I saw this today and I really liked it. It’s what we all need to do.
Missing somebody? …… Call
Wanna meet up? ….. Invite
Wanna be understood? ….. Explain
Have Questions? ……. Ask
Don’t Like Something? ….. Say It
Like Something? ….. State It
Want Something? …… Ask for it
Love Someone? ….. Tell it
Don’t be afraid of what may lie ahead. Speak your mind. Trust your heart.
I don’t really believe in the whole New Year’s Resolution idea. I mean, no one keeps their resolution past the first month or so of the year. Last year I said I was going to cook different meals – try new foods – which I did…on New Year’s Day, then the rest of the year was back to our standard dinners.
But this year is different. This year I turn 30, and I’ve decided that this year is going to be about me.
My resolution is simple…RELAX.
I’m going to work a little less, relax a little more.
Do fun and crazy things that I’ve been too scared to do, whether for lack of money or fear of doing it, this year I’m going to do it!
October 8, 2011 was the day I got to marry my best friend. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t one of those girls that dreamed about their wedding day since they were a little girl. All that changed when Mike asked me to marry him. I had a vision of what I wanted my wedding to be like, and I had over a year to plan every last detail.
Fall in Tennessee, rustic colors, with close family and friends. That was my vision.
And that’s exactly what we had. Our wedding was absolutely perfect! Everyone told me, “Something will go wrong and you probably won’t even know about it until later,” but we were fortunate to not have a single snag along the way.
The festivities started the night before the wedding, 
as the whole wedding party helped us set up our amazing venue. We were so lucky to find such an amazing venue to have our wedding and reception. Joy & Jesse from the Pick Inn were amazing! They are some of the sweetest people ever. Our wedding would not have been what it was without the beautiful scenery provided by the Pick Inn.
My bridesmaids and I spend the night together, laughing and reminiscing about the last 11 years I’ve spent here in Tennessee. I’ve never laughed so hard. I have amazing friends, who have been with me through thick and thin.
The guys spent the night before the wedding playing video games. Boys will be boys.
I was awake early the day of the wedding, and sat on the porch looking about at the beautiful fall colors of the Tennessee hills. I was determined to soak it all in. Lucky for me, we planned the wedding for late afternoon, so there was no real hurry in the morning.
The fun began when our hair and make-up team got there. Kim and Kim did an amazing job on all of my girls. We had so much fun getting ready. All of my bridesmaids looked absolutely amazing. I’m so grateful that we had the Kim’s come out to the venue to do our hair and make-up.
Our photographers, Michael and Britanie from Doerman Photography, arrived in plenty of time to cover the entire day, starting with getting ready! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing they were. We could not have asked for a better photography team.
Once our hair and make was done, it was time 
to put on my wedding dress. I remember trying in on and absolutely loving it. It fit almost perfectly, but after I purchased it and went for 9 months without seeing it, I began to doubt my choice. Even after the fitting I wasn’t 100% sure, but when I stepped in to it that day, I knew that it was perfect. My biggest fear about the wedding was the dress not fitting, so putting it on and being able to breathe and move in it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I knew the rest of the day would be fine!
Once we were all in our dresses, it was time for group pictures. Anyone who knows me, knows that picking my photographer was the hardest part of planning my wedding. But I didn’t go wrong. Michael and Britanie were with us from start to finish and captured every moment of our day. The photos we got from them were truly amazing.
The pictures of the bridal party were some of my favorite from the day. I wanted my girls to feel comfortable all day, so I let them pick out their own dresses in the same color. They all complimented each other so well. I am still can’t get over how amazing everyone looked.
The guys didn’t look half bad either! 
I think Mike was a little skeptical about wearing a brown suit, but they really looked amazing with all the fall colors.
I’ll admit I was watching out the window and guests started to arrive. I was looking out at the beautiful scenery watching my friends mingle. It made me smile, heck, just thinking about it now makes me smile.
Our ceremony was short and sweet. We had the greatest officiant you could ask for. I’ve known Wendell for the better half of a decade and having him marry us made our day that much more special.
I’ll be honest, I thought I would cry. I thought walking down the aisle without my dad would make me burst in to tears, but with my mom holding my hand, I managed to make it down without any tears shed. There’s no one else I would have rather had by my side than my mom. And I know my dad was there in spirit. I had him with me. There was a personalized charm in the wedding bouquet that my mom made. I wanted to have him close to my heart. I know he was there watching over us. I’m glad he got to meet Mike before he passed away.
Instead of the unity candle, we opted for a sand ceremony,
which our pastor had never heard of. We managed to find an amazing picture frame that would hold the sand. I feel like that was made just for us! We wanted to include Scott in our ceremony, since it wasn’t just me and Mike becoming a family. So in planning we got three colors of sand, brown, orange and gold. Little did we know that the gold sand was glitter. So as we poured sand, glitter filled the air. Our guests thought we planned it that way and said that it looked beautiful floating through the beautiful clear sky.
I’ll admit that Mike cried during the ceremony, though he’ll tell you didn’t. My favorite part of the ceremony was getting to hear my amazingly talented brother-in-law sing a song that he wrote. It was truly special for all of us. I love the song and was so glad that he was able to step in when our original performer couldn’t make it. It was an amazing performance. I will treasure that forever!
After three and a half years of dating and a 15 month engagement, Mike and I were finally married! What an amazing feeling!!
More pictures and then it was time to party!
The Pick Inn had so many places to take beautiful pictures. Pictures I will cherish forever. Lucky for me our photographers and I had the same vision for our wedding pictures. It’s put me at ease to know that we were thinking along the same lines when it came to the picture spots!
The old barn was my favorite spot. And the pictures there looked incredible! I still look at them almost every day and remember what an amazing day we had!
Our reception was just as wonderful as the ceremony. Our food was catered by a good friend of mine and his wife. And it was amazing. I’m so lucky to have such amazing friends who helped us out with all of our wedding details.
A day after I got engaged, my aunt asked me if I had anyone to make my wedding cake. Of course, I didn’t, so she volunteered to make our cake. After giving her a few ideas of what we wanted, she made us a beautiful three layer, topsy turvey cake. And our cake topper was incredibly fitting for us, since we are both photographers.
As we were cutting the cake, Mike kept telling me, “I won’t smash it in your face, if you don’t smash it in mine” Which I was fine with until everyone started yelling to smash it in his face. I finally gave in to peer pressure, knowing I would get it too! It was worth it though. I mean, you only get that chance once!
The cake was delicious, even after it was smeared on my face!
Our first dance was my favorite part of the reception. Once again, Mike and I, asked Chris to sing for our first dance. Chris played acoustic guitar and sang “History in the Making,” and it was absolutely beautiful. Another moment I will treasure forever.
I am so blessed to have such a talented brother-in-law who was more than willing to play for us. It made our day more special!
The rest of our reception was so much fu
n! The photo booth we had was a hit! It gave everyone the opportunity to let loose and have some fun! It was fun to look through the photos that everyone took!
I’m glad I found the SparkBooth software to create our own photo booth, because we wouldn’t have been able to afford it otherwise. My only regret is that I didn’t get to use it more!
We were also fortunate enough to have our friend Jed Watts play during the ceremony as well as the reception. It was great to have a live band, who could play any song that our guests requested. I never thought we would end up doing the Hokey Pokey at our wedding, but we did, and everyone joined in. As you can tell from the picture! Everyone was enjoying themselves by the end of the evening.
The evening ended with the guys 
pumpkin bowling and rolling down the huge hill on the property. I never thought pumpkin bowling would be how we ended our wedding reception, but that’s what life is about!
Looking back, I wouldn’t change a single thing about our wedding. Not the hours spent making programs and drink umbrellas, or the stopping at every K-Mart between Nashville and home to buy candle holders, or the decorations, or the colors, or the attire.
I truly could not have asked for a more perfect day. Perfect weather, beautiful ceremony, amazing friends and family, and a wonderful husband. It was everything I ever dreamed of. The best part, is that it’s not a dream- it’s my reality.
Thank you to everyone who made our day special. Whether you were in the wedding party, one of our vendors, a friend who came, or just there in spirit, our day would not have been nearly as memorable without you.
Venue: The Pick Inn
Photographer: Doerman Photography
Catering: V & P Catering
Hair & Make Up: Kim Warren & Kim Grayson – Salon 7
Cake: Anita Hilt
Flowers: Sheila Wyer
Necklace & Bracelet: Sweet Findings 4 You
Earrings: Cloud Cap Jewelry
Hair Pieces: Peacock Pixys
Garter Belts: Flourish By Lauryn
Charms: Tiny Tree Boutique
I still remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard the news of the attacks on New York City. It’s funny how memories and pictures can stay engrained in your mind, even 10 years later.
I was a student at MTSU and woke up for class like always. I remember changing the cd is my car and briefly hearing something on the radio about a plane crash and thinking nothing of it. When I got to class every TV in the building was on the news. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I came home from class and my roommate and I sat and watched as the twin towers fell. A sight that I don’t ever need to see again because it’s engraved in my mind.
It doesn’t seem like 10 years. So much has changed for all of us. I’ve watched a friend and my brother-in-law go to Iraq to fight the war that never ends.
It’s a sad loss of so many lives. Today we remember those people. People who sacrifice their lives to keep us free. People like Andrew Wallace, who I went to high school with, who paid the greatest sacrifice for us. And the countless people who lost their lives 10 years ago simply because they went to work.
Never forget those we lost and those still fighting for our freedom.
Freedom- Something too many of us take for granted.
So with that I thank all of our service men and women, and not just those in the armed serviced but the EMTs, police and fire fighters who work every day to protect us.
God speed. Never forget.
Yesterday Mike called me telling me he was on his way to see the medic at his job because the pain he had in his stomach was almost unbearable.
He called me back several minutes later telling me, the doctors there told him it was probably his appendix and he should go to the emergency room. So, I left work to take him to the ER. An hour later, we were sitting in the Stonecrest Medical center in Smyrna waiting to see what was wrong.
By 8:30, Mike was on his way to surgery for appendicitis, where he had his appendix removed. Sitting in the waiting room was the longest hour of my life. I know it’s routine surgery, but it’s surgery none-the-less. A little over an hour later, the doctor came to tell me he was in recovery and everything went fine. A little while later, he was in a room and I was able to see him.
We got to spent the night at the hospital, making for a long stressful night. This afternoon we were finally released. Definitely not how I thought I’d be spending the night, last night.
The good news is, we got it taken care of early, before the appendix ruptured. While it was scary, we are breathing easier now.
I have to give kudos to the staff at Stonecrest, everyone was incredibly nice and helpful. The doctors in the ER were on top of things and the surgeon was very nice. After having some difficulties with another hospital in the area, I was truly impressed by their service and staff.
Mike is doing well, all things considered. He’s in pain, but I know he’ll make a quick recovery.
Thanx to everyone for their prayers and well wishes. It means a lot to me, to know you all care. Mike has gotten all the well wishes you’ve sent.
