Did someone say "free"? I like free!

My friend Cally is super creative. And, as usual, she has struck again. A homerun in my book! You have to check out her page, especially her free giveaway this week.

It's really simple. Enter & you might win these lovely goodies. Even better, link & you get entered twice.

How awsomely stellar is that?!

Husband Tags

So, here's tags from Kendra & Alli's pages. I liked both & couldn't choose, so I combined them. Have fun!




1. Where did you meet?: At a YSA activity at the Knoxville Zoo. Although, technically we had already met like 4 times though. lol!

2. How long did you date before you were married?: 4 days short of 13 months.

3. How long have you been married?: 1 year & 1 month

4. What does he do that surprises you?: Sending messages during the day that say "I love you!" or ones that make me laugh. He always knows how to brighten my day!

5. What is your favorite physical feature of his?: Probably his eyes & his smile.

6. What is your favorite quality of his?: How caring he is. He is SUCH a gentleman. Eventhough I tell him it's ok not to open my doors & such all the time, he still does. Even when I'm crabby. He's also an amazing husband & father. He amazes me everyday with how sweet he is!

7. Does he have a Nickname for you?: Katy, but that doesn't count. He calls be Beautiful. I don't think there's any others.

8. What is his favorite color?: Blue

9. What is his Favorite food?: Chocolate

10. What is his favorite sport?: Soccer & Disc Golf

11. When and where was your first kiss?: It was on our 2nd date, which was 2 days after our 1st! It was a Sunday afternoon & we were over at the house he shared with 2 other guys, sitting on the couch watching Monty Python & the Holy Grail. Tim scared him, so he put his arm around me "for protection". He was so smooth & romantic! :P

12. Favorite thing to do as a couple?: Just spending time together! We love to go out and do whatever. Movies, park, take pictures, go for a walk, travel, etc.

13. Do yo have any Children?: Just 1, Livvy is 5mo old.

14. Does he have a hidden talent?: Several! Only a few people know he plays the violin, he rode Dressage, & he speaks fulent French!

15. How old is he?: 26

16. Who said I love you first?: Joey, on our 3rd date a week after our 1st. We were up in the mountains watching the sunrise.

17. What is his favorite type of music?: All types really. He has very eclectic taste. But mostly alternative rock stuff, some bluegrass, etc.

18. What do you admire most about him?: His attitude & honesty.

19. Do you think he will read this?: More than likely! I love you, sweety!

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Q: What is his name?
A: Joey

Q: How long were you engaged?
A: 4 mo

Q: Who eats more?
A: Probably about the same lately. But usually Joey. What? He's a guy!

Q: Who is taller?
A: Definitely Joey. By almost a foot!

Q: Who sings better?
A: No idea. Joey doesn't sing very much.

Q: Who is smarter?
A: Probably Joey!

Q: Whose temper is worse?
A: Haha...depends, but probably me! But I've heard that you don't want to make him mad either.

Q: Who pays the bills?
A: We do it together usually. But lately me while he's at school & work.

Q: Who does laundry?
A: I do. My mom helps out though, when I'm working.

Q: Who cooks Dinner?
A: We take turns. But since we're home for now, Mamaw cooks most nights. We're getting spoiled!!

Q: Who drives when together?
A: Joey most often.

Q: Who is more stubborn?
A: We both are!

Q: Who is the first to admit when wrong?
A: I honestly don't know. I would love to say "Me!", but I'm not really sure.

Q: Who wears the pants?
A: We both do. But when it comes to talking to people about finances & straightening things out, that's me.

Q:Who mows the lawn?
A: Joey

Q: Who proposed?
A: Joey. I knew he was going to soon, but I didn't know when or how. He totally surprized me! My family & best friend were even in on it! There was a big elablorate diversion that completely through me off, which ended in going to the park & planting a tree with Tara peeking out from behind a building taking pictures. Lol! If you want to know the full story, leave me a message & I'll post about it sometime!

Q: Did any of you ever come up with a TOP 10 list of things you looked for in a husband when you were younger?
A: I know I did in a church class one time. I tweaked it over the years & I have to say, Joey is everything I listed & so much more. I'm so blessed & thankful to have such a wonderful husband!

Ah...Autumn!

Yesterday was the first official day of Fall/Autumn. Yay!!! I'm already dressing like it's getting colder. I know, Joey makes fun of me for it too. I suppose it's wishful thinking.

Anywho, we've been getting alot of questions about the last post. So, here's what's going on: We're fine! Haha! We love & appreciate you all for worrying, but please don't. Things have all been taken care of. Joey's looking for a better job; the bank is taking care of the fraud on our account; Joey's financial aid for school is working out fine; etc. Everyone's prayers work miracles. As does the support & love we recieved from each of you. Again, thank you for everything. But hey, if anyone knows of a good job feel free to let us know! :o)

In other news, I neglected to mention Joey's schooling. As you all know, he is a Journalism major. This semester some of his classes focus on the history of the media, science writing, & photo journalism. He really seems to be enjoying it! I think they sound fun. Anywho, we bought Joey a camera for one class, so now he enjoys taking pictures, artsy & just for fun, for projects & just around the house...mainly of Livvy. Seriously, who could could resist taking pictures of that face?! And yes, I will post them. Also, for one of his classes Joey has to intern at the university's radio station. It's a true internship in the sense that there is no pay involved, but it's only two hours a week & Joey loves it. He & his classmate Ryan DJ at 90.3 WUTK Saturdays from 11am-1pm. It's nothing huge, but it’s a start! Now, I will warn you though; WUTK is an Indie/Alternative Rock station. So if that’s not your cup of tea, no problem! But feel free to give it a try if you like.

As for everything else in our lives, they are going well. Our families are well. Livvy is growing up way too fast. We found out she as Excema, but the medicine has it under control & she's doing wonderful. Joey's busy with work, school, church, family, etc. I'm staying busy with work, church, family, etc. We even made time to go out for a date night last night! Which we thouroughly enjoyed.

Yeah, life gets stressful & there's never enough time in a day. But I'm so thankful for all the blessing we have! We are blessed beyond belief!! It's so easy to overlook it when things get hairy, but I'm trying to get better about that. I'm learning to be thankful for the trials, because I learn & grow when they come into our lives. And I'm learning to be appreciative of all we have, especially the times when all seems right in our little corner of the world. Like today.

It's September!!

Which means soon it will be fall & getting cooler & the leaves will begin to change. Then before you know it, the holidays are here! If you can't tell, I love fall & winter & all it brings!

So, thus far September has been, well, a bit stressful. First, Joey had to drop back down to part-time at work. This means less hours, less money for bills, & no more set weekends off. More than likely he will not have many Saturdays or Sundays off. We're hoping something better comes along soon to remedy all the "issues", so please pray that if it's the Lord's will, it will happen soon! During this, another "crisis" evloved. Apparently, somehow someone hacked our bank account & got our card & PIN numbers. Having this info, they racked up a nice little bill causing all sorts of problems at the bank, not to mention with other bills & such. Needless to say, Joey & I both were pretty eager to get this taken care of. And, I'm happy to report, that as of Friday evening we are well on our way. The bank credited back half the money, now we just have to do the fun part of filing fraud paperwork for them to start an investigation. Yay! Also going on, was issues with Joey's student financial aid. They were trying to say he was no longer a student & that we were a few months behind on paying the loans back. "What?! They know you have loans for this school year! Right?" Yeah, that was my reaction. Apparently the school didn't send in the right info to them at the beginning of the year so it looked like he had graduated with just an associates. Again, as of today I am happy to report this has also been straightened out. Let me tell you, I was not a happy camper about all this. Just ask Joey! Or maybe don't... :o)
I swear, for a little while things were coming from all directions. We felt like everything & everyone was out to get us if they could. Our "attack mode" was turning on & I was ready to come out with both guns blazing (Figuratively. We all know I'm a bit afraid of guns.) But in the midst of pieces of the sky falling, we remembered to stop & say a prayer. Not a prayer of "Take this all away!", but a prayer for direction, peace, clarity, & thankfulness. I can't tell you how thankful I am for the gospel in my life; for the priesthood in our home; for the spirit that touches my heart & calms my worries; for prayer & communciation with the Lord; for loving family & friends who support & uplift with smiles & encouragement; & for my sweet little family, who at the end of the day make me smile & know it will all be alright.
No matter how stressed I get, I can't let myself forget how blessed I truely am.

Congratulations to...

Leanna & Lance!! They welcomed their new addition to their family early Saturday morning. Too sweet!! Check out the adorable family!