First Annual Tacky Christmas Attire Party

We had a blast with our friends celebrating Christmas in STYLE!
Ron and Penny

The winners of the evening: Ryan and Karli

Sarah and Graham

Scott and Amy

Fall Fun

Gabrielle contemplating what fun to have at Tate's Farm.

Directing the water at the Early Works Water Park.
Taking time for a family pic.
A peacock in our yard!!

Happy Fall everybody!

Our Little Cook

Oh, what a night! Last night we had so much fun in the kitchen, I decided to take time today to blog. I walked in the door from a brief appointment to find John teaching Gabrielle how to make baked potato fingers! It was so precious to see Gabrielle on the counter next to her Daddy. Dressed in Ruthie's red apron, Gabrielle was concentrating so hard on pushing the knife into the raw potato wedge. I could not believe how good Gabrielle was with the knife (a spreader knife, not even really a butter knife). She loved helping in the kitchen so much that she cried when it was time to get ready for bed. I must admit that Gabrielle's little chopped up potatoes were by far the best I have ever had. I think it was because we let her sprinkle on the salt before baking, and she got a little carried away with the fun.

Monkey See, Monkey Do!

A funny moment we shared with Gabrielle lately was the night I taught her how to pose for the camera. We were pretending to "model" and pose. It was so much fun to see how Gabrielle will listen and follow. Don't get me wrong, I pray I can tell Gabrielle more valuable lessons in life than this... but it was a fun time and brought us lots of laughs.

Living It Up!

It has been a really long while since I have taken time to post anything on our blog. A lot of big life lessons have been learned and we have shared some great times with family and friends. I have been using my "free time" for other things like reading, sitting outside, taking naps, and dreaming up the next things I would like to do to our house. This weekend, I was spending time with an old friend who helped me remember that life is too short to miss out on the things that we love the most. It is so easy for me to get caught up in the "Everydayness" of life and find myself following a routine or schedule instead of being spontaneous and doing something really fun. I love waterskiing, riding my road bike, trying to ride mountain bikes with John, taking a jog with Gabrielle and her stroller, doing little triathlons, taking road trips, having friends over for dinner, planting flowers (but I am terrible at keeping them alive), baking something over the top and really elaborate for others to enjoy with me. When I looked back at our pictures from the past month, this picture stood out as one of my favorites. This was such a fun weekend for us together as a family. John and I love being outside together, and it was a real treat to get to do a difficult hike and have Gabrielle with us. Thanks to our sweet friends who also enjoy outdoor adventures, we are able to share the things we love with Gabrielle! Now, I just have to find a bike cart...

Banana Cream Triffle

Last night John, Gabrielle and I were able to experience a fun night of fellowship and yummy food at a "KABOB PARTY!" I wish I had taken my camera to capture all the different colors of delicious vegetables and delectable meats. It was such a wonderful arrangement of great food! After scarfing down raw veggies and spinach dip, I really filled up on the side of roasted potatoes and Arugula. The lamb kabobs with mint sauce and the chicken with pesto were some of my favorite kabobs.
I enjoyed getting to make a dessert that I had never made before yesterday. I really did not know if it would be very good, but everyone seemed to love it. So, I figured I would share it since it took me about 15 minutes to prepare. I like to cook from my library of Cooking Light cookbooks and magazines. However, I know that Southern Living has a dessert that is very similar for those of you who like to go the extra mile for a fancy dessert.

Banana Cream Triffle
1 loaf of pound cake
1 5.1 0z box of instant vanilla fat-free pudding
3 cups of milk
3 tablespoons of water
1/3 cup of brown sugar
5-6 bananas
1 8 oz Cool Whip
2 Skor or Heath Bars ( I personally like the Hershey's Symphony)

Prepare the pudding with 3 cups of cold skim milk. Cut the cake into 1 inch cubes. Slice bananas and heat brown sugar and water over medium heat until melted. Add bananas until glazed. Remove from heat. Layer 1/2 of cake on bottom of a triffle dish. Top with 1/2 banana mixture and 1/2 pudding mixture. Then repeat all layers. Top with cool whip and crushed candy bars. Chill covered.
Serves fifteen 3/4 cup portions.

ENJOY!!

5 Wonderful Years

This morning I was blessed to talk to John for 3 minutes. He called to say, "Happy Anniversary!" It was hard not getting to talk to him or spend the day with him. However, he did make special efforts to make sure I knew he was thinking about me today. Instead of being sad, I decided to pretend like tomorrow is our anniversary. So, all day I felt like I did on my wedding day, waiting in great anticipation for the clock to strike seven and to walk down the aisle to the love of my life. I can hardly wait to see his beautiful eyes and wonderful smile!

Fun at Home

I am so grateful that I have Gabrielle to keep me entertained on days like today. Today is our anniversary, and John and I can not be together. So, instead of being sad and feeling blue, Gabrielle helped me think of fun things that we could do together. I made her a smoothie and took her outside to enjoy the delectable treat from a straw. I turned around for a second to find that she dumped the smoothie all over herself. I stripped off her clothes and turned on the hosepipe... Check out more pictures in "My Albums".

First Walk

Today was such a big day for Gabrielle. Not only did she get her 1st year pictures taken, but she had to go to the doctor for 3 shots!! I was amazed by her great energy and her sweet attitude all afternoon. She took some of her very first walks tonight.

My Daddy's Heart

I can think about my Daddo and cry. Yes, I did inherit a sentimental side from one of the most special men in my life. I love this picture of my little "sweet pea" enjoying my spot on her Grandpa's lap. We are so blessed to have celebrated Father's Day with John and my dad close by us.

Gabrielle's First Birthday

I can't believe it's been a whole year! Gabrielle's first Birthday was already here! I was so excited to have a reason to invite Gabrielle's family and friends over to our new home. We decided to have a "cupcake party" since Gabrielle will have the rest of her years to pick out her own theme. I found a cute little outfit with a cupcake on the front... that is where we started. Then, I found a cupcake tree to display our cupcakes. We ordered cupcakes from Gigi's Cupcakes in Nashville
( how appropriate for our little GG!) The next discovery was invitations, plates and napkins with a cupcake tree on them. So, it started to get out of control.
I decided I would make Gabrielle's birthday cake when I found a giant cupcake cake mold. I attempted to decorate Gabrielle's "smash cake" myself. The second attempt was much better than the first, but both tasted delicious. Gabrielle was not interested in tasting the cake at all. She just wanted to be playing with the other kids and hanging out with people. We enjoyed yummy food and special drinks.
Gabrielle loved the stroller she received from Cha Cha and the dishes that were passed down from her Great Aunt Linda. However, when she opened her outfit from Sarah, she actually showed her love for clothes "oooohh!" We have changed our baby's diaper from Amy, and read the fabulous book from Dayna over and over again. She was so cute in her new Juicy jumpsuit from Aunt Beth. We are spoiled with family and friends who love us so well! It was a great 1st Birthday and a fun celebration for John, Gabrielle, and me.

Gabrielle's First Swim

One of my favorite memories from our weekend in Florence was taking Gabrielle to the pool with Grandpa and Cha-Cha. The pictures speak for themselves. We had so much fun!!!

Elizabeth's Wedding

This weekend we witnessed God's amazing love and His faithfulness through the marriage of Casey and Elizabeth. We had a great time with all our family and meeting new friends. The ceremony was God-honoring and so sweet. At the end of the wedding, when the wedding party was waiting for pictures, Isabelle asked Casey, "Casey, what do I call you now?" He responded, "whatever you want to call me Isabelle." As Isabelle grabbed his hand to go back into the sanctuary, she said, "Ok Daddy! Let's go!" John and his older brother David had to hold eachother up after hearing those sweet words. Casey has been the answer to many prayers. His love for Elizabeth and Isabelle is very evident. We are glad to be home after our wedding circuit the past several weekends.

Always My BABY!

It is such a blessing to be able to stay at home with Gabrielle. On this rainy day, we have been playing some new games together. Today, I taught Gabrielle how to feed her baby doll. With her first birthday rapidly approaching, I have felt sorrow for how quickly time passes and how fast she has grown! This morning as we were playing "mommy", I was most pleased when Gabrielle decided that she was the baby and needed to sit in the bumbo seat to drink a bottle.

I have been TAGGED!!

Thank you for tagging me Ginger!

10 years ago... I was almost a junior at Vanderbilt University. I was loving my major (Interdisciplinary Communications), I had a great partner for Cheerleading, I was volunteering with Young Life, on rush committee for Tri Delta, living with Kori, and passing time until John Jeffery would leap back into my life.

5 years ago... I was about to turn 25! I was finally marrying John (after 18 months of praying and waiting to get out of the Army)!! My Calvary Christian School cheerleaders won their first State Championship. I was teaching Body Combat and RPM at North Columbus Athletic Club. We moved John's belongings into my apartment in Columbus while I moved home to Nashville for the month.

1 year ago... I only had one more month before Gabrielle Garner would change my life! I stopped training clients at the Wellness Center and spent most days working out and reading books. John had a surprise birthday party for me with everyone I had met in Huntsville.

5 things on my to do list...
1. Go to the grocery store. (I have to make John's favorite meal Saturday)
2. Clean the house.
3. Order furniture. (Breakfast table and chairs)










4. Call the Mall about Training Wheels.
5. Order carpet.

5 snacks I enjoy...
1. Cup of Gold Bar
2. Laughing Cow cheese and reduced-fat Triscuits
3. A smoothie made with my left-over decaf coffee
4. Pretzel chips with Boursin cheese spread
5. Something left on Gabrielle's plate

If I were a Billionaire...
I would not change anything about my life except I would take more vacations and definitely visit a snootie health spa out West with my mom.
John and I would have fun giving and supporting our missionary families and friends.

5 Bad Habits...
1. Watching Grey's Anatomy and American Idol-two shows that totally waste time.
2. Staying up too late.
3. Eating too fast...my table manners in general.
4. Procrastinating.
5. Letting house work come before reading God's Word.

5 places I have lived...
1. The three houses in Brentwood, Tn I grew up in with my family.
2. An apartment at the Grove with Kori.
3. The house my brother and I shared.
4. My apartment in Columbus, Ga and Mrs. Sear's amazing house!
5. Our apartment in Huntsville, Al

5 jobs I have had...
1. A camp counselor for Universal Cheerleaders Association.
2. A customer service rep and sales associate for MCOM.
3. Assistant to the Headmaster at Calvary Christian School and Varsity Cheerleading Coach
4. Fitness Director and Personal Trainer for The Country Club of Columbus
5. Personal Trainer at the Huntsville Hospital Wellness Center

No Pressure But YOU have been tagged...
1. Penny Philley
2. Ashley Turnbull- ok.. you already did this.
3. Amy Schnorrenberg
4. Dayna Whitlock

Missing Dada

Can you see it on Gabrielle's face? We are just a little sad because we are missing John. I have been so blessed by my friends here who have included me in their dates with their husbands, called to check on me, and invited me to lunch. Gabrielle and I are so blessed to have our church family here who loves on us when we are feeling a huge part of our lives is missing! I got another call from John today. I was so happy to hear he is doing well, and he and Craig are diligently working. Gabrielle and I have been surprisingly good even though I miss John's companionship and support at home. The afternoons have been the hardest on both of us. Gabrielle normally does not cry and fuss, but the past two days she has been a little fussy around the time that John comes home from work.
When I found her staring down the stairs, I knew exactly who she was waiting to see come through the door.Times like this bless me in several ways. One is by feeling the love and support of friends. Another is having moments in my day that make me appreciate the husband and father that John is. Finally, I realize that two are indeed better than one, but 3 is even better!!