12.28.2011

And Christmas is over...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. It seems like it takes forever to get here and then boom! It's here and gone in the blink of an eye. Christmas is my favorite time of the year because I just love having a tree in the house and decorations around.

I hope Santa was good to all of you. I got some good stuff.

I got a Lilly planner which I love.


And matching iPhone cover...


I also got a Mikasa Dish set in Antique White. I LOVE IT. It is very simple, and I can pair it with ANYTHING.

I did get a purple sweater from the Loft and a long black tube dress from a boutique here in Charleston. I got several scarves which I love. I got 2 cream (both very different) and then a USC (That's South Carolina, folks. Don't get it confused.) scarf which will be perfect for gamedays!

I hope y'all have had a wonderful week back to work. I have a half day on Friday and off on Monday. WOO!

Happy Hump Day!

xoxo,
H

12.24.2011

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

12.19.2011

Versatile Blogger Award

I have been given the award of the Versatile Blogger. I am quite flattered. A big THANK YOU to Brianna at Adventures of the Southern Wife.



The Rules for this award:

***
1-Nominate 15 fellow bloggers or however many of your choosing.
2-Inform the bloggers of their nomination.
3-Share 7 random things about yourself.
4-Thank the blogger who nominated you.
5-Add the Versatile Blog Award picture on your blog post.

***

6. Betsy @ Heavens To Betsy
8. Kristen @ All in My Twenties

***

Here are 7 facts about yours truly...

***

1. I used to be a nail biter

2. I really like photography but don't have a good eye for it.

3. I have a new obsession with Hubbee D's. YUM!

4. My relationship with my beau is my longest yet. There's a reason for that. The good Lord always has His hand in everything. :)

5. Vodka and I have a love hate relationship.

6. I am NOTORIOUS for buying a new dress for every occasion.

7. I have 3 labs (Legend, Lily, and BG).

Happy Monday!

12.13.2011

Holy Cookies!

I just made 84 (yes, you read that right. 84!!) of these for my cookie swap with work friends tomorrow night.

You can find the recipe here.

12.08.2011

Mr. & Mrs. Nicholas Constantine Chigges, 12.2.11

All the bridesmaids and the lady of the night. :)
Sorry for the blurriness!

BFFs

The boo & me at the rehearsal dinner at Magnolia's

The boys

Bridesmaids at Willow Salon

At the bridal luncheon at the Charleston Harbor Resort.

@ the reception at the ION Creek Club

These 2... there are no words! Love you Durna & PDiddy!

Old roomie and I

The girls

Obviously tearing up the dance floor...

YUMMY Cake!

She totally got him!

Toasts!

My 2 beautiful BEST friends -- 1 preggers and 1 a new M.R.S.

Stole the BFF's hubby!

PDiddy: "Let me get a pic of the hotties!"
Me + Durna
(no, this is not her real name but a nickname that STUCK & is ever so fitting!)
=
trouble!

Playing with the props from the photo-booth.

And the group...

Sorry for the picture overload. We had such a good time! We danced too much and shared a ton of laughs. I love these people so much! They keep me sane... unless they're getting crazy WITH me. ;)

xoxo,
H

12.07.2011

A tad obsessed


Here is 1 of 3...
And really the only one who would pose.



12.06.2011

Christmas Wish List

I decided to share with y'all my Christmas list. It is short this year. I have gotten to the point to where I don't ask for very much. Most of these things below I have been wanting for a while.


[1.]
The Help on DVD. I fell in love with this movie.
I think I cried within the first 5 minutes.
It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.



[2.]
Kate Spade Hand in Hand idiom bangle.
LOVE.



[3.]
Tory Burch Revas because 1. I'm dying for a pair and 2. I need a new pair of black flats for work.


[4.]
Francesca's gift card.
I am slightly obsessed with everything in this store.

I do have one more thing I am wishing for, but I will keep that secret for now. :) What is on y'alls list?

11.30.2011

Please don't let me look like Snookie...!

I had a half day from work today. AWESOME. I love working only a half day. Come in at 8 and leave at 12...I could get used to that. :)

Well, I do have some appointments to take care of today... the doctor's office and then a spray tan appointment. This will be my first spray tan. I am getting it professionally done, aka: standing half naked and having a lady spray me down. The lady told me I needed to exfoliate before I came in. I was scrubbing in the shower last night. I cannot shower until tomorrow morning because the tan has to sink in.

I am getting all this done because my best girl friend is getting married on Friday. Her rehearsal dinner is tomorrow night. I am a bridesmaid, and I do not want to look like Bella from Twilight series! You feel me?

I am not getting super dark. Honestly, who looks SUPER tan at this time of year. I am going to tell the lady that I just want to look bronzed/sun-kissed so to speak. I don't want to look like Snookie (see below).

Who wants to look this orange?!

Anyways, I am off to get myself together to go to the doctor. Thank goodness I only have to do this once a year. I will post pictures from the weekend's festivities. I hope y'all have an awesome hump day!

11.24.2011

Happy Thanksgiving!!




Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
Psalm 100

11.23.2011

Today was a sad day...

Today, my parents had to put down our cat Mikey. For those of you who know me, know that I do not like cats. I am a dog person. We got Mikey when I was probably around 11-13 years old. I can't remember exactly.

He was a Maine Coon Cat. We rescued him from Petsmart. He was a beautiful cat. He was so fluffy and his colors were gorgeous. Throughout the years, I got irritated with him and started to dislike him. It was obvious he had some anxiety because when we would go out of town, he would pull his hair out from the base of his tail. I would always gripe and say how weird and disgusting it was. As he grew older, you could see his age wearing. His skin started to get bad and he moved a lot slower. My Dad loved that cat. He would jump up in the recliner with my Dad every night and lay in his lap. He would pur and pur and pur. He would follow my Dad EVERYWHERE. Even if my Dad walked outside, Mikey was waiting at the door for him.

In the last 3 weeks, he took a turn for the worst. My Dad first noticed it when he would no longer jump up in the chair with him. Then he quit eating. I think he ate 2 small bites of wet cat food in a total of 2 weeks. I think my Dad was in denial and was prolonging taking him to the vet in fear of losing his best buddy.

This morning he finally took him to the vet. She told us he was old and tired and that he was trying to tell us. All he had been doing is sleeping in his cat carrier. He would come out about maybe twice a day for water and that was it. She guessed that he was probably about 17 which is very old for a cat.

So today, my Dad put Mikey down. I think it was very very hard for him. When my mom texted me at work this morning, I got the biggest lump in my throat. I had to get off my phone for a few minutes because it was as if I could barely talk without bursting into tears. I held it back all day. As I write this, I am bawling like a baby. For someone who doesn't like cats, he sure did a number on me. He is probably looking down at me and laughing and saying "That's what you get for shaving me down and making me take baths all those times."

I think the hardest part of today was talking with my Dad and watching him fight back tears. My Dad loved that cat, and I know he will miss him dearly. They were buddies. Mikey loved my Dad, and my Dad loved Mikey.

After this post, y'all probably think I am a crazy cat lady. Well, I'm not. I just haven't had the chance to express my feelings or cry at all today. I will miss Mikey. He was the only cat I've ever had. And probably the last.

RIP Mikey. You will be missed by all of us.






11.22.2011

Dance like no one's watching...



We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a new car, when we move into a bigger house, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire.

The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy than right now. If not now, when? Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D. Souza. He said, “For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin – real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend time...and remember that time waits for no one.

So stop waiting till you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you get married, until you get divorced, until you have kids, until then kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until the new car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until the first of the month, until the end of the month, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die, until tomorrow to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy... Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Thus the thought for the day:

Work like you don’t need the money,
Love like you’ve never been hurt,
And Dance Like No One’s Watching.


11.20.2011

Carolina 10-2

Well folks, it was quite an eventful weekend. Friday night, I drove to Columbia to meet Brian. We had dinner out and then crashed. We got up early Saturday to get ready for the game. Little did we know, there wasn't a soul we knew tail-gating. It wasn't a conference game so I expected it. This was my first game of the season. My how things have changed since last season where I was at practically EVERY home game. We are just too busy these days. We had fun and our Gamecocks won, taking us to 10-2. On Friday, we will be traveling back to Columbia for rival weekend against Clemson. Lord help us! It is going to be a CRAZY weekend!!!

It was so nice just being with Brian. A lot of times when we are together we are with our friends or doing something so we rarely have time for [ourselves.] And to add to it, we live 3.5 hrs away from each other so we are long distance (which I TOTALLY HATE!!). I really value our one on one time a lot.

I drove back after the game because I had one last shower to attend for my BFF before she gets her M.R.S degree. We had a blast laughing and cutting up this afternoon. We had a good group of girls and good FOOD and DRINK. Y'all know I love to eat and drink. There was fresh fruit, grits, breakfast casseroles, mini bagels, fresh veggies, and mini cupcakes and cookies for dessert. The bridesmaid who hosted made a wine/champagne/fruit concentrate punch. TOO DIE FOR. It had fresh raspberries/lemons floating in it. It was great.

I will leave y'all with a couple pictures from the game. I hope y'all have a great week. I only have Thanksgiving day off but still a short week. :)


Before the game...

Warm up on the field
[Oh how I LOVE Williams Brice Stadium.]

11.17.2011

Too True!

I read this over at All In My Twenties. Y'all should go check it out. Kristen is a HOOT. Her post today was serious and made me think twice. To love and be loved is on-going.

**********************************************

“When I got home that night as ...my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn’t have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn’t want anything from me, but needed a month’s notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month’s time and she didn’t want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that every day for the month’s duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife’s divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn’t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don’t tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn’t looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn’t tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me… she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it’s time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn’t noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office…. jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind…I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won’t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn’t value the details of our lives, not because we didn’t love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I’ll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead. My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push through with the divorce.— At least, in the eyes of our son—- I’m a loving husband….

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves.

So find time to be your spouse’s friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don’t share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

11.05.2011

Today...

I am helping one of my many beautiful best friends with her bridal portraits. I am so excited. She will be taking her pictures at Boone Hall Plantation. It's GORGEOUS y'all, and 5 minutes from my house. Here are some pictures of the property.








I hope y'all have an awesome day. I am off to get myself together to help!

P.S. GO COCKS!!!

11.02.2011

ABC's

A. Age: 24

B. Bed Size: Queen

C. Chore that you hate: Dusting

D. Dogs: I have 3 (Lily, Legend, & BG)

E. Essential start to your day: Multi-grain cheerios

F. Favorite color: Pink // mustard yellow

G. Gold or Silver: I love both.

H. Height: 5'6"

I. Instruments you play: 0

J. Job Title: Export Traffic Agent

K. Kids: just furbabies

L. Live: Charleston, SC

M. Mother's name: Laurie

N. Nicknames: Haley B, Hales, Hale, Harry

O. Overnight hospital stays:0

P. Pet Peeves: People who try to talk to me while I'm on the phone. People who don't respond to "How are you?" People who ask questions/fuss when the answer is right in front of them. Can you tell I'm in customer service?!

Q. Quote from a movie: "If you tell him, I will smack you. I will smack you like a bad bad donkey!" -Muppets from Space // "Wuv. Twue Wuv." -Princess Bride

R. Right or left handed: Right.

S. Siblings: one younger sister, Taylor.

T. Time you wake up: 6AM

U. Underwear: Um, yes I wear it?

V. Vegetable you hate: PEAS!

W. What makes you run late: Picking out clothes to wear to work.

X. X-rays: Just my teeth

Y. Yummy food you make: hashbrown casserole // broccoli salad

Z. Zoo animal: Definitely elephants & giraffes.

10.31.2011

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Hope y'all have a wonderful Halloween. Here are 2 pictures from today.

Me & the girls at work. Our department was "Alice in Wonderland." (YES! My hair was sprayed purple. It felt like straw all day)



And then our pups after their walk.

Legend, a pimp, BG, a witch, and Lily a punk rocker!

10.24.2011

Curling Cone

So I have stick straight hair. I have found that I'm not really big into "curls" so to speak, but more waves. That being said, I bought a curling cone (see below). Have y'all used one? Do you know any tricks? I'd love some advice.



xoxo,
Stuck in blah hair world.


10.23.2011

Operation Christmas Child

Well we meet again. Sunday. Lately, I have grown to dislike Sundays. Even though it is a day of rest, do we even really rest? I would say no. We are busy getting everything together for the work week ahead of us. It's almost as if we can't relax. Do y'all feel that way? Anyways, Sunday is the 7th day and we should take at least a moment to relax. Thus, here I am writing to you guys with coffee in hand flavored with Cinnabon Creamer. Need I say more?

Today, I packed 2 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child? Do y'all know what that is? If you click the link, you can read more about it. Every year Samaritan's Purse organizes a shoebox drive for children who do not get Christmas presents. You can pack your shoebox with games, toys, candy, soap, etc. You get the picture. I did one for a boy and one for a girl. They have said in the past that usually the older kids do not get as much because everyone buys for the younger kids. I always do my boxes for the 10-14 age range. It is so fun to participate! If y'all want to, there is still time! They have to have the boxes by early November so that they can all be processed and organized and sent to their destinations. It is an awesome way to brighten a child's life. Here are my 2 boxes!

Girl box!
Boy box!


Here is quick video for y'all to watch.

10.20.2011

Kennebunk-port

Well I have been crazy busy lately. Literally, I have been on the go NON-STOP. It is only going to get busier as the year goes on. There are more bridal shower parties, Farmhouse weekend, weddings, Thanksgiving, football games, and Christmas. The rest of this year is seriously going to go by in a blink of an eye. However, this weekend, I am doing absolutely NOTHING, and I cannot tell you how thrilled I am about it. I have been dying to sleep in....in my own bed.

Last weekend was the bachelorette party in Charlotte. (5 girls in a room = no sleep) It was a blast. We ate good food and drank good drinks and shared lots of laughs. Here are a couple pictures. Like I said in earlier posts, I have been bad about taking pictures with my camera. Oops!








It was super fun but I was very ready to get back. Y'all, this girl can't hang anymore. Is that bad? Should I still be out late night? I mean I am only 24. I don't know. I like to have a good time but I HATE being completely useless the next day and feeling like utter crap. Oh well.

B's job is moving along swimmingly. He likes it and learns more every day. I am thankful he has a job. The distance sucks, but what can you do? Distance makes the heart grow fonder. (cheesy, I know!)

This weekend is my mom's birthday. And like the good daughter that I am, I haven't gotten her a thing. (Smack me.) In my defense, she is that person who is hard to shop for. Although, tonight she said something about her coffee maker being on its last leg. Maybe I'll get her that? I don't like getting lame presents and that seems lame to me. My mom always says, "don't get me anything!" She reads, but she has so many books right now I don't want to get her another. I guess I'll come up with something.

My friend Dana, her husband Patrick, and baby Whit will be in town Saturday. I am going to see them over at our friends. She is hosting a jewelry party on Saturday so I'm anxious to see what goodies she's got in store for us gals.

Here is the inspiration of my post title today...



OPI's Kennebunk-port red

And here is my new do. I got and inch and half off today. I feel like a new woman. The layers needed help BADLY.


I hope y'all have a fabulous weekend.

xoxo,
H

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