Holly & Brett

Brett's graduation party

2010-08-17T11:27:00.007-04:00

We had a party at our house on Saturday for Brett's graduation. He's done with his MBA and I'm not sure who's more thrilled, me or him! A bunch of his family came from Birmingham, my family was there and lots of our neighbors and friends.

The only thing I missed was being able to drink the margaritas.

Lane (Brett's half brother) and Phil (Brett's dad, as if you couldn't tell!)

Our nieces - Skylar, Greighson and Bailyn. Bailyn coordinated them to wear their matching Easter dresses for the party.

Brett's mom, Gail, me and my mom

Brett's grandparents - Bill & Warren

My siblings - Loren, Renee and Scott

Brett and I in our kitchen. We had Mexican catering and WOW did we end up with lots of leftovers. We'll be eating beans for weeks. It was great to celebrate Brett's accomplishment and I'm so proud of him. He worked hard for the past 3 years with work and school full time.

The dogs...

2010-08-11T14:09:00.004-04:00

Just because I think they're cute and they have not made a blog appearance in a long time...Baxter & Bella. I think there was a storm outside when I was taking these. That's why Baxter is quite concerned with what's going on out there. Bella on the other had all her attention on me. I had treats in hand behind my iPhone. He's terrified of storms and she doesn't even have a clue when it's raining.

We're making progress on the nursery. It's primed and green paint started going up last night. I'm anxious for it to be done. I know we have a while till this little girl's arrival but I just want it done!! My mom is making the crib skirt and bumper pads for her crib. She's got the fabric and is starting to sew :) I'll post more pictures soon.

I'm curious about Baxter & Bella's reaction to the little one. I think they'll be great with her but it'll be interesting to see their interaction.

Nursery

2010-07-16T07:26:00.005-04:00

The bedroom that we are going to use as our nursery has always been on our house to do list. It's a cute room for a 13 year old girl with 3 hot pink walls and 1 zebra wallpaper. Not exactly soothing for a baby.

I peeled the wallpaper in one night. I was pleasantly surprised that it came off in sheets like stickers. So easy!! I roughed up the wall a little but that was ok because Brett has some touch up to do on the other walls. See the initials on the wall in the bathroom...we'll b painting in there too. Oh and the closet is completely hot pink - ceiling included :)
We've bought Kilz primer to cover this bright hot pink and are probably going to paint a green color. As you can see the crib is in the nursery already! We love it. This was my MIL's first purchase for her grandDAUGHTER. Yup it's a girl and we're thrilled!! My mind has already gone to pink, lace and all the frills, but the nursery will remain somewhat gender neutral in case the next kiddo is a boy.

Playing nice

2010-06-24T09:22:00.005-04:00

I’m always flabbergasted by stories I hear from pregnant ladies about the rude and unwanted comments they get. Well, now I’m on the receiving end of these too. Oh happy day.
A co-worker of mine recently commented on my gut (her term not mine). “Congratulations on your gut.” I said “it’s not a gut it’s a baby”. She replied “no, no it’s a gut.” I resisted the temptation to kick her in the teeth and walked away. This is a big step for me.
We get pregnant and poof its open season for remarks about our ever expanding bodies. This is not okay. Ever. Are you not aware we’re extra hormonal and don’t really need an excuse to fly off the handle? Just lie to us, tell us we don’t look like Fat Bastard and all will be well.

Movement

2010-06-23T08:43:00.002-04:00

I was lying in bed last night with a book across my belly watching TV; making a poor attempt at reading before I feel asleep. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that my book moved a little. So I started paying attention to my belly and I definitely felt this little one move. It was a teeny tiny jab to the tummy, twice0. I'm 17 weeks now so I've been waiting for a little something. It's a weird sensation; but very cool. I'm looking forward to feeling more.

I'm back

2010-06-10T14:23:00.003-04:00

It's been over a year since I blogged. I got bored and didn't have much to say. But now I do. Brett and I finally moved in January. We were one of the lucky ones that were able to sell our house and buy a new one despite the economy. Brett finishes school in July. Hip, hip, hooray!! He's been getting his Master's in Finance while working fulltime for the past 3 years. And baby Amburgey will be here sometime in November or whenever they chose to make their debut.

We'll find out July 9th what sex this little one is.

Stephanie's wedding

2009-05-06T18:50:00.007-04:00

I cruised to Thomasville, AL a week ago for Stephanie's wedding. Stephanie and I were sorority sisters at Auburn and roommates our senior year. She got married at her parents house and it was beautiful. I felt a little like I was in Steel Magnolias; just waiting for someone to get a gun and shoot the birds out of the trees.
She and Brock went to Fiji for their honeymoon and was jealous that I was not getting on that plane with them.

Atlanta Tea Party

2009-04-16T20:37:00.004-04:00

Brett stopped by the Atlanta Tea Party last night. He was downtown already (he is getting his MBA from GA State). When he arrived around 7:00 p.m. he said there were a few hundred people there with more pouring in by the minute. By the time he got home they were reporting 15,000 to 20,000 people in attendance.

I usually don't do any political talk on here since most consider it to be a very personal issue, however, now I will. I was very much in support of all the tea parties. For those of you who may now be aware, the parties were inspired by the Boston Tea Party which was a tax revolt in the 1700's. The parties yesterday across the country used the acronym TEA for "Taxed Enough Already" and I could not agree more. I am sick of the way the government has been operating the past months, bailing out those that fail to manage their money whether personally or professionally. I think we should let the market decide which businesses fail and let people take responsibility for their own decisions. This IS Capitalism. It may sound harsh but if you've spent beyond your means that's your fault and YOU should deal with the consequences. I know there may be stories out there where people truly got shit on, but for the most part people's situations are a product of their choices.

Brett and I live within our means. We've chosen to follow the Dave Ramsey mentality. We don't use credit cards and haven't in almost 3 years. We have no debt except for our house (which we are working to pay off). We don't buy anything we can't pay cash for. This includes vacations, clothes, car issues and even our furniture I posted about earlier. I'm not propping us up on a pedestal. We're just making conscious decisions with our money. And I feel like if I am, then what makes me responsible for other home owners that got in over their head and CEO's and companies?? Sure I want more and bigger and better. Isn't that (unfortunately) the American way? What happened to personal responsibilty? You make the choice, you should own it and pay the consequence, period. And if it effects your family and children then you need to become an even better choice maker. Choice is what makes us different from the whole animal kingdom. We have the ability to reason and think cause and effect and then make a choice. If you choose the wrong one then you should, and do pay the consequences.

This is what I think of the current government "stuff". I think it's a bunch of BS becuase the rapid growth of government is leaning too closely to Socialism. I have traveled many time to Eastern Europe; to Ukraine & Russia. I see where Socialism leads and where the citizens thoughts and values get thrown by the wayside. I don't want to go there.

The companies chose, people chose and they should be held responsible. Period. Not me or my family.

From Brett:

My problem with the current administration (and support for the TEA parties) is more about spending than the current taxation rate. The size of the government is heading toward European style socialism and you can look at France to see how well that works. Obama's budget will quadruple Bush's deficit who was no fiscal hawk. At this scale of spending, I believe a dollar spent by the government is inextricably linked with a reduction of freedom. The growth of government means more beurocrats deciding and dictating how you should behave and less choice. We're moving from the freedom of the individual to the collective society seen in so many failed states.

The TEA parties, although portrayed by the media as a right wing extremist movement, are extremely pertinant to the current tax situation. One could argue that Obama has "cut" taxes but this would be a dishonest statement. With astronomical deficits, the government is faced with limited choices. Government can print money and hide increased taxes in inflation, thereby robbing the value of our dollar without most of us noticing. Government could raise taxes on the "rich" and make our tax structure (where 10% of the country pays 72% of the taxes) even more progressive which would significantly alter the behaviour of our most productive (to the detriment of our economy). Our third option would be to ignore the deficit and let our children worry about the mess we've created. Either way, each option results in a negative externality that amounts to a "tax". I think this is what the TEA parties are really all about.

And finally...

2009-04-13T22:12:00.002-04:00

I promised photos of our new furniture a while ago. The chair & ottoman we got from Crate & Barrel, the couch is from Macy's furniture and the green chest is from a local antique store. We changed the hardware and it's now our catch all for things when we walk in the front door. We love having pieces we picked and match our style.

Dogs

2009-04-13T21:23:00.002-04:00

Brett & I kept my brother and sister-in-laws dog a couple weeks ago. She's a 6 month old chocolate lab - Dixie. She is as sweet as can be but I think Baxter & Bella got a little tired of her. She was very active and chased them every where!!! But at the end of the day they were tired which was nice.

Happy Easter

2009-04-13T20:47:00.004-04:00

Easter at mom & dad's. I only live about 7 miles from my parents and all my siblings. I love living so close. It makes days like these so fun. We went to church and then hung out after lunch and the Easter egg hunt. I think all my nieces & nephews enjoy seeing each other so often too (there are 8 of them).

Two

2009-03-10T14:22:00.001-04:00

I'll get better at this whole blog thing one day. I know I don't keep up.

But for now here's this. Today is Brett and my second wedding anniversary. I can't imagine being in a better place or spending every day with a better person. I love this man to pieces. He's just my one.

Furniture

2009-02-12T15:25:00.003-05:00

Brett and I bought new furniture at the beginning of the year and our couch finally arrived today. FYI - Don't ever buy furniture from Macy's. They stink! We were told we would have our couch in a week - that was January 2 and it came today. You do the math. I can't wait to get home and just sit! I'll post some photos later.

I'm still here...

2009-01-27T12:44:00.002-05:00

It's been a while but I am here - and I don't know why you can't see it. I am having issues. But it says I am a Money Managing Spiritual Extrovert. Who knew??

I took the 43 Things Personality Quiz and found out I'm a

Money Managing Spiritual Extrovert

Rice's Bachelorette Party

2008-10-17T16:25:00.012-04:00

Last weekend I met up with my best friends from college in Birmingham to celebrate Kristin's Bachelorette Party. We had a great time. One thing I love about these girls is we can all catch up right where we left off. We don't see each other but a couple times a year; but when we do it's wonderful. I cannot wait to see everyone again at Ryan & Kristin's wedding.

The Bachelorette

Katie, Leah, Lindsey, me, Betsy & Kim

Mary & Sherry

Kristin & me

Kristin, me, Leah & Meg

Rice singing something. My money is on Prince.

Need

2008-09-30T11:07:00.002-04:00

I have a bit of an obsession with office supplies. I love them. And I think if you have to use it, it might as well be cute. My mom has started to buy me pink camo jimmy clips, and pok-a-dot paper clips. I recently stumbled upon http://www.seejanework.com/ and it's great. There are so many things to buy. But these 2 things are the best, I would love to sit these on my desk. I think they would make all the passer bys smile.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2008-09-26T07:51:00.004-04:00

One of my favorite things about Fall is that Starbucks brings their Pumpkin Spice Latte back. It is so wonderful. I usually drink regular coffee from home every morning. But this morning I had to be at work early which meant no coffee from home. So I stopped at Starbucks on my way in and picked up this glorious latte. They are absolutely delicious. I would drink one every day if they weren't $5 each. Go get one now!

First Days...

2008-09-03T13:25:00.005-04:00

This was my mother's tradition - our first day of school on the front porch. I don't think I minded when I was little. But when I was a Senior in high school I protested. I am pretty sure that year I am sitting in the doorway with a frown - going "really mom, this is so embarrassing!"

But now my sister gets to do it with my precious neice and nephew. Aren't they great. Jensen started later than Bailyn did. Thus the photo with him in Batman jammies his Batman pose, and blankie in hand.

They went fishing for the first time a couple weeks ago and my sister sent these. Bailyn had a Barbie fishing rod and felt the need to accessorize with 12 bractlets. She loves braclets. Renee mentioned that Bailyn also fell in the water! I am sure they were hilarious.

And while Brett and I truly enjoyed the long weekend, coming back to work is depressing. I don't want to work anymore. I quit. I like sitting at home, and doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. It sucks to have to wake up again and go to work! Anyone else feel like that? I want to do what I want. But I don't know what that is either? Maybe be a CSI, but it would have to be just like it is on TV. And I want more vacation. I think the Europeans have it right - they vacation all the time.

Keeping up with the Joneses

2008-08-25T20:03:00.009-04:00

Lindsey & Brent's wedding was this weekend in Birmingham. Lindsey was a beautiful bride! They are now spending their honeymoon in Jamaica. We look forward to seeing the Joneses when they return.

It was great to see all our friends and spend the weekend with them. Hope you enjoy some of the photos from the weekend.

July 4th

2008-07-09T08:17:00.004-04:00

I hope everyone had a great 4th. Poor Baxter hates loud noises so he had a long weekend. This was the night of the 3rd, the fireworks had not even gotten started and he was hiding under our bathroom counter. They didn't seem to phase Bella.

2 weddings & a baby

2008-07-01T14:22:00.014-04:00

I had a wedding/baby shower this weekend in Birmingham. We combined wedding showers for Lindsey & Kristin and a baby shower for Katie all into one. It was fun to do all together and the best part was that it was pool party! No stupid games, petifors or tea length dresses. There were a few girls missing out of our group - we missed you!
After the shower we headed to Ivy's familys lakehouse on Lake Inland for the night. It was great to relax in the lake!! Thanks to Ivy for sharing with us!

Twist

2008-06-26T08:10:00.004-04:00

I had dinner last night with some friends from high school at a restaurant called Twist. We try to get together at least once a month but have been slacking lately. It's fun to catch up on what everyone is doing. I tend to fall out of the loop being married and living in Cumming. Look forward to next time!

Katrinna & Kelly

Andrea, me & Christin

This...

2008-06-25T08:30:00.001-04:00

is where I wanted to be this morning. Curled up with my dogs.

TPC Sawgrass

2008-06-23T16:25:00.008-04:00

Brett and I went to our friends wedding a couple weekends ago - Chris & Alanna. Their wedding was at TPC Sawgrass in Jacksonville, FL. All the boys were enamored with the place. Brett had to have a shirt. It was a beautiful location and a beautiful wedding. Alanna looked awesome! We had a great time seeing old friends.

And now Ukraine...

2008-06-09T21:27:00.016-04:00

After Prague we headed to Ukraine. We flew into Kiev and were there for 3 days before heading to L'Viv and then back to Kiev. We met our team of 6 other American's in Kiev (all from Atlanta) and headed to L'Viv which was where our business symposium was. The symposium was held through Global Leadership which is my parents company. They hold 3 day business symposiums in numerous cities in Ukraine about 6 times a year. This was our second time to do a symposium with my parents. We went in 2005 and also went to L'Viv that time. L'Viv is a georgous city on the far west side of Ukraine. We have developed relationships with wonderful people there. Brett and I both had our same interpreters as we did in 2005 - Rusty and Natalya. They help us navigate our way through the symposium since we don't speak Ukrainian or Russian. They are such wonderful people and we have gotten to know their families.

You can find the link to Global Leadership on my blog. I encourage to see what it's all about.

My pretty Mom!

My interpreter - Natalya.

My precious husband

Yes - it's a real photo. We bought a new camera and were able to play with the image a bit. But isn't it pretty? Not quite what most picture when they think of Ukraine.

Prague

2008-06-09T20:54:00.008-04:00

Brett and I recently returned from a 2 week trip to Europe. We were in Prague in the Czech Republic for 4 days and then went to Ukraine for about 9 days. Prague was beautiful. It is said that it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it's true. The buildings and history there are absolutly amazing. Prague Castle is one of the oldest and largest in the world. It was built in the 9th century and they told us it took 1000 years to build. I would highly recommend a trip there. The food was great, and the local beer was tasty. And since they still use their currency and not the Euro quite yet, us Americans don't get killed on the exchange rate.

We went to Prague with my parents and another couple, the Lings, who would also be participating in the business symposium in Ukraine (I'll get to that later).

Here are some photos from Prague.

On Charles Bridge with Prague Castle in the background.

One of the many beautiful streets. I love the buildings.

The tiny green building in the background is the skinnest hotel in Prague. It's called Hotel Clementin.

Michelle, me and my mom

This is the astronomical clock in the Old Town Square. Now there is so much history with this thing that you really have to Google it yourself. My facts will not do it justice. But it was installed in 1410 and tells the current time, relates the movement of planets around earth and the sun and moon through the signs of the zodiac. And it rings every hour revealing the 12 Apostles. It's super cool.

Wenceslas Square - it used to be a medieval horse market, now it's lined with hotels and shopping. And the big building in the back is the National Museum.

Mother's Day

2008-05-15T13:12:00.010-04:00

We celebrated Mother's Day at my parents. All the dads, Brett and I do the cooking so the mom's can relax. As much as you can relax with 8 kids running around. I have 8 nieces and nephews that are a handful, but everyone always has fun & you can never be lonely or bored!

Brett & my Mom

Scott & Me

Precious Greighson & Jensen - he looks so fratastic

The boys grillin

Bailyn - Brett & I gave her this shirt for her birthday.
And if you are wondering about the band-aid smack dab in the middle of her forehead...her little brother Jensen slammed her in the head with a wooden rake so she has 2 stiches.

This happened last Friday, on her birthday!

Skylar & Bailyn (all 3 girls had matching dressing)

Weekend happenings...

2008-05-06T14:48:00.010-04:00

My sister-in-law, Patti, turned 40 in April. The family finally got around to having a party for her this past weekend.

Scott & Patti

Their family - Hunter, Dawson & Skylar

Bailyn & Greighson eating cupcakes

Sunday Brett and I went to North Georgia to two of the the wine vineyards - Wolf Mountain and Three Sisters. I highly recommend them to anyone visiting the Atlanta area. The views are spectacular and the wines good too. We ate lunch up there and spent the afternoon walking around and sipping local wine. It was nice to get out of our usual weekend routine.

Wolf Mountain Vineyards

Three Sisters

Here we go...

2008-04-13T18:44:00.001-04:00

I have been thinking about starting a blog. I read other people's blogs daily and truly enjoy it. I didn't think I would start one without having children. I just didn't think I had anything interesting to say. But after being prompted by friends and perhaps by treating this as online journal I thought it could be fun. I have 2 dogs, so most blogs will be about them. Warning people - I am extremely attached to them and if you think the idea of treating them as children is stupid read no further...

Brett and I met at Auburn in 2002. We were engaged at the Biltmore in 2006. We were married in March 2007.

We currently live in Atlanta and work at the same company. We work for a large company and we don't actually "work together". We are in totally different parts of the company. We see each other during the day when we want to or when our paths cross.

And last but not least our dogs. Baxter we got in January of 2006 from the Atlanta Humane Society and found Bella at the Forsyth Humane Society in August 2007. Please adopt!!! There are so many wonderful dogs out there!!! And as for the pictures Baxter is brown and Bella is white.