

I have not really been able to blog much lately due to my increased amount of study time. I was off work this past Friday, so I had three full days of study time right before my exam. Jake surprised me with some more orange roses and enough Diet Cokes to last me through the weekend, and he was nice enough to leave me alone most of the time so I could study. We did manage to have Dustin over for some good times on Friday night, and we were able to meet Mandy, Stephen, Nicole, and Jason for dinner last night before they head off on their cruise, but other than that, the weekend was mostly filled with studying. And whining about studying, I'm not gonna lie. But, I am happy to announce that today at 1:17 pm, I finished my first part of the CPA exam (Business Environment and Concepts)! Now, the rest of this week I can focus on helping Jake finish moving his stuff over here and get ready for our beach vacation! But first, we are going to a movie this afternoon! I am trying to decide between the following: The Hangover, Julie & Julia, The Proposal, The Time Traveler's Wife, and The Ugly Truth.

Here's to hoping I passed the exam!

Weekend update

This weekend was:

*helping Jake pack
*picking up my vacuum cleaner from the repair shop
*studying
*Saving Abel, Papa Roach, Hinder, and Nickelback concert in Charlotte with Jake, Crystal, Crystal's dad, and Crystal's friend, Julia
*hot tub with Jake and Crystal
*more studying
*helping Jake move
*lunch with Jake and his parents
*more studying
*phone calls catching up with Erin and Jenny
*trying a new wine
*knitting
*cleaning
*more studying
*updating my resume
*applying for a new job
*updating my blog

and finally,

MORE studying!

Unfortunately, there were no pictures taken of any of the above activities this weekend. Sorry for the lack of visual aids on this post.

Hope everyone's weekend was great, and here's to a great week ahead of studying!

Run, run, run, run, run!

Today, Jake, Dusty, and I all registered online for the Flying Saucer 5k! It's a done deal. Based on my poll, those who said to run the race definitely outnumbered the one who voted to head straight for the beach. Thanks to everyone who voted!

Anyone want to join us?

Mom's visit!

My sweet Mama came down to visit me and spend the night last Friday night. Jake treated us to a delicious dinner at Za's, and we spent some time in Barnes and Noble on Friday night. Saturday, we got up and went to the Farmer's Market, and I got some peaches and a cantaloupe. Mmmm yummy! Then, we had lunch at Lizard's Thicket and made a trip to Walmart to get something to hang up my quilted Palmetto wallhanging that my mom made me for my office. Then, we went down to the office and hung it up! It is soooo beautiful, and all my coworkers are definitely jealous. Here is the only pic I took during her visit.

And I'd like to say a very big thanks to Mom for all your help cleaning up my house! I love you!

Happy Birthday, Steve!

Well, as I mentioned in an earlier post, last week was Steve's birthday! Jake and I met up with him and some of his friends, as well as Robert and his girlfriend, Jessica, at the baseball game. It was such a treat to watch Steve's heckling skills of the opposing team, especially number one-seven, from about 5 rows behind their dugout. It was so fun, we hardly noticed the rain falling on us. Funny, it rained last year while we were there celebrating Steve's birthday, too. And it was so great to see Robert and meet Jessica! After the baseball game, we headed on over to the Flying Saucer where we were served by a Beer Goddess. Wish I had gotten a pic of Steve with her. Haha fun times!

Here are some pics!

Just like old times...

The birthday boy and me!

Jake and me

Had to include this one just because of Steve!

Robert and Jessica

Now, these pics below are of #one-seven and Steve with the ball that #17 threw to him after much heckling.

Yes, it does say "To Shrek"

My Columbia Blowfish cozy that Robert bought for me! I love these things!

And finally, a couple pics from Flying Saucer...