Oh yeah, I married a stud....

So I am not a bragger. In fact, I detest people who brag about everything in their life. Yet, right now, I am about to brag. Not about me, but about the person pictured below.






My husband, Trey is one of the most hardworking people that I know. In fact, sometimes, I think that he works TOO hard. He works hard at his job, at home, and in our marriage. This quality is probably one of main reasons that I absolutely adore him. Well, anyway, Trey's job is very important to him. He started working for this job when he was still in college and went full-time after graduation. He sells guns, ammo, flashlights, all things that pertain to hunting. If you know Trey, this is the PERFECT job for him.

After graduation, Trey was given the territory of Eastern Kentucky. When he was offered the territory in Alabama, they let him keep this small territory to finish the year for BENELLI. If you do not have a spouse that hunts, you may be wondering what Benelli is. Well, Benelli is probably the best gun out on the market. Trey has loved selling them because he loves using them. Anyway, fast forward to this past Thursday. Trey has been gone for the entire week to Las Vegas. Shot Show (which is the biggest event for his company) was this past week. On Thursday night, it was the Benelli awards show. I knew that this was an important night because Trey could win an award. Well, Trey not only won one award, he won FIVE awards. Trey won the biggest award which is the Benelli Sales Leader of the Year! This means he sold the most guns out of any sales agent in the United States : ) Woo Hoo! I am so proud of him because he worked so hard and it definitely paid off!!! So here is my bragging for him because I know that he won't tell anyone at all. So, Congrats my love!!!

New Year brings New Changes

So, the one reason I was against starting a blog was because I am a slacker. I would rather watch "The Biggest Loser" or play on FaceBook. I know, I know. Well, my mom and sister have been pestering me to post. So, here goes. I hope I remember how to do this.

Well, I haven't blogged since December 13. I know. It is embarrassing. Anyway, much has happened on the homefront since then. To begin, we had a wonderful holiday season. I LOVE Christmas. I love the tree, presents, and most of all, celebrating the birth of Jesus. We spent much of our time on the road, traveling from Chatt-town to Franklin. I love visiting both sides of our families. It makes me wish I lived closer to them. We rang in the new year by staying here in Clarksville. I know, real exciting. Be jealous. Anyway, it was fun just having a low-key evening with my husband.

On to bigger and better news, my husband is awesome. Back in September, Trey was offered a full territory with his company in the great state of Alabama. Yes, you read correctly ALABAMA. Trey has worked so hard for this company and it is very exciting for us to have a FULL territory servicing Alabama and the Florida panhandle. Well, as you all know, we live almost in Kentucky. You can imagine that this a LONG haul for him to work. So, we have decided to move. Yes, move to Alabama. I know. I can't really believe either.

VOL fans: Please know that you will never catch me saying "Roll Tide" or wearing anything crimson. I promise and cross my orange heart.

Anyway, we are super excited about this new adventure : )

I wanted all my blogging friends to know about this because I have a favor to ask ALL of you. Please pray for us. I do not have a job in Alabama yet, but I am starting to apply. Please join with us in praying for a job for me and a home for us. We are so pumped about this opportunity and we know that it will all work out. Yet, we know that prayer is important in any time where there is change. Thank you so much! I will keep you updated with any info. :)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Father: a male parent; one who gives parental care; one who is a provider.

This definition of a father does not justify MY DAD. He is much more than a parent, much more than just gives parental care, and way much more than just a provider.

I am blessed to be extremely close to both of my parents. Yet, I will say that I feel that I am a Daddy's girl. He has always been there for me. Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed or upset, I know that if I call my dad, he is going to make it okay. My dad loves his family more than anything. He would do anything for anyone of us. I admire my dad for loving our family with his whole heart. He has the most sincere heart. If you are sick, in the hospital, had a family member die, or just not feeling great, my dad is the FIRST person to visit you and spend time with you. He is well-known at the funeral home and hospital for this reason. My mom wants him to be a "pink man" at the hospital when he retires. He would be perfect for it!

So, on my dad's birthday, I just want to say that I am very blessed to have him in my life. He is the best example of a dad, husband, and "Poppy." I love you Dad!!! Have the best birthday : )

A little late but I think I still need to say it...

I know that Thanksgiving was last week, but I was out of town and did not blog. So, here is my Thanksgiving post.

Thanksgiving could possibly be my favorite holiday. I absolutely love it. I hate that so many people try to rush it with putting up Christmas lights and decorations. It truly is a remarkable holiday. I often forget that I have SO much to be thankful for. So for this post I have decided to list what I am thankful for. I will try to be quick because I know that my sister's birthday post was LONG. Sorry but she is kinda a big deal.

What I am thankful for:
1. My husband. He is my best friend and supporter. He is so good to me. Example A: He is taking me to Mexican tonight and to get a Christmas tree, even though he HATES mexican food. Oh, how I love him!
2. My family. I am absolutely nothing without them. I enjoyed spending the holidays with them. They are so fun and we always have a great time. Can not wait until CHRISTMAS with the crew : )
3. My "New" family. Since marrying Trey in June, I gained a HUGE new family. This Thanksgiving, we traveled to Chatt-town to visit. I had the greatest time with both sides of the family. I thoroughly enjoy all of them, especially chilling with my six-year old and nine-year old sister-in laws. They are a riot!
4. A warm bed. I take this for granted when I see that so many do not have the luxury.
5. A job. I know that it is really hard at times to have a positive attitude about work, but I am very thankful for my job.
6. My health. I have never stopped to be thankful for this, but as I am getting older, I am extremely thankful that I am healthy. Also, thankful for my family's health.
7. My amazing friends. Although we are spread across the United States, I love them all dearly and can't wait to see them soon. They are truly great friends. Miss you all.
8. Last but definitely not least, my Lord and Savior who is the meaning of this life. I am so thankful that I can freely worship and have a personal relationship with my heavenly Father.
I could rattle on for days about what I am thankful for but I won't. I will leave you with this:
Be joyful always, pray at all times, be THANKFUL in all circumstances.-1 Thessalonians 5:16.
May we all remember this, especially during the holidays.

Woo Hoo! Christmas in 24 days : ) I guess I should START my shopping : ) Have a blessed day!

Happy Birthday Sissy!

Well, I have been busy lately, so my blog has been neglected. Yet, today is a very important day so I figured I could find the time to create a new post.

Today is the day that my best friend was born. See picture below of who my best friend is.




You guessed it. My best friend in the world is my sister, Amanda. When we were younger and we were fighting, my mother would ALWAYS say, "I just wish I'd a sister to fight with. When you both get older, you will be best friends." Well, I had to admit it, but Mom was right. I think that my sister is the greatest. I would never trade her for a brother. ever. So, in honor of her birthday, I am going to give 29 reasons why I love her. Warning: This may take a while.

1. She is a great confidant. Whenever, I have a problem I call her first.
2. She has the sweetest spirit. She would do anything for anyone at any moment of the day.
3. She has given me the gift of being an aunt. Will and Caroline=enough said.
4. She is beautiful. Whenever I was younger, all of my guy friends would be like "Your sister is so HOTT!" I will admit that I was a little jealous back then. Now, I totally agree with them.
5. She is now has brown hair. I love it, Amanda. You better keep it.
6. She loves the Lord. She has infallible faith. I admire her the most for this.
7. She is a TOTAL scaredy cat. I make fun of her for it. Yet, I can see this in me as well.
8. She has a peanut head. Our family has always laughed about this because she can never wear any hats because her head is so tiny.
9. She shares the love of reality t.v. or magazines with me. When we are together, we could totally watch reality t.v. together without saying a word. When we read those trashy magazines, we are enthralled in them. This bothers our mom so much when she is trying to talk to us.
10. When we were younger, we fought with each other all the time. Yet, when someone else was trying to fight with us, we had each other's back. She is protective of me and me of her.
11. She is emotional. Amanda is that one girl in the movies that cries at every part of the movie, even when it is not sad. I used to make fun of her for this. I now am that girl. Thanks Amanda and Mom.
12. She is a wonderful example of a mother. She loves her children with everything she has. I admire you for that. I hope that when I am a mother I am half as good as you.
13. Her marriage. Amanda and Jesse are a wonderful example of love for Trey and me. I love to see them interact and be totally in love. Keep it up.
14. My mom and Amanda planned my wedding. Enough said.
15. She has a passion for life. She could be doing something so not fun, but she is doing it with a smile on her face.
16. She is a great nurse. She loves people. She makes them feel special when she is taking care of them.
17. She just passed her boards for being a Lactation Consultant. Do not ever tell her you are not going to breastfeed your baby if you don't want to see her grow fangs and sharp claws. Not a pretty sight. Trust me on this one from experience. I now plan on breastfeeding my children, when I have them in ten years.
18. She is a total planner. She loves throwing parties and showers. I did not inherit this gene at all. See #14.
19. She is total computer junkie. I will admit I am one too. We have that in common. We may need help because of it.
20. She is the life of the party. My wedding=greatest example of this. Love you Mandy.
21. She is so creative. She can think of anything and everything. Example A: She made a Thomas cake for my nephew's birthday that looked like it came from Ace of Cakes. Ridiculous.
22.She loves family time. I do too. I can not wait for Thanksgiving and Christmas. CAN NOT WAIT!!!
23.She is my shopping partner. Amanda, Mom, and I can go shopping all day. I always have to pit stop to eat, but then I am good to go.
24.We have the same favorite store. Target. No explanation needed.
25.Whenever we are not with each other, I can call Amanda and talk for a long time. I love our conversations.
26.She is so stinking smart. She has a job, two kids, a house, a husband, and she is still continuing to get her Masters. I am so proud of you.
27.We have the same Alma Mater and we love it. We bleed orange. In fact, our entire family does. Thank goodness, we married men who love it too!
28.Cupcakes. Amanda and I love cupcakes. Whenever I am in town and we are close to Ivey's cupcakes, we MAKE an excuse to go in.
29.Next year, she turns 30. Watch out because we are going to do it BIG!

I love you very much sister! Have a fabulous day! I wish I was with you. Can't wait to see you on Tuesday!!!

My little "stinkabug"

This little nugget was born on November 13, 2006.


He now looks like this:


My little nephew turns THREE tomorrow. I honestly can't believe it.

I remember where we were when Amanda told me she was pregnant. I remember telling Amanda when he was born that "I hope that I love my children as much as I love him right now." I remember crying on my way back to Knoxville because I didn't want to leave him and my family at the hospital. I remember changing his diaper for the first time. I remember being quite disgusted by completing that activity. I remember when he started talking and I heard him say "Jen-Jen" for the first time. I remember talking with him on the phone for the first time and actually having a real conversation.

He will always hold a precious piece of my heart. I can not imagine my life without that sweet little "stinkabug." Happy Birthday Wilbur! You are such a blessing in my life : )

P.S. Uncle Trey and Aunt Jen-Jen can't wait to celebrate your birthday this weekend : )

Umm, Mrs. Lloyd....

So, as many of you know, I teach second grade. Most days, I absolutely love it. It is hard. VERY HARD. Most days, I leave the school in tears because I don't think my kids have learned anything at all. Well, on those days that are going well, I have those moments that make me love my job. Second graders are funny, little, adorable things. They really are fun. I know that I get annoyed with them. Sometimes, I want to pull out my hair (on more than one occasion during the day). But, I really do love it. Anyway, I love the things that these kids say. I mean, they are so funny... and they don't realize it.

Well, this little story happened a few weeks ago, but I think it is totally blog worthy. I was telling my students that they must raise their hand to get my attention or in order to use the bathroom. I have gone over this rule about 123456789 times since August 7th. It is a rule that most kids forget. Well, as I am in the middle of explaining this rule, I have one student up at my desk. I told him he needed to go back to his seat and raise his hand if he needed something. His face had a look of panic. He said, loudly to the entire class, "But I can't wait, I have DIHERREA in my butt." This is a true story. No lie. Needless to say, my little friend DEFINITELY used the bathroom that day without raising his hand. FOR SURE. Wow. What can I say? I love those little ones.