First Married Christmas

Can you believe Christmas has already come and gone? I feel like it should still be Thanksgiving. Our pastor that married us told us that one of the biggest challenges for newly weds was deciding what to do for the holidays. Therefore, he asked us to come up with a plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas prior to getting married.  I can honestly say that was one piece of advice that I was very thankful for and it made our holiday travels much easier and stress free.

I have to work every Christmas Eve but my employer lets everyone leave at 2:00 pm (very grateful). Once I got home, Crawford and I loaded the car and headed for Pinetops.  Every year, my entire family which includes 6 aunts/uncles, 7 cousins + spouses, 10 great grandchildren, pack into my grandmas house on Christmas Eve.  We lost my grandma to cancer last year but decided to keep the tradition alive by continuing to have Christmas at her house. I have a feeling that this may change in the future for the fact that we have completely outgrown her house. One thing I will say, my fondest Christmas memories were spent in that house and they will always hold a special place in my heart.

Grandmas children: Uncle John, Aunt Debbie, Aunt Terry, and dad.

This was the first year Crawford has been able to attend Christmas Eve at grandmas and it was so special. Grandma always had a white tree and we still use her white tree and ornaments each year.

Some of my cousins.

Spouses of the grandkids.

After we left grandmas, we went and picked up Hank and went to mom and dads house. We decided we would celebrate Christmas with them on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Craws family. The most important Christmas tradition for me is sitting by the tree on Christmas Eve with a cup of hot chocolate and listening to dad read the story of Christs birth. We have done it every year and afterwards we will share some of the happy/sad/funny/growth moments of the year.

After the Christmas story, we spent the rest of the night opening presents. We even went with mom and dad to pick out a new car for mom. I love my family and enjoyed every moment with them.

Christmas morning felt odd, yet exciting. It was the first time in 25 years I have not woken up in my parents house. Due to the hectic schedule of my birthday, Crawfords moms birthday, and working the week of Christmas, I forgot to buy groceries for breakfast. Nothing was open on Christmas so we literally had nothing for breakfast. FAIL on my part. I promise to do better next year. Crawford and I decided not to do Christmas to each other this year since we just got married, honeymooned in St. Lucia, and bought an iPad. He did surprise me with tickets to see Wicked and I am stoked!! Around 11, we left for Louisburg to spend Christmas with his family.

Here we are with both of his brothers and his grandma.  

This picture was actually taken two weeks prior in Edenton.

This was the first Christmas in which I have been able to see Craws family on Christmas. It was nice being able to experience other traditions. Their Christmas tradition involves eating homemade tacos for Christmas lunch.

Hank even joined us for our little trip to Louisburg. He loves his Lu-Lu (Craws mom) and she absolutely loves him.

I put up this photo on Insta but isn't it crazy the difference one year makes? My second Christmas with Hankers!

We truly had a wonderful Christmas. I have a feeling we will be making a few changes next year- like having groceries on hand for breakfast- but we will forever cherish our first MARRIED Christmas!!

Merry Christmas

The most anticipated day of the year is finally upon us. In all of the hustle and bustle, it is important to remember the reason we celebrate. Sure, the presents and time with family is nice, but the birth of our Savior is truly the greatest gift of all. On this day, God sent his only son to be born of a virgin so that one day, His SON would die on a cross and save us of our sins.  He is the reason we celebrate and oh what a reason! I hope you all have a wonderful Merry Christmas!!

2014 Christmas Card

My Matron of Honor/BESTFRIEND told me that for one of my wedding gifts, she would be buying my Christmas cards for me. She had it all planned out like everything else she does in life. On the day of the wedding, she brought Craw a santa hat and me some reindeer antlers. We were going to take a funny picture for our Christmas cards. 

Rebekah had our photographer email her these pictures while we were on the honeymoon so she could go ahead and order them. Again, she thinks of everything.

These were the two pictures we received. I thought they were both great but Craw loved the first one the best. When it came time to order, I was so indecisive. I couldn't decide if I liked the funny one or if I wanted to use a regular wedding picture. In the end, we went with a regular picture and they turned out great! Craw was a little sad that we didn't use the funny santa hat picture but he still loved the cards.

 Giving and receiving Christmas cards is probably one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I find myself running to the mailbox to see what new cards we receive everyday.

Our 2014 Christmas Card

Merry Christmas from our little family to yours.

Birthday Weekend Recap

Friday was the McLamb Tacky Christmas Shindig. We had a blast and enjoyed spending time with our precious friends.

Check out Sara and Matthews tree. The picture does not do it justice. I told her I was hiring her to come help with mine next year.

Some of my favorite girls.

Yes, my husband has the cheesiest smile.

Saturday we woke up and took our time packing for our much anticipate road trip. I gave Crawford tickets to see the Panthers play Cleveland as a wedding present. I also booked us a room in downtown Charlotte and gave him a Cam Newton jersey. 

**Major brownie points**

We left for Charlotte around 1 on Sarurday but we had to stop for Starbucks first. Rebekah introduced me to a Caramel Apple Spice and it is out of this world amazing!!

I just love Charlotte.

For dinner, we went to the Carolina Ale House since it was a block away from our hotel. We then went to the EpiCentre and spent the rest of the night at the Tin Roof listening to a band from Nashville, TN. It was the perfect way to kick off my birthday.

Sunday was the best day ever. We woke up and checked out of the hotel and went to Panera Bread for lunch. My FAVE! We then headed to the Panthers game versus the Cleveland Browns. It was our first NFL game and we had a blast!!

We decided that the Panthers would be the one team we both pull for since we can't agree on NCAA teams. I was not a football fan before Crawford. I just didn't understand it. One thing about dating a Bolton- you will learn to like football. Actually, you will learn to like ALL sports because that is what they live and breathe. Being in that stadium was amazing and completely different than watching a game on TV!

Something tells me we will be taking many trips to Charlotte in our lifetime. We hope to make it to at least one game a season. I truly had the best birthday weekend. Every day is a new adventure with the man I love and I have never been happier.

{Five on Friday}

Today, I am linking up with

[darci, april, christina + natasha]

for Five on Friday

{ONE} Mom wanted to start a new tradition now that I am married. I went home two weeks ago and we spent about 5 hours baking lots of Christmas goodies.

Peanut Butter Balls, Almond Bark, Chex Mix Bars

{TWO} This weekend is my birthday weekend. I will be the BIG 25! We have a fun filled weekend planned and Craw says he has some surprises up his sleeve. We shall see.

21st birthday with my girls

{THREE} Tonight we will be attending our friends annual Tacky Christmas Throwdown. I say annual because we usually do this every year but I think we accidentally skipped last year. For some reason, I can't find any of my past sweaters so Craw and I had to scramble to figure out what to wear.

{FOUR} Crawford and I have started talking and planning our one year anniversary trip. We want to go somewhere we have never been but it will be more like an extended weekend trip. We have narrowed it down to Nashville and Boston. Thoughts?

{FIVE} I HAVE to finish Christmas shopping. We are only 6 days away and I keep putting it off. What is wrong with me? Let's hope this weekend is a success and I can finish it up.

Not quite to the point of buying everyone gifts cards but it is coming.

New Design

Have you noticed anything different about the blog? Yepp, you guessed it! I have been working with Rebekah at LeCharmed Boutique on customizing a template that I love for this new hobby of mine. I figured that if I am going to post regularly, I might as well make this little space my own. I have to say that I absolutely love it. Rebekah took my ideas and what I liked on Pinterest and completely built this from scratch. I am in the process of updating my pages at the top and they should be finished soon. I definitely recommend Rebekah if you are looking to update your blog.
Check out her etsy shop {here}.

Stocking Stuffers for Hankers

Crawford and I got an extremely late start to our shopping this year. I was done Christmas shopping by Thanskgiving last year but we didn't start until Decemer this year. I blame the wedding.

We have been racking our brains trying to come up with clever gifts to get our families. We think we have it figured out for the most part. I ordered a lot of gifts online but still have about 2 more plus stocking stuffers left to get.

I also need to get Hank his stocking stuffers. Yes, Hank gets a stocking full of things he probably doesn't need.  Here are some of our stocking stuffer ideas for Hank.

1. Memory Foam Bed: We normally buy ours from Marshalls but Hank LOVES these beds. We buy the small one and it fits right in his cage. While we were on the honeymoon, he got extremely sick and we could not get the smell and stains out so we need to get him another one.

2. Beggin' Strips: Hank loves these treats. He also loves the raw hide little bones. Definitely a great stocking stuffer idea. My mom even has a stocking for Hank and she fills it with these little treats.

3. Ball: Hank loves to fetch so a rubber ball is a must!

4. Sweater: Hank is not a big fan of wearing things but he gets really cold in the winter. We got a lot of snow last year so a warm sweater would be a great gift.

5. Stuff-less Toy: Stuffed toys are the DEVIL! We hate them. Hank will tear into a new toy in about one hour but we will find the stuffing all over our house for months. We started buying the stuff-less toys and he loves them just as much but without the mess. Definitely a great gift for our little pup.

Now I just need to take these ideas and actually go shopping sometime this week before my birthday weekend begins. Wish me luck!

Weekend Recap

I am definitely typing and publishing this post for the second time. Somehow, my brain magically communicated to my fingers to hit the delete button on the post that I worked extremely hard on. Annoying.

This weekend was awesome and filled with many fun times. Friday was low key for us and was spent exactly how I love my Friday nights: pizza, blanket, Netflix, Hank, and....oh yeah, Crawford. It was pure bliss.

Saturday was a great day as well. Crawford woke up and went and helped our friends Maggie and Corey move. We are so excited for them and their new adventure. They patiently waited for 9 months for God to provide them a house that had the acreage, space, and school district that they wanted. They lived with her parents for 9 MONTHS!!. And it paid off majorly and God provided them a home that was in foreclosure. 

While Craw was helping them, I cleaned the house and finished decorating. WIFE OF THE YEAR! Not!!

Our tree in all her glory. Sorry for the bluriness.

Our mantle is getting there...not quite how I envisioned it but it will do for this year.

Mom surprised us with these ornaments. This one was for buying our first home this year.

Can't forget Hank!!

Our ornament that we bought in St Lucia- our new tradition.

Sunday was a busy yet awesome day. We started the day at church. I sang in our annual Christmas cantata at both services. It was fun but my voice was shot by the end. After church, we left for Edenton to celebrate Christmas with the Crawfords.

Crawfords aunt and uncle have a house right on the Edenton waterfront. It was gorgeous and the view was breathtaking. We do not get to see that side often so it was nice catching up with everyone. 

**Side note: There were 5 weddings on the Crawford side in 2014!**

Our time with his family was short but we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Once we left Edenton, we headed to our Christmas Shindig with our friends. We were missing a few but majority were able to come. I love my friends and have been blessed to have most of them here in Wilson and the surrounding areas.

We always have the best times together. We played Dirty Santa, watched a hilarious Christmas comedy, and laughed till we cried. I will forever cherish the memories that have been made with these special people and I look forward to all the memories to come.

You know I'm all about that Hank...

In all seriousness, how corny catchy is that title. See, you're probably already humming the song. Keep going...now sing! For those that have no clue what I am talking about, see for yourself.

Everyone that knows us, knows that Hank is our baby. When I say we are obsessed, that is not even doing it justice. What's crazy is I am not a dog person. Put me around other dogs and I'm like eww- shoo- get away! But there is just something about that dang ol' Hank.

We decided to get Hank on a whim. And by whim, I mean I called the people without telling Craw and when he got off that night, we drove 1.5 hours to meet complete strangers in the back of a Lowes parking lot. SKETCH! To this day, I have no clue where he came from or anything about his breed/parents. Craw didn't even realize what we were doing until halfway there I told him where we were going and that I already had the cash in my pocket. HA! 

Hank has been a blessing. We had talked about getting a dog but my one requirement was that it couldn't shed. Crawford was living in a one bedroom apartment at the time and was extremely lonely. He is that type of person that has to be around people 24/7 and never stops talking. We had also lost both of our grandparents within 2 weeks of eachother and new a puppy would bring some light into our life.

Little did we know he wouldn't just light up our life but he would also bring joy to everyone around us. Both of our parents love Hank. My parents have never let a dog in the house...until Hank. They are always the first to volunteer to keep him when we go out of town.

People always say, "Lord help you when you have a child if you spoil Hank this much." Well, a dog is meant to be spoiled and I have no shame in saying that. He is our best friend and when I am upset, that dog is the best cuddle partner ever and is the only thing I want near me.

So here's to Hank! Our pup. Our fur baby.

Health Update

I am going to keep this post short, sweet, and to the point and provide an update on my health from my post in October.  I DONT HAVE CROHNS!!! Praise God! My DNA tests revealed that my dna doesn't have the normal signs of a person with crohns. They have diagnosed my "condition" as Non-IBD Colitis. I am on the same medication as a person with crohns since my symptoms are the same. My doctor basically explained it as I have the same symptoms, mine are not chronic. All I know is that the medicine has done WONDERS for me and I can't go a single day without it. If I forget to take it, I feel the effects immediately and I get extremely sick.  While the idea of being dependent on medication is not the best, it's nice to finally feel normal and have some energy back in my life. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. I felt perfect for the wedding and didn't have any issues the week of the honeymoon. To God be the glory!

Honeymoonin' in Paradise: Part Two

I blogged about the first 3 days of our honeymoon adventure here.  Today, I want to share the last half of the week with you.

Day four: very low key day. I was not feeling well and I think I stayed in the bed until 12. I finally mustered up some energy and we made our way down for pizza and some pool time. We had a complimentary couples massage scheduled for 3:00 so we didn't swim for long. The massage was AWESOME!! For 50 minutes, we laid in complete silence while two women massaged out all of the wedding planning stress that had built up over the last year. 

We ended the day with reservations at the Japanese steakhouse. Their Japanese isn't exactly like our and I am a picky eater so I didn't really care for it too much. The picture above was our "appetizer" and I have no clue what it was.

Day five: my absolute favorite day!! We did the Joe Knows tour as our last excursion and lets just say we ended the honeymoon with a bang!

We started off the day on a boat ride that took us to the Piton mountain where we then got to ride a bus to a volcano. It smelled terrible due to the sulfur in the air.

A picture of some of the people on our boat.

When we got to the volcano, we got to rub mud all over our bodies. It was pretty gross. Keep in mind, it smelled terrible. After the mud hardened, we stepped in to this hot tub-like body of water. It was about 105 degrees so it was pretty warm. We washed all of the mud off but left the mud on our faces.

Just look at those pearly whites. 

We then went to this waterfall and were able to swim and wash the mud off our faces. The water was freezing!! However, our skin was so soft afterwards.

This was us after the freezing swim with our tour guide- Big Al. Funny side note- Crawford and his brothers refer to their father as Big Al so Craw freaked out when the tour guide introduced himself as Big Al.  It made him a tad homesick so we had to get a picture with Big Al.

We ate lunch at a local restaurant and it was surprisingly delicious but I couldn't name a single thing I ate. It all looked foreign.  After lunch, we boarded the boat and set off for the reefs for a little snorkeling.

**insert awwww here**

Craw was ready to see some fish.

The water was insanely clear. This would have been my favorite part of the day. However, within the first five minutes of snorkeling and seeing the prettiest underwater scenery I have ever laid eyes on, BOTH of my contacts fell out. Have I mentioned how blind I am? I can't see my hand in front of my face without contacts so needless to say, I was done snorkeling after 5 minutes. Crawford thoroughly enjoyed it. After snorkeling, we got to chill and swim by the boat and listen to extremely loud music. It was a party boat so people could hear our music all over the island.  We ended the tour by the boat literally pulling straight up on the beach of our resort and hopping off.

Dinner on our last night was at the La Toc. I had filet mignon and it was delicious! Crawford didn't like it quite as much as I did.

This was us on the plane ride home. We were so ready to get home and see Hank! I was getting pretty sick at this point and my ears were killing me. Flying with double ear infections (went to doctor the next day) is no fun at all! We did manage to snag a magnet for the fridge and a new Christmas ornament.  I think that will be our tradition when we travel.

We arrived at my parents house at 12:30 am to the happiest/slimiest puppy kisses I have ever received.

We had a fantastic honeymoon and I will forever cherish these pictures and the memories we created!