So I finally got my tax refund, and with it, I bought an iPad mini! I've been using an iPad from work lately and I just decided it was time to buy one of my own. So I did! And I love it! I can't wait to use it both at home and at work!
With summer approaching, I am excited about putting the iBook app to use. Which means indeed recommendations of good books to read! So if you have read any books lately that you loved, please leave a comment and let me know! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Friday, April 26, 2013
SUYL- Bloggers in their 20's!
Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner's "SUYL"! Today is for young who blog! First off, I want to say that I am obsessed with this link up party! I love blogging, and I love reading other people's blogs. However, sometimes it's a constant reading of married women and their babies! Which I don't mind, but I'm hoping to find other single ladies who are enjoying this stage of life! Any and all blog friends are welcomed though!
So to start off, I'm Heather! I'm a 25 year old single girl living it up in the big D! I was born and raised in Alabama, and moved to Dallas immediately following college graduation. Looking back, that was a crazy decision! I didn't know anyone here, but I packed up and moved anyway! I haven't regretted it for a second!!! My blog is titled "Bridge to Birmingham" because it started out as a way to stay connected to friends and family back in Birmingham. I guess that's pretty much what it still is! However, I've loved connecting with other bloggers along the way!!
I'm just going to write about who I am today! Just sharing a little bit more about me!
Like I said earlier, I'm 25 years old! I have an amazing family who means the world to me...
(From left to right) My dad, Cort, lives in Birmingham and owns Action Sports Art! My stepmom, Ashley, lives in Birmingham as well and works for my dad's company. My twin sister, Holly, just got married to my brother in law, Zack! They live in Tulsa. Zack is a personal trainer and Holly teaches preschool! My older brother, Kevin, and sister in law, Alicean, live in Austin! Kevin is a wireless engineer and Alicean is a realtor! They just had their first baby, Carter. He is my favorite person in the entire world! (See below!) Chase is my younger brother and is a freshmen at the University of Alabama!
I just bought my first house last April. I am what people would consider a "crafty" person, and I have loved spending the past year decorating my new home! I have been finishing different pieces of furniture and have loved how they all turned out!
 |
| I painted this piece red! There are new lamps on it now, though. |
 |
| I painted the piano and the china cabinet! And there is a white mirror that hangs on that blank wall now. :) |
I am a middle school ELAR teacher at one of the coolest schools in the world. This is my fourth year teaching, and each year I have taught a different grade! I currently teach 8th grade ELAR, 7/8 grade Yearbook, and 6th grade DI. It's definitely a busy schedule!
As for my dating life, I've had several ups and downs over the years! Ha! I'm currently dating a pretty great guy though! I haven't introduced him on the blog quite yet, but maybe that day will come soon enough. I really like him!
I guess I can also write about challenges that I have faced in my life because they make up who I am. Well, that is a really long story for me! Between the ages of 15 and 18, I faced several different challenges that included my mom being diagnosed with leukemia, my friend drowning at the beach, my parents divorcing, and my mom losing her battle to cancer. I wrote about all of that last year, so you can read that post ****here!****
There are so many other things that I could say about myself! I love hanging out with my friends. I'm obsessed with college football! (ROLL TIDE!) I have a dog named Julio, who is my favorite little thing! He will be four on Sunday! My roommate's name is Meagan and she pretty much rocks. I love being crafty and I'm always working on some craft or another!
 |
| My sweet Julio |
Basically, I am just loving life! PLEASE feel free to follow me! I'm excited about meeting new friends! Leave a comment saying you've followed me so that I can check out your blog, too! And don't forget to link up with Kelly!
Monday, April 22, 2013
Weekend of Blessings :)
After a really sad week in our country, I feel like this weekend was exactly what I needed. After looking back on the weekend, I realize that I was able to see or hang out with a whole bunch of my favorite people, and I think it's exactly what I needed! I'm one blessed girl!
Friday Night
-I went to dinner with Mary at Newk's. Newk's just opened in Plano and it is one of my favorite restaurants. It's only been open two weeks, yet I'm embarrassed to tell you how many times I've eaten there. Especially since it's a good 25 minutes from my house. Woops...
-I got to catch up on the phone with one of my favorite people in the whole entire world, my Betsy. I swear, she makes me laugh harder than anyone in the entire world. I absolutely can't wait to see her get married this summer!
Saturday
-I went to Hobby Lobby, which is my happy place and I hadn't been in forever!
-I got lunch with Bonnie. Oh, how my heart had missed her! Bonnie and I taught together my first year of teaching. There is no way I would have survived without her. I hadn't seen her in forever, so it was so so great to catch up with her!
-Alabama football was on TV! Granted, it was just the spring A-Day game. But still. I swear my heart was floating.
-Date night with Matt! We went to dinner and a movie. We saw Oblivion, which was pretty good. Interesting, but good. There were definitely parts that I wasn't predicting!
Sunday
-I went to church with Matt, where I met his parents. I knew his parents went to his church, but I guess it didn't click in my head that I'd be meeting them until about.... five minutes before I met them. HA. Then we went to lunch at their house. I think it went pretty well! I hope so, at least! HA!
-I FINALLY got to talk on the phone with my Nikki after a week of phone tag!
-I got to face time with my long lost friend, Chris! He moved to the Cayman Islands in January and I hadn't talked to him since! It was SO good to see his smiling face! I love technology!
-Right after I face timed with him, I got to face time with my sweet little nephew! Oh my, that boy makes my heart go pitter patter! I love him SO much!
-I ended the weekend getting froyo with my bestie Ian! It was a great way to end the weekend! So thankful for his friendship!
Now it's time to face another week of school. I swear, the end of this year is dragging by. How is it possible that we still have six weeks left? AGH!
Friday Night
-I went to dinner with Mary at Newk's. Newk's just opened in Plano and it is one of my favorite restaurants. It's only been open two weeks, yet I'm embarrassed to tell you how many times I've eaten there. Especially since it's a good 25 minutes from my house. Woops...
-I got to catch up on the phone with one of my favorite people in the whole entire world, my Betsy. I swear, she makes me laugh harder than anyone in the entire world. I absolutely can't wait to see her get married this summer!
-I went to Hobby Lobby, which is my happy place and I hadn't been in forever!
-I got lunch with Bonnie. Oh, how my heart had missed her! Bonnie and I taught together my first year of teaching. There is no way I would have survived without her. I hadn't seen her in forever, so it was so so great to catch up with her!
-Alabama football was on TV! Granted, it was just the spring A-Day game. But still. I swear my heart was floating.
-Date night with Matt! We went to dinner and a movie. We saw Oblivion, which was pretty good. Interesting, but good. There were definitely parts that I wasn't predicting!
Sunday
-I went to church with Matt, where I met his parents. I knew his parents went to his church, but I guess it didn't click in my head that I'd be meeting them until about.... five minutes before I met them. HA. Then we went to lunch at their house. I think it went pretty well! I hope so, at least! HA!
-I FINALLY got to talk on the phone with my Nikki after a week of phone tag!
-I got to face time with my long lost friend, Chris! He moved to the Cayman Islands in January and I hadn't talked to him since! It was SO good to see his smiling face! I love technology!
-Right after I face timed with him, I got to face time with my sweet little nephew! Oh my, that boy makes my heart go pitter patter! I love him SO much!
-I ended the weekend getting froyo with my bestie Ian! It was a great way to end the weekend! So thankful for his friendship!
Now it's time to face another week of school. I swear, the end of this year is dragging by. How is it possible that we still have six weeks left? AGH!
Saturday, April 20, 2013
One Year
April 20, 2012.
That was the day I officially became a homeowner. Wow, what a journey this year has been! I feel like I have learned alot. But there is a lot more to learn!!
-A month into home ownership, I had to pay $1,500 to have a dead tree cut down and carried away. That was no fun.
-My sister left the sink on in her bathroom. For two hours. And flooded the bathroom, hall, and carpet. That was also NO FUN.
-I spent a year painting old furniture and decorating my house. I still haven't gotten the dining room the way I like it, but for the most part... I love the way my little house looks!
-I learned that I hate yard work. So I hired a lawn man.
-I also hired a maid. She comes every other week and I love coming home to see my little house sparkling clean!
-Katie lived for me for a week in between moving out of her apartment and getting married!
-Kelsey lived with me for two weeks while doing an internship in Dallas!
-My brother, cousin, and two of their friends visited for a week while exploring Texas!
-I ran into the garage door and had to get it fixed. Bye bye $300.
-I've hosted many showers, bachelorette parties, and hang out events for friends. A lot of laughs have occurred in that house in the past year!
-I hosted family Christmas for the first time!! That was really stressful, but in the end was one of the best Christmases my family has had in a long time!
I have loved being a homeowner for the past year! It has been such a blessing and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me and this little house. I bought this house with inheritance from my mom, and I bought it with the goal of using it to host people when they need to be hosted-- I think I have achieved that goal for my first year and I hope to continue it!
That was the day I officially became a homeowner. Wow, what a journey this year has been! I feel like I have learned alot. But there is a lot more to learn!!
-A month into home ownership, I had to pay $1,500 to have a dead tree cut down and carried away. That was no fun.
-My sister left the sink on in her bathroom. For two hours. And flooded the bathroom, hall, and carpet. That was also NO FUN.
-I spent a year painting old furniture and decorating my house. I still haven't gotten the dining room the way I like it, but for the most part... I love the way my little house looks!
-I learned that I hate yard work. So I hired a lawn man.
-I also hired a maid. She comes every other week and I love coming home to see my little house sparkling clean!
-Katie lived for me for a week in between moving out of her apartment and getting married!
-Kelsey lived with me for two weeks while doing an internship in Dallas!
-My brother, cousin, and two of their friends visited for a week while exploring Texas!
-I ran into the garage door and had to get it fixed. Bye bye $300.
-I've hosted many showers, bachelorette parties, and hang out events for friends. A lot of laughs have occurred in that house in the past year!
-I hosted family Christmas for the first time!! That was really stressful, but in the end was one of the best Christmases my family has had in a long time!
I have loved being a homeowner for the past year! It has been such a blessing and I can't wait to see what the future holds for me and this little house. I bought this house with inheritance from my mom, and I bought it with the goal of using it to host people when they need to be hosted-- I think I have achieved that goal for my first year and I hope to continue it!
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Joy and Strength
I recently was asked by a co-worker how I was so happy every day, regardless of the fact that I have gone through some rough patches of life. She was specifically asking this in regards to me losing my mom. She is dealing with a parent and a parent in law both being really sick, and she said she was struggling in finding joy and strength on a daily basis. She said that I seemed to have so much joy and strength daily, even after everything I have been through, and she asked to share my journey with her.
I love sharing my journey with people. It reminds me that the bad things happens for a reason. I may never understand them, but hopefully story has helped other people to walk through their rough times, and if so.... Then it makes it worth it.
I was able to share with her the journey of my mom sickness. How she got sick when I was 14, then went into remission.... How my parents divorced and I was really angry with God over it.... How my mom relapsed and then passed away due to complications from a bone marrow transplant... And how it all taught me that joy and strength only come from Christ. He is the only one who can carry us through the hard times.
As I reflect on the terrible things that have happened this week-- the bombing at the Boston Marathon and the explosion in West last night-- I pray that these struggles will bring people to Christ. I pray that people will realize in their hardest days that Christ is the one who provides our joy and our strength to survive those days. His will is good, even when people in this world aren't.
"he gives and takes away, He gives and takes away, still my heart will choose to say-- LORD BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!"
I love sharing my journey with people. It reminds me that the bad things happens for a reason. I may never understand them, but hopefully story has helped other people to walk through their rough times, and if so.... Then it makes it worth it.
I was able to share with her the journey of my mom sickness. How she got sick when I was 14, then went into remission.... How my parents divorced and I was really angry with God over it.... How my mom relapsed and then passed away due to complications from a bone marrow transplant... And how it all taught me that joy and strength only come from Christ. He is the only one who can carry us through the hard times.
As I reflect on the terrible things that have happened this week-- the bombing at the Boston Marathon and the explosion in West last night-- I pray that these struggles will bring people to Christ. I pray that people will realize in their hardest days that Christ is the one who provides our joy and our strength to survive those days. His will is good, even when people in this world aren't.
"he gives and takes away, He gives and takes away, still my heart will choose to say-- LORD BLESSED BE YOUR NAME!"
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Aunt Header to the Rescue!
Last night through this afternoon, I babysat my Charlie bear and Lily girl so their mom could go to a women's conference with her church. These are the things that I learned in my 24 hours of playing mommy:
1. 2 year olds will wet their bed, even if you made sure they went to the bathroom before bed. Just wash the sheets ASAP... you'll want them clean for nap time.
2. 5 month olds love to be held. They just want you to hold them. All.the.time.
3. If you're holding a 5 month old, there is a 98% chance that the 2 year old will want to be held too. So build up your arm strength. The same goes for cuddling in the recliner. If you're cuddling with the 5 month old, the two year old will sure enough climb in too.
4. There's nothing in the world like a two year old telling you he loves you. "I loooove you Aunt Header!"
5. It's OK to fall asleep on the couch at 9:00 on a Friday night when kids have exhausted you.
6. There's no such thing as sleeping in when you are in charge of two kids. Hello, 6:30 on a Saturday morning. I didn't know you even existed. At least this beauty was the one I got to hang out with!
7. Bubbles are the key to every kids heart.
8. Sonic drinks are another key to their heart.... but there is a 90% chance they will spill yours.
9. I'm not really sure when moms have time to shower, put on make up, and get dressed. Still trying to figure that one out.
10. I'm also not sure when moms have time to pee, at least not in privacy.
11. There is no shame in taking a nap when the kids are taking a nap. No shame at all.
12. There is not many other places in this world I'd rather be then cuddled on the couch with my Charlie bear watching Thomas or Mickey.
13. When it's time to go home and you tell the two year old bye, and he cries because he doesn't want his Aunt Header to go away.... well, that's about the time your heart melts. And you decide to push him around in that silly car in the backyard for just a little bit longer.... but then it's time to go home and take a NAP...
Because let's be honest. Kids are exhausting.
1. 2 year olds will wet their bed, even if you made sure they went to the bathroom before bed. Just wash the sheets ASAP... you'll want them clean for nap time.
2. 5 month olds love to be held. They just want you to hold them. All.the.time.
3. If you're holding a 5 month old, there is a 98% chance that the 2 year old will want to be held too. So build up your arm strength. The same goes for cuddling in the recliner. If you're cuddling with the 5 month old, the two year old will sure enough climb in too.
4. There's nothing in the world like a two year old telling you he loves you. "I loooove you Aunt Header!"
5. It's OK to fall asleep on the couch at 9:00 on a Friday night when kids have exhausted you.
6. There's no such thing as sleeping in when you are in charge of two kids. Hello, 6:30 on a Saturday morning. I didn't know you even existed. At least this beauty was the one I got to hang out with!
7. Bubbles are the key to every kids heart.
8. Sonic drinks are another key to their heart.... but there is a 90% chance they will spill yours.
9. I'm not really sure when moms have time to shower, put on make up, and get dressed. Still trying to figure that one out.
 |
| Lily in her nap nanny while I did my make up.... |
11. There is no shame in taking a nap when the kids are taking a nap. No shame at all.
12. There is not many other places in this world I'd rather be then cuddled on the couch with my Charlie bear watching Thomas or Mickey.
13. When it's time to go home and you tell the two year old bye, and he cries because he doesn't want his Aunt Header to go away.... well, that's about the time your heart melts. And you decide to push him around in that silly car in the backyard for just a little bit longer.... but then it's time to go home and take a NAP...
Because let's be honest. Kids are exhausting.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Tutu Thrilled!
Hillary is an 8th grade english teacher with me this year! We have become really good friends throughout the year. She is having baby Mallary TOMORROW, so we threw her a baby shower yesterday! I chose the theme and made all the decorations. We chose purple, yellow, and gray as our colors because those are the colors for her nursery! I'm really proud of how it turned out, so I'm posting it all here to show off! (I ordered the invitations from here and she was SO great to work with!)
I thought it all turned out SO cute! It was a fun shower! I can't wait to meet baby Mallary tomorrow!!
 |
| (I ordered the invitations from here and she was SO great to work with!) |
 |
| Hillary with her hostesses! |
 |
| The tutu cupcake stand I made, along with the cupcakes and food signs that I made! |
 |
| The food table! |
 |
| Our center pieces! I made a bunch of baby tutus, then we tied balloons to baby bottles. The baby tutus went home with Hillary for her to use with baby Mallary! |
 |
| The balloons on the food table! |
 |
| With the other two hostesses! |
 |
| A girl I work with made the diaper cake, but then I decorated it with more tutus! |
 |
| Finger sandwiches! |
 |
| Strawberries and fruit dip, with a food sign! |
 |
| I made a big tutu to put under the punch bowl, and Qoya made this delicious purple punch! |
 |
| The gift table! |
 |
| And the tutu wreath that I made! |
I thought it all turned out SO cute! It was a fun shower! I can't wait to meet baby Mallary tomorrow!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
