Don't Plan Life

When I left work today, I thought it was just an ordinary day, and I would go home, make dinner, workout, and relax. HOW OH SO WRONG I WAS!!! On my way home, I received a phone call from my mother-in-law. She was calling to let me know about a house, with a foreclosure, that is for sale for only $99,000! Lucky for us, Brandon's aunt is a realtor and let us know all the ins and outs of this house! After a phone call or two, we were on our way to go look at the house. 

Pros:

1. Great location. All houses in the area are nice looking and up-to-date. It's somewhat out in the country but close enough to a town. 
2. Price. $99,000. 'Nough said. 
3. The $8k bonus for 1st time home buyers. We could use that cash to help out
4.  with the house. 
5. Investment. Right now, we are renting. If we buy this house, we don't lose anything. It goes right back to us later on. 
6. Vaulted ceilings. 
7. Hardwood floors.

Cons:

1. Cat pee. Right when we walked in, we were welcomed with the smell of cat pee. EWWWW... Carpets would definitely have to go! Hopefully after paint and new carpets, the smell would go away. 
2. It's a little outdated. Light fixtures: a little too brassy for my liking (an inch of brass is too much). 
3. No appliances. We would have to buy a new refrigerator and a new stove. 
4. No definable master bedroom. There's one bedroom downstairs (main floor) and three upstairs. There is one bedroom with a bathroom; however, all the bedrooms are the same size. Thus, my reasoning for "no definable" master bedroom. BUT... I think we have solved this one; we would convert 2 bedrooms into one and make it a master suite with master bathroom.  
5. The $8k bonus for 1st time home buyers. This bonus ends in a few days! AHHH!!!! 

After writing all the pros and cons out, I'm leaning more towards one way than the other. However, I'm not going to let my answer be known just yet. ;) I hope everyone had a great day! GOD BLESS! 

Lots Accomplished Today

Wow... what a day at work! Even though I only saw one kid (yes, only one kid), I was busy, busy, busy all day long! Today was basically a paperwork day. I hate paperwork. Because I work for a Cooperative, I've got double the amount of paperwork that one district slps have. I've always said I went into this field for the therapy part and not the paperwork. I'm such a procrastinator when it comes to paperwork. I know the secretary is irritated at me because I'm such a procrastinator. Oh well... I look at it this way: A true therapist concentrates on the therapy.

After work, I came home and got started cooking dinner. We had Easy Chicken and Biscuits! It was Yummy!!!! Here's the recipe:

1.5 lbs of chicken
2 cans of cream of mushroom soups
1 can of biscuits
1 16oz bag of frozen veggies (carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower)
black pepper
1/4 tsp of thyme
2 tbsps butter

Preheat oven @ 400.

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Melt butter in a 10 in pan and place chicken bits in pan. Cook chicken evenly and thoroughly. While chicken is cooking, mix veggies, soups, thyme, and black pepper together in a 9x13 pan. After chicken is done, stir chicken in with the veggies and soups.

Cook for 15 minutes @ 400. Take out, stir chicken and veggies, and place biscuits over chicken and veggies. Cook for another 15 minutes @ 400. ENJOY!

I hope everyone enjoys their evening! GOD BLESS!

Top 2 Tuesday: Favorite Things of Summer

Thanks to The Undomestic Momma, Top 2 Tuesday is here folks! The topic of discussion is 2 Favorite Things of Summer. WOW... This is definitely going to be hard to decide on just 2!!!!!


1. River Rats
I love spending time on the river with my friends and family! I basically grew up on the river during the summer. There's nothing better than going tubin' down the river with good friends.




2. Summer Nights
There's something mystical, nostalgic, and romantic about summer nights. The best way for me to describe it is by making it into a recipe: 


A Dozen of Friends
1 Picnic Table Full of Food
1 Cooler of Full of Drinks
1 Big Bonfire
A Dash of Lighting Bugs


Mix all ingredients together at and let cool to the night time temperature. ENJOY!

I can't wait to read everyone else's Summer Favs! Have a great night and GOD BLESS!
  

Show Us Your Life: How I Met My Husband

From Kelly's Korner, the "Show Us Your Life" topic is How You Met Your Husband. Here's our story:


Brandon and I come from the same hometown, West Plains, Missouri. Even though we grew up in the same town, we never knew of one another until August 2006. During this time, I was living in Springfield, Missouri attending Missouri State University. I was starting my senior year and on my way of obtaining my Bachelor's Degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders. In the summer of 2006, Brandon and a mutual friend of ours, Kent Turner, moved to Springfield. On a weekend in the middle of August, one of my best friends, Diana, drove from St. Louis and stayed with me for the weekend. On Saturday night, Diana received a phone call from our friend Kent, and Kent invited us to come over to his and Brandon's apartment. We decided to go on over and hang out. When we got there, Kent was the only one at their apartment because Brandon was at work. While Kent was getting ready for work, Diana and I decided to raid Brandon's room. First thing I noticed when I walked into his room was that he made his bed! I had never known of any boy that made his bed. Also, his room, bathroom, and closet were all well kept and cleaned up! Before Diana and I left their apartment, Kent took a picture of Diana and I. Apparently, while at work, Kent showed Brandon the photo. I've been told that from the moment that Brandon saw me, he had to meet me. 


A couple of weeks passed, and then one night, I received a phone call from Kent. He asked me to meet him and Brandon at Wal-Mart because Brandon wanted to meet me. After changing out of my pajamas and into a t-shirt, jeans, and flip flops, I went over to Wal-Mart and met up with them. The first thought that entered my mind when I laid eyes on Brandon was that he was good-looking!  I wanted to talk with him and get to know him; however, I never really had the chance to talk with him because he was on the phone. So, I mainly talked with Kent. What I didn't know at the time was that Brandon is extremely shy at first, but I thought he was blowing me off. Naturally, I thought Brandon wasn't interested in me, but I was about to be proved wrong.


A few days passed and I got a phone call from an unknown number. I answered it, and it was Brandon. Apparently, Kent gave Brandon my number. We ended up talking for a couple of hours. After that phone call, I didn't hear from him for a few days. Then, he calls me and finally asked me out on a date. We went out on a Friday night and went to Chili's for dinner. Two things took me by surprise that night at dinner: 1. Brandon was not shy at all. He talked non-stop, which I loved; and 2. He showed that he has a big sweet tooth. After ordering our food, a waiter was bringing a dessert to a near-by table. Brandon took a glance at that and said, "Ohh, we are gonna have to try that!" I know I will never forget his face when seeing that dessert. After dinner, we went to the movies and then went back to my place. We sat in my living room and talked for hours. We probably got back to my place at about 11:30, and we talked until 4am! I was so comfortable talking with him. It was as if I had known him my entire life. Once realizing the time, I walked Brandon to his truck and gave him a hug good-bye. Since I felt such a connection with him, I wanted to see how he kissed, so I made the first move. It was a kiss that I will never forget! From that night on, my heart belonged to Brandon, and the rest, as they say, is history! 

Here's a few pics of our story as time goes on:

Us At Mammoth Springs, AR, Summer 2007

A Family Wedding in Indiana, August 2007

Our One Year Anniversary, September 1, 2007

Engagement Picture, October 2009

During the time of our engagement photos, I was in full-swing of trying to make decisions for the wedding, attend Graduate School full-time, and work full-time. It was a crazy time in my life! By constantly being on the go, time flew by, Christmas had came and went, and it was time for the wedding. On January 3, 2009, I married my best friend at Spring Creek Community Church in West Plains, Missouri. It was one of the happiest days in my life! 

Honeymoon Key West, FL

Honeymoon Nassau, Bahamas

I hope everyone is enjoying their day! GOD BLESS and have a merry week! 

Life Tends to Happen

Once again... lots of days in between this post and my last post. My blogs kind of go with my personality: I can only take in so much, and then I burst and have to do something about it. SOOO... I'm gonna have to play catch-up. Here it goes:

There's only been 2 major things that has went on in our lives these past 2 weeks.

1. We bought a vehicle!!! It's a 2007 Chevy Trailblazer that's fully loaded and with only 52,000 miles. We bought it on Wednesday, April 14, from Bailey Chevrolet in Willow Springs. I love it! I had been driving a 2001 Toyota Corolla since January 2003. "Ruby" was a plain-jane car; the only hi-tech device in her was the CD-player. The Trailblazer has almost everything! Just a few of the greatest devices: a sunroof, cruise control, tinted windows, buttons on the wheel, and a 6-disc cd changer! Because I had Ruby for so long, I needed an up-grade. I wanted an SUV because of how high they set up from the ground and the space. Ruby didn't have a whole lot of space, and I knew whatever vehicle I was going to get was going to be bigger than her. My first choice of vehicle was a GMC Acadia; however, they are like $30,000 for a used one! We just couldn't afford an Acadia. I wanted a new vehicle, but we also need to save and put money back for a down payment on a house that we will hopefully buy in a year or two. Here's the new purchase:

   

2. I went to the Missouri Speech/Language & Hearing Association Conference (MSHA) located at the Tan Tar A Resort in Osage Beach, MO. The conference went from Friday, April 16- Sunday, April 18; therefore, I was working on a weekend! Grr... not my idea of a wonderful, relaxing weekend; however, I did have fun and learned valuable information! I saw a few people I knew (professors and college friends) and a lot of people that I didn't know. I rode up with a co-worker of mine, and we met up with her sister and fellow friend/co-worker. In at the end of Friday, we went out shopping! Okay, I'm not a shopper at all! However, I found some great buys at Banana Republic! I got two work shirts for a total of, wait for it, wait for it: $13! I know, AMAZING! I also got some goodies from Harry & David's (I can't resist that store!). On Saturday, we attended more sessions, and we left later on that evening. Dara, my co-worker, and I wanted to be home on Sunday to actually have a day off. We ended up getting home at around 10. The next day, I was completely tired but glad I went. Needless to say, I was exhausted the rest of the week and basically ran late EVERY DAY!  

Hopefully and since I got 2 days off, I will be in much better shape this up-coming week. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! GOD BLESS!  

Easter Weekend

Well, 2010 Easter has came and went, and yet, it was another holiday that I didn't take any pictures. I wish I was more of a picture taker so I could hold memories in my hand rather than in my mind. Maybe one day. I just hope it's before I have kids because if not, I'm afraid we won't have any pictures of them! :/


Our Easter weekend started early on Good Friday. Both Brandon and I had the day off, and we enjoyed it by sleeping in and going to Springfield to do some shopping later on that evening. 


On Saturday, I got up at a decent hour and conducted my weekly Saturday chores. I had to get up and a decent hour because we had plans with my Mom's family later on. We left our house (with Chester!!!) at around 1pm and got to my Grandmas about an hour later. We had great food, great fun, and great laughter! 


On Sunday, Brandon and I went to church! I know I go on and on about us and church, but church and our spiritual relationship is something that is immensely important to me. So, please put up with my ramblings once again. We've talked and talked about going to church. Here lately, I've been so sick of just talking about it;  I wanted to experience going to church once again rather than just talk about going. In one of my posts, I revealed how I became enlightened and God answered my year-long prayer. For those who don't know, I began praying to God to give me an answer about church. I grew up Church of Christ for 20 years. However, I never "felt" anything by worshipping at that type of church. I went to several different Churches of Christ and not once did I feel the Holy Spirit fill up my soul. I knew I was supposed to be filled up and thought if I studied harder that the Spirit would fill my soul, but I was wrong. For reasons I won't go into right now (because it would make this post LONGER than it should be), I stopped attending church. After going to different denominations with friends and family members, I finally did feel the Spirit fill my soul! Because of that feeling, I knew from then on that I needed to pray to God to answer a question, "Should I go to the Church of Christ just to satisfy my parents or should I seek elsewhere to satisfy my soul?" After a year of praying hard for strength, knowledge, and acceptance, my prayers were answered. God allowed my heart and soul to have relief and to know that I should seek a church where I can call home and where Brandon and I can build a strong relationship with God. To wrap things up... We ended up attending the First Free Will Baptist Church. It was amazing. I loved how passionate everyone was about worshipping God, Jesus, and the Spirit. Since we went on Easter Sunday, I know the service was a little different than what it normally is; therefore, I can't wait to go back next Sunday! 


Today has been a lazy day here at the Reeds'. I spent all day in my pajamas, as planned! ;) Brandon and I watched the movie 'Sherlock Holmes', and I must say, it was rather good! I highly recommend it to everyone! After the movie, Brandon got around and mowed the yard. It was really needing it, but now, it's lookin' good! While Brandon was mowing the yard, I made dinner, and now we are watching the NCAA college basketball game between Duke and Butler. I haven't really been into college basketball this year. It's probably because my bracket fell completely apart, as it did for so many others, after the 2nd round. 

I hope everyone has a great week! GOD BLESS! 

Prospect of a New Vehicle

I'm in dire need of a new vehicle. My current vehicle, 2001 Toyota Corolla, has been a really good car. However, I've had "Ruby" since January 2003, and she's almost giving out on me. Ruby is showing signs that she's needing some work on her, such as burning oil/needing an oil change around the 2000 mile marker. Ruby's having this kind of trouble with only having approximately 140,000 miles on her; thus the sign on her burning oil is not good. I would be more understanding if she had +200,000 miles, but she doesn't. SOO... I'm looking for a new vehicle. I've narrowed it down to 2 vehicles:

GMC Acadia

Chevy Equinox

Both vehicles are 2010 models, and obviously, we won't be buying the latest and greatest. Just a couple of differences between the SUVs are seating, gas mileage, and price. The Acadia seats 8 people, has a lower gas mileage on the highway/city, and is more expensive. The Equinox seats 5 people, has a higher gas mileage, and is less expensive. 

I knew sooner rather then later I was going to have to "up-grade" and buy a new vehicle. I've always driven a little compact, family car, but I have always loved SUVs and trucks. Even though Brandon and I aren't trying to have kids right now, we will be having kids within 2 years, and if I have things my way (lol... like this will happen), we will have our kids back-to-back-to-back-to-back. Yes, there are 4 "backs" in there because I want to have 4 kids, but Brandon only wants 2. We shall see what happens! :) Given all that information, I'm trying to be reasonable with our up and coming purchase. The reason why I chose the Acadia and the Equinox comes down to looks. I love the look of both vehicles. No matter how many times I research both SUVs, I know the final decision will be made based off of a test drive. However, as of right now, I'm leaning more towards the Acadia! ;) 

Have a great week and GOD BLESS!