Canoeing Excursion

Recently, Richard and I were able to go canoeing with my little brother and his fiance. My mom dropped us and the canoes off in Old Town Helena. We canoed down Buck Creek until we intersected with the Cahaba River. We started out at about 9:00 that morning and finished up at about 12:30 that afternoon. It was a fun little trip. Luckily, we didn't see any snakes! We saw a few turtles and we think that one was even trying to bite Richard. We had stopped at a rope swing and we were all in the water, when Richard said that he felt something tug on his swimsuit. You should have seen Jessy and I get back in those canoes! Just before we got to the end of our trip, the sky started to get a little dark and the thunder started to roll. By the time we got the canoes loaded up and in the truck, it had started raining. We barely missed it. We had such a good time and would love to do it again!

Rotations

Richard and I have completed our first rotation and have started on our second rotation! For my first rotation, I was at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery. I worked with some really great pharmacists and learned so much from them and the experience. The rotation definitely opened my eyes to an area of pharmacy that I had previously thought I did not want to do. There were several things that I really enjoyed about working in the hospital. Richard was at Lakeshore Pharmacy which is an independent pharmacy in Dadeville. He enjoyed his rotation and really like working with the people there. Today we started our second rotation and are excited to see how they go. One down, only seven more to go!!! One step closer to graduation next May!

Our Wedding Day

It was on July 12th, 2008. It is day that neither of us will ever forget! There had been so many preparations for this one day! I wouldn't have been able to plan our wedding without the help of so many people, especially my Mom. I had six wonderful bridesmaids and Richard had six of his best friends as his groomsmen. We also had my cousins as the flowergirl and ringbearer! They were absolutely adorable and did a great job. The bridesmaids wore a tea-length shimmering tan dress with a V-back and dark brown sash. Richard and the groomsmen wore brown tuxedos with tan vests and ties. My dress was candlelight with an ivory waist. It had sparkles along the bust line and buttons that went all the way down the back of the dress and the train. I hadn't even picked this dress out to try on, but my Mom asked me to try it on and I fell in love with it! The flowers in the wedding were a mixture of yellow, pink and orange. There were lilies, gerber daisies, carnations and roses. They turned out even prettier than I had imagined. The ceremony was done by my cousin's husband, who did an amazing job. We couldn't have asked a better person to do the wedding. We got married in a little country church in Gallant, Alabama called Bethlehem Baptist Church. It is the church that I grew up in and the church that my parents got married in too. Richard's Mom wanted to see his face when he saw me for the first time and I wanted to take pictures before the wedding, so we compromised. Before we took pictures, my Dad actually walked me down the isle to see Richard for the first time that day. He cried, like he said he would, and then we got to spend a few minutes alone together before we started with the pictures. It rained so hard that morning and around lunch time, but when it came time for pictures and the ceremony, it actually cooled off and was absolutely gorgeous! After the ceremony, we had our reception and got to see everyone. We left that night and went to Ross Bridge in Hoover to spend the night. Richard's parents had gotten us a very nice room for the night. The next morning we got up very early and went to the Birmingham airport to leave for our honeymoon! It all happened very quickly, but is a day that will always be very special to both of us!!

My Dad's Birthday

Today is my Dad's birthday! I am so thankful to have such a wonderful dad who has always been there for me! He has taught me so much over the years! I just wanted to say that I hope he has a wonderful day! Sorry that we couldn't be there with him today, but we will see him next weekend!

This picture was taken in December when we all went on a camping trip up at The Lodge in Gallant. And that is my brother's dog Jake in the picture too!

Hydrangeas

These gorgeous, fresh flowers are compliments of our neighbors' hydrangea bush. They aren't here this summer, so I figured that someone needed to enjoy them!

Beach Trip May 2010

We were so lucky to get to go to the beach with a big group of our friends! We mentioned that we should all get together and go to the beach during our two week break between finals and the start of our rotations. Within one week of mentioning it to everyone, one of our friends had us a place booked in Seacrest Beach, which is close to Panama City Beach. As the trip got closer, we were very worried about the oil situation and how it would affect our trip. When we got down to the beach, the water was crystal clear and the weather was perfect! We had such a good time hanging out with everyone before we all started our rotations. We are incredibly blessed to have such great friends!!

The Proposal

It was on July 11th, 2007. I was working at Ezell's, which is a catfish restaurant back home in Birmingham. Every night when I got off of work I would call my mom and let her know that I was on my way to the house. After I called her, I would call Richard and talk to him until I got home. Richard's dad had a minor surgery done earlier that day and was spending the night at the hospital. Richard told me that he was staying at home with his sister and was waiting on his mom to call back with an update on his dad. He told me that if she called while we were on the phone that he was going to have to call me back. I was telling him all about my afternoon and night at work and about all the customers that had come in that day. I talked to him for about 15 minutes and about the time that I pulled into the driveway at my house, he told me that his mom was calling and he would call me right back. I told him that it was fine, to take his time. I walked into the house and started talking to my mom about work and how much money I had made that night. Every night we had to mop the floors before leaving work, so often times my shoes and pants legs would be soaked. I started taking off my shoes and rolling up my jeans so that they wouldn't get the carpet dirty. My mom told me that I had to come outside and look at what my brother had done to the front yard. Knowing my brother, I didn't think a thing about it and proceeded out the front door. When I opened the door there was a HUGE box with a bow on the front porch with my name on it! It didn't take me long to figure out what was going on, but I was so surprised! I lifted the lid on the box and Richard was dressed in his suit and tie, down on one knee and holding a gorgeous ring!! He was sweating to death because he had been in the box for a little while and it was the middle of the summer! He got out of the box, got down on one knee again and asked me to marry him! He said something to the effect of, "I love you with all my heart and want to spend the rest of my life with you! Will you marry me?" Of course, I said YES!! My brother was out in the front yard with the video camera, so he got it all on tape! After I got over the shock, we started calling everyone we knew!