Birthdays and 6 Years!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (YESTERDAY) MOMMMM!!!!!

I have the best Mom in the world and yesterday she turned 35. She is growing up...slowly but surely.
Seriously though, she is awesome. She is fun, funny, gorgeous, real, cute, hard-working, God-fearing, friendly, and HOT.
Thank you Mom for changing our diapers, cleaning up throw up, living sleep-deprived, taking us to the mall, dealing with us in the dressing room, driving us everywhere, loving on us, laughing with us and at us, letting us laugh at you, taking us to the pool, reading us books over and over, encouraging us, listening to us, and just straight-up LOVING all of us!!!
There are so many things you do that all of your family and friends could go on and on about. We are just thankful for you.
My Mom is also a breast cancer survivor. If you were around her during that time, you have seen her at her best when she should have been at her worst. She was so brave (even if she just acted that way so that we wouldn't be scared). She comforted us when we should have been comforting her. It was an amazing time and the Lord protected and provided! We are so thankful for His provision.
My Mom and Dad are just so fun. Dad's birthday is June 13th!!!!
I LOVE MY FAM!!!

(Oh, and I cannot even get started on how Mom planned the whole wedding and kept me in once piece....maybe I will save that for another post...)

and next we have.....

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO KATIE AND ARTIE, DUH!

These two have blessed my life beyond words. I really cannot sit here and explain it. Katie has always been such a sweet sister and friend, and has set such an amazing example. Her marriage to Art has been such a neat thing for Milla, BJ, and I to watch! I know we all feel so blessed to walk behind them in life and see what they do!
Their Godly marriage started this day 6 years ago and May 1, 2004 will always go down as one of my most favorite days of all time. Artie took Milla and I under his wing from the moment he and Katie started dating, and we could not have been more excited to see them become ONE!
Katie and Art have really gotten out their machetes and forged the way through the forest for the rest of us. They have allowed us to watch what they do and follow in their path!
They have also provided our family with the sweetest joy- Emma Kate and Harper!!! Thank you guys for these sweet babies :) Thank you for doing all the hard work and letting us enjoy them.
Ok, if you enjoy blogs, you have to follow their BLOG HERE! Katie is a really good blogger and posts a lot of good photos and videos. I hope to be as good as her one day...

Until next time, War Eagle and Happy Anniversary K and A!!!

Updates!

Good evening everyone!

Ok, I know I apologize on every post (as rare as they are) about my terrible blogging skills. The thing is, I really want to be a good blogger, and I LOVE reading other people's blogs. I think I have a hard time coming up with things to blog about that I think you all (all 4ish of you out there) would find interesting. SOOOO....if you have any suggestions, let me know :) I guess I will start blogging more about our day-to-day life. The fact of the matter is, BJ and I do not have very exciting lives. We are EXTREMELY blessed, but we do not have big news, we do not have big things going on, and we just live a very simple life. I am thankful for this simple life, though. Life has not been this simple since we were kids! Simplicity is a beautiful thing.

Our favorite thing that has happened lately is the union of these two:

The Lord has blessed us greatly with their friendship. BJ and I (well mainly me) have been giddy with excitement for these newly weds. It is so fun to have a good friend embark on the same journey that you just embarked on a few months ago (5 to be exact).
Handley and Blake's wedding weekend was fabulous. There are really no words to describe it. We got to spend time with great friends and got to hang out with my family. We got to play with my favorite 2 nieces and it was just GOOD!
Their wedding was beautiful, Christ-centered, and so much fun! Handley was the most gorgeous bride and Blake is a lucky guy :) We think Blake is pretty cool too. Anyway, we are just thankful for the Underwoods and look forward to alllll of our many adventures together in the future!!!

Here are a few more pictures from the wedding weekend:

CLARK!

So...here he is! Our new kitten, Clark! He was 8 weeks old when we got him and we have now had him for 2 weeks...so according to my genius calculations, that makes him 10 weeks old! This picture was taken at the Humane Society where we got him. He has changed so much in just two weeks. He has already grown a bit and just looks healthier!
Funny things Clark does:
-plays hard for about 20 or 30 minutes and then wants to cuddle. (he repeats this over and over)
-climbs half way up the drapes (eh...he even got stuck the other night and I had to help him down! haha)
-chases our feet
-plays with my ponytail (this should actually go in an "annoying" category)
-eats like a CHAMP
-uses the potty like a CHAMP (not one accident! knock on wood...)
-he is at the door 90% of the time before we even open it. He hears us close the car doors or somehow knows we have gotten home!
-speaking of the door, he always wants to run outside to play and explore (this is obviously not really an option for a tiny baby kitty named clark)
-he steps all over our computers and does not have any respect for the keyboard (another "annoying" category thing)

Ok that is probably enough fun kitty facts for just about anyone! Thanks for reading :)

Praise Him!

I am sitting on the couch relaxing and listening to the great worship tunes BJ is playing while he is preparing his devotion for work tomorrow. They have a devotion every Monday morning, and BJ is leading his second one tomorrow. WHAT A BLESSING! We are so thankful for the people he works with and their foundation in Christ.
I am often overwhelmed with where we are in life. It is just so incredible obvious how sweet and special this is. We just get to live life together, try to do our best every day, and enjoy it all! I definitely have my signature Emily meltdowns about nottthinggggg occasionally, and we are tempted to complain about small things here and there, but God has been so good to us.
If you were at our wedding, you may remember the song that my sweet friend Christen (AKA "Bird") sang called, "You Have Been So Good." This is one of my family's all time favorites, and just hits the nail on the head. Even when things are not perfect, He HAS been so good. He always will be.

You Have Been So Good by Lenny LeBlanc:

"You have been so good
You have been so good to me
In my faithless hour
You've been my strength
You are my tower
From the enemy
You have been so good
So good to me

Your hand is always faithful
Your mercy never ends
And when I feel unable
Your grace is there again

You chose me with my weakness
And all my sins forgave
I've nothing to repay You
So all that I can say

You have been so good
You have been so good to me
In my faithless hour
You've been my strength
You are my tower
From the enemy
You have been so good
So good to me."

.....................................................................................................

Side note: I started work at Auburn University at Montgomery this past week and it has been great! I was lucky enough to start the same day with a girl named Lindsay. We are both Student Recruiters for the University and will be travelling to highschools, junior colleges, and college fairs near and far! Lindsay and her Husband recently graduated from Seminary in Louisville and he is now the pastor at a Church in Maplesville, AL. Lindsay drives an hour to work everyday but I sure glad she does!! She is a wonderful encouragement. And guess what??? She not only went to Auburn, but she was also a Chi O! She graduated the year before I got there, so we just missed each other, but how cool is that? We still know many of the same people. So basically, I feel strong about work so far, and I work with great people!

(That was a long "side note," huh?)

War Eagle.

This is Forever?! Yes!

Hello everyone out there! We hope you all had a joy-filled Christmas. We sure did. BJ and I really love Christmas time, but this year was a whole new adventure! Being able to spend Christmas with your best friend/husband is such a blessing. We just get to do stuff together all the time! I guess that is just still a new concept to us. The other night we were talking about how I keep having this feeling that we are on some vacation that is about to end...but it is not! We get to be married and together forever! I know there will be good times and not-so-good times, but we are just so thankful to get to to it together.
We have loved having the tree up, having too many candles burning at once, buying Christmas decor, and buying gifts. I guess the tree has to come down pretty soon....it is pretty dry and my Mom taught me that is dangerous!

Here is a little about our wonderful Christmas:
We drove up to Atlanta last Wednesday (Christmas Eve Eve). We got there at night time but still got to spend some good time with the fam. It was so much fun just to sit around and chill with Milla, Mom, Dad, June, and BJ. On Thursday, we went with Dad on the annual Christmas Eve shopping trip. This is always so much fun. BJ got to experience it with us this year! Camilla got a really cute dress, I got a cool apron, BJ got some shirts, Dad got all kinda of clothes (the only time during the year he buys himself anything), we bought Mom some goodies, we got Katie got some cute childrens plates from Williams-Sonoma (sooo...maybe those are for the girls?), and we got Nathan a cool leather notebook. If you skipped over that part....it does not hurt my feelings...I probably would have too.
Anyway, we got home from that trip and I went to go retrieve Emma Kate's Barbie bike from Katie and Art's house! That was fun and I was glad to be a part of the first bike thing. She loved it! Although, since she had seen it in the store, she could not remember if she already had it or not. It was really funny. Picture us all standing there trying to convince this sweet 3 year old that she does not in fact have this bike. She decided she believed us and then she got really excited.
Later on we went to the Christmas Eve service. This was so amazing and special as always! The music at Church of the Apostles is spectacular and is such a blessing to all that hear it. It was an extra special time because the Geyers came! Jamie, Di, and Ern sat with us at Church and then came over for dinner! We had so many laughs, told many stories, and learned many lessons at dinner. It was so fun having them there.
**Important Side Note** Right before the Christmas Eve service started, Elizabeth called to tell me that she and Evan were ENGAGED. It was so sweet. They will be getting married in Montgomery and I am so excited to be the in-town helper to her Mom and sister since Elizabeth is currently in Austin!
Christmas morning was ver very very chill. We just got up around 9:30 and had coffee. Mom made a bountiful (big word, I know) and tasty breakfast that we all enjoyed very much. It was so much fun just sitting around in our PJ's. We all only opened one gift because we wanted to wait for Nathan to get there and for Katie, Art, and the babies to get back from Art's parents house.
Once they all got there, EK got the bike, Dad read Scripture, and we started on presents and stockings! It was a very very fun afternoon, and was followed by another tasty meal by Mom and Katie! We did some toasts and just had a plain ole good time!
The day after Christmas was relaxing too. BJ and Dad ran around town doing some things, and I went to lunch with Mom and Milla. We left Atlanta that afternoon and headed back to Montgomery.
What we did when we got back to Montgomery will need its own blog post. We bought a TV, but only after 5 stores and 4 hours. It was worth it though!!
On Sunday we got up early and had a really fun day with BB, Mr. Jim, Aunt Jill, Payton, and Austin. We got to just hang out, do fun things, and be together. It was great to be with them all day! We also had some really really good food and got to exchange some fun gifts! They have all taken me in with the widest and most open arms ever created. I am so thankful!
So...the moral of the story is...we have a WONDERFUL family and God has BLESSED us. I know I use that word a lot, but it is just the truth!
Thank you to all of our sweet family members who have made our first month and a half of marriage so incredible. We love you!

Guess What? We Got MARRIED.

2 weeks ago tonight, BJ and I became Husband and Wife. It was certainly the BEST day of our lives and was a dream come true. I honestly could not have asked for more. We were surrounded by those we love the most and we got to vow to love each other forever! Parts of the day are a blur, but I remember most of it very well and am so thankful for that. I cannot believe it is over. Thank you so much to my Mom ad Dad for everything. Thank you to my WHOLE family and to the Haistens!! Thank you to all of our sweet friends for being so wonderful. November 21st, 2009 was priceless.

We spent a wonderful week in Highlands, North Carolina and have now been in Montgomery for a week. We are in shock everyday that BJ does not have to take me home, and we are not coordinating long distance things, BUT being together all the time feels oddly natural! The Lord has giving us an amazing gift through marriage and we are THANKFUL!! 

OK, these are out of order but here is our Christmas tree and a view of our messy den!! We had so much fun getting the tree and BJ put it up like a champ. It was totally no big deal! And he is the light master. He did a great job. OH, it is also worthy to note that we got the tree at Home Depot and proceeded to put it INSIDE my small Jetta. We put the back seat down and stuck the tree through the trunk up into the car. It was really funny and worked out ridiculously well.

Our First Tree! The lights were not totally finished at this point. We ran out and had to go back to target to get one more strand. We also bought a tree skirt today so it is not so naked anymore. It is a cute quilted skirt we got at an antique store.

My light man.

Taking the mesh off the tree. Note the wedding gifts and stuff everywhere :) It is much cleaner now so do not worry. Well...more like we just moved all the gifts into the spare bedroom. I should put a picture of that up. It is INTERESTING!

The finished product minus the tree skirt! Hope you like! We need a few more ornaments but they will come with time. I am sure one day we will have wayyy too many. Thank you to the Knights for the great star at the top of our tree.

I better get back to watching this Texas game....it is getting intense. BJ is going nuts. About that SEC Champ game earlier...whatever...Bama does not deserve that kind of glory and that is all I have to say about that.

WAR EAGLE FROM THE HAISTENS!!!!

I Am Back!

Hey Folks!

I realize that I have been the most slack blogger ever. I really thought I would be better at this! I have HIGH hopes that as life settles down a little in the coming months, that I will be blogging much more :) 

So, the wedding is in TWO weeks. 2! I cannot even believe it! I am so excited. BJ and I feel so blessed and cannot wait to be husband and wife. We have been overwhelmed with love and support from all of our family and friends. Thank you so much everyone!

The next two weeks will be great. Mom and I have a few things left to get accomplished, but are looking forward to some nice and calm time. Katie, Art, EK, and Harper were over tonight and Emma Kate "practiced" for the wedding. She was thrilled to put on her flower girl dress. She calls it her "bridesmaid dress." It is really sweet. We practiced walking down the "aisle" to Mommy. We have told her that Mommy, Aunt Milla, and my friends will walk down first, then she will go and walk to Mommy. We told her that when she walks down, everyone knows the bride is coming. She loves that only she and I get to wear white! We kept telling her how she did such a great job practicing the wedding and she said, "Auntie, can we have practiced the realll wedding?" She also said, "Is the wedding today?" She is so excited, so hopefully the excitement will carry over to November 21st! We will see! We are prepared for her to run, walk, cry, freak out, or not walk down the aisle at all. I just hope she enjoys it and knows we love her!

I went to Auburn this weekend with Mom. She had a Phi Mu reunion and it was also Chi O parent's weekend! I spent the night with Brittney on Friday and Saturday and we had so much fun just chatting and chilling. I got to spend lots of time with Camilla on Saturday and it was so great. We also went to Big Blue this morning for breakfast. I have the sweetest little sister. She makes me so proud and is such a good and fun friend. I have been blessed with an amazing family.

Here are a few pictures from the past month:

Look at my sweet friends and sisters dressed up in various forms of me throughout the years! It was so thoughtful and thought-out!  (Camilla-top hat soccer, Katie-Psychedelic, Jamie-Auburn Fan, Claire-Patriot, Em-Whitefield Uniform, Ans-Wolfpack Cheerleader, Laura-My signature game day vest, LeLe-JH Ranch staff, Britt- High School Tennis Uniform!) 

This is BJ and Mr. Jim moving our dining room table in our new apartment! More pictures of the apartment coming soon. Mr. Jim and Mrs. Barbara gave us this beautiful table that is about 100 years old!

West-Virginia game with Em and Jordan. Lots of rain but lots of fun.