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.