Letters to Olympia

Back in this post I shared with you that I had marked #1 off my list and sponsored a child through Compassion International. Well a few weeks ago I received my sponsorship packet and a picture of Olympia. I was so excited. Please go to Compassion's website if you want to know more about their sponsor a child program. I can't tell you how good it feels to know you are going to change a child's life....and it only costs $38/month. Tonight I wrote Olympia my first letter. You can write your sponsored child as often as you like and can send them small things that will fit in the envelope (coloring book pages, stickers, pictures, stamps, postcards, etc). I wanted Olympia's first letter from me to be pretty so I fixed it up a little. :) I taped the paper on some pretty card stock to make it a little more fun. I also included a picture of me and my sister, two coloring book pages, and some stickers. I really hope Olympia is excited to get her letter and her goodies. I hope to get a letter from her soon and learn a little more about her and her family.

This is Olympia, isn't she precious?!?

This is my letter on pretty pink card stock

Here is the letter and her goodies...I hope she loves them!

The ABCs of Blogging

A, B, C, D, E, F, G....

A. AREA CODE : 37203
B. BED SIZE: Queen
C. CHORE YOU HATE: vacuuming
D. DOG'S NAME: Caddy
E. ESSENTIAL "START THE DAY!" ITEM: a shower!
F. FAVORITE COLOR: Green
G. GOLD OR SILVER: depends...I like both
H. HEIGHT: 5'1"
I. INSTRUMENTS YOU PLAY: When I was younger I played piano, but nothing now :(
J. JOB: Accountant
K. KIDS: just my fur baby, Caddy and all my "nieces and nephews"
L. LIVING ARRANGEMENTS: in a townhouse with Angela and Drake (beagle)
M. MOM'S NAME: Pam
N. NICKNAME: Clynn, Tate, Candass
O. OVERNIGHT HOSPITAL STAY: none :)
P. PET PEEVE: I have a few...but a big one is when people eat loud
Q. QUOTE FROM A MOVIE: "I love you Daniel McMan" The Other Sister (mine and Sara's favorite) and "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" Dirty Dancing, of course
R. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Righty
S. SIBLINGS: brother:Landon, step-brother: Grant, step-sister: Ginger
T. TIME YOU WAKE UP: 6:45ish
U. UNDERWEAR: Yes, please
V. VEGGIE YOU DISLIKE: cucumbers, tomatoes
W. WAYS/REASONS YOU ARE LATE: overslept
X. XRAYS YOU'VE HAD: face and back
Y. YUMMY FOOD YOU MAKE: hashbrown casserole-it's easy but oh so good
Z. ZOO ANIMALS YOU LIKE: polar bears are my favorite!

I found this on Mrs. Smith's blog...click here to check out her ABCs.

Splish, Splash

I gave Caddy a bath tonight. He is so GOOD when getting a bath but he looks hilarious. His hair is really long right now and he needs a haircut, but I am waiting as long as possible because it is so expensive.

I haven't really told "Caddy's Story" on my blog so I will explain how I got him. A friend of Cindy, my step-mom, knew I was looking for a Shih Tzu puppy (eventually). Well a friend of this friend found Caddy on the side of the road. She knew who he belonged to so she took him "home". His owner said, "Yeah, he was mine but I just moved here to move in with my girlfriend and she doesn't want dogs in the house." So basically this man just turned him out into the cold (it was January). Isn't that just terrible? I was originally looking for a female puppy. Caddy is not a puppy (2-3 years old) and is not a female, but I just feel in love with his cute (in an old man way) face. It didn't hurt that he was already housebroken :) So he came home with me and I think he enjoys his new life and his new roommate, Drake (my roommate's beagle). I sure love him. There is nothing like coming home after a long day and his little face jumping around because he is so excited to see me!

Looks like a little old man, don't you think?

Awesome Contest

Epiphanie is going an amazing contest, but it ends today! They are giving away a Canon 5D Mark II AND a $2500 gift certificate to Southwest Airlines. How cool would it be to win either one of those awesome prizes? Check out Epiphanie's website here to get contest details.

Top Two Tuesday: Random Things

Two Random Facts About Me

1. I sleep with a fan on year round. It's more about the sound than being hot because I am usually wrapped up in blankets. I just love the sound of the fan and it is VERY difficult for me to go to sleep without one. I think I get it from my Dad...he even takes his fan on vacation! I am not that bad...yet.

My nighttime best friend

2. I am addicted to candy. I love it. It's a serious problem. Some of my favorites are Sour Punch Straws, Haribo gummy bears, Sweet Tarts and Nerds. I like chocolate but would rather have a mini-Snicker than a full size bar. I love the sweet and sour stuff. It is not unusual for me to make a trip to Walgreen's specifically for candy and if I am driving for any length of time, a stop at the gas station is a must! I am trying to limit my candy intake, but it is proving more difficult than I thought!

So, what are two random facts about YOU? Click on over to The Undomestic Momma to play along.

Making History in the Elite Eight

I now know what it feels like to be heartbroken and insanely proud all at the same time. I am a HUGE sports fan, especially football and basketball. The Vols made history this year by making it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The men's basketball team had never made it past the Sweet 16 until this year. It has been so much fun watching our basketball program grow into what it is today under the direction of Coach Bruce Pearl. We beat Ohio State to make it to the Elite Eight for the first time ever! After a very close game, we lost by one point in the last 10 seconds to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. Although we failed to make it to the Final Four, I am so PROUD to be a TENNESSEE VOL. I can't wait to see if we can build on this next year. Coach Pearl, Great job...keep up the good work. You have made people excited about Tennessee Basketball. Go VOLS!

Bachelorette Weekend

Thursday afternoon I headed to Pigeon Forge for the Bachelorette Party I have been waiting on for months. Andrea and I arrived around 4:00 and unloaded/decorated until around 6:00 when The Bachelorette and other guests arrived. We kicked off the weekend with drinks and cards. Oh my, the cards. I will not be sharing pictures of them...believe me, this is a good thing! Thursday night Andrea and Monica cooked dinner. It was fajita and margarita night! After dinner we played a few more games but called it a night pretty early. Everyone was tired from driving and we were saving our energy for the next two days.

Adorable wine glasses that Natasha painted for me
Cute welcome bags on everyone's bed



Fajitias=YUMMY

Friday morning we watched wedding movies-The Other Sister and My Best Friend's Wedding. Since we had all seen the movies, we also played a few games and had lunch. Friday night was the lingerie shower. It was so much fun! Sara got some great things and had a great time-which is really what matters.

Sara-The Bride to Be

Cheers!


The Whole Crew (Me, Andrea, Monica, April,

Melea, Kristy, Sara)

Saturday we had a scavenger hunt in Pigeon Forge. It was so much fun! Married ladies vs Non-married ladies. We (the non-married ladies) won, of course! =) Here are a few of the pictures we had to take to get points. We all met at Calhoun's, one of Sara's favorites, for lunch and then went and had an Old Time Picture made. Wow, was that an experience! Sorry, I don't have a scanned copy of the picture yet, but I promise to add it once I do. Saturday night we played some more games, had some more drinks and some more AMAZING food-seafood night! After dinner it was time to take advantage of the hot tub and then an old fashion slumber party...complete with new PJs, Dirty Dancing, and Truth or Dare.

Our team in front of The Dixie Stampede

On a slide on a playground

Hot Tub!

I had a WONDERFUL time getting to hang out with my best friend and everyone at the party. Thank you everyone for coming and THANK YOU, Andrea. I don't know what I would have done without your party planning. Everything was absolutely AMAZING.

Sara-I hope you had a wonderful weekend. It was so fun to spend the weekend with you and the ladies that mean the most to you. I can't wait for your wedding weekend. I love you!

I'm in Puppy Love

Wednesday after work I headed to Knoxville to stay with my friends Bev and Christian. I got to see their adorable new house and meet their new baby, Griz. Griz and I were fast friends. I am a sucker for a puppy that likes to cuddle and Griz definitely does! Bev and Christian, thank you so much for letting me spend the night with you and sharing your new baby. I love him! I can't wait to come back and stay in the new house ASAP! Love you

Love at first sight!

He slept with me for a few hours on Friday morning =)

He wanted to constantly be in my lap...and I loved it!

How can you not love that face???

It's My Friday

I'm headed to the mountains until Sunday to celebrate this pretty lady's upcoming wedding. Yay for a 4 day weekend with my best friend! Have a good weekend, everyone! I promise to return with lots of pictures to share.

Wishful Wednesday...Handbag

'I wish' .... I could afford either one of these Kate Spade handbags without putting a dent in my pocketbook!

This is the Kansas City Claudia.
I love the little pop of yellow on the side!

The Jamesport Natia would look good on my shoulder too,
IMO. I love the color and the simple design.

I just can't justify spending $300+ on a purse...especially the way I treat them! I am hoping my friend Natalie (who is an admitted Kate Spade junky) will buy one of them, get sick of it by next year and let me play with it for a while. =) It appears as if that is a real possibility...I just checked her blog and one of these bags is on her list, too!

What handbag is on your wish list? Head on over to Kelsey's blog to play along.

Soon....

Soon it will be time for me to spend a whole weekend with my best friend celebrating her upcoming marriage. We have been waiting on this weekend for months now and I can't wait! My best friend Sara is getting married on May 1 and this weekend a few of the ladies are getting together to CELEBRATE! We are heading to an amazing chalet in the mountains of Gatlinburg, TN. We check in on Thursday afternoon and will be spending the next 3 days watching movies, relaxing in the hot tub, drinking wine, gossiping and laughing. I cannot wait! Sara, get ready...I think this just might be the weekend of relaxation that you need to unload stress before putting the final touches on the big day. I love you and cannot wait to see you so very SOON!

What 2 Things Could You Not Live Without ?

This week I decided to play along with The Undomestic Momma's Top 2 Tuesday.

The 2 things (besides the obvious: family, friends, water, air, food) I couldn't live without or wouldn't want to live without:

1. My iPhone. I have friends and family everywhere and this is how I keep in touch. Plus I can check email and facebook, of course.

2. My camera(s). I LOVE taking pictures and take pictures of anything and everything, all the time. I always have my small camera with me and if the occassion calls for it, big daddy comes out to play =)

Big Daddy's Little Brother

Big Daddy

So what are the two things You couldn't live without?

#65-Check (kind of)

65. Purchase some props to use in my photography

I have been wanting to purchase some cute props that I can use when I do photo shoots. I am only marking this goal as in process because there are a few more things I want to add to the collection, but this is a good start. I purchased these adorable hats from Briar Claire. Another plus, Briar Clair is donating $1.00 from the sale of each hat and $0.50 from the sale of each headband through March 28 to Compassion!

picture courtesy of Briar Claire

picture courtesy of Briar Claire

Lazy Weekend

This weekend was pretty low key. Friday night Caddy and I went to my parents' house and we went to Martin's BBQ in Nolensville for dinner. I had a BBQ sandwich and fresh cut fries...It was really good! After dinner we relaxed at the house and watched basketball. I was really lazy and didn't even go home. I shacked at the parents' for the night. It is so nice having them close and getting to spend time with them basically whenever I want.

Caddy and the Queen of the house, Emma

Saturday morning Mom treated me to a mani/pedi and we hurried home to watch the VOLS play! Caddy even put on his Vols gear to show his support! =) The Vols won and advanced to the Sweet 16!

Caddy loves the VOLS too!

Saturday night I went to Flying Saucer to celebrate Lauren and Jeff's birthday. The boys had been at the bar all day watching basketball, so needless to say, the birthday boy didn't last very long. Rachel and I beat the boys in darts, we all had a few drinks and then headed home like the old people we are. =(

Me and Meg

Me and the Birthday Girl

I slept late on Sunday; I am still trying to recover from last week's sickness. I spent the rest of the day being lazy and watching basketball, of course. Sunday night I FINALLY got to see New Moon and I loved it! Bring on Eclipse!

Sweet Summertime

It is a BEAUTIFUL day in Nashville today. Days like this have me longing for constant warm temperatures, long weekends, and fun in the sun at our family's "happy place". My Dad and step-mom Cindy bought a boat and a house on the river last summer. I can't wait until the weather allows us to get on the boat!

A Girl's Gotta Look Good

A few weeks ago when I was in Memphis my Goddaughter Addyson was watching me get ready and wanted in on the action. Check out these adorable pictures of her putting on her makeup and jewelry. =) Then she wanted to "take a picture of Tate". So cute she is!