Thankful for...

We love the holidays, and the time we are able to spend with family. Family is a huge part of our lives and one of the greatest blessings in our lives! On Tuesday, I loaded the car and headed towards Nashville. No big problem...right?? Well, having a puppy changes everything, and it was much harder without Craig's help. Tucker and I spent the night at Craig's parents' house Tuesday. Wednesday morning I met by friend Emily and went to a funeral of the Betsy's grandfather. I enjoyed catching up with Emily. When we returned to Nashville, Craig had returned from Daytona, so we went to SATCO for lunch. YUM!! The rest of the evening was spent relaxing.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Craig's family in Nashville. We started by taking the Wright family Christmas card photo. Then, we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade and hung out with Gentry, Charlie, Ashley, Granny, Charlie, Mary, and Craig's parents. We ate lunch, which was yummy!! After lunch, my sister arrived from Miami. She was surprising my family by coming home for a few days. I was so excited to see her!! She took my car and drove to Florence. Everyone was surprised to see her!! We watched the Texas game, ate some more, and enjoyed family time that night.

Friday morning we drove to Florence to spend the rest of the weekend with my family. All of my siblings were home, which was wonderful!! My grandmother and cousins (Randy, Robbie, and Elsie) came over for lunch, which was fantastic!! I love big holiday meals!! After lunch, we watched the Alabama/Auburn game. I will admit I was a little nervous, but Bama pulled off the win in the end. The best part was watching the game with my five year old cousin, Elsie. She was one of my flower girls in my wedding, and she is so cute!! She loved every minute of the game and cheered on the Tide to victory. She made signs trying to encourage my sister to cheer for Alabama. She was so cute, and I loved watching the game with her.

After the game, my family went to see The Blind Side. I was very interested in this movie since the true story occurred in Memphis. I loved the movie and recommend it to everyone. We played some games after the movie, which is always a lot of fun with my family. On Saturday, we took some pictures for our Christmas card. Mom made homemade pizza for lunch, which is always great!! Adam and Cathy left after lunch. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing. That night Craig and I went to dinner at Ricatoni's with Melissa and Eric. It was so good to see them!! Elizabeth met us at Melissa and Eric's house after dinner. I have some amazing friends, and I love to visit with them.

We had a wonderful time with family and friends over Thanksgiving. You are all a blessing and we love you so much!!

Happy Turkey Day

We would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Day! We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends who bless our lives daily. Thank you for your constant love and support!! Most of all, we are thankful to our amazing God for his love, his grace, and his Son. May we all strive to live with thankful hearts every day of the year and to find the blessings in everything. We love you all!

A Special House Guest

While Craig was gone on Monday, I had a very special house guest. One of my best friends, Elizabeth, came to Memphis for an interview at Le Bonheur. After her interview on Monday, she stayed the night with me. We had a great visit!! She truly is an amazing woman, and I admire her for so many things. Elizabeth and I have been friends since 1st grade. I knew her in Kindergarten, but I did not like her. We were not in the same class, but we shared a mutual friend. I was jealous of the friendship she shared with my friend and didn't want her taking my friend away. In 1st grade, we were in the same class, as well as our mutual friend (Melissa) and developed a very close bond. Over the years, we have shared many special memories together and have been there through the rough times as well. She is always someone I can count on, and someone I can look to for strength and encouragement. She is so thoughtful and is always thinking of others. I miss living in the same city. I only wish Craig and her could match in the same city, so we could spend the next three years together. Thanks Elizabeth for coming to visit!! I love you and hope to see you this weekend!!

Home Alone

When I first started this blog, I mentioned this would be a busy year with lots of BIG decisions. Well, the craziness has officially begun. Craig started his interviews on Friday in Chattanooga. He left on Wednesday night, and I won't see him again until this Wednesday. Today, he left for Daytona Beach and has an interview tomorrow. He's staying a little longer to visit with our good friend, Matt Cline and his wife Jamie.

So, I have been home alone. It's been very nice to have Tucker, and he's kept me very busy. We've been blessed with some amazing friends to watch Tucker during the day while I work. Thanks to Jason, Brittney, Brandon, and James. I couldn't have made it this week without your help!! I've had a very relaxing weekend and look forward to the time spent with family at the end of the week. I love the holiday season!! I bought my first Christmas CD for this season on Saturday. I went out to run some errands and wanted some Christmas music. I had left my IPod at home, so I bought Taylor Swift's album. There aren't many songs, but it helped put me in the spirit. Now, I'm ready to decorate and to shop.

Well, it's about time to take Tucker out before I go to bed. Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Tucker's First Road Trip

On Friday, we packed the Escape and headed to Nashville. This was our first trip with Tucker, so it was quite an experience. Most of the car's belongings were Tucker's. We had his crate, his pet porter, his toys, his food, his bath supplies, etc. You have to be prepared...right?? We made a quick stop in Jackson, so Tucker could meet Granny and Uncle Charlie. Craig and I have joked that having Tucker is like having a baby. We are exhausted at 9:00 p.m. We have no idea what we are doing. Tucker has to meet everyone. When going anywhere, we have to think about his schedule. Life has changed. However, we are so glad to have him and already love him so much!!

On Saturday, Ashley, Mrs. Wright, and I went to Christmas Village. It was fun to spend some time with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law. Although I did not buy many Christmas gifts, we had a good time together. (The best gift I purchased was for Tucker. See the picture below.) After shopping, Mrs. Wright and I went to lunch at Panera. Have I mentioned how much I love that place?? Next, we went to Target. Last, we went back to the Wright house, and I took a short nap after a long day of shopping. Saturday night Charlie, Ashley, and Gentry came over for dinner. Gentry is growing so fast!! We don't get to see him as much as we would like, but we LOVE every minute we get to spend with our sweet nephew. He is smiling and laughing so much. He can sit up like a big boy and will be crawling before we know it. I just love it when he looks at me and smiles!! We enjoyed the fun night.On Sunday, we went to the Titans game after church. Now, the season started off pretty bad, but Craig is optimistic the season will end with a winning record. We were able to enjoy the pretty weather and the third win in a row. I love going to Titans games but have not been able to attend any until this past Sunday. It may be the only game I go to all season. Thanks to Mrs. Wright for watching Tucker while we went to the game. After the game, we drove back to Memphis with another stop in Jackson. Tucker missed his Aunt Mary on Friday, and she was dying to meet him.

We had a great weekend in Nashville and survived our first of many road trips with Tucker Bear. He is a great traveler, so be ready for us to come visit!!

Busy Weekend

I have 30 minutes until dinner is ready....so here is the quick update.

Friday Night: I am part of Side By Side, which is a group of Medical & Dental wives. We have a weekly Bible Study and support one another through the tough years of school. This group has been a HUGE blessing while Craig has been in school. Friday night we went to dinner at Panera, one of my favorite place, and then left for a retreat. One of our mentors has a lake house in the middle of no where. It was a nice get-a-way and a great time to hang out with the girls. Thanks Lanier for hosting us!! Thanks Craig for watching Tucker while I was gone.

Saturday: I left the retreat at 10 a.m., so that I could get home to welcome my parents. Mom and Dad arrived in Memphis at 2 p.m. Of course, we watched the Bama/LSU game. The last time we watched a Bama game at my apt the game did not turn out the way we wanted. We were very nervous but cheered them on to a VICTORY! After the game, we went to Germantown Commissary for some yummy BBQ. Then, we went to Muddy's for the best cupcakes. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out and relaxing.

Sunday: Mom and Dad went to church with us at White Station. Then, we went to a new breakfast place we had been wanting to try, Bryant's. We enjoyed our breakfast. Mom and Dad left after breakfast. Thanks for coming!! We had so much fun!! Craig and I took a short afternoon nap. Then I had to get busy cooking Grandma's Chicken & Dressing for our Small Group Thanksgiving Feast. We went to James and Elizabeth's at 6 and stuffed our bellies with some great food!!

We are so blessed with wonderful friends and family. Thanks to all who made the weekend special!!

Introducing...Tucker Bear

Our family grew by four feet this weekend. Yes, Craig and I went to Cookeville and picked out the cutest Goldendoodle you have ever seen!! Tucker Bear is a great puppy, and we are having so much fun with him!! We woke up early to make the 1 1/2 hours drive to Cookeville (from Nashville) Saturday morning. Craig was handed Tucker first, and he knew at once we would be taking him home. After receiving all the papers, we made the trip back to Nashville. Tucker sat in my lap or in the back seat the whole time. He was such a good puppy!! We made a stop at Baja Burrito to visit some of my favorite girls. Tucker was a hit! I only wished I could have stayed to have lunch with Betsy, Kristen, Sarah, Jenny, Emily, and Allison. :(Next, we took Tucker to meet Papa and Mimi (Craig's parents). He stayed outside on the deck and learned to love tennis balls and his pet porter. I left Craig with Tucker, so I could go over to my cousins house. I visited with my Spivey cousins, which was great, but I had to return home to see my Tucker. Craig and I went to the Pet SuperMarket to buy shampoo, a leash, food, toys, and all the other things a dog needs. When we returned to his parents house, we gave our boy a bath. He was a trooper! It was cold outside, but he never whimpered or tried to get away. Later that night, we took him to meet his cousin, aunt, and uncle. Charlie, Ashley, and Gentry were glad to meet Tucker.
Saturday night was a LONG night. We woke up every 1 1/2 hours to take Tucker out. He did not cry too much. He just whimpered to let us know he needed to go potty. I'm glad we had an extra hour of sleep that night. On Sunday, we left him for a couple of hours while we went to church. We were surprised to come home to a clean crate. What a good puppy!! We played with him and then left him again when we went to lunch. Once again he did great while we were gone. Craig went to the Titans game on Sunday, while I stayed at the house. Sunday night we drove back to Memphis. Tucker slept in my lap the majority of the trip. He met some more special people, who have decided to be Tucker's godparents. We tried talking James and Elizabeth into getting a dog, but they chose to spoil ours instead. Tucker also met Brandon and Meaghan last night. They brought him a special treat (a Christmas stocking), which he loved!!
He has been a great puppy!! We have had no accidents in his crate, which has been amazing!! He is only waking us up one time at night to go potty. He loves to play with his toys and snuggle with anyone who will let him. We can't wait for everyone to meet our bundle of joy!!