White Christmas

As I mentioned in my last post we were blessed with a White Christmas. This is the first time Raleigh has had a White Christmas since 1919 ( I believe). I wanted to share a few pictures from our Christmas and fun in the SNOW!

Our Tree

Ready to open some presents!

Thomas was pretty excited about his Blue Ray player!

And the SNOW begins!

We woke up Sunday morning to over 6 inches of snow. We played like kids and had the best time!

Our cars COVERED in snow!

Did I mention I love the snow!

Hope you enjoyed our Winter Wonderland Pictures!

We are majorly counting down to our trip to Montgomery. I am hoping I will be able to make it through my next to days of work.

We are Back!

This is just embarrassing! I cannot believe it has bee such a long time since I have posted on our blog. Life has been so busy, but great!

Just to fill you on what has been going on in our lives...

We still love our life in North Carolina. I especially love the seasons we have here. There are such distinct changes between each season. We have already seen snow 4 times this fall/winter. Which is very exciting to me.

I am really enjoying my new position within Bailey's. It can be pretty crazy sometimes, but I am loving most every minute of it. I am the Bridal Merchandising Manager for our 5 stores. It is such a fun job for me. I also do a lot with our Estate and Diamond Fashion jewelry! I am still involved with Pandora a bit which is also nice. It is such a blessing to have a more normal schedule and not to be working in the mall.

Thomas is doing great! He has just finished his Fall semester and did awesome. It is so hard to believe that he only has one more semester left of his Masters. He is preparing to take the PhD. entrance exams in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned to hear the outcome. We are hoping a praying that it is in God's plan for him to continue studying at Southeastern.

Thomas is also interning at Capital Community Church. We have been members there since the summer. The Lord is doing powerful things through this body of believers. Thomas is teaching the 20's and 30's sunday school class. It is such a great group of young adults. We are really feelings at home with CCC.

We have had a busy and wonderful holiday season. We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas in North Carolina. It turned out be wonderful! We had such a relaxing Christmas weekend. Did I mention that we got over 6 inches of snow!!! Very exciting! I will be posting pictures later this week.

We are on a count down right now. We will be flying out Thursday night to go to Montgomery and visit our families for a late Christmas. We will be in Montgomery for several days, so we are hoping for a fun and relaxing visit! I am so excited to see my family. It has been hard not seeing them over the holidays. Only three short days and we will all be together!

Well I believe I have caught everyone up on the adventures of our life over the past few months. I promise not to wait too long before posting again!

New Position!

Well the cat is out of the bag! I have taken a new position at work. I have been working for Bailey's Fine Jewelry (www.baileybox.com) for the last 11 months as the assistant manager in one of their Pandora stores. It has been the most amazing job. I have loved every minute of being with our team. I have been in charge of inventory and ordering, which is where I really have found my place.

Which leads me to my exciting news. My new position within the company is going to be at our corporate office. I am the new Bridal Merchandising Manager! Could there be a more perfect job for me?? I am beyond excited for many reasons! It will be amazing to have a normal schedule, so I will no longer have an excuse not to cook dinner every night. Let the recipe finding begin!

My last day at Pandora will be this Friday. On Saturday Thomas and I will then be heading to St. Thomas with my family! This week has been really bittersweet for me. On one hand I am beyond excited about my new position and beginning the transition into the role. But on the other hand, Pandora has been like a family for me. We have all become so close and I will consider these ladies dear friends for many years to come. I was the store's first employee and helped with the hiring of all our staff. I am so happy to be staying in the company, so that I will be able to stay in touch with everyone.

More details about my new position will be coming soon. My first day at corporate will be August 2nd!!

Life Is Changing Again!

Things around the West house are changing again! I can't share details yet, but exciting things are happening.

Life is grand in Raleigh! We are counting down the days until Hart family vacation! We are heading to St. Thomas and we will be staying at the Ritz Carlton. It is going to be glorious. I am in great need of a getaway!

More details to come about what is going on so stay tuned!!!

How is it already July?

I am in pure disbelief that is July 8th! Today is Thomas and my 11 month anniversary. Where has the past year gone? It is crazy to think that this time last year we were traveling back from NC with my family, after tearfully moving my belonging into our new place. If some someone had asked me if I would love North Carolina a year ago... I would have said "I think it will be nice for a couple of years, and then I want to be back home." Now I could not be happier here!! The Raleigh area is such an amazing place, and we really feel like we are beginning to take roots here.

The store is going great! Our company has just opened another location in Charlotte at the Southpark Mall. I think I am working at the wrong place, because Southpark is getting a Tory Burch boutique!!! Our store has been going through some growing changes as well. We lost 2 of our charter team members to new jobs:( Katie and Lindsey were 2 amazing employees, and we were so sad to see them go! I am so proud of them, and I know they are going to be great in their new fields! We have also welcomed new team members that are fitting right in and selling like crazy. The store has been a it slow with the holiday, but we are hoping that it will start picking up again soon.

Thomas is taking summer classes and working at Bailey's right now. We have been so fortunate to work for such a generous and awesome company! They are having a gold buying event this weekend, so Thomas will be very busy!!

Over the last month Thomas and I have been visiting Capital Community Church. It is a church plant of Providence (where we have been going since we moved here) that is geared toward "inside the Beltline of Raleigh". It is an amazing church and we are so excited about getting plugged in and serving.

On a very fun note... Hart family vacation is a little over 2 weeks away!!! We are crazy excited! It will be such a relaxing and fun trip together. We will be going to St. Thomas, so we are praying for beautiful weather while we are down there!

Until next time,

Elizabeth

Life Update

The past few weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster for our family.

My sweet Thomas turned the big 2-5! To celebrate we took the train to Washington D.C. If you have never taken the train...it is quite an experience. Very entertaining if you are a people watcher like me! The unnerving part of it is that there is absolutely no security. Not even a single metal detector. Thankfully, we survived the trip and arrived at Union Station on Friday afternoon.

Then we hooped on the Metro and headed to the Hotel Monaco. If you are planning a trip to D.C. I would definitely recommend checking our the Hotel Monaco. The staff was absolutely great and our room was beautiful. The hotel is also very centrally located, so it is easy to get everywhere.

On Friday night we took a twilight tour of the city. I thought this would be a great way for Thomas to see the sites, since it was his first visit. We were able to see the monuments, the Capital, and the White House.

We headed to Clyde's for a very late night dinner that was quite tasty!

We woke up Saturday morning and everything completely changed. My mom called to tell me that my grandfather had passed away early that morning. Grandaddy Don had been battling lung cancer and his doctors gave him up to a year with us. However, the Lord decided to bring home much sooner than we all expected. It completely changed the whole temperature of our trip. We immediately started figuring out how we were going to get back to Raleigh. Many thanks to the amazing concierge at the Hotel Monaco for helping us get a flight out on Sunday and canceling our train tickets.

My parents were adamant about Thomas and I making the most of our time in D.C. So we decided to get out and walk the city. It was exactly what I needed! I was able to take Thomas to my favorite Smithsonian. The Museum of Natural History is my absolute favorite, I mean they have the Hope Diamond in there for goodness sakes! We walked the whole mall and headed up to the Capital then down to the White House. Thomas was really hoping for an Obama siting.

We then headed back to the hotel to freshen up for Thomas' birthday dinner. We made reservations at one of my favorite restaurants, Legal Seafood! It was sooo tasty. The seafood was so delicious, and it just the right place to relax and reflect on everything going on in the last 24 hours.

Sunday, we took another walk down to the White House before catching our flight back to Raleigh.

Monday, our travels continued to Ocala, Florida. It was absolutely wonderful to see my family. I had not seen Katherine and Daddy since January! We were able to spend time remembering all of our good memories, and visiting with family we had not seen in a long time. There was a beautiful memorial service on Tuesday, the the funeral was held on Wednesday in Mayo. Mayo is where my dad's family is originally from. It is as tiny as it sounds! In the middle of nowhere!!!

Thursday we said our goodbyes, and hooped on yet another plane to head back to Raleigh. I love to fly, but don't want to the inside of another airport for a very long time!

Sorry for the long post... just wanted to update everyone on what has been going on!

Happy BIrthday Hubby!

Happy Birthday, Thomas!!

Today is my sweet hubby's 25th birthday. For some 25 sounds like such a old age. Like an age where you should really be a grownup. I am so proud to have such a wonderful Godly husband. It never ceases to amaze me what the Lord does with our lives, and who he brings into them. I am lucky to be married to my best friend.

Thomas and I are heading to Washington D.C. for his birthday. We leave tomorrow morning and will be back late Monday. I am so excited to get away for a few days, and spend some quality time together without all the distractions of work and graduate school.

Pictures from our adventures will come after our return!

Summer Update

It has been a while to say the least. To update from my last post:

My birthday was absolutely wonderful. I had the day off from work, so Thomas and I were able to spend the whole day together. He gave me a new camera that has tons of awesome features. Hopefully, I will learn how to use them all! We had a relaxing day and then went to Bonefish for dinner. Neither of us had been there in forever and it was so tasty!

Thomas has finally finished his spring semester. He had a really grueling schedule, but did absolutely great! I am so proud of all the work he is doing. He will be taking 3 classes this summer as well. This time next year he will be done with his masters!!!

As we begin to think about Thomas graduating, we are praying about where and how we are going to be serving. Thomas is definitely feeling the urge to stay and learn more. Hopefully, we will be staying in Raleigh and working on a Phd. I never thought I would be saying that. We are hoping to find a church where we can serve while Thomas is working on his Phd. It is so exciting to think and dream about what the Lord has in store for us.

North Carolina has been such a blessing for us. We have been given such a great opportunity to move away and begin our married life on our own. Don't get me wrong...we miss friends and family in Alabama very much. We are just thankful to be on this journey. I can definitely see us calling the Raleigh area home for a long time to come!

Thomas' 25th birthday is next week! For some reason 25 sounds so old to me. We are taking a trip to Washington D.C. to get away and celebrate. Thomas has never been to D.C. before, so I am excited about showing him all the sites! Please pray for beautiful weather because we are going to be doing tons of walking!

Until next time!

Birthdays

Tomorrow is my 24th birthday. It is going to be a completely different birthday than I have ever had. This will be the first year I have never spent it with my family. I realize this makes me seem like a complete child, but I have been very fortunate to grow up with a close knit family. This has just been a very different year for me.

However, this is the first birthday that I have a husband! Thomas has been so sweet, trying to make everything really special for me. Thankfully I am off tomorrow. We are going to go shopping and then out to a nice dinner. It will be nice to take it easy and enjoy the day with Thomas. I will post the present update later.

Wonderful Visit

My mom came visit last Friday. We had not seen each other since I went home in January for a wedding. It had been entirely too long!! Thomas also made it home safely, and had a wonderful time in Louisville! Thomas picked my mom up from the airport on Friday, and came to visit me at the store. Thankfully we were not very busy so I was able to grab a quick bite to eat with them at Panera Bread. I then headed back to work and they went to get mom checked into her hotel. We were all able to hangout and get gelato after dinner (there is the cutest place in downtown Wake Forest).

Saturday mom and I decided to do what we do best...shop! I drug mom all over the Triangle area. We found some cute things, but nothing too crazy. It was just so much fun to have someone to shop with! Saturday night we met Thomas at Glennwood Grill for my birthday dinner. They have wonderful shrimp and grits there, their rolls are also to die for!! After dinner we took mom to the Cupcake Shop in downtown Raleigh. It is the cutest bakery and all they sell are cupcakes. The weather was so nice that we were able to sit outside.

Sunday, Thomas and I joined the church. We have been going to Providence Baptist since we moved here. They have a pretty long membership process, but it really makes you feel like you are part of the church when you are done. One Sunday night a month they have a baptism and new member introduction service. There were 17 people baptized that night. It was amazing to hear all their testimonies, and to see how far they had come in their relationships with Christ.

Monday, mom and I decided there was still more shopping to be done. This time we were looking for things for Thomas and my townhouse. I have looking everywhere for a rug for our den and cute curtains for our kitchen. Apparently, all I needed was my mom to help me find them! We were able to find the perfect rug at this great rug store. I have driven by the store at least 20 times and never even noticed it! Our new rug ties the whole room together and makes it feel so much homier! That night we cooked spinach lasagna that was absolutely amazing!

Tuesday was a bit more of a lazy day. We decided to walk around downtown Wake Forest. There tons of cute little shops that I had never been into. We were able to find the perfect curtains for my kitchen as well. Tuesday afternoon we headed to Cary to get me a bicycle! Thomas received a bicycle for his early birthday present, and mom thought it would be a great idea if I got one as well. I am already ready loving my bike! Thomas and I have gone on 2 rides this week. The weather is just beautiful this time of year in North Carolina!

Wednesday was not such a fun day. Mom had to go back to Montgomery and I had to go back to work. We were able to have breakfast and hangout before we drove to the airport. Sadly, there were delays or cancellations at RDU so mom got off without a hitch (I was hoping she would have to stay an extra day). These past few days will go down as some of my favorites of all time!

The store is still crazy. We are very close to making a out goal for the month of April! Hopefully, it will be a big weekend!

Gone Again!

Life is so crazy right now! The weather in Raleigh is beyond beautiful, and Spring fever has definitely set in. I am actually growing flowers successfully too! We have "Knockout Roses", dahlias, petunias, and one other flower that I always forget the name. They have been alive and well in my care for almost a month. It is nice to drive and see beautiful colors right by the front door. I would post pictures, but Thomas has stolen my camera. I am dying to have a flaky sick day and lay out in the sun. I don't think I have ever been this pale in my whole life.

Pandora is now operating in crazy mode. Our new Spring collection arrived this week. As Assistant Manager, I do all of the ordering and inventory for our store. If you are at all familiar with the brand, you can imagine how crazy it is. We received what seems like a million pieces of jewelry this week. I basically have no brain cells left and am cross-eyed. The new collection is beautiful, and it is so exciting to be the first people in the state to have it! I honestly feel like a high class crack dealer with this stuff, it is absolutely unreal. Thank goodness (job security)!

On the husband front...he is gone again! I mean seriously! It ceases to amaze me that he always finds ways to cool and exciting things, while I work. What is wrong with this picture. I thought being a wife meant that I got to play tennis, get manicures, and shop all day. Apparently, I was very wrong. I am very proud of Thomas, don't get me wrong. I just think it is about time for me to have some fun! He left for Louisville, KY on Sunday and will be back tomorrow night. There is a really big pastor's conference going on, and he was asked to go and represent the seminary. I guess is turning into a pretty big deal (I must be rubbing off on him)! I officially watch everything on our DVR and On Demand, so he now needs to come home.

My mom is coming visit us on Friday as well!!! I am beside myself with excitement. We have not seen each other since January, way way too long. She will be in town until next Wednesday, it shall be wonderful. I don't realize how much I miss my family until I am counting down the hours to a visit! I tons of girl things planned for us while she is here. Only 2 more days!

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

Beyond a Long Time!

So... I have not blogged in about 6 months! The understatement of the year is that I am a little busy. I will try and sum up the last 6 months fairly quickly. Since my last post my store opened! I am the Assistant Manager at Pandora Jewelry, it is a great job and I love every minute of it! Pandora is the fasted growing jewelry company in the world, and is now 3rd in the world under Cartier and Tiffany. Our store is always busy busy busy!! People love the brand, and it is so fun to introduce new people to the company. If anyone wants a bracelet I would be happy to ship anywhere in the company for you!!!!

Thomas is doing great in seminary! He is really loving all his classes. I don't think I will ever get used to him reading all the time (he actually enjoys it too). He is now an ambassador for Southeastern and is having so much fun giving tours to prospective students. Thomas is on his way home from New York right now, lucky dog! His best friend (who is also my store's owner) invited him to go watch Carolina play in the NIT title game. They have been having an amazing time from what I can tell. I am very very jealous that he has been in NYC without me:( Hopefully, I will be getting a very good prize for being such a sweet wife!

We have really settled into married life. I am really trying to cook, but with my crazy work schedule it does not always happen. Luckily, the weather is beautiful so Thomas can grill for us all the time now. I never really liked cooking, but baking is something that I have always loved doing. My mother and grandmother are both wonderful cooks and bakers, I have learned from the best. Much to Thomas' dismay I have not picked up the cooking just yet, but the baking is going great!! Baking has become something I love to do on my day off. It is such a relaxing time for me.

I believe that is all for now! We love North Carolina, please come and visit us!! I promise to start posting more regularly again.