Snowy New Year 2011

I cannot believe how much snow we have gotten lately. First a white Christmas and now the third largest snowfall recorded in our area. The last time that I remember having close to this much snow was when I was a sophomore in high school. I have LOVED this week. It was so exciting to watch the snow start falling on Sunday night and wake up Monday morning to see everything covered in white. There's just something about a snow day. Staying in because you really can't do anything else. I think it's good to be forced to "slow down" sometimes. It's been great having extra time Jamie these last few days and catching up with friends....even if it has only been on the phone or Facebook :) I made a snowman...only the second one I've ever made, enjoyed some snow cream, and have seen some of the most beautiful snow covered images. I know that it will be years before we get this much snow again so I'm enjoying every minute!
Stay safe and warm everyone :)




Jamie and I enjoying some snow time.


My snowman...or girl I guess lol


Our house.


Beautiful trees on our street.

It's the Most Wonderful Time fo the Year!

This is my favorite time of the year. I love everything about it. I love decorating the tree, singing Christmas carols, wrapping presents, drinking hot chocolate, and watching all of the old Christmas shows on t.v. I think I look forward to Christmas just as much...if not more...than I did when I was a kid. It's such a magical time. Of course, when I was a kid I had to go see Santa as soon as possible so I could tell him all of the goodies on my list. I remember writing to Santa one year....and he wrote back. I felt pretty important. And of course, growing up in church, I was an angel in numerous Christmas plays and nativity scenes. When I grew up, I directed several of those Christmas plays with kids at church. There's nothing cuter than seeing a little shepherd or wise man with his "beard" falling off or an little angel who's halo falls on the floor in the middle of "Silent Night". There are so many wonderful things about this season, but I think the most important part is celebrating the birth a King. The King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus. The song "I Believe" by Natalie Grant pretty much sums it up. "Heaven's Child. The great I Am. Born to take away my sins through nail pierced hands. Emmanuel has come. I believe." Let's all believe this Christmas and throughout the year. Merry Christmas!!

Bounce Dryer Bar

I was excited to try the new Bounce Dryer Bar. It looked like it would be a good product and save a little of time while doing the laundry. I was disappointed after a few loads of laundry. The towels and blankets were not soft and they were actually a little scratchy. The clothes were full of static. It didn't take long before I went back to the regular dryer sheets. I've heard a few other people say the same things when they tried the bar too. Also, when we took the dryer bar out of the dryer it left behind a sticky residue. So I would say......stick with the dryer sheets. The bar is a bust.

Completing Him Challenge-Week 2

I'm still participating in the "Completing Him Challenge" on the Women Living Well blog. This weeks challenge is "Remember the day that you entered you sacred vows. Post pictures from that day and tell your story".

We were married on a beautiful summer day in June at the Von Bryan estate in Sevierville, TN. The estate used to be a bed and breakfast but is now rented out like other large cabins. We were very excited to bring our family and friends together at the cabin and spend time with them before our special day. The day was absolutely perfect. There was a bright blue sky and a gorgeous view of the Smoky Mountains. Everything went off without a hitch.

One of my favorite parts of the ceremony was pouring our unity sand. While looking up different "unity ceremony" ideas before the wedding, I stumbled across something called the Unity Cross. I loved that idea because it really focused on God being the center of your marriage and uniting the couple. The only problem was that there was only one company that made it and it was very expensive. Long story short.....we came up with our own unity cross by combing a lot of different ideas that we found online. We found a shadow box type picture frame, glued a cross on it, and then filled it during the wedding with unity sand. It was perfect.

The most important part of that day was marrying Jamie. Everything in the ceremony could have gone wrong, but it would have been ok with me. I knew that us making our commitment to each other and to God was what the day was all about.

June 20, 2010

Giving our rings

Unity Sand/Cross

Our first kiss as Mr. & Mrs. Gilliam

Completing Him Challenge

I heard about this challenge on a friend's blog (thanks Stephanie :) I checked out the website, Women Living Well, because I was really interested in it. The "official" online challenge took place in June, but I thought this was something that I could still do. I know I'm still a newlywed, but I think this challenge can be good whether you've been married 3 months or 30 years. The first week's challenge is.....

"Post Pictures from your dating days (or tell us all about it!). Think about one thing you used to do or have as a couple that you have lost in the shuffle of life. How can you regain it?"

Here are some pictures from our dating days....that wasn't very long ago :) We clicked as soon as we met. I remember talking for hours the night of our first date. I knew pretty early that he was the one for me. I didn't think it could get better than that, but married life is even better. I am so thankful and blessed to have Jamie in my life.

Dating Pics

Bama Game 2009
Beach Trip
Nora Jones at the Ryman
Red Sox Game