Ok, it’s been quite some time since I have been able to touch this blog. Not because I didn’t want to but because life has been such a rollercoaster! The second half of this year has been one for the books. As most of you probably know, whether you lived it or watched it on the news, hurricane Harvey came through and ripped us all a new one. It was an insane event to watch unfold. So. Much. Water. Though our home did not officially flood, we did have a lot of damage. It really stinks because a good chunk of the work that was done within the last year was ruined. A combination of floors, sheetrock, roofing and flashing were most of our worries. BUT with all that being said, we were lucky…..SOOOOO lucky. People in my neighborhood and all over Houston and surrounding areas had to be rescued via boat or helicopter. I have many friends and family members who had to completely gut their homes. We were one of the lucky ones for sure. The reno house, now that one took a hard hit. The entire bottom floor had to be gutted so you know all that comes along with that. The good news there is, we are about ready to start putting it back together again. We are anxious to get back on track there and at home. I won’t share any photos from the storm. Frankly, I am tired of hearing about it and my exposed slab floors remind us of it daily. I will however leave you with one photo. It’s of the open wall in our office. Before we put the walls back originally, I went through and picked some bible verses that spoke to me and wrote them on the walls. We also took a picture of our family at the time and dated it. We thought it might be something cool for someone else to find later on down the road and aside from the photo of who once lived there, perhaps the verses I picked could somehow touch their lives. When we were the ones who had to open the walls again I was less than pleased but it was a nice reminder for me. The passage spoke to me all over again and the picture was special because it included me, Chad, Cadel and both babies at the time in my belly, Lex and Ash. It was a full family portrait we didn’t really know we had but once the storm drama subsided it was a nice reminder of what once was, even if only for a little while.  We will add an additional photo before that wall is closed again.

Next on the list, I started teaching a Pound Fit class this fall. If you have never taken a Pound class, I suggest you find one in your area and give it a try. I don’t know about you but I have a hard time finding an enjoyable workout. That is of course until I found this! I took my first class right before I found out I was pregnant a couple years ago. After having Lex the class no longer was taught in my area so I decided to teach it myself. I am not trying to become a fitness guru by any means. I’m just trying to enjoy working out and bringing others along to join the fun of cardio and drumming! Again, find a class and try it. It’s offered all over the world!

We hit another bump in the road in October and received some unsettling news. We found out that my mother in law has brain cancer. I think our family as a whole would agree to five more Harvey’s instead of news like this but we all know life doesn’t work that way. A situation like so can bring you to your knees pretty fast, as all the initial thoughts are scary and overwhelming. But I speak from experience when I say it can also pull the best out of everyone. We thankfully did not have much time to focus on the scary parts but instead we have pulled up our boot straps, locked arms as a family and we have continued to move full speed ahead together. Although the situation has greatly impacted our lives, I will not share all the details as it is not my story to tell. I will say my mother in law has always been one of our biggest supporters, for not just Chad and I, but for her children and their families over all. She has trained us well to look for the positive things in life and keep our heads up! With all that being said, she is doing really great! She has been handling treatment quite well and we are doing our best to support her in all ways possible! 🙂

Ok so this is really new, like a few days ago new. I got engaged! Yes, the woman who is already married got engaged! A quick backtrack, we won a wedding contest almost eight years ago. The deal was, if you won, your wedding would be planned in a week’s time with you getting married at the end of that week. It was such an awesome experience for not only us but our whole family and a lot of our friends. We have no regrets about it, BUT we were never actually engaged. When we graduated high school we said we would talk about getting married after we both graduated college. Chad had just graduated in December of 2009 so we had already decided that 2010 would be the year to get engaged and married. The contest happened in February so I basically pulled the rug from underneath our feet and we took a leap. Things happened so fast that an engagement just couldn’t happen. We bought wedding bands and that was it but we were happy! Since then, we have talked about getting me an engagement ring to go with my band but it was never at the top of my list. I mean who doesn’t like jewelry but I wasn’t dreaming about it per say. Y’all, my husband planned a perfect day last Friday and the snow was the cherry on top. The prior week was beyond hectic for us with roofers, mason work, etc. I thought we were just having a regular old date night type thing but I was really looking forward to having us time. We don’t get out together as much as we should, so this was nice. He took me to a beautiful place, found a perfect spot and held my hands and talked to me about the life we built together over the years. He then proceeded to get down on one knee and asked me to marry him again. The ring is beautiful and I had no part in picking it whatsoever BUT the thoughtfulness and the moment itself was touching, so incredibly touching. We have been together since we were 16 years old, and together steadily not on and off again. After everything we have experienced in our lives thus far, he went out of his way to make sure I had that moment that every girl dreams of. Even as an “old” already married woman. 😉 He even asked my Dad again for his permission to have my hand in marriage. Remember, the wedding contest was a whirlwind for our entire family. Imagine the look on our parents faces when we told them we were getting married in a week! So the proposal and first time engagement has really put a nice pep in my step and it has refreshed us as a couple and a family. Yes, we will renew our vows. I plan to wear the same dress and I am very thankful my gown laces up in the back if you know what I mean….Everything isn’t the same as it once was!

 And now we are in full swing for the holidays! Christmas all over the place! You know, last year I was on top of everything. The decorating, shopping, planning, etc. We hosted Christmas for my side of the family last year at our house and I think I was just so excited to have a home for people to come to that finally had a floor and looked put together. Even though the kitchen was only half tiled and people would catch their toes on the edge if they weren’t paying attention. LOL! But hey all the wood was down and it looked amazing!  This year I am a complete mess. I think I am finally coming around but it’s been quite the struggle.

With all that being said, I did have the pleasure of going to photograph one of my favorite local home and décor shops recently and that has gotten me in the spirit. The Restored Home’s main location is in Webster, Texas but they also have another location in Spring. (You can find a link to their website located under the Links I Love tab above) I was lucky enough to be invited back again to photograph their showroom for Christmas this year. You guys, Rhonda and her team have some serious talent. It’s a magical winter wonderland in there. I often say its Magnolia Market of our area. They have every kind of Christmas decoration you can think of. It’s dreamy to say the least! Do yourself a favor and stop by before the holiday season is over. Until then live it via these photos…

As always, thanks for stopping by. I am busy getting my next post ready! It involves my recent trip to Magnolia Market. And yes, I hear you saying, “Gosh she sure does go a lot!” But give me one good reason why I shouldn’t!

Til next time… PEACE In, Grace OUT!