Update on LIFE!

So the fact that I have not posted on here in over a month is the least to say how busy and crazy my life has been the past few weeks! Our venue that we booked over a month ago cancelled on us, Stu moved in with me and started a new job, Papa took a turn for the worse, and my job is oh so stressful :(

Venue- We have been venue hunting for the past month since The Dutch Barn in Greer gave away our date! RUDE! It is crazy how much places rent for and we just couldn't seem to find somewhere that compared to what I really loved about The Dutch Barn.

Stu- He started his new job at Baush and Lomb at the beginning of October, and from what he tells me, he loves it! He is so happy to be in the upstate with me and Tipsy, and he is a huge help for wedding planning now that we are together. Our first week together was nuts with him taking over the closet with his giant wardrobe, constantly eating out, and him now finding out how to clean a litter box! We are now starting on our third week living together and are just getting around to unpacking more boxes and actually finding the kitchen table again. At least him and Tipsy seem to love each other! She has been quite the trader when it comes to sharing her love between the two of us.

Papa- October 2013 makes month 18 to Papa's fight against brain cancer. 5 months ago when I moved to Greenville, he became paralyzed on the side of his body that the tumor/cancer was affecting. Shortly after, our family started a 24/7 watch at Ma and Papa's house over him. In the past few weeks, he has become on steady bed rest and doesn't get up. Hospice came in last week and replaced his hospital bed with a new one that was easy to work around. Stu and I were in and out of town this past weekend and went to see him. It is amazing that he still has the right state of mind and knows who everyone is and most of the time, what's going on around him. We are praying hard every day and night that God has given us this long to be with Papa!

Straight Hair, Don't Care

I have always wanted curly hair, but of course I was born with the straightest hair on the plant, other than my mothers. My hair will not hold curl at all! I bought extentions and had Bri curl them for college graduation and for Angela's wedding, but that is the closest I've come to have curls! I have tired curling irons, curlers, the wand, straightner and all kinds of curling products. NOTHING WORKS!!! 
I was shopping at Ulta on Monday night when I found these cool things! They said that you are just supposed to put them in your hair when it is damp or freshly washed, and then make sure your hair drys with them in there and WA LA... Curly hair :)
I was SOLD! I have tried everything else, so why not waste $7 to buy some tool thats not going to work?! I got home put them all in and was ready to see magic happen.....

Well, this is what I looked like! So attractive, I know! I put them in around 8, and took them out at about 10:30. To my surprise, I had a little bit of curl going on! I figured that if it worked on my not damp or freshly washed hair, then I had a good shot of getting up a little early and trying it out when I got out of the shower.
So I got up early yesterday morning and put them in! ... nothing. GO FIGURE $7 more down the drain and I still have not figured out how to master curling my hair!

                               This is me yesterday morning after attempting to curl it!

No Good, Very Bad, Horrible Day!!

Yesterday started out like any other Sunday... Wake up, go down to Ma and Papa's house, talk to the family, then get ready to head back to Greenville. I was so excited to be helping the USC Upstate girls with recruitment, so I was leaving earlier than normal. I had everything packed up, including Tipsy, and hit the road to Greenville right past. Over half way there, there was a point on the interstate where we all had to slam on breaks. I heard things crashing from the back seat, and toppling over , and i was just praying that nothing had fallen in the kitty litter. I pulled over off the next exit to make sure everything was ok. That's when I realized it. I had left my work computer at home in Chapin.
I was already running late to make it to Spartanburg for recruitment, and I didn't have time to turn around now. I called Mom and asked her if she could meet me later in the afternoon so that I could come get it and not have to drive all the way back. Meanwhile I was trying to calm down Tipsy, who was being really loud and obnoxious running back and forth in the car seats. I got back on the interstate with my irate cat and was headed to Greenville. Next thing I know, she was propped up on the door handle getting ready to poop on my lap! I pushed her off and flung her into the passenger seat. I don't even know where this craziness came from, because she has always done so good riding in the car!!
I kept her off my seat as I pulled over 2 short exits down where we had just been. I locked my doors, turned the car off, and jumped in the back seat. I grabbed Tipsy and put her in the litter box that is always in the back of the car when she is with me! Stupid cat didn't want anything to do with it. In a panic, I called Stuart to see what the heck I should do. After he stopped laughing and realized I was seriously about this whole bizarre story, he suggested I put the litter box in the front seat with me. I put it in the passenger floor board, and started off again. I was only 10 miles from getting off at the exit I needed to, so I was for sure we would make it! We DID NOT even get a mile down the road before it came. She jumped back up on the my lap, set her self up on the door, and there in my lap, she did it. Tipsy pooped in my lap, going down the interstate, while I was driving! I don't even know how I managed to keep my eyes on the road and not throw her out the window. I luckily had a napkin in the door, so I quickly grabbed it, scooped the poop off me and then seat, and threw it right in the litter box that was conveniently beside me.

I was mortified!! Who does that?!? Who's cat poops on them!!

 

Take this job and shove it...

Johnny Paycheck may have been ahead of his time when he sang the title song of this post. These small 6 words have been floating around in my head for the past couple weeks, and I am beinging to think I am not alone. Seems a lot of people are looking for greener grass elsewhere as each of our daily jobs slowy suck the life out of us. So many employees are feeling more like indentured servants, having many years without a raise or fearing that they may loose their job at any moment. I cringe everytime I hear one of my managers coming around through our sales pit because I am not sure who is going to get the wrath of not selling enough for the day.

I quit my past job at the law firm because I was not happy sitting behind a desk for 9 hours a day, getting small pay, no benefits, and treated poorly by managers. Now I find myself in this new position feeling less confident in myself, not being able to pay my bills, and really not liking most of my coworkers. I am so glad that I met such great friends at the law firm that are now like family to me. We all still keep in contact, even though 4 out of the 7 of us have switched jobs. I can honestly say that with my sales position now, I have 3 friends in the office that I feel comfortable around. Sales is such a competitive, money driven position, and I unfortunatley have neither of those qualities.

I often feel like a more puny version of Rosie the Riveter coaching people by saying "We Can Do It!" I wish I could say that I was as confident in myself to flex for everyone while saying it, but I am usually just doing some kinda of Popeye move with my arm while grinning. I am trying to keep a positive attitude about everything and keep smiling as I get fussed at by another angry person that I cold call. I hope that soon I'll find myself in position where I am happy with what I am doing!!!


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A Southern Touch Boutique

I thought I wanted a career in life, turns out I just wanted a pay check. It seems like now a days that many people are starting their own businesses, and it is making me want to open my store sooner than later. I have always been crafty and selling things, but I decided my freshman year of college that I wanted to make a real job out of this. After spending countless hours a day painting picture frames at the job I had at that time (working in a boutique called Sassy Silver & Such) I realized that I really enjoyed painting! No, not Picasso or Monet kinds of art, I'm talking about the kinds that you see in all your girly little stores today. I became obsessed with the zebra pattern, and began painting everything zebra including my furniture in college! 4 years later came chevron, and now that's my new obsession :) 
A coworker of mine, that I have become great friends with, gave me the idea to get my facebook page for A Southern Touch back up and running to see if I could make some extra money for the wedding... well I would say that 12 hours and getting 100+likes on facebook was a hit! I am beyond excited that I have had such a huge "liking" to my stuff since it really it was I enjoy doing. I am so thankful to have to so many family and friends who support me in my hopes and dreams :) 
If you haven't checked it out, take a look now on Instagram at A Southern Touch SC or on Facebook at A Southern Touch! 

Here are a couple of the things that I have made!

Miley Cyrus = Hot Mess

So I may be having a bad day at work, but watching Miley Cyrus' performance from the VMA's is definitley a pick me up! If you missed her cringe worthy performance on Sunday night, you can watch it on basically any social media site around because everyone is talking about it. Poor Billy Ray really does have an achy breaky heart after watching his 20yr daughter dance around like a stripper on stage! You can check out the 15 worst moments of her 6 min dance here!

http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/the-weirdest-and-craziest-moments-from-miley-cyrus-vma-pe

Miley gyrated around the stage in a nude, plastic bikini as she sang off-key, stuck out her tongue and did the universal hand sign for “party” repeatedly. Will Smith's family appeared to be in shock, disbelief and horror as they watched her performance.







I am not sure if I am more scared of the fact that Robin Thicke looks like Beetle Juice, or the fact that Miley is supposed to be a teddy bear. Either way, Robin Thicke should have just hip thrusted her right off the stage during this moment.


 Apparently I missed the fact that it's cool to hang out with my tongue out now a days! Miley sure knows what's in style!

Top Reasons Why I Can't Get an Appointment

Being in sales is hard enough as it is, but when you add radio sales into that... I think it makes it worse :( My days at work are always full of many people fussing at me on the phone for calling them, or filling up their voicemail boxes. I really do want to help people businesses, so why won't they just let me talk dagumit! Well I feel like today is just one of those days that I will be making about 20 cold calls, leaving 11 voicemails, get yelled at by 3 people, and turned down by all. I have recently been keeping a notepad of unusual things that people say to me on the phone other than just NO or Not Interested, so I thought I would share...

Random things that people tell me on the phone:

• "The person that handles the advertising doesn't talk on phones." (right, so are they invisable too?)
• "Why do you want to know this information?"
• "I don't feel comfortable talking to you about this."
• "We just us mouth to mouth to advertise." (I think he meant word of mouth?)
• "I am 71 years old and I am about to retire."
• "We already do some kinda of advertising with someone doing something somewhere else." (Now i'm just some kinda confused)
• "Radio is for dinosaurs." (Not when your car was born in 2002!)

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses is all I hear! I have been in their shoes, and have been the gatekeeper at businesses before, but I would like to think that I was never as rude as some people have been to me. I have been ready to just tell some people straight up, "I hope your businesses fails because you are a mean person!"

Pinterest Craft- Jewelry Holder

After a Friday night out, we decided to stay in and be lazy on Saturday night. I couldn't think of a better way to hang out with my girls than to make some crafts together :) We went and stocked up with stuff at Walmart, and came back to the house to get started on our new jewelry holders. Stuart was such a good sport, and took pictures throughout the process.

 

We started out with empty 8X10 picture frames, fabric, ribbon, cork board, scissors and plenty of hot glue!

 We cut the fabric to the size of the frame, and then the cork board too. We had to make sure that it would fit in the frame comfortably!

 

Next we hot glued the fabric to the cork board, and then placed it in the frame. There were clips on the back of the frame so that holds the cork in. We glued ribbon on the top of the frames so that we could hang them on the wall, and then put hooks in the bottom and on the sides to hold the jewelry!

After some sore fingers from twisting the hooks in, and a couple burns from the hot glue gun, our finished products turned out great!!

Maids of Honor!

I was so excited to have two of my best friends come up this weekend to see me! We were celebrating Bailey's 23rd bday and mine and Stuart's engagement. I figured it would be the perfect time to ask them to be my Maids Of Honor!!! I have known Bailey since kindergarten, and Monet since the 6th grade. They are two girls that have been by my side the longest, and I couldn't think of a better way to let them know how special they are to me!

After the excitement, we went downtown to Main Street Friday and had some fun! It was Bailey's first time to Greenville, so she really enjoyed seeing how beautiful everything is. I had such a great time with my girls dancing, drinking, and making memories :)

We're Engaged 8-3-13!!!

I am so ecstatic to be able to call Stuart my future husband! We are so excited to start planning our wedding for the Spring of 2014. We are so lucky to have so many supportive friends and family to be with us during this very special and exciting time in our lives. We have had so many people reach out to us to send their love and happy wishes our way!







Stuart proposed at Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC! He had a photographer hiding there taking pictures, so we are looking forward to see how those turn out this week! I had always told him I wanted a photographer, and I had to have my nails done... well he had the photographer, but i didn't have my nails done. The whole engagement was a huge surprise to me!



 We spent Sunday visiting family to show off the ring and tell them the story of how he proposed! My mom surprised us with this yummy cookie cake for us to share with everyone!

I will tell the whole story when I get the pictures of the actual engagement :)

 

Anna Brooks is here!

With a waiting room full of eager Grandmas, Grandpas, Aunts and Uncles, Anna Brooks made her debut entrance into the world a little before 4:30 pm on Friday, August 2nd! I finally made it to the hospital around 6, just in time to see her get her first bath and check up. Momma Meredith was in some pain, but was the prettiest woman I had ever seen to just give birth. Daddy Brooks was frantically excited as he ran from one room to the next to make sure that everyone knew what was going on. Big sister, Michael Mae, seemed to be more interested in sitting on Uncle Stu's lap while watching "Rhymes" on Mammie's Ipad, than to notice she now had a baby sister!

We all gathered at the window to watch Brooks and Nurse Kim give Anna her first bath, check up, and also made her foot prints on her birth certificate. I am not usually a fan of new borns, but Anna Brooks was just so cute! She had the prettiest little hands and feet, and perfect little fingernails. Of course she has blue eyes to match the rest of the family, and she was born with a little bit of dark hair.

 

After all the excitment from our engagement, we stopped by Brooks and Meredith's house to see how everyone was doing since they were home from the hospital. Sweet Uncle Stu couldn't wait to hold his new baby girl! In between playing hide and seek with MM, Stuart and I alternated on who got to hold little Anna. She was so sweet just sleeping away, and woke up a little to smile for us a couple times.

 

Exciting Weekend!!!

Exciting weekend was just the title to say the least! So much happened, with so many stories... I don't even know where to begin. A new niece AND Stu proposed on the same weekend! This was just too exciting!!! Its been 2 days, and we are still recieving so much love and support from everyone.

It's Monday morning, and I should be making calls at work right now, but instead I am starring down at my ring still so excited!! Eeeeekkkkkkk!