The Blessing of Friendship

Before I ever started blogging, I read blogs. Back then, I didn't really know anyone personally that blogged. I had a few that I would read, but never imagined that I would ever read blogs written by people that I knew...or attempt to write one myself!

Nowadays, my google reader is brimming with blogs, many of which are written by people that I actually know. I have loved getting to know people better through the blog world. I feel so much more connected to people these days, even if they live miles and miles away.

One of my favorite bloggers happens to belong to an in real life friend. In fact, I think she was the first person that I actually knew that blogged.

Jennifer and I met in college. Other than my roommate, she was the first person that I met...and it happened before school even started...thank you sorority recruitment! While our paths didn't cross an awful lot, they crossed enough for me to know who she was...and I know that when I "grew up" I wanted to be just like her.

We weren't in the same sorority...sorry about that, Jennifer...but I always hoped that I would be able to impact my house the way she impacted hers. She knew what she stood for and lead by example. In fact, she still does, and I'm still trying to be like her!

Football season provided me a few opportunities to get together with Jennifer, her husband, little girl and precious family. I've loved seeing our friendship grow and develop.

All that to say, I realized a few weeks ago that she really doesn't live as far from me as I thought. December is a slower month for me work-wise, so I decided to take a day off and make the drive to visit her and her sweet little girl. We had a wonderful time catching up, sharing dreams and playing. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!

Jennifer and I totally forgot to take a picture together that day...but we had the chance to see each other a few weeks ago when she came to Birmingham so I grabbed this one from her blog.

Waiting for our lunch...loved getting to play with Miss Charlotte!

Happy Graduation

December 11 was a big day for the Smith family.

My younger sister was all smiles because she was officially finished with college. My parents were even more excited because they had successfully put three children thorough college and they still have money to spend on themselves!

Congrats, sis...best of luck in finding that job!!

At one point during the 2 hour long ceremony, I was telling Emma Kate how everyone in her family graduated from The University of Alabama. She took one look at the stage and looked right at me and said "I'm going to go here, too." If that's the case, I can't wait for 2028!!

Spartanburg

There are so many things I like about my current job. Most of the time I'm able to do it from home, and for me that quite often means lounge clothes and a blanket! If I'm not working from home, it means that I'm usually on a college campus meeting with some of the best clients in the world. The flexibility that the job offers is another thing that I wouldn't trade for anything.

But, every so often, I find myself craving an office. Dressing up. Going in at 8:30. Stopping by to say hello to coworkers on the way to the coffee pot. Meetings...yes, even the meetings.

A few times each year, I get to do all of those things, and the December meeting is my favorite of all. It's a time of celebrating all that happened and making projections for the next year.

I went up to Spartanburg a few weeks ago and I must say it may have been one of my favorite trips...one of the busiest, but one of my favorites.

I got to spend time with some of the best co-workers/friends, was showered with some fun gifts, sat in enough meetings to have me set for a few more months, and ate some delicious food!

With Lauren and Erin...is this really the only picture I took all week??

In the "off time" I was able to do some outlet shopping and some relaxing in a hotel room...I absolutely LOVE hotel stays!! The week was pretty much exactly what I needed to cure the "lonely" blues.

Catching up on December

Since I still have not mastered the discipline of daily blogging...I present you with my week in review...the first week.

I was hopeful that when I awoke on Monday morning my voice would be back...negative. So, I spent pretty much the entire day not talking. It was definitely different. Seriously, I probably spoke 100 words...and the majority of those were because I had agreed to call out Spanish vocab for my cousin!

After a day of voice rest, I was finally able to make out some scratchy words on Tuesday...thank goodness, because I had a little one to entertain. I've realized that children typically like to be spoken to and played and the more high pitched the voice and goofy you act, the better. Little Miss Carrington is getting so big! We played games, sang and danced to Christmas music...then her teeth started killing her and she promptly decided that the best cure would be sleep. Smart kid!

Wednesday was super busy. My roommate and I were having people over that evening, so the house needed to be straightened. Then, I found out that I was going to need to make a trip to Tuscaloosa to pick up some packages that had been sent to my grandparents. The trip kind of threw a wrench in my schedule, but it did give me the chance to eat Bento for lunch...with Julia, nonetheless. Though short, the trip was a success.

I got home with a few hours to spare before the party and made fast work of cleaning thanks to my Black Friday purchase of the Shark Steam Mop. I seriously loved it. So, if you have hardwood floors that need cleaning, let me know!

With the house decorated and straightened, all we needed were the guests...if you should call them that...because really the people that came over were much more like family. A few times a week, a group of us gets together for lunch/dinner. This week, we decided to wear some tacky Christmas regalia and enjoy fellowship. It is such a blessing to have a group of people to share life with.

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

A few weeks ago my mom called to let me know that she and my dad would be coming up to Birmingham so he could attend a meeting. She has been really wanting to make a trip to visit her college roommate that lives in Boaz, so we decided to make that happen during this little business trip. My mom arrived late Wednesday night, so Thursday I took her to Boaz. We had a yummy lunch at Mill Street and even had a little time to spare for some shopping. I found a few Christmas gifts...and even picked up something for myself!

Thursday night was spent with two of my all time favorite groups of people...high school girls and little kids. My cousin and one of her friends came over to visit right before I had to leave to baby-sit. The plan was for them to arrive a little earlier, but Allison has NO sense of direction, and Libby wasn't helping too much. Nevertheless, I was happy to have them stop by, even if only for a few minutes. Thankfully, the family I was baby-sitting for lives within walking distance of me, so I didn't have to worry about being late. Baby-sitting is one of my favorite ways to spent my time, and the precious boys I got to play with last night are some of my favorite people in the world! True, John is a year old and Robert is four, but they are still some of my favorites! John has mastered saying my name in these past few weeks, and let me tell you, it's like music to my ears. On top of that, Robert has pretty much learned how to write and recognize every letter of the alphabet...lots of fun letter games!!

Friday, oh Friday. One of the things I miss most about working in an office is the people. I'll often find myself packing up my things and heading to a coffee shop just to have some interaction. Trips to the coffee shop are even better when Megan is able to join me. Friday was a success because we were able to land our favorite table, after minimal stalking. We worked hard all morning then I headed out to have lunch with one of my favorites. Anna and I officially met in college and would get together every few weeks for lunch or yogurt. Now that we both live in Birmingham, we have enjoyed adding the lunch date to our schedules again.

Weekend in Review

I'm not a fan of the Iron Bowl being on a Friday...except for that it gives me two full days to recuperate after a loss before I have to get back to work on Monday. :)

The two days looked a little like this...

---Furniture shopping with my Aunt. Since I spend so much time over there it feels like I'm getting new furniture, too!

---Christmas festiveness at the Ingrams. Christmas china out. Wreaths hung. Christmas Village all out and lit up. Train assembled and one tree decorated.

---Football...specifically the Egg Bowl. We all rallied around our friend, Megan, in support of her one and only dawgs. The cow bell was rung and good times were had by all.

---Decorating at 203, part 1. I bought an artificial tree last year on SUPER sale after Christmas. It looks pretty good now, but I was a little worried for about 30 minutes when I realized there was a defect in one of the parts. Thankfully, there were boys at the house...and one of them had a drill. Tree crisis, averted.

---Rearranged some furniture, because that's just what Martha and I like to do at 1AM on a Sunday morning. :)

---Church. The first Sunday of Advent! Great message on hope.

---Yummy lunch at La Paz. The perfect cure to the Thanksgiving food overload is most definitely Mexican!

---Trip to Lowes to get fresh garland and lights.

---Decorating at 203, part 2. Garland hung. Mantle and tree decorated. House is starting to look and smell like Christmas!!

---Back to church for Hanging of the Greens.

---Bed because my voice was COMPLETELY gone.

Black Friday

I don't remember the exact item we were looking for, but last year my cousin Wayne and I decided to brave the Black Friday craziness and head to Wal-Mart. Yes, I know it's the place where people get trampled, but we had nothing better to do.

All for tradition, we decided that we would do the same thing again.

We checked out the ads and made our list. The store opened at 5, but we decided that since the things we wanted were probably not their "high ticket" items, there wasn't much need in getting there much before then. We arrived a little after 5 and found our items without much trouble at all. The top find for me was this...

I've been wanting a Shark Steam Mop since the day I moved into my house. The hardwood floors are hard to clean and this makes the chore so much more fun!

We ended our morning of shopping with breakfast at Waffle House...another tradition. We had the same waitress as last year and everything. We didn't remember her, but she sure acted as if she remembered us. Too fun.

No pictures...but really, who wants to see me at 5AM pre-shower? Can't wait for next year to do it all again. Even if there's nothing to buy, I know we'll be out there!

In all things, give thanks

Over the past few days, I've been reminded of some of the things I am very thankful for. Here's a little glimpse into the Thanksgiving season...

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. We divide up the cooking and both families live in same city, so the celebrations are pretty laid back and the traveling is minimal. On Wednesday we picked up lunch from Zoes and ate with my mom's parents. After that, we headed over to my dad's mother's house for dinner---soup and sandwiches.

Good times are always had when this little one is around. Can't believe that EK is about to be 5! Seems like yesterday that she was born.

This is one of by far my favorite picture of EK with my grandparents...her great-grandparents.

On Thursday, I got up early and set to work baking the traditional coconut cake for the Ingram family Thanksgiving. I was pretty impressed with how it turned out...just like one Nannies or Ella would have made! We enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with all of the basics: turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, squash casserole, salad and rolls. I sat at the kid table with the usual suspects...it's going to be a sad day if I ever get promoted to the adult table! So thankful for family!

Friday morning the sun rose and there was only one thing on the mind of everyone in the family...the Iron Bowl. It was a little chilly, but thankfully the torrential downpour that was predicted earlier in the week did not occur. On the way to the stadium, I stopped by to see my freshman roomie at her tailgate. It's always fun when she's in town. Love her and her sweet family! So thankful for friendships that remain...even though we are miles apart!

Quick photo-op with some college friends

Cell service on gameday is never good. So, when I got a message right before kickoff I could hardly believe it. One of my sweet clients/turn friends spotted me when I was walking to my seat and came down to find me. I LOVE me some Caitlyn...even if she does cheer for the other team. So thankful for a job that I love and the fun people I am blessed to work with!

If you're an Alabama fan, the game started out better than any could have ever predicted. It was so much fun sitting with the family and cheering for a team that we all love so much. We have watched many, many games together through the years...here's to many more! So thankful for the opportunity to watch Alabama pretty much every time they play...win or lose...I LOVE The Crimson Tide!

Cheering on the Tide with the family

.