AND THE WINNER IS.........

Kara

There were 6 comments that were entered into the giveaway sponsored by Shutterfly.  I used the random number generator to find the winner.  Kara, I'll send your information to the Shutterfly social media director and you should get your code soon.  Enjoy and I can't wait to see your cards!

I hope to host more giveaways in the future...keep watching!     

Christmas Cards....and a GIVEAWAY!

I know you might think I'm crazy for already thinking about Christmas but in reality it will be here before we know it.  One of my favorite parts of Christmas besides celebrating the birth of our King, is designing Christmas cards and sending them out to family and friends to update them on the past year.  In the past I have used Shutterfly and I have loved the way they turned out and I have received so many compliments from my cards as well.

Shutterfly has some new Christmas Card designs this year.  That is going to make it even harder to choose the perfect card.  I typically like to choose a design that has space for more than one picture because I like to include pictures from trips that I have taken during the past year.  I usually like folded cards as well because I like to include a little blurb about my year.  I have browsed their site and come up with a few of my favorites.  Here they are!


1.  Surrounded With Love:  I love the different fonts on this card and the fact that there is room for quite a few pictures on the front.  I need to be able to share my adventures with everyone.

2.  Charming and Lovely:  The title describes this card.  It's simple yet charming.  Just my style!

5.  Blessed Family Religious:  I love the simplicity of this card with plenty of photo spots.  I also love the completely accurate word at the top of the card that describes my life and so many other lives.  We forget how blessed we truly are.  

I really do like the new collection of cards.  Check it out!  They have something for everyone!  Shutterfly also always has some great offers so check out their special offers page before purchasing as well.

Now for the fun and exciting part...THE GIVEAWAY!  Who doesn't want $50 off their Christmas Card purchase???  That's a pretty great deal if you ask me!  I'll choose 1 lucky winner at random to receive a special coupon code from Shutterfly (expires 12/31/2012).  Here's how you enter for your chance to win:

1.  Follow my blog by clicking the "Join this Site" button on the right side column.  Comment below and let me know that you did so (or if you already follow me!)  This counts as 1 entry.  

2.  Go to Shutterfly's site and browse their Christmas cards, then pick out a card you would choose if you won.  Comment below telling me what card you would choose.  This counts as 1 entry.  

The giveaway ends at midnight on October 29th.  The winner will be announced on October 30th.  Good luck to everyone!


***Disclaimer, this is a sponsored post.  All opinions are my own.  

Kaylan

Let me preface this blog entry by saying it has nothing to do with traveling or any trips of any sort but instead it is about a very dear friend of mine.  Today I'm linking up to Kelly's Korner and it's her Singles Linkup day.  I know it sounds crazy but God works in ways we never imagine He will...you never know until you try.  His plan might be something completely different than we expected that it would be so that's why I asked Kaylan's permission to blog about how wonderful she is!

 Kaylan has been a dear friend for 10 years now.  We met at OBU in Arkadelphia and I'm so incredibly blessed that God has allowed me to be part of her life.  Here are some things that I (and the other "golden girls") love about Kaylan.  

First and foremost, Kaylan is a believer and follower of Christ.  She loves Jesus with her whole heart.  I have seen her follow Him even when the going got tough for her.  She is a Texan at heart but she currently lives in the Nashville area.  She is also one of the funniest people I know.  Whenever I am around her, she makes me laugh constantly.  Kaylan is also a world traveler and takes every opportunity to travel.  She has been overseas on several mission trips and continues to serve the Lord and go where He leads her.  She loves her family and would do anything for them!  Kaylan is also one of the most compassionate people I know.  She has a heart for people.  She is passionate about everything she puts her mind to, whether it be her work, her family, her friends or her life in general.  Kaylan is also very down to earth, sincere, creative, and a great cook (I need some lessons in this area for sure).  Lastly, Kaylan is country girl and diva all rolled into one!  She is one stylish girl but that doesn't take over her life.  

Kaylan is the kind of girl that every single guys mother would love for her son to bring home and introduce as his future wife.

If you think you might know someone that would be a great match for Kaylan, leave a comment and email address so she can get in contact with you.

GYR 2012

This is a long overdue post about one of the best parts about each summer and also happened to be the very last exciting thing that happened this summer, so I had to wait ALL SUMMER for this goodness.....GYR 2012!  For those of you who are not familiar with those acronyms, it stands for Golden Years Reunion.  College were the Golden Years that none of us will ever forget.  We bonded, became special sisters that some of us never had.  Now we try to reunite at least once a year.  Last year we didn't because of scheduling conflicts but I'm determined to see all my girls at least once a year from now on.  It's tough because we don't live in the same city but I am making it my goal from now on!

This year the reunion was in Austin.  Unfortunately one of our members of our little group was not able to join us.  It's hard to get away when you have 2 small children, but hopefully she will be able to make the next reunion.  We started the reunion on Wednesday evening when everyone finally arrived via plane to Austin.  Sweet Kara made 3 trips to the airport that day.  The first trip was to take her husband so he could get out of time for some guy time.  Then she picked Elise up midday and then the rest of us flew in around the same time so she got all of us at once.

Our first big surprise was that Kara was expecting!  Poor thing was sick while we were there but she was such a trooper.  She is expecting her first little Langley baby in March.  I can't wait to have another GYR baby in the mix.  One day I know that all the little GYR babies will be in the same room playing together while their mommas are in the kitchen and their daddies are all outside.

Next on our agenda was eating.  That's one of the things we do best.  I have a special bond with other foodies.  Maybe that's why we all became such good friends:)  I don't remember all the details of the weekend but I know that it involved lots of girl time, discussions, relaxation, food, and sleeping.  I had told a friend before I went on my trip that the girls like to stay up late.  Well as we have gotten older and older our bedtimes have become earlier and earlier.  I'd say we were in bed by midnight most nights and the reason we weren't in bed earlier the other night is because we took a random impromptu trip to San Antonio.

The trip was the perfect way to end the summer!  It was such a treat to spend 5ish days with the best friends a girl could ask for.  They don't judge and love me just the way I am.  We always pick up right where we left off.  I love them more than they know!

fredericksburg

This summer instead of my traditional vacation I've stayed close to home. This might be the first summer I haven't been out of Texas that I can remember. Because I'm taking a big trip in December, I've decided (sort of) that I should probably just save my money and wait for the big Australia and New Zealand trip. So my second summer trip I took in Texas was south again. I went with 5 other girls to Fredericksburg. I've only been there once and I would really call it taking a trip o Fredericksburg to explore the cute little town and surrounding areas. I went for a pedicure the day before my brothers wedding. That was the closest place so that's where we went. We were there strictly for me to get my toes done and eat lunch. So my first real trip to Fredericksburg was a lot of fun. We stayed in a cute little cottage called the Abble House. It was perfectly located and within walking distance to everything except the wineries and nothing is within walking distance to the wineries. The food we ate was great! The wine was delicious! The atmosphere was just lovely! I came back a little heavier than I was when I left so I'd say the trip was a success :)

Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

Now to prepare for 5 glorious days in Austin with my gg's!  Can't wait! :)

baby k

Monday, July 16, 2012 my life was forever changed.  I became an aunt to the most precious chubby cheeked little girl :)  She's beautiful and I'm blessed that she is my first niece (assuming there will be more nieces or nephews along the way).  I knew her mommy (my sister in law) was going in Sunday night and being induced Monday morning.  I woke up to a string of texts and my mom asking if I was at the hospital.  Nope, I was still in bed.  I knew that I had time even after she was born because they would have to clean her up and such.  I didn't rush to get ready and actually took extra time because if I was going to be taking a picture with her, my hair needed to be fixed and I needed to have makeup on. She arrived a little before 1pm but we didn't get to hold her until around 5:30pm.  That was the longest wait ever.  They were able to reserve the only suite in the maternity area at the hospital and it's a good thing they did because there were a lot of us around and a normal sized room would have been packed otherwise.  After we got to meet baby K, we headed home to let the new parents get some rest.  I was back the next day though with my camera in my hand.  I took some pictures of the sweet girl and her parents.  I think hospital pictures are a must if you can get someone who knows what they are doing to come in.  I was honored that they let me intrude and get some pictures.  I am going over tomorrow to see that sweet chunky monkey and take her newborn photos.  I sure hope they turn out as good and actually even better than her hospital pictures.  I hope the lighting cooperates with me and the outdoor lighting will shine right in all their windows.  I'll post some of them in a few weeks but here are a few that I took at the hospital.

Love those cheeks!

Isn't she sweet?!?!

Aunt K with Baby K :)

Daddy's Little Girl

girls trip to nyc in 2004

Going back to my previous trips that I said I was going to blog about.....one of my favorites.....NYC during the holiday season.  It was wonderful!  Basically the timing was perfect.  We had been talking about going to NYC to see it at Christmastime.  It had been at least 6 years since I had been to NY and I don't think the others had been at all.  An airline was fighting to stay afloat at this time, and had a killer sale on tickets.  We got ROUNDTRIP tickets for like $85 a person.  That was a steal and there was no reason to think on it.  We booked the trip.  It was my first friends trip after college.  We had great luck on the way there.  We were supposed to have a connecting flight somewhere but they needed 4 people to get bumped.  We volunteered and ended up on a non-stop flight and a voucher for another airline ticket to use sometime during the next year.

Four girls in NYC was pretty exciting....they all wanted to shop, we all wanted to see a show on broadway and we did both.  We did the scary back room shopping in China town.  I'm pretty sure we all bought fake Coach purses that we just KNEW they were real, but when you put them right next to a real one you could tell they were fake.  It was all part of the experience though :)  We saw Wicked on Broadway which was incredible!  That was one cold winter for sure.  I wanted to go stand out and wait for The Today Show to start and make a sign to be seen on tv but no one would go with me.  I was ready to layer and layer and bring a blanket from the hotel, but I didn't want to go alone.  Oh well, we had a blast on the trip and I would love for all of us to go back again one day!  Here are some pictures from the trip.

We had just arrived and were waiting for a cab at the airport.  Yes, I am aware that I look ridiculous in the hat!  

This was on our evening cruise.  It was so cold outside!

They ready maps.....I follow unless forced to navigate.  

We had to take a picture with the tree.  

It started snowing so Jenn pulled out her umbrella.  

We took a carriage ride in Central Park.  It was frigid!

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane!