Welcome JaMarkus Avery!

JaMarkus Avery Powell

12-17-2010

9:34pm

8 lbs

9 oz

21" long

Congratulations to my cousin Kaleigh and her husband Justin on the birth of their second baby boy! Isn't he cute? So glad to hear that everyone is doing well.....wish I lived closer so I could come meet him!

Going to the chapel and they're gonna get married.....

There must be something in the water because it seems like so many of my friends have gotten engaged recently. I'm so ecstatic for every single one of them and I can't wait for their wedding day and all the festivities that go along with it. I've always thought that one of the sweetest stages in life had to be when all your friends got married and started having babies. It's such a fun time to bring everyone together to celebrate an awesome thing called love!

I'm proud to say that I will be inheriting a sweet sister within the next year! Yes, you heard right, my brother popped the question to his girlfriend this weekend. I'm so stoked for them. They truly are a wonderful couple and have such a great bond. They were very close friends before they started dating. They attended the same high school and Ashley was Trevor's date to their junior prom. Everyone pretty much knew when they started dating that they would end up getting married. He took Ashley to Medicine Park to celebrate Christmas with just the two of them. When he gave her her Christmas present there were three boxes, one inside the other. The first box had a piece of paper in it that said "will".......the second box said "you".......and the third box said "marry me" and had the ring in it. Ashley said she thought it was a joke at first. She obviously knew what the other boxes contained, but she figured Trevor was playing a joke and was going to put something funny in the last box. The engagement ring that Trevor picked out all by himself. I was very impressed. Of course, I had to try it on and it is absolutely gorgeous! I warned Trevor and Ben that they better get ready to hear all things wedding because that's probably all Ashley and I will talk about......and trust me it's already started haha.

Congratulations to my sweet friend Gill on her engagement. Gill and I went to college together in Fort Smith for two years. Her fiance Jeremy is a very lucky guy. I know she is going to be such a wonderful wife and mother......and she will make a beautiful bride. I'm sad that I don't get to see Gill very often because we don't live in the same town, but I will always cherish her friendship. She is such sweet, caring friend and I couldn't be happier for her and Jeremy.

Next up on the list of newly engaged couples is Kyle & Jill. Kyle is one of Aaron's good friends. They played baseball together in Fort Smith and then they both moved to Tahlequah to attend NSU. Aaron has been Kyle & Jill's roommate for the last two years, therefore we see each other quite often. Aaron and I always enjoy hanging out with them. They are such a cute couple and I'm so excited for them! Congratulations Kyle and Jill, love you guys!

Congratulations to my cousin Brad and his new fiance Jaimi! They will be getting married in Jamaica this June. When I found out they were having a destination wedding in Jamaica I decided that I was going to find a way to go. My cousin called me tonight and asked if I'd be willing to take their wedding pictures. I am flattered that they asked and I definitely cannot turn that opportunity down. I will be practicing/studying up on my photography skills so I can capture their beautiful day. I absolutely cannot wait for the wedding and I'm super excited to get a new cousin!!

My good friend Lance proposed to his girlfriend back in October. His proposal was pretty sweet! They went skydiving together and as she was landing there was a sign on the ground that said "will you marry me?" and as she came to the ground he was down on one knee. I give Lance major props for that one! Congratulations Lance and Brandy, can't wait for your special day!

See what I mean when I say there must be something in the water?

Weekend Recap!

I had such an awesome weekend. It was filled with Aaron's graduation, spending time with his family and mine, a graduation party with his friends, and a Christmas party with my friends! Here are some pictures from the weekend: Receiving his diplomaAaron and his familyAaron and my family Congratulations Aaron...i'm very proud of you!

Aaron was able to come back home with me and attend the Christmas party. It was a lot of fun! I was impressed that ALMOST everyone dressed in their corny outfits. The party was complete with lots of great food. We also played dirty Santa...I'm proud to say that I received a shake weight as my gift haha!

Lance's outfit was pretty good, complete with a cigar, eggnog, corny sweater, turtleneck, and an AWESOME comb over! He looked pretty classy.


So one of the main things on my Christmas wish list this year was the Nike Sport Band. Since I will be training for a marathon, I figured running equipment and gear would be a good thing to put on my list. Compared to all the other running watches and measuring bands, this one was fairly reasonable. However, I soon learned that in order to use this particular band, you must have the Nike running shoes that hold the pod in the sole of the shoe. Therefore, nix that idea because I didn't have the Nike shoes and I wasn't about to ask for both. Well Aaron said the other night that he wanted to go to Academy to get some Christmas shopping done. I was tired and didn't want to go so I let him go by himself. He came back all excited and said he really couldn't wait to give me my gift and he wanted me to open it NOW. I was SOOOOO excited when I saw what it was. I also felt bad that he spent so much money on me...I did not want, nor expect him to spend that much money. I told him he shouldn't have done it and his response was, "I wanted to because you're worth it." Isn't he so sweet? And yes, I must admit, he does a good job of spoiling me. I'm so excited to try out the shoes and the Sport Band. It tells you your distance, pace, time, and calories burned :))

Christmas Decor

When I was in college I found a really nice kitchen table in the classifieds. It was made of solid oak wood and it had a leaf and six chairs....the only thing wrong with it was the awful material on the chair covers. For the longest time, I've been meaning to recover them, but I haven't been able to decide on what fabric I like best. My mom had some red fabric that she said I could use for now just so they could be temporarily recovered. It's not what I would have picked out, but it looks SO much better than the old fabric and it matches the kitchen and is festive for Christmas. I will leave them like this until I get my own house and decide how I want it to be decorated. The chairs were super easy to recover! Here's the cushion before...YUCK!

And here it is after:

Before:After:Someday my goal is to paint the legs and chairs all black and stain the top a dark wood and add fun fabric to the cushions...we'll see!My mom bought me these fun Christmas hand towels from Pier 1. Aren't they cute? While searching for a corny Christmas sweater at a thrift store, I spotted this little jewel for $6 and I had to have it. I LOVE it!

I discovered two of my new FAVORITE wax melt scents today. My most favorite is the Scentsy Go-Go-Goji. It's an exotic blend of Chinese goji berry, sweet lotus flowers, and ripe warm dewberries. I have it burning in my room right now and I can't get enough of it. You seriously need to try it. My other favorite is Tyler Candle Co's Frosted Pomegranate...YUM!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my dad's 58th birthday!!!! I wanted to wish him a very Happy Birthday because he deserves the best! My dad is the world's greatest dad....i know everyone says that about their own parents, but truly he is. I wouldn't trade him for the world. He is a husband. father. brother. uncle. teacher. coach. hard worker. survivor. My dad is always a very pleasant person to be around....I guess you could beg to differ if you ever had a run in with him on the football field or track. When I was a little girl I used to go to work with my dad almost everyday in the summer. I would get up at the crack of dawn and go to football practice with him. Most girls would probably dread going, but I absolutely loved every minute of it. I got to help the trainers hand out water bottles and I played pretend school in the coaching offices by writing all over the blackboards and for some reason that was really fun to me. I LOVED going to watch all the Norman High football games. I always loved running out onto the football field after the games and giving my dad a big ole hug! After my senior year of high school, my dad retired from coaching football so that he would be able to come watch me play volleyball in college. Of course, this wasn't the only reason he quit coaching, but i think it played a significant part in it. That meant the world to me....what a great dad! The older I get, the more grateful I am for my wonderful parents. The way my dad treats my mom has taught me exactly how a man should love a woman. After all, I remember my dad doing most of the cooking when we were younger (no offense to my mom, she is a great cook now). The way my parents raised my brother and me has taught me so much about how to raise a family properly. Dad, I'm so blessed and thankful to call you my dad. You've taught me so many great things and always let me know that you were proud of me. There has never been a time that I haven't felt completely loved. I hope you have a FANTASTIC birthday! I love you!

December Happenings!

This is what I'm loving about December:


1. Christmas Parties- i love love love Christmas parties. This past weekend I attended my first Christmas party of the season.....it was a work party. We ate dinner at a fun restaurant in Norman called Yumato. It's one of those restaurants where they cook the meal in front of you. I had a very good time and got lots of goodies.

My boss is amazing and super sweet and she gave everyone a bottle of Kenra Hot Spray, Kenra Root Lift, clips, and product samples. She also had a bunch of fun stuff that she gave away in a drawing. I won the drawing and got the blue biolage scissor case...it has different pockets where you can put shears, clips, combs, etc. My co-worker who drew my name got me a $20 gift card to BJ's and a cute red scarf...SAWEET! And last, but definitely not least I got a CHI for doing so well as a new stylist.....REALLY??? I was super pumped!! Did I mention I love my job, my co-workers, my clients, and especially my boss....they are all AWESOME!

These are all the wonderful ladies I work with....a few stylists were missing. Another thing that makes my job even better is that I now get to work next to one of my best friends from cosmetology school. She just started working last week and it's so great to see her beautiful face everyday (she's on the far right).

I will be hosting our annual Christmas party at my house this weekend. All my high school friends have gotten together for a Christmas party for the last 5 years or so. We all wear corny Christmas sweaters and play dirty santa....it's always my favorite party of the year because we have so much fun!

2. Aaron will be a COLLEGE GRADUATE!! This Saturday my boyfriend Aaron will be graduating from college with a degree in Environmental and Health Safety Management and a minor in Biology. I am so proud of him for completing college in 4.5 years. My parents and I will be making the trip to Tahlequah to attend his graduation and help celebrate his achievement. Aaron will be moving back to his hometown while he is searching for a job.....this means that he will be an hour and a half closer to me....YAY!!

3. Receiving Christmas cards in the mail- I love seeing all the cute Christmas cards that people come up with.....I think they're fun to look at and fun to display. I've already gotten a few so far and they are displayed on my shutter bulletin board in the kitchen.

4. Giving gifts....and let's be honest, who doesn't like receiving gifts too?? but I honestly can say that I like giving gifts just as much as receiving them, if not more. I love seeing people's reactions when you get them the perfect gift.

5. Spending time with family while making Christmas treats, playing in the snow, singing Christmas carols, and celebrating the real reason for the season, Jesus' birth!

Christmas 2009

Bamboo Stick Mirror

I absolutely love these bamboo stick mirrors and I've been wanting one for a LONG time. I found a tutorial on how to make one at this website : http://isabellaandmaxrooms.blogspot.com/2010/08/sunburst-mirror-project.html. Once I find a small circle mirror and some bamboo sticks, I will try to make one of these.

Picture Source: somedaycrafts.blogspot.com