Our Christmas 2014

Our Christmas this year began quite early with Scott's family in town December 20th weekend to celebrate my nieces 3rd birthday, do trail of lights, and then Christmas Eve we had my side of the family and Scott's family in town through this Monday. Even though it was pretty chaotic, hosting 9 people in my home including toddlers, teenagers, and parents, it was strangely a relaxing, fun time! Also, it helped that it was filled with all wonderful loving people and of course, my momma's divine home cookin' (can you say seafood gumbo, crawfish etoufee, or pineapple brown sugar glazed ham?! *mouth watering*). I'll start with the Holiday photos I took of Raelyn and Rylee for their grandma to be blown up at Christmas, and then the rest of Holiday photos with my family. Hope you all had a wonderful, MERRY Christmas and were able to spend it with your loved ones. I'm off to finish working and BACK to napping for the next 10 days... I am a walking zombie but so full and happy.

How hilariously cute is this one!?

Christmas 2014

Huxley the Elf and Mrs. Bailey Claus

Al's homemade BROILED OYSTERS. Y'all. TO DIE FOR.

Happy 1st Birthday Rylee!! 12-27-14

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

The WORST Day Ever

I really want to document this best worst day ever because I want to be able to look back and laugh. Y'all... I had the WORST DAY EVER yesterday. Stressful, terrible, but hysterical! Let's jump right to it shall we...

I woke up yesterday running late for work and I had NO choice having to shower because I hadn't showered the day before and my hair was disgustingly greasy. Just being real you guys... I was gross! I got ready and I jet out the door to be at work by my daily "huddle time", 9:27am. I arrived just a few minutes before and walked right into a shitstorm. Let's just say we have a client that I dropped the ball on an order about a month ago, and frantically had to locate a shipment by making several phone calls, scheduling an onsite technician to come install that overnight shipment I was making, and I am REALLY good at my job so when I screw up, I take it personally. I hate it when I get so busy with things that I forget something that is important, and that's just what I had done. 

The morning was stressful and terrible to begin with, so what is the thing to do? Go get Chick Fil A.... it cures everything right??

So here I am, in the Chick Fil A line, frustrated, feeling defeated, and I notice the same pile of advertisement trash mail that we always get sitting in my passenger seat along with a few cc offers or insurance offers, so I throw them in the trash can that is by the drive-thru menu. That felt good! At least something I felt like got accomplished today, haha.

I get back to work and munch on the amazing chicken nuggets with my Chick Fil A sauce.. literally about an hour later I get a call from Scottie letting me know that we should be expecting a piece of mail from ADP for a refund/overage check and I'm like "Okay great I'll look out for it, love you bye" as I'm working away on a work spreadsheet. About 2.7 seconds after I hang up the phone my world stopped for a second. "Oh my gosh, I effing threw an ADP "insurance offer" away literally an hour ago at Chick Fil A."..... "F!" I immediately call Chick Fil A with the most embarrassed tone and let the manager know before I said anything else that this would most likely be the highlight of his day. He laughed and asked what happened, and I let him know that I unknowingly dropped a check in his drive-thru trash can, that I was humiliated, and that I need to come dig through his trash (vom) to look for it. He let me know that he would actually look for it and call me back if he found it, well - I was already on the road heading that way to speed up the timing and just praying the check wasn't already in "the bin" with the dozen other trash bags they had. Luckily it had JUST been placed into the bin and they had the right bag to begin with. Y'all... I walked into Chick Fil A, met the manager, and he had like his whole staff looking for me. How embarrassing but amazing. I was floored. They first brought me two pieces of mail that were actual credit card offers wrapped in paper towels because its disgusting, and they were not it. I sadly let them know and ensured it WAS the correct bag though! The manager walked me around the back and this sweet boy with gloves on digging thru the trash for me walked up and said, ADP, is this it? And my heart I swear exploded. YAY! He found the check, I wanted to hug him! The manager and I laughed about it for a second and I probably thanked him a million times saying I should have been the one digging, I am so so sorry!! When I got back into my car I nearly gagged while opening this check, and it was for freaking $1350! I cannot believe I just threw away fourteen hundred dollars. What is wrong with me? I cannot tell Scott! I went ahead and did the mobile deposit to our bank right then and there to try to avoid telling him (or the bank!) the embarrassing story or explain why there was food grease all over the check. This is still cracking me up over here as I write this. 

I drove back to work just thinking to myself, I swear I'm either going to get pulled over, going to trip over a rock and bust my head open, or SOMETHING! It was almost funny to me how bad my day was going. Also to be noted with this bad day, my entire family that is coming for Christmas next week has the flu and even worse - my little sister has the flu and Mono and has been in and out of doctors offices with 104 fever getting steroid shots and fluids because she's so dehydrated. Jeez! I found out when I got back to work that this spreadsheet I was working on needed to be completely done before Christmas, which means most likely I'll be working tomorrow, Saturday, while my family is in town. Oh Joy! I swear I could not wait to get home and make a stiff Vodka drink or down a good 5 glasses of wine. 

Hehe. Oh and by the way, wine makes you tell all secrets. Scott knew before 9pm... thanks for having a great sense of humor, babe! ;-)

Well I am happy to say that things have been much better! I've only upset 2 clients today so far, the check is deposited, Scott and I watched a TON of American Horror Story last night and it is SO good, we ate leftovers for dinner so I didn't have to cook, and tonight family is coming to town! I still am not finished with the spreadsheet but it is a great work in progress, and I will most likely have to come in tomorrow, but y'all. Life is good. I am a blessed, lucky girl, It is busy season at work but I love my job, and my fiance has been such a rockstar helping me around the house and doing little things here and there to make my night better. For instance, my drink had a little tiny cardboard attached to a tooth pic attached to my lime that said "I love you!" like a little flag. Also, the other night he made me a "love sack" that he got on the way home from work at CVS. This love sack included: a card that said he missed me and loved me. a red box movie with Kristen Wiig in it (love her). A pack of gum. A picture frame. An IPhone charger. And some chocolates. I just love him more than ever. It was the cutest thing in the world. 

I am off to go attack the rest of this spreadsheet, and be grateful for this wonderful life even though some days may be hysterically terrible. Lesson of this long random post: sometimes you just have to laugh at the days that things may not be going that great, because in the end "This Too Shall Pass" and tomorrow will always be a better day. We have so much to be thankful for and even on the stressful days we are very blessed.  Second lesson of the day: CHICK FIL A ROCKS!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND, FRIENDS!

2nd Annual Naughty White Elephant Party

It has been one crazy, sleepless, FUN week! We started with Monday which was my 26th birthday... This year I chose not to celebrate with any sort of huge party or event since we're trying to cut back on spending due to lots of Wedding expenses and so I ended up going out to share some apps and wine with Scottie that night, and the next night I had a few drinks and apps with my best girls.

Friday night, our company had its Holiday Dinner Party at Bob's Steakhouse in Downtown Austin, and like every year.. we say we're not going out walking down 6th street after, but we totally ended up downtown, walking 6th street after. I got home at 230am and was back up at 8am getting breakfast and heading BACK to work for a 9-2pm meeting. I was so tired and knew today was going to be a long (but worth it!) day.

Finally I got home around 430pm after having lunch after our late running meeting and started rushing around! Luckily I had my future sister in law and best friend who came in town about an hour before there to help me get started with everything.... Here's a little background on the White Elephant.

We had a girls night last year during the work week at my house that I wanted to make funny and do a fun gift exchange, so we started a "Naughty White Elephant" where you bring a bottle of wine and a gift $25 or under from your local Adult Shop, Spencers, or Lingerie Shop. It was a huge hit the first year only we were all hammered at 11pm on a work night, so this year we chose to move it to the weekend! First year to the left, second year to the right!

Braceface on the left // Purdy Teeth on the Right!

I was so happy to have about double the ladies we had last year, it was absolutely hysterical exchanging crazy gifts with one another. I made a big batch of gumbo and a few girls brought appetizers, we had probably over 20 bottles of wine and I only had 2 leftover at the end of the night.... successful!

I adore each and every one of these amazing ladies, and I'll let the pics do the rest of the talking! I literally laid on my couch the entire day yesterday and am STILL feelin it today from such a busy but amazing weekend! Have a great day y'all!

Trust me you don't want to see what's behind that Candy Cane ;-)

This year, I made a Naughty Elephant Burlap Wreath... it was HYSTERICAL! 

Naughty White Elephant 2014