Ok... finally updating again.

Well, I just finished my first piece to sell. I had a special order for a lighthouse from a lady at work. She told me to be as creative as possible and that is basically what I did. It was done completely free handed and came out really well. I got the general idea from a light switch cover in my parents spare bathroom. This is quite a breaking point for comsidering this is the first thing I have ever sold myself. So my mom and I, together, have finally started out business. Horray! Her is the piece.

Other than painting my little heart out there hasn't been too much going on. MY mom and I are getting ready for our first craft show on June 30th at the Zebulon Road Kroger. The event is from 7 to 4. We hope to see all of you there to support us. We have come a long way but still have a good ways to go. If you could keep my mom and I in your prayers to help our hands not go numb and to keep as little paint off our good clothes as possible. :-)

Although I don't have time to update everything, I promise it won't be another 2 months before I update again. My love to all. Stephanie

Finally updating

Well, I know it's been a while since I've updated so here we go. I have much more before this past weekend but I'll have to obtain those pictures and update later. These top pictures are from Mrs. Angie's graduation. She is Heather's (my best friend) mom. She graduated from Macon State with her RN. Congratulation to her :-) Although it was a long ceremony, it was well worth it!! Heather just got a job at CNN and ended up being a little late. So I volunteered to be the photgrapher until she arrived.



This is Heather and I. We went to her Mom's house after graduation and had some pizza. Yummy! We were full at this point, so that is why we are all smiles! I miss you girl!







Here is Mrs. Angie receiving a congratulations hand shake from the president of Macon State College.







For graduation I painted her a Welcome sign with her last name on it. I was so proud of that sign. It was the first time I had ever painted a sunflower and it came out really well.





This was Saturday morning. As most of you know it was smoky outside. Although you can't really tell it was very thick. Please pray for those surrounded by the brush fires. I know that I can't imagine being in that kind of situation.





This is the most updated picture of my Mocha. I thought this picture was so adorable that I had to share.







Now i couldn't leave Roxy out. She posed specifically for this one, if you couldn't tell.






Now, this was mine and Brian's mother's day gift for my mommy. I have Sandy to thank for this one. Although I painted it all by myself, she provided the worksheet for me to practice on. You are a life saver Sandy. This may have been an inexpensive mother's day, but it meant a lot to my mom and that is all that matters.




Rob, Rob, Rob! He is playing Brian's guitar hero game and enjoying himself. If you couldn't tell! He wasn't happy with me for taking the picture, but it was well worth it.











Later that night we went out for Margaritas and Enchilatas and this is a picture of me and the best big brother in the world!!! You handsome devil you!







Of course this is the B-honey and I! The love of my life and my future husband. I think I should give God a pat on the back for this one. I couldn't ask for a better booger!






Now, this precious ball of fur is a nut... literally! She reminds me of my annie-poo! Brian and I just fell in love with her, but weren't able to take her home... :-(





There you have it! That was my weekend in a nut shell. To give a quick update on things that have been going on, we have started a new class at our church. The name of it is "Network". It helps you find out how God wired you! It had really helped me to figure out who I am and how I can be of service. We have only had two classes so I don't claim to have it all figured out, but I am SO glad I took this class. I can't wait to see exactly where God wants me to use my talents.

I need prayer. I have an interview at Arinc on Thursday. I have a feeling that this class would be a blessing in disguise. My issue is that I don't know what is going to happen if I do get the job. It's part time and in WR. The whole point of moving to Macon was to be closer to work. I think it would be worth it to go back and forth as long as I'm happier than I am now.

I love you all and can't wait for you to see that I'VE UPDATED!!! YAY!

There the kids!!!

What a good lookin' bunch! Tonight was sibling night. I don't know that we have ever had one of these when significant others weren't there. Even though we missed the adorable guys it was SO nice to have time with just the three of us.
We got a later start than planned, but once we got the night rolling we went to Cheddar's in WR. We ate dinner, took pictures, and just enjoyed each others company.
I must say that my mother and grandmother were right when they said that when we got older we would be the best of friends. Of course, when we were younger we would fight constantly so naturally we didn't think it was possible... but as you can tell things are much different. I love you guys and wish the night together didn't have to end.
Here is a few picture from the night.



This is Ash and I. What a gorgeous kid :-)












Ash and Rob, the best brother and sister in the world no matter what anyone else thinks ;-)














Me and Rob! Yes Jessica, you did teach me well. BTW, I'm not sure why my eyes look crazy. Thank goodness Rob makes me look good :-)

THRASHERS WIN!!!

Well, as you can tell the Trashers won. We played the Tampa Bay Lightning which is my Uncle Skeeters favorite hockey team. Sorry Uncle Skeet! This was the last game of the season :-( so it was VERY exciting! We won in a sudden death shoot out. We were tied after the third period which made us going into over time. After over time was over we were still tied. Then the shoot out lasted about 7 rounds, but Atlanta ended up pulling through and winning it for us! Here's a few pictures from the game.

See you guys soon!!!

ATLANTA BOUND!
GO THRASHERS!

Blueland Bound!

Brian and I are headed to the last Thrasher game of the season. Atlanta Trashers Vs. Tampa Bay Lightning!! So those who are a thrasher at heart watch the game as we clinch our division!!
I love you all!

Home Sweet Home!

Well, Brian and I made it home safely! It was a LONG trip, but I'm glad I had that opportunity to meet Jesse's (Brian's dad) side of the family. We left on Monday night at about 7:30 and arrived at our hotel Tuesday morning at about 7:30. So we had nearly a 12 hour drive. We all took turns driving, but my honey drove most of the way. It was a wonderful experience, because we went through a few states that I have never visited. We stayed at a hotel in Ashland, KY, which was about 20 minutes away from Hanging Rock, OH.
Once we got there we slept for several hours, got ready, and headed to the funeral home for the visitation. I don't expect funerals to be easy, but it was quite obvious that this was hard on the entire family. The gentleman that died was Brian's uncle Kenny. This was Jesse's baby brother. He died of cancer at the young age of 60. Jesse is one of 6 children. There are only 3 children left. During the visitation I had an opportunity to meet and talk with basically the whole family. They welcomed me with open arms. It had been about 10 years since Brian had been to Ohio to see his family so naturally they couldn't get over how much he had grown.
Wednesday morning we got up and attended the funeral. It was a very nice service. One of Kenny's military buddies got up and spoke very highly of him. I never met Brian's uncle but from what I understand he was quite an amazing person. After a few words from his loved ones the preacher came up and spoke. After it was all said and done we went to the grave sight and laid Kenny to rest. It was amazing, because Uncle Kenny's friend that spoke shared something very special with all of us. He told us of how Kenny had excepted Christ as his Lord and Savior only three months before. Just like all of us he hard the stories over and over again and told those closest to him that when we was ready he would let them know. Well, he did and I'm glad he did because while the rest of us are mourning his death he is sitting at the right hand of God smiling on those he loves.
You know, I thought that Georgia had the craziest weather. Though we do have crazy weather Ohio was something else. When we arrived in Ohio it was about 85 or 90 degrees as the high. When we left today it was snowing! I was so excited to see the first snow of the season, even if it was in April.


Well, this is my honey all cleaned up! We are at his uncle Kenny's house having lunch with the family after the funeral. There is nothing like post funeral food.

This adorable ball of fur is "prissy". She is Brian's Uncle Kenny and aunt Di's cat. She was too cut for her own good!




There was another member of the animal world that Brian and I just totally fell in love with. Her name is Sandy! She is a 1 year old lab/blue tick hound mix. She is HUGE. For those of you who know what my parents dog cam looks like, well she is about twice his size. I'm not kidding. She is 115 lbs. of muscle. I must say that it was love at first sight!


Needless to say we had a good time and are glad to be home. I missed you all and love you dearly! I can't wait to see everyone soon!
Have a great Friday and God bless!

Never a dull moment!

I hope that every one had a great week and plans to have an even better coming week. Well, the week for the most part was a blur until Saturday. Brian and I spent the day with my parents. Brian helped my dad in the yard and helped my mom and I take some stuff to Good will. Thank God we have him, Brandon, and Rob, because otherwise I don't know that we would have gotten as much accomplished.
My mom and I worked on our interior decorating homework. We took our test and made a 100%. That means we are still sitting high at a 4.0! Go us!! After completing our test we tackled Bryant's new room. I don't know that we got as much done as we would have liked, but looking back on it we made significant progress.
While Brian and I were at my parents house we received news that Brian's uncle (61) passed. He was diagnosed with cancer a while back and just couldn't fight any longer. We will be heading to Ohio this week, so please keep us in your prayers while we drive. This will be a 9 hour trip. Jesse and Brian will be alternating driving, so please pray for endless coffee and clear roads.
On a brighter note, March 21st Connie (co-worker), Mimi and I took our Cherry blossom painting class. We had a blast. This was Connie's first class and I just want to say that she did an incredible job. The cherry blossom class was Mimi's 13th class... WOW! Although this was only my 5th I have a GREAT at home tutor to help me along the way :-)
This is my photo! At work we had our Cherry Blossom Festival Picnic in Central City Park, so I am certainly dressed for the occasion.
I hope that everyone has a great week and I will talk to you all soon! I love you all!

Monday, Monday....

Good evening! Well, this has been one of the better Monday's that I have had lately. One of the bad things about Mondays is that you are forced to set the alarm again, forced to roll out of bed, and forced back into reality. So here we are again, the end of another Monday and on our way to the weekend.
This weekend for Brian and I was quite interesting. It started out pretty rough but ended up being worth it! Brian and I moved furniture that my grandmother gave us from Florida to Warner Robins. We rented a huge van from enterprise and was some how able to fit everything in there. We unloaded last night and was finally done with it!!!
Last week I attended Sandy's Cherry Blossom one-stroke class. I was very pleased with the out come of the picture. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of it. Sandy is the only one with a picture. When Brian and I went to Florida this weekend I was compelled to give my great-grandmother my painting. I was very glad that I did because she loved it!
While we were there we also had a chance to hang out with my grandmother, her husband and my cousin Amy. We all had a great time.
I can't wait to hear about everyones weekend.
God Bless and everyone have a great week!

Amazing Night

Ok... so I realize that I have not completed my previous blog, but I feel very compelled to write certain things on this particular blog. Today was a horrible day. Between work and nearly everything else I just knew my night was going to keep going down hill. After work I went to Brian's for dinner. We went through our normal routine of asking each other how our day was. He made the mistake by asking me first. One question started an explosion of emotions and an uncontrollable amount of complaining. It was something that I couldn't help. It was flowing like a waterfall out of my mouth. When I finally slowed down (and those of you who know me well, know that when I get to talking it gets pretty fast and hard to get me to stop) he grabbed me and gave me a "Brian Bear" hug. For those of you who don't know, that is the best kind of hug you will ever receive. The hug made me feel better, but everything that happened continued to weigh heavy on my mind. I found out later that he also had a bad day, but he was so concerned about me that he didn't bring it up until I asked.

We ate dinner as scheduled. After our tummies were full I saw Brian rummaging around for something. This was a man on a mission. After about 5 minutes of searching I saw him pull something out that made my jaw drop. He pulled out his Bible. Those of you who don't know Brian let me give you some insight on his past. Unlike my family, Brian didn't grown up in a church. His Grandmother is a regular at her church in Vidallia, but other than that he hasn't has very much spiritual guidance in his life. Since we have been together he has been with me and my family a few things... but it just wasn't anything that TRULY interested him. For the past two weeks WE have gone to a new church. In just two weeks we have seen changes in each other that we didn't know possible. To be honest I didn't know that Brian owned a bible. (I want everyone to know that I'm not bashing him by any means. Just giving you a taste of his background) I have noticed Brian asking questions about the message that was given that particular Sunday and I notice myself looking at Brian in a different light.

Brian pulled out that Bible and turned to the back. After a few seconds of reading he told me that I am tempted to be bitter about my job. I was blown away. I wanted to know more and I wanted to hear it from him. I could have read what the Bible had to tell me, but I wanted to hear it from Brian. He started looking up different verses about love, encouragement, and faith. There was one verse that he read that is so familiar to me, but in that setting it had a whole knew meaning.
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

All the sudden I had peace with what happened at work. I realized that I was making work too much a part of my life. I was spending so much time being bitter about work that I was neglecting my love (God, my Family, my Friends, and Brian). God made me realize that I am not patient and I'm not always kind. I do envy, I do boast, and at times I am proud. I am sometimes rude and often self-seeking. I am angered too easily and have an entire book of the wrongs i have recorded. At times I delight in evil and don't always rejoice in truth. I don't always protect, trust, hope, or preserve.

When the light bulb finally came on I realized that LOVE NEVER FAILS. I'm not perfect, but instead of dwelling over something that only takes up 40 hours of a 168 hour week... it's time to work on the my relationship with those people who I spend those other 128 hours with. I hear so much, "How can someone dislike you?" Well, I may be easy to get along with, but man, the above paragraph is enough for me.

Brian and I shared something that we had never shared before, God. So, needless to say my night was totally changed and this has turned out to be one AMAZING NIGHT!
God Bless and Good night!

Wedding Party

Good Evening! I'm glad that everyone likes mine and Brian's new blog. The intention is for him to post as well. But we will see if that ever happens.
The last few blogs were just to let everyone know who is closest to me in my life. And now it's time to update you on my life. Brian and I are less than a year away from getting married. After quite a bit of frustration trying to figure out which city we were getting married in and trying to also figure out all the fine tuning we have decided to get married on a cruise ship. Once we were finished with all the Ooo's and Aaa's of the idea and a little bit of research we realized that it was the best thing for us. It seems to be convenient for almost everyone and give all of you an excuse to get away for a vacation. Let's meet the wedding party:

This is Heather, my best friend! We met when I was a freshman in high school. She was a Junior at the time. We were in the marching band together and was the reason I tried out for drum major the first time. We swore to each other that when she went off to college that nothing would change and we would stay best friends forever! We have been true to our word and we are closer now than ever. Heather is a 2005 graduate from the University of Georgia.
This is Chris, we have known each other since he and Heather started dating in 2003. Brian and I have a great time with these two and wouldn't want to stay in Athens with any other couple. Chris is a 2006 graduate from the University of Georgia. You guessed it... they are big fans of the red and black!




This is my little sister Ashley. I had already mentioned her in my previous post, but I can't leave her out. I can't imagine having my wedding and not having my little blond fire-cracker there. She has always been there for me and I want to spend my special day with my little sister, Mich Face!!!

This is my Sara Jean! We have been through quite a lot! We met when we were only ankle biters at church. We went to high school together and were also in the marching band together for 2 years. She works for the Houston County School System and unlike many of us she loves her job. She is a GREAT person and I love this kid :-)


You have already met Rob in another blog, but he will also be in the wedding. Even though he is my brother, this was Brian's idea to have him in it. I know that Brian really looks up to Rob and thinks very highly of him. Rob has been like a brother to Brian even in the short 2 and 1/2 years we have been together.





This is Shayla, Brian's Niece. She was the first to "predict" the marriage. She has been calling me "Aunt Stephie" since the first time she met me. This is a country girl born and raised :-) She is a Junior in high school and seems to just love life. She has been through a lot, but doesn't let it interfere with her happiness!





This is Jessica. She was in my previous blog and also one of my Bride's Maids. Anyways, I have known for a long time that Jessica was going to be in my wedding. Although somethings have changed, my decision to have her be apart of my big has not! I'm looking forward to spending this incredible day with someone fun like Jessica!

Now this adorable big boy to the left is Bryant. He is going to be one of our ring bearer. This little Florida State Fan has our hearts in his little hand. He is Brian's favorite playmate and certainly gives him a run for his money. We love this little man and can't wait to see how handsome he is in his tux!

Now these little beauties are my cousins Maddi and Lexi. These little girls are a part of a family tradition. Let me give a layout of the tradition.
My mom was in my Aunt Michelle's wedding. Amy (My Aunt's daughter) my cousin was in my mom's wedding. I was in Amy's wedding and now it's time for her daughter(Lexi) to be in my wedding. I couldn't leave Maddi out so they will both be my flower girls and will be too cute for words.

To Be Continued....