No Seven Year Itch Yet

The following was the wall post I wrote on my husband's facebook page today.


"Judd, I've loved you for 7 years now. Well, really more than that if you count all the years I spent dreaming of you when I was a little girl. You truly are the man I always dreamed I would marry. You even met all of the criteria on my "dream husband" list. Ha. My life is richer and better because you are in it. These past 5 years of marriage and 2 years of courtship have been the best of my life. Happy 5th Anniversary!!!!! I love you!!!!"


I've loved him basically my entire adult life because I met him when I was an 18 year old freshman at Auburn University. If only I had known him a few years earlier then I could've met him when he looked like this.





Sorry, I just had to throw that in there. Ha.



I love him because he loves my friends. Note: He does not usually wear ties like this. He was at an all girl tacky Christmas party because, well, he loves me that much.

I love him because even on the worst of days I still think he is precious and because he makes even the worst of days better. Remember this one honey? This was the Auburn Architecture Bake Sale/Pumpkin Carve. Things were a little soggy and cold.

I love him because he is outdoorsy. This is a picture of a month long hiking/canoeing trip he took with his grad. school cohort in Canada.

I love him because he is fun to travel with. Aww, Charleston you stole our hearts. So much so that we literally almost moved there twice.

I love him because he is a great buddy to take to the beach. This was at Lulu's (Jimmy Buffet's sister's restaurant) in Gulf Shores, AL.

I love him because he is a great friend to me and to others.

I love him because he is great date to a fancy party. He's quite the dancer. And I think he looks dashing in a tux.
I love him because he loves his family and because he is a great big brother.

I love him because he can really grill and/or cook all things well.

I love him because he's sporty. Well, this doesn't exactly count as sporty. But, I'm typing this on my lunch break at work and don't have many pictures to choose from. He loves sports of all kinds and plays them all well. He played football and baseball in high school.I love him because we share a love for this amazing, charming, family-friendly, and fun place. Auburn, Al. is where we met, dated, fell in love, and lived the first few years of our marriage.

I love him because he is just down right funny. He is definitely not afraid to take chances.

I love him because he loves my family. Specifically because he is so good to my grandmother. She is such an important and special part of my life. He knows it and is so sweet, helpful, and loving to her because of it.

Most importantly I love him because he made this day and all the days that have followed the best of my life.

Happy 5th Anniversary Judd!!!!! I love you!!!!!!

Bridesmaid Baby Cakes- Take I

You may remember from some previous posts that I am hosting the bridesmaids' luncheon for my future sister-in-law, Brenna. You also may (or may not...it's ok. I don't blame you. Who can keep up with it all?) remember that I decided to make the baby bridesmaids cakes from Southern Living for dessert at the luncheon. I posted about them here.



My mom came over for a test run of making the baby cakes. The recipe called for Poppy Seed Cake. That sounded too time consuming and, well, just not as good as regular ole' cake. She brought over every cake baking/decorating item she had. I pulled out all of my stuff too. We started our test run with all of this (see below). We had parchment triangles, couplers, icing tips (numbers one, three, and sixteen), cake mixes, canned icing, powdered sugar, candy quick, whipping cream, cream cheese, white icing color, almond extract, vanilla extract, etc.





We decided that between us we had enough boxes of cake mix to use instead of making homemade cake. We pulled a Sandra Lee. You know, she hosts that show "Semi-homemade." Note: I seriously didn't know that show came on the air anymore. I just found out when I looked it up to make the link above. I thought they stopped making it years ago. That shows what I know. :)





In an ideal world all of the cake flavors would have been the same. Well, my little perfectionist self has come to terms with the fact that we don't live in an ideal world and that multiple cake flavors will be ok in the end. All of us girls at the luncheon can just taste each other's and swap. It'll be like trading desserts in the 3rd grade lunchroom. What fun!

We made vanilla cake, devil's food cake, and chocolate fudge cake. Here's the science behind our cake choices. We chose these because we had two boxes of each of these flavors. We were making the cakes on jelly roll pans and had to double the recipe to make two sheet cakes of each flavor on two jelly rolls pans. We needed enough to have two layers of cake. Each cake will be decorated with each attendee's monogram. (Brenna, do you know who likes what kind of cake? I can monogram accordingly to minimize the cake swapping.)


And we were off. First we made two white cakes. While those were baking, we mixed together the devil's food cakes and started on the icing.

All of these pictures were taken on Judd's iphone. The photo quality is not great but you get the idea. If you don't have a seizure and/or your eyes don't cross from looking at it (it's blurry y'all. sorry.) the photograph below is of me making the icing. I used the butter cream frosting recipe found in Southern Living. You can get the full recipe in that link to the previous post at the top. The frosting calls for 2 lbs. of powdered sugar (make sure to sift it first), 1 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of whipping cream, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract and 1 teaspoon almond extract.

Now Vanna...oops I mean Momma...show them what they've won...er...I mean made.

The cakes will look like this when you take them out of the oven. Your Momma might not look like this and she might not stand like Vanna White, but the cakes will definitely look like this.

I purchased a scalloped edged cookie cutter from Hobby Lobby for .99 cents. It most resembled the one Southern Living used. We cut out the vanilla cakes first once they had had time to cool. Forgive the sweatpants and old sorority t-shirt. It's not 1950 y'all. I just don't know how June Cleaver managed in her kitchen in those heals and dresses. (Disclaimer-I don't know what is up with all of the TV references. I guess I'm just in a mood. Well, that and I couldn't resist that Vanna - Momma thing).

Here's June

Here's Me. Ha. When all three cake flavors had baked and cooled we topped the layers with the butter cream frosting and sandwiched them together. By this point it was getting pretty late. We didn't have it in us to attempt the poured fondant. Take II will happen tonight. I'll let you know how they turn out.

As we were cleaning up, the living vacuum walked in to help. By living vacuum I mean nearly 100 lb dog who will eat anything. I think he was disappointed because our adventure was pretty tidy and he didn't get many crumbs.

He hammed it up for the camera anyway though. I think he knew I was going to post this on the blog and that he should probably smile. Ok, maybe not.

Dear Diary

Warning this post uses the blog as a diary of sorts. I'm exhausted and needed an avenue to vent. I will probably immediately regret posting any of this.

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I don't usually write posts about my school work or my professional work. Our posts usually consists of pretty rooms and pictures, fun events we attended, and things going on with our families. I am breaking out of our norm today.

astg

I am so tired that I barely have the energy to type. Judd and I have been going at a pace of what feels like 100 miles an hour for weeks. He has been extremely busy with work. He has been traveling often. I have been extremely busy with work, school, and life in general. I am already hitting a breaking point and there is no end in sight for our busy schedule.

sdfg

Have you ever been so tired that you just want to cry? I don't mean to be a complainer. I recognize the irony in what I am posting and how it does not coincide with the scripture passage offered in my sidebar today. Forgive me. I know that my problems are trivial compared to the problems of others. For that I am grateful.

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I know what I signed on for when deciding to pursue my Ph.D. while working full-time. I watched my mother go through the same process for years and she had us in tow the whole time. I know it can be done. I also know that it is not going to be easy.

zfg

I worked two jobs while getting my Master's full-time. You would think I would have it all figured out by now. Well, I don't.

zdfh

I feel like I am prematurely aging. I know, I know...I'm only 25 and that is young in the grand scheme of things. But I don't feel young. I feel tired, stressed, and depleted. I feel like other people my age don't have the same stresses on them. In fact, I am at least two decades behind everyone in my doctoral cohort age wise. This confirms my feeling about my peers. I sometimes wonder what I am doing there.

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I just finished my final paper for my EDL 705 class. It was a management action plan for a strategic planning initiative in my office. It ended up being 42 pages long!!!!! I worked feverishly on it for weeks. That task alone would be manageable; however, I have had and still have multiple deadlines for things at work going on at the same time. You know, work, the job I get paid to perform. The one I have to keep. The one that is paying for my schooling. The one that is half of our livelihood. No pressure right???

SDf

Also, we have been traveling for and attending wedding parties every single weekend since March 27th. We love being able to share in the joy of our brothers' weddings. I truly wouldn't trade it for anything. The festivities have just added to our crazy schedule making everything a little more hectic.

sdg

There doesn't seem to be any end in sight. Although my final paper was due at midnight last night, I still have several major projects at work to complete within the next few weeks. For instance, I had a major report for student credit hours due to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education due Monday. I still have to complete two reports for UAB's Southern Association of Colleges and School's (SACS) accreditation. I have to finish and publish the university's Facts & Figures book. I have to complete a survey pertaining to graduate students from Peterson's and one additional survey. I have to compile planning profile notebooks for the Provost to distribute to the deans. I just feel like there are not enough hours in the day to finish it all.

SDfg

On top of that, my brother's rehearsal dinner is TOMORROW. His wedding is FRIDAY. Mother's Day is Sunday. How on earth am I going to be able to maintain my composure and energy for all of it since I have been going on very few hours of sleep for the past two weeks?

saDg

This post is just a rant. I can't seem to articulate the weight that is on my shoulders. I feel like I am juggling so many balls that I can't keep them all in the air.

asdg

Tonight when I get home I have to find the strength to clean our house from top to bottom because all of our extended family is coming in town for the wedding tomorrow. Some of them are staying with us and the others will be coming over for a visit. How am I going to manage it? I told Judd yesterday that my heart has been hurting for days and I've been having trouble breathing. I guess it is anxiety.

saDg

Someone (who will remain nameless) who doesn't work actually told me he was too busy to do something the other day. It was all I could do not to laugh in that person's face. The fatigue must really be getting to me. I have lost my compassion.

ADfg

I just want to escape it all but I know I can't. I also know if I did I would be really sad. We haven't even had a chance to think about the fact that our 5 year anniversary is the following weekend--May 14th. I wanted to take a quick trip or plan something fun. Instead, we'll probably just veg that weekend and rest our heavy eyelids

dfhj

Judd leaves for Mobile, AL for work the Monday following our anniversary. Wednesday of that week I'll drive down to Brewton by myself and meet him there for his brother's wedding since he'll be coming from the south and I'll be coming from the north.

sdg

I need a break. I can tell when I get to breaking point. I'm there. I've been there for a few days now. You would think that as the month of May comes to an end I should feel a wave of relief. I know I won't though. On June 1st I begin two of my summer classes. One of which is my next highest level of statistics. I'm scared about it.

adf

I know that being a type-A perfectionist doesn't help any of this. I know that some people would be able to just roll with the punches and not worry too much about any of it. I am just not wired that way. I set personal goals for myself. I always have. Every task I complete comes with an action plan or a to do list. If I don't reach those goals I am devastated.

sdg

The goals I have set for myself during this crazy time are: I have to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I've never made a B in graduate school. I am not about to start now. I have to exceed all expectations set for me at work. I have to maintain a happy and healthy marriage (this one is by far the most important). I have to maintain a lovely home and be a gracious hostess. I have to be the support that our brothers and their fiance's need during this busy and important time in their lives. I have to be the friend/colleague/wife/daughter/sister/granddaughter that other's need me to be. On top if it all, I'm expected to be pleasant and enthusiastic about it all.

zdfh

I know this post is just the plight of all women in general. We are expected to meet ridiculous standards. We are the planners, organizers, care takers, food providers, etc. for the world around us.

zdfhg

I recognize I am blessed to have a husband that helps with it all. If I didn't, I don't know how I could function. He makes even the darkest moments seem brighter. I recognize I am lucky to be employed. I recognize I am blessed to have the opportunity to attend graduate school. I recognize I am fortunate to have family. None of this is to say that I am not grateful for every amazing thing God has put in my life. I am so thankful for all of it. I know my usual optimism will return shortly. I am just tired and grumpy and needed to let it all out.

zdfh

I think I'll go home and spend lots of time in the bathroom tonight

...scrubbing toilets for our company that is.

Since I'll be in there for a while I might as well pretend I'm in this.

Source: Mary Evelyn McKee

sdg
Here's to dreaming right???

Bells and Bales

My next few posts will be about events from the last month or so. We've been so busy with work, school, traveling, and wedding parties I am just now beginning to catch up on it all.
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On March 27th my future sister-in-law, Brenna, had her bridal tea. It was her first shower. We were happy to be in Brewton to share in the excitement. The shower was a brunch complete with initialed cupcakes.

Brenna graciously opened her gifts. She received lots of beautiful things.

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Brenna with her hostesses

Being the super star planner that she is, Brenna had already printed a few beautiful pages she had made to record gifts. I helped her with that task while she opened each present clearly unaware that my picture was being taken.


Her sweet niece, Aly, helped too. I think she knew she was having her picture taken, don't you?

After the shower, Judd, his parents, and I all went out to the farm to feed the cows. This is where the "bales" part of the title comes into play. Terry, Judd's daddy, needed to take them some hay.
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Judd's parents own one farm (the one with the cabin as posted about here) and they lease another in order to have a place to switch the cows to and from as needed. The cows are currently at the leased property--The Lucas Farm. Terry has farmed on this property for years. It is a beautiful place. Notice the Spanish moss hanging on the tree limbs. It doesn't get more deep south than that. This was the first really warm weekend we had so the leaves on the trees had not come out yet. I'll have to take another picture of this tree next time we go down. I'm sure it's beautiful now with green leaves.


I love seeing the Langham men on the old blue tractor. One of the first times Judd went home to visit his parents when we had first started dating he called me while driving. I asked him what he was doing. He told me he was following his dad, who was on the tractor, to a repair shop. He was driving down the main street of town. He laughed and told me Terry was just grinning and waving to everybody. I knew then, that Brewton, AL was a place I just had to visit. A place where tractors can drive down major roads. A place where drivers don't get road rage for having to wait. A place where people smile and speak to you as you creep by on your old blue ford. It's such a sweet small town with such a pleasant pace.

Terry got off the tractor and Judd hopped on to help.



After the cows had been fed we walked to the creek on the back of the property. I love all waterfronts in Brewton. The shore is always white sand. The water is always clear. This creek is no exception.


Overall, our weekend of wedding bells and hay bales was great fun! Sometimes going to Brewton is like stepping back in time. There is room to breath and time to take in all that life has to offer.

Hug From Taylor Swift

(photo from http://www.ahugfromtaylorswift.com/)

When watching the local news this morning I heard a story about Taylor Swift making a surprise appearance in Auburn, AL. I didn't catch the whole story. I wasn't sure what had made the star decide to make a trip down to the plains.

When I got to work this morning I noticed that my colleague had forwarded me the rest of the story. You can read about it here.

Some Auburn students completed a series of challenges set by Taylor in hopes of getting a hug from her. Her requests were vague. She left it up to the students to decide how to meet the challenges. The video below is from the first challenge. She asked that they help an elderly woman cross the street and to incorporate her favorite number "13" into a task. The students exceeded her expectations. The way the students met these challenges truly embodies the spirit and hearts of Auburn men and women. Taylor was so impressed that she made a surprise appearance and gave a quick show. Judd and I are so proud to be a small part of such a wonderful place.

War Eagle!

Easter Bone Hunt

This past Easter was a little different for us. For the past 6 years we have spent Easter weekend in Judd's hometown. This year, my brother's fiance's lingerie shower was on Good Friday. Thus, we stayed in Birmingham for the first time in our married lives. I am not going to be able to make it to some of her other showers because of conflicts with my brother-in-law and other future-sister-in-law's parties so it was important that we stayed for it.

To make things even more strange, my parents went to my grandmother's house in Rome, GA for Easter weekend. We were all alone. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Mom and Dad went to spend time with my grandmother. She doesn't travel as easily as she used to. None of us wanted her to spend Easter alone. It was perfectly fine. Things were just a little different for us.

Judd and I made the best of it. The weekend turned out to be really nice. The weather on Sunday was incredible. We went to church first thing Sunday morning. The sermon was one of the best Easter sermons I've ever heard. It was really great!

When we came home we decided to take a picture via Judd's iphone in our mirror of us in our Easter clothes. It was kind of strange to take Easter pictures alone too. The mirror seemed to work fine. Ha. Note the fine photo quality below {insert sarcasm}. In fact, note the fine photo quality throughout. Our camera batteries were dead so everything below was taken on the iphone.


Then we decided to give our dog, Cole, his treats from the Easter bunny. The weekend before, Judd's mom had given us a huge bag of bones for Cole's Easter basket. We got the great idea to have an Easter bone hunt instead of an egg hunt. (Yeah, I know we need a real child in our lives in the worst way.) We'll have to wait a few years for that one though.

Cole was in his fenced kennel while we hid the bones. He realized what we were putting down and was intently watching. We hid them just like eggs.

Then, we released the hound.

His sniffer was working really hard. The hunt was on.

He found a few around the fence and in the flower bed. Then he headed over to the patio. Crunch. He ate one he found in the corner.


Afterwards, he walked up the steps in search of the next egg er...bone.

Judd had hid it on the lip of our planter. (Please disregard the fact that I am married to a landscape architect yet have an empty planter.) I had just pulled out all of my herbs that were in it the day before.

Mommy had to help him find the bone.

He used his nose and mommy's help but knocked it off into the dirt. No problem for a big 'ol lab. He slurped it up all the same. Consider the dirt sprinkles. :)

After our big fun with the Easter bone hunt some friends of ours from grad. school at Auburn came over. (That's Adrienne on the left and Judd on the right)

They brought over some friends for Cole as well. Our friends, Adrienne and Scott Burton, brought their fur babies Duke and Hatchet over to play.

(Below-Scott, Duke, Hatchet, and Cole playing by the pool)

It was all fun and games until Hatchet pee peed in the pool. He was real embarrassed. Don't worry, we changed the water immediately. The he jumped right back into the water.

Duke thought Hatchet's accident was hysterical. He came to tell us about it.

All in all, our Easter holiday was great. We also managed to wash both cars after church and work on our tans for a while in the yard. Plus, Adrienne brought over the ingredients to make homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. YUMMY! We had a great time making them.

Parties, Parties, Everywhere

The wedding festivities are in full swing. For those of you just joining us, both my brother and Judd's brother are getting married in May. You can read more about it here. Two weekends ago was Brenna's bridal tea. (I'll do a full post on that soon). Last weekend was Laura's lingerie shower. This weekend is Brenna and Colby's couples shower and Brenna's lingerie shower. Whew.

There's plenty more still to come. When I got home from class last night I found what you see above spread out on our kitchen counter. Judd checked the mail and put out all of the invitations that have come in the last two days for me to see. For a girl who loves pretty papers and cards, getting the mail has become pretty exciting.

We are thrilled to be a part of these special events for our brothers. I'm sure many more posts will follow about all of these gatherings.

Fab's Gone Global

(Picture from my bachelorette party in December of 2004)

My sweet future sister-in-law included my besties in her latest blog post. You can read it by clicking the link to her blog below.


Brenna's Blog - A New Start For the Fab


I'm convinced we're taking over the World Wide Web. Ha.


You can also read more about my besties - aka: The FAB - by clicking here.