Thankful

It is back to the real world this week. We enjoyed two and a half extra days off last week for Thanksgiving. It was really nice to have a break. It was much needed, and I feel like I can now make it to Christmas. We spent our Thanksgiving on the coast with Patrick's family. We had a great time visiting with everyone and eating LOTS of good food. Patrick's Nana had everyone on her side over on Thanksgiving day. There were about 55 people there. It was fun to see new and old faces and enjoy all the food. Friday, not too much shopping was done. We headed back to Hattiesburg because Mrs. Tammy had to be in Moselle for a wedding rehearsal that night. Patrick and I enjoyed watching football (although USM did NOT pull through for us). Saturday we did a little shopping and off to the wedding we went. It was a beautiful ceremony. It brought back many memories. Sometimes it makes me want to get married again! ha! Don't worry Mom and Dad it will not happen. It just brings back many happy, wonderful memories.

Patrick and I are thankful for many things this Thanksgiving. We have been abundantly blessed. We have a nice place to live, good jobs, great family and friends, a wonderful church home, and each other. Can't ask for much more. Let me be clear, we have our ups and downs, but we are still incredibly blessed.

My most favorite time of the year is in full swing now. I have always loved Christmas, the meaning behind it, and giving to others. But, this year holds extra special meaning. It's our first Christmas together. I am beyond excited! We have been decorating machines. I can't wait to show you what we have been up to.

Christmas is 25 days away!!!! I need to get busy wrapping presents. I am almost done with my shopping. I am ready to have everyone taken care of!

I hope everyone has a great holiday season. I'll be back soon to share some pictures of our first Christmas decorations.

I can't think of a title:

I sat for for awhile, and came up with no title.. Oh well, maybe you can think of one.

So, it's been about two weeks this time. A little better. I am sure you do not want to hear again how busy I have been, and how I have been meaning to blog, and have not! :-) Back to what has been going on.

The weekend we were thinking about going to New Orleans to watch USM play did not happen. USM lost to UAB the week before in double overtime by one point. Talk about heart broken. It was a sad day to be a Golden Eagle. We did enjoy the weekend on the coast. I bought lots of Christmas stuff to decorate with and even a few Christmas presents. I am ready to have my Christmas presents bought and wrapped so that I can enjoy the rest of the holidays. It really is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the act of giving gifts just as much as I enjoy receiving them.

This weekend after much debate we decided to stay home. Well, Patrick went to the Brandon football game with his dad on Friday night. Brandon did so good. They are playing Oak Grove this coming weekend at Oak Grove. I am so glad that we will get to go. Oak Grove is my Alma Mater, but I would by lying if I said I did not want Brandon and especially Jacob to do well. Getting side tracked: On Saturday we had a pretty lazy day, we did something really fun (which I will tell you about later), and I got some errands done. It was nice to be able to get some things done. I have not felt good the past few days though. I guess it is just a cold or something. Hoping to turn the corner soon.

But, the week is starting and we must press onward. USM plays Houston on Saturday. Hoping for a big win. They beat a ranked UCF team this weekend. And the basketball team is off to a great start too!

On another note,three football players were tragically shot today, really is sad, unnecessary violence. My heart goes out to their friends and family. Praying for a full recovery.

Hope everyone has a great week! Here is a sneak peak of what we have been up to! :-) More to come soon!

Many Adventures!

You know, I always find myself thinking about writing on the blog, and all this great stuff that I am going to say, but as you can see it does not always happen. I really do have great intentions to be better. I guess that I need to work a little harder on that. So much has happened since my last post, so I will try and remember everything. I think some bullet points will work best!

*I had a great birthday! Patrick made my day so special, and he was so sweet to me. I am very thankful for him. It was a little different this year as my family was not in town, but we celebrated earlier in the week, therefore, I had a week long celebration. Also, I found out that I would be having a nephew! I am so excited, and am already stocking up on many things for him! And now,I am the BIG 25 ! I know, so old! Praying for a wonderful year!

*We were going to go to Memphis to see USM play and spend sometime there since Patrick had never been. But, since USM lost to East Carolina the weekend before we decided not to go. I was a little sad, but we did go to the coast and spent some wonderful time with Patrick's family. It was nice to get a way for a few days. I even took Monday off. That was so nice, however, I filled my day with getting things done around the house.

*The following weekend we went to Jackson to spend time with my sister. We really went so Lori could spend time with James! ha! But, we had a really nice time. We played put-put the first night, and had so much fun. And let it be known that Patrick only beat me by one stroke! Next, time I will win! I even got to do some shopping the Dogwood shopping area. I love that place. I am ready to go back so that I can get my Christmas shopping done. On Sunday we got to eat at Stix!!! Love that restaurant! Wish we had one.

*This weekend we were looking forward to USM redeeming themselves against UAB. We lost to them last year, and really needed a win in the Rock. Let's just say we were a little more than disappointed. We lost in double overtime by one point. Heartbroken... It's not shaping out to be a very good year for USM football. Hopefully, we can turn it around and win a few more games. On the other hand, my husband is ready for basketball! I'll let you know how that goes!

*So, what does this coming weekend hold? Good question! We were going to New Orleans to watch USM play Tulane. We were going to go early to eat Beignets, and eat at this restaurant called Houstons. But, since USM disappointed us again, I am not sure what will happen. I guess you will have to stay tuned to see! Should be interesting, that is for sure!

*Well besides football, we have been busy working. Patrick's work is still a little slower so that is good for him. My work is crazy busy, but hopefully our numbers will show it this grant year. We are looking forward to the holidays coming up. Our firsts holidays as a married couple. We are very excited! However, it is so hard to decide where to go, and what to do to make all of our families happy. I have decided it just can't be done. We just have to do the best that we can. Anyone else understand this? Anyways, I am ready to put my Christmas tree up! I am so very excited. It will be so fun to decorate and celebrate the holidays.

*I think I have caught you up. I really will try and be better! Hope everyone has a great week! Until next time!.....

Do you like it!?!

Do you like my new blog header!?! Isn't it wonderful! I owe my great friend Samantha McCain a huge thanks for creating it for me. I just love it. I have no creative bones in my body, but I just send her some pictures, and she makes it work. I am so thankful for her. She is always patient and puts up with my craziness when it comes to the blogging world!

Well, life has been busy. But, when is it not? We have enjoyed the wonderful weather we have been having. It has been awesome! Football is in full swing, and it is keeping us very busy. However, we would not have it any other way. This weeks is Homecoming. A special time for the University. It is fun watching everyone come back to USM. We are looking forward to a day full of tailgating and an awesome game to follow. The Rock should be rocking! Hoping for a great game! :-)

Work has been keeping both Patrick and I extremely busy. We are ready for a break. Next week I celebrate the BIG 25! I just can't believe it. Where has the time gone? Patrick loves when I have a birthday because then I become a year older than him (not really a year, but we are different ages for a little while). Oh well, what can I say? He married a wiser woman! ha! I am looking forward to next week because on Friday we are leaving for Memphis. And as a birthday present to myself I am taking off next Friday and Monday! That means two 4 day work weeks in a row. I think that I am going to like that. I thought about taking off my actual birthday (Thursday), but surely it can't be too bad working on your birthday. We shall see!

Maybe, I can convince my husband to make a blogging appearance soon. I will see what I can do. I possibly can pull it off since my birthday is happening soon! But, I do want to say that I received my first birthday card today. It was from the President of the University! :-) How thoughtful! I do love birthdays... I love other people's birthdays because it's a chance to make them feel extra special and a day to truly celebrate them. So, likewise, I enjoy my birthday because I feel extra special and enjoy the sweet comments and well wishes from friends and family. I am in great hopes that the BIG 25 will be a great year!

Well, hopefully I will return soon for a good update from this weekend! Let's go Eagles!!

6 Years Ago...

Well, 6 years ago today Patrick asked me to be his girlfriend. Actually his exact words were, "I guess when people ask, you can say we are together." Ha! He was so funny! :-) We were sitting on the curb outside the back of Hickman Hall. These past 6 years have been something else! :-) They have been full of love, laughter, joy, frustrations, happy times, and sad times, but above all we have grown and are now living a wonderful married life!!! I know there will be obstacles along the way, but we are in this together, and I am so thankful!!!

I am so very thankful for Patrick, and proud of the person he has become. He is a wonderful husband!!! Here is to many more wonderful years!!!

A picture from our younger years!

So, what else has been going on in the Lowery household:

We have been busy, busy... USM football is in full swing. We are enjoying our time tailgating and spending time at the ROCK! We also just made a trip to Ruston, LA. It was not a pretty game, but the Eagles pulled out the W. Thank goodness. Hopefully, there are many more road trips to come!

Also last week, Dave, Emily, and Sarah were in town. We were able to have a little get together at the apartment. It was so great to see them. I miss them already. It was a great night of fun and fellowship. I am very thankful for great friends. I wish the Cook family all the best as they move up North! We will have to plan a trip to see them very soon.

Oh, and I want to wish a very (belated) Happy Birthday to a dear, sweet friend Samantha! I hope her year is filled with many wonderful wishes!

My trip to Louisville!!!

Well, I have been back for a week from Louisville, but I wanted to make sure that I told you about my trip.

I had a great opportunity to go visit Dave, Emily, and baby Sarah. I was so very excited. It was a wonderful trip, and I had the best time. I just love Sarah bear! She is one precious, wonderful baby. It was so fun to watch Emily as a mom. She's a wonderful mom, and Sarah is very blessed. However, sometimes I would sit and think, "how did we get to this point in our lives." Not too long ago we were trying to figure out how we were going to spend the night with each other!

I am very thankful for Dave's and Emily's hospitality. It was a wonderful time of fun and fellowship. I am so glad that I got to go visit them. I wish them the best as the get ready to move way up North. Hopefully, one day I will have the opportunity to visit them in their new home!

I leave you with a few pictures from my trip!

It's HERE!!!

Well, it's here!! Football season that is! Patrick and I are so excited. We have been waiting. It is one of our favorite times of the year. Tailgating, Eagle Walk, The fight song, touchdowns, friends, and family, and watching it on TV.. What more could you want? I may not be the typical girl to love all of this stuff. But, it's been in my blood since birth! (Thanks Mom and Dad). I really do love it! We are ready for SATURDAY at the ROCK!

BUT, until then we are ready to watch the Eagles take on South Carolina tonight on TV. It is sure to be a great game, and we are hopeful the Eagles will come out on top. My dad informed me he was going to sit quietly and watch the game. ha! Everyone who knows my dad knows that he does not sit quietly while USM is playing. I'll be sure to give you an update on how that goes! Wish we there in person, but we should have a great view from the comfort of the couch. Patrick and I do plan on making some road games. Now's the time to do it!

Labor day weekend is fast approaching. woo hoo! I have a very special trip planned. I will give more details when I return. I can't wait to see some very special people!

Have a great day, and GO EAGLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!