-Boxing-

Last weekend I went to my first boxing match. It was at Fitzgerald's casino and it was AWESOME!! Since I have been doing kickboxing, I am starting to appreciate how HARD boxing really is. We do all kinds of punches and I am out of breath and dripping with swett hitting just a bag...I can't imagine how hard it would be to hit that hard and have to bob and weave and have another person trying to hit you back...
We sat in the press seats ring side..At first I was scared to death that I would get blood or a ton of sweat or spit on me, but we were ok. I was definitely freaked out-

There were 6 rounds and 2 of them were chick boxers. The first chicks were cute-ish and pretty feminine, but the second round...not so much. When the boxers enter for their fight they dim the lights and play "their song". Could be anything they want...When they dimmed the lights and played a sone for what I thought was supposed to be a chick round...I thought a guy entered...I was wrong...It was a chick, a TOUGH chick...I think it would be fun to learn how to box, but then I think about having to fight really TOUGH chicks and get blasted in the nose and I an just fine with punching a bag.

Nevis

We just got back from my company trip to Nevis. I cannot explain how beautiful it was. Definitely the most beautiful beach and place I have ever been. I added several pictures so you could get an idea of the island. Where is Nevis you ask??? Well here is a link to a map..http://encarta.msn.com/map_701515040/Nevis.html I have never done that before, so I hope it works. Basically we flew into Miami and got on another plane and went 2 and a half hours south... It is an island in the West Indies. I want to post a few more pictures, but they will be out of order so I might do another post for some snapshots.

No words necessary...

This was the view from our room. We were on the ground level. There was a pool in front then the ocean right after that.
View of the pool and the beach..Man I wish we were still there and not back in the real world..
The pool and the ocean. This was the view from the chair I was parked in all week. The staff would walk around and bring you fresh fruit and ice water.
This is what the outside of the rooms looked like. They were 2 story and covered with palm trees. There were 10-12 buildings like this.
The water was very calm and clear. I really wish I had taken more pictures. I don't think these pictures capture the beauty of this place.

This is the view from the front side of our room. The golf course was right there. For most of the trip that mountain was covered in fog. There were mountains and other islands all around.

These pictures are totaly out of order. We landed in St. Kitts and got on a ferry for about 45 minutes to Nevis. Thank goodness for motion sick medicine! Thanks Casey, my pharmacist!! This picture is looking back on St. Kitts. It was kind of overcast when we arrived.
On our way to dinner the first night we saw this rainbow. So beautiful. This is right by the 18th hole on the golf course.
The pool again...

This picture was taken at a local place called Sunshines down from the hotel. This local guy was trying to teach me some dance (and sell us cd's and jewelry). Sunshines is a shack, but is very popular. They have pictures of several celebrities on the doors of the shack. The food was fantastic and very cheap.
Ed and another guy from the trip playing golf.
Here is our roon. We stayed at the Four Seasons and let me just say we would have never been able to go on this trip if my company had not paid for it. We were treated like royalty. The service was great and the room was huge.
The bathroom-
Here is a view of our room on the outside. It doesn't look like much from the outside. We were the last room on the bottom.

We had a great trip. I wish I had more pics of Ed and me together. It looks like we were on our honeymoon b/c there is only one of us in the picture at a time.. Ha Ha.. I have got to be better about that.

Lately

I forgot to post this picture around Halloween, so I thought I would throw everyone for a loop and post it now...Ed looks so fly!! This is the first time in years I have dressed up. It was fun-I usually hate halloween...




We have been keeping busy. We celebrated our 4 year anniversary, time flies..Every anniversary my mom and I say to eachother "aren't you glad it is not 4 or 3 or 2 years ago when we were planning the wedding and all the nonsense that goes along with it..."

I went to North Carolina 2 weeks ago to visit my friend Becca, then went to Nashville on Friday to see Amanda and baby Will, then to Knoxville for Becca's baby shower. I worked every spare moment last week making her baby bedding. I will post pics soon..




I have been kickboxing 4 or 5 times a week and I LOVE it!!! I get the best workout I have ever done and all I have to do is show up...the instructor is so good that he makes a 50 minute class fly by meanwhile we are all pouring with sweat and exhausted.




Ed and I are going on a company trip that I won in less than a month. We are going to Nevis, island in the West Indies...I don't know that much about it, but it is an island in the Carribean, about 2 hours south of St. Thomas (my grandmother showed me where it was in her encyclopedia one Wednesday after lunch.)

Bye Caroline!!!

One of my best Freinds in Memphis moved to Costa Rica on Sunday. It was bittersweet...Caroline and I met a couple of years ago at the gym and became instant friends. The kind of friend that doesn't come around all the time. We have so much in common on all levels. We would go to dinner at least once a week at Bonefish...(our favorite) and get sushimi tuna and salads. She had been in pharmaceutical sales for 6 years and was ready for a change. Her retired parents moved to Costa Rica for a year and a half to teach at a school where missionaries in training send their kids. There was an opening for a science teacher and Caroline decided to go. Although she has never taught science and doesn't know much about it..haha. She had 2 weeks to quit her job, pack up her entire apartment and have it put in storage, pack 2 suticases and move.

It has been a whirlwind.... tons of "last dinners" and events, but I am so happy for her. I know God puts certain things on your heart and this was definitely one of those situations... God has been with her every step of the way...I was not sad (until Ed and I took her to the airport) at all because I know God is in control and this is a great opportunity in her life. You can only grow from quitting your corporate job and moving to a foreign country and feeling peace about it. Caroline loves to travel, is great at meeting new people and will eat at a restaurant by herself...that says a lot- I don't know many people who will go to a restaurant and eat a meal alone. She can totaly move to a foreign country and be fine. Well, Those were my thoughts until we were sitting at the airport and Ed starts saying that he is not sad b/c he feels like this is a spiritual journey and that she will do great and so on...then I start to tear up and so does she. Friends like that do not come around all the time and I know we will always be close, but I will miss going to her apartment and hanging out, or going to a fun new restaurant together because she loves to try new things,or going to our weekly Bonefish dinners, or sitting on her patio and talking..I will miss her. I know we have email, but it is not the same. Eventually email will be normal, but it may take a few weeks...I will definitely be planning a trip to Costa Rica this spring...can't wait!

She moved last night to a house where she will be renting a room. Her parents found this place and it is very nice compared to all the other options. (hot water, nice place, privacy and so on). She is renting a room from a lady who has a daughter who moved to the U.S. We found out that she also has another daughter who is living there. She said the lady only speaks Spanish and her daughter speaks both. It will be very interesting to see what all happens while she is there. They cooked her a great Mexican meal last night- I hope she remembers all the recipes so she can tell me. She will be there for 5 months, then will decide what she will do next. Today was her first day of teaching (EVER) so I am curious to see how it went.

I am very proud of her and can't wait to see what God has in store for her!!!

Christmas and New Years!

We had a great Christmas. We usually have dinner at my parents Christmas eve, but this year, since my mom was so busy, we had the dinner at our house. I fixed appetizers and dinner. I loved every minute of it. We finally broke out our wedding china and it was so pretty. I am kind of mad at myself for waiting so long to use it. I will definitely not be afraid to use it again. I kept thinking it would be this huge ordeal, but it wasn't. Here is Ed snacking on the spinach dip and crap ragoons.
I can't believe how much I enjoyed setting the table. For years, I would cringe when my mom would ask me to setthe table, now I enjoy it.

My uncle took this picture sitting at the table. It is my grandmother and him!


My cute dad opening a gift.
The last time I was at my grandmothers I got out her broom to sweep up some leaves I tracked in. Her broom had seen better days, so guess what she got for Christmas!!??!!

I only put up a small tree this year. It worked out great. Here is my mom and sister in law chatting. I was so glad my mom got to relax this year and didn't have to cook.

Christmas day we went over to Ed's grandmother's house. This is Ed's sis, Anna. Ed must have gotten a lump of coal as a gift...that is the only reason he would have such a somber look on his face.

Then HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We went to a nice dinner with Casey and Justin at Folks Folly. It was so delicious.
I messed up the pictures, so I do not have one of the 4 of us.

It is so refreshing to start a new year. I think it is a great time to reflect over the past year and realize how blessed we all are. I am looking forward to 2008. I am not a fan of making new years resolutions only Jan 1, although I think it is good idea. I think we should constantly be thinking of ways to challenge ourselves and improve and make "new years resolutions" all year long.

Happy new year!

My grandmother, Granny Ida

I have been meaning to post this for a while. My sweet little grandmother passed away a couple of weeks ago. I say little b/c at 10 I was taller than she was. She is my dad's mom and had a stroke about a year and a half ago. She was almost 89 and lived a full life. I wasn't as close to her as my other grandmother until she had her stroke b/c she was always busy. We always had to schedule a time to see her way in advance b/c she was always booked! If is was not bowling, coordinating and attending meetings with her church groups, playing bunco or bridge, or working her volunteer job as a church secretary she was attending car club meetings with my grandad or shopping for clothes.

She loved to dress in style. I will never forget the time my mom and I noticed a pair of croks in her closet! What is a 87 year old woman doing with a pair of croks and where did she get them and how did she know they were the "hot item" at the time? She was so sweet and timid until she had her stroke, then she would say whatever she wanted, but she was still sweet..We all had to laugh! She was hard of hearing so it got to be a little embarrassing when she would think she was whispering and she would say very loudly "so and so is really getting fat" right when they were walking by. Strokes can change a person, she would have never said that before.



She lived the last year of her life in a nursing home. Her stroke paralized her entire left side so her life changed drastically. She went from super independent to not being able to do anything for herself. She made the best of it and still cared about her friends and family and fashion. I tried to keep her feeling as normal as possible by painting her nails every couple of weeks. She was one of the only ladies in the nursing home with her nails painted. She was so sweet and cute. I really got to know her more this past year and a half. I would go by a few times a week and visit her and some of the other ladies in the home. It has been a few weeks and I miss her. I miss stoping by during lunch and eating with her and doing her nails in the sunroom. Even though I know she is in a better place, I miss visiting with her. I learned a lot form her and will never forget it.



I want to encourage anyone who reads this blog to visit the elderly, they LOVE it! Take your kids to a nursing home and walk around and just smile and say hi. You will be surprised how much it means to them. There are so many people in mursing homes who never get visitors. True, some of the people have no mind at all and do not care, but they appreciate a hug or a smile. There are others, like my grandmother who loved her visitors. Her friends and family helped make each day there ok. It may be a little uncomfortable at first, but gets easier and it is amazing to see people's faces light up when someone gives them some attention.

Yes, I do remember that I still have a blog!

Where have I been you ask? Well, I have been busy with work, going to events with Ed for the magazine and decorating houses. I have also been frustrated with how I never read the directions on how to create albums and store my pictures on the computer and am having to learn the hard way. I sit at the computer for a while with every intent to blog, then get so tired of dealing with my pictures that I have to get up and do something else.

Anyway, back to decorating. Here is a house that I have been working on for a while...buying all the stuff for the built ins and arranging it, ordering new furniture and I finally was able to do something with the wall with the flat screen stuck to it and the components box. Here ya go!


Here is the BEFORE. This is what I was given to work with...or around. The t.v. was put on the wall and the little box next to it holds all the equipment...Those items had to stay... The client also wanted to keep the room green.





There were 100 cords behind that little box too, so it could not be moved!



These are out of order, again I am not good with the pictures. Here are the built ins. I got most of the items and displayed them. It was a lot of fun. My first time to arrange built ins. Also notice the new furniture....






This is the t.v wall. I tried to put new with old and I think it worked. The white spot will be covered with paint...the people who installed the t.v. made extra holes and they had to fill them in. I think it turned out great considering the challenge I was given. I had a blast doing it.


I also didn't put those pumpkins out..They are just holiday decoration!! I have been working on another house that I will post about later!

Ed's granmother and her sister!

This clip was taken a few weeks ago when we went to Raleigh, NC for a big Land family party. Pretty funny! When the band was taking a break they had the cute little ladies dancing!

What's up with us?

The first University of Memphis game was Saturday...It was way too hot for a football game...We were sweating so bad...All the Ole Miss girls in their cute little dresses were sweating through those too!! It was definitely a sight to see...The excitement was in the air before the game. Tailgating everywhere.. Here is a U of M helmet grill we saw that was classic... A diehard fan had this grill parked outside his RV and was grilling away.

Here are two extremely hot ,and I mean temperature, Memphis fans...I can't wait for fall weather. I love going to games, but not in this heat... AND Memphis lost!!!

My best friend, since 9th grade, Becca came in town a few weeks ago and we had a blast. I wish I had a picture of us in 9th grade to post with this picture. I wish she lived closer- maybe one day

I had my 10 year highschool reunion and it was such a great blast from the past. This is my friend Allison. Becca, Allison and I hung out all the time in highschool. We lost touch with Allison and havn't talked in 6 years, so it was great to see her. Where do you start when you havn't talked in 6 years? It was kind of funny at first, you have so many thoughts that you want to say and it is hard know where to begin... It is kind of surreal seeing and talking to classmates you have not spoken a word to in 10 years too!

I have been working, getting back into a serious work out routine and eating regime, decorating, going to Memphis Sport events, and having a great time doing it all...Except the eating, but it gets easier with time.

My friend Casey had her little girl and she is precious! I am enjoying watching Casey be a mom. She is doing a great job and is a natural!!

That's about it for me!

JT Show!!

The JT show was great - We had awesome seats thanks to our friend Becky...So much fun!!!The stage was in the middle and we were 6-8 rows up from the floor. He put on a great show- Timberland was there too!

I am a nerd for posting this on my blog... I know!

Baby bedding and Decorating

I have been staying very busy sewing and decorating. Here are the pictures of Casey's baby bedding. I love this fabric so much. I love that it isn't baby fabric...She has curtains in the room now. Henly is almost here...only a couple of weeks...time flies.


Here is an up close view of the bedding.






Some friends of ours bought a house that is twice the size of their old house and asked me to deocrate. I love it b/c they basically told me that really do not want to be involved so I can do what I want...I started with some paint colors for the kitchen, hall and two bathrooms then onto the den. I am waiting for the furniture to be ready and delivered.(they did go with me to pick out the den furniture...they wanted to be involved in that) I bought tons of accessories for their built- ins and accessorized them...When I get the new furniture I will post before and after pics. Meanwhile, I have been working on their bedroom curtains... I don't know what the people before were thinking...These are the ugliest window treatments EVER! I fixed them though... Jenny wanted to keep the topper, so we did.. and it actually looks great in the room

BEFORE









AFTER


Those stripes were terrible!!! There is also a smaller winddow in the room that had to be fixed....

I am having a blast with the house. I will definitely post more pics...

Tomorrow is the Justin Timberlake concert- yes, I know I am about to be 28 and am still going...

TAGGED!!!

1.I had to ask what to do
2. I thought there was a list of questions I was supposed to answer
3. I love old people
4. I eat lunch with my grandmother every Wednesday
5. I visit my other grandmother in the nursing home as much a possible.
6. My husband is awesome
7. I love that he will call me out if I am acting ridiculous
8. We have a great marriage and are very happy
9. Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing if I had not met ED
10. Probably would have changed jobs 4-5 times and would not live in Memphis and would not be fulfilled.
11. Would not be working out as much
12. Would not have many of the friends I have today
13. I love my family
14. My parents and I have gotten so close over the past few years and I love them a ton!
15.They still live in the same house I grew up in
16. My mom is starting a new job this year- she had the same one for 20 something years...she is nervous, but she will do great
17. I love decorating and sewing
18. I am currently decorating a house and loving it
19. We didn't win the kickball championship
20. There is always next year!
21. I love our friends and I love making new ones
22. My mom taught me how to use a sewing machine years ago and I hated it...
23. Now I sew all the time
24. I am no longer scared of cutting into very expensive fabric
25. I want to be on the HG tv show design star
26. I want to be more disciplined about working out and eating better.
27. I have definitely slacked lately
28. Thank goodness for mascara- I second Casey!!
29. Why didn't anyone tell me how to use it in highschool?
30. My 10 year is next month.
31. Sometimes when I see people from highschool, they do not recognize me b/c now I have eyes and straight hair...
32. There are some red heads I see at random who I want to walk up to and say...
33.Here are a couple of things I wish people had told me that will help you out...
34. Casey and I should write a book about red heads
35. I might start painting again- with acrylics
36. Going to the Justin Timberlake concert in 2 weeks
37.I like to drive fast
38. Our house is for sale
39. I love decorating inside, but hate planting flowers and yard work
40. But I love cutting the grass
41. Ed cuts his own hair
42. Ed kicked 3 homeruns in the last kickball game
43.He is also a musician and I don't understand music at all-
44.We have drums set up in our house
45.One couple who looked at our house had a hard time imagining if a bed would fit in the drum room...WHAT?
46. I can't stand liars- no matter what about..
47 is a Land family special #
48.I love going to football games
49. I love rap and have it all over my IPOD
50. wow, halfway through...I hope I can think of 50 more things...
51. We don't have kids and almost all of our friends do..
52.My in-laws are great
53. i dont like to get manicures or pedicures b/c I don't like to sit still for that long and i would rather do them myself
54. I have become a neat freak
55. I love to cook and try new foods
56. My friend Caroline and I ate at Emril's in Orlando and it was the best food i have ever eaten.
57.I still think about that food- Ridiculous, I know
58. I love for people to challenge me and for me to challenge them
59. I work for a waste company and have been to the landfill
60. My ear hurts many days from being on the phone so long
61. I love to look at people's faces when I tell them I work for a waste menegement co...
62. I love getting good deals on anything...
63.I am so glad that all my college friends still keep in touch
64.I thank God everyday for blessing me
65. I feel close to God
66. I love going to Mexico
67.I took 2 years of spanish and can't remember a lick of it
68. I have never had a dog
69. sometime I think I might want one, then I chicken out b/c they shed and smell
70. I like my house spotless
71. I never get in my bed at night before showering
72. I hate for anyone to sit on our furniture if they are dirty
73. I like to be doing projects all the time
74. I barely ever take naps...only on Sunday afternoon every few months
75.I wake up 4-6 times every night
76.I don't think I have ever slept through the night
77. I can go and go all the time, but then it will hit me and I need to have down time..
78. I need it every few weeks for 1 night
79. I never sit around in my work clothes...
80.I love to watch so you think you can dance
81. Facebook is so much fun
82. I could spend hours in fabric stores
83. I do house all the house projects
84. I am a control freak about house things
85. It's ok b/c most of the time Ed likes for me to handle it all
86.My grandmother has given me a ton of china and interesting things that I have in my china cabinet-
87. She let me go through her house and pick out what I wanted then she wrote about them so I could always remember
88. She is amazing!
89.I am very happy in life
90.Over the past few months I have learned a lot about myself
91. Ed and I want to make a difference in people's lives
92.Casey, I bet you didn't think I would do this!!!
93. I miss Bill, Holly, Virginia and Henry
94. They moved to Florida
95. I love blogs and think they are awesome to keep in touch with people
96. i love spin class- I go 2 times a week, sometimes 3.
97. Almost there- it didn't take nearly as long as I thought
98. I feel sorry for celebrities- they are stalked and every move they make is recorded...I can't imagine that life- it would be so hard
99. "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing"... Lidge Turman
100. Life is good and I hope no matter what I always feel that way

I tag Meredith, Shores and Steph...In case you are like me and don't have a clue- you just write 100 things about yourself!!

THE SPORTS BALL

To catch you up on everything... Ed has been writing for the Memphis Sport magazine for over a year. He has had a blast writing, going to events with a press pass, getting all the inside info, meeting professional athletes at golf tournaments, fights, games and all other sporting events. Recently, Mike and Kim, the couple who started the magazine asked Ed if he and I wanted to buy into the magazine and become part owners. We said definitely! We are now co-owners of the magazine. Ed is working with Memphis Sport full time and I am doing things here and there. I mostly go to events and help where I can, but this is Ed's thing. We are getting to meet all kinds of high profile people and are having a blast. The magazine is fully supported by advertising and is free to the public. 30,000 copies of each issue are printed and distributed throughout Memphis.

This is an answer to many prayers for Ed. He is getting to use all of his talents for something that he LOVES..sports. We are excited to see what the future holds...

Last night we went to the Sports Ball. It is an event to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters charity. The slogan is "Games for grown- ups, futures for kids." They had poker tables with dealers and play money, a mechanical bull, basketball, moon walks, NASCAR simulators, and a ton more games. People dress up in formal wear and wear tennis shoes. I chose to keep on my sandals even though my feet were killing me by the end of the night--We had a blast!

We got picked up in a racing Limo...haha. (one of the perks of the magazine...we can barder--- you provide the limo and we will provide free advertising!!)

Here is the limo- We got so many looks while on the road.
The inside was pretty sharp. I had no idea what to expect-

Here is the gang. We all had so much fun. We also got free Nike's at the event. That is what is in all those bags.
This is my friend Caroline. We met at the gym about a year and a half ago. She has become one of my best friends. We got to gamble with play money. We started out with just one of these bills- we won BIG!!
Doesn't Ed look HOT!! He rocked his tux! We had a wonderful time and look forward to many more great Memphis Sport memories.

once again, it has been a while...

As usual, I haven't updated my blog in forever so here is my attempt.... Really I just like reading other people's blogs and looking at their pictures. I have realized in the past month or two that I am definitely a person who likes to dabble in 100 things rather than focus on 5. I like to get involved in several projects and when I get tired of one, I move on to another, then come back to other ones and finish. I am not saying I start a lot of projects and never finish them, but I just like a lot of variety...



Most of you know this, but I have also decided to stay at my job. I think I needed to see what else is out there to appreciate what I have. Isn't that the case with most things. I thought I was over that, but I guess not with my job. I have a great sense of peace about the whole thing.. I decided to start challenging myself more and not relying on a job to challenge me.



I got my sewing machine back out and have been sewing. I made was Casey's baby bedding. I need to post a picture, but I haven't taken one yet.
The next thing I am going to make is some bedding for our bed. I have never been happy with our bedding. I have tried several things out and have changed many times... I am going to find the fabric and make exactly what I want. I think I thought it would be too big and hard, but I am ready to tackle that now.. I will start the fabric search tomorrow.


Ed and I are going to put our house on the market next week . We are not sure where we want to move and we want to take our time, so the plan is to move down the street to a house that his parents own and live there until we decide. And NO WE ARE NOT moving in with my in-laws, although I wouldn't have a problem with that...they are great. They have had this house in Memphis as a transition place while they were renovating their house in Kentucky and moving from their other house in Memphis. They finished the renovations in Kentucky and have moved all of their furniture out. Ed has started working from home most of the time, so he needs an room big enough for an office and a music room and I need a place to sew. Right now he has a music room, but with a drum set and guitars and speakers, there is no room for a big desk and computer equipment. This new house has a 4th bedroom upstairs and will be perfect until we decide what we want to do. This will also give me a very fun decorating project as well more space to work. Most of the walls in the house are plain, so I have already pulled all the paint colors and I will get started on that soon. I am excited to try a new paint scheme. I am testing out some bold but warm colors. I will post before and after pictures....


Another thing I am working on is putting things away at home as I use them. Our house is typically clean and if stuff is out it can be put away in 5-10 minutes. Well, this week I have started trying to clean up right when I use something. I can't leave my make up out all over the bathroom counter with the thought that I will get it later if we are having house showings. I can't leave my coffee spoon and cereal bowl on the counter b/c I don't feel like putting it in the dishwasher, I have to hang up the clothes that were hung up but I tried them on that morning to wear to work and finally decided on the 5th shirt. Usually I throw them all over a chest in our closet then and it becomes a huge pile and then I do it the next day too. How hard is it to hang up the shirt right after you try it on and decide it's a no? It is a new challenge...haha. How many days in a row do you have to do something before it is a habit?

Bar-B-Q fest

I had to copy Casey and put this picture on my blog...This year at Bar-B-Q fest we met "the king".