Karen Kingsbury

I love to read anything by this author. She is wonderful, her books are fantastic. I just finished a new one titled " Between Sundays". My precious mom bought it for my Christmas stocking. I was skeptical about this one because the main character is a football player, and I do not get into football at all. However, after I read through the entire Uncle John's Bathroom reader that Brad got in his stocking, I decided to pick this book up and give it a try. Two nights later, I finished it. One more wonderful book from Mrs. Kingsbury to add to my pile of referrals!
There is a set of books by this author that I am obsessed with.....basically I feel like the characters are my actual friends. I talk to Brad about them and what is going on in their life as if it was actually going on! It all started with the Redemption series. There are five books in that series that revolve around the Baxter family. If you want to start with anything by this author, start with that series.
After that series was completed, she began a series called the First Born series, sort of a spinoff of the Redemption series, with several of the same characters, etc.

After the Fame series, she started the Sunrise series. This is the one that is currently being released.
After I finished "Between Sundays" I got on Karens website to see when the next Sunrise series book will be coming out and it says Feb 5, 2008. I ran out to the living room to tell Brad! He wasnt as excited as me, obviously. However, I feel like my friends will be coming back for a visit....next week! I am going to go to Hastings the day the book comes out so I can get a copy and read it by the weekend. I love these books. I love the Baxter family. I am sure I will post more about them later. Maybe I have even already blogged about these people, I dont know.

She also has a book coming out this year that I want to buy as soon as it comes out and put it in my "hope chest" for when we have children. (yes, I buy things here and there and save them up for when we have kids, nothing wrong with that is there???) :)

i love my husband

Every day I get to wake up next to the most wonderful man I have ever met. I am so proud of him and everything he is doing to build a foundation for his career, for our life together. He is extremely supportive of me and my dream of photography and I love him for that. I wanted to write this post to brag on him alittle bit. He is so wonderful and loving and patient. He makes me laugh. He makes me want to be a better person. Even though he and I are complete opposites (and I mean that in every possible way) we fit together perfectly. We complement each other and challenge each other. We have two very different mindsets about things but when we come together, it seems to make sense. I am so thankful for him and his patience with me as I get stressed out so easily about where we are in life. I love him and am so proud of him for how hard he is working in school. And he isnt too hard on the eyes either if I may say so myself. :) xoxo

Houseplans for a bed and breakfast

My parents were in town last week and as we were out to dinner, they were talking about the movie they had just seen- "The Bucket List". I asked my parents what they would put on their bucket list. Most of their ideas had to do with traveling, they sure do love to travel. But one I sortof pulled out of my mom was....owning a bed and breakfast! This is something she has always wanted to do, but hasn't really thought seriously about. She had it in the back of her mind for a possibility when my Dad retires (if he ever does). She hadnt really thought seriously about it but as soon as it was mentioned at the dinner table that night...I jumped on board! I truly loved our experience at the bed and breakfast and think it sounds like a wonderful thing to do. I love to host people in our home and cook breakfast and be the hostess. So does my mom. So...as I often do, I began building a dream and started researching it! Now, I know there is alot more than dreaming that goes into starting a bed and breakfast. But, this is something I am so excited about. And the fact that my mom is excited too....well, its just gotta happen. I proposed to my mom that we all invest in it (me and Brad and her and Dad) and IF brad and I move back to GA, we could live there for a few years, run it and Mom and Dad could do their part as well- helping take care of it, furnish it, etc. Then when we are ready to move on, they will be ready to retire and can start running the B & B themselves. I left dinner so excited about it that I came home and got on remax.com and found tons of fabulous houses that would work, with a little renovation of course. I have called my mom every day since then and have talked ideas, decorating thoughts, location spots, and all kinds of special things about it. We dont know what we will call it, we will wait until we find the location. So, I am on the hunt for a location, or a perfect houseplan so we can start our B & B. I love to dream!

I love to paint pottery!

I love to be crafty, and one of my favorite things to do (that i don't do enough) is painting pottery. It is very therapeutic to me, as I just sit there and tune everything out and just focus on the random thing I am painting. I first experienced this fun form of craft therapy in Lynchburg with my sweet friend Whitney. I fell in love with it! I have painted several times and each time I love it more and more. I went a couple of weeks ago with my mom, Jamie, and Ean. We had such a great time! I will come back and post pictures from that day later (all the photos are on my moms camera). Well, I went again yesterday with one of my few friends here in Murfreesboro. Maya and I work together, but we are friends outside of work as well. She is such a blessing to me as I dont have many friends here. We went to paint pottery yesterday and here are some pics of our before and middle. I will post the after when we get our pottery back. If you have never done this, I highly recommend it!

He loves me!

I love daisies. They are one of my favorite flower (along with peonies, hydrangeas, and roses of course). Brad first wooed me with a beautiful delivery of daisies to my work several years ago. Well, this past Friday, he did it again! I was sitting at my desk at work, on a phone call when a delivery guy comes in with a beautiful bunch of daisies. I wanted to wait until I got off the phone to read the card so I could really enjoy what it had to say. After 10 minutes, I finally was able to read the note. it read..."when you get off work- follow these directions (then gave directions to somewhere downtown Nashville) but don't investigate the address, you dont want to spoil the surprise. see you soon!". I was floored....not only did my love send me some beautiful flowers, but he was sending me on a surprise drive! Needless to say that all of the girls at work were jealous! So, I anxiously count down the minutes until I left for work and drove toward the surprise destination. As I am driving my mind is reeling with all of the possibilities. Could it be a restaurant? A spa? A concert of some sort? Well, I finally pull up to the destination and see a sweet little sign in the front of a precious house. It reads "The Big Bungalow". Brad sent me to a bed and breakfast!!!! It was only minutes before he walked out to meet me. I couldnt believe how sweet it was of him to bring me to a bed and breakfast! We have never stayed in one but have always wanted to. Now it was our time! He escorted me inside and up the staircase (there was all kinds of fabulous art on display, I wanted to stop and look at all of it) to our room. What a lovely room! It was huge, a huge king size bed and a sitting room and a huge wonderful bathroom. I hear water running.....he drew me a bath!!! He told me to relax, take a long bath, and then get ready for a night out. I just sat there, relaxing, and thanking the Lord for such a wonderful husband and a wonderful treat of a weekend away. He had packed me a suitcase full of clothes, so I chose an outfit and we set out for our night. He ended up taking me to a restaurant in West End that I had eaten at once before and loved, but havent been to in years. We ate then we went to see a movie, Enchanted! It was wonderful! We rarely go see movies so it was a treat. After that, we went back to the bungalow and had a great night in. One of my favorite parts of our day away was breakfast the next day. As I said before, we have never stayed at a B & B so I didnt know what to expect. We went down for Breakfast at 8:30 sharp (as the innkeeper said) and found two other couples sitting at the table. They were two precious older couples that were in Nashville from Mississippi. We sat and chatted and made new friends. It was such a treat, and a great way to start the rest of the weekend.

I feel like the luckiest lady in all the land. My husband loves me so much and treats me like a princess. I am so thankful for him!!! Here are a few photos just for fun.







If you are ever in the Nashville are and want a wonderful place to stay, check it out.... www.thebigbungalow.com

pray for your husband much?

Have you ever read the book "The Power of a Praying Wife"? I first saw it when my friend Stephanie got married over 5 years ago. I hadnt read it or even heard anything about it, but I had to get it for her to read after she got married. She was the first of my friends to get married and I have since bought that book for each of my girlfriends when they get engaged or married(if I missed someone....let me know....I will send you a copy!!!) I finally got to buy one for myself almost 3 years ago. I started to read it before we got married, but for some reason it didnt really strike me. Then, I picked it up a month or so after we were married and it was like a lightbulb went off! I was reading it consistently every day and felt it becoming one of the most important books I have ever read. It is obviously meant for a WIFE to read for her HUSBAND, not a fiance, or boyfriend. There is something so special about praying for your HUSBAND.

It is set up into 31 chapters, so there is a chapter for every day of the month. Each chapter focuses on a specific thing to pray for your husband. It helps guide you to pray for his mind, his work, his passions, his attitude, his love for you, for your future children, everything you could think of. It is a fabulous book. I havent read it in a while, but am going to pick it back up again and read through it consistently.

Brad has just entered into his last year of college. He is feeling a bit overwhelmed because the end is in sight. Is he ready? Does he know what he wants to do? Where will we go at the end of this year? There are so many unknowns up in the air and the ONLY way to find clarity is to give it all up to the Lord. Our creator has a plan which is perfect and it makes the most sense in the world when He reveals it to us, piece by piece. As Brad is in his last moments of college, I need to pray for him more now than ever before. He needs clarity, focus, wisdom, and most of all I pray for FUN. I want him to look back on this year with no regrets. I want him to go out late to shows, and stay up all night playing guitar hero, and to go to the basketball games at school and to do all of the things he wants to do as a college kid. He has worked SOOOO hard to get where he is now, where we are now. I want him to enjoy each moment. Not that he wont enjoy the moments after college, but time in college is different.

So, thus begins my journey of praying for Brads last year of school. I love him and am so proud of him. I want to be the wife he deserves.

the future Mr. and Mrs. Medly

My sweet sister in law, Erica, and her fiance, Denver, got engaged last fall! They asked me to do their engagement photos, and of course I said yes! We went to Kennesaw mountain where Denver proposed to Erica. After that we went down the stree to the Marietta Square, one of my favorite spots. We had such a great time just walking around and having fun. I am so excited for Erica as she deserves a loving man and a happy life. She is beautiful and an inspiration to me. She decided a couple of years ago to get healthy, and that is just what she did!!! She lost a good bit of weight and turned herself into a little hottie! (not that she wasnt hot to begin with of course). I look at her and feel inspired. She took charge of her life and really dove in and made the decision to take care of herself. I hope I can look at these photos of her and be motivated to do the same thing. Her wedding is on July 5th and I do not want to be the ugly bridesmaid standing there looking horrible for her day. After we did the photos this weekend we went to the bridal boutique to look at the bridesmaids dresses and they are gorgeous! I love what she picked out. However....I need to do alittle work in order to look good enough for her wedding day. SO, thank you Erica for being inspiration to me. You look gorgeous and I am so proud of you.

Mr. and Mrs. Alberson

I had the pleasure of photographing a wedding this weekend in Bryson City, NC at Nantahala Village. It was a beautiful weekend, chilly but not too cold. The wedding took place in the lodge with fabulous stone fireplaces and wooden beams on the ceiling. I love the feel of a lodge in the mountains so I had a wonderful time shooting the wedding. Some friends of ours from Woodstock were there as well, so we got to catch upwith them. We had a wonderful time. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Alberson!

Three's Company

Brad and I have a new roommate! This could either be a wonderful thing or a scary and interesting time for us! Our friend Alan has decided to go back to school (he graduated from Berry a few years ago) and is coming to MTSU for the recording industry program. We are super excited that he is here, as he is one of Brad's best friends (and mine I should say, he played a huge part in the story of me becoming Mrs. Wilson). However.....we have never had anyone live with us of course. So we have no idea how it will go. Today is his first day here and we welcomed him with some good games of guitar hero. So, welcome to Murfreesboring Alan! We are glad you are here!

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2008 my friends! What a fun time to reflect on the year gone by and the year to come. All the resolutions getting written down and closets being organized makes this such a wonderful time of year! Brad and I went to a pajama party last night and had a wonderful time ringing in the new year with friends. On the way home I asked Brad “what are your resolutions?” and he replied “my walk with the Lord”. I must say that I may copy his resolution and pick up where I left off some time ago. Brad and I have been in such a sour place for a while. We realize that being away from an encouraging group of friends and our challenging church have hurt us, but ultimately we are the only ones to blame. We LOVE the Lord and realize that we are nothing without Him, but sometimes we allow life to get in the way. So, this year, Brad and I resolve to grow close to our maker, our savior, our Lord. We know from past experience that all other aspects of a good life follow this resolution. If we are where we should be with the Lord individually, it will make us closer together, more loving and selfless, more motivated in our work, more creative, more easy going (thats for me), and more happy all the way around. So, 2008, get ready for the Wilsons to rock some Love for the Lord! Nothing is more important in this life than knowing Him, loving Him, and sharing Him.